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Pulmonary Function Testing has been a major step forward in assessing the functional status of the lungs as it relates to :
The primary instrument used in pulmonary function testing is the spirometer. It is designed to measure changes in volume and can only measure lung volume compartments that exchange gas with the atmosphere. Spirometers with electronic signal outputs (pneumotachs) also measure flow (volume per unit of time). A device is usually always attached to the spirometer which measures the movement of gas in and out of the chest and is referred to as a spirograph. Sometimes the spirograph is replaced by a printer like the unit used in this laboratory. The resulting tracing is called a spirogram. Many computerized systems have complex spirographs or printouts that show the predicted values next to the observed values (the values actually measured). The unit will have in memory all of the prediction tables for males and females across all age groups. In sophisticated spirometers, there maybe special tables of normal values programmed into the machine for selection when Blacks, children or other groups are being tested who may vary from the normal PFT tables established for caucasian adults.
Over the last several decades much research has been undertaken to determine what are the normal values for lung volumes and lung capacities. This has made spirometry very useful since now we know that we can compare the patient's PFT results with those measured on thousands and thousands of "normal" adults. By having tables of normal values, it is then easy to compare the severity of the disease process or the rate of recovery taking place in the patient's lungs. There are a few variables such as age, gender and body size which have an impact on the lung function of one individual compared to another.
FVC - Forced Vital Capacity - after the patient has taken in the deepest possible breath, this is the volume of air which can be forcibly and maximally exhaled out of the lungs until no more can be expired. FVC is usually expressed in units called liters. This PFT value is critically important in the diagnosis of obstructive and restrictive diseases.
FEV1 - Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second - this is the volume of air which can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs in the first second of a forced expiratory manuever. It is expressed as liters. This PFT value is critically important in the diagnosis of obstructive and restrictive diseases.
FEV1/FVC - FEV1 Percent (FEV1%) - This number is the ratio of FEV1 to FVC - it indicates what percentage of the total FVC was expelled from the lungs during the first second of forced exhalation - this number is called FEV1%, %FEV1 or FEV1/FVC ratio. This PFT value is critically important in the diagnosis of obstructive and restrictive diseases.
FEV3 - Forced Expiratory Volume in Three Seconds - this is the volume of air which can be forcibly exhaled in three seconds - measured in Liters - this volume usually is fairly close to the FVC since, in the normal individual, most of the air in the lungs can be forcibly exhaled in three seconds.
FEV3/FVC - FEV3% - This number is the ratio of FEV3 to the FVC - it indicates what percentage of the total FVC was expelled during the first three seconds of forced exhalation. This is called %FEV3 or FEV3%.
PEFR - Peak Expiratory Flow Rate - this is maximum flow rate achieved by the patient during the forced vital capacity maneuver beginning after full inspiration and starting and ending with maximal expiration - it can either be measured in L/sec or L/min - this is a useful measure to see if the treatment is improving obstructive diseases like bronchoconstriction secondary to asthma.
FEF - Forced Expiratory Flow - Forced expiratory Flow is a measure of how much air can be expired from the lungs. It is a flow rate measurement. It is measured as liters/second or liters/minute. The FVC expiratory curve is divided into quartiles and therefore there is a FEF that exists for each quartile. The quartiles are expressed as FEF25%, FEF50%, and FEF75% of FVC.
FEF25% - This measurement describes the amount of air that was forcibly expelled in the first 25% of the total forced vital capacity test.
FEF50% - This measurement describes the amount of air expelled from the lungs during the first half (50%) of the forced vital capacity test. This test is useful when looking for obstructive disease. The amount of air that will have been expired in an obstucted patient is smaller than that measured in a normal patient.
FEF25%-75% - This measurement describes the amount of air expelled from the lungs during the middle half of the forced vital capacity test. Many physicians like to look at this value because it is an indicator of obstructive disease.
MVV - Maximal Voluntary Ventilation - this value is determined by having the patient breathe in and out as rapidly and fully as possible for 12 -15 seconds - the total volume of air moved during the test can be expressed as L/sec or L/min - this test parameter reflects the status of the respiratory muscles, compliance of the thorax-lung complex, and airway resistance. Surgeons like this test value because it is a quick and easy way to assess the strength of the patient's pulmonary musculature prior to surgery - a poor performance on this test suggests that the patient may have pulmonary problems postoperatively due to muscle weakness. MVV can therefore be viewed as a measure of respiratory muscle strength. One major cautionary note is that this test is effort dependant and therefore can be a poor predictor of true pulmonary strength and compliance.
Pulmonary function abnormalities can be grouped into two main categories : obstructive and restrictive defects. This grouping of defects is based on the fact that the routine spirogram measures two basic components - air flow and volume of air out of the lungs. Generally the idea is that if flow is impeded, the defect is obstructive and if volume is reduced, a restrictive defect may be the reason for the pulmonary disorder.
Obstructed Airflow
The patency (dilatation or openness) is estimated by measuring the flow of air as the
patient exhales as hard and as fast as possible. Flow through the tubular passageways of
the lung can be reduced for a number of reasons:
Restricted Airflow
"Restriction" in lung disorders always means a decrease in lung volumes. This term can be applied with confidence to patients whose total lung capacity has been measured and found to be significantly reduced. Total lung capacity is the volume of air in the lungs when the patient has taken a full inspiration. You cannot measure TLC by spirometry because air remains in the lungs at the end of a maximal exhalation - i.e. the residual volume or RV. The TLC is therefore the summation of FVC + RV. There are a variety of restrictive disorders which are as follow :
A. Intrinsic Restrictive Lung Disorders
Forced Vital Capacity : Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) is the amount of air that can be maximally and forcibly expelled from the lungs after a maximal inhalation. If the patient has an obstructive disease, the amount of air in the lungs will not be readily exhaled because of physical obstruction and airway collapse during exhalation (loss of elastic recoil of the lungs). FVC is, therefore, an important PFT value to look at when evaluating the presence of obstructive pathology. In obstructive diseases, the lung's air volume will be more slowly expelled and will be a smaller volume over the time course of the FVC test than would be expected in a normal, healthy individual.
In patients with restrictive lung disease, the FVC will be smaller because the amount of air that can be forcefully inhaled or exhaled from the lungs is smaller to start with because of disease. This may be due to the fact that thoracic cage does not have the ability to expand very much. FVC will therefore be smaller due to mechanical limitations. However, since FVC will be smaller in obstructive disorders and in restrictive disorders (usually no one worries about the FVC unless it is 80% - 85% of predicted volumes), FVC alone cannot be used to diagnose obstructive and restrictive disorders all by itself. If the patient demonstrates a reduced FVC, the patient may repeat the test after inhaling a bronchodilator. The bronchodilator dilates the bronchial passages and reduces airflow obstruction. The post-bronchodilator test often shows an improved FVC - often times a 10% - 15% improvement. This simple clinical test strongly suggests that the FVC was low due to obstructive phenomenon. If the FVC did not change, it suggests the FVC was possibly low due to restrictive pathologies.
Another strategy that can help you decide if the low FVC is due to obstructive or restrictive processes is to have the patient perform a Slow Vital Capacity (SVC) Test. This test is performed by having the patient slowly and completely blow out all of the air from their lungs. The SVC test eliminates the strong bronchoconstriction that usually accompanies a strong forced exhalatory effort. Hence, the vital capacity of the patient may well be much larger after a SVC test because there is little or no airway collapse during a controlled and slow exhalatory effort. If the vital capacity improves after a SVC test, then it can be assumed that the original small FVC was caused by airway collapse and does not indicate the presence of restrictive disease. If the vital capacity does not improve either with the inhalation of a bronchodilator or does not improve with the administration of a SVC test, then restrictive pathologies must be considered as a possible cause for the small vital capacity results.
Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second : Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second (FEV1) is the amount of air that is forcefully exhaled in the first second of the FVC test. In general, it is common in healthy individuals to be able to expell 75% - 80 % of their vital capacity in the first second of the FVC test. Hence, FEV1 is a pulmonary function value that is highly diagnostic of obstructive disease - i.e. - if an individual's FEV1 is low compared to the predicted FEV1 in the normal population, the individual may have an obstructive lung disease. FEV1 is also expressed as a ratio or a percentage of the FVC and is written as %FEV1 or as FEV1/FVC. If the individual being tested displays a low FEV1 and the FEV1% is low, then the clinician should suspect the presence of obstructive pathologies.
In patients with restrictive lung disease, the FEV1 will be lower than predicted normal values and so will the FVC. Since both of these values may equally be effected in restrictive disease, the %FEV1 may well be calculated to be between 85% - 100% of normal. Hence, in restrictive disease look closely at %FEV1 when FEV1 and FVC are low and if the %FEV1 is 85% or greater, then you should suspect the patient has a restrictive pathology.
Forced Expiratory Flow 25 % to 75 % : Forced Expiratory Flow 25% - 75% (FEF25%- 75%) is a measure of the flow rate in liters per second of the middle half of a FVC test. This test is a sensitive test for the presence of obstructive airway disease. The value of looking at the middle half becomes clear when you realize that the first quarter of the FVC test is in part effected by the patient's effort in overcoming the inertial forces which resist thoracic wall expansion. Additionally, the expiratory effort in the last quarter of a FVC test is polluted by the patient's diminishing physical effort, the instigation of bronchospasm during forced expiration and the breathlessness associated with the terminal completion of a FVC test. Hence, the FEF25%-75% (middle 50% of a PFT) is the most representative of true expiratory patency and is therefore a very sensitive test for the presence of obstructive disease.
