text:
We present a maximum-likelihood method for examining the selection pressure and detecting positive selection in noncoding regions using multiple aligned DNA sequences. The rate of substitution in noncoding regions relative to the rate of synonymous substitution in coding regions is modeled by a parameter ζ. When a site in a noncoding region is evolving neutrally ζ = 1, while ζ > 1 indicates the action of positive selection, and ζ < 1 suggests negative selection. Using a combined model for the evolution of noncoding and coding regions, we develop two likelihood-ratio tests for the detection of selection in noncoding regions. Data analysis of both simulated and real viral data is presented. Using the new method we show that positive selection in viruses is acting primarily in protein-coding regions and is rare or absent in noncoding regions.
MUCH attention has recently been given to positive selection at the molecular level because of its functional importance. Positive selection has been identified in the coding region in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 envelope gene (Bonhoeffer et al. 1995), the major histocompatibility complex (MHC; Hughes and Nei 1988), the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 (Huttley et al. 2000), female reproductive proteins in mammals (Swanson et al. 2001), and many other proteins (Yang and Bielawski 2000).
Several methods can be used to detect selection acting on protein-coding regions. One of the common approaches is to estimate the nonsynonymous rate (dN) to synonymous rate (dS) ratio (the most frequently used symbols in this article are given in Table 1) . The dN/dS ratio is sometimes referred to as ω (e.g., Goldman and Yang 1994). When a codon site undergoes negative selection, synonymous substitutions occur at a faster rate than nonsynonymous substitutions, and therefore ω < 1. However, when there is no selection (neutrality), the rate of synonymous substitutions is equal to the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions, i.e., ω = 1. Alternatively, if the site undergoes positive selection, new mutations are beneficial and ω > 1.
Inferences regarding ω have been used to demonstrate the presence of selection in many viral systems. Viruses may escape an existing immune response due to mutations in the proteins involved in interactions with the immune system. As a result several viral proteins have been observed to evolve under strong positive selection. In the HIV-1 envelope gene, positive selection has been found at sites that code for the surface positions in the protein (Bonhoeffer et al. 1995; Mindell 1996; Nielsen and Yang 1997; Yamaguchi and Gojobori 1998; Yamaguchi-Kabata and Gojobori 2000). In human influenza A (H3N2), positive selection has been found in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, which encodes for a molecule that triggers the humoral immune response in humans (Fitch et al. 1997). Endo et al. (1996) and Yang and Bielawski (2000) gave more comprehensive lists of genes that are undergoing positive selection.
While positive selection has been found in the viral genes that code for proteins that interact with the host immune system, very little is known regarding selection in noncoding regions. A variety of research has shown that viral noncoding regions play an important role in gene regulation and function (Shiroki et al. 1995; Walker et al. 1995; Takayoshi et al. 1998). Furthermore, Carter and Roizman (1996) showed that viral introns are involved in alternative splicing and regulation of their own gene expression. The functional importance of the noncoding regions suggests that selection may be acting on them. However, since most interaction between the host immune system and viruses is at the level of proteins and peptides, very little positive selection is expected in noncoding regions compared to that in coding regions. Unfortunately, this and other hypotheses regarding selection in the noncoding region have not been subject to scientific evaluation because no appropriate statistical method has been available for this purpose.
We here extend the Nielsen and Yang (1998) and Yang et al. (2000) methods for detecting positive selection in coding regions to noncoding regions. We model the evolution in coding regions and the evolution in noncoding regions jointly and assume that the neutral (synonymous) nucleotide substitution rate is constant in both the coding and noncoding regions of the same gene. Under this assumption, we introduce a new parameter ζ to model the evolution in the noncoding region. ζ is the nucleotide substitution rate in the noncoding region, normalized by the synonymous nucleotide substitution rate in the coding region. Therefore, when a site is subject to neutral selection, ζ = 1. Similarly, ζ > 1 indicates positive selection, while ζ < 1 suggests the presence of negative selection. The interpretation of ζ is, therefore, similar to the interpretation of ω in models of evolution in coding regions. Using such a combined model we are able to develop a test to detect selection that is applicable to noncoding regions.
Three different simulated data sets are used to test the validity of the models. As an illustration of the method, we also compile 13 viral data sets from publications and GenBank to examine the hypothesis that positive selection mainly targets coding regions of viral genomes.
We model the evolution of coding regions using a continuous-time Markov chain model of codon evolution. This model was proposed by Goldman and Yang (1994) and Muse and Gaut (1994). Like their models, the state space is given by the 61 sense codons, since the 3 stop codons are not allowed in the model. The rate matrix is 61 × 61, , where qij is the rate of transition from codon i to codon j. The transition rate from codon i to codon j is assumed to be proportional to the stationary distribution of the substituted nucleotide in codon j. If we represent codon i as a triplet i1i2i3 and codon j as j1j2j3 (i1, i2, i3, j1, j2, j3 ∈ {T, C, A, G}), and if codons i and j differ by exactly one nucleotide in position k, then 1
Additionally, if codons i and j differ in more than one position. The diagonal entries are defined as to fulfill the mathematical requirement that the row sums must equal 0. The parameter κ is the transition/transversion rate ratio. ω, as defined before, is the nonsynonymous/synonymous (dN/dS) rate ratio. μjk is the stationary distribution of jk, the nucleotide in the kth position of the codon. For instance, , since it is a nonsynonymous transversion (from histidine to glutamine and C → G is a transversion). The stationary frequency of codon i (i1i2i3) is assumed to be the product of the stationary frequencies of nucleotides i1, i2, and i3, divided by the sum of the stationary frequencies of the sense codons: 2
Here we assume a universal genetic code, but with slight modification the method can be applied to other genetic codes.
To reduce the number of free parameters, we restrict our model to be time reversible, i.e., for any i, j. It is easy to prove that this is indeed the case using standard methods. Furthermore, we take advantage of Felsenstein's (1981) pruning algorithm to save computational time.
Note that this model is different from the Goldman and Yang (1994) model. In our model the codon transition substitution rates depend on the stationary nucleotide frequencies, whereas in the Goldman and Yang (1994) model, the codon transition rates depend on the stationary codon frequencies. κ and the stationary nucleotide substitution rates (μT, μC, μA, μG) govern the neutral mutation rates while ω models the effect of selection.
The Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano (HKY)85 model (Hasegawa et al. 1985) is used in the noncoding region, with a parameterization that allows comparisons of substitution rates between coding and noncoding regions. Here, the unit of evolution is one nucleotide. Substitutions between nucleotides are described by a continuous-time Markov process. The instantaneous substitution rate from nucleotide i to j (i ≠ j) is given by 3where μi is the equilibrium frequency of nucleotide i, where i ∈ {A, C, T, G}. ξ is the rate of substitution relative to the neutral selection rate. As in the codon model, the diagonal entries are .
Under this model, the estimate of ζ at a site indicates the type of selection acting on it. As in the models by Gaut and Weir (1994), Muse (1995), Nielsen and Yang (1998), and Yang et al. (2000) and in similar work by other authors, we assume that the synonymous substitution rate in the coding region reflects the neutral nucleotide substitution rate. Then 4
When ζ = 1, the rate of nucleotide substitution at a site is equal to the synonymous codon substitution rate in the coding region, which in turn equals the synonymous nucleotide substitution rate. To illustrate this, consider C → G changes in both the noncoding and coding regions, and assume that the C → G change in the coding region is a change of codon TCC (Serine) to TCG (Serine). In the noncoding region, since the C → G change is a transversion, whereas in the coding region, since the change is a synonymous transversion. Likewise, ζ > 1 implies that the substitution rate is greater than the neutral nucleotide substitution rate, whereas ζ < 1 implies that the nucleotide substitution rate is lower than the neutral rate.
In our study we consider three rate classes of sites (negative, neutral, and positively evolving) in the noncoding region. We have implemented three models, namely the neutral model, the two-category model, and the three-category model (see Table 2) . In the neutral model, we assume that there is no positive selection. Therefore, ζ can only be ≤1. In the two-category model, ζ can be <1, and it can be ≥1. In the three-category model, ζ can take on values in three categories: ζ < 1, ζ = 1, and ζ > 1; that is, where 0 < ζ0 < 1, ζ1 = 1, 1 < ζ2 < ∞, and p1 + p2 + p3 = 1.
The neutral model is a special case of the three-category model in which p2 = 0 and a special case of the two-category model in which ζ2 = 1. Since the neutral model is nested within the two other models, a likelihood-ratio test of the hypothesis of no positive selection can be performed by comparing the maximum-likelihood value obtained under the two- and three-category models to the maximum-likelihood value obtained under the neutral model.
We assume that the DNA sequences are related through a single phylogenetic tree with a known topology, and we assume no recombination within each region analyzed. The true topology of the tree is rarely known; however, the codon-based likelihood methods for detecting positive selection have been shown to be highly robust to the assumptions regarding the topology of the phylogenetic tree (Yang et al. 2000). In practice, a good estimate of the topology of the tree will suffice. Joint optimization of the continuous parameters and the tree topology is currently not computationally feasible for the codon-based models.
In our joint model of coding and noncoding regions, the individual sites (codon sites in the case of the coding region and nucleotide sites in the case of the noncoding region) are assumed to be independent. Therefore, given the model and a particular phylogenetic tree, the log likelihood can be calculated as the sum of the log likelihoods among sites, 5where NN is the number of nucleotides in the noncoding region, NC is the number of codons in the coding region, and t1, t2 … are the branch lengths of the tree.
The log likelihood defined in Equation 5 can be optimized using standard optimization techniques. The popular local unconstrained optimization procedure [Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) algorithm] adopted from Numerical Recipes in C (Press et al. 1992) is used in our program EvoNC. However, since the parameters in our models are constrained (all parameters are constrained to be >0, the proportions of ζ in each category have to add 1 to 1, and some ζ's have to be <1 and some >1), it is a constrained optimization problem. We replaced the original objective function by a quadratic penalty function. The quadratic penalty function consists of the original objective function and a penalty term for each constraint. The penalty term is a multiple of the square of the constraint violation when the current parameter vector violates the constraint and is 0 otherwise (Nocedal and Wright 1999). A barrier term was also incorporated for each parameter to ensure that the vector of parameters lies in the interior of the parameter space.
In Nielsen and Yang (1998) and Yang et al. (2000) ω was allowed to vary among sites. In this study we do not pursue such models as our primary interest is in the noncoding region. Allowing ω to vary among sites in the codon region is likely to increase the likelihood of the model. It might affect the parameter estimates of ζ since ζ and ω may be correlated. However, implementing a model that allows variable ω will make the optimization procedure even more computationally intensive.
In general, if we have a model with k categories of ζ, let the corresponding proportions of nucleotide sites in the three categories be p1 … pk, under the constraint that p1 + … + pk = 1. The probability of observing data (xh) at site h is then 6
The conditional probability can be calculated using an empirical Bayes approach as shown in Nielsen and Yang (1998). The posterior probability that the nucleotide site h belongs to category k is given by 7
We assign sites to categories by choosing the category k that maximizes prob(ζk|xh).
