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It requires impressive analytical skills, initiative, a strong work ethic and the ability to deal with complex people and complex issues. For this, you can expect a handsome salary and plenty of scope for career progression for those who work to the required standard. It is much the same story with jobs in other areas of finance as well, although the public image of bankers has arguably yet to recover from the global financial crisis of 2008, even if the economy is well on its way to recovery.
So, accountancy and finance jobs have in the past been attractive propositions. The question is, do they still represent a sound career choice?
The UK has a financial services sector that is the envy of the world, making it one of the best places for accounting and finance jobs. While the last few years have been challenging as a result of the global financial crisis, the UK - and London in particular - is booming, and this is good news for those looking for accounting jobs.
Indeed, a report released earlier this year by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation together with KPMG found that accounting and finance jobs was one sector that saw significant expansion last year. Salaries also climbed in line with those in other sectors as well.
As far as the health of the market is concerned, there is plenty to feel positive about and while nobody can predict the future, London's boom and the wider recovery seen in the rest of the country means that the picture looks bright for the foreseeable future.
For those who have obtained the necessary qualifications, the next step is to search for and secure one of the accounting jobs out there.
Like all sectors where there are lucrative returns to be enjoyed, competition for accountancy and finance jobs is fierce.
This is where specialist financial recruitment firms come in. They know what accountancy firms want in a candidate, which means any prospective accountant needs to get to know them pretty quickly.
There are some steps that people can take to make their CV stand out from the others; using action words to describe previous experiences rather than just stating that they have experience at firm X,Y or Z is one example.
Other things to consider include following up with the recruitment firm regularly and being flexible with regards to taking temporary jobs. With the latter point, many temporary positions become permanent for those who apply themselves, so ruling them out can turn out to be foolish.
While everyone wants to reach the top where the huge salaries are to be found, the old adage of learning to crawl before walking is very much apparent with regards to accounting and finance jobs. Those in entry-level roles should show a willingness to follow a logical career progression and not go for jobs that they have no chance of getting - it is a waste of everyone's time, so simply don't do it.
Mid-level and advanced-level applicants need to accurately describe their experience and give specific details regarding things such as the number of people the person was responsible for and the size of the budgets they managed.
Financial recruitment firms can make life a lot easier; however, by the same token, the applicant needs to make their life easier as well. A polished CV, realistic expectations, flexibility and tenacity tell recruiters that this person is serious - and given that accounting is essentially about managing money, seriousness is a good trait to demonstrate.


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How Big a Footprint Will Drew Curtis Leave on Kentucky's Gubernatorial Race?
Over the last 100 years only two non-major party gubernatorial candidates in the state have received one percent of the vote – and one was a former governor.
Over the last 100 years only two non-major party gubernatorial candidates in the state have received one percent of the vote – and one was a former governor.
The 19 speakers elected since the turn of the 20th Century averaged nearly 24 years of service in the chamber before their first day as speaker – nearly three times that of McCarthy.
Half of the remaining presidential candidates still do not have campaign merchandise available for purchase on their websites, and all but one are struggling mightily in the polls.
Only two major party candidates had a briefer White House campaign than the Wisconsin governor in the modern primary era.
Walker's campaign lasted just 71 days compared to 85 for the former Minnesota governor On Monday afternoon, reports emerged that Scott Walker was exiting the…
With former 2016 presidential front runner Scott Walker registering an eye-opening zero percent in the latest CNN survey of registered Republican voters, speculation will likely…
CNN moderators spoke at less than half the rate of their FOX counterparts in Wednesday evening's prime time debate.
Carney aims to be the fifth sitting or ex-U.S. Representative to become governor of the First State
When John Kline retires at the end of the 114th Congress, he will exit the chamber tied for the 24th longest tenure out of the…
Just one gubernatorial first lady has ever been elected to the U.S. House

subset: commoncrawl


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The 'Mercer Belted Tri-Colour' satchel bag from Michael Kors is a study in understated glamour. Crafted from premium pebbled leather with polished silver tone accents, this timeless design opens to a sizable interior to store all your everyday essentials. Carry by the top handles or go hands free with the detachable strap. Signature Michael Kors branding is seen throughout.
UK Priority Delivery: Delivered within 48 hours Monday -Thursday using courier DPD, Our Priority Delivery charge is £6.99
Standard: Delivery takes 2-4 working Days. (Sent via DPD or Hermes). Our standard delivery charge is £3.49 or Free for orders over £80
Republic Of Ireland / Northern Ireland
Orders take 2-4 working days from despatch date. Our delivery charge is £5 orders are sent by Hermes or UK Mail.
All parcels are despatched on a signed for service, we recommend you do not change this. If you wish to do so Daniel Footwear do not take responsibility for lost items.
This product has not been reviewed yet.


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Nuts by Alice Clayton
Roxie Callahan finally has her chance to move away from her small town and make a name for herself as a private chef in L.A. It all went up in flames over butter and she lost all her clients. Her mother calls asking for her to manage the family diner when her mother has a chance to be on The Amazing Race. So reluctantly, Roxie heads home to help her mom.
There she literally falls into Leo, the sexy, hot local farmer. Continue reading "Nuts"


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Reviews of Okaukuejo Camp
They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
Okaukuejo Camp review
Immediately you are aware this is not a private enterprise! The service is a little patchy lets say.
The waterhole is the best one in Etosha with a continuous stream of animals and birds coming to drink, day and night...take a cool drink yourself (in a glass, not with the animals!) and watch the sunset. We stayed 2 days and any less would be a pity, 3 would be best, particularly if you are a photographer.
If you have to choose which of the 3 Etosha government restcamps to stay at, then this was our best experience of the 3.
Okaukuejo Camp review
We stayed for one night in room 89 and wouldn't have stayed any longer. It was another functional NWR camp, but more like a mini-resort, very busy. The little house was concrete and warm compared to Dolomite but spartan and rather soul-less. There was a bedroom with small sitting/kitchen area and bathroom.
The waterside chalets with upstairs balconies looked much nicer (from the outside anyway!).
There was a good shower but no screen meant the floor flooded. There was no safe.
Lunch was poor but the buffet supper was surprisingly good. The swimming pools looked nice.
The waterhole is the only reason to stay here - we saw giraffe, elephants and six rhino after dark. However, it feels rather staged (there are about 100 people watching at any one time) and unreal and we preferred wildlife-watching in the (in comparison deserted) western part of Etosha. Not many visitors to Etosha appear to realise that the western part of Etosha is now open to tourists (not just guided tours).
We took the early morning guided game drive which was a complete waste of time and money. We think we would have seen more driving ourselves and the guide was uninspiring.
Better than expected
Having read the reviews about surly staff, mediocre food, problems with credit cards, and jackals near the restaurant, we did not have high expectations, particularly since the chalets were fully booked and we only had a double room. But we were pleasantly surprised. Of course, with over 100 rooms and a campsite, the standard of food and service is not going to match that in a lodge with a couple of dozen guests at most. But the room was very good, with plenty of space for luggage and travel paraphernalia, with even a sitting area with two sofas and a low table in between. The bathroom was small but adequate.
The buildings in the camp are well spaced out and it never felt crowded. Eating is cafeteria-style, with a good choice of salads and soup for dinner, two choices of grilled meat with vegetables, followed by a selection of fruit salad, sorbet, or fruit fritters. Not fine dining, but not bad either, and with no problem to pay by credit card. We did make a point of getting to both breakfast and dinner before 7 o'clock, however, after which the queues got a bit longer.
It was convenient to have a post office and general store on site - but be warned, the queues at the store before closing time get very long as campers stock up on beer for their barbecues !
Check-in and check-out were quick and trouble free as far as we were concerned.
Okaukuejo Camp review.
Once again it is very hard to judge this camp following on from somewhere like Camp Kipwe but suffice it to say we were perfectly happy with all that the camp offered.
The individual houses were comfortable, clean & well equipped for staying longer than our 2 nights & had we had the time it would have been fun to make use of the barbecue provided. In fact, the totally informal atmosphere was perfect for spending half the night rooted to the edge of the waterhole!!!!!!
The food was buffet style, perfectly adequate in quality and quantity.
Okaukuejo Camp review
well positioned for the centre of etosha. had a good chalet near to the water hole which was convenient for wildlife watching. food was ok but not a lot of choice.Read more about the whole safari
Excellent accomodation
Accommodation in the waterhole chalet was excellent and most convenient to view the animals at any stage.
Food was below par and not up to standard for this location
Attitude of the staff was shocking in that they showed no interest in assisting tourist needs.
Must stay in Etosha
The perfect place to stay in Etosha. We didn't try the restaurant as we were camping but the other facilities were fine and well looked after. The swimming pools were large and clean, the campsites were a bit closer together than other places but this is to be expected in such a busy place.
The floodlit waterhole itself justifies staying here for a few nights.
Okaukejo - the waterhole camp
We were very pleasantly surprised by this big family-friendly camp. The accommodation (a waterhole chalet) whilst on the small side was comfortable and clean and the room facilities (including the air conditioning) good. The restaurant and communal areas were also good, and well maintained and the food, given the high volume and self service nature of it was excellent. All the staff were friendly and helpful
The star of this camp is obviously the waterhole. With the surrounding seating, floodlighting etc and the abundance of game coming to it throughout the day and night, the stay here was really good
good camp inside etosha
good base to see animals at nearby waterholes or the floodlit waterhole
nice rooms - we didn't miss anything
good pools
good food
The water hole fantastic
This was the least attractive of all the camps. The food was particularly poor compared with others.
The flood lit water hole was the best attraction.The room itself was also of a lower standard than the others.


