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Work hours can really suck. We all know how it feels. You finally wake up to your third (or eighth) alarm of the morning feeling like death. It's that groggy, baggy-eyed, not-fully-awake stage before you've had your morning coffee. The clock reads 6:00 — or maybe earlier. The point is, it's early.
You go to work for your next eight hours, but your projects pile up, so you stay late to get more work done. By the time you return home, your plan to go to the gym is out the window, you don't feel like putting in the extra effort to cook dinner so you pick up fast food, and you can't make other plans because your friends or family are probably already settled in for the evening. So, you climb into bed just to wake up and do it all over again the next day.
Working early hours into late nights often leaves employees feeling drained, stressed and overwhelmed. Sometimes their personal lives become consumed by their jobs because they feel they don't have enough time to do the things that make them happy outside of work. This is the perfect opportunity for a business to improve employee morale while still maintaining constant, efficient levels of productivity. The solution is called flextime.
With flextime, employees still work their required hours, but they can choose their starting and finishing times to coordinate with kids' schedules or just with their own body's productive times. In some cases, employees even work weekend shifts because that's what works best for them.
Employees are as important to a business as its financial assets. People are a resource. It's important to place value in them, but sometimes it can be hard to retain them. Providing flexible schedules is a great benefit in keeping employees. Here are four ways flextime can help boost employee satisfaction and productivity:
Flextime Helps Destress Employees.
Employees who feel that their jobs absorb their social and home lives are often in a constant state of displeasure. Having the option to choose their work hours can help them adjust their schedules so they can go to that baby shower for their sister, that tailgate party with their friends, or school plays and recitals for their children. Brooke Ortner, Envoy's media director, enjoys the flextime scheduling because it means she can enjoy the things she wants to do outside of work.
"As a mom of two young kids, flexible scheduling is wonderful," Ortner said. "My work/life balance is awesome — I don't have to choose between family and work life. And, it eliminates the unnecessary stress of having to be in a seat at a specific time. We all function differently, and having the ability to control when we work makes for a happier, more productive environment."
Flextime Improves Efficiency and Adaptability.
If some clients are only available during specific times of the day, businesses can allow their employees to work during the best times to reach them. More availability means more time and more flexible ways to reach clients and consumers.
This is particularly useful for employees working at international companies, who may be located in the United States but have colleagues or clients around the globe. Working a typical 8 to 5 schedule won't work if you need to connect with colleagues or clients in Australia on a daily basis.
Flextime Lessens Workloads.
Employees who work weekends or evenings can often work on projects that would normally get pushed back until the next business day. This frees up time and helps eliminate work pile-ups.
Flextime Saves Vacation Days.
Jasonea Shockey, Envoy's vice president of client services, enjoys flextime because it allows her to take time off without having to use up vacation time. If she wants to attend a program at her kids' school, she can take off the time she needs to attend as long as she makes up that time later. For example, she might take an hour or two during the day to spend time with family and then put that time back in during the evening without having to use vacation time.
"Having a flexible schedule has been such a blessing," Shockey said. "The thing I love most is that I can schedule kid's activities in early evening so they don't interfere with dinner, homework or family time."
Flextime is a great perk to offer employees and to help them achieve work/life balance. It also gives employees the time and ability to pursue their own interests outside of work, so they are more productive during their time at work.


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Shopping for affordable and stylish men's clothing can be a real challenge for most guys. So here is a guide on how to pick out clothes that would keep you looking sharp so you can dress well with premium quality clothing on a budget. In shopping for clothes, it is important every man knows and understands his personal style and dresses according to the activities in his daily routine while paying attention to the image he wants to project. Dressing according to trends can be fun, but if it's not appropriate for what you're actually doing at the moment, it can make you look out of place.
• Be true to the person that you are and the things that you actually do.
• When dressing for work or for school, respect the culture of that environment. Make sure you are projecting the appearance of a professional, competent person who is aware of where he actually is.
• For formal occasions, don't try to get away with being underdressed. Show that you respect the event, and are involved in the moment. Dressing up will make you look more involved, approachable and confident.
It is also important that every man considers his personality when picking your clothes. You don't have to force yourself to be anything you're not, and it's very important that your clothes accentuate who you really are. Just make sure that you're not wildly inappropriate or projecting an image that doesn't do you justice.
• Wanting to dress well does not mean that you suddenly have to pay a whole lot of attention to fashion or be aware of all the trends.
• If you have a casual, quiet, no-nonsense personality, it's perfectly acceptable to have a simple wardrobe with just a few, well made, basic items.
Know that your fit is more than just your size. Clothing companies use average measurements to determine sizing and fit to try to cater to many people. Individual people, however, usually have bodies that are a bit different.
• The fit is the most important aspect of any article of clothing. No matter how cool the style is, if it doesn't fit you, do not wear it.
• Look at how the clothes you try on make your body look, and be flexible when it comes to size.
• Remember that cotton clothing will shrink a small amount the first time you wash and dry the fabric. If you plan on drying your cotton clothes, look for sizes that are slightly too big to accommodate shrinkage. If you dry clean certain items, you won't have to worry about it.
Finally, make it a priority to leave your house feeling well-dressed. You never know who will see you, and you should always strive to make the best impression.
• One's attire is one of the first things noticed by others, and these first impressions are long-lasting.
• You never know when you will run into the person of your dreams, a potential employer, or a local news crew looking to do a story on your life.
Carrying such a vast variety of men's fashion clothing allows us to offer just about every preference you can think of, and we can say that we're the best place to buy affordable clothing online in Rwanda. Explore our awesome collection at the best prices available in Uganda. We also offer a wide range of quality men's shoes. You could use the filter search feature to help make your shopping experience easier and faster. You can also select according to brands and prices. Get the best deals on the best fashion items for men on Jumia today!

subset: commoncrawl


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Special delivery
The Nursery children enjoyed their visit to the Post Office in the town centre. They had their parcels weighed, paid the postage and took very good care of the receipts that they were given.
The Nursery children enjoyed their visit to the Post Office in the town centre. They had their parcels weighed, paid the postage and took very good care of the receipts that they were given.
We are delighted that our Orme Nursery parents support our healthy eating policy. The children really enjoyed these spectacular fresh fruit creations brought in to share as part of recent birthday celebrations.
The Nursery children visited a local dentist surgery as part of their `Keeping Healthy and Safe' topic. The dental staff were very kind and accommodating,they explained the use of all the equipment and checked the childrens' teeth whilst they were there.<
The Orme Nursery, as part of Newcastle-under-Lyme School provides the best start to an unbroken and coherent education for children from the age of 3 to 18. We achieve this by providing quality care and Early Years education to 3 and 4 year olds. The children are at the heart of all that we do; their, growth and happy development being our priority.
Our most recent ISI Inspection report was outstanding as this extract shows. The full report can be found in The School menu of this website.
"The overall effectiveness of the EYFS setting is outstanding. The children respond to this carefully planned and nurturing environment with a growing awareness of their own individual talents and interests. Personal confidence and respect for others are promoted at all times. The staff show excellent understanding of the children's needs and promote an environment where academic progress and pastoral care are well balanced. "
The Orme Nursery is open throughout the year, providing children with a high quality of care and education whilst offering parents a choice in how their children might attend. The curriculum is designed to ensure there is an appropriate framework for staff to create the most stimulating programme of activity for every child and yet offer parents the flexibility they require.
The Nursery accommodates children from the age of 3. They are eligible for a place from the beginning of the term of their third birthday, the terms being 1 September to 31 December; 1 January to 31 March and 1 April to 31 August.
The Nursery is open throughout the year excluding Bank Holidays. There is a 2 week closure over Christmas which covers the Bank Holidays and holiday period.
The day is divided into 2 sessions, morning and afternoon with lunch being considered as part of the morning session. We also provide a shorter day to allow parents to collect children at the same time as older siblings in the Preparatory or Senior School.
Parents may choose to structure the sessions in a variety of ways:
A mixture of mornings and afternoons
A mixture of whole days
Whole weeks
Term time only or 50 week provision.
Funded sessions only
Children are provided with nutritious, well-balanced meals and suitable alternatives are provided for those who have specific dietary requirements.
Children develop rapidly during their early years: physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. Our Nursery curriculum is designed to provide a supportive framework to extend their knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence. Well-planned and purposeful play activities are set out to build on what children already know and can do.
The curriculum encourages a positive attitude and a disposition to learn. We endeavour to provide a rich and stimulating environment where children feel included, secure and valued.
The curriculum supports listening and attention, understanding and speaking.
The curriculum encourages moving and handling, health and self-care.
The curriculum will support and develop skills in reading and writing.
The curriculum will support the development of skills used when working with numbers, shape, space and measure.
The curriculum will extend their knowledge of people and communities; the world and technology.
The curriculum will stimulate the children to explore and use different media and materials and be imaginative.
Our aim is to provide the highest standard of care and education for your child. We recognise the importance of a good partnership between staff and parents, or carers, and endeavour to keep you well informed of activities and your child's development. This will be accomplished through:
Communication with a key worker
Notice boards
Written reports
We fully understand that children need time to learn and develop appropriate behaviour patterns and most of such issues will be supported through our daily activities. However, it may on occasion be necessary to work together with parents or carers to encourage and enforce social ground rules and boundaries.
It is our intention to promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all.
The Nursery has a rigorous policy that ensures that the health, safety and well-being of each child is paramount at all times.