The maximum-likelihood framework allows us to test the null hypothesis of no positive selection using likelihood-ratio tests. Two different likelihood-ratio tests can be performed by comparing the neutral model against the three-category model and the neutral model against the two-category model. The three-category model has two more parameters (ζ3, the category that allows ζ > 1, and p3, the proportion of ζ3) than the neutral model. Comparing twice the log-likelihood difference between these two models with the χ2 distribution with 2 d.f. may be used to approximate P values of this test. However, because one of the parameters is on the boundary of the parameter space and another parameter is not estimable under the null hypothesis, the true asymptotic distribution of the likelihood-ratio test statistic is not known under the null hypothesis. The resulting test will therefore be conservative. A better test, similar to test II in Swanson et al. (2003) for the coding region, is to compare the neutral model against the two-category model. In this test twice the difference in log-likelihood is asymptotically distributed as a 50:50 mixture of a point mass at 0 and a χ2 distribution with 1 d.f. (Chernoff 1954; Self and Liang 1987). The benefits of this test are that the reduction in the degrees of freedom may in some cases increase the power of the test and that the true asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is actually known.
Nucleotide sequence data were simulated using Evolver in the PAML package (Yang 1997) to verify EvoNC. Each simulated data set consisted of 15 sequences of 1400 nucleotides. Each sequence was composed of 200 noncoding nucleotide sites and 400 codon sites (1200 nucleotides). In the noncoding region, positive, neutral, and negative selected data were simulated by varying the branch lengths. In Evolver, the tree length specifies the expected number of substitutions per site along the branches in the tree. Therefore, if we let the neutral sites have a total tree length equal to 1, then the sites that evolve five times faster would have the total tree length equal to 5. Similarly, the sites that evolve five times slower can be simulated by letting the total tree length be 0.2. In the coding region, ω was set to be 0.4. Both regions shared the same κ = 5. The proportions of the three categories of ζ were chosen with an intention to reflect the distribution in real data sets. The distribution of ζ in the four data sets is shown in Table 3 .
The viral data sets were assembled by searching GenBank for previously published data sets. We used Clustal W version 1.8 (Thompson et al. 1994) for multiple alignments of the data sets. To prevent false positive results because of misalignments, data with poor alignments and/or with detectable recombination were discarded. For the same reason, because interspecific viral sequences are often too diverged to give a reasonably good alignment, only intraspecific viral data were used. We also made sure that the data did not consist of published results of overlapping reading frames.
Table 4 gives the summarized source and the details of the 13 data sets and the GenBank accession numbers are available from the authors upon request. NEIGHBOR in the PHYLIP package version 3.6 (Felsenstein 2002) was used for estimating phylogenetic trees. The alignment gaps were removed by our program EvoNC.
The coding region of each of the data sets was analyzed by codeml in the PAML package version 3.12 (Yang 1997). Models M7, M8 (Yang et al. 2000), and M8a (Swanson et al. 2003) were used in the study to determine if positive selection exists in the coding region.
For each of the data sets, two tests were performed for the coding region. Test 1 compares twice the log-likelihood ratio difference between M7 and M8 to a χ2 distribution with 2 d.f.. As noted in Yang et al. (2000), this test is conservative. Test 2 compares twice the log-likelihood difference between M8 and M8a to a χ20 + χ21 distribution, as suggested in Swanson et al. (2003).
The selection in the noncoding region was investigated using EvoNC. Both the coding and the noncoding regions were used in the program. Similar to the coding region, two tests were performed for each of the data sets. Test 1 compares twice the log-likelihood ratios between the neutral and the three-category model to a χ22 distribution, whereas test 2 compares twice the log-likelihood ratios between the neutral and two-category model to a χ20 + χ21 distribution. The critical value of the likelihood-ratio test statistic, for a test performed at the 5% significance level, is then 2.71.
Simulation data:
The simulated data were analyzed using the three models (the neutral model, the two-category model, and the three-category model, as mentioned above), and the log-likelihood of each model was used to perform likelihood-ratio tests. Estimates of all parameters of the model were obtained from the three-category model. Each site was categorized according to the posterior probabilities calculated using Equation 8. The estimates of parameters are summarized in Table 5 , and the classification of sites in conserved and positive sets is shown in Figure 1 .
The estimated values of ζ match quite well with the actual values. In the neutral data set, estimates of were obtained for all sites for all models. In this boundary of the parameter space, the proportion of sites in the different categories is not identifiable. In the conserved data set, maximum-likelihood estimates of and were obtained for the three-category model, which were virtually identical to the true values of 0.2 and 1.0. Again, the proportion of sites in category 1 and 2 is not identifiable. The estimate of the proportion of conserved sites was p̂0 = 0.51, which was slightly larger than the true proportion 0.50. In the positive data set 1, estimates of and were obtained for the three-category model, which differed slightly from the true values of 0.2 and 5.0, respectively. The estimated proportion of neutral sites was less than expected (0.15 vs. 0.25). On the other hand, p̂0 = 0.79 and p̂2 = 0.06, which were both larger than the true values of 0.725 and 0.025. In the positive data set 2, the estimates from the three-category model are and , and the corresponding proportions are p̂0 = 0.79 and p̂2 = 0.10. Again, the estimated proportions were slightly larger than the true values.
In the neutral and conserved data sets, all three models gave approximately the same maximum-log-likelihood value in these two sets. In these two cases, the neutral null hypothesis was true and was not rejected by the likelihood-ratio test.
In the positive data set 1, the maximum-log-likelihood values for the three models were
Both tests reject the false null hypothesis of no positive selection. However, from the maximum-log-likelihood shown below, only test 2 (neutral model vs. two-category model) was significant in positive data set 2. This is probably due to the fact that only 5 of 200 sites were slightly positively selected.
The Bayesian classification of sites performed quite well for the first three simulated data sets. In the neutral data set, EvoNC classified all 200 sites correctly. In the conserved set, 14 of the actual neutral sites were miscategorized as conserved sites while 3 of the actual conserved sites were miscategorized as neutral sites. A total of 183 sites were classified correctly. In positive data set 1, the 5 positively selected sites were all included in the estimated set of positively selected sites. Three neutral sites were also falsely included in this set.
In positive data set 2, 1 out of the 5 positively selected sites was classified as being neutral and 16 out of the 195 negatively selected and neutral sites were classified as being positively selected. The main reason the method performs worse when there are only a few positively selected sites is that the estimates of 2 are more unreliable. When the maximum-likelihood estimates of parameters have large variance, the empirical Bayes estimates of posterior probabilities may have reduced accuracy. Nevertheless, a close examination revealed that the falsely classified sites have low posterior probabilities. Therefore, by adjusting the cutoff probability the accuracy of the method can be controlled.
These results suggest that our method is capable of picking up strong positive selection, even though as few as 2.5% of the sites are positively selected. On the other hand, when only a small portion of the sites are undergoing weak positive selection, the classification of sites does not have great accuracy.
The viral data sets:
The results of the PAML analysis are summarized in Table 6 . Five out of the 13 viral data sets have significant evidence for positive selection, using test 1 for the coding region (M7 vs. M8): glycoprotein of Ebola virus, foot-and-mouth disease polyprotein, hepatitis C polyprotein, New Castle disease virus nucleocapsid protein, and poliovirus polyprotein. Among these 5 data sets, 2 were not significant using test 2 for the coding region (M8a vs. M8). This may be because the true value of ω was only slightly >1 in the positively selected sites or, possibly, because the beta distribution assumed in model M7 did not fit the true distribution of ω well. For instance, in the foot-and-mouth disease data set, ω was equal to 1.01 in the positively selected sites. Clearly, this cannot be interpreted as good evidence for positive selection in this virus. On the other hand, for example, 11% of the sites in Ebola glycoprotein have ω = 5.92, which is probably a good indication that this protein is undergoing positive selection.
In the noncoding regions there was little or no evidence of positive selection (Table 6). For most data sets, the log-likelihoods of all three models were almost exactly the same (Table 7) . One exception was the Japanese encephalitis virus. The test of the two-category model vs. the neutral model in the 3′-untranslated region of Japanese encephalitis virus was marginally significant (P = 0.05), but the test of the three-category model vs. the neutral model (P = 0.22) was not. Nam et al. (2002) described this region as the variable region since it showed a high degree of sequence variation and deletion. However, they also pointed out that despite the fact that the region was highly variable, the predicted RNA structures all had a similar type loop at the 5′ terminus.
After correcting for multiple testing by the Bonferroni procedure, we conclude that the likelihood-ratio tests provide no evidence for positive selection in the viral data that we examined. This result confirms our expectation that positive selection occurs primarily in the coding regions of viruses.
Because positive selection is expected to occur in regions where viruses interact with the host immune system, this type of selection is expected to be much more predominant in coding than in noncoding regions. Our study confirmed this belief. However, it should be noted that most of the data sets in the study had a low number of sequences and perhaps had low sequence diversity as well. Anisimova et al. (2001) showed that such data sets would reduce the power of the tests. Therefore, data sets with a low number of sequences should be reexamined when more data become available.
The results of our analysis of simulated data suggest that the new method provides accurate parameter estimates. The likelihood-ratio tests also performed well and detected selection from 15 sequences when only 2.5% of the sites were undergoing positive selection. When more than one category of ζ was present, the program miscategorized ∼10% of the sites. In small data sets the classification of sites may not have the highest accuracy. A similar conclusion has been reached regarding classification of sites in coding regions (Anisimova et al. 2001, 2002). In the analysis of real data, it is advisable to confirm the presence of positive selection in particular sites by employing additional structural, functional, or evolutionary information.
Our model is based on the assumption that there is no selection acting on the synonymous sites and the rate of substitution is constant among sites. This assumption would be violated if there is codon usage bias in the coding region. A lot of the viruses may have codon usage bias due to the overlapping reading frames and/or RNA structural constraints in coding regions. We do not know how much the bias would have affected the parameter estimates but this is a question that could be addressed using simulations.
The models presented here do not allow rate variation among the lineages in the phylogeny. This may result in a loss of statistical power of the likelihood-ratio tests. Our method will not be able to identify positively selected sites if positive selection occurs in only a few lineages, while the negative selection dominates the rest. In the future, we would like to incorporate rate variation among the lineages into the program as well.
Since the optimization procedure (BFGS algorithm) used here is a local optimization procedure, it is possible that the likelihood is trapped at a local minimum. While we do not have a rigorous solution to the problem, it is advisable to run EvoNC with different sets of initial values. If they all result in the same log-likelihood it is very likely that one has found the global minimum.
EvoNC is currently under development for incorporating new models and functionalities. The beta version for the models tested in this article is available from the authors upon request.
We are grateful to Charles F. Aquadro and David B. Shmoys for their valuable comments. This work was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) grant DEB-0089487, NSF/National Institutes of Health grant DMS/NIGMS-0201037, and Human Frontier in Science Program grant RGY0055/2001-M.
Communicating editor: J. J. Hein
- Received October 30, 2002.
- Accepted December 31, 2003.
- Genetics Society of America