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate : Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) is a measure of the highest expiratory flow rate during the PFT test. It is measured in liters of air expired per second or liters of air expired per minute. Since it is a measure of the peak or maximum flow of expired air, it becomes a sensitive test for the presence of obstructive disease. Patients with a low PEFR would have to be further evaluated for obstructive pathologies.
There are a number of systems which physicians use to determine the severity of disease.
Here is just one way that is very commonly used :
Patients are almost always tested twice - once before bronchodilators are given and once after one is administered. This is a nice way to evaluate the amount of bronchoconstriction that was present and how responsive the patient was to a bronchodilator medication. This assesses the degree of reversibility of the airway obstruction. The drug that is nearly always used is a Beta-2 selective sympathomimetic because it is a drug that causes bronchodilation but which does not stimulate the heart to any great degree. After the drug has been administered, the PFT is repeated. If two out of three measurements (FVC, FEV1 and FEF25% - 75%) improve, then it can be said that the patient has a reversible airway obstruction that is responsive to medication. The amount of improvement is variable between clinics but some standards are presented below:
There is a systematic way to read the PFT and be able to evaluate it for the presence of obstructive or restrictive disease. The following steps will be helpful.
Case # 1.
|Predicted Values
|Measured Values
|% Predicted
|6.00 liters
|4.00 liters
|67 %
|5.00 liters
|2.00 liters
|40 %
|83 %
|50 %
|60 %
Decision : This person is obstructed
Case # 2.
|Predicted Values
|Measured Values
|% Predicted
|5.68 liters
|4.43 liters
|78 %
|4.90 liters
|3.52 liters
|72 %
|84 %
|79 %
|94 %
Decision : This person is restricted
Case # 3.
|Predicted Values
|Measured Values
|% Predicted
|5.04 liters
|5.98 liters
|119 %
|4.11 liters
|4.58 liters
|111 %
|82 %
|77 %
|94 %
Decision : This person is normal. This person is normal because the FVC and FEV1 are normal. It is irrelevant that the %Predicted for FEV1/FVC is 94% when FVC & FEV1 are normal. The % predicted values for FEV1/FVC are only relevant when the FVC and the FEV1 are abnormal.
Case # 4.
|Predicted Values
|Measured Values
|% Predicted
|3.20 liters
|2.48 liters
|77 %
|2.51 liters
|2.19 liters
|87 %
|78 %
|88 %
|115 %
Decision : Case 5.
|Predicted Values
|Measured Values
|% Predicted
|3.20 liters
|3.01 liters
|94 %
|2.51 liters
|1.19 liters
|47 %
|78 %
|39 %
|50 %
Decision : Case 6.
|Predicted Values
|Measured Values
|% Predicted
|4.80 liters
|4.10 liters
|85 %
|3.65 liters
|3.10 liters
|85 %
|76 %
|76 %
|100 %
Decision :


text:
New Bishop for Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Rev. Msgr. Edward B Scharfenberger, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York has been appointed by Pope Francis to be the tenth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York. The announcement was made at the Vatican today.
Bishop-elect Scharfenberger succeeds Bishop Howard J. Hubbard who has led the Diocese of Albany for 37 years. Bishop Hubbard reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on October 31, 2013 and submitted his letter of retirement to Pope Francis at that time. He was instructed to stay on until the appointment and installation of a new bishop.
Bishop-elect Scharfenberger was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn on May 29, 1948. He is the son of Edward and Elaine (Magdal) Scharfenberger of Warwick, New York. His parents are 93 years old. He has four siblings: Miriam Muse (Glenn) of Warwick; James Scharfenberger of Warwick; Dr. Dennis Scharfenberger, MD (Anna) of Warwick, and Lois Sheptuck (Deacon Paul) of Edison New Jersey. He has four nephews and two nieces. One nephew, Jonathan, is deceased.
Bishop-elect Scharfenberger attended Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Elementary School in Ridgewood and graduated from Cathedral Preparatory Seminary High School, Elmhurst in 1965. He entered Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston and graduated as an English major in June of 1968. The following fall he was assigned to study theology at the North American College in Rome, Italy where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sacred Theology (S.T.B. summa cum laude) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1972.
Bishop-elect Scharfenberger was ordained a priest on July 2, 1973 in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, by Bishop James A. Hickey, later Cardinal-Archbishop of Washington DC. He served as Parochial Vicar (Associate Pastor) at St. Stanislaus Church (Maspeth) and St. Ephrem Church (Dyker Heights) until 1976. He then was assigned to return to Rome for further studies. In 1977 he earned his S.T.L., summa cum laude, in Moral Theology from the Academy of St. Alphonsus. He was then assigned to the Catholic University of America where, in 1980, he earned his J.C.L. summa cum laude in Canon Law. He then served in a number of capacities in the Diocesan Tribunal of Brooklyn for 20 years. Between 1986 and 1990 he attended Fordham University School of Law where he earned his J.D. in May of 1990. He is admitted to the bar in New York (1991). Between 1993 and 2002 he served as the Judicial Vicar for the Diocese of Brooklyn. A Judicial Vicar usually oversees the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal and serves as chief canonical advisor to the bishop. During his years at the Diocesan Tribunal he also exercised pastoral ministry at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Forest Hills and at St. Matthew Church in Dix Hills. He has been the Administrator of the Diocesan Board of Mediation and Arbitration for the past 15 years as well as chaplain of the Kings County Catholic Lawyers Guild. He has served as instructor in Moral Theology at the diocesan Pastoral Institute and as an Adjunct Professor at St. Joseph's College.
In 2002 Bishop-elect Scharfenberger was appointed Pastor of St. Matthias Church in Ridgewood, a large multi-ethnic parish, where he served for 12 years. During this time he also served as Promoter of Justice for the Diocese of Brooklyn, and was a member of the Diocesan Review Board for Sexual Abuse of Minors. His most recent assignments included Vicar for Strategic Planning, and Episcopal Vicar for Queens.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cleaning and sorting in my little office in the cabin in preparation of the arrival of grandkids for a week this weekend... (ok, this was last week, I'm writing this a week ahead!) boxing up loose stuff not needed right now, that came out of earlier boxes opened for the other stuff in them... we just moved in full time in June 2009... cannot hurry these things... many boxes yet to go.
I find this compass in a neat little plastic case... sort of a velveteen plastic inner casing, with a compass in it. I got it when I took an army correspondence course in basic architectural drawing (University of Wyoming, while I was in Biloxi, MS, as I recall) when I was in the Air Force (1961-1964) as an electronics officer. I can still visualize my drawings of studs and cornices and different facial views of houses, done for the course - though I never took another course nor ever worked in the field.