text: Published Wednesday, 5th December 2012 in Oatridge Campus news Oatridge College (now the Oatridge Campus of Scotland's Rural College, SRUC) has been named Best Tourism Business at the West Lothian Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. It is not common for an educational institution to be considered as a tourism business but Oatridge has proved to be different by pioneering and developing international tourism in West Lothian. The Award recognised two areas of educational tourism which attract hundreds of European students to West Lothian for six weeks every summer: the International Summer Schools for Ecology and Equine Studies and the International Language School. The Schools are delivered by Oatridge staff in partnership with EAC Language Centre, an Edinburgh based language school; Sodexo, who design, manage and deliver on-site catering; and Festival Travel. Adrian Kitchen, Director of Business and Curriculum Development at Oatridge Campus, said: "Oatridge has helped to put West Lothian's educational tourism on the world map. The successful International Language and Summer Schools bring an influx of international students, contributing to the local economy both directly and indirectly. Learners experience well-organised social and cultural events, visit a number of other heritage sites and tourism events that enrich their education and, in turn, benefit business across West Lothian and Scotland during the current economic downturn." Staff from the Oatridge Campus collected their award at a ceremony on Friday 30 November. Photo caption: (L-R) Councillor Tom Conn; David James (SRUC Assistant Principal Further Education); SRUC Oatridge Campus staff Des Martin; Niall Evans and Sharon Anderson. More articles in the news archive.


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For new releases go to
As we transition to our new site, you'll still find some Stats NZ information here on this archive site.
Stats NZ, together with an advisory group of Māori and government agency members, has revised the Iwi statistical standard. The standard provides requirements and guidelines for how to gather, organise, and report iwi and iwi-related groups' information and statistics.
This document provides some answers to questions you may have about how we revised the standard and how it has changed. These questions are grouped by the following topics:
See Iwi statistical standard: Draft April 2017 for the updated standard and to provide feedback on the changes.
We've divided a selection of frequently asked questions into the sections outlined below.
We worked with an advisory group of Māori and government agency members to review and update the iwi standard. This group met regularly through the review to provide expert advice.
We consulted with iwi, Māori, government, researchers, and the public, to get feedback on the descriptions of iwi (concept and definition), conditions for inclusion, classification (list), and guidelines used in the iwi standard. Their wide-ranging feedback helped us develop written recommendations for revising the iwi standard.
See Statistical standard for iwi: consultation and research findings and recommendations for the written recommendations from the review, and a discussion of the review findings.
The original iwi standard was developed in 1994. This latest review is the first review of the whole standard since then. To ensure the standard meets the current and future needs of iwi, Māori, government, and others, we worked with other government agencies and Māori to review the standard.
The changes made to the standard were guided by feedback from people who use the standard and advice from an advisory group of Māori and government agency members. This included feedback on the descriptions of iwi (concept and definition), conditions for inclusion, classification (list), and guidelines used in the iwi standard.
See Discussion of findings from the statistical standard for iwi for a summary of feedback.
The changes made to the standard reflect submissions and feedback that led to recommendations from the review of the iwi standard.
Key changes include:
We worked with an advisory group of Māori and government agency members to make these changes.
No,it's not too late to provide feedback – we want to hear your views.
We are meeting with groups, and inviting email and written submissions on the updated standard between 6 April 2017 and 9am, Monday 15 May 2017.
Much background work was done to support a plan to revise the standard. This included different types of research, gathering feedback from a range of people who use the standard, and discussing our findings with Māori and government agency members. This work was important to ensure changes made to the standard will support iwi, Māori, government, researchers, and others in the future.
See Summary of the iwi statistical standard review to see a timeline of the review and a summary of the work we've published.
The iwi standard will have regular reviews following feedback from iwi, Māori, government, researchers, and others.
We'll update the iwi classification (list) each year, or more often when there is a need. For instance, it may need updating in response to a query from an iwi, Māori authority, government agency, or before a specific collection or survey.
See Classifications and standards review process.
Groups are included in the iwi classification if they are listed as an iwi in another recognised iwi list, such as Te Kāhui Māngai, Tūhono, or the Māori Fisheries Act 2014. We encourage kinship groups that are not in a recognised iwi list to provide information for the group to consider their inclusion.
This includes information about whether a group has:
Together with other government agencies and in partnership with Māori, Stats NZ will consider the information a group provides for inclusion.
Email email@example.com if your group is missing from the iwi classification. Your group will be invited to complete a form, which asks for information about the new conditions for inclusion.
We worked with an advisory group of Māori and government agency members. This group met regularly through the review to provide expert advice. Submissions received from iwi, Māori, government, researchers, and the public also helped us decide what information to consider when adding new groups to the classification (list).
We first used the iwi classification in the 1991 Census. Since then, we've included other iwi groups if they met the criteria in the iwi standard.
We worked with other government agencies and Māori to develop new conditions and a new process for including groups in the iwi classification. This new process is more current, inclusive, and transparent than the previous criteria were.
All groups that were in the previous iwi classification will be in the new one.
See iwi classification. If your group is missing please let us know.
Email firstname.lastname@example.com. Your group will be invited to complete a form, which asks for information about the new conditions for inclusion.
Iwi-related groups are defined as whakapapa-based kinship groupings with a Māori descent line, such as a waka grouping or confederation. Groups such as these were in the previous classification.
We haven't added hapū to the iwi classification. For statistical purposes, groups are included in the iwi classification if they fit the description (concept and definition) of iwi used in the standard. However, outside Stats NZ, there may be debate about the hapū or iwi status of a particular group. For the iwi classification, we use the conditions for inclusion and expert advice provided by Māori advisors and other government members to classify a group as an iwi.
Some groups in the iwi classification might not be considered to be an iwi in every situation, such as in legislation, by other recognised iwi lists, or by other Māori authorities.
Our classification may differ from other lists because, in other situations, different definitions and conditions are used to include groups in iwi lists.
The iwi classification covers whakapapa-based kinship groupings. Non-kinship Māori groupings, such as urban marae, aren't included in the classification because they don't meet this condition.
When they answer a question on iwi and there is a write-in box for collection, some people may write the names of non-kinship Māori groupings they belong to. This information can be requested from Stats NZ, but it may not be available from other agencies and organisations.
Iwi and iwi-related groups in the classification will have access to information about themselves through our different products, services, and tools. Other government agencies and collections may offer access to different products and services.
You can access census information from Stats NZ on Māori groupings that aren't in the iwi standard classification by requesting the 'response list report' for your group. This may involve a cost. A response list report provides the number of written responses to the iwi question that are whakapapa-based.
If the numbers don't cause a privacy or confidentiality concern by allowing a person to be identified, the response report can include more information, such as age, sex, occupation, or areas where people live.
Information on groups that aren't in the iwi standard classification may not be available from other organisations and agencies.
See Privacy, security, and confidentiality of information supplied to Statistics NZ for our guidelines around confidentiality and privacy.
See 2013 Census confidentiality rules and how they are applied. The confidentiality rules for the planned 2018 Census are not yet decided.
Government agencies other than Stats NZ have their own processes for providing support and access to iwi information.
Iwi information from Stats NZ is available online or through a customised request.
Iwi information in different formats, or with extra information (eg age, sex, or occupation), can be accessed through a customised data request. This may involve a cost.
We also have a Data Lab for approved researchers to access confidentialised person-level data for specific research projects.
Use the information request form, or phone (0508 525 525) or email (firstname.lastname@example.com) us if you need help using our online tools or finding the iwi statistics you are looking for.
We will provide a range of information for iwi, Māori, and other people using 2018 Census data. Some information may look different from previous censuses, such as iwi profiles, as we move to improve what we provide.
The Census team is working to confirm the information and format that will be available.
We are developing a new online tool for you to access iwi and Māori information and statistics. An early version of this tool can be accessed on the Stats NZ Alpha website.
The iwi tool brings together information from the 2013 Census and the 2013 Te Kupenga survey. We will update the tool with information as it comes to hand through our surveys.
You will be able to interact with the information and group it by different topics, such as te reo, education, and social well-being. We are developing other features as part of the new iwi tool.
The integrated data infrastructure (IDI) is a large research database that includes information from many sources, such as government agencies, non-government agencies, and census. This information is used by approved researchers to answer research, policy, and evaluation questions.
Iwi information from census is available in the IDI, but there is very little iwi information in the IDI from other sources.
See Integrated data infrastructure for more information about the IDI.
Researchers must go through our official approval process to gain access to information in the IDI. Researchers get access only to the information related to their research. Research applications are assessed and a final decision is made by the Government Statistician or their delegate.
The Government Statistician must be satisfied that:
Any research and researcher has a tough screening process to gain access to IDI information. No person can be identifiable in the information a researcher has access to.
See How we keep IDI data safe using the Five Safes framework.
See Privacy, security, and confidentiality of information supplied to Statistics NZ for Stats NZ's guidelines around confidentiality and privacy.
The chief use of the iwi classification is to provide statistical information for iwi, Māori, government, and other people working with Māori. Other agencies and organisations may use the classification for different purposes.
We suggest you raise any concern about settlements directly with the Office of Treaty Settlements.
Iwi groupings affected by a decrease in their population, due to a new category being introduced, will have the option of adding that new category into their count. Doing this will make iwi statistics produced using the updated classification comparable with those from the previous version.
Time series provide a count of responses over the different years a survey or collection is run. Adding new iwi and iwi-related groups to the iwi classification may affect time-series information.
Time series may change when the classification is updated because some responses will go to a new category or categories. This decreases the numbers in their original iwi categories.
We may use back-casting when we add a new iwi or iwi-related group to the classification, and their information from past surveys or collections is available. Back-casting means that responses from past collections are counted in the new category rather than the former iwi category. In this way the group added to the classification can have their information from past surveys or collections.
We will develop a concordance (mapping) that links iwi categories between different versions of the classification. This shows where iwi groups have been split, or combined, between the different classification versions. This concordance will be available for agencies and organisations.
People who collect and report information and statistics on iwi and iwi-related groups will be using this standard. They include iwi, Māori, government, other organisations, and researchers.
Māori and iwi data experts have helped build the new standard; it is available for iwi looking to gather information about themselves. Iwi will decide if they wish to use this standard for their registers.
Using the iwi standard allows iwi and iwi-related groups' statistics to be compared across surveys and collections. To ensure iwi information is comparable across government, all government agencies that collect iwi information should use the standard.
We don't yet have an approach for applying iwi and iwi-related groupings to Māori business, but we will work towards developing an approach in the future.
Iwi information is collected to support decision-making.
Part of our role as the country's national statistics office is to provide iwi information and statistics. Iwi, Māori, and government use this information to support decision-making and to monitor well-being and development. Aside from collecting iwi information, we also acknowledge the unique position of Māori as tangata whenua, and the obligations the Treaty of Waitangi places on us as New Zealand's national statistics office.
Other government agencies that collect iwi information include: the Ministry of Education, the Office of Treaty Settlements, and the Ministry of Social Development. For example, the Ministry of Education collects iwi information from students in early childhood services, schools, and tertiary institutions.
For systems and questionnaires that aren't limited by space, we recommend you have the option to record as many iwi as possible. Where there are limitations, we recommend providing the option for people to record at least three iwi.
Yes. You can write the names of the Māori groupings you belong to – the reference list does not name all iwi and iwi-related groups.
The iwi classification is for collecting iwi and iwi-related groupings, but in some systems where you are able to write in your iwi we can retrieve any response given in answer to the iwi question. This means if you write an urban Māori grouping or marae, then we can count those responses.
Stats NZ is looking to develop a classification (list) for non-kinship Māori groupings, such as urban marae, in the future.
Written recommendations from the review outlined other areas for future work. These include:
We will consider approaches for progressing this work.
A standard provides a consistent approach for collecting and reporting information on a specific topic, such as iwi. Standards include information on the descriptions (concept and definition), and conditions for inclusion. By following a standard, information on a topic is collected and reported in a consistent way.
A classification is created from a topic's description (concept and definition), but can also be formed from the answers (data) to a topic question. The classification groups the topic information into categories (a list) that are meaningful for people using statistical information.
See What are classifications and standards for more information on classifications and standards.
See Statistical standard for iwi: 2016 review for more information about the review and the papers we have published.
Clusters of whānau (families) where the whānau is usually an extended family grouping consisting of children, parents, often grandparents, and other closely related kin.
iwi-related groups
Kinship groupings with a shared Māori descent line, such as a waka grouping or confederation.
A traditional meeting place for whānau, hapū, and iwi members (Abridged from: Te Kāhui Māngai).
non-kinship grouping Non-kinship groups connect people of Māori descent, but are not bound by ancestral lineage. Non-kinship groups are typically locality-based.
Genealogy, genealogical table, lineage, descent — reciting whakapapa was, and is, an important skill and reflected the importance of genealogies in Māori society in terms of leadership, land and fishing rights, kinship and status. It is central to all Māori institutions (Abridged from: Māori dictionary).
A family or extended family (Source: Te Kāhui Māngai).
Statistics New Zealand (2015). Crown–Māori engagement and statistical information needs. Retrieved from www.stats.govt.nz.
Statistics New Zealand (2016). New Zealand literature review of Māori groupings. Retrieved from www.stats.govt.nz.
Statistics New Zealand (2016). How should iwi and Māori identity groups be measured across government? A consultation paper. Retrieved from www.stats.govt.nz.
Statistics New Zealand (2016). Discussion of findings from the 2016 review of the statistical standard for iwi. Retrieved from www.stats.govt.nz.
Statistics New Zealand (2016). Recommendations from the 2016 review of the statistical standard for iwi. Retrieved from www.stats.govt.nz.
Moorfield, J (nd). Māori dictionary. Retrieved from http://Māoridictionary.co.nz.
Te Puni Kōkiri (nd). Te Kāhui Māngai: Directory of iwi and Māori organisations. Retrieved from www.tkm.govt.nz.
Updated 2 May 2017