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subset: commoncrawl


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Solis Nomination Sent to Full Senate
Updated 6:21 p.m.
By Michael A. Fletcher
Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) took a big step toward becoming the nation's labor secretary, as a Senate Committee this afternoon voted to send her nomination to the full Senate.
The Senate could vote on her long-stalled nomination as soon as this week.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee vote ended weeks of delay in considering the Solis nomination. Committee Republicans had raised objections first about what they saw as Solis's unresponsive answers during her confirmation hearing. Then, there were questions about her work on the board of the pro-labor group American Rights at Work, followed by revelations that her husband had recently settled tax liens filed against her husband's auto repair business.
A scheduled committee vote was abruptly called off last week after news surfaced that her husband paid about $6,400 to settle outstanding tax liens against his business.
White House officials said Solis was not involved in the business and had been unaware of the liens. And her husband, Sam Sayyad, planned to challenge the liens, which were for business taxes he thought he had already paid, the White House said
Republicans spent several days reviewing documents related to the liens, before deciding to let the committee vote proceed. The committee meeting took just two minutes, as members approved Solis's nomination by a voice vote, according to Anthony Coley, a spokesman for committee chairman Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).
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My goodness. California has had a horrible group of rogue Democrat State Legislators who have spent the state into a hole so deep California shall have to go into bankruptcy over the past 20 years. Guess who was a member of this spendthrift bunch? Ms Solis was a member of the California state assembly, 1992-1994; member of the California state senate,just as bad. Isn't it so wonderful America is getting all the good'uns.
Posted by: jackolantyrn356 | February 12, 2009 2:18 PM
Rep Solis' appointment may be the brightest thing that has happened to resist the 28-year hegemony of neoliberalism. Now maybe workers will have a better chance to get safer working conditions and decent wages.
Posted by: dahnshaulis | February 12, 2009 12:09 AM
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Project SEED
Project SEED
This site is hosted by Rowan University.
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Project SEED is an American Chemical Society (ACS) sponsored summer research program for high school students. This program provides an opportunity to perform mentored, guided research in a University laboratory setting for 8-weeks over the summer. Participating students also receive a stipend of $2500. More information can be found at the ACS Project SEED website.
If you are interested in applying for the program at Rowan University for Summer 2019, you can download the application. Please note that all applicants MUST submit a copy of your Parent/Guardian's 2018 IRS 1040 Tax Form for verification of income along with the application materials.
Download the Teacher Recommendation Form
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The program will run from July 1 through August 23. Students will be at Rowan Monday through Thursday each week performing research or participating in SEED-related activities. Generally the daily schedule will run from ~9:30AM through 3-4PM.
Where is it?
Rowan University
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Glassboro NJ 08028
If you have any questions, contact
Gregory A. email@example.com
The information on this page represents that of the South Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society and not necessarily that of Rowan University. Gregory Caputo, Web Editor SJACS, takes full responsibility for the information presented.
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"Had high hopes for this design and the designer's interpretation of my description came out amazingly well! Would highly recommend this designer and will likely use again in the future!"
Sardonyx Solutions
"Great great job!"
Anonymous client
"The work just keeps getting better and better, 10 projects now!"
Anonymous client
"Amazing work as always, cannot recommend enough!"
Anonymous client
"I've worked with 80Kien at least 10 times now and can't get enough - incredible work and fast turnaround!"
Anonymous client
"highly recommend!"
"Easily one of my favorite designers to work with!"
Anonymous client
"Great work and quick turnaround as always, cannot recommend enough!"
Anonymous client
"Highly talented designer"
Trinkler Software AG
"Fantastic work - again:)! We have cooperated twice now and 80Kien always delivered to the perfection. Professional, fast, and does the job well - almost no adjustments are needed. I even could not decide which design I loved the most, so I got one extra..."
Anonymous client
"I think the design I ended up with is amazing and 80Kien is fantastic to work with"
Anonymous client
"This was a fantastic experience all the way! 80Kien is a designer that read through a very long, complicated and demanding brief, learned everything that he needed to perfect his design, and he made it match 100% to a long list of very specific requirem..."
"Great work with a very quick turnaround!"
Anonymous client
"Awesome fucking design!"
"Very creative design and quality work!"
Anonymous client
"Absolutely knocked it out of the park, will definitely do more business in the future!"
Anonymous client
"Very fast turn around and high-quality work. Will work with 80Kien again!"
Anonymous client
"Very fast turnaround time, clear communication and great design!"
Anonymous client
"great detail great job"
Anonymous client
"AMAZING illustrator!!! Took direction, did an amazing job, and delivered top level product quickly!!!"
Anonymous client
"Fast turnaround and great communication. Will hire this designer again!"
Anonymous client
"This was the first design submitted, and it totally nailed the project spec! Great work."
Anonymous client
"Excellent work. Loved the design. Great to work with"
"Absolutely great. I'm very satisfied. The designer has responded to every need and has implemented everything perfectly. Thank you"
Anonymous client
"Great work! This artist has consistently given us amazing work in a timely fashion."
Anonymous client
"Perfect. Thank you. x"
"Amazing job, got it right the first time 10/10"
robby X
"Great to work with. Outstanding job. "
Anonymous client
"Excellent work and was very responsive to requests"
"Excellent designer, happy to provide revisions and gave plenty of options."
"responsive and creative. Thank you!"
Anonymous client
"So impressed with the design I received from 80Kien. They fit in everything I had requested for the logo"
"Great work and style"
Anonymous client
"Great design, exactly what we wanted!"
"Quality results. Easy to work with."
"Professional and innovative. FourscoreKien was always responsive and keen to meet our company's objectives and requests. He went above and beyond our expectations in both design and service; a real pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend him ..."
mail Qg
"What an amazing artist! Fourscore kien produces designs that will stand out in any design contest. We're very happy to establish a relationship with fourscore kien, and we look forward to working with this terrific designer."
"We had a pleasant experience working on these designs. Responses were prompt, the design was original, and clean. Very satisfied with how everything turned out and look forward to working on other designs in the future."