What do you suppose I did with it, this time, after taking a picture? Throw it in the trash where it probably belongs? Of course not. I had another box of important stuff, sitting there - old VHS player, several favorite tapes, a rewinder, a boxed set of Roy Rogers movies on VHS - so I dropped it there before I taped up the box to go back to storage. Of course I did. Really valuable stuff, right?!?!?! ;-)
Families are forever! ;-)


text:
Browsing Research documents by Title
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Now showing items 2427-2446 of 3218Next Page
An Embedded, Comparative Case Study of Municipal Waste Management in England And DenmarkDam, Sofie (Frederiksberg, 2015)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This PhD concerns the potentials and challenges for conducting innovation in public-private partnerships (PPPs) towards the objective of transforming municipal waste management towards more sustainable systems. In recent years, local authorities have been met with intensified demands from the EU and national governments to change existing waste management systems from solutions based on disposal and recovery towards more recycling and prevention and at the same time deliver more efficient waste management services through the inclusion of private businesses. These two demands may to some degree be mutually supportive, but may also lead to challenges in the prioritization and development of new solutions. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9169
Files in this item: 1Sofie Dam.pdf (2.365Mb)
With Comparative and Multi-level Case Studies from Denmark and IrelandHelby Petersen, Ole (Frederiksberg, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This PhD dissertation studies national similarities and differences in policy and regulation of public-private partnerships (PPPs), with an empirical focus on Denmark and Ireland. The starting point and motivation for the study is the observation that whereas PPPs are often depicted in the academic literature and in policy practice as a globally disseminated governance scheme, in reality, a closer examination of the PPP reform landscape reveals significant differences in national governments' PPP policy and regulation and in the amount of actually implemented PPP projects. By comparing the initiatives taken by the Irish government, which has embraced PPPs, with those of the Danish government, which has been a PPP sceptic, this study inquires into the fundamental questions as to how, why and to what consequences some governments have developed widespread policy and regulation frameworks to support the implementation of PPPs, whereas others have been much more reluctant. The dissertation addressed four research questions: (i) what are the key actors, strategies and institutions that create policies and regulations for the formation of PPPs?; (ii) how did governments' PPP policies and regulations develop over time, and how can their similarities and differences be explained?; (iii) how do differing national policy and regulation frameworks serve to facilitate or hinder the formation of PPPs, exemplified by four case studies from the schools sector?; (iv) what framework conditions does the EU set for PPP initiatives at national and sub-national levels? The main aim of the dissertation is to study how and why national PPP policy and regulation frameworks developed over time. At the national government level, the study thus contains both diachronic and synchronic analysis. Furthermore, in line with previous research within what has been called the governance approach within PPP studies, policy and regulation are also seen as constitutive elements that tap into and set the general framework conditions and institutional 'rules of the game' for the realisation of concrete PPP projects. The comparative interest at the central government level is thus supplemented by an analysis (a) of the interplay between decisions about policy and regulation at the national level and the formation of concrete PPP projects, and (b) of the EU's role in regulating decisions about PPPs at national level and in relation to the formation of concrete PPP schemes. A main finding is that whereas academic PPP literature often portrays governments' rationales for resorting to PPPs in terms of achieving innovation, collaborative advantage, value-for-money, new market possibilities, improved risk sharing etc., the findings brought to the fore in this dissertation suggest that a primary objective indeed was to remove major public infrastructure investments from governments' balance sheets, and thereby reduce the pressure on public capital budgets and provide more infrastructure than would otherwise be possible. However, as the off balance sheet rationale has been shown to be largely false, because there is always a bill to pay in the long term, this raise a number of broader legitimacy and accountability issues, which the present PPP policy and regulation frameworks of governments do not seem to adequately address. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9114
Files in this item: 1Ole_Helby_Petersen.pdf (1.358Mb)
A processual and embedded explorationStelling, Christiane (Frederiksberg, 2014)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This thesis addresses the need, development and management of trust in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), an issue that thus far has received only very little attention. For this purpose, the dissertation contributes with four separate articles, of which the first two explore the main concepts – PPPs and trust – while the last two present the empirical exploration of trusting in PPPs by drawing on four in-depth case studies. The exploration of the PPP concept in the first article focuses on the definitory and classificatory practices across disciplinary and professional fields and contributes with an inductive map of the dominant patterns. The review of PPP publications argues that the main divergence lies in the focus on two differing dimensions. While a first group focuses on PPPs as a new way of distributing responsibilities across public and private partners a second group defines PPPs as a new means for joint decision-making and interactive collaboration between public and private partners. For the thesis it is especially the second dimension – the relational - that becomes relevant when trust moves centre-stage. In the second article, the dissertation addresses trust conceptualizations in an interorganizational setting. The article argues for a more processual approach to (re)embed trust in time and space. Following, the paper develops a processual framework for studying interorganizational trusting as ever evolving, always embedded and not least rooted in individual experiences of organizational members from various organizational levels. Finally, the article highlights the constitutive importance of contingency not only creating the need for trust but also its precondition. It is because we experience the future as open (contingent) that we are in need and able to form trust, i.e. suspend doubts and form positive expectations about another's future behaviour despite he/she has the possibility for alternative actions. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8942
Files in this item: 1Christiane_Stelling.pdf (1.915Mb)
An explorative study of the contracts of the Tender Electronic Daily (TED)la Cour, Lisbeth; Milhøj, Anders (Frederiksberg, 2013)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Public procurement is estimated to constitute more than 16% of GDP in the EU, see e.g. Ramsey (2006). This is one of the reasons why a lot of interest has been attached to this topic. Most of the papers in this field have been of a theoretical nature but during the last ten years also a few empirical studies have become available, see e.g. Marion, J. (2007) and Bajari et al (2008). At the EU level liberalizations have been going on since the late 80'ies (see e.g. the EU commission (1985). Here certain regulations imply that public projects of a certain size need to be subject to a public tender. Again according to Ramsey (2006) around 16% of all public procurement in the EU is subject to these rules and regulations and information on the contracts corresponding to these 16% can be found in Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) database. In general, the hypothesis is that public procurement will increase competition and ultimately lead to cheaper contracts for the authorities, see e.g. Cecchini (1988) for the economic arguments. But in practice: do the rules and regulations ensure more competition? Do they lead to more internationalization in the sense that more foreign firms become contract winners? Do the government and municipalities in the EU countries actually gain economically from the procurement? Does the choice of type of procedure matter? A lot of interesting questions immediately pops up and some of them – but only some of them - may be analyzed based on the content of this data base. Still, due to the large coverage and the international nature of the data base we believe that a thoroughly study of the possibilities of TED is of major interest and the present study is just a first step in this direction. One of the students who extracted the TED data has also used them for analysis in his master thesis, see Bundsgaard (2010). He has, however, limited his interest to analyze the choice of procedure: auction vs. negotiation and therefore our study has a broader scope when it comes to available variables. To our knowledge we are the first group of researchers who begins to analyze the content of this database using explorative statistical techniques based on a broad range of variables. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8686
Files in this item: 1Lisbeth la Cour_SYMP_13.pdf (172.5Kb)
en introduktionPlenborg, Thomas; Knudsen, Hans Jørgen; Bang Christensen, Tinus (Frederiksberg, 2009)[More information][Less information]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7961
Files in this item: 1WP_2009-05[1].pdf (284.0Kb)
The Rebranding of Georg JensenKarmark, Esben; Csaba, Fabian Faurholt; Beckmann, Suzanne C. (Frederiksberg, 2015)[More information][Less information]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9143
Files in this item: 1GJ_case.docx.pdf (475.2Kb)
Agersnap, Flemming; Witfelt, Claus; Löfvall, Steffen; Find, Anders (København, 2003)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: I dette working paper præsenteres og diskuteres et e-læringskoncept: Pædagogisk Selvtræning. Først vises den medietekniske udformning. Dernæst præsenteres et læringsteoretisk grundlag for konceptet ud fra K. Illeris, 2001. Det starter ud fra de læringsprocesser (kognitive, psykodynamiske og sociale), som foregår i brugere af konceptet, lærere så vel som studerende. Ud fra denne model diskuteres, hvordan denne viden kan være vejledende for lærerens resp. den studerendes direkte aktivitet i klasselokalet. Problemet for brugeren (en lærer eller en student) er dels at diagnosticere situationen på holdet, ved eksamen e.l. og dels at finde/vælge en reaktionsmåde, der er relevant hertil. Det er disse kompetencer, Pædagogisk Selvtræning søger at udvikle. Til sidst diskuteres, hvordan Pædagogisk Selvtræning kan videreudvikles og indplaceres ift. andre, fx IT-baserede undervisningsformer. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6691
Files in this item: 1dokument 20.pdf (818.1Kb)
Johannsen Duus, Henrik; Bjerre, Mogens (Frederiksberg, 2015)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Qualitative value profiling (QVP) is a relatively unknown method of strategic analysis for companies in international business-to-business settings. The purpose of QVP is to reduce the information complexity that is faced by international companies in dealing with business partners. The QVP method allows the development of 1) profiles of the target country in which operations are to take place, 2) profiles of the buying center (i.e. the group of decision makers) in the partner company, and 3) profiles of the product/service offering. It also allows the development of a semantic scaling method for deeper analysis of all involved factors. This paper presents the method and compares and contrasts it with other similar methods like the PESTELE method known from corporate strategy, the STEEPAL method known from scenario analysis, and the Politics-Institutions-Economy (PIE) framework known from International Business. This comparison suggests that QVP on most accounts provides deeper insights than alternative methods and thus lays the foundation for better strategic planning in international business-to-business markets. Hence, it is a valuable addition to the toolbox of business strategists and consequently, for the advancement of international development. Further use of QVP is recommended and suggestions for future research are provided. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9243
Files in this item: 1Johansen Duus_Bjerre_2015.pdf (266.4Kb)
A RessessmentJohannsen Duus, Henrik; Bjerre, Mogens (Frederiksberg, 2015)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Qualitative value profiling (QVP) is a relatively unknown method of strategic analysis for companies in international business-to-business settings. The purpose of QVP is to reduce the information complexity that is faced by international companies in dealing with business partners. The QVP method allows the development of 1) profiles of the target country in which operations are to take place, 2) profiles of the buying center (i.e. the group of decision makers) in the partner company, and 3) profiles of the product/service offering. It also allows the development of a semantic scaling method for deeper analysis of all involved factors. This paper presents the method and compares and contrasts it with other similar methods like the PESTELE method known from corporate strategy, the STEEPAL method known from scenario analysis, and the Politics-Institutions-Economy (PIE) framework known from International Business. This comparison suggests that QVP on most accounts provides deeper insights than alternative methods and thus lays the foundation for better strategic planning in international business-to-business markets. Hence, it is a valuable addition to the toolbox of business strategists and consequently, for the advancement of international development. Further use of QVP is recommended and suggestions for future research are provided. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9237
