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This discussion seemed to be of sufficient general interest that we submitted is as a feature to eLife, because this journal is one of the best steps into the future of scientific publishing. Sadly the features editor thought that " too much of the article is taken up with detailed criticisms of research papers from NEJM and Science that appeared in the altmetrics top 100 for 2013; while many of these criticisms seems valid, the Features section of eLife is not the venue where they should be published". That's pretty typical of what most journals would say. It is that sort of attitude that stifles criticism, and that is part of the problem. We should be encouraging post-publication peer review, not suppressing it. Luckily, thanks to the web, we are now much less constrained by journal editors than we used to be.
Here it is.
Scientists don't count: why you should ignore altmetrics and other bibliometric nightmares
David Colquhoun1 and Andrew Plested2
1 University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
2 Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) & Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Charité Universitätsmedizin,Timoféeff-Ressowsky-Haus, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin Germany.
Jeffrey Beall is librarian at Auraria Library, University of Colorado Denver. Although not a scientist himself, he, more than anyone, has done science a great service by listing the predatory journals that have sprung up in the wake of pressure for open access. In August 2012 he published "Article-Level Metrics: An Ill-Conceived and Meretricious Idea. At first reading that criticism seemed a bit strong. On mature consideration, it understates the potential that bibliometrics, altmetrics especially, have to undermine both science and scientists.
Altmetrics is the latest buzzword in the vocabulary of bibliometricians. It attempts to measure the "impact" of a piece of research by counting the number of times that it's mentioned in tweets, Facebook pages, blogs, YouTube and news media. That sounds childish, and it is. Twitter is an excellent tool for journalism. It's good for debunking bad science, and for spreading links, but too brief for serious discussions. It's rarely useful for real science.
Surveys suggest that the great majority of scientists do not use twitter (7 — 13%). Scientific works get tweeted about mostly because they have titles that contain buzzwords, not because they represent great science.
What and who is Altmetrics for?
The aims of altmetrics are ambiguous to the point of dishonesty; they depend on whether the salesperson is talking to a scientist or to a potential buyer of their wares.
At a meeting in London , an employee of altmetric.com said "we measure online attention surrounding journal articles" "we are not measuring quality …" "this whole altmetrics data service was born as a service for publishers", "it doesn't matter if you got 1000 tweets . . .all you need is one blog post that indicates that someone got some value from that paper".
These ideas sound fairly harmless, but in stark contrast, Jason Priem (an author of the altmetrics manifesto) said one advantage of altmetrics is that it's fast "Speed: months or weeks, not years: faster evaluations for tenure/hiring". Although conceivably useful for disseminating preliminary results, such speed isn't important for serious science (the kind that ought to be considered for tenure) which operates on the timescale of years. Priem also says "researchers must ask if altmetrics really reflect impact" . Even he doesn't know, yet altmetrics services are being sold to universities, before any evaluation of their usefulness has been done, and universities are buying them. The idea that altmetrics scores could be used for hiring is nothing short of terrifying.
The problem with bibliometrics
The mistake made by all bibliometricians is that they fail to consider the content of papers, because they have no desire to understand research. Bibliometrics are for people who aren't prepared to take the time (or lack the mental capacity) to evaluate research by reading about it, or in the case of software or databases, by using them. The use of surrogate outcomes in clinical trials is rightly condemned. Bibliometrics are all about surrogate outcomes.
If instead we consider the work described in particular papers that most people agree to be important (or that everyone agrees to be bad), it's immediately obvious that no publication metrics can measure quality. There are some examples in How to get good science (Colquhoun, 2007). It is shown there that at least one Nobel prize winner failed dismally to fulfil arbitrary biblometric productivity criteria of the sort imposed in some universities (another example is in Is Queen Mary University of London trying to commit scientific suicide?).
Schekman (2013) has said that science
"is disfigured by inappropriate incentives. The prevailing structures of personal reputation and career advancement mean the biggest rewards often follow the flashiest work, not the best."
Bibliometrics reinforce those inappropriate incentives. A few examples will show that altmetrics are one of the silliest metrics so far proposed.
The altmetrics top 100 for 2103
The superficiality of altmetrics is demonstrated beautifully by the list of the 100 papers with the highest altmetric scores in 2013 For a start, 58 of the 100 were behind paywalls, and so unlikely to have been read except (perhaps) by academics.
The second most popular paper (with the enormous altmetric score of 2230) was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The title was Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet. It was promoted (inaccurately) by the journal with the following tweet:
Many of the 2092 tweets related to this article simply gave the title, but inevitably the theme appealed to diet faddists, with plenty of tweets like the following:
The interpretations of the paper promoted by these tweets were mostly desperately inaccurate. Diet studies are anyway notoriously unreliable. As John Ioannidis has said
"Almost every single nutrient imaginable has peer reviewed publications associating it with almost any outcome."
This sad situation comes about partly because most of the data comes from non-randomised cohort studies that tell you nothing about causality, and also because the effects of diet on health seem to be quite small.
The study in question was a randomized controlled trial, so it should be free of the problems of cohort studies. But very few tweeters showed any sign of having read the paper. When you read it you find that the story isn't so simple. Many of the problems are pointed out in the online comments that follow the paper. Post-publication peer review really can work, but you have to read the paper. The conclusions are pretty conclusively demolished in the comments, such as:
"I'm surrounded by olive groves here in Australia and love the hand-pressed EVOO [extra virgin olive oil], which I can buy at a local produce market BUT this study shows that I won't live a minute longer, and it won't prevent a heart attack."
We found no tweets that mentioned the finding from the paper that the diets had no detectable effect on myocardial infarction, death from cardiovascular causes, or death from any cause. The only difference was in the number of people who had strokes, and that showed a very unimpressive P = 0.04.
Neither did we see any tweets that mentioned the truly impressive list of conflicts of interest of the authors, which ran to an astonishing 419 words.
"Dr. Estruch reports serving on the board of and receiving lecture fees from the Research Foundation on Wine and Nutrition (FIVIN); serving on the boards of the Beer and Health Foundation and the European Foundation for Alcohol Research (ERAB); receiving lecture fees from Cerveceros de España and Sanofi-Aventis; and receiving grant support through his institution from Novartis. Dr. Ros reports serving on the board of and receiving travel support, as well as grant support through his institution, from the California Walnut Commission; serving on the board of the Flora Foundation (Unilever). . . "
And so on, for another 328 words.
The interesting question is how such a paper came to be published in the hugely prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. That it happened is yet another reason to distrust impact factors. It seems to be another sign that glamour journals are more concerned with trendiness than quality.
One sign of that is the fact that the journal's own tweet misrepresented the work. The irresponsible spin in this initial tweet from the journal started the ball rolling, and after this point, the content of the paper itself became irrelevant. The altmetrics score is utterly disconnected from the science reported in the paper: it more closely reflects wishful thinking and confirmation bias.
The fourth paper in the altmetrics top 100 is an equally instructive example.
This work was also published in a glamour journal, Science. The paper claimed that a function of sleep was to "clear metabolic waste from the brain". It was initially promoted (inaccurately) on Twitter by the publisher of Science. After that, the paper was retweeted many times, presumably because everybody sleeps, and perhaps because the title hinted at the trendy, but fraudulent, idea of "detox". Many tweets were variants of "The garbage truck that clears metabolic waste from the brain works best when you're asleep". |
But this paper was hidden behind Science's paywall. It's bordering on irresponsible for journals to promote on social media papers that can't be read freely. It's unlikely that anyone outside academia had read it, and therefore few of the tweeters had any idea of the actual content, or the way the research was done. Nevertheless it got "1,479 tweets from 1,355 accounts with an upper bound of 1,110,974 combined followers". It had the huge Altmetrics score of 1848, the highest altmetric score in October 2013.
Within a couple of days, the story fell out of the news cycle. It was not a bad paper, but neither was it a huge breakthrough. It didn't show that naturally-produced metabolites were cleared more quickly, just that injected substances were cleared faster when the mice were asleep or anaesthetised. This finding might or might not have physiological consequences for mice.
Worse, the paper also claimed that "Administration of adrenergic antagonists induced an increase in CSF tracer influx, resulting in rates of CSF tracer influx that were more comparable with influx observed during sleep or anesthesia than in the awake state". Simply put, giving the sleeping mice a drug could reduce the clearance to wakeful levels. But nobody seemed to notice the absurd concentrations of antagonists that were used in these experiments: "adrenergic receptor antagonists (prazosin, atipamezole, and propranolol, each 2 mM) were then slowly infused via the cisterna magna cannula for 15 min". Use of such high concentrations is asking for non-specific effects. The binding constant (concentration to occupy half the receptors) for prazosin is less than 1 nM, so infusing 2 mM is working at a million times greater than the concentration that should be effective. That's asking for non-specific effects. Most drugs at this sort of concentration have local anaesthetic effects, so perhaps it isn't surprising that the effects resembled those of ketamine.