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The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame was founded on April 19, 1989, when Governor Joe Frank Harris signed into law the authorization for the establishment of the state's Aviation Hall of Fame in the Museum of Aviation at Robin's Air Force Base. Located just seven miles from I-75 in Warner Robins, GA, the museum is situated on a beautiful 51-acre site and includes over 100 aircraft, missiles, and cockpits in its collection.
Jack McKibbon started flying at 14, flew bombers in WWII and owned several aircraft during his career.
There are 12 very distinguished nominees this year and we need your help in the selection process!
Here he is taking a picture with the famous Crawford Hicks-- a long-time museum supporter and WWII Veteran who piloted a B-17.


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About Us
We are a small, well established, family owned and run company, based in Stratford-Upon-Avon. With just six members of staff (plus Cooper, our office dog), we're small enough to be able to offer a personal service, but large enough to offer a comprehensive range of products, stocked in depth, and at competitive prices. We operate in a very "traditional" manner - all our operations are carried out under one roof. That means no external call centres, no external warehousing - just one group of dedicated staff, working together to be the best at what we do.
Our product range is vast, and expanding all the time as new products are released, or when "big name" retailers stop selling items for which we believe there is still demand. This website contains a definitive list of our current product range. It also shows whether an item is in stock or not - particularly useful for the many obscure or hard-to-find photographic accessories we carry, which are often hand made, or manufactured in small quantites.
Purchasing from our website is safe and secure, using industry standard 128-bit encryption to ensure your details are kept safely out of harm's way. We accept credit and debit cards online - but if you're not comfortable ordering over the internet, you can pay by credit or debit card over the telephone. We still accept cheques and postal orders!
We offer both an "0800" freephone telephone number, and our traditional "01926" telephone number - both will connect you to the same group of staff in our office. We don't hide behind premium rate telephone numbers - you shouldn't have to pay to get in touch with us!


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|» Products
|» Vitamin Supplements
|» Foliron Tablets
Our sophisticated production facility is outfitted with all the necessary machines and equipment that helps us to manufacture and export an exclusive range of Foliron Tablets. Doctors recommend the tablets during the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia. These Folic Acid Tablets are formulated in compliance with the set safety norms of the industry, using only superior grade compounds. We pack the Foliron Tablets using quality approved packaging materials to ensure safe transportation.
Accurate composition
Precise pH value
Highly effective
MEDICO REMEDIES LTD. All Rights Reserved.(Terms of Use)
Developed and Managed by Infocom Network Ltd.


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Our weather has been so cold lately!! I've had to layer layer layer with the boys to keep them from shivering. I usually put a long leeved shirt on under whatever they are wearing and it seems to help.
This week, Easton's showin' off his cute brown sweater. I actually got one for each of the boys because they were on sale... so I couldn't resist. But they won't be wearing them on the same day. I tried the whole "matchy" thing for Santa pictures (which I need to share with you all!) and it just didn't look/feel right to have them in the same outfit. BUT, I am totally on board with matching Christmas jams. I need to get a picture of the boys in their holiday PJ's, because it's so stinkin' cute.
Sweater: H&M
Pants: Old Navy
Shoes: Robeez
So yah, elbow patches on little boys sweaters? Love it. It sorta makes him look like a little old man. Ha ha. And excuse these photos of him stuffing his face with candy. Like I said, it's the only thing to keep him from running off. :)


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On the whole, we much prefer films that have Leonardo DiCaprio in them than films that don't have Leonardo DiCaprio in them, so we felt a little sad when the 38-year-old actor announced that he was taking a break from movies earlier this week.
And our sadness turned to insane jealously when we saw these shots of Leo starting his acting break lounging by a pool in Miami surrounded by a gaggle of girls (which is the official collective noun for hot women, FYI).
To add insult to injury, one of the gaggle was none other than Margot Robbie, AKA Leo's rumoured new girlfriend. Boo, hiss!
Still, once we'd got over the shock of seeing Leo with someone that's not us, we figured that we can't really begrudge the film star a bit of peace and quiet. After all, he has worked back-to-back on film projects over the past two years, including Quentin Tarentino's Django Unchained, Martin Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street and Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. Which is quite a lot, when you think about it.
Titanic actor Leo announced he was taking a "long break" from acting in German newspaper Bild earlier this week, saying: "I am a bit drained. I'm now going to take a long, long break. I've done three films in two years and I'm just worn out."
And speaking about what he planned to do with his free time, Leo said: "I would like to improve the world a bit. I will fly around the world doing good for the environment."
Oh Leo, you improve the world simply by being in it. Although we're not entirely sure that flying around the world is good for the environment - think of the carbon footprint.
Kicking off the break, Leo and his mates got mellow in Miami with a round of fruit juices, food, some cigarettes and, in the case of his bearded pal, a big ol' cigar whilst soaking up the sunshine.
The trip is thought to be the annual break that the actor takes with his mother, which would suggest that Leo's relationship with fellow actor Margot is going pretty well. Which we're sure we'll come to terms with. Eventually.
Check out the trailer for The Great Gatsby - starring Leonardo as the man himself - below...


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Vibrant city living meets community charm in Ayala Land's first township development in Bulacan — ALTARAZA TOWN CENTER.
ALTARAZA Town Center is San Jose del Monte's newest mixed-use development where people can find the perfect mix between modern city living and the town's proud traditions. Altaraza Town Center is envisioned to become Bulacan's brightest spot for modern suburban living, offering new concepts for residents and businesses alike.
Where people, nature, and economy thrive
Altaraza Town Center features a select mix of uses that are community-centric, that will feature a Central Plaza for gatherings and celebrations. Commercial lots provide a platform for businesses to flourish. It offers retail that will bring everyday conveniences and services to the community, as well as, fresh dining and shopping options. It will be home to two of Ayala Land's Residential Brands – Avida and Amaia providing a place to nurture growing families. The whole community will be complemented by a one-stop 100-bed healthcare facility and one of the country's prestigious educational institution, Colegio San Agustin. Set in Sierra Madre's gently rolling slopes, it has the perfect backdrop for a neighborhood to grow and ensure a healthy environment for families.
Altaraza Location
The metro's gateway to the Northeast
Situated where Quezon City, Caloocan, and Bulacan converge, Altaraza Town Center holds endless promise for business and commerce. In the development's proximity is modern infrastructure and landmarks.
San Jose del Monte is easily accessible with a direct connection to NLEX and can be reached by all types of vehicles through Quirino Highway. In the future, it will be less than 10 minutes away from the upcoming MRT 7.


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The 2012 Olympics has helped lift the London suburb - close to the main Olympic site at Stratford - not normally associated with tourism into Europe's fastest-growing destination.
Other UK locations hitherto unheralded as tourist spots also made the top 10, including Brandon in Suffolk, Hounslow in west London and Warrington in Cheshire.
Two Greater Manchester destinations - Trafford and Salford - also make the top 10, as does Tamworth in Staffordshire and Warminster in Wiltshire.
The only non-UK destinations in the fastest-growing list were Valras-Plage in France and Yalta in Ukraine.
TripAdvisor spokesperson Emma Shaw said: ''These destinations may not all be the most obvious tourist hotspots, but for one reason or another they've sparked rapidly rising traveller attention this year.
''For the British destinations, and especially Ilford, it's encouraging news - and it's likely we can attribute much of this spike in traffic to increased interest generally in the UK as excitement builds around next year's Olympics.''
Europe's top 10 fasting-growing destinations for 2011, based on year-on-year increases in searches on TripAdvisor sites, were:
1. Ilford, east London
2. Valras-Plage, France
3. Trafford, Greater Manchester
4. Tamworth, Staffordshire
5. Brandon, Suffolk
6. Yalta, Ukraine
7. Salford, Greater Manchester
8. Warrington, Cheshire
9. Warminster, Wiltshire
10.Hounslow, west London