Files in this item: 1henrik_duusP.pdf (287.1Kb)
Hansson, Finn (København, 2003)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: A central issue in science policy today is the changing role and function of research evaluation. How is quality selected, has local organizational traditions and managerial practices influence on the research evaluation? Who is perceived as peers or evaluators by the researchers and by managers? Recent organizational theory has focused on organizational and social dimensions in private knowledge-based companies, but left out research organizations. How important is the organizational context for the research evaluation processes? The paper will present results from an interview-based study of four private and public research organizations and discuss the importance of the organizational context on the production of new knowledge. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/6310
Files in this item: 1wp23-2003.pdf (248.6Kb)
The role of internal controls and materialityChristensen, Leif (Frederiksberg, 2016)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Accounting and auditing is closely related to the quality of data. Two important elements supporting the quality of information are internal controls and materiality. Inspired by Simons (1994), these elements can be considered "basic building blocks". Internal controls are perhaps the most important element, as they ensure that information used for management purposes has the required quality (Kinney, 2000). This information can be used as a basis for preparing the external financial reporting (COSO, 2013) and as a prerequisite for establishing information-based management control systems (MCS) (Simons, 1994). When regarding management controls as a package, internal controls are part of the administrative controls and often formalised in policies and procedures (Malmi and Brown, 2008). The level of controls should be guided by the need for reliable information. These considerations are linked to another "basic building block", namely the concept of materiality. The basic meaning of materiality is "that there is no need to be concerned with what is not important or with what does not matter" (Bernstein, 1967). Gaining an understanding of these concepts is important in order to answer the question "when is enough – enough?" The information should be both reliable and relevant, but there is also the cost to consider, since companies spend considerable resources on the design, implementation and operation of administrative controls and financial reporting (Carney, 2006). It is also important to understand these concepts when performing an audit of the internal controls embedded in the company systems and processes (Kinney et al., 2013), as well as when preparing an annual report. The overall objective of this thesis is to add to the understanding of the role of internal controls and materiality. The three articles included aim at meeting this objective by analysing selected areas within accounting and auditing. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9353
Files in this item: 1Leif Christensen.pdf (2.457Mb)
implications of recent nonparametric testsDahl, Christian M.; Nielsen, Steen (København, 2001)[More information][Less information]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7650
Files in this item: 1wpec072001.pdf (78.46Kb)
the Danish stock market since World War 1Risager, Ole (København, 1998)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Abstract: This paper contributes to the growing literature on mean reversion in stock markets by examining a newly constructed Danish data set for the period 1922-95. Variance ratio tests clearly reject the random walk hypothesis at the 2-year horizon, that is, the riskiness of a 2- year investment is significantly less than twice the risk of a 1-year investment. Variance ratio tests for 3- and 4-year horizons are not significant under conventional significance levels, whereas autocorrelation tests of the joint hypothesis that there is departure from random walk at all horizons tend to reject the random walk hypothesis and support the mean reversion hypothesis. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7617
Files in this item: 11998_7.pdf (71.21Kb)
Beier, Niels C.; Jensen, Heidi Steen; Jørgensen, Martin; Moshøj, Christina Mary; Blyt, Janne; Kleve, Aslaug; Steenstrup, Jakob; Hammer-Jespersen, Lars; Rosenmejer, Jeppe; Heide-Jørgensen, Caroline; Jakobsen, Søren Sandfeld; Hansen, Torben; Nørbæk, Line; Nielsen, Christina Toftegaard; Gullander, Michelle Anne; Banke, Lars M. (Valby, 2016)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Formålet med markedsføringsloven er, at den skal understøtte fair konkurrence samt gode forbrugerforhold. Markedsføringsloven udgør således en væsentlig rammebetingelse for alle virksomheder og forbrugere i Danmark. Fair konkurrence, og en hensigtsmæssig forbrugerbeskyttelse, hvor forbrugerne er beskyttet mod fx at blive vildledt eller udsat for aggressiv markedsføring, understøtter velfungerende markeder. Markedsføring er i høj grad reguleret af fælles europæiske regler. Siden den sidste store revision af markedsføringsloven, der skete i 2005, har der været en række ændringer af markedsføringsloven i forbindelse med gennemførelse af EU-regler, herunder særlig direktivet om urimelig handelspraksis. Disse ændringer har savnet en egentlig integrering med lovens øvrige regler. Det har betydet, at en række af reglerne overlapper hinanden, og at loven flere steder fremstår fragmenteret. Det har også medført en åbningsskrivelse fra Europa- Kommissionen, som gør opmærksom på, at Danmark på en række punkter, efter Europa- Kommissionens opfattelse, ikke har implementeret direktivet om urimelig handelspraksis korrekt. Den teknologiske udvikling har endvidere givet virksomhederne nye måder at markedsføre sig på. Det har dels skabt udfordringer for virksomhederne, der kan være usikre på, om deres kommunikation holder sig inden for lovens rammer, og dels for forbrugerne i forhold til, hvilke rettigheder de har. Der er endvidere behov for at se på de redskaber, Forbrugerombudsmanden har til rådighed i sin håndhævelse. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9345
Files in this item: 1
Kjærgaard, Annemette (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Vi afholdt i efterårssemestret 2012 en fastholdelsesworkshop for de nye studerende på HA(it) med økonomisk støtte fra uddannelsesdekanen. I denne rapport vil vi kort gøre rede for forløbet samt de umiddelbare reaktioner fra de studerende som deltog. Det er først muligt at sammenligne tal for frafald med tidligere årgange til sommer 2013, når de studerende aktivt skal semestertilmelde sig, så denne rapport har ingen resultater ift fastholdelsesmålet. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8652
Files in this item: 1Kjaergaard.pdf (1.317Mb)
Udarbejdet for Penge- og PensionspaneletChristiansen, Charlotte; Hasager, Leif; Astrup Jensen, Bjarne (København, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Denne rapport er udarbejdet efter anmodning fra Penge- og Pensionspanelet (PPP). Ifølge udvalgets kommissorium har udvalget haft til opgave at udarbejde en rapport indeholdende forslag til anbefalinger om investering i obligationer og obligationsbaserede investeringsforeninger. M algruppen er fastlagt som danske ikke-professionelle investorer, og anbefalingerne forventes at være operationelle og letforst aelige samt veldokumenterede. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8535
Files in this item: 1Astrup_Rapport_2011.pdf (390.1Kb)
Construction and information content of an investor-cost based rating of Danish mutual fundsBechmann, Ken L.; Rangvid, Jesper (København, 2005)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: We develop a new rating of mutual funds: the atpRating. The atpRating assigns crowns to each individual mutual fund based upon the costs an investor pays when investing in the fund in relation to what it would cost to invest in the fund's peers. Within each investment category, the rating assigns five crowns to funds with the lowest costs and one crown to funds with the highest costs. We investigate the ability of the atpRating to predict the future performance of a fund. We find that an investor who has invested in the funds with the lowest costs within an investment category would have obtained an annual risk-adjusted excess return that is approximately 3-4 percentage points higher per annum than if the funds with the highest costs had been invested in. We compare the atpRating with the Morningstar Rating. We show that one reason why the atpRating and the Morningstar Rating contain different information is that the returns Morningstar uses as inputs when rating funds are highly volatile whereas the costs the atpRating uses as inputs when rating funds are highly persistent. In other words, a fund that has low costs one year will most likely also have low costs the following year, whereas the return of a fund in a certain year generally contains only little information about the future return that the fund will generate. Finally, we have information on the investments in different mutual funds made by a small subgroup of investors known to have been exposed to both the atpRating and the Morningstar Rating, i.e. information is provided on how investors use the two ratings. We find that investors have a clear preference for high-rated funds. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7194
Files in this item: 1endeligt_wp_2005_6.pdf (598.9Kb)
Lando, Henrik (København, 2007)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This article suggests a rationale for statutes of limitations in sales law, i.e. for the practice of cutting off buyers' remedies after the expiration of a limitation period. The rationale is based on the notion of wear and tear, which carries two implications: First, a good that breaks down after several periods of use is likely to be of nearly optimal quality, and in this case little is gained by allowing a claim. Second, the number of dysfunctions is likely to increase over time, which implies that the pool of potential claims, and in particular the pool of unjustified claims, is likely to increase over time. It will be shown theoretically that these implications can provide a rationale for cutting off claims. The rationale will be supported with empirical evidence stemming from a recent extension of the limitation period from one to two years in Denmark. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7237
Files in this item: 1wp06-2007.pdf (237.2Kb)
Staff utilisation in branches of a large Canadian bankAsmild, Mette; Bogetoft, Peter; Hougaard, Jens Leth (, 2011)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In this paper we consider staffing decisions in branches of a large Canadian bank. The bank has well-developed staffing models and the branches work in a highly competitive environment. One would therefore expect limited 'inefficiency' in the sense of wasted resources and over-staffing. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) we nevertheless find considerable 'inefficiency' which raises the question whether this is best interpreted as waste or if the apparent inefficiency may serve other purposes. To investigate this, we invoke the theoretical framework of Rational Inefficiency (Bogetoft and Hougaard 2003). A systematic pattern of slack consumption emerges, which suggests that the allocation of slack between sta↵ groups is far from random. The slack pattern seems natural from the point of view of employee value and hierarchy and also considering employee flexibility and substitutability. For example we find relatively large over-staffing at the supervisor level which is natural given both their strong bargaining position derived from their role in the branch hierarchy and given the relative flexibility of supervisor resources. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8634
Files in this item: 1Asmild Bogetoft Hougaard_2011.pdf (567.5Kb)
on procedural and consequential interests of the rule-guided individualKaisla, Jukka (København, 2001)[More information][Less information]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7271
Files in this item: 1wp01-11.pdf (150.8Kb)
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text:
Retinal detachment means that the retina—a thin layer of nerve tissue at the back of your eye—has detached, or pulled away. This can lead to vision loss and blindness, but surgery can often restore good vision.
A retina can detach as a result of aging, an eye injury, inflammation, or some diseases such as diabetes.
But many times there is no obvious cause.
Last Revised:
October 9, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Carol L. Karp, MD - Ophthalmology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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text:
Law enforcement officers were nearby when the Pizza Hut on 17th Street was robbed.
Two men were fatally shot and one was injured late Friday night in a gunbattle with law enforcement officers following a robbery at the Pizza Hut on South 17th Street in Wilmington.