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Efficient Generation of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells in the Cultures of hESC
Efficient Differentiation of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells from hESC
Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are damaged in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), so Dr. Wei Liu and colleagues aim to efficiently generate RPE cells from the H1 human embryonic stem cell (hESC) cultures by adding active regulatory molecules to the cell-culture medium. This program is based on the recent findings that these active regulatory molecules promote embryonic RPE development. The team plans to develop a more efficient protocol for the generation of RPE cells for a future stem cell-based strategy in treating AMD.
Dr. Wei Liu and colleagues aim to identify the regulatory molecules that promote the generation of RPE cells by using cultures of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Liu plans to use the H1 hESC line, which is among the most extensively studied and characterized.
AMD is characterized by progressive dysfunction and degeneration of the aging RPE and photoreceptor (light-detecting) cells in the macular region, leading to impairment and loss of central, high-acuity vision. RPE cells closely interact with photoreceptors and are crucial for photoreceptor functions and survival. While anti-VEGF eye injection treatments have been developed for wet AMD, no effective treatment is available for dry AMD.
Stem cell-based strategies in treating and modeling of AMD are emerging as a new frontier in this field. The current protocols for the generation of RPE cells in hESC or hiPSC cultures are still inefficient. More efficient generation of RPE cells from either hESCs or iPSCs cultures are needed to advance the potential clinical applications of current stem cell-based research.
Liu has recently identified the key pathways that regulate embryonic RPE development; manipulating these pathways could help improve the efficiency of RPE cell production in hESC- or hiPSC-derived cultures. The novelty of this project is to determine the roles of these regulatory molecules in stimulating hESC or hiPSC to change into RPE cells, which has not been evaluated before. This project helps to bring the field closer to a potential stem cell-based strategy for treatment of AMD, in which RPE cells are impaired and degenerated.
About the Researcher
Lowe A, Harris R, Bhansali P, Cvekl A, Liu W. Intercellular Adhesion-Dependent Cell Survival and ROCK-Regulated Actomyosin-Driven Forces Mediate Self-Formation of a Retinal Organoid. Stem Cell Reports. 2016 May 10;6(5):743-56. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.03.011. Epub 2016 Apr 28.
Shi J, Dong Y, Cui MZ, Xu X. Lysophosphatidic acid induces increased BACE1 expression and Aβ formation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2013 Jan;1832(1):29-38.
Li T, Zeng L, Gao W, Cui MZ, Fu X, Xu X. PSAP induces a unique Apaf-1 and Smac-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway independent of Bcl-2 family proteins. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 Nov 30.
Zeng L, Li T, Xu DC, Liu J, Mao G, Cui MZ, Fu X, Xu X. Death receptor 6 induces apoptosis not through type I or type II pathways, but via a unique mitochondria-dependent pathway by interacting with Bax protein. J Biol Chem. 2012
Aug 17;287(34):29125-33
Mao G, Cui MZ, Li T, Jin Y, Xu X. Pen-2 is dispensable for endoproteolysis of presenilin 1, and nicastrin-Aph subcomplex is important for both γ-secretase assembly and substrate recruitment. J Neurochem. 2012 Dec;123(5):837-44.
First published on: July 10, 2012
Last modified on: May 23, 2016