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Deeply conditions dry, dull skin to reveal a look that's luminous and 3x as radiant. Best for: Dry, dull skin. Restores skin's luminosity and enhances sheen. With a unique illuminating HYDRALUCENCE™ blend and pure African Shea Butter. Relieves dryness, replenishes moisture, and improves skin's moisture barrier for beautiful, radiant skin. Absorbs quickly and leaves skin with a light, fresh scent and no greasy feel.
Ingredients: Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol Stearic Acid, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Mineral Oil, Ceteareth-20, Cetyl Esters, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Arginine, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Propylparaben, Carbomer, Caramel, Tocopheryl Acetate.
|Unit Size
|10 ounce
|Online & In-Store
We want you to be fully satisfied with every item that you purchase from www.dollargeneral.com. If you are not satisfied with an item that you have purchased, you may return the item within 30 days of delivery for a full refund of the purchase price, minus the shipping, handling, and other charges. The item must be returned in good condition, in original boxes (whenever possible), and with all paperwork, parts and accessories to ensure credit.
HOW IT WORKS: Add qualifying product(s) to your shopping cart totaling $30 or more (prior to taxes and other discounts) and Free Shipping will be applied to your order up to $15 in value. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. You need to select the Standard Ground Shipping option to receive Free Shipping credit. If you select the 2nd Day or Overnight, shipping charges will be applied. For shipments of orders to locations that are excluded from this offer, the shipping charge will be visible during Checkout.
To participate, add qualifying product to your shopping cart and FREE GROUND SHIPPING up to a $15 credit will automatically be applied at checkout. Credit only applies to shipping. Any unused portion of the shipping credit does not apply to a reduction in item price. Note: You must select "Ground Shipping" to receive the discount.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: This Free Shipping Offer consists of a maximum credit towards shipping costs of $15.00 on orders of $30 or more, prior to taxes. This cannot be combined with any other offer. Customer will be charged the balance of shipping costs above $15.00. This Free Shipping Offer applies to items for delivery by standard ground shipping only and excludes delivery to Alaska and Hawaii and APO/FPO Addresses. Item(s) must be must be purchased in the same transaction. Entire order must be shipped to a single address. Offer is not applicable towards the shipping costs for returned items. Offer is not valid on previous purchases. Offer valid only while supplies last and not applicable to cancelled orders due to out-of-stock merchandise. This promotional offer may be modified or terminated at any time without notice. We reserve the right to cancel any order due to unauthorized, altered, or ineligible use of this offer. Some exceptions may apply. No cash value.
Jergens® Original Scent Dry Skin Moisturizer leaves skin embraceably silky and subtly fragranced. Smooth on this timeless formula daily for 24-hour moisturization and comforting relief that helps eliminate dryness. Give your skin the noticeably improved, healthier look that invites the touch. Jergens® skin moisturizer is formulated with cherry-almond hydrators, providing 60% more moisture, instantly.
Eucalyptus body lotion softens and nourishes the skin
NIVEA Express Hydration Body Lotion is an ultra-light formula enriched with sea minerals, that absorbs quickly and leaves skin smooth, supple and velvety soft.
For extra–fast and long–lasting moisture.
How it works: NIVEA's exclusive Hydra IQ technology supports skin's own hydration network to unleash deep, non-stop moisture that lasts more than 24 hours.
Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Alcohol Denat., Glyceryl Stearate SE, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Glucoside, Sea Salt, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Fragrance, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol.
Caution: Keep out of reach of children. For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Stop use if irritation develops.


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In my last post, I wrote about a patent application describing how Yahoo might come out with a widget that could be used with blogs, to recommend old posts on those blogs based upon your lifestreaming activities.
It appears that Yahoo may have even grander and more financially motivated intentions behind collecting information about how you blog, tweet, tag images, and leave other footprints on the Web about your life and interests.
Imagine Yahoo crawling the Web and grabbing information from APIs and feeds published by other sites that provide information about the movies you rent, the reviews that you publish, the pictures that you tag, and the sites that you bookmark. Along with your tweets, your status updates, and your other activities on the Web, this information could be used to build a profile of your actions online.
That profile might then be used to determine which banner ads, job postings, and other advertisements that you may be shown.
It could also possibly be used by some sites to personalize the content that you may see.
That's the topic of the following Yahoo patent application, which could take lifestreaming data to personalize how you see the Web:
Personalized Advertising Using Lifestreaming Data
Invented by Saurabh Sahni and Pankaj Kothari
US Patent Application 20100023399
Published January 28, 2010
Filed: July 22, 2008
This patent discloses a method to increase the relevance of advertisements displayed on the Internet. An ad server may receive a request for an advertisement from a web server. The ad server may compare metadata to online advertisements within an ad database. The metadata may include data about the user obtained from at least two websites through a lifestreaming process.
The comparison may seek out a best match between the advertisements and the metadata and serve the resulting advertisement to the web server.
The patent application provides details of how this system might work as well as some examples that put it into perspective.
Here's the first of them:
An online DVD rental service shows that Bob likes to rent movies on weekends from an online DVD rental service. Consider a scenario where system has retrieved application programming interfaces (APIs) from a popular online Digital Video Disc (DVD) rental service and those APIs demonstrate that user Bob has tendency to rent movies on weekends.
In addition, system previously retrieved a message posted by Bob on a free social networking and micro-blogging service, where the message as "Watching movie in Mxim Theater, 5800 Zoo Drive, Kansas City, Mo." In more recent retrievals, system has obtained metadata that indicates Bob has been listening to songs from the movie Screech on a United Kingdom-based Internet radio and music community website. Bob also had identified a trailer of the movie Screech on a video sharing website as being a favorite trailer.
Today, Friday and the first day of the weekend, Bob has requested a webpage (FIG. 1) that details new movie releases and includes a position for an advertisement. With all above personal data about Bob's activity maintained as metadata, system may use metadata to retrieve an advertisement from ad database that may be closest to "Buy tickets for movie Screech in Mxim Theater." The ad then may be served into webpage.
The advertising system might draw all of Bob's activities that it sees together to decide upon the best advertisement to show him from their database of available ads, upon the premise that he would be more likely to click upon that ad.
Another example describes how the actions of "friends" on social networking sites might also play a role in the advertisements that we might see.
The patent filing primarily focuses upon describing how advertisements might be custom delivered to viewers based upon this activity data. There's only one brief sentence that tells us that other non-advertisement based content could also use this kind of information, and it doesn't layout much in the way of details:
The lifestreaming metadata also may enable websites to personalize content according to the user activities.
There have been a number of patent filings and whitepapers from the major search engines that describe how search history and browsing history might be used to personalize advertisements. This patent filing from Yahoo describes a way of actively crawling the Web and gathering data from other sources to collect information about individuals and determine what ads to show them.
In What Personalization Means to Search, I wrote about how Search Engines might turn to "analyzing footprints people leave on the Web" to provide personalization to searchers. I also asked what that might imply in terms of privacy.
I've been tweeting about shoveling snow this morning. Will I start seeing ads for snow blowers?
What ads might you see?


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I know this is going to sound boring, but there's another way to look at it. The most potent cancer fighters are not the fancy berries from Java or Fiji or where ever. They're the plain foods that are right in front of us, and always have been.
Hiding in plain sight. Boring broccoli, cabbage or sour kraut (*yawn same ole same ole), Brussels sprouts, and collards. They're not new!, revolutionary!, or unbelievable! But they're also cheap, so just how good could they be?
It turns out that this particular class of winter veggies have the "Indoles", which are massive cancer fighters: found in broccoli, cabbage, collards.
Okay, what if we compromise? You keep eating the boring super cancer fighters, but make them non-boring by preparing them in novel ways. I won't google that for you, you got this. Just type in the letters, into the search box, and you'll find a zillion awesome ways to put together cancer fighting foods you will love.


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Synaptic produces a GPG error: "signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available". How to add missing PPA public keys ?
- Keywords:
- PPA GPG OpenPGP package signature problem error warning
- Last updated by:
- marcobra (Marco Braida) on on 2009-10-07
When attempting to install packages or perform updates with Synaptic or from command line, the following warning is displayed:
W: GPG error: http://
Please follow the instructions here for adding the keys for the PPA's that you are using:
On update if you get an error like this...
GPG error: http://
Then you have to add the missing GPG key:
Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type or better copy and paste a row a time then press enter:
sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.
Then type: (when the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see nothing when you type it, then press enter)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
to update your system.