It was the fourth robbery or attempted robbery of a local Pizza Hut within the past two months.
The violence came the same day a special group of plainclothes officers from the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff's Office began pairing up to focus on robbery suppression and crime in public housing communities, following a recent spike in armed robberies and gang-related violence.
On Friday night, law enforcement officers focusing on surveillance of local restaurants were near the Pizza Hut and confronted the three men as they emerged from the building.
"We have had a rash of robberies, and we have put a lot of focus on monitoring businesses," said Wilmington police spokeswoman Linda Rawley.
The three men had approached an employee outside the Pizza Hut about 11:45 p.m., forced the employee back into the restaurant at gunpoint and robbed those inside, Rawley said. The restaurant was open at the time.
Rawley could not say exactly how officers became aware of the robbery, but when the three suspects exited the building, they were met by police.
When they refused to obey police commands, gunfire was exchanged and all three suspects were injured, Rawley said.
Ronald Roland, 18, and Tevin Robinson, 20, were taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead several hours later.
Jalani Lamar Smith, 20, who was treated at New Hanover Regional and released, is being held in the New Hanover County jail with bail set at $1.5 million. Smith has been charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, as well as multiple armed robbery charges, and four counts of first-degree kidnapping. His first appearance in court is scheduled for Monday.
No officers were injured in the exchange of fire.
None of the suspects have criminal records, according to a search of the N.C. Department of Correction.
All three attended North Brunswick High School and played sports there.
In March 2012, Roland was a StarNews Media player of the week nominee for track and field. He was the father of two children, according to his Facebook page.
Smith had attended N.C. A&T State University in Greensboro, according to his Facebook page.
Police believe the men might be tied to multiple business robberies in Brunswick and New Hanover counties, Rawley said.
The Wilmington Police Department would not release the names of the officers or how many officers were involved in the shooting. All are on administrative leave with pay, according to Rawley. The State Bureau of Investigation was on the scene early Saturday morning to investigate, she said, standard procedure in officer-involved shootings. Rawley said she could not release any more details on the incident.
A spokeswoman for the SBI did not return phone calls on Saturday.
On Sept. 9, a Pizza Hut in Leland was robbed after a man forced the night manager back into the store as she was leaving for the night. On Sept. 17, the Pizza Hut on Oleander Drive in Wilmington was robbed by two men while a third man waited outside the restaurant. On Oct. 22, employees at the Pizza Hut on Oleander foiled a robbery when they ran back inside the building after spotting an armed man running toward them in the parking lot.
Employees of businesses near the Pizza Hut on 17th Street said Saturday that the shooting has put them on alert. An employee of PT's Olde Fashioned Grille, which is adjacent to Pizza Hut, said they are taking extra precautions at closing time. An employee at the Kangaroo Express across the street said he could not speak about the shooting.
Andrew Neylon, a bartender at nearby Tinyz Tavern, said the bar has been taking extra precautions since the recent rise in gang violence by having customers leave in pairs. The bar's patio faces Pizza Hut, but he said no one saw or heard the shooting because cold temperatures kept customers indoors.
"We're a neighborhood joint, so we are concerned, but not overly," Neylon said. "Everyone watches out for each other."
Friday night's shooting was the second law-enforcement-involved shooting in the past month in which a suspect has been killed.
On Oct. 13, Brandon Devone Smith, 30, was shot and killed following a car chase and a foot pursuit that ended in a wooded Wrightsboro area. He was accused of shooting and injuring a law enforcement official three days earlier.
That investigation also is being handled by the SBI and is ongoing.
A day after Smith was killed, WPD Chief Ralph Evangelous, along with New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon, announced plans for a 64-officer joint task force. Minutes after the 4 p.m. news conference, the almost daily gun violence erupted again. Shots rang out at 12th and Dawson streets shortly before 5 p.m. Later Monday, at 8:45 p.m., a 20-year-old man was reported shot and wounded in the 600 block of Eighth Street, police said.
On Oct. 15, the Wilmington City Council unanimously approved spending $142,381 to allow the police department to create an investigative unit and maintain full staffing. The unit would gather information, disseminate intelligence on gangs and combat gang activities, according to documents prepared for the council. The unit would have one sergeant and four officers. In addition, the sheriff's office will add seven deputies to the WPD's seven-officer unit that patrols public housing complexes.
"That's how big this presence needs to be for us to have an impact on this," said Evangelous, who appeared before the council to ask for approval for the funding to allow the new gang unit.
Jason Gonzales: 343-2075������������
On Twitter: @StarNews_Jason


text:
a combining form meaning "moon," used in the formation of compound words: lunitidal.
Content related to luni-
English Affixes From A To Z: A One-Stop List Of Suffixes, Prefixes, and Combining FormsIn English, we love to make new words by adding all sorts of bits to the front and back of existing terms. These are called affixes, and they are added to the base or stem of a word. When attached to the end of word, the affix is called a suffix. And to the beginning? A prefix.
Words nearby luni-
lungki, lungs, lungworm, lungwort, lungyi, luni-, lunik, lunisolar, lunisolar precession, lunitidal, lunitidal interval
Origin of luni-
combining form representing Latin lūna moon; see -i-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019


text:
Charles Schumer, Powerful U.S. Senator, Questions Prospects For Uganda's Kutesa As President Of UN General Assembly
Senator Charles Schumer
[Editorial Commentary]
An influential U.S. Senator has questioned the prospects of Uganda's foreign minister becoming President of the United Nations General Assembly next month citing the "homophobic legislation recently passed by the Ugandan parliament and signed into law by its president" in a statement released to The Black Star News.
Senator Chuck Schumer says Uganda's anti-Gay law is contrarian to the United Nations charter which "clearly promotes respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion."
He says Mr. Kutesa's views "must be known and explained" in the statement issued to this newspaper.
Senator Schumer (D-N.Y.) says Uganda's anti-Gay law, which was signed Feb. 14, 2014 by President Yoweri Museveni "is in contradiction to the UN charter and denies equality for members of the LGBT community."
"That's why the UN should review Mr. Kutesa's participation in, and views on, such legislation," senator Schumer's statement also reads. Schumer is the Senior Senator from New York and is Chair of the Senate Rules Committee.
At the time he signed the anti-Gay law Gen. Museveni referred to them as "disgusting."
The Black Star News in a series of editorials has also called for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to revoke Mr. Kutesa's visa to prevent him from becoming President of the General Assembly and explained why he's unsuited for the high profile post.
Eleven Africans previously have been President of the General Assembly including distinguished diplomats like Liberia's Angie Brooks and Tanzania's Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, later a prime minister.
The Black Star's editorial comments have been linked to an online petition drive which has now garnered 473 signatures as of today, opposing Mr. Kutesa's candidacy.
The editorials cite Uganda's numerous invasions of neighboring countries -- Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan-- in violation of the United Nation's cardinal principles of: respect for national sovereignty; national territorial integrity; and non aggression against other nation states.
In 2005 the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also referred to as the World Court, found Uganda liable for the aggression against Congo and the loss of lives and property. The court awarded Congo $6 billion - $10 billion, which has not yet been paid. The Wall Street Journal also reported on June 8, 2006, that Gen. Museveni, Mr. Kutesa's boss, perhaps fearing criminal indictment, asked then U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to block an International Criminal Court investigation, which had been launched, in connection to the alleged crimes by Uganda in Congo.
Estimates of Congolese who have perished as a result of multiple invasions from her neighbors exceeds 6 million.
Mr. Kutesa has also been linked to several corruption allegations involving tens of millions of dollars.
On March 4, 1999 he was censured by Uganda's Parliament after a debate on the floor for corruption.
Mr. Kutesa was later implicated in a major corruption scandal involving the disappearance of a reported $150 million in public funds when Uganda hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2007.
In 2009, Kutesa was mentioned in a memo to the State Department by then U.S. ambassador to Uganda Jerry Lanier, as one of three powerful ministers who Gen. Museveni was unwilling to hold accountable on corruption allegations.
In 2011, Kutesa was also one of three ministers accused in Uganda's Parliament of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from a foreign oil company seeking favorable terms as Uganda gets ready to start producing oil.
When Mr. Kutesa was questioned earlier this week by Radio France International (RFI) over the online petition campaign against his candidacy, without elaboration, he said: "I've heard that, but that's nothing, I'm not bothered by that because it's incorrect. It's a lie so I'm not bothered by that."
The U.S. Department of State did not respond to a call and e-mail message seeking comment on Senator Schumer's statement by deadline this evening.
Similarly, a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, did not respond to a call and e-mail message seeking comment by deadline.
Senator Schumer's complete statement reads:
"I am deeply concerned by the homophobic legislation recently passed by the Ugandan parliament and signed into law by its president. The United Nations charter clearly promotes respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion -- and Uganda, right now, clearly does not. That's why the UN should review Mr. Kutesa's participation in, and views on, such legislation. As a member of Ugandan President Museveni's cabinet, Mr. Kutesa's views must be known and explained, as this law is in contradiction to the UN charter and denies equality for members of the LGBT community."—U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer
Latest comments
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I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first MLive.com user to add photos or videos of Premium Sound
Premium Sound is located at 1491 M 32 W, Alpena, MI. This business specializes in Stereo Equipment.


text:
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text:
Vine Weeds of Missouri - Page 4
Dodder (Cuscuta spp.)