The altmetrics editor hadn't noticed the problems and none of them featured in the online buzz. That's partly because to find it out you had to read the paper (the antagonist concentrations were hidden in the legend of Figure 4), and partly because you needed to know the binding constant for prazosin to see this warning sign.
The lesson, as usual, is that if you want to know about the quality of a paper, you have to read it. Commenting on a paper without knowing anything of its content is liable to make you look like an jackass.
A tale of two papers
Another approach that looks at individual papers is to compare some of one's own papers. Sadly, UCL shows altmetric scores on each of your own papers. Mostly they are question marks, because nothing published before 2011 is scored. But two recent papers make an interesting contrast. One is from DC's side interest in quackery, one was real science. The former has an altmetric score of 169, the latter has an altmetric score of 2.
The first paper was "Acupuncture is a theatrical placebo", which was published as an invited editorial in Anesthesia and Analgesia [download pdf]. The paper was scientifically trivial. It took perhaps a week to write. Nevertheless, it got promoted it on twitter, because anything to do with alternative medicine is interesting to the public. It got quite a lot of retweets. And the resulting altmetric score of 169 put it in the top 1% of all articles altmetric have tracked, and the second highest ever for Anesthesia and Analgesia. As well as the journal's own website, the article was also posted on the DCScience.net blog (May 30, 2013) where it soon became the most viewed page ever (24,468 views as of 23 November 2013), something that altmetrics does not seem to take into account. |
Compare this with the fate of some real, but rather technical, science.
My [DC] best scientific papers are too old (i.e. before 2011) to have an altmetrics score, but my best score for any scientific paper is 2. This score was for Colquhoun & Lape (2012) "Allosteric coupling in ligand-gated ion channels". It was a commentary with some original material. The altmetric score was based on two tweets and 15 readers on Mendeley. The two tweets consisted of one from me ("Real science; The meaning of allosteric conformation changes http://t.co/zZeNtLdU "). The only other tweet as abusive one from a cyberstalker who was upset at having been refused a job years ago. Incredibly, this modest achievement got it rated "Good compared to other articles of the same age (71st percentile)". |
Conclusions about bibliometrics
Bibliometricians spend much time correlating one surrogate outcome with another, from which they learn little. What they don't do is take the time to examine individual papers. Doing that makes it obvious that most metrics, and especially altmetrics, are indeed an ill-conceived and meretricious idea. Universities should know better than to subscribe to them.
Although altmetrics may be the silliest bibliometric idea yet, much this criticism applies equally to all such metrics. Even the most plausible metric, counting citations, is easily shown to be nonsense by simply considering individual papers. All you have to do is choose some papers that are universally agreed to be good, and some that are bad, and see how metrics fail to distinguish between them. This is something that bibliometricians fail to do (perhaps because they don't know enough science to tell which is which). Some examples are given by Colquhoun (2007) (more complete version at dcscience.net).
Eugene Garfield, who started the metrics mania with the journal impact factor (JIF), was clear that it was not suitable as a measure of the worth of individuals. He has been ignored and the JIF has come to dominate the lives of researchers, despite decades of evidence of the harm it does (e.g.Seglen (1997) and Colquhoun (2003) ) In the wake of JIF, young, bright people have been encouraged to develop yet more spurious metrics (of which 'altmetrics' is the latest). It doesn't matter much whether these metrics are based on nonsense (like counting hashtags) or rely on counting links or comments on a journal website. They won't (and can't) indicate what is important about a piece of research- its quality.
People say – I can't be a polymath. Well, then don't try to be. You don't have to have an opinion on things that you don't understand. The number of people who really do have to have an overview, of the kind that altmetrics might purport to give, those who have to make funding decisions about work that they are not intimately familiar with, is quite small. Chances are, you are not one of them. We review plenty of papers and grants. But it's not credible to accept assignments outside of your field, and then rely on metrics to assess the quality of the scientific work or the proposal.
It's perfectly reasonable to give credit for all forms of research outputs, not only papers. That doesn't need metrics. It's nonsense to suggest that altmetrics are needed because research outputs are not already valued in grant and job applications. If you write a grant for almost any agency, you can put your CV. If you have a non-publication based output, you can always include it. Metrics are not needed. If you write software, get the numbers of downloads. Software normally garners citations anyway if it's of any use to the greater community.
When AP recently wrote a criticism of Heather Piwowar's altmetrics note in Nature, one correspondent wrote: "I haven't read the piece [by HP] but I'm sure you are mischaracterising it". This attitude summarizes the too-long-didn't-read (TLDR) culture that is increasingly becoming accepted amongst scientists, and which the comparisons above show is a central component of altmetrics.
Altmetrics are numbers generated by people who don't understand research, for people who don't understand research. People who read papers and understand research just don't need them and should shun them.
But all bibliometrics give cause for concern, beyond their lack of utility. They do active harm to science. They encourage "gaming" (a euphemism for cheating). They encourage short-term eye-catching research of questionable quality and reproducibility. They encourage guest authorships: that is, they encourage people to claim credit for work which isn't theirs. At worst, they encourage fraud.
No doubt metrics have played some part in the crisis of irreproducibility that has engulfed some fields, particularly experimental psychology, genomics and cancer research. Underpowered studies with a high false-positive rate may get you promoted, but tend to mislead both other scientists and the public (who in general pay for the work). The waste of public money that must result from following up badly done work that can't be reproduced but that was published for the sake of "getting something out" has not been quantified, but must be considered to the detriment of bibliometrics, and sadly overcomes any advantages from rapid dissemination. Yet universities continue to pay publishers to provide these measures, which do nothing but harm. And the general public has noticed.
It's now eight years since the New York Times brought to the attention of the public that some scientists engage in puffery, cheating and even fraud.
Overblown press releases written by journals, with connivance of university PR wonks and with the connivance of the authors, sometimes go viral on social media (and so score well on altmetrics). Yet another example, from Journal of the American Medical Association involved an overblown press release from the Journal about a trial that allegedly showed a benefit of high doses of Vitamin E for Alzheimer's disease.
This sort of puffery harms patients and harms science itself.
We can't go on like this.
What should be done?
Post publication peer review is now happening, in comments on published papers and through sites like PubPeer, where it is already clear that anonymous peer review can work really well. New journals like eLife have open comments after each paper, though authors do not seem to have yet got into the habit of using them constructively. They will.
It's very obvious that too many papers are being published, and that anything, however bad, can be published in a journal that claims to be peer reviewed . To a large extent this is just another example of the harm done to science by metrics –the publish or perish culture.
Attempts to regulate science by setting "productivity targets" is doomed to do as much harm to science as it has in the National Health Service in the UK. This has been known to economists for a long time, under the name of Goodhart's law.
Here are some ideas about how we could restore the confidence of both scientists and of the public in the integrity of published work.
- Nature, Science, and other vanity journals should become news magazines only. Their glamour value distorts science and encourages dishonesty.
- Print journals are overpriced and outdated. They are no longer needed. Publishing on the web is cheap, and it allows open access and post-publication peer review. Every paper should be followed by an open comments section, with anonymity allowed. The old publishers should go the same way as the handloom weavers. Their time has passed.
- Web publication allows proper explanation of methods, without the page, word and figure limits that distort papers in vanity journals. This would also make it very easy to publish negative work, thus reducing publication bias, a major problem (not least for clinical trials)
- Publish or perish has proved counterproductive. It seems just as likely that better science will result without any performance management at all. All that's needed is peer review of grant applications.
- Providing more small grants rather than fewer big ones should help to reduce the pressure to publish which distorts the literature. The 'celebrity scientist', running a huge group funded by giant grants has not worked well. It's led to poor mentoring, and, at worst, fraud. Of course huge groups sometimes produce good work, but too often at the price of exploitation of junior scientists
- There is a good case for limiting the number of original papers that an individual can publish per year, and/or total funding. Fewer but more complete and considered papers would benefit everyone, and counteract the flood of literature that has led to superficiality.
- Everyone should read, learn and inwardly digest Peter Lawrence's The Mismeasurement of Science.
A focus on speed and brevity (cited as major advantages of altmetrics) will help no-one in the end. And a focus on creating and curating new metrics will simply skew science in yet another unsatisfactory way, and rob scientists of the time they need to do their real job: generate new knowledge.
It has been said
"Creation is sloppy; discovery is messy; exploration is dangerous. What's a manager to do?
The answer in general is to encourage curiosity and accept failure. Lots of failure."
And, one might add, forget metrics. All of them.