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Últimos listados en Francia
We're bunq, Bank of The Free. We're a totally independent bank that removes borders and barriers in traditional banking. No branches, no queues, no paperwork, just immediate access from a mobile device. Users can share bank accounts with whomever they want, pay with worldwide Maestro and Mastercards wherever they go and get support whenever they…
Greenback Expat Tax Services makes life better for Americans living abroad and aims to take away the anxiety and hassle of helping US expats become and stay compliant with their US taxes while living overseas. Greenback offers a full range of expat tax services for Americans living abroad, including US expat tax return preparation, small business…
Sanford Ave SW, 2885, Grandville, 49418, United States
- +1 8 883 625 032
- Ir a la página web
Foyer Global Health offers international health coverage to the expatriates all over the world. You get no overall limit for reimbursement and benefit from bespoke medical advice, prior to moving abroad. Visit our website to get a personalised, comprehensive and price competitive international health insurance offer with no hidden exclusions.
- +352 621 585 033
- Ir a la página web


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- Ice Mom: making mistakes so you don't have to
- Pratfalls, slips and missteps
- Gaffe o' the day
I used to keep lists of this stuff when I was just starting out in something. When I began teaching high school, I made a terrible fool of myself. Once, I taught an entire lesson with my zipper down. The kids kept asking me if there was a fly in the room, but it was December and I had no idea what they were talking about. *sigh*
Well, here's the first of many idiotic things I've done as a new member of our local figure skating club. Please learn from my example! :) Realize that your club might be different, is probably different. If you have some interesting mistakes to share, please send them my way!
Ice Girl wanted to skate after school the other day, but I couldn't send her to the tennis courts on her PIC skates because it was raining and the thoughtless folks at our village's parks department haven't built an enclosed tennis court, let alone an ice rink.
On the spur of the moment, Ice Girl and I hopped in the van and went to the figure skating club ice time. The previous week, some kind soul tried to explain how club ice works for me. If you're new, listen to these kind souls. Sometimes you're so new, like me, that you don't even know the questions to ask. I tried to remember all the stuff about the right of way on the ice, which corners were reserved for jumping, where to spin, and how to avoid the harness jumper. I made sure Ice Girl understood these things, too. I thought we were set. Ho-ho! Not the case.
Right. Ice Girl was happy to add her name to the list of kids on the ice, Ice Mom wrote the check, and Ice Girl skated out onto the ice.
"Which one is yours?" the ice monitor asked me.
"The one in the purple sweatshirt."
The ice monitor squinted and said what I've come to think of as fatal words, "Oh. The one in jeans?"
Yep. Being the dorky newbie that I am, I had no idea that jeans were **gasp** inappropriate. I had the good fortune to meet many club parents that night and the ice monitor introduced me to each of them as the mother of the girl in jeans. Yes, yes. I get it already. Practice skirt and tights.
Did I mention I met the lovely grande dame who is our club's test chairperson? Yep. What did she say to me? "Oh, dear. Your daughter is wearing jeans. You should really get her proper attire."
Newbie lesson: Wear the stinkin' practice skirt and tights or risk having everyone in the club explain the expectations to you. Twice. Each. (I swear, next time I'm going to wear a practice skirt and tights, too. :) )


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News Details
More details on the selected news and events ...
More details on the selected news and events ...
The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority has partnered with West Blue Consulting Limited to organize a two–week training programme in Accra for GRA's Examination Officers.
The training was training in line with the recommended international best practices on Examination technique which borders on Customs Physical Examination Techniques, Examination Support Tools – Pre Arrival Assessment Reporting System (PAARS), a Multi Agency Risk Management Systems (MARMS) and an overview of the ongoing Ghana National Single Widow.
The training would enable Customs Officers to apply efficiency and understand how the streamlining of customs processes can help encourage cross-border and international trade which are required with the introduction of the Ghana National Single Window project. The Ghana National Single Window being introduced will allow for an evolution from one-off or ad-hoc time release studies to real-time monitoring of clearance times, providing key players in the trade circle with better tools to establish effective incentives for better performance at all agency levels.
The training brought over 300 Custom officers drawn from all the Collections of the GRA-Customs Division. The officers were trained in batches of three within the duration.
According to the organizers of the training, the aim was to strengthen capacity building within Customs through the sharing of knowledge and international best practices by stimulating new business opportunities which in turn can help enhance economic competitiveness and ensure greater compliance from the stakeholders.
Furthermore, the officers were further tutored on the effectiveness of trade facilitation which can be achieved through increased automation and adoption of information and communications technology, as well as measures to instill transparency in the process.
The training stimulated the exchange of ideas and experiences, and enabled the officers to give real-time feedback on the current modernization drive which involves establishment of an electronic data exchange system, establishment of a single window for pre-clearance which will integrate all the stakeholders involved in the import and export of goods, reduction of the number of documents, and streamlining of procedures globally.
Facilitators for the programme included Mr. Kofi Danquah a consultant with West Blue Consulting with experience working with the Customs and Border Services, Mr. Adedapo Adegoke a Customs Risk Management Expert and Customs Liaison Manager of West Blue Consulting, Ghana and Mr. Emeka Nzeih training manager West Blue Consulting. They all agreed that for Ghana's economy to be better, then the need to integrate into the global economy, especially global supply chains will improve border clearance services which are critical in achieving trade facilitation.
The overall objectives of the training were identified as follows, to prepare officers for the proper conduct of examination of all types of goods, to set the minds of officers on what to look for when conducting physical examination, to prepare officers to set a high standard to vividly and factually record the results of examination that would stand the test of time.
It was also to ensure the successful implementation of the PAARS and Single Window concepts by acting as the last line of defense in the clearance and exportation of goods and to prepare the minds of officers to work promptly and harmoniously to facilitate trade without compromising revenue maximization.
West Blue Consulting is a world class business and IT-consulting and technology firm who transforms the performance of leading organizations in both the private and public sectors.


text:
Chickenpox Channel
Topics & Medications
Related Channels
Adult Chickenpox
Adult chickenpox transmission occurs via direct contact with someone infected with the chickenpox virus or through the air from an infected person's coughing or sneezing. Less commonly, chickenpox transmission can occur when someone comes into direct contact with a person who has an active herpes zoster (shingles) infection.
A person with chickenpox is contagious 1-2 days before the rash appears and until all blisters have formed scabs.
The usual adult chickenpox incubation period is 14-16 days (ranging between 10-21 days), the same as for children.
In 1995, the Food and Drug Administration approved the varicella vaccine, also known as the chickenpox vaccine, for the prevention of chickenpox.
The chickenpox vaccine is the best way to prevent chickenpox, therefore protecting adults from the severe potential complications (including death) that can occur with chickenpox. If an adult has not had chickenpox and has not already received the chickenpox vaccine, he or she should. People age 13 and older who have not had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine should get two doses of the vaccine 4 to 8 weeks apart.
The chickenpox varicella vaccine is especially important for the following groups of susceptible adults:
- People who have close contact with those at high risk for serious complications. For example, healthcare workers and family members/close contacts of people with impaired immune systems.
- People who live or work in environments in which chickenpox transmission is likely. For example, teachers of young children, childcare employees, and residents/staff in institutional settings.
- People who live or work in places where chickenpox transmission can readily occur, including college students, inmates and staff of correctional institutions, and military personnel.
- Non-pregnant women of childbearing age (women should avoid pregnancy for 1 month following each vaccine dose).
- Adolescents and adults living in households with children.
- International travelers.
However, all healthy susceptible adults should be vaccinated.
Chickenpox Information
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD


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Why do we study the ATMOSPHERE?
The atmosphere is shared by every person on this Earth. When one person (or group or nation) affects the atmosphere, it affects all of us. Without the atmosphere, we would find it very hard to survive. Humans can last weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without air. We also consume it at a higher rate: humans breathe the equivalent of 13 kg of air each day, compared with eating 2.4 kg of food and drinking 1 kg of liquid. Our daily lives are also influenced by the atmosphere. How warm it is or whether it's raining determine what kind of clothing we wear and what kind of activities we participate in. Local climates affect what kind of houses we build.
We are also protected by the atmosphere. It acts as a huge blanket, keeping the Earth warmer than it would be without the atmosphere. This is known as the greenhouse effect. (Without the atmosphere, the average temperature on Earth would be below freezing!) The atmosphere also protects living things on Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. A thin layer of gas called ozone high up in the atmosphere filters out these dangerous rays.
The atmosphere also helps to sustain life of Earth. It provides oxygen for humans and animals to breathe, and carbon dioxide for plants. Through the hydrological (precipitation) cycle, plants and animals receive the water they need to survive.
The atmosphere can also affect us in negative ways. Most of the natural catastrophes that occur are due to phenomena in the atmosphere. Things like hurricanes, lightning and thunderstorms, hail, flooding, and tornadoes. Severe consequences can also occur when humans pollute the atmosphere, such as creating smog or destroying ozone. These kinds of things can cause illnesses and even cancer.
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HP LapTop Giveaway (CLOSED)
Trying something new today - you still get the giveaway, I don't have to do the work. We will see how well it works out!
HP Mini-Note PC Laptop
- Small but mighty, the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC gives you the freedom to be productive here, there, and everywhere. It's ideal for instructional use or general purpose business applications.
Starting at 2.63 pounds and only 1.05 inches thin, the HP 2133 is designed to go where you go without weighing you down. Don't be fooled by its size; this small wonder keeps you ultra-productive. It comes equipped with the tools to help you conduct business efficiently on the go with features such as high-resolution, 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA display, 92% full-size QWERTY keyboard and touchpad. The simple, refined design and all-aluminum case makes it sleek, sturdy and lightweight. Features such as HP DuraKeys, magnesium alloy support structure, and HP 3D DriveGuard make a durable mini-note PC that can go the distance.
Tech Details: VIA C7-M ULV Processor 1.2GHz, 1GB DDR2, 120GB HD, 8.9" WXGA, Bluetooth, 802.11a/g/n, Built-in Webcam & Microphone, Windows XP Home - value $350.00
Contest is open to US & Canada - ends Sept 30/09. You can enter this contest once every day.
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Click here to enter: Win: HP Mini-Note PC Laptop
Prize: HP Mini-Note PC Laptop
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Nikon D800E w/ SIGMA ART 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM
The South Alps (of Japan) is sort of a sacred area for landscape photographers specialized in Mount Fuji. Fuji does look really awesome when seen from other high mountains. Needless to say that the most important sacred place is Mt. Fuji itself for us. But we can't shoot Fuji when we are on the top of Fuji, you know?