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Gallup reports a continued decrease in the percentage of Americans without health insurance, including a drop in uninsured young people:
The percentage of Americans without health insurance continues to fall, measuring 15.9% so far in 2014 compared with 17.1% in the fourth quarter of 2013.
These data are based on more than 28,000 interviews with Americans from Jan. 2-Feb. 28, 2014, as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. With only a few weeks remaining in the first quarter, the uninsured rate is on track to be the lowest quarterly level that Gallup and Healthways have measured since 2008.
The uninsured rate has been declining since the fourth quarter of 2013, after hitting an all-time high of 18.0% in the third quarter. The uninsured rate for the first quarter of 2014 so far includes a 16.2% reading for January and 15.6% for February.
Uninsured Rate Declines Most Among Lower-Income and Black Americans
The uninsured rate for almost every major demographic group has dropped in 2014 so far. The percentage of uninsured Americans with an annual household income of less than $36,000 has dropped the most — by 2.8 percentage points — to 27.9% since the fourth quarter of 2013, while the percentage of uninsured blacks has fallen 2.6 points to 18.3%. Hispanics remain the subgroup most likely to lack health insurance, with an uninsured rate of 37.9%.
The percentage of uninsured has declined across all age groups this year, except for those aged 65 and older. The uninsured rate for that group has likely remained stable because most Americans aged 65 and older have Medicare.
The uninsured rate among 26- to 34-year olds and 35- to 64-year olds continues to decline — now at 26.6% and 16.3%, respectively. The February Enrollment Report released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted no significant changes in young adults' enrollment in the health exchanges since its December report, with the cumulative total enrollment rate among 18- to 34-year-olds hovering at 25%…
The uninsured rate continues to decline after the requirement to have health insurance went into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. This drop could be a result of the ACA, which aims to provide healthcare coverage to more Americans through multiple provisions, including federal and state healthcare marketplaces where Americans can purchase health insurance coverage at competitive rates.
At the end of February, HHS reported 4 million people have signed up for health insurance coverage through the marketplaces established under the ACA. With the open enrollment period scheduled to close on March 31, the uninsured rate in the U.S. will likely continue to fall. Additionally, healthcare aides in the Obama administration announced on Wednesday that Americans will be able to renew old health insurance plans for up to three years, even if the plans do not comply with ACA policies. Other provisions of the healthcare law have not yet gone into effect, such as the requirement for employers to provide health insurance to their employees by 2015 or 2016. These provisions also may affect the uninsured rate over time.
These numbers remain lower than ultimately desired but do show a significant improvement, and further enrollment in the exchanges is expected during March, after the period of this survey. Further enrollment by young, healthy adults would be advantageous, but with enrollment at current numbers the Affordable Care Act would remain viable. Some states also had delayed implementation of Medicaid expansion due to initial political opposition by Republicans (with some states continuing to refuse to expand Medicaid). For example, Michigan is not accepting applications for the expanded Medicaid program until after April 15, 2014, which should further add to the newly insured.
Most likely enrollment will also continue to increase substantially in future years. Initial implementation of the original Medicare program and Medicare Advantage plans were also hampered by problems and took time to get established. This year enrollment under policies provided under through the exchanges was hindered by additional factors including the initial computer problems and a campaign by opponents of the law to dissuade the uninsured from enrolling.
Numbers regarding reduction in the number of uninsured would provide one parameter regarding the success of the Affordable Care Act, but there are many other numbers to look at. This includes no longer having people lose their insurance due to developing serious medical problems or losing their job, no longer having people denied health care coverage due to pre-existing conditions, no longer having people declaring bankruptcy because of losing insurance, the number of people who no longer having caps on health care coverage, the number freed from the "insurance trap" forcing people who otherwise do not need to work to continue working for insurance coverage, along with the overall benefits to the economy. The Congressional Budget Office Report, frequently distorted by Republicans, shows that the Affordable Care Act will reduce unemployment, help decrease the deficit, and allow more people to leave large corporations to start small businesses.
Cross posted at The Moderate Voice


text:
Portland General Electric linemen and woman outside Timberline Lodge
- OrgLot151_PGE57-320-8
- Item
- 1957
Photograph looking downhill, showing two men in hardhats and a woman in the snow. One of the men is seated with the woman in the snow, attaching snow shoes to her feet, while she turns and looks at the camera. The other two men can be seen downhill walking towards the Timberline Lodge, which is visible in the distance. A decorative weather vane can be seen on top of the building, and a ski lift and wooden platform are on the right side of the frame. Written on the negative is "57-320."


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Hello stampin' friends! Just a quick post to share a card that I made for the My Favourite Things, Wednesday Stamp Club Challenge # 58! Today is my Mom's b-day so I took the opportunity to use this week's gorgeous sketch and made her this birthday card!
I have been neglecting my super cute MFT A La Mode girlies lately and my Mom always loved the TV show, I dream of Jeannie, so I inked up this CUTE ALM Genie and I coloured her with my Copics markers. I teamed her up with this beautiful Lily Bee paper pad, Head Over Heels, and I used several MFT Die-namics Dies too. I used my 1/4 Rosette Die and followed this video tutorial by Joanne to make this mini Rosette which was the perfect size for my card and I used the circle parts of the Fishtail Banner Die-namics to add to the centre of the rosette. I also used the crown border Die-namics and stamped one of the sentiments from the ALM Genie stamp set on white card cut with the ribbon die from the First Place Award Ribbon Die-namics. To embellish I sprinkled some gems here and there and used my Sakura Star Dust pen for a little glitter to the ALM Genie girlie.
Here is the inside of this card....I stamped the ALM Genie again in Rose Bud Memento ink and used the Layered Labels Die-namics Die and another one of the sweet sentiments that comes in the ALM Genie Stamp set.
Well, I think my mom is going to like her card...I know I'm quite happy with how it turned out! Thanks so much for stopping by and having a wee peek at my card for the MFTWSC58!
Have a stampin' great day!!!


text:
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Waiting for packages...
I'm waiting for:
Dayna's (2 glows and 2 blushes)
Silk Naturals (1 gloss, 1 FO brush)
CYS (I posted it previously)
a gift package from Eyeko
my prize of 3 Rimmel mascaras from Toma for winning her contest (Makeup Masala).
That's a lot huh?
I was also able to order from Lumiere (together with Joyce) the other day when they extended their sale since the code wouldn't work on the supposedly last day of sale. We got 35% off our combined order, woo-hoo!
I got the following:
** All photos grabbed from the Lumiere website.
- 3 pcs. Small Cheek Color in Be True, Island Sands and Natural Radiance
- 6 Custom Trial Vials in Cherry Blossom, Ditto 'O', Gleeful, Foliage, Honey Brown and Peppermint Patti.
and a Medium Swirly Bowl with lid.
Happy, happy as I've been lemming for the other radiances from Lumiere for a long time now. I just added in the 6 trial sizes since I've been curious about the e/s colors and I wanted to get smaller sizes of the 3 other cheek colors.
Basing on my previous post for my wishlist for Christmas...yes, I got most of them except for 1 (the laptop- but this isn't really important as I have a PC in good running condition).
Did you get your Christmas wishes?
Some FOTD's
Monday, December 29, 2008
Learning Golf
(excuse my form/posture as it's my first time to hold a golf club)
Hubby's the one teaching me although I've only had one lesson so far. We went to the driving range last Saturday since his uncle was there at that time.
My hands hurt after the lesson. I need to buy gloves so I wont get calluses. I can't say if I like it or not though since I'm just learning. But it is hard!
This is one sport hubby and I can do together for bonding purposes (I stopped playing badminton when I was pregnant and haven't played since then).
Brook & Ivy Body Buff
Fast forward a few weeks later when I went to the Greenmeadows Bazaar, I saw a stall there of this particular brand. They had testers of all the 5 scents they had but Vanilla Vine still tops my list. I got myself a jar of scrub and some body splashes to give as gifts. They all smelled sooo good! Next on my list would be the Ginger Patch and Tea Infusion scents of scrubs and body washes.
The Vanilla Vine Body Buff has medium sized scrubby grains. It contains Dead Sea Salts and other minerals beneficial to the skin. The grains aren't abrasive nor too gentle -- just right for me. The label says to use it on dry skin for a better exfoliating experience although I haven't tried it that way. The vanilla scent is not overpowering and it lingers on your skin long after your bath.
If I didn't have other open jars of scrubs I'd really get more of this although nobody's stopping me. Each 150 ml. tub of this scrub is inexpensive at around P250 ($5). What's more, it's locally available so easily accessible (I've seen this in Crossing's Shangrila Mall).
Yeah, I'll definitely get more!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
To my friends....
Got my EG BOGO...
I was really lucky I nailed my perfect match without trying out samples first since my sample order didn't make it on time.
Wrapped in a pretty bag.
I got full sizes of Helena and Yuan Yuan both in the cover me formula which gives a full coverage with a matte (with slight glow) finish. I love this finish because it is flawless and for me, only 1 layer using little minerals is enough. I usually use 2 layers for all my other mmu foundations except this one. No concealer is needed too (although I rarely use it).
Helena falls in the Olive category while Yuan Yuan is in the Yellow shades although both of them look similar. I can even just mix them both.
I'll post an FOTD soon using either of these.
This is a freebie eyeshadow in Too Shy.
Monday, December 22, 2008
I made a vanity...
So I made my own vanity table using my old study desk which I've been using to store some of my nicknacks (the huge bottom half which are cabinets still remain my DD's closet). With the help of my dad, we removed the tiny cubbyholes and shelf so I could put in my drawers of mmu.
Here's the result:
top of desk
I put a light on top which I attached to an upper shelf. At least my DD won't be able to get her hands on my stuff and all makeup would not get dusty too from the cover (and hubby won't see how much I have). All stuff in there are only those that I use. Back-up and other full sizes not in use I store elsewhere. All skin care stuff is also kept on another shelf.
The flower thingy you see on the right side is an MP3 speaker (attached to the player). It lights up, talks and the leaves dance when music is played. The lcd has a digital clock and it even has a snooze function. If you left it on but player is off it turns off after 5 minutes by lighting up and saying "Goodbye, zzz...zzzz...zzzz...". Yeah, it snores but it's so cute.
Best Ube Cake Ever!
*CTH Bldg., Dolores, MacArthur Highway, San Fernando City
(045) 861.0829 / 961.7624
*3933 MacArthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City
(045) 892.1205
Or check their website www.alacreme.com.ph
Saturday, December 20, 2008
CleanseYourSoul (B&B)
**(Hey, Michelle and Inan, I caved in!!! It seems that we're the 3 resident bath & body addicts of our little Vox community LOL!).
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
EG Minerals Liquid foundation Review
Along with my sample haul from EG Minerals was a 5 gr jar of liquid foundation which I wanted to try. I ordered the shade Bamboo and good thing it was a match.
I am wearing:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
EG Minerals Samples / Swatches
I got these yesterday when I was hoping to have gotten them prior to the BOGO sale so I could get my shade in FS. Unfortunately it didn't make it on time and I ordered my BOGO basing it on a friend's shade since we have the exact same shade in ALL mineral makeup foundations. Good thing I got the right shades to order!
Eyeko Tinted Cream
I got this yesterday when a friend of mine ordered through me and I just joined in.
Monday, December 15, 2008
MCS Cream Soap Review
I've used my Madcitysue Shower Parfait Cream Soap in Pumpkin Brulee/Iced Gingerbread.
Happy, happy :-)
Well, what do you know...I'm getting my Christmas wishes after all !