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Few things irk this Idaho native more than the all-too-common misconception that there isn't anything to do around Boise--except maybe the "no, U-da-ho" jokes and people who confuse Idaho with Iowa. Sure, Boise isn't a metropolis with a population in the millions, 10 restaurants on every block and a must-stop for every touring band like San Francisco or New York City. But this high desert capital city that's paradoxically called the City of Trees offers an array of entertainment options.
Every week, Boise Weekly puts together pages of events for every interest, from theater productions to children's puppet shows at local libraries. The 8 Days Out section provides a glimpse of the goings-on around town, but it's a fairly small sampling. Boiseweekly.com boasts pages of things to do every day. If you haven't checked it out yet, visit the site, click on the "Calendar" tab on the home page and search by day, category, neighborhood, event name or occurrence. You'll also find the Need Something To Do Today blog at Cobweb, which features an extra look at a different event every day.
We spend our time scouring community posting boards in coffee shops, venue and ticketing websites in an attempt to bring our beloved readers info on every concert, art exhibit, charity event and more. We also receive event submissions through our website and via emails to email@example.com. And we get so many that, if emailed event submissions were actual letters, BW's mailbox would look something like the entrance to Boise Towne Square on Black Friday--so full, it's just waiting for catastrophe to ensue.
One event that we hope you didn't miss out on was our recent Cover Auction. BW staff, friends, artists and art enthusiasts packed the Idaho State Historical Museum Oct. 17, as we sold off all the artwork that graced our cover in the last year.
Thank you, Boise, for choosing our event over all the other things you could have been doing that evening. And thanks for bringing your wallets. We set a record this year, with $22,060 net proceeds. That giant wad of cash will be put back into the arts community, with $4,400 going to Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the rest feeding our Auction Grant program. Grant applications are now being accepted, and a panel of judges will meet in February to decide which artists and arts organizations will receive the funds. Get the deets at boiseweekly.com and read more in Arts News.
Now read up, find something fun to do, and get moving. There's no reason for being a couch potato in Idaho.


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We have an extensive product line that our research department has developed over 30 years. We develop, manufacture and market cleaning and degreasing products. We have the knowledge and experience needed to help you with your particular application, and offer individually customized products formulated to your needs.
We do quality custom blending of cleaning products. We can use your formulation or develop a formula to meet your needs. Our standard packaging is 1 gallon jugs, 5 gallon pails, 30 gallon drums, 55 gallon drums and 275 gallon tote tanks. We are noted for quick turnaround and high quality products.


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DISCLAIMER : This story has no resemblance what so ever to any one's life story.Any resemblances are merely co-incidental.All the characters in this story are fictious.
Title : Sorry .. u keep one for this after reading ! .. I cant think of one .. [:D] ..
Temporary title -> Ithu Kaadhala ! ( lolz .. Has no relation to the story jus like many in Kollywood)
Sanjay is a college guy doing M.tech / MBA. He has a best friend - Ravi - who studied BE and in school wid him. (ivanga rendu perum senthu koothadikkara maari sila scenes where comedy is included) . College cultural function is taking place.Priya steals the show in host dance performance. She is our heroine ( SJ Suryah style ) [:p]
----Song ---- .. group dance for Priya .. Sanjay only watching .. [ The culs performance as song ]
Sanjay is impressed and talks to her and finds out abt her. She is in the same college doing MBA and is one year junior to him in college. After the function , they meet in a few more places outside by chance and become close friends. Sanjay feels that he has fallen in luv wid her.
---- Song ---- solo .. melody ..
Before proposing, he wants to know Priya's opinion on love generally and so he asks her .Priya tells him that she is not interested in love because it will only cos problems for her in life as her parents are against love marriage etc. He respects her opinion and tells her nothing about his love as he feels that he will be in the same situation in his family as well and they continue to be good friends. College farewell [ Thought of having a song here .. but it will be one too many .. Athaan vittuten ] Sanjay leaves college and joins in a big company in a good position. As in all Tamil families, they start to look for a girl for sanjay. By chance and luck, they stumble upon Priya itself and traditional ponnu paakara function .Sanjay overjoyed on seeing Priya there. He agrees to the marriage and the marriage takes place .. ..
----Song---- .. Marriage song .. no Dance .. Picturise the marriage etc in it ..
After their marriage they discuss about old time(college days).Sanjay asks whether she was in luv wid him. She tells yes. Sanjay also tells he was also in luv but dint tell her because she was not in favour of love. Life goes on.
One fine day, Priya is driving her car .Suddenly she is unable to brake and almost gets killed but miraculously escapes with few injuries.The next day, Sanjay escapes death when he drops his cellphone in his car and a bullet just fires over his head. Being a biggie in society, he asks police protection for him n his wife. Next day, when he comes back home , he finds his wife dead - murdered .. ! ..
-------- Interval --------
Police investigation on but they are unable to find any clues and they have no idea on how she was killed . Sanjay becomes very sad and is unable to move on wid life.
---- Song ---- .. sad song in background
Family members compel him to move on wid life and so he marries again just for the sake of moving on in life ( ithukku sum guest role actress will suffice ). *** Few scenes for the 2nd wife here just for giving her some part ***
A few days after the marriage, she is also killed in a similar way. Sanjay is devastated .
A few days later, Sanjay recieves a phone call "aduthathu nee thaan da .. naan yaaru nnu theriutha ?" Sanjay is shocked as he has never made any enemy in his life time and in business as well !
Sanjay reports to police but they are not able to trace the call because of sum reason !
( Namakku technology laam theriaathu paa ! ) Sanjay's life becomes hell after that.
On the way back from office .. Rowdies chasing him in a car and trying to run him off the road but he manages to escape by entering into an auditorium. Anga dance program.
---- Song ---- .. Sum item number .. Sanjay watching while escaping .. bit bit a back grnd la .. [ Jus for they sake of it ] ..
Simultanesously running around the hall as well .. ( Sorry .. Hero kku no dance at all .. ) .. Sanjay finally manages to escape somehow. Next day Ravi comes to him in his office and enquires about the deaths of his two wives. He says " I cant forget Priya da ! En close frnd ava ! "
Here ** flashback to college days ** .. Few scenes showing close friendship of Ravi and Priya and then back to present ---
Dialogue continues - " Ava enna love panna da ! Naanum avala love pannen ! Aana nee thaan nadula poonthu kozhapita ! Ennaya kavutha ava .. avala gaali panten .. aduthathu nee thaan .. nee thappikave mudiyaathu " .. [ Sry for tamil dialogue .. if u req translation ask me ! .. (:D) ] .. Sanjay is angered on hearing that his best frnd is behind all the horrors of his life.
** Another chase sequence ** Sanjay chasing Ravi on cars or bike .. whichever is better .. But Ravi somehow manages to escape !
Sanjay veri la starts searching for Ravi and finally nails him ( Dont ask me where .. somewhere other than binny mills is ok .. .. ) ..
** Climax fight wid dialogues ** Sanjay explains to his friend the whole story in between the fight that Priya considered Ravi only as a friend. Only Ravi had mistaken her and cos of his mistakes, Ravi had spoilt Sanjay's life totally.
In the end of the fight, Sanjay kills Ravi . [ Of course .. no Ravi changing as good person and all ]
Movie over ! ..
Hehehe .. How was it .. Comments plz .. Dont mind negative ones ! [:D]