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We were so so lucky today to see the complete and total eclipse here in Charleston! It was truly amazing and so fun to watch with our neighbors. We ate Moon Pies, listened to an eclipse playlist, and nerded out in our glasses. And it was during nap time so we didn't have to worry about baby eyes getting scorched by the sun! It was dark like night for about a minute and a half and it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. What a day!
This cutie had two Moon Pies today and loved every bite. Obviously!


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SO excited to write this post! Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with perfectly polished nails. Nail polish is one of my favorite things to buy and keeping my nails in impeccable shape is necessary in my life (probably a borderline addiction).
I just love the way having "done" nails looks. I instantly feel more polished (haha) and put together. Honestly, chipped nails are one of my biggest pet peeves- ask Carl or probably any of my grilfriends any day of the week and they'll tell you how crazy it drives me.
So, without further ado of my rambling, here are a few of my top favorite shades!
Basically, I wear like 4 colors, just different shades within those. I like my nails to be simple and put together and able to go with pretty much everything, so I'm not really a fan of crazy colors.
Essie "Topless and Barefoot"
A perfect nude! It's a nice sandy nude that looks fab with a shiny topcoat. It gives your nails that extra "oomph" and helps you look put together no matter what. It's also a great choice if you're going on a trip, because you don't have to worry so much about clashing your nails with your outfit.
Essie "Blanc"
White is my go-to spring/summer shade. It's so chic and simple, and paired with a tan, is one of my fave looks. Love love love!
OPI "Mimosas for Mr. and Mrs."
A good pink-based nude! I also like this color year round. It's more the nude that I use in the fall months.
OPI "Black Onyx"
I love love love black nails for fall and winter. It's the chic opposite to bright white nails, and I think it looks fab. Again, another shade that I die for when it's paired with a shiny topcoat.
OPI "Alphine Snow"
Another really nice white shade to have on hand! So cute.
Mkay so. Quick tangent. I have a love/hate relationship with gel polish. I do have my own lamp at home, which I love. It's nice sometimes to relax at night and have a glass of wine and feel like I'm in my own at-home salon. And the things I love the most about the gel polish is that one – the topcoats lock it all in and your nails are literally so glossy and shiny the whole two weeks. The second thing is that it dries fast- which means I can get in, get it done and get going.
However, I'm also stubborn and sometimes like to switch up my polish colors fairly frequently. So I find myself more often than not pickign off the gel colors about a week into it when I could very well have the mani for 2+ weeks. Either way, I'd recommend picking up a lamp! So, here are two honorary mentions that are gel polish brands.
Gelaze "Salsa"
I love this red! It's a bright cherry color perfect for summer. I think it looks great on short, trimmed nails, which is me 90% of the time. Pick up the gel topcoat that goes with it and your nails will be bright and long-lasting! This is probably my fave brand of gel polish at the moment
SensatioNail "Miss Behave"
Another great gel color! This is from the same brand as the lamp I have. They have a variety of shades, but this burgandy-ish one is a must have for me. It's a deep sexy red that looks so good in the fall and winter.
Those are my faves at the moment! Which colors are your go-to picks?!


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What do you get excited about? How does it feel when you're sad? The colourful world of Roundies teaches children important emotional skills in a creative and entertaining way.
Helping preschoolers learn emotional intelligence the fun way
Finland is famous for its high pedagogical standards and the Roundies stories are pedagogically designed to support the educational, social and emotional development of preschool children. The positive psychology behind the books helps children recognise their personal strengths while making sense of emotional responses. The stories explore many different themes including self-esteem, building positive relationships, dealing with disappointment and encouraging children to try, try again!
The Roundies stories are fun yet reassuring, and kids love them!
The Roundies live on all platforms: animation brings the characters to life and gives an entertaining insight into how different emotions feel. Books go deeper into emotional learning – and are designed to be read and discussed together with an adult. Mobile games are available for both younger children, who start with recognising and naming emotions, and older kids who can practice emotional control and social skills.
We are developing an app for parents, where they can follow their children's emotional development. Parents get feedback on the emotions their children have worked on and also actionable tips on education.
Press releases
How to discover your strengths
1. Observe your child and encourage him/her to recognize the things that he/she enjoys doing or is especially good at. We all do different things differently. Pay attention to your child and take note of [...]
How to control your temper
1. Help the child to recognize anger, and talk through the cause together Feeling cross can bring on a hurricane of emotions when the child is angry. Help the child to recognize the feeling and [...]
How to be more determined
1. Remember to give positive feedback, acknowledging your child's efforts and not only the achievements Trying is more important than succeeding. It's not always about the destination - the journey can also be of great [...]
We are the Roundies!
Cranky Crabbie Me grumpy? No way! That makes me grumpy! Arrgh! Sisu Foxy I never give up! If at first I don't succeed, I try again! Onwards and upwards! [...]
Books in stores!
You can find the Roundies books in Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, Akateeminen Kirjakauppa, Info-bookstores, Adlibris-online bookstore and Suuri Suomalainen Kirjakerho. Get your copy now! Three Cheers for Cheeraffe Cheeraffe always supports his friends. This story shows the [...]


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FORTITUDE Season 1 DVD Review
Looking at the cover of the DVD set made me think of Whiteout, a fun mystery set in Antarctica based on a graphic novel by Greg Rucka. Going in I was expecting a story set in a cold climate with a lot of outdoors stuff and while those are aspects of the story that is far from all of it.
Fortitude is a small town on an island in the arctic circle. It's supposed to be one of the safest places on earth. A character describes this in a way that makes sense. Paraphrasing: "People who come here need to be able to put a roof over their head and provide for themselves. So people here are happy and we have no crime." The town really is small, everybody knows each other. There is a mine that is closing and a research center. Some shops and a hotel and a few places to drink. People get along and no one feels the need to commit crimes.
A professor (played by Christopher Eccleston, forever doomed to short roles) is killed. And I mean really killed, brutally murdered. This being essentially a small town mystery we have certain aspects in play. Local law enforcement who are unused to major crimes. Usually people from the small town or cops who have seen too much and need a less crazy life. We also have a town full of people with secrets. Everyone has their own reason for being here and a lot of it comes down to wanting to be away from large groups of people and forget a past. Small towns are also untrusting of outsiders which explains some early moves in the case by the Sheriff. Because it was a British citizen killed an Inspector is sent over to look at the case and conduct his own investigation. Enter DCI Morton played by Stanley Tucci, a former FBI Agent working for Scotland Yard.
As secrets are revealed and the case progresses things are definitely not as they seem. The show evolves from just a mystery to a thriller and even a bit of a horror film. The genres are blended together beautifully.
Outstanding performances by Richard Dormer as the Sheriff, Sofie Gråbøl as the governor and Michael Gambon as a photographer dying of liver cancer. The whole cast is great and the evolution of the characters is well done. The real star is the village where the show was filmed. It feels brutal and unforgiving and yet seems like a cool place to live, other than the killings of course.
This was a great show and it was very engaging and is something I plan to watch again. There is also a season 2 on its way with Randy Quaid.


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During the later part of 2011, the first push for multi-database support was made for the CMS, with a team from Hooduku implementing support for Microsoft's SQL Server (and inherently, the Windows SQL Azure Database). With the release of 2.5 in January 2012, the CMS was officially supported for the first time on a non-MySQL driven database. This support expanded with the release of 3.0 when PostgreSQL support was added.
Current Status
The Joomla CMS continues to support MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server, but there are areas that need to be improved upon. If you browse the CMS Issue Tracker, you'll find that there are several reports of issues with these environments with the root issue being how the queries are formed in the code.
How Can I Help?
If you have access to a SQL Server or PostgreSQL environment, or are able to set one up (many *AMP software packages used for local development already support PostgreSQL, you just need to install the database server separately), we can use your help! We need people willing to install the CMS in these environments and use it as usual, noting any database related errors they may find. If you're able, we need to fix these queries or PHP methods, or in some less common instances, alter the database schema to allow these tasks to complete properly, while still functioning in all three supported database environments.
Sign Me Up!
If this interests you, I can be contacted via e-mail at michael.babker [AT] joomla [DOT] org. Help us help the millions of users of the Joomla CMS and improve our code along the way.