text: Turkish authorities believe that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared four days ago after entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, has been killed. "The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate," a Turkish official told Reuters news agency on Saturday. A Saudi source at the consulate denied that Khashoggi had been killed at the mission and said in a statement that the accusations were baseless, Reuters reported. Turkey's announcement came four days after the leading critic of the Saudi regime entered the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday to obtain paperwork. Al Jazeera's Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Istanbul, said there has not been any disclosure of the whereabouts his body. "However, we have heard a funeral will take place in the coming two or three days," he said before adding that it was unknown if Khashoggi's body will be present at the funeral. Saudi officials in Istanbul Earlier on Saturday, sources told Al Jazeera that a delegation of 15 Saudi officials arrived in Turkey the day Khashoggi, 59, disappeared. "The Saudi officials flew into Istanbul on two different flights on Tuesday," Elshayyal quoted his sources as saying, adding that it was not clear if the Saudi delegation consisted of security or diplomatic officials. The revelations came as Turkey widened its investigation into the disappearance of the dissident Saudi journalist after Saudi Arabia failed to back its claim that he left the consulate on Tuesday. Turkey's ruling party also said it will "uncover" the details surrounding Khashoggi's vanishing, adding that the country's sensitivity on the issue was at the "highest level". "The condition of the lost journalist, details on him and who is responsible for this will be uncovered," AK Party spokesman Omer Celik told reporters at a party summit chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Al Jazeera has also learned in the next day or so video material will be released showing details of the assassination," Elshayyal said. President Erdogan, who held a speech in Ankara after a two-day political conference, did not mention the the Khashoggi during his speech. "There appears to be an attempt to have some due process and present all the facts before politicians comment on the situation," Elshayyal said. "It is a reflection of how sensitive this situation is." Diplomatic row On Friday, Turkey's foreign ministry summoned Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Ankara over the issue. Later that day, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said Saudi authorities would allow Turkey to search its consulate. {articleGUID} "We will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do ... we have nothing to hide," MBS told Bloomberg on Friday. Saudi Arabia invited a group of journalists into the Istanbul mission on Saturday, in an effort to show that Khashoggi was not on the premises. "I would like to confirm that ... Jamal is not at the consulate nor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the consulate and the embassy are working to search for him," consul-general Mohammad al-Otaiba told Reuters. Khashoggi had entered the consulate's premises at around 1pm (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday to secure paperwork in order to marry his Turkish fiancee, identified only as Hatice A. Hatice said she waited outside after Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate on Tuesday and never re-emerged. Following the initial announcement by Turkish sources of Khashoggi's killing, she tweeted in Arabic her refusal to believe that is the case. جمال لم يقتل ولا اصدق أنه قد قتل ...! #جمال_الخاشقجي #اختطاف_جمال_خاشقجي pic.twitter.com/5SHyIEqqiT — Hatice Cengiz / خديجة (@mercan_resifi) October 6, 2018 Translation: Jamal was not killed and I do not believe that he has been murdered...! Rights groups had called on Saudi Arabia to verify Khashoggi's whereabouts, with Human Rights Watch calling on Turkey to deepen its investigation into the case, saying if Saudi Arabia had detained Khashoggi without acknowledging it, his detention would constitute an enforced disappearance. Khashoggi's suspected killing may further strain relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who are on opposite sides of the multination blockade of Qatar and other regional crises. Khashoggi, who had been living in self-imposed exile in the US for over a year, was one of the best-known critics of the Saudi government's reform programme under the stewardship of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In his writings for the Washington Post, the Saudi commentator had slammed Saudi policies towards Qatar and Canada, the war in Yemen, and a crackdown on dissent and the media in the kingdom. UpFront Is Saudi Arabia's crown prince really a reformer? SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies Turkey Saudi Arabia Jamal Khashoggi Middle East Human Rights


text:
Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series – TorrentsMay 24, 2009 at 3:12 pm | Posted in Capsule Monsters, Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series | 14 Comments
Tags: bittorrent, littlekuriboh
For your convenience, I've decided to create a single post that has links to all of the torrents for Little Kuriboh's Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series. These are official YGO: TAS torrents provided by LK and the team over at YuGiOhtheAbridgedSeries.com. They contain only original, high-quality videos made by LK himself, not flash videos ripped from YouTube or Revver. Any new torrents that are released in the future will be added to this post.
Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series – Torrents
- Torrent – 01-22, Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Movie (WMV)
- Torrent – 23-28 (WMV)
- Torrent – 29 (WMV)
- Torrent – 33-39 (AVI)
- Torrent – Christmas Special #1, Cr@psule Monsters 1, Marik's Evil Council of Doom 1 & 2, The Final Abridged Video Ever, Yu-Gi-Oh: The Other Abridged Movie, Zorc & Pals, Dan Green Presents Abridging 101, Dan Green vs The Spiderwick Chronicles (WMV)
A link to this post has also been added to my YGO: TAS downloads page (under the "Torrents" heading). If a certain video isn't found here or on that page, then LK hasn't made the video available for download.
14 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
i tried a lot in search of episodes download for last 1 year.
finally i got it.
the yu-gi-oh is the best best best and best cartoon in the cartoons
i should give 11 out of 10. it have that much ability to gt that much score.
plz send any related torrents of download the whole series.
Comment by fire— January 15, 2010 #
Torrent – 33-39 (AVI)
is wrong somehow.
It never starts downloading.
Comment by AdamBast— November 27, 2010 #
I've found the dircetlinks so it doesn't matter now.
This show is super special awesome, thanks!!
Comment by AdamBast— November 28, 2010 #
Can you help me? I'm totally hooked.
When is the next meeting of the Anonymous Abridgedists?
This is more addictive than the original.
I have work to do, but I can't stop watching this.
Seriously, how do you stop watching?
Comment by AdamBast— November 29, 2010 #
whats wrong with episode 30-32?
Comment by Mega Ultra Chicken— September 4, 2011 #
nah its all good now thanks for the help, I this love the series
Comment by Mega Ultra Chicken— September 5, 2011 #
I was just checking, I'm still going to use the direct downloads, but none of the links work for me. They all say "404 Not Found."
Comment by Rampage470— January 6, 2012 #
It's all offline =(
Comment by Ultimatevegeta— August 10, 2013 #
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text:
Webinar: Extensive International Polytechnic Summer School 2017 is welcoming you!
Dear students,
Register for the webinar and get access to the useful information about International Polytechnic Summer School 2017.
Just a few things about our awesome summer school:
- One of the largest polytechnic summer schools in Russia
- 20+ ECTS-bearing modules
- Up-to-date studies with SPbPU and visiting professors
- Unforgettable summer life
- Cosmopolitan and safe city
- TOP 10QS most affordable cities
- Great city for sightseeing
Join our webinar, ask questions and learn more!
The webinar will be held by a number of experts who are going to present summer modules and tell all the details about summer school features and learning outcomes. You will be able to get some insights about our university and campus life as well. And, of course, you will be able to ask all the relevant questions.
Come, learn get ECTS and enjoy your summer time with us!
Language of the webinar: English
Date and time: 5 April, 2017, 12.00
Register here
Veronika Denisova, International Programs Manager
Pavel Goncharov, Summer School Coordinator (Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion)
Viktoria Kapralova, Summer School Coordinator (Polymers for Biomedicine and Electronics)
Nikita Lukashevich, Summer School Coordinator (Global Entrepreneurship), Associate ProfessorFor details, please, contact: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Uncertainty lingers for TRISs and CGT relief
While the ATO has finalised LCG 2016/8 following further legislative tweaks, it remains uncertain whether CGT relief can be applied to transition to retirement income streams in retirement phase, says an industry lawyer.
In late June 2017 the government made amendments to TRISs, extending the pension exemption to TRISs where the member had satisfied a relevant condition of release such as retirement of attaining age 65.
Following these amendments, the ATO revised Law Companion Guideline (LCG) 2016/8 to reflect the new amendments, releasing a draft version of the updated guidance for consultation with the industry at the end of November.
Towards the end of December, the ATO released the final version of the updated LCG 2016/8.
However, the final version of LCG 2016/8 does not provide any further clarification of the ATO's position on the ability for members with TRISs in retirement phase who have TRIS balances less than $1.6 million, to apply CGT relief, according to DBA Lawyers director Daniel Butler.
Mr Butler has previously raised this issue, explaining that the amendments made by the government positioned a TRIS in retirement phase "on a similar but different footing to an account-based pension".
"The ATO seems to be comfortable that a TRIS that is not in retirement phase would get the CGT relief even if the member's balance was less than $1.6 million. However, I question whether it would be different for a TRIS in retirement phase," said Mr Butler.
The references to TRISs in LCG 2016/8 are limited to TRISs that are not in retirement phase, he said, with the LCG stating that all references to TRISs in the guideline are to "a TRIS that is not in the retirement phase unless otherwise stated".
The ATO will also look quite closely at the object of the CGT relief, he said, as outlined in section 294-100 of the Income Tax Transitional Provisions Act1997 (Cth).
"There are two main objectives. Broadly, one was what you had to do to comply with the transfer balance cap changes and the other one was in respect of the loss of tax exemption inside the fund for a TRIS," he explained.
"So putting that in perspective, where you have an account-based pension, and you had to bring your balance down to $1.6 million, the ATO would say that's within the object of s 294-100. Where you were going to lose your tax exemption, because you had a TRIS, the ATO conceded late in the piece that you would get the relief even though you're below $1.6 million, because you're losing out on the tax exemption after 30 June 2017, so you should get the cost base reset."
Given that TRIS in retirement phase would still receive the tax exemption, the ATO's position on this is uncertain, he said.
"So advisers are in the thick of it with the preparation and completion of tax returns but there's still a great deal of uncertainty and a lot of complexity," said Mr Butler.
"Hopefully, the ATO will publish it's view soon."
Miranda Brownlee
Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.
Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest superannuation stories in Australia, and has reported extensively on technical strategy and legislative updates. Miranda has also directed SMSF Adviser's print publication for several years.
Miranda also has broad business and financial services reporting experience, having written for titles including Investor Daily, ifa and Accountants Daily.