17 Jan 2014
This piece was noticed by the Economist. Their 'Writing worth reading' section said
"Why you should ignore altmetrics (David Colquhoun) Altmetrics attempt to rank scientific papers by their popularity on social media. David Colquohoun [sic] argues that they are "for people who aren't prepared to take the time (or lack the mental capacity) to evaluate research by reading about it.""
20 January 2014.
Jason Priem, of ImpactStory, has responded to this article on his own blog. In Altmetrics: A Bibliographic Nightmare? he seems to back off a lot from his earlier claim (cited above) that altmetrics are useful for making decisions about hiring or tenure. Our response is on his blog.
20 January 2014.
Jason Priem, of ImpactStory, has responded to this article on his own blog, In Altmetrics: A bibliographic Nightmare? he seems to back off a lot from his earlier claim (cited above) that altmetrics are useful for making decisions about hiring or tenure. Our response is on his blog.
23 January 2014
The Scholarly Kitchen blog carried another paean to metrics, A vigorous discussion followed. The general line that I've followed in this discussion, and those mentioned below, is that bibliometricians won't qualify as scientists until they test their methods, i.e. show that they predict something useful. In order to do that, they'll have to consider individual papers (as we do above). At present, articles by bibliometricians consist largely of hubris, with little emphasis on the potential to cause corruption. They remind me of articles by homeopaths: their aim is to sell a product (sometimes for cash, but mainly to promote the authors' usefulness).
It's noticeable that all of the pro-metrics articles cited here have been written by bibliometricians. None have been written by scientists.
28 January 2014.
Dalmeet Singh Chawla,a bibliometrician from Imperial College London, wrote a blog on the topic. (Imperial, at least in its Medicine department, is notorious for abuse of metrics.)
29 January 2014 Arran Frood wrote a sensible article about the metrics row in Euroscientist.
2 February 2014 Paul Groth (a co-author of the Altmetrics Manifesto) posted more hubristic stuff about altmetrics on Slideshare. A vigorous discussion followed.
5 May 2014. Another vigorous discussion on ImpactStory blog, this time with Stacy Konkiel. She's another non-scientist trying to tell scientists what to do. The evidence that she produced for the usefulness of altmetrics seemed pathetic to me.
7 May 2014 A much-shortened version of this post appeared in the British Medical Journal (BMJ blogs)
[This an update of a 2006 post on my old blog]
The New York Times (17 January 2006) published a beautiful spoof that illustrates only too clearly some of the bad practices that have developed in real science (as well as in quackery). It shows that competition, when taken to excess, leads to dishonesty.
More to the point, it shows that the public is well aware of the dishonesty that has resulted from the publish or perish culture, which has been inflicted on science by numbskull senior administrators (many of them scientists, or at least ex-scientists). Part of the blame must attach to "bibliometricians" who have armed administrators with simple-minded tools the usefulness is entirely unverified. Bibliometricians are truly the quacks of academia. They care little about evidence as long as they can sell the product.
The spoof also illustrates the folly of allowing the hegemony of a handful of glamour journals to hold scientists in thrall. This self-inflicted wound adds to the pressure to produce trendy novelties rather than solid long term work.
It also shows the only-too-frequent failure of peer review to detect problems.
The future lies on publication on the web, with post-publication peer review. It has been shown by sites like PubPeer that anonymous post-publication review can work very well indeed. This would be far cheaper, and a good deal better than the present extortion practised on universities by publishers. All it needs is for a few more eminent people like mathematician Tim Gowers to speak out (see Elsevier – my part in its downfall).
Recent Nobel-prizewinner Randy Schekman has helped with his recent declaration that "his lab will no longer send papers to Nature, Cell and Science as they distort scientific process"
The spoof is based on the fraudulent papers by Korean cloner, Woo Suk Hwang, which were published in Science, in 2005. As well as the original fraud, this sad episode exposed the practice of 'guest authorship', putting your name on a paper when you have done little or no work, and cannot vouch for the results. The last ('senior') author on the 2005 paper, was Gerald Schatten, Director of the Pittsburgh Development Center. It turns out that Schatten had not seen any of the original data and had contributed very little to the paper, beyond lobbying Scienceto accept it. A University of Pittsburgh panel declared Schatten guilty of "research misbehavior", though he was, amazingly, exonerated of "research misconduct". He still has his job. Click here for an interesting commentary.
The New York Times carried a mock editorial to introduce the spoof..
One Last Question: Who Did the Work? By NICHOLAS WADE In the wake of the two fraudulent articles on embryonic stem cells published in Science by the South Korean researcher Hwang Woo Suk, Donald Kennedy, the journal's editor, said last week that he would consider adding new requirements that authors "detail their specific contributions to the research submitted," and sign statements that they agree with the conclusions of their article. A statement of authors' contributions has long been championed by Drummond Rennie, deputy editor of The Journal of the American Medical Association, Explicit statements about the conclusions could bring to light many reservations that individual authors would not otherwise think worth mentioning. The article shown [below] from a future issue of the Journal of imaginary Genomics, annotated in the manner required by Science's proposed reforms, has been released ahead of its embargo date. |
The old-fashioned typography makes it obvious that the spoof is intended to mock a paper in Science.
The problem with this spoof is its only too accurate description of what can happen at the worst end of science.
Something must be done if we are to justify the money we get and and we are to retain the confidence of the public
My suggestions are as follows
- Nature Science and Cell should become news magazines only. Their glamour value distorts science and encourages dishonesty
- All print journals are outdated. We need cheap publishing on the web, with open access and post-publication peer review. The old publishers would go the same way as the handloom weavers. Their time has past.
- Publish or perish has proved counterproductive. You'd get better science if you didn't have any performance management at all. All that's needed is peer review of grant applications.
- It's better to have many small grants than fewer big ones. The 'celebrity scientist', running a huge group funded by many grants has not worked well. It's led to poor mentoring and exploitation of junior scientists.
- There is a good case for limiting the number of original papers that an individual can publish per year, and/or total grant funding. Fewer but more complete papers would benefit everyone.
- Everyone should read, learn and inwardly digest Peter Lawrence's The Mismeasurement of Science.
3 January 2014.
Yet another good example of hype was in the news. "Effect of Vitamin E and Memantine on Functional Decline in Alzheimer Disease". It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study hit the newspapers on January 1st with headlines like Vitamin E may slow Alzheimer's Disease (see the excellent analyis by Gary Schwitzer). The supplement industry was ecstatic. But the paper was behind a paywall. It's unlikely that many of the tweeters (or journalists) had actually read it.
The trial was a well-designed randomised controlled trial that compared four treatments: placebo, vitamin E, memantine and Vitamin E + memantine.
Reading the paper gives a rather different impression from the press release. Look at the pre-specified primary outcome of the trial.
The primary outcome measure was
" . . the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study/Activities of Daily Living (ADCSADL) Inventory.12 The ADCS-ADL Inventory is designed to assess functional abilities to perform activities of daily living in Alzheimer patients with a broad range of dementia severity. The total score ranges from 0 to 78 with lower scores indicating worse function."
It looks as though any difference that might exist between the four treaments is trivial in size. In fact the mean difference between Vitamin E and placebos was only 3.15 (on a 78 point scale) with 95% confidence limits from 0.9 to 5.4. This gave a modest P = 0.03 (when properly corrected for multiple comparisons), a result that will impress only those people who regard P = 0.05 as a sort of magic number. Since the mean effect is so trivial in size that it doesn't really matter if the effect is real anyway.
It is not mentioned in the coverage that none of the four secondary outcomes achieved even a modest P = 0.05 There was no detectable effect of Vitamin E on
- Mean annual rate of cognitive decline (Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale)
- Mean annual rate of cognitive decline (Mini-Mental State Examination)
- Mean annual rate of increased symptoms
- Mean annual rate of increased caregiver time,
The only graph that appeared to show much effect was The Dependence Scale. This scale
"assesses 6 levels of functional dependence. Time to event is the time to loss of 1 dependence level (increase in dependence). We used an interval-censored model assuming a Weibull distribution because the time of the event was known only at the end of a discrete interval of time (every 6 months)."
It's presented as a survival (Kaplan-Meier) plot. And it is this somewhat obscure secondary outcome that was used by the Journal of the American Medical Assocciation for its publicity.
Note also that memantine + Vitamin E was indistinguishable from placebo. There are two ways to explain this: either Vitamin E has no effect, or memantine is an antagonist of Vitamin E. There are no data on the latter, but it's certainly implausible.
The trial used a high dose of Vitamin E (2000 IU/day). No toxic effects of Vitamin E were reported, though a 2005 meta-analysis concluded that doses greater than 400 IU/d "may increase all-cause mortality and should be avoided".
In my opinion, the outcome of this trial should have been something like "Vitamin E has, at most, trivial effects on the progress of Alzheimer's disease".
Both the journal and the authors are guilty of disgraceful hype. This continual raising of false hopes does nothing to help patients. But it does damage the reputation of the journal and of the authors.
This paper constitutes yet another failure of altmetrics. (see more examples on this blog). Not surprisingly, given the title, It was retweeted widely, but utterly uncritically. Bad science was promoted. And JAMA must take much of the blame for publishing it and promoting it. |