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Duncan and Adam's Three Peaks Challenge
Duncan and Adam completed the Three Peaks Challenge back in March and their story features in the upcoming Summer edition of Creative Life. You can read about their achievement in Duncan's own words below.
The idea behind the walk was to raise money for the tenants of Eden Vale where we work and our aim was to complete the 26 mile walk over the three highest peaks in Yorkshire in less than 12 hours.
Adam and I set off from the car park in Horton in Ribblesdale at 7:15am. The weather was cold and there was a sprinkling of snow on the ground. The forecast was for changeable weather with the odd snow shower, and how right they would prove to be! Adam and I headed out towards our first milestone of Pen-y-ghent.
As we started our climb up Pen-y-ghent, we could see by the footprints in the snow that there were three walkers in front of us, so as the weather and the visibility deteriorated and the snow on the ground got deeper, there was no obvious path to follow so we used the footprints as a guide. As we gradually climbed, the early enthusiasm and general conversation gave way to aching limbs and aching lungs.
For the majority of the walk up Pen-y-ghent, the summit was shrouded in a low lying mist, which isn't a bad thing as you can't exactly see how far away the actual summit is – you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It's 25 years since I last did the walk so I had forgotten just how far the first part of the walk was. What I hadn't forgotten was the final 100 metre scramble up and over a rock face. Adam hadn't done the walk before so he didn't know what was coming up.
We got to the rock face only to find it covered in a layer of snow and ice, it was very slippery under foot with no path to follow so it ended up as a slippery scramble to the summit. At the summit we met the three walkers who had been in front of us. We had made really good time to catch them up, in fact we were ahead of schedule, but this early enthusiasm was soon to take its toll on me. We took our photographs at the trig point and had a very quick drink and bite to eat and then it was off to our next destination, Ribblehead Viaduct.
Whernside via Ribblehead Viaduct
As we set off down the mountain, visibility was virtually nil, but I had a rough idea of the direction we should be heading in and it wasn't long before visibility improved enough for us to see exactly where we were heading. We were down the mountain no more then 20 minutes and we then had a long walk of approximately 6 miles across country to Ribblehead Viaduct. The walk was relatively easy, but that initial push up Pen-y-ghent had already taken its toll on me and I started to suffer from severe cramp in both thighs. I continually had to stop and stretch my muscles and this started to slow us down, but Adam was patient and he encouraged me to continually drink and eat. We pushed on, and by the time we got to Ribblehead we had slipped behind schedule, from the viaduct to the summit of Whernside was a continual uphill slog of almost four miles and there was also a surprise waiting for us as we got to the summit.
We began our gradual climb and we could see the ridge we were to follow, but the more tired you get you never seem to be getting any closer to the summit. Other walkers began to walk past us and as they disappear into the distance, it really does have a demoralising effect on you psychologically. My knees were really starting to give me lots of pain, but this had happened to me in the past so I had come prepared with plenty of painkillers. I was started to really struggle so Adam kindly lent me his walking poles – without then I really don't think I would have been able to complete the walk.
As we got to within 2km of the summit, the temperature really started to drop, the wind started to get up, the snow started to fall and the conditions started to deteriorate. The snow on the ground was about a metre deep with a path cut through where a few walkers had walked before us. We eventually reached the summit, a little worse for wear, but nevertheless that was the second mountain ticked off the list so we decided to press on, eating and drinking as we walked.
We were soon down the mountain and walking out across the picturesque U shaped valley that stretches out between Whernside and Ingleborough. Adam kept checking our time and we were still on target. Although it is a relatively short distance, 6km, from the peak of Whernside to the peak of Ingleborough, we still had the steepest part of the walk to come. As we crossed the valley and headed to the base of Ingleborough, we could see a wall of snow and ice in front of us. However, it was the only route we could take, and Adam reminded me we had to get to the summit in one hour and 40 minutes to keep to our target. I was in so much pain, I had had double the dose of painkillers that I should have and I was really beginning to think I wasn't going to get round. We got to the wall of ice and started to climb, it was really difficult to get a foothold but we slowly made our way to the top. Once at the top we had an uphill 500 metre walk to the trig point. We had made excellent time and we worked out we had two hours and 30 minutes to do the remaining 8km down into Horton and to the finish.
As we began our descent, the spring returned to our steps and we began chatting again – mainly because it was the first time in about 20 miles that I was walking alongside Adam. For the majority of the walk, I was 30ft behind him. Without knowing it, our momentum gathered pace and we came across signposts, 2m to Horton, 1m to Horton – and then as the sun began to set behind us and the moon rose in front of us over Pen-y-ghent, Horton in Ribblesdale came into view. We then had a short walk to the car park we had started from 11 hours and 12 minutes earlier! Job done!
Adam and I would like to thank everyone who has been so generous in supporting the walk – work colleagues, friends and acquaintances – and we have raised £450 for Eden Vale.
1 Comment so far
Karen on
July 29, 2013 8:44 pm
Wow what a fantastic achievement. Well done.. you should be very proud of yourselves.


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Another Halloween has passed by, genericviagra-edtopshop.com another night with scary costumes and black stone viagra trick buy generic viagra online or sildenafil brand names treats. Every store has its own creepy and unique costumes, and the variety is huge. But how did Halloween costumes look a century sildenafil citrate generic ago? The thing is that they did not only viagra for hypertension dress up for Halloween canadian pharmacy cialis back then, but for different masquerades, Valentine's Day, New Years Eve and several other holidays. Social clubs often threw a masquerade party for their guests with no special reason. Here is a selection of old photographs showing how they dressed up back then.
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Via National Geographic.


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Phew. We're all moved in and we finally have internet! Woohoo! Note: don't wait until the day before you move to schedule your internet installation. They'll be all booked up and you'll have to wait 5 days (!!!) for the next appointment.
We brought a few things over last Thursday afternoon and officially started living here that night (we didn't have our mattress, so we camped out on a makeshift floor-bed, as seen above). Our lease technically started Friday but we were too excited to wait!
Then we moved all the rest of our stuff out of the storage unit on Saturday morning. We rented another U-haul to move all the stuff that we've had in a storage unit for the past few weeks.
Then we drove (okay let's be serious... Mike drove) the Uhaul to the new apartment and unloaded it. And that whole process (packing, driving, unpacking) was done within 2.5 hours! (A big thank you to Mike's parent's for helping us! We couldn't have done it without you!!!)
This was the aftermath of moving. Thankfully, by now we've set it up and pretty much unpacked everything!
So... since this is probably the cleanest the apartment will ever be... I made a short (7 min... is that short? probably not, sorry, I like to ramble) video of the new place. Check it out below!