text:
In West Virginia, overdose deaths rise as opioid prescriptions drop
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Recently released information from the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy (BOP) about their state opioid abuse problem confirms what many of us have been saying for years: Addiction and overdose deaths are not, primarily, a prescribing and dispensing problem.
CNBC reported that the Mountain State dispensed 31 million fewer opioid doses in 2017, the biggest drop on record. But deaths related to narcotic drug overdoses continued to rise and look like they will exceed the 884 from 2016.
My suspicion is that similar statistics could be cited from many states across the country.
How can prescribing be going down but deaths keep going up? The problem is we are focusing on the pills and not the patients.
The pills are not the problem. The overwhelming majority of those exposed to opioids never get addicted. A study published in The Journal of Urology in November of 2017 discovered that about 0.09 percent of patients prescribed opioids after a urological surgery developed an addiction or overdose.
But West Virginia, along with virtually every other state in our nation, continues to focus heavily on curbing prescribing habits as a primary solution. They have even taken some unconventional steps.
"The state pharmacy board, for its part, sends out letters to pharmacies and health providers when a person who was prescribed or dispensed drugs by those entities fatally overdoses," according to the CNBC article.
Now, there is nothing wrong with reducing the amount of unnecessarily prescribed opioids. We typically give far too many doses after surgical procedures or from emergency departments. And pharmacists need to be aware of the fact that they share a corresponding liability with the physician for dispensing opioids for nonmedical purposes.
A brief quote from the DEA's Pharmacist's Manual may be appropriate here: "The law does not require a pharmacist to dispense a prescription of doubtful, questionable or suspicious origin. To the contrary, the pharmacist who deliberately ignores a questionable prescription when there is reason to believe it was not issued for a legitimate medical purpose may be prosecuted along with the issuing practitioner, for knowingly and intentionally distributing controlled substances."
But the West Virginia data is simply more proof that focusing primarily on dispensing and prescribing will never correct our problem with opioids in this country. And we have known this for a while. An article published in JAMA back in 2015 stated basically the same thing. The authors of that article noted that recreational (nonmedical) use of opioids declined during the decade of 2003 to 2013, but addiction disorders rose.
We know what works for addiction: methadone and buprenorphine. These medications are not terribly expensive and should be made more readily available to patients who want to stop using heroin or other opioids. But sadly fewer than 25 percent of patients treated for addiction are provided with these medications to help curb their cravings for drugs.
Of course, we also need more results from our efforts to stop the illegal activity of opioid and heroin diversion in our country. We have all the technology needed to know where the prescribing is going on. We just need to crack down and put these criminal prescribers behind bars. It is a small minority of bad doctors causing a lot of our problems.
I feel like pharmacies and pharmacists could do a lot more to help with this problem than we are allowed to do. What if states required insurance plans to pay pharmacists for a 15-minute consultation on addiction and recovery programs once a year? That doesn't seem unreasonable. And with a shortage of treatment facilities, pharmacists could also be utilized for managing methadone and buprenorphine programs as well.
We have a big problem on our hands. No one thinks there is an easy answer. But reigning in our prescribing, limiting opioid quantities for legitimate patients and rescheduling narcotics isn't working very well. It's time that states tapped into their pharmacists and gave us a chance to help.
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text:
Circular Polarizer Filters (11)
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CPL filters – buying circular polarising filters from Rollei
CPL filters, also called circular polarisation filters (Circular polarising filters) may appear like an invention from the time of digital photography and DSLR cameras. However, polarisation filters were actually used very early on for the first time. It is accepted that the first time that the use of a polarising filter-like navigation aid was recorded can be traced back to the Viking age. The Vikings used a so-called sun stone, in order to determine the position of the sun even if the sky was cloudy or in the twilight. The sun stone was a crystal, which functioned similarly to how a modern polarisation filter for DSLR cameras does. Only it was intended for a completely different purpose. Primarily, CPL filters reduce mirror images and light reflections. Nowadays circular polarising filters are used as erroneous measurements can be obtained on modern DSLRs (single lens reflex cameras) and DSLMs (system cameras) with the use of so-called simple/linear polarisation. A CPL filter will prevent this. Incidentally, CPL stands for circular polariser, thus circular polarisation filter.
From Rollei you can purchase round polarising filters made from Gorilla® glass in the Premium variant or in the Extremium variant with the titanium mounting for the prevalent lens diameters & sizes between 49 mm and 82 mm. Our CPL filters are screw-on filters.
- When & why do we take photographs with polarising filters?
- How does a polarising filter work and what effect does it have?
- What are circular polarising filters (CPL filters)?
- Particular features of Rollei's CPL polarising filters
- What should you look for when you are purchasing a CPL filter?
The use of polarising filters in photography
For what should a circular polarisation filter be used and applied? How can an invention, which dates back to a kind navigation aid of the Vikings, be important for modern photography & system cameras/single lens reflex cameras? Polarising filters are used mainly for photography, if mirror images and reflections on non-metallic objects and surfaces should be minimized. Because there is still no image editing programme that could take over this unique work performed by a polarising filter. In addition, a CPL filter increases colours & contrasts and absorbs complementary polarised light.
Primarily, areas of application include:
- product photography
- architectural photography
- landscape photography
For example, a polarising filter causes the filtering out of unwanted light reflection on:
- plastic
- wood
- glass (e.g. shop windows)
- water
- and other non-metallic surfaces (e.g. grass) of your pictures
Because these surfaces primarily reflect light of a certain polarization, in particular with an angle of reflection of from 30° to 40°. How strongly the polarisation filter works, depends above all on whether, how and on which materials and/or surfaces the incident light in a subject occurs. Therefore you can also turn polarising filters, in order to adapt them to the particular angle of incidence, the desired look and the reflection strength. They are always used if a photographer wants no reflections at all in the picture and would like to insert them purposefully later or for example, if the colour tones of grass or the like ought to be intensified while blue reflections are filtered out by the CPL filter used. Besides ND filters the CPL filter is one of the few photo filters, without which we also won't be able to manage in the future, despite image editing software. We may be able to control many of the effects such as the filtering out of mist and the increase in saturation also via RAW development by software. But the reduction of mirror images and reflections is possible only with polarising filters.
By putting a spiral shape on the light on the subjects of your choice, they thus filter out reflections on subjects such as cars or windows and facades, in the same way as those on water surfaces for example. In this way, large surfaces are intensified in colour and the colours of an image create a much warmer effect. At the same time the desired subject moves into the foreground, e.g. a duck on the water. While a photo without a CPL filter would depict a subject in the way a human eye captures it, images with polarising filters look more natural and clearer. Colors and contrasts are intensified. Thus, modern single lens reflex cameras need circular polarisation filters like the CPL filter for optimal colour representation. Thus the CPL filter is part of the basic accessories for motivated amateur & professional photographers. When it is in use it's simply screwed onto the camera lens and it's best to use it with a camera stand in twilight or when it's dark.
How does a polarising filter work?
A CPL filter is thus a circular polarising filter. Basically, there is a distinction between linear and circular polarisation filters. In the case of linear polarisation the radiation that is let through is polarised in the direction of the filter which the remaining intensity reflected or absorbed.
Circular polarisation builds on the linear. With circular polarisation light initially strikes a linear polarisation filter and afterwards hits a λ/4 retardation layer. The optical axis of the retardation layer is rotated up to +45° or −45° −In relation to the linear filter. The result is a polarised light that is rotating to the left or the right.
What effect does a CPL filter have on photos?
- The green of leaves and grasses is intensified because the polarisation filter primarily absorbs or "swallows" reflected blue light from the sky. A polarising filter can hold back a majority of the light of a cloudless bright sky so that the sky in the final result is illustrated as darker and stronger in colour. At the same time, white clouds emerge more clearly due to the stronger polarised contrasts.
- Thus a polarising filter doesn't only let the light that is on the so-called polarisation level of the filter through. The light, which leaves the CPL filter, is thus always polarized.
- The quantity of light is reduced by approx. 1 f-stop.
- The colours of the rainbow can be intensified or also reduced.
- Even mist can be reduced a little.
This works because light spreads out in the form of a wave. This wave is always on one "plane ". The direction of oscillation is vertical, horizontal or at any arbitrary angle. In a normal daylight situation all directions are used evenly, which is defined as non-polarised light. On the other hand, a polarisation filter only lets through light waves that are on its polarisation plane. A circular polarisation filter spins the light in rotation as well. Thus, for example, certain colours intensify.
What distinguishes circular polarising filters from linear polarising filters?
Let's compare the linear polarising filter to a fence (Thanks to abenteuerdslrfotografie.de for the demonstrative example). In the case of a linear polarising filter the light strikes a kind of fence, the filter. Now someone wants to put a board, the plane, in which the light moves, through the fence (the filter) and leave it on the other side of the fence or on the camera lens. For that it must run approximately parallel to the fence, or filter, so that it fits through - on the same polarisation plane. Light waves, which do not run parallel to the polarising filter, do not come through. On average a linear polarising filter absorbs approx. 25% of the original quantity of light.
By rotating the polarisation filter the orientation is changed so that different light waves come through accordingly and others are "swallowed" again. In this way, the filter can be aligned until the intensity of the reflections corresponds to one's own taste, or they disappeared almost completely. In addition, the polarising filter is adapted in this way to different surfaces and subjects.
For modern cameras, however, a circular polarising filter (CPL filter) is needed. Purely linearly polarised light can lead to errors and blurred pictures with modern single lens reflex cameras. Particularly with autofocus and the internal exposure measurement, erroneous readings can occur with simple polarisation filters.
If you can compare the linear polarising filter with a fence, then you should imagine the circular polarisation filter as a kind of rotating spiral. The light is spun by it in rotation, so that it forms itself into a kind thread such as that of a screw.
Thus, nowadays in digital photography circular polarisation filters are used. It is only in analogue photography that you can still work with linear polarisation filters.
Special characteristics of Rollei CPL filters
Rollei polarising filters made from Gorilla®* glass
Glass is unquestionably one of the most sensitive materials and can splinter, break or shatter with minimum pressure or due to extreme variations in temperature. However, in the field of professional filter photography there are still no alternatives to this highly transparent material, which is based on silicate, to be taken seriously. Therefore also no normal "window glass" is used either but special glasses of different quality levels. The high-quality Gorilla®* glass of the American manufacturer Corning Inc. is established in the absolute top range - and will therefore also be used with immediate effect for Rollei's CPL round filters.
In order to be able to unite normally contrarily facing material properties the glass blanks are exposed to a scalding hot alkaline solution at Corning Inc. in the U.S. Federal State of New York. During the bath there is a complex exchange of ions on a molecular basis. The surface tension of the glass bodies clearly increases clearly and gains in resistance against pressure, scratches, contamination and contact with hard objects. Even with scratches or ruptures the edges do not splinter further and prevent structural failure.
Despite this amazing robustness, Gorilla®* glass has an extremely high degree of light transmission and colour neutrality – the best requirements, in order to assist you while you use Rollei polarising filters for the implementation of your creative photo ideas. In order to protect your filter shots and long-term exposures against unwanted light reflections or distortions, the filter glass is subjected to yet another coating, which was developed in accordance with the unrelenting specifications of the Rollei filter experts. Constant quality controls guarantee the very high quality standard of our CPL round filters of the Extremium & Premium series.
CPL filter glass with the special Luminance Coating
Light very often seeks its own way - and does not comply with the desires of photographers. Aficionados of filter photography and long-term exposure just do not appreciate scattered light, reflections or distortions at all but are not always able to react appropriately by changing the location. Likewise, substantial impairments of the pictures can also result from long exposure times. Rollei immediately provides you with additional safety and flexibility by means of a special coating that was developed by the company itself - not only with the photography techniques that were already listed.
The coating substantially reduces the risk of reflections and distortions without impairing the very good light transmission and colour neutrality of the Rollei polarising filters made from Gorilla®* glass. Thus optical characteristics, which would actually have to be mutually exclusive, are included in the combination of these quality criteria. The greatest resistance to contamination and damage, the best values with respect to luminance and colour neutrality as well as effective protection against reflections and distortions.
With a rigorous quality assurance strategy we ensure that these three groups of characteristics can be guaranteed in the long term - the coated glasses in the visible light spectrum of 400 to 800nm must allow all colour nuances to pass through precisely and absolutely homogeneously without causing even minimal colour deviations. It is only after successful quality testing that these glasses can be designated as real Rollei polarising filters.
Polarising filters - Engineered and Quality Controlled in Germany
In the course of time different quality assurance philosophies and strategies have evolved in the business. These approaches sometimes differ substantially and are naturally geared to the needs of various sectors and price segments.
With the development of the newest generation of Rollei polarising filters several characteristics, which actually rule each other out and could only be implemented with unusually close tolerance specifications were on the "wish list" of the filter experts. If only one of the strict criteria is not fulfilled, the other characteristics cannot be guaranteed to their full extent either. This particularly challenging quality level thus required a quality assurance strategy, which far exceeds the usual standards of the industry, in order not to lose sight of sources of error during the highly complex production process.
The final quality evaluation procedure was then dubbed "engineered and quality controlled in Germany" and consequently, already starts before manufacturing. After development the first production samples are approved exclusively by the responsible Rollei filter experts. The corresponding agreed upon criteria cannot be amended, reduced or retroactively loosened during the following production steps.
Before delivery to Rollei the individual production lots were then subjected to stringent quality inspections according to the AQL (accepted quality limit) principle. The procedure that is known in the German language as the "acceptable quality limitation level" [Annehmbare Qualitätsgrenzlage] discards the entire manufacturing batch if the quality tolerances of the previously precisely defined sampling quantity do not meet expectations. In the process, the quality of the unchecked products can no longer overturn this decision.
After delivery of the products to Rollei the AQL examination is conducted again. In this way naturally there are considerably higher investments before a Rollei polarization l filter may finally find its way to you. However, you can then be sure that you are really receiving only the very best quality that satisfies your highest requirements.
What should you look for when you are purchasing a CPL filter?
- Which lens size - select from among polarising filters with the following filter diameters: 49 mm, 52 mm, 58 mm, 62 mm, 67 mm, 72 mm, 77 mm and 82 mm
- Tempered filter glass - the glass should be high-quality, because a bad filter glass works like dirty eyeglasses. Our high-quality Gorilla®* glass meets all the requirements of a high-quality CPL filter glass.
Polarising filters are not very suitable for use with wide-angle lenses. Polarising filters darken the blue sky additionally and emphasise the contrast of the white clouds. This works particularly well at a 90-degree angle to the sun. Therefore, through the broad focus of a wide-angle lens it can happen that a part of the sky appears darker, while the remainder shines in a somewhat low-contrast sky blue. That immediately looks unnatural at first sight. Use a grey graduated filter to darken the sky with a wide-angle lens instead.
Sample pictures for comparison - with & without Rollei CPL filters
By now, CPL filters have become standard equipment for many landscape photographers. Yes, nowadays many of its functions can be replaced by Photoshop & other software. But above all filtering out mirror images and reflections still remains the core skill of polarising filters.
So if you want to remove reflections in the water, a CPL filter is very advisable for those shots.
Improving colours and contrasts with a CPL filter
By strengthening contrasts and colours with a CPL filter you will achieve greater separation of the sea from the sky. The blue will look substantially stronger as light of ranges are absorbed.
Summary concerning the use of CPL filters
The use of CPL filters always depends heavily on your choice of subject. If you are out and about in nature or taking photographs of the horizon, a CPL filter is recommended in any case. If you want to suppress reflections appropriately, you should also resort to a CPL filter. Sometimes however reflections are desired. Simply vary the use of the filter.
As soon as you have taken some photos, you will get a feeling for when you contemplate the use or omission of a CPL filter. However, with a little experience a CPL filter will improve your results tremendously.
Official Rollei Shop
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BWI supports the Guernsey Literary Festival
The Guernsey Literary Festival gets a brand new look for 2017.
Running to well over 100 pages the recently published, Elizabeth College, Beechwood and Acorn House school magazine 'The Elizabethan' has been very well received. Representing both the traditional values and modern philosophy of the school, the new 2015 edition maintains its unique and recognised style. The design of the cover features an illustration detailing an ethos encouraging students to achieve, experience and be joyful, while maintaining the core values of aiming high, being kind and being brave. Inside pages detail a review of events from the junior and upper school as well as editorial content especially for Old Elizabethans.
The Guernsey Literary Festival gets a brand new look for 2017.
We really like his music so were pleased to help out when we could.
We created a dynamic brand identity for new accountancy start-up Möbius. This was a progressive start-up with growth ambitions, and they needed a fresh look and feel that translated beautifully both online and offline.