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From simple rings to iced out moissanite VVs diamond pendants, our team of expert jewelers here at Asorock Customs can create anything your mind can imagine.
Read on below to see how it works and simply provide us with the information and we will send you a quote for your custom jewelry piece and artwork to confirm.
Browse our latest work on Instagram and get inspired for your next piece.
Our team is made up of the most skilled hands in the custom jewelry industry. We pride ourselves in finding the best jewelers and aim to be a leading name in the custom jewelry industry and we can only do that with superb craftsmanship and our teams talent.
We know first hand that quality matters. Thus all our products only use the finest materials. The gold, platinum and diamonds that we use in crafting our pieces are all required to meet and exceed the high quality we aim to be known for.
Simply Provide us with the information below and we'll send you a quote for your custom jewelry piece. Please be prepared to include as many details as you can in your inquiry below such as:


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Timeline: Events is a card game played using 55 cards. Each card depicts a historical event on both sides, with the year in which that event occurred on only one side. Players take turns placing a card from their hand in a row on the table. After placing the card, the player reveals the date on it. If the card was placed correctly with the date in chronological order with all other cards on the table, the card stays in place; otherwise the card is removed from play and the player takes another card from the deck.
The first player to get rid of all his cards by placing them correctly wins. If multiple players go out in the same round, then everyone else is eliminated from play and each of those players are dealt one more card for another round of play. If only one player has no cards after a bonus round, he wins; otherwise play continues until a single player goes out.
Timeline: Events can be combined with any other title in the Game: Timeline series.
2 – 6 Players
Ages 8+
15 Minutes