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Bye Bye Mold™, Inc.
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Molds photographed using a microscope.
Are your indoor mold levels higher than those outside?
Hydrophilic Fungi and Ergosterol Associated with Respiratory Illness in a Water-Damaged Building
Background. Damp building-related respiratory illnesses are an important public health issue.
Objective. We compared three respiratory case groups defined by questionnaire responses
. We analyzed dust samples collected from floors and chairs of 323 cases and comparisons for culturable fungi, ergosterol, endotoxin, and cat and dog allergens. We examined associations of total fungi, hydrophilic fungi (requiring water activity ≥ 0.9), and ergosterol with the health outcomes using logistic regression models.
. In models adjusted for demographics, respiratory illnesses showed significant linear exposure-response relationships to total culturable fungi [interquartile range odds ratios (IQR-OR) = 1.37-1.72], hydrophilic fungi (IQR-OR = 1.45-2.19), and ergosterol (IQR-OR = 1.54-1.60) in floor and chair dusts. Of three outcomes analyzed, current asthma with postoccupancy physician diagnosis was most strongly associated with exposure to hydrophilic fungi in models adjusted for ergosterol, endotoxin, and demographics (IQR-OR = 2.09 for floor and 1.79 for chair dusts). Ergosterol levels in floor dust were significantly associated with epidemiologic asthma independent of culturable fungi (IQR-OR = 1.54-1.55).
. Our findings extend the 2004 conclusions of the Institute of Medicine [Human health effects associated with damp indoor environments. In: Damp Indoor Spaces and Health. Washington DC:National Academies Press, 183-269] by showing that mold levels in dust were associated with new-onset asthma in this damp indoor environment. Hydrophilic fungi and ergosterol as measures of fungal biomass may have promise as markers of risk of building-related respiratory diseases in damp indoor environments.
: asthma, dampness, endotoxin, ergosterol, exposure, hydrophilic fungi, office building, respiratory symptoms, water damage
Mold is ubiquitous in normal indoor and outdoor environments; thus, some exposure is inevitable in everyday life. However, exposure to increased levels of mold and other microbial agents has been implicated in diseases associated with damp indoor environments (Menzies and Kreiss 2006; Park et al. 2006). In the absence of indoor amplification, the fungal profiles inside buildings should be similar to those outdoors (Flannigan and Miller 2001). Increased moisture levels due to water intrusion can support mold growth and may change the profile of fungal populations in a building. Hydrophilic (water-loving) fungi requiring ≥ 0.9 water activity ( Aw ; the amount of free or available water in substrates) will overgrow mesophilic (0.8 ≤ Aw < 0.9) and xerophilic fungi ( Aw < 0.8) in damp conditions (Flannigan and Miller 2001; Grant et al. 1989). The presence of hydrophilic fungi is considered an indicator of building dampness (Flannigan and Miller 2001), yet quantitative measures of hydrophilic fungi in damp buildings have not had been studied in relation to health effects.
The analytical method most frequently applied for fungi, a culture technique, is not likely to measure the relevant microbial exposures accurately, because any selected medium grows only a small proportion of the viable spores and because culture counts do not account for nonviable spores and fungal fragments. However, ergosterol, a principal sterol in the fungal membrane, has been suggested as a good measure for fungal biomass (Newell 1994; Sebastian and Larsson 2003; Szponar and Larsson 2000) since it is analyzed by a chemical technique which measures viable and nonviable spores and fungal fragments. However, only a few researchers have attempted to measure ergosterol in environmental samples for assessing exposure to fungi in epidemiologic studies (Dales 1998; Dales et al. 1999; Dharmage et al. 2001, 2002; Matheson et al. 2005; Mendell et al. 2002). More research using ergosterol measurements for fungal exposure assessment would be useful to better understand the association of fungal exposure with health.
In this study we focused on examining associations of hydrophilic fungi and ergosterol with respiratory health outcomes among employees in a 20-story office building in the northeastern United States. Within a few months of building occupancy in 1994, employees perceived new-onset respiratory conditions to be building-related and complained of a further increase in symptom severity and frequency beginning in the fall of 2000. Sentinel cases of postoccupancy-onset asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), and sarcoidosis had been diagnosed. A building-wide self-administered questionnaire survey in September 2001 (67% participation rate; 888 of 1,327) documented an excess of respiratory symptoms and asthma prevalence, and a 7.5-fold increased incidence density of adult posthire-onset asthma (Cox-Ganser et al. 2005; Park et al. 2006) compared with preoccupancy incidence.
Materials and Methods
Case and comparison group definitions.
We nested a case-comparison study within the participants in the 2001 cross-sectional questionnaire survey. We defined respiratory cases (n = 200) as those who had occupied the building at least 1 year and reported a) current asthma with postoccupancy physician diagnosis, physician-diagnosed HP, or sarcoidosis (potential building-related respiratory disease diagnoses); or b) three or more of five asthma-like symptoms (wheeze or whistling in the chest, chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing, and awakened by breathing difficulty) occurring weekly over the past 4 weeks; or c) two or more of three symptoms consistent with HP (shortness of breath when hurrying on level ground or walking up a slight hill, fever and chills, or flu-like achiness or achy joints) occurring weekly over the past 4 weeks. Because we were interested in restricting analyses to asthma as the outcome, we defined epidemiologic asthma (epi-asthma) cases (n = 123) as having current asthma with post-occupancy physician diagnosis, or three or more of five asthma-like symptoms. Finally, to increase the specificity of our asthma definition, we defined postoccupancy asthma cases (n = 49) as those with current asthma with postoccupancy physician diagnosis. The epi-asthma cases were a subset of the respiratory cases, and the postoccupancy asthma cases were a subset of the epi-asthma cases. We defined the comparison group (n = 152) as those who reported none of the lower respiratory or HP-like symptoms in the past year, as well as no physician-diagnosed HP, sarcoidosis, or postoccupancy asthma. An informed consent procedure, approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Human Subjects Review Board, was followed before participants completed the questionnaire.
Environmental sampling and analysis.
In April 2002, we collected floor and chair dust samples from workstations of 323 case and comparison group employees. We sent dust samples for analyses of culturable fungi, ergosterol, endotoxin, cat allergen, and dog allergen. Fungal colonies were cultured with malt extract (selective for a broad spectrum of fungi), cellulose (selective for cellulolytic fungi), and dichloran 18% glycerol (selective for xerophilic fungi) agars at room temperature for 7-10 days, identified to species level, and enumerated. If a species grew on more than one medium, a standardized laboratory protocol was used to select which medium would be the basis for the reported colony count results. Ergosterol was analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Sebastian and Larsson 2003). Endotoxin was analyzed using the kinetic quantitative chromogenic Limulus amoebocyte lysate (KQCL) method (Chun et al. 2002). Cat (Fel d 1) and dog (Can f 1) allergens were analyzed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Chapman 1988; de Groot 1991). For epidemiologic analyses, we used units per square meter or per chair based on our previous findings (Park et al. 2006). Details of the methods are described elsewhere (Park et al. 2006).
Data analysis.
Because of right-skewed distributions, we transformed all the environmental measurements using natural logarithms and reported geometric means (GMs) and geometric SDs (GSDs) by exponentiating the means and SDs of the log-transformed data. We assigned a value of half the limit of detection (LOD) to samples < LOD because of the large GSD (Hornung and Reed 1990). We grouped fungal species into mesophilic (0.8 ≤ Aw < 0.9) and hydrophilic (Aw ≥ 0.9) categories based on Aw (Burge and Otten 1999; Flannigan and Miller 2001; Grant et al. 1989) and created a combined group of mesophilic and hydrophilic fungi (Aw ≥ 0.8). We created two additional groups: fungi not classified as having an Aw ≥ 0.8 and fungi not classified as hydrophilic.
We used analysis of variance to compare the levels of microbial agents in floor and chair dust. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for each case definition in relation to various microbial indices using multivariate linear logistic regression models (SAS 9.1; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Single environmental variable models included one environmental variable and demographics (age, sex, race, smoking status, and building occupancy time), which are potential confounding factors; we also adjusted for these variables in the models used in our previous study (Park et al. 2006). Multiple environmental variable models included demographics and three environmental variables [ergosterol, endotoxin, and total fungi (total fungi models) or hydrophilic fungi (hydrophilic fungi models)]. We performed additional analyses to examine the effects of fungi that were not classified as having an Aw ≥ 0.8 or those not classified as hydrophilic on health outcomes using the single environmental variable models. Because the interactions among these environmental variables were not significant for all three outcomes, we did not include interactions in the final models. We examined possible nonlinear relationships between exposure and health outcomes using generalized additive models (GAMs) with a smoothing spline function (degrees of freedom = 4) (S-Plus 6.1; Insightful Corporation, Seattle, WA). We reported adjusted ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on increase in exposure by interquartile range (IQR = 75th percentile - 25th percentile).
On average, the cases and comparisons in the study were 46 years of age and had occupied the building for 6 years (Table 1). More than half of them were white (69%), never-smokers (61%), and female (59%). There were fewer white employees and never-smokers but more females in the case groups than in the comparison group. The proportion of current smokers was lowest (6.1%) in the postoccupancy asthma cases.
We collected 338 floor and 327 chair dust samples from 323 employees workstations among the 352 case and comparison group employees. We could not locate workstations for 29 participants. For those who had multiple samples because of changes in their workstations between September 2001 and April 2002, we assigned measurements of microbial agents from the workstation they occupied during the 2001 questionnaire survey. Because of the limited amount of dust collected for some samples, we prioritized sample analysis by endotoxin, culturable fungi, ergosterol, and allergens. We recovered a total of 67 fungal species from floor dust samples and 69 species from chair dust samples. In addition, unidentifiable species of Penicillium, yeasts (Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces), and nonsporulating fungi were cultured. The GM of total culturable fungi was 7,700 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram in floor dust, which was significantly (p < 0.005) lower than that (11,000 CFU/g) in chair dust (Table 2). In the floor dust, on average, 57% of total fungal colonies were identified as hydrophilic fungi and 19% as mesophilic. In the chair dust, on average, 45% of total fungal colonies were identified as hydrophilic and 28% as mesophilic. Eighty-seven percent of the hydrophilic fungi in floor dust and 74% of those in chair dust were yeasts. GMs of the ergosterol (0.5 ng/mg) and endotoxin (10.9 EU/mg) levels in floor dust were significantly (p-values < 0.002) higher than those in chair dust (0.4 ng/mg and 2.1 EU/mg, respectively). The levels of cat (GM, 2.5 _g/g) and dog (2.1 _g/g) allergens were significantly (p-values < 0.0001) lower in floor dust than in chair dust (GMs, 12.5 _g/g and 5.7 _g/g, respectively) .
Aureobasidium pullulans and Epicoccum nigrum were the most prevalent of the mesophilic fungi . Yeasts and Phoma herbarum were the most prevalent hydrophilic fungi recovered, and their median concentrations (2,400 CFU/g in floor dust and 2,340 CFU/g in chair dust for yeasts; 2,850 CFU/g in floor dust and 3,600 CFU/g in chair dust for Phoma herbarum) were among the highest found for the mesophilic and hydrophilic fungi. Rhodotorula was the predominant genus of yeast identified from floor (49.4%) and chair (46.0%) dust samples. Among those that were not classified as having an Aw of ≥ 0.8, Penicillium chrysogenum (12.5%) and Pithomyces chartarum (10.4%) were the most frequently found species in floor dust samples, with Pithomyces chartarum (23.3%) and Phoma glomerata (11.7%) most frequently in chair dust samples. Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus niger were the most prevalent Penicillium/Aspergillus species identified in both floor and chair dust. Nonidentifiable Penicillium species were found in 17.1% and 13.5% of the floor and chair dust samples, respectively. We found Stachybotrys chartarum in four floor samples and five chair samples.
The levels of ergosterol per square meter or chair were significantly (p-values < 0.0001) but poorly correlated with total fungi, fungi requiring Aw ≥ 0.8, hydrophilic fungi, and yeasts both in floor and chair dust samples (r = 0.15-0.27). Ergosterol had a higher correlation with endotoxin in floor dust (r = 0.47) and chair dust (r = 0.34). Ergosterol and culturable fungi were also significantly but weakly correlated with cat and dog allergens in both floor and chair dust (r = 0.12-0.31). Endotoxin had a higher correlation with cat (r = 0.39) and dog allergens (r = 0.36) in chair dust than in floor dust (r = 0.25 for cat and 0.21 for dog allergens).
The number of subjects in each of the statistical models varied, depending on the number of subjects with information missing in any of the demographic variables or the exposure variables. We found significant linear exposure-response relationships between various microbial measurements (total fungi, fungi requiring Aw ≥ 0.8, hydrophilic fungi, ergosterol, and endotoxin) in dust and health outcomes (respiratory cases, epi-asthma cases, and postoccupancy asthma cases) in the single environmental variable models. We found no significant associations (at _ = 0.05) among health outcomes and fungi that were not classified as having an Aw ≥ 0.8, or fungi that were not classified as hydrophilic. In GAMs, test p-values of these environmental variables for a null hypothesis of linearity were > 0.05, which indicates no evidence of nonlinear relationships between exposure and health outcomes. The associations between health outcomes and fungi were mostly driven by exposure to fungi requiring Aw ≥ 0.8, and specifically hydrophilic fungi in both floor and chair dust.
In single environmental variable models, we found > 65% increases in the odds of being a respiratory case for increasing IQR exposure [IQR-OR = 1.66-1.73; p-values < 0.05] for total fungi, fungi requiring Aw ≥ 0.8, and hydrophilic fungi in floor dust (IQR for each of the microbial measurements for all dust samples analyzed are presented in Table 2). Yeasts in chair dust and non-yeast hydrophilic fungi in floor dust were significantly associated with increases in the odds of being a respiratory case of 46% and 50%, respectively (Table 4). Ergosterol and endotoxin in floor dust were associated with significantly increased odds of being a respiratory case (IQR-OR = 1.56 and 1.60, respectively). Cat and dog allergens in floor dust were not significantly associated with respiratory cases at _ = 0.05. In general, the odds of being a respiratory case for chair dust were lower than those for floor dust, except for the yeasts.
When compared to respiratory case outcome models, we found slightly larger magnitudes of IQR-ORs (range, 1.46-1.80) for epi-asthma cases associated with total culturable fungi, fungi requiring Aw ≥ 0.8, hydrophilic fungi, and ergosterol in both floor and chair dust . When we examined the associations of those who reported physician-diagnosed HP or having two or more HP-like symptoms with microbial exposures, we found similar magnitudes of ORs for fungi but stronger associations with ergosterol (IQR-OR = 1.93) and endotoxin (IQR-OR = 1.80) in floor dust, and yeasts in chair dust (IQR-OR = 1.65) (data not shown).