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I am loving this nursery put together by Ali Edwards. It is the perfect mix of new and old.
Friday, January 30, 2009
nursery inspiration.
3 comments:
I love it too! Love the orange lanterns, very cool room!ReplyDelete
Now, THAT is a practical nursery. I love that it's not all pastel and "babyish." This looks like a room that can "grow" with a kid and I really appreciate that.ReplyDelete
that's a really sweet room! I'm just beginning a subtle redesign to my girls' room, so it's nice to get some inspiration :)ReplyDelete
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When it comes to compensation, it's easy to get caught up in strategy and communication. We know that missing a chance at impacting the big picture is missing a chance at being successful. But, pay is also about the smallest of details. These include the language in plan documents, the timing of processing or reporting transactions and making sure that people know their roles and sign correctly on the correct lines.
In June of 2014, a shareholder filed a lawsuit against Facebook. The suit alleged that the Board was overpaid and that proper procedures were not followed when determining their pay. These kinds of lawsuits against executives and boards happen fairly frequently and go away just about as frequently. In October of 2015, Facebook found out that this was one of the lawsuits that would not just go away.
Facebook has an ownership structure that is a unique, but not completely unusual. Their CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, also hold a majority of the voting power in the company. This means that he is the highest-ranking executive at the company, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the single person who decides what "shareholders" approve or disapprove. This unique combination of roles has thus far served Facebook's investors and employees pretty well and not a lot of people are complaining.
The lawsuit filed in 2014 had several complaints. Basically, Facebook's argument to toss out the suit was that the majority of shareholders had approved a raise made to the board in 2013. As in so many big things, a little tiny thing may be what causes the real problem. In this case, the problem may be based simply on whom Mr. Zuckerberg was speaking for when the approval was made.
Delaware law allows a company to approve things like a raise to the Board via the unanimous consent of a majority of the shareholders. While Mr. Zuckerberg IS the majority of the shareholders, the judge in the case is questioning whether he made it clear he was acting as the majority of shareholders (rather than as the Chairman of the Board) when agreeing to the raise. Essentially, did he make it clear that he was approving things as the majority shareholder or was he still acting as the Chairman of the Board? And, did he sign the on correct line, using the correct one of his three distinct corporate personalities?
Oddly, the shareholder bringing the suit is doing it in the name of saving the company (and therefore its shareholders' money). The reality is this suit is likely to cost the company more in time and legal fees than the raises ever did. And, while it appears that there was nothing nefarious going on in the board meeting, Facebook's inability to show proper documentation and the following of procedures has resulted in the suit remaining to live.
As compensation professionals, we need to be just as aware of these types of rules as the lawyers, executive and board members we are supporting. It's terrible when we get all of the big, hard and complex stuff right then find ourselves hamstrung by a missing word, signature or declaration of personality. Feel free to share your own story of a missed detail that resulted in headaches, penalties or worse.
P.S. Regular readers of this blog will notice the irony of this post using Facebook as an example when another recent post made it clear that you are NOT Facebook. What can I say? I guess sometimes we are all Facebook.
Dan Walter is the President and CEO of Performensation. He is passionately committed to aligning pay with company strategy and culture. Grab a copy of Dan's new comprehensive issue brief, Performance-Based Equity Compensation. Dan also cowrote "Everything You Do in COMPENSATION IS COMMUNICATION", with Comp Café writers, Ann Bares and Margaret O'Hanlon. And believe it or not, he has co-authored "The Decision Makers Guide to Equity Compensation"and "Equity Alternatives." Connect with Dan on LinkedIn. Or, follow him on Twitter at @Performensation and @SayOnPay.