Dodder is a parasitic plant that lacks chlorophyll and therefore has a yellow-orange color. It has a spaghetti-like appearance, and its stems may be as thin as thread in some cases. There are at least 10 known species of dodder in Missouri. Because of the plant's parasitic nature, its seedling stems and roots can persist for only a short time if no suitable host is in close range for attachment. Once the stems attach to the host plant, a structure known as a haustorium penetrates the host plant. After the haustoria have begun extracting water and nutrients from the host plant, the dodder's stem breaks away from the soil surface and the dodder becomes totally reliant on the host. The plant will grow rapidly and soon have a dense mass appearance as it entwines around the host plants. Not all plant species are suitable hosts for dodder.
In Missouri, the primary hosts of dodder are members of the aster and legume plant families. Occasionally, dodder can be a serious pest of leguminous forage crops such as alfalfa and clover. The tiny yellow-orange seed produced by dodder can persist in the soil for years.


text:
National Security
Did bad decisions set stage for 9 U.S. deaths in Afghanistan?
In the days before one of the fiercest battles in America's eight-year war in Afghanistan, Army Capt. Benjamin Pry argued for more surveillance flights to help his beleaguered unit of fewer than 50 soldiers.
Since moving into a new outpost on July 8, 2008, they had struggled with shortages of water, fuel, food and heavy machinery to help defend against an enemy attack that they believed would eventually come. Lacking excavating equipment, the troops dug fortifications by scraping the rocky soil with spades and bare hands.
Then on July 12, headquarters commanders diverted drones — remotely operated planes outfitted with cameras to spot enemy movements — to another area. Pry argued so hard to undo that decision that he said he breached professional etiquette. Still, he was unsuccessful.
"We had no support from brigade, division or theater level assets at the time," Pry told Army historians in a study obtained by The Seattle Times.
That study, written by historian Douglas Cubbison of the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., documented missteps that preceded some of the bloodiest combat to date for American troops in the Afghanistan war.
Early in the morning of July 13, the outpost at the village of Wanat came under assault from some 200 enemy troops. The attack claimed the lives of nine Army soldiers — including Cpl. Jason Bogar, 25, of Seattle — and wounded 27 others, precipitating the withdrawal of U.S. troops from a valley in eastern Afghanistan.
The 254-page unreleased study challenges the Army's official battle investigation, which had concluded that leaders displayed "sound military analysis" and that no blame could be placed on commanders.
Cubbison noted suspect decisions by commanders, who allowed an understaffed platoon to plant itself in hostile territory without adequate support.
In the Wanat battle study, Cubbison concluded that:
-- No senior commander visited Wanat before establishing it as an outpost, and it was "highly questionable" whether these commanders exercised due diligence when they ordered a platoon to move there.
-- The lack of heavy equipment to fortify defenses and the lack of intelligence support directly contributed to the casualties suffered last July 13.
The Army institute is a military think tank that helps evaluate Army capabilities and operations.
Cubbison noted that some soldiers who stepped forward to talk did so at the "risk of being professionally censured."
Army officials say the study is far from finished. They described it as a working paper that is not yet even a draft. They said there would be more interviews and a peer review, and declined to comment on the findings. "It's not done," Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, told The Seattle Times on Thursday.
Cubbison could not be reached for comment for this story. A spokesman for the Army institute confirmed that the study was not yet complete.
The extensively footnoted study, based on numerous interviews with soldiers and other sources, also documents the heroism of those who fought that day and prevented the outpost from being overrun.
It also offers a sweeping narrative of the events leading up to the battle, when much of what was going wrong with the war in Afghanistan last summer was going wrong in Wanat.
The study already is raising questions in Washington, D.C.
Sen. James Webb, D-Va., wrote in a July 9 letter to the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General that he believes "more thorough consideration of senior command accountability is warranted."
By then, the Inspector General's office had already opened an inquiry into Wanat in response to a hotline complaint received in November from one of several parents pressing for more information.
"It's been over a year since the nine soldiers were killed, and I just want the truth to come out," said David Brostrom, a retired Army colonel whose son, 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom, 24, died in the battle.
Bogar's mother, Carlene Cross, of Issaquah, said, "They need to tell people what happened so they can make changes and it doesn't happen again."
They called themselves "Chosen Company," and their informal mascot was a Marvel Comics figure known as The Punisher, a lone soldier who took jobs nobody else would do.
Based out of Italy, C Company was part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Command Team and had earned a reputation as a savvy, combat-hardened unit of paratroopers.
Bogar was a Bothell High School graduate who joined the Washington National Guard in 2000 and then became caught up in military life. He served in Iraq, assisted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and then went to Afghanistan. After returning, he joined the active-duty Army with the belief that the military would send him to film school, according to his mother.
Instead, he ended up in Afghanistan.
In June 2007, the company was sent to the Waigal Valley, a remote, rugged corner of eastern Afghanistan that hosted insurgent groups. The insurgents often recruited young villagers eager for income and a chance to test their warrior skills.
The company had three platoons, but only two of them — fewer than 80 soldiers — were sent to the valley. Cubbison wrote that those two platoons were overextended as they tried to staff Spartan combat outposts.
Early on, they faced tough fighting. Soldiers were involved in hand-to-hand combat in August 2007 as insurgents tried to overrun one of the outposts. Then, in November 2007, six Americans were killed in an ambush.
An incident in January 2008 was a blow to both troop morale and attempts to cooperate with Afghan forces.
Platoon leader Sgt. Matthew Kahler was killed by an Afghan soldier who leaned out of a bunker, fired a shot and then fled. After an investigation, the killing was ruled an accident.
But soldiers in the platoon believed that it was deliberate, according to the study and Bogar's diary entry obtained by The Seattle Times.
"He [Kahler] walked up stating loudly we are Americans," Bogar wrote. "But [he] was still shot in the head.
"It was planned and they all knew exactly what they were doing."
Kahler's death was followed by a period of intense warfare that continued through the summer of 2008. Despite all the fighting, the U.S. was not gaining ground in the valley.
The Army closed one outpost in November, planned to close a second one known as Bella and then open a new outpost in Wanat on a mountain slope at an elevation of about 4,000 feet. Meanwhile, on July 4, a U.S. attack near Bella inflamed the local communities against the Americans, according to the study. A convoy of pickups was speeding away from an area that was the source of hostile fire. U.S. Apache helicopters fired on the trucks, killing 17, including doctors, nurses and staff of a local health clinic.
It was unclear what happened. Capt. Pry, the company intelligence officer, believed insurgents had forced their way onto the convoy. Still, for the enemy it was a propaganda victory.
"I think July 4 was a disaster both for the people of [Waigal] valley and the Coalition forces," said Sami Nurstani, a valley resident, in an interview published in the study.
The anger over the death of civilians, Nurstani said, led to the attack nine days later on Wanat.
On the evening of July 8, 2008, soldiers began arriving at Wanat. By the next morning, there were 47 U.S. military troops, including several Marines, and some 24 Afghan National Army paratroopers at the site.
An Afghan construction company had been hired to build up the defenses with heavy equipment. But that company never showed up, so there were shortages of equipment and supplies for such crucial tasks as constructing overhead cover or bunkers, according to the study.
The company did have a Bobcat, a small excavating machine. But it couldn't reach high enough to stack containers to place mortars at a 7-foot height. Instead, they were placed only at 4-foot level, where they would be less effective. Even the Bobcat was unreliable, breaking down for a day.
The soldiers were also constrained during the next four days by a shortage of drinking water. "I remember on the 10th, 11th we [were] down to less than a liter of water per person and subsequently we did not dig or work to conserve our energy and water supply," said Spc. Michael Santiago, in an interview for the study.
Some of the biggest gaps in defenses were in a key observation post. There were three fighting positions there, but no posts or stakes left to prop up the single strand of concertina wire. So it was just placed on the ground, according to the study.
Bogar urged his buddies to stack up sandbags as high as they could in a fortified position on the south end of the observation post. One of the other soldiers dubbed that encampment "The Alamo," according to Bogar's mother, Cross.
In the four days preceding the attacks, there were numerous troubling signs.
Soldiers noticed small groups of men who had gathered in a village bazaar and had watched development of the fortifications. Women and children were noticeably absent. A group of five men was spotted moving across the mountains in the dead of night.
At a dinner meeting in the village on July 12, a father and son known as staunch pro-Americans warned that the soldiers should shoot anyone they saw in the hills, and even asked if C Company had drone surveillance.
But by that evening, the drone flights had been diverted to help another operation.
"This action, with a platoon deployed at high risk, is on its face incomprehensible," wrote Webb, the U.S. senator, in his letter to the Army.
Last July's attack
The attack began at about 4 a.m., led by a fierce volley of rocket-propelled grenades that targeted key defenses and rendered the unit's mortars ineffective. The gravest situation was at an observation post manned by Bogar and eight other soldiers who came under a withering onslaught.
"This first round of explosions was devastatingly accurate, and everybody in the OP [observation post] was immediately wounded, stunned or both," wrote Cubbison.
Spc. Tyler Stafford suffered searing leg burns and shrapnel wounds to his arms as he was blown out of his machine-gun position. Stafford ended up next to Spc. Matthew Phillips, a Georgian known for his sharpshooting. He watched Phillips throw a grenade and then get knocked back down, mortally wounded.