In the models with postoccupancy asthma cases as an outcome, the associations with fungi requiring Aw ≥ 0.8, hydrophilic fungi, and yeasts in both floor and chair dust were stronger than those in the models with respiratory and epi-asthma cases as outcomes . Of all the environmental variables, hydrophilic fungi in floor dust (IQR-OR = 2.19) were most strongly associated with post-occupancy asthma cases. Increased exposure to yeasts in floor dust and hydrophilic fungi without yeasts in chair dust by IQR significantly increased the odds of being a postoccupancy asthma case by 77% and 44%, respectively.
When we ran models with culturable fungi, ergosterol, endotoxin, and demographic variables simultaneously, the ORs of the respiratory and epi-asthma cases for total fungi and hydrophilic fungi in both floor and chair dust were slightly smaller (IQR-OR = 1.46-1.62 for floor dust and IQR-OR = 1.36-1.57 for chair dust) but generally remained significant at _ = 0.05. The exception was the modeling of respiratory cases with total chair fungi (IQR-OR = 1.36; p = 0.06) adjusted for ergosterol, endotoxin, and demographic variables . In the total fungi models of the multiple environmental variable models, the magnitude of the IQR-ORs for the respiratory and epi-asthma cases associated with total culturable fungi was smaller than that for hydrophilic fungi in the hydrophilic fungi models. Exposure to hydrophilic fungi in floor and chair dust were associated with about a 2-fold increase in the odds of being a post-occupancy asthma case (IQR-OR = 2.09 for floor dust and IQR-OR =1.79 for chair dust) . GAMs with nonlinear spline smoothing functions did not provide evidence of nonlinear relationships; that is, the log odds (logit) of respiratory illnesses in all of these multiple environmental variable models increased linearly with increase of exposure. A sensitivity analysis was performed by rerunning all statistical models after assigning floor-specific mean values (new models) of microbial measurements to the respiratory cases and comparisons with no individual measurements. For each exposure variable we calculated the ratio (expressed as percentage) of the OR for the new model to the original model. The results showed that the models were not substantially sensitive because the ORs from the new models ranged from 84.8% to 102.8% of the original ORs .
Among employees of a water-damaged office building, we found linear associations between respiratory illnesses and the levels of fungi, which were largely explained by hydrophilic (water-loving or tertiary) fungi including yeasts. These linear exposure-response relationships based on individual exposure measurements extend our previous findings, which were based on exposure assigned as floor-specific mean values of fungal measurements (Park et al. 2006). The present study indicates that exposure assessment using individual dust samples has an advantage over assigning exposure using floor-specific mean values, because we found associations between physician-diagnosed postoccupancy-onset asthma and fungal exposure that were not demonstrated in the previous study (Park et al. 2006). The enhanced findings are likely to be explained by minimization of exposure misclassification by using individual samples in exposure assessment. Of the three respiratory health outcomes studied, asthma diagnosed after building occupancy had the strongest association with the levels of hydrophilic fungi in dust. This finding implies that a more specific (less sensitive) definition of outcome based on physician diagnosis, which likely represents more severe disease, probably minimized health outcome misclassification in relation to building exposures. We previously reported that the incidence of adult-onset asthma in this population was 7.5 times higher after building occupancy (Cox-Ganser et al. 2005). Taken together, these findings are consistent with the involvement of building-related fungal exposure in the causal chain of adult-onset asthma, although we cannot rule out that fungispecifically hydrophilic speciesmay be simply markers of other causative agents in damp environments.
Among hydrophilic fungi, yeasts in both floor and chair dust played an important role in associations we found for increased odds of respiratory illnesses. Yeasts have been reported to be among the most abundant fungi found in indoor air (Cheong et al. 2004; Rantio-Lehtimaki 1988) and in house dust (Flannigan et al. 1993; Verhoeff et al. 1994). Similarly, in the present study, the Rhodotorula genus of yeasts was one of the most prevalent and abundant fungi recovered in floor and chair dust. Rhodotorula species have been shown to be implicated in IgE-mediated allergy responses (Day and Ellis 2001), as well as being potential causative agents of HP in case studies (Hodges et al. 1974; Siersted and Gravesen 1993). Our study also showed that yeasts in chair dust were significantly associated with an epidemiologic definition of HP (those who reported physician-diagnosed HP or having two or more HP-like symptoms). In occupational environments, such as bakeries, breweries, and distilleries, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a major allergen source for allergic diseases (Day and Ellis 2001). Without yeasts, the hydrophilic fungi as a group (Phoma herbarum, Chaetomium globosum, Mucor plumbeus, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Stachybotrys chartarum) were also strongly associated with odds of respiratory illnesses. In these models, we assigned a value of LOD/2 (200 CFU/g) to a large proportion of samples < LOD (Table 2), and these assigned values were multiplied by the amount of dust collected for each subject to obtain CFUs per square meter or per chair. This assignment might have produced nondifferential misclassification in exposure, resulting in the underestimation of ORs. Even with this potential misclassification, we still found significant associations between hydrophilic fungi without yeast and respiratory illnesses. Phoma spp., Mucor spp., and Rhizopus spp. have been implicated in IgE-mediated allergy (Day and Ellis 2001). However, we are not aware of epidemiologic studies demonstrating increased risk of building-related asthma or other respiratory illnesses associated with yeasts and other hydrophilic fungi in floor and chair dusts in water-damaged nonindustrial buildings.
We found poor correlations (r < 0.3) between ergosterol levels and culturable fungi in more than 300 dust samples, although Saraf et al. (1997) reported a higher correlation (r = 0.65) in 17 house dust samples. This is not a completely unexpected result for the following reasons. First, ergosterol is found in mycelia and fungal fragments, as well as in intact spores (Miller 2001). Second, ergosterol can be detected in both viable and nonviable spores. Third, culturable fungi represent only a small portion of the viable spores that can grow on the selected media (Dales et al. 1999; Saraf et al. 1997). Finally, the proportion of viable and nonviable spores may differ across the samples, and the proportion of the viable spores that can be cultured may also differ. Hence, ergosterol has the potential to measure fungal biomass more accurately than the culture technique. Because health effects such as allergy and inflammation do not rely on viability of fungal contaminants, measuring ergosterol to estimate total fungal biomass in exposure assessment is warranted (Nielsen and Madsen 2000; Pasanen et al. 1999).
A few research groups have used ergosterol measurements for exposure assessment in epi-demiologic studies, but the results have been inconsistent. In a cross-sectional analysis of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) subcohort followed up in 1996 (n = 485), Dharmage et al. (2001) found a significant association of ergosterol levels in bedroom dust with sensitization to fungi and having wheezed in the last year. They also performed a longitudinal analysis on repeated measurements of wheeze and ergosterol in bedroom dust in 1996 and 1998 on the same ECRHS subcohort. They found a statistically significant interaction effect in which the effect of increasing ergosterol on the chance of remission of wheeze depended on the initial levels of ergosterol in 1996 (Matheson et al. 2005). From the same ECRHS subcohort, 35 young asthmatic adults sensitized to fungi were followed over four seasons. No association was found between either culturable fungi or ergosterol levels in bedroom floor dust and peak flow variability. However, Dharmage et al. (2002) discussed that this lack of association could have been partly explained by misclassification of exposure. In a study of children in Canada, Dales (1998) reported a significant association between living in fungal-contaminated homes with higher airborne ergosterol levels and an increased number of CD3+ T cells expressing CD45RO. In a later study, Dales et al. (1999) examined the association of airborne ergosterol levels in bedrooms with respiratory symptoms and nocturnal cough among elementary school children, but they did not find associations. In that study (Dales et al. 1999), airborne ergosterol levels were estimated from less-than-a-day sampling. This might have misclassified childrens exposure in relation to the 1- and 12-month time periods covered by the symptom questionnaire. Mendell et al. (2002) measured airborne ergosterol in a double-blind cross-over study evaluating the effect of replacement of filters on occupants symptoms and indoor particles in an office building; they found ergosterol levels < LOD for seven of eight air samples.
In contrast, we found that 230- or 260-ng increases in ergosterol levels per square meter of floor or per chair, respectively, elevated the odds of respiratory illnesses (especially epi-asthma cases) by 46-55% in models adjusted for demographics, culturable fungi, and endotoxin. It is not known whether ergosterol can directly induce respiratory health effects or if it is a surrogate measure of exposure to fungi or of another unmeasured exposure related to dampness. However, our finding of associations between ergosterol and health outcomes, independent of culturable fungi, suggests that measuring both ergosterol and culturable fungi may be important to fully understand health effects associated with fungal exposure in epidemiologic studies.
In the building we studied, which had a long history of water damage, the first major construction activity related to water incursion began in 2000, with repair of roof copings and brick caulking. From 2000 to 2002 cubicle partitions and carpets were cleaned, wetted carpet and stained wallboard replaced, wall-paper and underlying mold removed from bathrooms, upgrades to the air handling system made, and windows caulked. We found that the levels of culturable fungi in dust sampled in 2002, 7 months after the 2001 questionnaire survey, were low compared with those in other studies of office buildings (Chao et al. 2001), school buildings (Ebbehoj et al. 2005), and residential buildings (Hicks et al. 2005) with no apparent water damage. Before our study, the historical levels of fungi were higher. For example, three consultant reports on 20 surface dusts from 2000 to 2001 showed a range of 4,700-7,800,000 CFU/g as compared to our current study range of 276-1,200,000 CFU/g in floor dust (Occupational Risk Control Services, unpublished data). Furthermore, fungal contamination was found in the walls. We surmise that the relative differences in occupant exposure and fungal profile in the dust at individual workstations might have remained even though the remediation action changed the absolute levels of microbial contaminants. This would explain the association between the fungal exposure and health effects even at the low absolute levels of fungi in the dust.
The fungal profile in our dust samples was predominantly hydrophilic and mesophilic fungi. At the time of our study, the carpet and chairs generally showed low Aw (0.18-0.8, with a mean of 0.5). Historical reports indicated that the building had extensive water damage in the past, and our fungal profile analyses support that there must have been wet conditions. Hydrophilic fungi are not likely to become predominant unless wet conditions persist for an extended time (Flannigan and Miller 2001). In a study of houses without water damage, water-indicator fungi (Chaetomium spp., Ulocladium spp., and Stachybotrys spp.) were largely absent from air and dust samples (Horner 2004). Furthermore, because the spores of the four most dominant fungi we found in both floor and chair dusts (yeasts, Aureobasidium pullulans, Alternaria alternata, and Epicoccum nigrum) have long survival times (Flannigan and Miller 2001), they can remain in relatively dry conditions as indicators of past dampness.
Several different fungal genera and species have been used as indicators of water-damaged indoor environments (Burge and Otten 1999; Flannigan and Miller 2001). We know of no source that lists the water activities for all fungi. Furthermore, minimum and optimum Aw for growth of individual fungal species can differ depending on environmental conditions, such as temperature and nutrient availability (Burge and Otten 1999). We categorized mesophilic and hydrophilic fungi based on three reports (Burge and Otten 1999; Flannigan and Miller 2001; Grant et al. 1989), and thus we may have some misclassification. However, because most of the fungi with prevalence of > 10% were classifiable based on those reports, the misclassification in Aw categorization is not likely to change our findings in the study.
In conclusion, we showed that among employees in a building with a long history of water damage, respiratory symptoms and post-occupancy asthma were strongly associated with fungi in a linear exposure-response manner, especially the levels of hydrophilic fungi (including yeasts) in dust. These findings extend the conclusions of insufficient evidence for the development of asthma in relation to the presence of mold or other agents in damp indoor environments reported by the Institute of Medicine (2004). Because the markers (total culturable fungi, hydrophilic fungi, and ergosterol) of potential mold exposure were associated with health outcomes, we suggest that further research to understand respiratory health effects in water-damaged indoor environments include measurements of both ergosterol and speciated culturable fungi in dust.
We thank the NIOSH field team for their assistance with data collection; E. Storey and her colleagues at the University of Connecticut for their help with the study; M. Virji and Y.Y. Iossifova for reviewing the manuscript; and all study participants, agency management, and labor unions in the building.
The findings and conclusions in this paper have not been formally disseminated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.
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Written By: Ju-Hyeong Park, Jean M. Cox-Ganser, Kathleen Kreiss, Sandra K. White, and Carol Y. Rao
Date Posted: 2008-05-07
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I am a Master's level Registered Nurse with more than 20 years of nursing experience and I must say I LOVE nursing. Nonetheless, creating cakes and desserts has quickly become a passion for me as well. Not to mention, I absolutely love partaking in a delectable dessert delight!
As a mother, and a grandmother, I always envisioned and carried out over-the-top themes for my kids' parties. Everything had to be unique, planned out, and fabulous. When I couldn't find cakes that met my vision at an affordable price, I started to make them myself. Now, creating cakes has become apart of who I am. Being able to make the dreams of other people come true is so rewarding to me. I am completely self taught and am continuously perfecting my craft with tips and techniques from fellow cake artists around the world.
Designing and creating one-of-a-kind cakes and treats is not only a personal passion of mine, but also a necessity in creating memories that will last a lifetime. Adding an original, personalized touch to a cake will do just that. I enjoy bringing new designs to life and am inspired to always do more. Thats exactly what I want to do for you!
Thank you for your interest in our cakery. Feel free to browse the site and get inspired by our treats and sweets featuring creamy, mouthwatering icings and fluffy, flavorful baked yumminess! Contact us with any questions concerning your customized sweet item. We'll be happy to help!