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By Drew
Friend of the Hadleybloggers Terry links to this article by Dr. Alice von Hildebrand entitled "The Moral Weight of Words." Terry uses this as the basis for a discussion of Dawn Eden and her youth-oriented (i.e. talk to them in their own language) approach to chastity. And from this, I propose to talk about the future of classical music. Well, we're nothing here if not eclectic.
But there is a method to this madness, and that method lies with the topic of communications. How do we communicate – across generations, across cultures, across racial and ethnic divides? In an age where we as a society have become increasingly fragmented and isolated, how do people of different tastes communicate?
Exhibit #1 is this fine piece by Terry Teachout, commenting on the recent death of Beverly Sills. Teachout underscores, in so many words, a point I made last week in my own notice of Sills' passing: that Sills came from an era in which classical music was an established, accepted part of popular culture. That doesn't mean it was the most popular type of music out there (even if Leonard Bernstein lived the life of a rock star), but it does mean that, through exposure on radio and TV, it was part of the mainstream. By this I mean that even people who didn't consider themselves classical music fans were still expected to be familiar with particular singers and pieces of music. And so, as Teachout says, Sills' (and others, such as Robert Merrill and Roberta Peters) appearances did not create as much as they did reflect reflect the popularity, or at least acceptance, of opera. By bringing it to the people, in the medium the people enjoyed, these stars kept opera in front of the people in a way that (with the end of variety shows and other forms of "middlebrow" programming) would be impossible today.
The mention of "middlebrow" culture leads me to this post by Donald Pittenger at 2Blowhards, in which he laments the disappearance of that middlebrow area in which classical music was so firmly established. Donald voices a guarded optimism over the return of high culture, in the cyclical ways such things happen. Donald points to what passes for pop culture today, and suspects that such "crudeness in the form of Rap, Concept Art, mindless action movies and the rest of current popular culture will become boring because it will have been around too long." I can only hope he's right.
However, perhaps voicing a note of caution is Greg Sandow, who argues that classical music is at a crossroads unless it faces up to the fact that its audience is daily growing grayer, older, and smaller. Unless classical music engages the modern culture, it will fade away. Far easier said than done for, as Sandow points out, "it's fairly hard to address some huge problem like the aging of the audience, because the most direct solution -- start doing things younger people might like -- seems to conflict with the untouchable core mission, and therefore can't be contemplated." A more casual atmosphere, shorter pieces, not being so prudish about applause, more direct interaction between the orchestra and the audience – these are merely some of the ideas that Sandow proposes as a way for classical music to regain a foothold in popular culture.
Now, note that none of these are diametrically opposed. Terry has, in the past, shared Sandow's concern about the future of the classics (as he points out, recordings can often be a more satisfying experience than live attendance in the orchestra hall). And Donald's optimism in the return of high culture doesn't necessarily preclude the implementation of Greg's suggestions.
But at some point in this discussion we have to confront the question of the future identity of highbrow culture – what does it mean? Do we want our high culture to be a little more special, a little elevated, from the rest of pop culture? Should we be looking to elevate people to this height, rather than bringing it down to their eye level? In other words, should we really be trying to make it accessible, or should we be expecting and demanding more from the public, asking them to make an effort to better themselves?
This question isn't a new one to me, insofar as I've been reading these writers discussing the topic for some time. But I wrestle with it, because there is something – I'd call it purifying – about dressing up in suit and tie to go to a concert hall, about sitting in dignified silence and listening to music, about behaving – perish the thought! – like ladies and gentlemen instead of punks. We'd have called that "civilized" or "cultivated" behavior once upon a time, although I suspect both of those words are on the outs nowadays. And yet Sandow is right – without some way of engaging today's culture, it's going to be an uphill battle to continue to grow the classics. And the way this culture is laid out makes that task even more difficult.
So with that we return to Terry's original post on von Hildebrand and the morality of words. (See, I told you we'd get back there eventually.) And this, for me, crystallizes this whole issue: how far do you go to evangelize – whether we're talking about religion, art, politics, or anything else that might require persuasion? There's always a fear of "going native," of losing your way amidst the dangers of modern culture. Equally, there's the threat that in speaking the language of those you seek to convert, you water down the message to the extent that it loses its true meaning and power. And there's the question that anyone faces – that of preserving your own dignity and integrity.
Von Hildebrand speaks powerfully of the dangers of using the popular language to express divine concepts:
The choice of words in such work is crucial. When referring to her previous life — before she was converted to the beauty of chastity — a young woman appearing on television and addressing millions of viewers, kept saying, "when I was sexually active…." The question that I raise is: Will not her choice of very graphic words inevitably bring to the minds of the viewers images that the phrase "sexually active" triggers?
Perhaps this is overstating the case somewhat in terms of classical music (my first thought was to entitle this piece "Alice von Hildebrand Explains Classical Music to You," but I thought that might be a little obscure even for me), but I'm not entirely convinced of that. As Rush Limbaugh often says, "words mean things." And the central question remains the same: how to you communicate your message to a generation that, in some cases, is barely literate – unable to write in cursive, using the shorthand of text-messaging, increasingly isolated in that fragmented society, with common cross-boundary frames of reference becoming less and less. In this relativist age, how does one get the message across?
My first instinct is to say that one has to speak the language, that in a pop culture society you'd better know something about that pop culture in order to communicate. Certainly this entails risk, with faith and education being your prime defenses. But it'd be foolish to do business in France and not know how to speak French, right? Being familiar with is not the same thing as being a part of, after all.
And, as everyone in business (and entertainment) can tell you, the first secret of success is to know your audience. A friend of mine works at a non-profit that also provides services to the public. Try as they might, the public isn't interested in hearing about the group's mission – all they understand is the service provided. And so this organization, despite a mostly heroic mission, is reduced to hawking the service – they have to speak the language of the public. You can tell the public about the wonders of classical music until you're blue in the face, but if they don't speak the language - if they don't share the values that you know are enhanced by classical music - then you might as well be speaking to a brick wall.
But there has to be more to it than that. There's always this stiffing of the spine when it comes to compromising your ideals. You can go only so far, no farther. Where do you draw the line? Maybe, as von Hildebrand suggests, you don't speak the exact same language, you parse your words carefully. While it doesn't mean the same thing as denying the culture altogether, it does imbue your words with a certain dignity, something that others will definitely notice, one way or another. (Incidentally, this also makes the case for elevating the liturgical language above that of the normal vernacular, but that's another argument for another day.)
I'm always reminded of the story about Mrs. Robert Taft, whose husband ran against Eisenhower for the Republican nomination for the presidency in 1952 When asked if her husband was "an ordinary man," she replied, "I should hope not!" Ordinary men need not apply for the presidency – it takes an extraordinary man to lead.
And I confess that this is my feeling regarding classical music as well. I cringe every time I go to the orchestra and see people dressed in untucked shirts, jeans and tennis shoes. Don't dumb it down to the public – educate them, elevate them instead. Make it special, something transcendental, out of the ordinary. How, of course, is the question. And I'll be damned if I have the answer.


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Three years out of a stint with Procol Harum, Robin Trower in 1974 released an album that would accomplish many things all at once. Bridge of Sighs introduced pop culture to the actual prison bridge in Venice that inspired the title cut, became the British rocker's defining record and career path, and got the then-little-known guitarist called the White Hendrix. But that last bit sounds crass, does it not? I prefer thinking of Hendrix/Trower as two sides of the same coin.
Past Event
Robin Trower
- Friday, May 19, 2017, 8 p.m.
- House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Avenue, San Diego
- 21+ / $29.50 - $59.50
Curiously, the lead guitarist himself did not handle the vocals in his power trio. With Bill Lordan on drums, I wonder how many concertgoers back when the band was filling colosseums thought that James Dewar, the bass player with the unforgettable (and almost R&B voice) was actually Trower, who generally stood off to the side and made all those funny faces while he worked his guitar mojo. But some find Trower's subsequent years his best. With ex-Cream bassist Jack Bruce, the two worked the power trio thing with Lordan and released a couple of notables: BLT and Truce.
Out on the road again, this time in support of 2017's Time and Emotion, the guitarist has released or appeared on an astounding number of records. Never one for guitar flash, Trower instead followed the BB King theory of the one-note-shot-to-the-heart style of lead guitar. Who doesn't remember the purely evil chord progression that opens Bridge of Sighs? If forced to pick his influence, I'd say Albert King over Jimi. Like most British teens during the '60s, Trower learned the music from American bluesmen like Muddy Waters or Son House.
Seventy-two now and reed-thin and displaying a bounty of forehead, Trower's actually better at power rocking than when he was younger and hairier, something that none of us who grew up with him could have imagined. We didn't know this would be our future: old guys killing it on guitar.
Strange Vine also performs.
More from SDReader
- More stories by Dave Good
- How Gang of Four's Andy Gill survived the Balboa Park Carousel — Feb. 2, 2019
- The latest spin on America's oldest music — Nov. 8, 2018
- Uli John Roth — June 24, 2009
- Popa Chubby — Oct. 25, 2007
- Six Feet of Dirt — Jan. 11, 2007