Stafford then crawled to a hole in the southern part of the post, where Bogar was firing an automatic weapon perched atop a sandbag. Bogar fired hundreds of rounds until the barrel of his weapon became white-hot and jammed. Then he tended to Stafford's wounds.
"He saw how bad my arm was bleeding and he grabbed a tourniquet and put it on my arm," Stafford told The Seattle Times. "He saved a lot of blood from coming out of me."
Sgt. Ryan Pitts also had been wounded, by a rocket-propelled grenade. Bogar tied a tourniquet around Pitts' leg.
Bogar then ventured to another part of the observation post to use another machine gun.
Stafford and Pitts survived the battle. Bogar was eventually killed. His body was recovered on a hillside terrace outside the post, possibly dragged there by an insurgent, according to the study.
At the observation post, insurgents penetrated the concertina wire but never took control. After several hours of fighting, the battle turned as American helicopter gunships strafed enemy positions, bombers dropped their loads and more troops were sent in.
Army medical teams were able to evacuate all the wounded soldiers, flying amid smoke, burning vehicles and ground fire. "Their incredible courage ... is solely responsible for this miracle," Cubbison wrote.
Troops held on
By the end of the battle, 75 percent of the U.S. troops were wounded or dead.
Still, the troops held on to the enclave. Cubbison writes that the successful defense of the Wanat outpost was a "magnificent tactical victory ... as remarkable as any small unit action in American military history."
But the tactical victory, according to the study, was followed by a strategic setback as the valley two days later was ceded to enemy control. Residents who had cooperated with U.S. forces over a three-year period were left vulnerable to retaliation by insurgents.
Col. Charles Preysler, who headed the brigade that included Chosen Company, bristled at any notion that Wanat held any long-term importance in the Army's plans for the valley.
In a July 2008 interview with Stars and Stripes, he downplayed the significance of the withdrawal. He said that Wanat was just a temporary site where solders and vehicles gathered for a few nights. "We do that routinely. We're always doing that when we go out and stay in an area for longer than a few hours, and that's what it is. So there is nothing to abandon," Preysler said.


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Interview: Claire Bangser of NOLA Beings
An interview with the photographer, videographer and illustrator behind the NOLA Beings portrait project.
When I approached Claire Bangser at the Orange Couch coffee shop in Marigny, her camera was slung around her neck, and she was flicking through the photos she had just taken. Before she arrived to meet me, she had encountered a man who was walking down Royal Street, simply playing his trombone. Talking to him for five minutes, she listened to his amazing story and then snapped his photo. Satisfied, she walked away, knowing she had found her NOLA Being for the day.
Bangser, a freelance photographer, videographer and illustrator originally from Connecticut, is the brains behind the portrait project NOLA Beings, inspired by the popular Humans of New York project. Since her first Instagram post in February, Claire's project has gone viral: a simple concept, a photo and quote, that tell the colorful stories of New Orleanians she encounters on the streets.
Q: What is your process when capturing a NOLA Being's portrait?
A: I record almost every interview. I'm really a stickler for using the exact words because I feel like the exact words that people use are so interesting and such another layer of revealing their personalities. We have a lot of dialects and a lot of different "slangs" in New Orleans because of all the different cultures that exist down here. The best thing I can do is to be true to their words.
"(The trombone) made me dance. And I want to make people dance, you know?"
Q: So you don't always plan when you are going to take someone's photo?
A: I almost never have planned to meet up with somebody in advance. Sometimes I plan that there will be two hours in the middle of the day when I am going to go do NOLA Beings, but the thing that is hard about that is that you really have to be in the right mindset for it. I really have to be prepared to stop thinking about me, stop thinking about my own work. It is really about focusing on other humans for that chunk of time.
Q: How do you approach people on the street to take their picture?
A: I think my awkwardness makes people relax a little bit. Ultimately, I am just a person that is asking if I can talk to them for a minute. People totally say no sometimes, and I respect that. A lot of people that I photograph tell me that once they were on NOLA Beings, people have started talking to them and recognizing them. Which is kind of the point for me. You talk to me, and you share your story, and now, a little bit of your story is known by a lot of people who will talk to you if they see you. Wouldn't it be cool if we all engaged with our neighbors and engaged with the diverse landscape of New Orleans a little deeper?
Q: Your photo of Matthew McConaughey and Drew Brees, arm in arm, went viral. What was it like capturing their photo?
A: That was a timely coincidence. They were both really nice, just very easygoing and personable. They ignored screaming women and paparazzi for five minutes while they talked to me, and I was just thinking, "Every woman on the street hates me right now, but I'm so glad that I'm getting this quote." On Facebook, it has been seen like 200,000 times, which is cool.
Q: What kind of lessons have you learned since starting the project?
A: I just love meeting people. I travel a lot, and I talk to strangers all the time. It was such a good solution to bringing a few things together that I really love. Back in February, I was at Café du Monde with a friend from out of town, and I was just like, "I think I am going to take a picture of one of the waiters and start a new Instagram account and ask him a question and post a quote." That day, I posted two different NOLA Beings posts. I started getting a following because people were excited about New Orleans. I started using my real camera and had more of a robust workflow. I do a little bit of editing in my editing program, but I stopped using Instagram filters. I feel like if the whole point of the project is to show reality and show people that you meet on the street, then there is no reason to sugar coat it. NOLA Beings just opened up this excuse to ask real questions to my neighbors and to other people around the city that I wouldn't have necessarily felt a good reason to approach out of the blue. It is funny, but I sometimes joke that NOLA Beings is my therapy because there is so much wisdom that people share with you if you just ask them questions. I have gotten a lot of really great jobs through people finding me on NOLA Beings. That is great, but it wasn't the point. It was kind of the "lagniappe" bonus.
Q: How long have you lived in New Orleans? What brought you here?
A: I have only been here for two and a half years. I grew up in Connecticut, and I went to college in Saint Louis. Ultimately, everyone feels frustrated by the influx of incomers who come and take something and then leave. I don't want to be like that. I am not planning on leaving anytime soon. I am also not planning to ever act like an expert, like I know New Orleans better than anyone else. I just think that for me, this is a project about asking questions, and anybody can ask questions. I think I could do that anywhere I lived, but I love doing that here because I think that this city is so full of characters and so rich with stories.
Q: Where do you see NOLA Beings going from here?
A: I have met a couple of people through NOLA Beings that I want to do video portraits of. I just have no time over the summer. This project can just be what it is for right now or as long as I keep it going, or someone else helps me keep it going … It is a great opportunity because it can be kind of overwhelming when I already have so many that I haven't posted yet. Sometimes, it is a little hard because I have so much other work right now. NOLA Beings started as a side project when work was slow. I poured myself into it. Now, work has picked up like crazy, and I am really busy. I keep running into new people. I want to post that guy with the trombone today. He is from Minnesota and moved down here and picked up a trombone and started playing. He is a singer, and he talked to me about how music has affected his life, and how the rhythm of his heart is what keeps him going, getting him through hard times.
Q: If you had to choose your perfect person to capture who would it be?
A: Everybody is perfect. I could definitely tell you what kinds of people are more popular and get likes. It is very interesting to see patterns in that. Sometimes, I am really surprised when I take a picture of someone, and the picture is nice, but the quote is not that great, and it will just go crazy. The celebrities are always fun, but they are well versed at interviewing. I met Wendell Pierce from The Wire. He came into Cake Café when I was there with a friend, and I was like, "You're Bunk. Can I interview you for my portrait project?" I ended up having lunch with him for an hour.
There was a man I met in the Bywater, leaning against his truck. He told me about how his mother died when her house burned down. I asked him how he got over that, and he talked about death in this way that was sad, but he was also so at peace. It was very exciting to share that kind of quote because I think we can all relate to that. Maybe not to that extreme, but we have all lost people. It is not just a story but also a little nugget of truth and wisdom coming through him. If the story ties to a message that is relatable, then that is golden.
"I'm going to tell you this here: losing someone in your family is something you never get over. You know, time goes on you just move on."
Q: If you had two hours and had to pick an area of town to go find a NOLA Being, where would you go?
A: If I have two hours, I will just walk around the French Quarter. I know it is a lot of tourists, but there are also a lot of service industry people who come from all over town that are working there. I always have my camera wherever I go. It would be terrible if I were only taking pictures in the Marigny. That is so not representative of New Orleans. The same would be true if I went just to Broadmoor. Any one neighborhood is diverse, but New Orleans is a patchwork quilt, and it is all interconnected. I want NOLA Beings to be just as much of a patchwork quilt.


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Pandora Captivating Gray Gray Black Murano Glass Bead Clearance Sale
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Adrian Tomine is one of the world's most acclaimed comics artists. He began publishing his own work at the age of 15, and his series Optic Nerve has run continuously since he was a teenager. His work often focuses on subtle, shifting relationships between young people, and his clean, striking art is broadly regarded as among the best in the field. He also regularly contributes illustrations to The New Yorker and other publications. His most recent book-length work is Shortcomings.
This show was recorded live at the Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival in Seattle, Washington.
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How to Choose a Cardiovascular Workout
If getting fit is your goal this year, you can choose from a ton of cardiovascular workouts. Finding a cardio workout that you enjoy doing makes your workouts more enjoyable and more successful. You are then more likely to stick to it. Here are some great cardio workout choices, but feel free to come up with your own aerobic selections.
Your training heart rate range should fall somewhere between 60 percent and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. To find your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Multiply your maximum heart rate by .6 (60 percent) to find the lower end of your target heart rate zone. Then multiply your maximum heart rate by .85 to find the higher end of the zone.