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Remember how my Rize of the Eldrazi PR went? If now, check this out to see my constructed deck. I joined the Regionals last Saturday and it was really nice to be back playing MTG again. There were more than 190 players who participated the event and it was also good to reconnect with familiar players and long-time friends.
My first game was a match with a Bant Conscription who was able to play 3rd-turn Baneslayer. With that, I already know my fate. Yeah, + Sovereigns of Lost Alara + Eldrazi Conscription. I have no main PTE. Fail!
Now I am hating my MVP from last PR of RoE.
Read the full story here…


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Sweatshirt | Joggers | Baby Bodysuit | PantsI am still trying to adjust to being a mom of three. There have been many sleepless nights, and running on fumes. Each of my boys are in a different stage of life, so each one requires a different type of energy from me. Cameron is on his way to be a preteen (working on him being more responsible), Calvin is my bossy toddler, and then Cyrus my newborn. Trying to meet the needs to each child will take time to master. Though sleep deprived I am loving every moment of being with my children.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Labels: LIFE
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Pizza Theory
In Pizza Theory, you and your friends engage in a toppings fracas to determine whose toppings will reign supreme! Hold the anchovies!!!
Create a pizza with your favourite toppings and then cut it into slices dominated by your ingredients. Of course your opponents are trying to do the same thing at the same time.
Choosing the right places to slice will achieve a victory and all the pizza you can eat. Making the wrong choices will cost you the win and leave you hungering for more. Only one player can create the perfect pizza. The others must figure out where their theory went wrong.
It may be as "easy as pi" to play, but can YOU come out on top?
• 1 Pizza Game Board
• 3 Pizza Cutters (wooden sticks in the 3 player colours)
• 3 Wooden Dice in the 3 player colours (showing the numbers 1-6)
• 48 Pizza Toppings (16 cardboard disks showing toppings in the 3 player colours)
• Rules
Designed by: Brian Powers, Greg Powers
Published by: Eagle Games
Genres: Abstract
Ages: 6 and up
Players: 2 to 3
Playing Time: 15 minutes
Year: 2012


