Best Agriculture Stocks to Buy in 2020 – MarketBeat
Impact team
Written by Impact team
Best Agriculture Stocks to Buy in 2020 MarketBeat
Best Agriculture Stocks to Buy in 2020
The rural farmlands of the agriculture industry are closely tied to Wall Street. With almost 7 billion people in the world to feed, the agricultural industry has become highly advanced over the years, giving investors a great windfall in the form of growing stock values and dividends.
Top Agriculture Companies in the World
The agricultural industry is probably the oldest business in history. Everyone needs to eat food, and that food comes from a farm that requires machinery, services, pesticides, and genetic engineering to function efficiently.
When it comes to the demand for corn and soybean crops, most people think of trading futures on the commodities market. But there's a whole market of agriculture stocks to buy issued by companies that are not actually farming commodities. Instead, these agriculture stocks are issued by companies that manufacture chemical fertilizers or create genetically modified seeds.
Many agricultural companies attempt to make farming profitable for those who grow corn, wheat, or soybean crops in the soil or cultivate orchards of fruit or nuts. Agriculture stocks reap cash flow harvests in the process, and in turn pass that success on to investors.
Agriculture Industry
Thousands of years ago, mankind transitioned from gathering berries and hunting wild game into planting seeds in arable land, waiting for them to grow, and then harvesting fruits, vegetables, and grains to make food. Somewhere along the line, they also figured out how to domesticate certain animal species, which they could use for meat, milk, and labor.
Bill O'Reilly investigates the one method that lets you know – what you should do with your money now.
From its very inception, agriculture was a business that required technological development to make it efficient. The wheel, the plow, the scythe, and the mill were some early inventions that sped up the farming process and created greater yields. In the Middle Ages, the discovery of new plants from the new world (what would Italian food be without tomatoes) and new techniques like crop rotations revolutionized the industry.
But the real revolution came with the greater Industrial Revolution, which created new possibilities for mechanization—using machines to make processes easier. The cotton gin, the gasoline-powered tractor (with rubber tires), the combine harvester, and synthetic pesticides opened up new vistas in agricultural productivity, while also making the inventors of these devices and the companies that manufactured them very wealthy.
Another impactful revolution occurred in the latter half of the 20th century, as pharmaceutical and chemical companies that manufactured agrochemicals began to dabble in genetic engineering and modified seed production. While controversial, these practices have become part of global food production and yielded good profits for the companies involved.
Top Agriculture Companies in the World
Here are some of the hottest agricultural companies to watch, although not all of them are publicly traded at this time.
Cargill is a family-owned business that is not publicly-traded, but it's the largest privately-held American company in terms of revenue, at almost $115 billion in 2019. It would be 15th on the Fortune 500 list if it were public. Cargill's primary business activities involve a number of activities in the agriculture and supply chain industry. Cargill purchases and distributes agricultural commodities like grain, palm oil, starch, syrup, and other materials used in processed foods. Around 25% of US grain exports are managed by Cargill, and every single egg used by McDonald's is processed by Cargill. Cargill is also involved in energy, steel, transportation, and financial services.
Corteva Inc. (NYSE: CTVA), also known as Corteva Agriscience, was formerly the agricultural branch of DowDuPont. In 2019, this leading global chemical manufacture was broken up into several companies, which resulted in the formation of Corteva as a public company. Corteva, which is a composite of Latin words for heart and earth, reportedly earned revenues of $14 billion in 2017, although at that time it was still part of DowDuPont.
One of Corteva's biggest branches is Pioneer Hi Bred International, an American producer of seeds and a major producer of genetically modified organisms like crops. Pioneer began as the Hi-Bred Corn Company in 1926, which experimented with creating a hybrid corn seed.
The story of Corteva's once-parent company, DowDuPont, is most likely somewhat familiar to consumers. Dupont was founded in 1802 as a gunpowder mill in Wilmington, Delaware, going on to develop synthetic polymers like nylon, Corian, Teflon, Kevlar, and others. Dupont also developed Freon, which makes refrigeration possible. In 2017 Dupont merged with Dow Chemical, and subsequently engaged in spinoffs of select components of their business, which included Corteva.
Syngenta AG is a Swiss-based company that produces agrochemicals and seeds. However, it is actually a subsidiary of ChemChina, a state-owned Chinese company that is also not publicly traded. Since Syngenta is involved in biotech, it also conducts genetic research. Syngenta was formed just two decades ago in a merger between Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and London pharmaceutical company Zeneca.
As of five years ago, Syngenta had already become the world's largest producer of crop chemicals, and third largest in terms of seed and biotech sales. Much of its nearly $13 billion revenue comes from emerging markets, although it is actively involved in the science of optimizing crop yields in already developed countries, such as the United States. Syngenta claims that 25% of the corn seeds sold in the United States are its proprietary triple stack corn.