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President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday applauded Nigeria's emerging role in the World Craft Council (WCC), saying the talents, skills and high quality artistic creations of Nigerians are attracting more global attention and appreciation.
According to a press release by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari received with delight the appointment of the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, as President of World Craft Council, African Region, saying it is an indication that Nigeria's arts and craft have come into international limelight.
The President urges NCAC to further look inward for the exploration and showcasing of the rich African resources in craft that could attract the world more, and open new opportunities for untapped talents.
According to atqnews.com Runsewe was last year appointed the Buhari to head the National Council for Arts and Culture. He was formerly the Director General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation.


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Toodles is a fierce hunter, brilliant in her schemes to get in the garage but most notably, she is a very tolerant cat.
There are the daily activities that Toodles endures. She actually keeps coming back for more.
But I knew Toodles was something extraordinary the day The Littles wanted her to be their baby.
Can you find Toodles in this picture?
Seven tries for a kitten this summer and one cat stuck around. Toodles is one very loved kitty.


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When you hire JOSEPH DALTON, you'll get a lively, insightful
and hard-working agent. He's got a
proven track record of bringing together buyers and sellers in win-win
transactions that are smooth and efficient.
Dalton's 25-year career has been focused on business,
communication, and culture. He
holds an MBA and was a non-profit executive and record producer in classical
music in Manhattan for 13 years with two Grammy-nominated recordings. Since
relocating to the Capital Region in 2001, he's become a recognized authority on
the area's dynamic cultural scene, as an award-winning contributor to the Times
Union, a commentator of WAMC-FM, and author of "Artists & Activists: Making
Culture in New York's Capital Region." He is a member of Historic Albany Foundation,
the Rensselaer County Historical Society, and the New York State Preservation
Key components to Dalton's success in real estate are his
people skills and business acumen, good taste and natural enthusiasm. You can trust Joseph Dalton to deliver
a rewarding and trouble-fee sales experience.
– Alma and Jacques (Troy)
"The most professional realtor I worked with! Joseph is thoughtful and insightful,
and most importantly he listens. With his guidance, my wife and I were able to
find the perfect home in a short amount of time and with little stress. He kept
the process moving and both sides content, seeing us all the way to closing."
– Evan (Albany)
– Evan (Albany)
"Joe Dalton provided superior professional services. He is assertive, responsible,
friendly and thorough. We're glad we chose him to sell our house. We thought if anyone could do it he
would and he did. Great job!"
– Frank and Jeanette (Rensselaer)
– Frank and Jeanette (Rensselaer)
"We tried to sell our home by ourselves, but our inexperience
combined with a difficult housing market made us quickly reconsider the
decision. Joseph Dalton had seen
our house in the past, and he felt confident that he could sell it in the price
range that we wanted. He was
extremely professional, thorough, and informative throughout the process. Ultimately, our home was sold within a month of listing
it. Joseph took out of the mix all
the complexities of selling and made it a comfortable and straightforward
process. We are very thankful that he served as our real estate
agent, and would recommend him to anyone looking to sell their home."
– Mike and Ken (Troy)
– Mike and Ken (Troy)
"Initially, the decision to sell the house where we'd lived for twenty-one years was difficult. Once Joe Dalton became our 'Agent of Change,' however, we never looked back. He was always ready to lend support, expert professional advice, and insight. We never felt pressured, yet the process was executed in a timely manner. We'll always be grateful for his knowledgeable guidance and assistance."
– Ira and Kay (West Sand Lake)
Click here to download my mobile app: http://app.bhhsblake.com/BLAKE7WB
– Ira and Kay (West Sand Lake)
Click here to download my mobile app: http://app.bhhsblake.com/BLAKE7WB


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- 12.1" color TFT LCD screen with multi-channel
waveform display.
- Rechargeable high-energy built-in battery.
- Advanced streamline outline design, portable,
compact, Operating menu with multi-language
interface selection: English, Spanish.
- Easy operation with user friendly menu structure
design and rotary dial.
- Against & eliminate ESU interference & defibrillation,
no need to disconnect the monitor from
the patient in process of defibrillating.
- Three-application mode: monitoring, diagnosis,
- WAN communication function to network with
central monitoring system and make longdistance
monitoring, diagnosis, maintenance
and software upgrade possible.
- Optional built-in wireless networking function,
thermal printer and touch screen.
360 hours data storage.
- Drug dose calculation function.
Intelligent audio and visual comprehensive alarm.
- In-hospital applications include emergency
room's pre and post operative care, ICU,
Operation room/ theater, ambulatory surgery,
intermediate care,labor and delivery, and hospitalbased
special procedure areas.
- Suitable for use in physicians' offices, clinics,
outpatient surgical centers, extended care facilities
and other patient care areas, which of require
affordable monitoring.
- Suitable for adult, pediatrics, neonates.


text: Meso Scale Technologies of Gaithersburg, Md., has received US Patent No. 7,981,362, "Modular assay plates, reader systems and methods for test measurements." According to the patent, luminescence test measurements can be conducted using an assay module. The module includes integrated electrodes with a reader apparatus adapted to receive assay modules, induce luminescence, preferably electrode induced luminescence, in the wells or assay regions of the assay modules, and measure the induced luminescence.


text:
MARIN is looking for maritime talent and specialists!
Clean and safe transport over water and sustainable use of our ocean, this is what drives MARIN. This requires maritime knowledge and innovation. With our new strategy Better Ships, Blue Oceans! we set a new course.
Are you open to new technology and innovative solutions? Efficient in translating ideas into research plans and motivated in helping the maritime industry in these transition? Then join us at MARIN on this maritime future. We are looking for talents and specialists for the following areas:
Hydrodynamics & Naval Architecture
Data Science & Machine Learning
Smart Sensoring & Measuring
Safety & Policy
Software Engineering
Simulation & Simulators (VR/AR)
Autonomy & Control
Energy Systems
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Human Factors
Maritime & Navy Operations


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1993 is, I'm sure, notable for many things. But for some, it was most notable as the year of the second straight "Fab Five" appearance in the NCAA National Championship game. The year before, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson, and Chris Webber had become famous for being an all-freshman starting five at the University of Michigan, introducing what has been referred to as "a hip-hop element" into the game, and getting all the way to the championship game before losing to Duke. The next year, as sophomores, the Fab Five was even better. Again, they went all the way to the championship, this time against North Carolina.
And then, the timeout happened.
Very late in a close game, Chris Webber (the team's best player and the man who would be drafted first overall in the upcoming NBA draft) called a timeout when his team didn't have one. Such a mistake results in a technical foul, giving the opposing team two free throws and the ball. Michigan couldn't recover, and lost. Webber was ruthlessly mocked, both at the time and for years to come. A perennial All-Star, "Chris Webber timeout" is still the first Google suggestion when you type in his name.
A few days after that fateful game, though, Chris Webber got a letter (you can even see the handwritten version HERE):
I have been thinking of you a lot since I sat glued to the TV during the championship game. I know that there may be nothing I or anyone else can say to ease the pain and disappointment of what happened. Still, for whatever it's worth, you, and your team, were terrific. And part of playing for high stakes under great pressure is the constant risk of mental error. I know. I have lost two political races and made countless mistakes over the last twenty years. What matters is the intensity, integrity, and courage you bring to the effort. That is certainly what you have done. You can always regret what occurred but don't let it get you down or take away the satisfaction of what you have accomplished. You have a great future. Hang in there.
Sincerely, Bill Clinton
Chris Webber did have a great future, and though I suspect he's never totally gotten over that moment in 1993, this letter must have been, and likely continues to be, an incredible balm for the wound. Such is the inevitable operation of grace in the face of the world's judgment.