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Dangerous goods are goods that are dangerous, flammable, explosive, volatile, offensive or are of a damaging nature in the eyes of the Fastway Courier Franchisee. Usually dangerous goods have a dangerous good label or diamond on them.
Restrictions also apply to certain types of goods we carry. These goods are specified in our Conditions of carriage.


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The QM-Elite brand sets QuickMedical apart from other distributors and suppliers. The new products are specially designed and marketed for a wide range of uses and a variety of applications.
Issquah, WA (PRWEB) November 16, 2011
Since 1993, QuickMedical has been a leader in medical equipment and supply distribution throughout the United States. The new QM Elite products, manufactured exclusively for QuickMedical, help meet the needs of healthcare, long-term care, and dental professionals as well as professionals in the manufacturing and environmental industries.
"With the use of inks and fast drying solvents, it is very important that we protect the hands of those working with the printing press," said Mike Daigle, CEO of Northwest Publishing Center in Seattle, Washington. "The new sturdy QM-Elite nitrile gloves provide our workers with that extra margin of safety."
"The new QM-Elite exam gown has been a real success," said Loren Timmons, Director of Marketing at QuickMedical. "Our gown is 60 grams in weight making it heavier than most standard exam gowns; it has been found to be ideal for use in chemotherapy clinics, laboratories, industry, and home use."
QM-Elite brand sets QuickMedical apart from other distributors and suppliers. The new products are specially designed and marketed for a wide range of uses and a variety of applications.The multipurpose QM-Elite non-sterile nitrile gloves fill the needs for a number of health care, manufacturing, home and industrial uses.
Scott Hanna, President and CEO at QuickMedical said, "Having our own brand of products makes sense for us and our customers. Our QM-Elite brand allows us to better meet the needs of our customers and provide them with high quality products designed and manufactured to meet their specific needs."
About QuickMedical:
With great pricing, same day shipping and a low price guarantee, QuickMedical® has the professional medical equipment used by healthcare professionals, industry and home. Look for a complete line of diagnostic equipment, exam tables, weighing, measuring devices, and medical basics such as stethoscopes, thermometers, and sphygmomanometers. QuickMedical® also offers a wide selection of professional medical supplies; everything from patient care, to blood testing, to exam room products. At QuickMedical you'll find affordable QM-Elite disposables and medical supplies for the clinic, hospital, industrial or home care environment. Sign-up here or below to join our newsletter mailing.


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Agency News: Acxiom Wins Guardian; MEC Hires Digital Director, West
Guardian News & Media wants global customer database.
Guardian News & Media wants global customer database.
Guardian News & Media Taps Acxiom for Global Database. The multi-year contract will generate customer profiles with audience preferences and behavior. The publisher of The Guardian and The Observer says it aims "to place open journalism on the web at the heart of its strategy and drive deeper engagement with its audiences."
Acxiom recently scored a new CEO, Scott Howe, who hails from Microsoft and aQuantive.
McCann New York Lays Off. Agency has let go a significant number of staff recently, according to reports. Some stories put the tally of dismissed staffers at 4 percent of the office.
MEC N.A. Hires Petrickova. Media agency MEC North America hired Jitka Petrickova as managing director, digital West. Petrickova was most recently VP, audience strategy and intelligence at Cadreon, where she pushed the company's audience based planning model across the client portfolio.
NeboWeb Rebrands. Atlanta-based agency has taken the name Nebo Agency and launched a new site. It specializes in web design, development, search marketing, and pay per click advertising.


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I started with Dr. Yakely at Audubon Veterinary Clinic, in 1994 as a receptionist. I have worn many hats in my years with Animal Eye Clinic; from receptionist to veterinary assistant and most recently as the practice manager. I completed my bachelor degree in Organizational Management from Whitworth University in 2010.
I am blessed to work with so many talented people and in an environment where everyone cares about each other and our patients. Animal Eye Clinic has a compassionate and dedicated group of people who are committed to providing the best care possible to all of our patients and their families.
My hobbies include winter steelhead fishing, hunting, backpacking, and reading. My husband and I have three grown children and are enjoying ourselves as "empty nesters." We have a geriatric lab, Dixie, and an 8 year old Boston 'terrorist', Maggie. Maggie is a skilled passenger on our riding lawnmower and Dixie is a a master at riding on the back of the 4-wheeler.


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Nestled Within Arab City Limits Awaits This Adorable Split Foyer Home That Offers Privacy, Space And Convenience Of Town.... More Info
The data relating to Huntsville AL Real Estate on this Web site derive in part from the Valley MLS IDX datashare program. Listings marked with the ValleyMls logo are provided courtesy of the Huntsville Alabama Real Estate Information Service, Inc. (ValleyMls) IDX Database. © 2015 Valley MLS, Inc. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.