You can check your heart rate during exercise by counting the beats of your pulse for ten seconds. Multiply the number of beats by 6. If it's too low, you've got to work harder. If it's too high, slow down
If you're a beginner or haven't exercised in a while, it is safest to exercise near the lower range of your target heart rate. Always start and end your cardio workout in the lower end of the range to serve as an aerobic warm-up and cool-down.
Power walking: This exercise can be done anywhere and it puts very little pressure on the joints. Whether you use a treadmill, sneak out your front door, or cruise the shopping mall, strutting your stuff is a safe and effective cardio workout.
Riding a stationary bike: Using a stationary bike that has moveable handlebars can provide the added benefit of an upper-body workout. Take the time to imagine being in the country, the mountains, or even the beach. A ride on your bike can help you escape while delivering aerobic results.
Adjust the seat so that when your legs are in the down position there is a slight bend in the knees. Use the handlebars for light support, but do not lean into them with all your weight. Keep your shoulders relaxed.
As you pedal, keep your knees forward, and not out to the side, to avoid injury. Keeping your knees in a side, frog-like position can irritate the joints and eventually cause pain.
Shadow boxing: Jab, punch, right hook, left hook — it doesn't matter if you don't know Oscar De La Hoya from Oscar De La Renta or Oscar Mayer Weiner, just as long as your body is moving in large, rhythmic motions. Imagine you are beating down all your troubles. Shadow boxing can help you to manage your stress while you get all the benefits of a super cardio workout.
Dancing: Turn on the radio, CD, or MP3 player and just keep moving. Choose music that is upbeat and energizing.
Use large movements to move your arms and legs. This can get the circulation going throughout your entire body and raise your heart rate.
Jumping rope: Pull out that jump rope and feel like a kid again as you burn calories and work your heart. If you find it too challenging to jump non-stop, take a ten-second break every ten seconds until your endurance improves. Be patient.
Feel free to do this aerobic activity minus the rope if you are a beginner, haven't exercised in a while, or are a klutz.
Workout step or stairs: Going up and down stairs provides an excellent cardio workout. You can use a workout step that is available at any sporting goods store or the stairs at your home, office, park, or mall. The up and down motion is a great way to get the circulation going and work the heart. For best results, pump your arms during your workout.


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Delays are expected on the M6 due to a series of accidents.
One lane has closed on the M6 Southbound between junctions 26 (Orrell Interchange) and 25 (Brynn) due to an accident.
Lanes were also closed earlier on the M6 southbound and northbound between junctions 30 (M61) and 29 (Lostock Hall) and 31a (Longridge) and 32 (Broughton) after accidents.
Two lanes were also closed on the M6 northbound, J41 - J42 following an earlier HGV fire.


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At Good Shepherd, we want you to be independent, healthy and functional. Above all, we want you to Be Well, and we have a variety of outpatient programs, services and wellness initiatives to help you.
Try our interactive Find a Service feature, to learn more about programs and services.
For more information on Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, contact us, call 888-44-REHAB (73422) or Request an Appointment.


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Hi everyone!
I know even I don't visit my own forum very much lately, which is a fair indicator of the amount going on in my life. Most of it has to do with unnessecary drama.
Drama, and "The Sims 2", which I recently discovered.
Anyhow, back to the point of this thread. This thread is dedicated to discovering your very own super power -- or "Special Talent" as they call them in Super Temps.
In the world of Super Temps, everyone has a special talent or power. The thing is, the common person's power is generally useless for super heroics. Many are barely passable even as party entertainment.
So what would be your super power, if you lived in the world of Super Temps? Tell me a bit about yourself! Post a short biography, your astrological sign, favourite form of entertainment and food, and I will likely ignore most of it and tell you what your special talent would be off the top of my head!


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Welcome to TurkoTek's Discussion Forums
Archived Salons and Selected Discussions can be accessed by clicking on those words, or you can return to the Turkotek Home Page. Our forums are easy to use, and you are welcome to read and post messages without registering. However, registration will enable a number of features that make the software more flexible and convenient for you, and you need not provide any information except your name (which is required even if you post without being registered). Please use your full name. We do not permit posting anonymously or under a pseudonym, ad hominem remarks, commercial promotion, comments bearing on the value of any item currently on the market or on the reputation of any seller.
|Traveler's Reports Our readers are invited to report on their interesting rug-related voyages here. No Marco Polo tall tales, please.
|Topic Review (Newest First)
|September 13th, 2018 03:17 PM
|Steve Price
Steve Price
|September 13th, 2018 02:01 PM
|Is Stefano Ionescu still doing this tour btw?
|October 31st, 2015 04:01 PM
|Marvin Amstey
If you are serious about going back and have an interest in rugs, I would recommend strongly going on one of Stefano Ionescu's tours (www.Transylvanianrugs.com). He is an acknowledged expert on Transylvanian rugs and has written the definitive book on them. We were very pleased to be with him last June, and I see that he is repeating the tour in May. You can contact him through the website mentioned above.
|October 21st, 2015 10:45 AM
|Jon Knowles
The nearest I can find in terms of design is probably Usak from Western Anatolia.
the stylized floral motifs and border patterns plus its location in Sibiu make me think it likely it is of relatively modern Usak design.
|October 20th, 2015 05:41 PM
|Jon Knowles
Thank you Patrick!
Indeed, the 'notch' is just how the rug was laid out - I didn't quite have room and so the top left corner is draped over an inch of marble fireplace!
I suspect you are spot on with your diagnosis of the cause of the cut & shut repairs. From what I understand the rugs in the churches were given by families over many years - centuries even! Often functioning to mark a place in the church for a specific family (?) A bit like the modern German beach towel....
Quite often literally hundreds of rugs might accrue to the larger churches and hence the collections at places like the Brukenthal.
Can you say whether there is a specific top or bottom to my rug? Should a rug be hung any which way? Any comment on what the geometric shapes might convey?
In any event, it's a nice rug and I wanted to try to find out some more about it. It's destined to spend the rest of its days adorning a wall or floor in a very old house in the Middle of Nowhere, France.
Fascinating tidbit about your man Tuduc - I shall be looking him up. Many thanks.
|October 20th, 2015 04:29 PM
|Patrick Weiler
These are some quite wonderful rugs! I noticed that a couple of them, #6 and #7, are "cut and shut" where the center section has been removed and the sides were then sewn back together. And most of these rugs show wear at the bottom, in the center, where the flatwoven ends and sections of pile have been replaced. This center section wear and tear must have extended up into the rugs which were "cut and shut' severely enough that the center sections were removed from them.
With so many showing wear in this area, the process by which it occurred was quite likely similar to all of them. In photos of these church rugs that I have seen before, many were hung behind pews and some draped over the front of pews. If hung horizontally over the front of a pew, center wear would have occurred over time, perhaps rendering some of these rugs damaged enough to require the "cut and shut" repairs. If hung behind a pew, constant abrasion from the heads and shoulders of the congregation could have caused the wear in the lower sections. And they obviously didn't ship them back to Anatolia for proper repairs back in the day.
As for your new rug, it looks like a kilim pattern woven in pile. Something is funny about the upper, left corner where it looks like the rug is notched, but that may just be a fold. It appears to be a fairly recent, high quality rug, with a lot of attention paid to the warp bottom ends which were woven into a netting. Romanians have been weaving rugs for many years, as evidenced by the notorious Brasov rug counterfeiter, Tuduc. He went from being a rug repairman in the early 20th century to making entire rugs based on examples in Romania and became a fully fledged faker and famous footnote in rug history. Your newly acquired taste in rugs may provide you with many years of acquisition, appreciation and despair.
Patrick Weiler
|October 19th, 2015 12:15 PM
|Jon Knowles
Rugs in Transylvannia
Forgive a neophyte if he over-eagerly tells you what you already know....
I recently had the great luck to spend 9 days on a road trip around Transylvania and what I saw fascinated me in so many ways. Not least among the revelations were the wonderful antique rugs displayed throughout Southern Transylvania in the Siebenburgen area from Sigishoara in the East to Sibiu in the West and all point around and in-between. I believe there are are over 128 medieval saxon churches in this area which have or had rugs displayed as ornamentation to the otherwise austere Lutheran style of these Reformation fortified churches. It is a most marvellous marriage of East & West, the initial incongruity of which transformed into amazed appreciation before this travellers eyes.
I saw the most amazing rugs in Sigishoara and throughout my visits to the Saxons church-fortresses. I offer some links to the photos here:
Alas, I was not always at liberty to go where I wanted or stay long where I intended. therefore much to my regret, the unbelievable gem of the Brukenthal remains a mystery to me: http://www.brukenthalmuseum.ro/europ...n/etajI/05.htm
I was able, however, in Sibiu (formerly Hermanstadt) able to purchase a rug from a small antiques hop tucked away in a side street - the only rug he had.
I will be returning....
I am new to this game and I fear I may now have a taste for it! But i know next to nothing and all my internet research concerning my purchase has yielded little beyond the obvious. It is a hand-woven kilim. It is approximately two metres square (but not quite square). the geometric designs do not fit easily into the recognised library of available symbols to my eyes. It was, for a substantial period, hung (right-hand side uppermost in the photo). One end has a mismatched colour tone which does not appear to be caused by fading.
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