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Ubuntu includes a very limited shortcut key configuration utility which doesn't allow you to assign hotkeys to your own applications or scripts. To get around this limitation, we can use the built-in gconf-editor utility to assign them ourselves.
First you'll want to load up gconf-editor by typing it into the Alt+F2 Run dialog.
Once in the application, navigate to the following key.
apps \ metacity \ keybinding_commands
You'll notice a bunch of values on the right. These are the available commands that you can create for assigning to shortcut keys in the next step.
Double-click on command_1 and enter in the full path to your script or executable that you are trying to run. (Note that you can use the which command from the shell to find the path most of the time)
Now navigate to the key "global_keybindings", which is directly above the one we were on.
Here you will want to select run_command_1. Enter in the shortcut key in plain text. For instance, for Alt+T, you'll do T. You could use T or T, or whatever you want to assign to the key.
You can also create custom commands in the keybinding_commands and assign them in the global_keybindings if you want. Just remember that the keybindings will start with run_(name of command).


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A city in South Korea flipped the switch on a road this week that will provide an electric charge to commuter buses on an inner-city route, officials say. The wireless power will be used to run two buses on round-trip routes of 24 kilometers (nearly 15 miles).
The charging road would allow electric vehicles to have much smaller batteries, according to researchers, and to be recharged whether they're parked or on the move.
The OLEV (Online Electric Vehicle) buses in the pilot program in the southern city of Gumi use batteries that are about one-third the size of a standard electric car battery. The city reportedly plans to add 10 more of the buses in the next two years.
According to a news release, the new power system includes a "smart function" that determines when an OLEV vehicle is on the road. That keeps the network from wasting power — and from bathing passengers in non-OLEV cars with an electromagnetic field.
To install the system, cables and power strips are added to 5 percent to 15 percent of the overall road's length, according to its inventors at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
The OLEV system gained notoriety in 2010; in the following year, the Massachusetts Port Authority reportedly reached a deal to license the technology for use at Boston's Logan International Airport.
A plan to bring several of the buses to McAllen, Texas, was put on hold last fall due to financing issues, as The Monitor reported. A Boston-based company called OLEV Technologies says it is working to put the systems to wider use.
The charge transfers as long as a vehicle's undercarriage stays within 17 centimeters (about six and a half inches) from the road surface. The Korean institute explains more about how it all works:
"OLEV receives power wirelessly through the application of the "Shaped Magnetic Field in Resonance (SMFIR)" technology. ... Power comes from the electrical cables buried under the surface of the road, creating magnetic fields. There is a receiving device installed on the underbody of the OLEV that converts these fields into electricity."
The technology has been used before in South Korea, the institute says — in OLEV trains at a Seoul amusement park and in shuttle buses on the university's campus.
"It's quite remarkable that we succeeded with the OLEV project so that buses are offering public transportation services to passengers," KAIST's Dong-Ho Cho said in the news release. "This is certainly a turning point for OLEV to become more commercialized and widely accepted for mass transportation in our daily living."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Asus Android 13 Update Tracker
Here are all the Asus phones that have received Android 13 update or that are expected to get one at some point. List is updated constantly as manufacturers publish their updates or detail their update plans more accurately.
Please note: Some of the Android 13 phones might have already been updated to newer Android version and for that reason, wont be listed here. The latest officially released Android is currently Android 14.


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Nigerian diaspora to benefit from increased competition in remittance market
WorldRemit (www.WorldRemit.com/en/Nigeria), the leading digital remittance service, commends the restoration of money transfers to Nigeria, following the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to approve WorldRemit and ten other international money transfer operators (IMTOs).
At the beginning of August 2016, hundreds of IMTOs suspended their operations, leaving the Nigerian diaspora to rely on just three approved companies to send money home, as well as unregulated, informal networks.
Now WorldRemit has received a letter of approval from the CBN enabling its services to Nigeria to be resumed.
Ismail Ahmed, founder and CEO of WorldRemit, comments: "We launched our service to Nigeria in 2011 when we pioneered instant deposits to all bank accounts. Our service provided the Nigerian diaspora with an easy, secure and low cost way to send money home as well as bringing much-needed foreign exchange into the local economy. We're delighted that we can now resume operations.
"We commend the the Central Bank of Nigeria for reaffirming the country's commitment to building an enabling environment and level-playing field for international money transfer services to Nigeria. Increased competition will help to bring the estimated 50% of remittances to Nigeria that currently go through unregulated, informal networks into formal networks channelled through licensed IMTOs.
We're grateful to the many Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora that supported our call for money transfers to be restored. A competitive remittance market provides Nigerians with greater convenience and better pricing."
To celebrate the relaunch of its service to Nigeria, WorldRemit is offering promotional pricing of $0.01, €0.01, £0.01 or equivalent on all money transfers to Nigeria until 30 September 2016.


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2011 Yunnan Sourcing "Ban Po Lao Zhai" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
Ban Po Lao Zhai is one of many Nan Nuo area villages. It lies just to the south of the Jinghong to Menghai road at an altitude of about 1500 meters. Old tea trees and younger wild arbor tea trees grow on the steep hills surrounding the village. Our production is entirely first flush of Spring 2011 material from tea trees between 60 and 200 years old. The brewed leaves are stout and deep green in color. The tea brews up a thick golden tea soup with strong pungent aroma and abundant cha qi. If you enjoyed our 2010 Nan Nuo Ya Kou production I think you will find this is a nice contrast to that.
In total just 50 kilograms produced. Stone-Pressed in the traditional method and wrapped in durable hand-made paper.
400 grams per cake (7 cakes per bamboo leaf tong)
Please read our terms before placing your order!


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This advice-column-style blog for SLPs was authored by Pam Marshalla from 2006 to 2015, the archives of which can be explored here. Use the extensive keywords list found in the right-hand column (on mobile: at the bottom of the page) to browse specific topics, or use the search feature to locate specific words or phrases throughout the entire blog.
Successful R Therapy – Michelle Moffitt Donnell Review
By Pam Marshalla


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It is permissible to remove janaabah by means of tayammum when there is an excuse for that
Is it permissible to remove janaabah by means of tayammum?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If there is a reason for doing tayammum – such as non-availability of water, or being unable to use it because of sickness etc – then tayammum takes the place of wudoo' and ghusl. So the person who is junub should do tayammum and pray, then when he finds water he has to do ghusl.
This is indicated by the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
1 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salaah (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of Janaaba (i.e. after a sexual discharge), purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey, or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse), and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands"
[al-Maa'idah 5:6]
So Allaah has enjoined upon us both minor and major purification, and tayammum could take the place of either of them. This was stated by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in Majmoo' al-Fataawa (21/396). Minor purification is wudoo' and major purification is ghusl.
2 – al-Bukhaari narrated in two places (344 and 348) from 'Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man keeping away and not praying with the people. He said, "O So and so, what kept you from praying with the people?" He said, "O Messenger of Allaah, I became junub and there is no water." He said, "You should use clean earth, for it will suffice you." According to another report the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) found water and gave a vessel of water to the one who had become junub, and said, "Go and pour this over yourself."
This indicates that tayammum is a means of purification and suffices instead of water, but if water is available then it must be used. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him to pour it on himself even though no new janaabah had occurred. This was stated by Ibn 'Uthaymeen in Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 11/239.
3 – Muslim (368) narrated that a man came to 'Umar and said: "I have become junub and I cannot find any water." He said: "Do not pray." 'Ammaar said: "Do you not remember, O Ameer al-Mu'mineen, when you and I were on a campaign and we become junub, and we could not find any water? You did not pray, but I rolled in the dust and prayed, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, 'It would have been sufficient if you had struck the ground with your hands then wiped your face and hands with them.'" 'Umar said: "Fear Allaah, O 'Ammaar!" He said, "If you wish I will not narrate it." 'Umar said: "We accept what you say." According to another report, 'Ammaar said: "O Ameer al-Mu'mineen, if you wish, because of your position, I will not tell it to anyone."
'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) had forgotten that event.
" 'Umar said: 'Fear Allaah, O 'Ammaar!'" – What this means is that 'Umar said to 'Ammaar: Fear Allaah with regard to what you are narrating, for perhaps you have forgotten or become confused. With regard to 'Ammaar saying, "If you wish I will not narrate it," what this means – and Allaah knows best – is: If you think it is better for me to refrain from narrating it than to narrate it, then I will refrain, because it is obligatory for me to obey you so long as that does not involve sin. The basic principle with regard to conveying knowledge had already been fulfilled, and if he had withheld this hadeeth after that, he would not have come under the heading of those who withhold knowledge. It may be that he meant, 'I will not broadcast it so that it becomes well known among people, rather I will only narrate it rarely.' This was stated by al-Nawawi.
" 'Umar said "We accept what you say" – i.e., the fact that I do not remember it does not means that it is not true, and I have no right to stop you narrating it. This was stated by al-Haafiz in Fath al-Baari.
4 – Abu Dawood (334) narrated that 'Amr ibn al-'Aas said: I had a wet dream on a cold night during the campaign of Dhaat al-Salaasil, and I was afraid that I would die if I did ghusl, so I did tayammum then I led my companions in praying Fajr. They mentioned that to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said: "O 'Amr, you led your companions in prayer when you were junub?" So I told him what had kept me from doing ghusl. I said: "I heard that Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 'And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you' [al-Nisa' 4:29]. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled and did not say anything.
Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (1/589): its isnaad is qawiy (strong). It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Saheeh: "If a person who is junub fears that he may become ill or die or fears thirst then he should do tayammum," and he mentioned that 'Amr ibn al-'Aas became junub on a cold night so he did tayammum, and recited (the verse) (interpretation of the meaning): 'And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you' [al-Nisa' 4:29]. He mentioned that to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not rebuke him.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Majmoo' al-Fataawa (21/451):
Whoever becomes junub whether as the result of a wet dream or intercourse – permissible or forbidden – has to do ghusl and pray. If he is unable to do ghusl because there is no water or because he will be harmed by using it – such as if he is sick and using water will make his sickness worse, or there is a cold wind and he fears that if he does ghusl he will become sick with a headache or cold or bronchitis – then he should do tayammum and pray. This applies equally to men and women. He (or she) does not have the right to delay the prayer beyond its prescribed time."
Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked in Majmoo' al-Fataawa (10/201):
Does tayammum mean that the junub person no longer has to do ghusl at all? How many prayers may he offer with tayammum?
He replied:
Tayammum takes the place of water, as Allaah has made the earth a place of worship and a means of purification for the Muslims. If no water is available or the person is unable to use it because of sickness, then tayammum takes its place and remains sufficient until he finds water. When he finds water he has to do ghusl to cleanse himself of the previous janaabah. Similarly if the sick person recovers and Allaah heals him, he has to do ghusl to cleanse himself from the previous janaabah from which he had purified himself by means of tayammum, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Clean earth is the wudoo' of the Muslim if he cannot find water for ten years." Then he said: "When you find water, then make it touch your skin." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi from the hadeeth of Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him); narrated by al-Bazzaar and classed as saheeh by Ibn al-Qattaan, from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah may Allaah be pleased with him.
If the junub person finds water then he should make it touch his skin, i.e. wash with it. With regard to his past prayers, they are valid by virtue of the tayammum he did when water was not available or he was unable to use it, because of sickness that prevented him from using it, until the sickness ends and he recovers and until he finds water, if none was available, even if that takes a long time.
Islam Q&A
- Category:


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New User Questions
I have purchased the Pro version. So far I absolutely love your application! It is awesome! However, I have a couple of concerns and slight bugs to report.
1. The "back up and restore feature" for the XML files; does the backup also include all the radio URLs manually entered, and the stations saved to favorites via *.m3u files? I really don't want to start adding these only to find out I can't restore them after a factory reset.
1a. Also, (hope it's not a stupid question. I need to make sure that once I have imported the *.m3u files, I am not required to keep that file on my phone?
2. I get errors when the application tries to share the station to both my twitter and facebook (I am logged in correctly).
3. Could you consider adding the option to create folders for the songs we saved?
4. Could you also consider adding the ability to edit/add folders to stations we save (instead of the automatic defaults?
Sorry for all the questions. Keep up the good work...
Customer support service by UserEcho


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Bright Summer- Journaling Cards + Elements
The Bright Summer collection includes:
- 8- 4"x6" journaling cards
- 8- 3"x4" journaling cards
- 13- elements
All images were designed and created by ©Serena Bee
Use the #madewithpapercakes and tag @papercakes_ on instagram to be featured!
With this digital paper collection, you never have to worry about running out of your absolute FAVORITE pattern because you literally have it on file FOREVER! Print it over and over again until you can't print no mo'! AND try printing on other surfaces like vellum, acetate, sticker sheets, and whatever else you can stick in your printer.
Colors may vary from what you seen on the screen depending on your printer, settings and paper
Please note:
By default prices are seen as Canadian at checkout and on the invoice but don't worry you paid the amount given with your currency option! I promise!
No physical product will be shipped to you as these products are meant to be printed by the customer. You'll get them instantly and you'll get a lifetime of prints! Files are compressed into a .zip file. You will receive a direct download link after the order is complete and an email will be sent to you with a link to the download after fulfillment. All digital downloads are final sale.


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Communication is a process of exchanging information, ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions through speech, signals, writing, or behavior. In communication process, a sender(encoder) encodes a message and then using a medium/channel sends it to the receiver (decoder) who decodes the message and after processing information, sends back appropriate feedback/reply using a medium/channel.
Types of Communication
People communicate with each other in a number of ways that depend upon the message and its context in which it is being sent. Choice of communication channel and your style of communicating also affects communication. So, there are variety of types of communication.
Types of communication based on the communication channels used are:
- Verbal Communication
- Nonverbal Communication
Verbal Communication
Verbal communication refers to the the form of communication in which message is transmitted verbally; communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of writing. Objective of every communication is to have people understand what we are trying to convey. In verbal communication remember the acronym KISS(keep it short and simple).
When we talk to others, we assume that others understand what we are saying because we know what we are saying. But this is not the case. usually people bring their own attitude, perception, emotions and thoughts about the topic and hence creates barrier in delivering the right meaning.
So in order to deliver the right message, you must put yourself on the other side of the table and think from your receiver's point of view. Would he understand the message? how it would sound on the other side of the table?
Verbal Communication is further divided into:
- Oral Communication
- Written Communication
Oral Communication
In oral communication, Spoken words are used. It includes face-to-face conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio, television, voice over internet. In oral communication, communication is influence by pitch, volume, speed and clarity of speaking.
Advantages of Oral communication are:
It brings quick feedback.
In a face-to-face conversation, by reading facial expression and body language one can guess whether he/she should trust what's being said or not.Disadvantage of oral communication
In face-to-face discussion, user is unable to deeply think about what he is delivering, so this can be counted as aWritten Communication
In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate. A written message may be printed or hand written. In written communication message can be transmitted via email, letter, report, memo etc. Message, in written communication, is influenced by the vocabulary & grammar used, writing style, precision and clarity of the language used.
Written Communication is most common form of communication being used in business. So, it is considered core among business skills.
Memos, reports, bulletins, job descriptions, employee manuals, and electronic mail are the types of written communication used for internal communication. For communicating with external environment in writing, electronic mail, Internet Web sites, letters, proposals, telegrams, faxes, postcards, contracts, advertisements, brochures, and news releases are used.
Advantages of written communication includes:
Messages can be edited and revised many time before it is actually sent.
Written communication provide record for every message sent and can be saved for later study.
A written message enables receiver to fully understand it and send appropriate feedback.Disadvantages of written communication includes:
Unlike oral communication, Written communication doesn't bring instant feedback.
It take more time in composing a written message as compared to word-of-mouth. and number of people struggles for writing ability. -
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving of wordless messages. We can say that communication other than oral and written, such as gesture, body language, posture, tone of voice or facial expressions, is called nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is all about the body language of speaker.
Nonverbal communication helps receiver in interpreting the message received. Often, nonverbal signals reflects the situation more accurately than verbal messages. Sometimes nonverbal response contradicts verbal communication and hence affect the effectiveness of message.
Nonverbal communication have the following three elements:
Speaker: clothing, hairstyle, neatness, use of cosmetics
Surrounding: room size, lighting, decorations, furnishingsBody Language
facial expressions, gestures, posturesSounds
Voice Tone, Volume, Speech rate
Types of Communication Based on Purpose and Style
Based on style and purpose, there are two main categories of communication and they both bears their own characteristics. Communication types based on style and purpose are:
- Formal Communication
- Informal Communication
Formal Communication
In formal communication, certain rules, conventions and principles are followed while communicating message. Formal communication occurs in formal and official style. Usually professional settings, corporate meetings, conferences undergoes in formal pattern.
In formal communication, use of slang and foul language is avoided and correct pronunciation is required. Authority lines are needed to be followed in formal communication.
Informal Communication
Informal communication is done using channels that are in contrast with formal communication channels. It's just a casual talk. It is established for societal affiliations of members in an organization and face-to-face discussions. It happens among friends and family. In informal communication use of slang words, foul language is not restricted. Usually. informal communication is done orally and using gestures.
Informal communication, Unlike formal communication, doesn't follow authority lines. In an organization, it helps in finding out staff grievances as people express more when talking informally. Informal communication helps in building relationships.
1,168 thoughts on "Types of Communication"
nice and its really help me
Thank you soo much for make me understandable
Thanks for the notes
very very nice.It isexcellent
Thank you for helping me…. in my study I m very great full to you
It's great explanation and just keep helping ..
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Biodalliance is a fast, interactive, genome visualization tool that's easy to embed in web pages and applications. It supports integration of data from a wide variety of sources, and can load data directly from popular genomics file formats including bigWig, BAM, and VCF. This means you can build a fully-featured genome browser, such as the example on this page, using only a standard web server and a directory full of files — no databases or server-side support code are needed.
3 Feb 2015 Dalliance 0.13 is released with BAM and gene rendering improvements
July 2014 Discuss Dalliance at BOSC 2014
8 May Dalliance 0.12 is released with support for plain BED, WIG, and VCF files, and substantial performance improvements.