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In a country where about 60 percent of the voting eligible population votes during presidential elections, approximately 40 percent votes during midterm elections and in a city where just over 25 show up for mayoral elections, Doña Carmen Castro looked extravagant and inspirational early Sunday morning.
Castro, a Costa Rican expatriate who owns voting privileges in the U.S. and her country of origin, glowed as she stepped through the Trenton Transit Center, en route to Newark where she would vote in her country's presidential election.
A Trenton resident and U.S. citizen for almost 32 years, Castro called her chance to vote "an opportunity", "a right", and "privilege".
Castro stands as a reason detractors push back against Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals known as "Dreamers." Approximately, 800,000 residents brought to the U.S. as children, have grabbed a hold of our freedom to show what can be achieved with perseverance, hard work and determination.
These conversations about immigrants involved in the hijacking of job opportunities includes an embarrassing fact that many undocumented people work harder than those born here with papers and all rights reserved for those who take their first breaths here.
U.S. citizens remind us of that child with a room packed with toys that never receive attention. Then, a visiting child arrives and picks up that neglected toy and finds delight in the newness of the play thing as the resident child throws a tantrum.
Doña Carmen Castro and many others like her, have embraced this nation's freedom with a joy and understanding that our nation provides a wealth of opportunity, freedom and free stuff whether it connects to libraries, parks or voting.
Imagine, voting in two presidential elections, including one that requires an early wakeup call followed by a 45-minute ride, a walk to the Best Western Hotel conference room to cast a vote, followed by a return ride to Trenton.
Castro said she wanted to add her voice and vote to what's going on in her country of origin. Costa Ricans engage in a national debate on gay rights, including same-sex marriage.
Thirteen candidates appeared on the ballot which required one to receive 40-percent of the vote to secure the presidency.
The election crystalized on the LBGTQ issue as Fabricio Alavado, a television journalist turned religious singer gained 25 percent of the vote while Carlos Alvardao Quesada, who supports same-sex marriage, earned nearly 22-percent.
The two men will face off again in an April 1 runoff.
Expect Doña Carmen Castro to be back in the Trenton Transit Center and headed off to Newark to celebrate her dual citizenship and opportunities to have a voice and vote in the future of two countries.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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If you are travel savviest, then you might hear about Airbnb,
formerly known as Airbed and Breakfast.
The main thing that differs Airbnb from others is you may generate money in the simplest way from your extra space and able to discover thousands of interesting places to stay around the world.
It makes the world's local area as travel-friendly by using your smartphone app.
With over 450,000 listings in more than 34,000 cities,
Airbnb connects you with the experience that's right for you. Message hosts and guests, gush over your itinerary, explore fairy-tale destinations and add unforgettable digs to your Wish List. Make that penthouse or tree-house your next home…or open up your own space to travelers.
But how Airbnb becomes one of the best travel geeks, obviously it has crossed a lot of barriers which make a history. Airbnb can be the perfect role model of every startup where they can learn from.
This post is going to show you how Airbnb make this happen. Let's see how!
In 2007, It's all about which start from San Francisco…
Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia the founder member of Airbnb-
Trending Decisions makes them to the next stairs to go!
Making A Website
Hiring An Engineer
In Summer, 2008
They coordinate the launch of the company, then called Airbed & Breakfast, around the Democratic National Convention.They wanted to take advantage of the hotel room shortage.
Joining to Y Combinator
Changing the Brand Name as for smart Branding
In Spring, 2009
The company lands a $600k seed round from Sequoia Capital and Y Ventures and finally stops eating left-over cereal.
But Fred Wilson, however, rejects the idea.
In Summer, 2009
The site continues growing, and 15 people now work out of Chesky and Gebbia's San Francisco loft.
In Summer, 2009
Chesky stays exclusively in Airbnb's for a few months before they can get into a new office space, learning valuable first-hand information about the service.
In Spring, 2010
But something's still missing.
In Spring, 2010
Brian and Joe fly to New York to try something new.
In Spring, 2010
They go door-to-door and take professional photographs of listings in New York themselves, and find that those listings receive 2x – 3x the bookings.
In Summer, 2010
Airbnb officially launches a Photography program, allowing hosts to automatically schedule a professional photographer to take nice photos of their space. They only have 20 photographers on the platform, but it takes off.
In Winter, 2010
Airbnb secures $7.2 million in Series A from Jeremy Stoppelman, Elad Gil, SV Angel, Y Ventures, Keith Rabois, Greylock Partners, and Sequoia Capital.
In Spring, 2011
In a year, the company had seen 800 percent growth in nights booked, with listings in 89 different countries.
In Spring, 2011
The company hits 1 million nights booked.
In Summer, 2011
Airbnb introduces Social Connections, letting users integrate their social networks for extra verification and general comfort among the community.
In Summer, 2011
At this point, the company is really off and running.
Airbnb makes its first acquisition, buying up German clone called Accoleo.
In Summer, 2011
Airbnb joins the $billion club with a $112 million Series B round from Andreessen Horowitz, Digital Sky Technologies, General Catalyst Partners, Jeff Bezos, Ashton Kutcher, and CrunchFund.
In Summer, 2011
Ashton Kutcher joins the advisory board.
In Summer, 2011
Three days after the announcement of the funding, Airbnb has its moment of truth.
In Summer, 2011
A host by the name of EJ comes home to find her place totally trashed, with everything of value stolen.
In Summer, 2011
Initially, the company refused to help out or assist EJ. That plan backfired.
In Summer, 2011
So the company said sorry and promised to help out EJ. "Anything to make her life easier," they said.
In Summer, 2011
And then something similar happened to another host. "There were meth pipes everywhere."
In Summer, 2011
So the company issues an unconditional apology and announces a $50,000 guarantee to hosts to cover any damages they might incur.
In Spring, 2012
Airbnb kicks off 2012 with an Android app launch. At this point, the company has now had over 1 million guests use the service, with 120,000 listings on the site.
Download From: Google PlayStore | iOS AppStore
In Spring, 2012
Ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Airbnb acquires Crashpadder as part of its international growth push.
In Summer, 2012
As the Airbnb community grows, the team realizes they need to take extra steps to protect users. They introduce the $1 million Host Guarantee.
In Fall, 2012
Hurricane Sandy hits, leaving thousands of people in New York without proper housing. Airbnb encourages NY hosts to lower their rates and welcome people into their space.
In Winter, 2012
Airbnb acquires Localmind.
In Winter, 2012
Airbnb overtakes Hilton Hotels in nights booked. The company now has over 4 million guests on the service, and 300,000 listings in 192 different countries.
In Summer, 2013
Things seem to be going pretty well for Airbnb.
In Summer, 2013
Until NYC-based user, Nigel Warren is fined $2,400 for hosting Airbnb guests in his apartment. The company helped pay his legal expenses while fighting the fine.
In Summer, 2013
And so begins a legal tug-of-war that would last for a year between the state of New York and Airbnb. But Airbnb continues to grow, announcing 9 million guests served, up from 4 million just 8 months earlier.
In Spring, 2014
After hitting 10 million guests on the platform with 550,000 properties listed worldwide, Airbnb closes a $500 million Series D round, launching the startup into the $10 billion valuation club.
In Summer 2014
Airbnb announces a massive redesign to its website and mobile apps as well as a new, "modern" logo. Let's cut to the chase. It looks like a vagina. Or a butt. (Both? You decide.) In a moment of sheer obliviousness, (or maybe genius) Airbnb prompts users to create their own renditions of the Bélo with a custom logo generator. These were some that we at TechCrunch created.
In Summer 2014
Airbnb partners with the business expense and travel management company Concur, with the goal of capturing more of the corporate travel market.
In Summer 2014
Airbnb announces a partnership with the cities of San Francisco and Portland as part of an initiative to help communities prepare and respond to emergencies. The agreement states that Airbnb will identify hosts who are willing to help displaced people in the event of an emergency.
Flickr | the.Firebottle
In Fall 2014
Airbnb begins collecting and remitting a 14 percent hotel occupancy fee for guest stays occurring in San Francisco. And then inAmsterdam, San Jose, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
In Winter 2015
TechCrunch learns that Airbnb is raising a monster round at a $20B valuation.
In Spring 2015
Airbnb hires former Dropbox exec Sara Adler as its head of corporate development.
Much to the delight of Ryan Lawler, Airbnb now lets users view listings on tablets.
Spring 2015
Much to the delight of Ryan Lawler, Airbnb now lets users view listings on tablets.
Now Airbnb is one of the best travel based apps in the world for travel savviest people and holds the growth history you didn't know. That's why Airbnb is considered as your role model, it can be! Happy start-ups journey.


text: Things that were important to you yesterday no longer seem quite so important today and by the time this weekend is through they will be of no importance at all. On the work front, especially, does it really matter who is on the way up and who is on the way down? Steer clear of power struggles.


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Computer and Information Technology Services
Information Technology Services (IT Services)
Main office: 302 Hoyt Hall, 513-529-5322
Support Desk: 513-529-7900: email@example.com
ITHelp Knowledge Base: http://ithelp.miamioh.edu
myMiami Web portal: http://mymiami.miamioh.edu
Print center: 513-529-6065: www.miamioh.edu/printcenter
IT Services is the central IT organization at Miami, providing infrastructure and services to all Miami students, faculty, and staff.
All Miami students have access to computing services that enhance their academic experience; these services include wired and wireless network service, Internet access, e-mail, file storage and Web publishing space, specialized labs, etc. For answers to frequently asked questions about technology at Miami, please visit www.miamioh.edu/technologyguide.
Technology Support
Students can find technology and support information around-the-clock via Miami's online IT Help Knowledge Base (ithelp.miamioh.edu). The IT Services Support Desk provides support via phone (513-529-7900), chat (www.miamioh.edu/uit - click the Chat Now link) or email (email@example.com).
Web-Based Services
myMiami (mymiami.miamioh.edu), the university's Web portal, allows students to register for classes, pay bills, check e-mail, access course materials, view university announcements, and much more. Students are encouraged to set myMiami as their browser's home page.
Student Computers
Miami strongly recommends that all students bring a computer to campus. Laptop computers are available through the recommended Miami Notebook Program (www.miamioh.edu/miaminotebook). These laptops are designed and configured to provide easy access to the Miami network and other services. On-campus warranty support and other services are provided free or at a discount for Miami Notebooks. Students who purchase computers outside of the Miami Notebook Program can download the basic software required to use Miami's network services, at no cost, from https://software.miamioh.edu.
Miami provides "Pay-for-Print" printers in many labs and other locations on campus. Please see the IT Help Knowledge Base for details. Additionally, IT Services provides walk up and online digital printing and specialty finishing services via the Print Center, 513-529-6065, www.miamioh.edu/printcenter).