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Former Apple engineers team with Al Gore to launch dynamic App Store ebooks
Matas and Tsinteris' new firm Push Pop Press has put together a rich format for ebooks that incorporates audio, video, geolocated photos and interactive graphics using intuitive pinch gestures.
Rather than simply repackaging books' text with simple embedded media files as existing ebook formats used by Amazon's Kindle or Apple's own iBooks do, Push Pop volumes are native Cocoa Touch apps, making them animated, dynamic, fast and responsive, much more so than epub, Adobe Flash or web-based content can be.
The company wants to serve as a publishing platform for authors, turning their works into dynamic works that can be sold through the App Store.
âThe app is the richest form of storytelling,â Matas said in a profile by Wired . â[Push Pop Press] opens doors to telling a story with more photos, more videos and interactions.â
To demonstrate the format of the new dynamic publications, Push Pop Press worked with author and Apple board member Al Gore, developing an iOS app version of his new book "Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis."
The company has also posted a demonstration of the book's features in Al Gore's Our Choice Guided Tour on Vimeo.
Tsinteris originally worked at Apple as an engineer working on Mac OS X and on the Maps app for iPhone, while Matas was hired by Apple from Delicious Monster in 2005 at the age of 19 to to help develop the visual style of Mac OS X and iOS user interface designs.
The duo's new publishing format takes aim at Adobe's competing Digital Publishing Suite solution, which dumps existing works in InDesign into a quasi-native iOS app format that consists largely of static graphics. That solution is currently used by a variety of Conde Nast magazines to deliver their iPad editions, including Wired, but the format is very large and limited in a variety of respects, such as its ability to present text in variable sizes.


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UN rights experts condemn the recent wave of arrest and sentencing of civil society actors
GENEVA (8 August 2014) – United Nations human rights experts* today expressed grave concern over the recent escalating trend of arrest and sentencing of individuals exercising their rights to freedom of expression and opinion, peaceful assembly and association.
Since 22 May 2014, at least 36 individuals that include journalists, bloggers, filmmakers and authors, many of whom are also human rights activists, have been arrested summoned or sentenced in connection with their journalistic activities or for simply expressing their opinion on social media websites. Some of them have also been charged for 'gathering and colluding against national security' following their participation in peaceful assemblies.
"Convicting individuals for expressing their opinion is absolutely unacceptable," the experts stressed. "Freedom of expression and opinion is necessary for the realization of all human rights, and it is a right reserved for all individuals, even if that individual expresses an opinion with which the Government disagrees."
A number of these cases include situations where persons are held in solitary confinement or unknown locations and for unknown charges. Many of the trials were allegedly riddled with procedural irregularities, including deprivation of legal representation and exclusion from attending one's own sentencing.
These individuals have been sentenced from six-month to over twenty-year prison terms. Furthermore, at least one individual who was sentenced to 50 lashings and another sentenced to death.
"The imposition of sentences in conjunction with unfair trial and lack of due process, on charges that do not warrant death or lengthy prison terms, constitutes a dismal violation of international human rights law," the independent experts noted.
Iranian author Mr. Arzhang Davoodi was recently sentenced to death on the charge of 'Moharebeh' (enmity against God), in connection with his alleged membership and support to an Iranian dissident group, an allegation based on a comment he made about the group. Neither he, nor his attorney was reportedly present during the trial.
"It is completely unacceptable that an individual be sentenced to death on charge of Moharebeh for merely speaking one's opinion," the UN human rights experts said.
"Not only is this a blatant violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, it also breaches the country's own Islamic Penal Code, which reserves the death penalty only for those who have actively taken up arms."
The human rights experts stressed that "such extreme convictions are simply intolerable and must be overturned."
On 22 July 2014, Jason Rezaian, a reporter with the Washington Post, and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, a correspondent for the United Arab Emirates newspaper The National, were arrested, along with an unidentified American-Iranian photo journalist and her husband. Mr. Rezaian and Ms. Salehi are reportedly held in unknown locations.
"These cases exemplify the alarming negative trend taking place in Iran. Individuals and journalists exercising their right to freedom of expression and opinion must be protected, not arrested and prosecuted," they noted.
"This behavior strengthens our belief that the motive behind these cases is to solely suppress the freedoms protected by national and international law," they said, stressing that it also goes against the pledges and commitments made by senior Government officials to decrease restrictions on freedom of expression as well as increase the security of the press.
The experts reminded the authorities of their obligations under international human rights law, which guarantees the rights to hold opinions, assemble peacefully and associate freely, without interference.
"We urge the Iranian Government to "immediately and unconditionally release all individuals held in connection with their exercise of freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and those charged for carrying out their legitimate activities as journalists," they concluded.
(*) The experts: The Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Mads Andenas, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst.


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New York City is all about what you wear and what you want people to think of you at a glance. What you wear is your personal story, told in the blink of an eye. Regardless of the story you'd like to tell, there are some essentials that non-New Yorkers or non-East Coasters might not think of.
In a clothing and fashion-obsessed New York, here are 10 Women's Wardrobe Essentials Moving to NYC
- Scarves, hats, and gloves
Oh my! Yes, this may be a no-brainer but I hardly used any of these before I moved to New York. Now I layer them every winter, so that I may cover up ever inch of exposed skin from the harsh winter air. To think, I almost didn't bring them with me during my move! - Cozy socks & lots of sweaters
One thing I wanted immediately after my first winter in the Big Apple was knee-high socks! Maybe they're a trend or they only appeal to a specific type of woman, but they definitely appeal to me! Especially if you want to wear any kind of dress or skirt in Fall or Winter. These socks (I have both beige and black, for options), are lifesavers. - Heavy winter coat
…preferably ankle-length! I had hear the winters were cold. I come from Washington state and I know cold, but I didn't know cold like New York does! I was thankful for my fashionable warm vintage winter coat that goes well past my knees. - Light fall coat
Personally, I like to have many options. In the Fall, it can get brisk and windy and you may need just light layers. You especially want something light enough that it won't kill you when you get into the sweltering subway. You'll probably be sweating. - Crop tops
Back home, I never owned a crop top. But in New York City, one thing I wasn't expecting was the extreme desire to be wearing as little as possible at all moments in the Summer. You'll want enough options to sorta last you through those sweat-dripping days. And if you think Fall is warm in the subways, just wait until Summer. There will definitely be a moment of mutual understanding when you see everyone in the subway anticipating that air-conditioned car, with shiny foreheads and sticky hair. - An all-black wardrobe
Black is the new black. Black is the old black. Black will always be black, and New York loves it's black, head-to-toe wardrobe. If you ever want to truly fit in, look more slim, or like you just walked out of a model-casting, make sure to have many black options. You may also often be required to wear all black dress clothes/black dress shoes for jobs, soo… even if you don't want to fit in, you still need to. - An outfit for every occasion
Speaking of black, don't forget to pack your essential little black dress! You'll also want to make sure you have proper career-oriented clothing, interview/casting clothes, going out to the club, rooftop parties, networking parties, etc. - Cute rain boots and/or snow boots
When it rains, it pours. No, really. Expect an unexpected downpour of rain, especially if its in the forecast on on a warm day. If you see the native New Yorkers breaking out their umbrellas and rain boots on the train, it's probably too late for you. Next time, you'll just know. It's like a sixth sense. Also, one of my favorite winter pieces are my snow boots that I use in the place of rain boots. They are so much more impervious and multi-funtional. They keep my feet warm in the winter and dry in the rain. - Your favorite swimsuit
It's easy to forget that New York is surrounded by water. Especially if you don't know the geography that well, like when I moved here. In fact, there are several great places to go enjoy the sand, ocean, and sun in the sweltering height of summer. So… don't forget your favorite swimsuit that you feel like a million bucks in! (I personally suggest the Rockaways off the A train). - Something that is oh-so-you
Wear something colorful! Or something hipster, or business-casual, or whatever suits you. You want to have the perfect outfit for that day you're feeling especially awesome and powerful. Don't get too pulled into the black funk. Show the world your individuality!
As you can see, the people of New York City need very weather-oriented clothing. I used to just wear tank-tops, t-shirts, and rain coats. (Well, it "always" rains in Washington, so I almost never took that rain coat off). If there is anything you're not prepared for ahead of time, the weather may just catch you off guard and you may be forced to make an emergency purchase you might just regret!
Where ever you're from, it's likely you just don't have the variety of weather that New York does. Hopefully this list will prepare you.
Be Fierce!!
Briauna Mariah (:


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I've come across this a couple of times. That flash game development is not 'proper' game development when compared to XNA or even Unity. Mentioned here: Need guidelines for studying Game Development
Also here in some comments : Where to start with game development?
This judgement also befalls java, according to some. Is it because in flash its so easy to draw graphics and to import and add on to the stage any element we want and also because flash needs a 'container program' to run and others don't?
But flash is by far way easier to 'distribute' than any other of those mentioned above. Maybe except for iphone or android games.


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Starling Games
Everdell: Spirecrest
Regular price
Everdell: Spirecrest
Far beyond the comfortable borders of the Everdell Valley, deep in the mysterious and uncharted lands, adventure is waiting to be discovered. Spirecrest adds several exciting and challenging new mechanics and features to the Everdell base game.
Weather cards that impose challenging limitations to overcome.
Discovery cards let players encounter intrepid new critters and locations on their journey, providing unique new strategies and abilities.
Big Critters are unique workers with interesting and helpful abilities, who also serve as trusty mounts.


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Welcome, esteemed readers, to a captivating exploration of the captivating realm where artistry meets science: metal finishing. In this illuminating journey, we shall delve into the intricacies of this ancient craft, unravelling the secrets behind its transformative power. Join us as we unravel the art and science of metal finishing, where innovation and aesthetics intertwine to create captivating works of metallic art.
Unveiling the Alchemy:
Metal finishing is an alchemical process that elevates raw metal surfaces to captivating heights. Like skilled magicians, craftsmen wield a range of techniques and treatments to unveil the hidden potential within metals. From polishing to plating, etching to enamelling, metal finishing unlocks a world of visual allure, transforming ordinary metals into shimmering masterpieces that catch the eye and captivate the soul.
The Symphony of Techniques:
At the heart of metal finishing lies a symphony of techniques, each playing its unique role in crafting the desired aesthetic. Etching introduces intricate patterns and designs onto metal surfaces while polishing bestows a mirror-like sheen that reflects the brilliance of craftsmanship. Plating, on the other hand, envelops metals in lustrous coats of gold, silver, or other precious metals, enhancing their allure and durability. Each technique in this symphony of craftsmanship contributes to the final composition, creating a masterpiece that speaks volumes about the skill and vision of its creator.
From Functionality to Beauty:
Metal finishing not only enhances the visual appeal of metals but also adds functionality and durability to their surfaces. Techniques like anodizing create protective layers, guarding against corrosion and wear, ensuring that the beauty of the finished metal endures the test of time. The synergy of aesthetics and practicality is at the core of metal finishing, forging a bond between form and function that is both pleasing to the eye and essential for longevity.
The Intersection of Science and Innovation:
Metal finishing is an intricate dance of science and innovation. It embraces the latest advancements in materials, chemistry, and technology to push the boundaries of what is possible. Nanotechnology, for instance, opens doors to microscopically precise finishes, while advancements in chemical formulations provide eco-friendly and sustainable solutions. The marriage of science and innovation enables metal finishers to create captivating effects, emboldening their artistic vision and setting new benchmarks in the field.
Applications Across Industries:
The art and science of metal finishing reverberate across a myriad of industries. From jewellery to automotive, architecture to electronics, the exquisite finishes imparted by skilled artisans elevate the final product to new heights of elegance and sophistication. Metal finishing brings out the true potential of metals, transforming them into showstoppers that leave a lasting impression on the beholder.
As we conclude our enlightening journey into the art and science of metal finishing, let us pause and appreciate the masterpieces that grace our world. From gleaming sculptures to opulent jewellery, from architectural marvels to precision-engineered components, metal finishing adds that final touch of perfection, turning mere objects into enduring works of art.
ACEXM7, a prominent industrial expo organizer, recognizes the importance of showcasing these cutting-edge advancements, and as such, has announced the FabTech India 2023, a title sponsored by Jindal Steel & Power. The three-day event, set to take place from June 29th to July 1st at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, will serve as an ideal forum for professionals in the Metal Forming, Fabricating and Finishing industry to connect, learn, and network.
"Unlock the Gates to Manufacturing Greatness: FabTech India 2023 – Where Innovation Meets Industrial Transformation, Propelling India to New Heights of Export Eminence and Self-Sufficiency." – Kumar Deepak, Project Head, FabTech India 2023, Ace Exhibition Group.
To learn more about the show, please visit:
ACEXM7 Website: www.acem7.com
FabTech India 2023 Website: www.fabtechindia.in
You can also connect on:
Kumar Deepak – 9911607755 or [email protected]
Shikha Chouhan – 8448015101 or [email protected]


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Shipping & Returns
Model code: 17CMAC114A
Season: Autumn Winter 24
Colour: Black
All national shipments are entrusted to GLS standard service which takes 1-2 working days.Shipping is free on orders that are €79 and over at full price.
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Refunds will be processed as soon as the receipt, verification and acceptance of the returned item has been completed, by using the same payment method chosen at the order time.
Once the return request has been made, the customer will receive via email with the relative instructions.
Return shipping costs will be retained. For returns shipped independently by the customer, we will not be responsible for any loss or damage to the item.