Bayer AG (FWB: BAYN) is a German pharmaceutical and life sciences company that is also involved in agrochemical development and sales, seeds, and biotechnology products. Bayer was once part of IG Farben, a large conglomerate of six companies. IG Farben's claim to fame was the development of Aspirin. Bayer was spun off as its own company and continued developing a variety of pharma and chemical products, some of which were specifically for agriculture. Bayer's fungicides are primarily for grains and its herbicides are used for orchards and field crops. Bayer is also involved in seed production and genetic modification through Bayer Crop Science, which has expanded by acquiring other seed companies in Europe.
CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI) designs, manufactures, and sells agricultural equipment, along with construction equipment and specialty vehicles. CNH is actively involved in markets around the world, focusing on high-growth markets. CNH builds tractors, combine harvesters, and other types of specialty farming equipment for hay production and foraging.
Its two main branches manufacturing agricultural machinery are New Holland Agriculture and Case IH. New Holland Agriculture is an acquired company that was started in Pennsylvania in 1895 and once owned by Ford.
Case IH was formed in 1985 when automotive parts manufacturer Tenneco acquired select assets from International Harvester. CNH also owns Steyer, a company that focuses on manufacturing tractors for farming, forestry, and even municipal use. CNH equipment is sold through its network of 11,500 dealers across 170 countries, including 12 dealerships in the United States owned directly by CNH—which reported revenues of $28 billion in 2017.
BASF SE (FWB: BAS) is a German chemical producer. It is the largest in the world with subsidiaries and partnerships in over 80 countries worldwide and customers in almost 200 countries. Despite its massive size, impact, and revenues of almost $70 billion, BASF has flown under the radar of public attention ever since it discontinued its manufacture of consumer electronics in the 1990s.
Currently, BASF is expanding its operations into Asia, investing billions of Euros to build up sites near Nanjing, Shanghai, and Mangalore. BASF stands for Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik, which began as a company that manufactured dyes, sodium carbonate, sulfuric acid, and ammonia. BASF merged with several other companies to form IG Farben, but this company was disbanded by allied forces after WWII.
BASF is involved in many types of chemical production, but in terms of agriculture, it produces fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, and other treatment products for seeds, along with engaging in research about the relation of the human genome to nutrition and partnering with companies like Monsanto to develop genetically modified foodstuffs.
Monsanto is now a subsidiary of Bayer (FWB: BAYN) after it was acquired in 2018 for $66 billion. It was once a publicly-traded company in its own right, producing agrochemicals and biotech. Monsanto began in 1901 as a company manufacturing food additives, such as saccharine and caffeine. The company eventually expanded into the production of other chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Monsanto's claim to fame was the development of Roundup in the 1970s. Roundup is a synthetic herbicide that is the most widely used herbicide in the United States, despite competition from Chinese companies, providing Monsanto with 10% of its revenue. The consumer-facing version of this product is labeled as Scotts Miracle-Gro.
Monsanto was one of the first companies to develop and test out genetically modified crops in the 1980s. Through the 1990s, Monsanto began to spin off its agrochemical components to focus on biotech. Monsanto has been involved in controversies with agrochemicals such as DDT, Agent Orange, and bovine growth hormones, though Monsanto has attempted


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Optimising classifiers for the detection of physiological deterioration in patient vital-sign data
Khalid S., Clifton DA., Clifton L., Tarassenko L.
Hospital patient outcomes can be improved by the early identification of physiological deterioration. Automatic methods of detecting patient deterioration in vital-sign data typically attempt to identify deviations from assumed "normal" physiological condition. This paper investigates the use of a multi-class approach, in which "abnormal" physiology is modelled explicitly. The success of such a method relies on the accuracy of data annotations provided by clinical experts. We propose an approach to estimate class labels provided by clinicians, and refine those labels such they may be used to optimise a multi-class classifier for identifying patient deterioration. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods using a large data-set acquired in a 24-bed step-down unit.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Georgetown, Washington, DC
In the center of Georgetown, lying along Rock Creek is a 19th century garden park cemetery rivaled only by Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery in graciousness and a sense of community.
Oak Hill Cemetery is a historic 22-acre cemetery and botanical garden located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It includes the Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel and Van Ness Mausoleum which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Oak Hill Cemetery was founded by Mr. William Wilson Corcoran. In 1848, he purchased 15 acres along Rock Creek from relatives of George Washington. When the Cemetery Company was incorporated by Act of Congress on March 3, 1849, Mr. Corcoran contributed the land to the Company.
James Renwick, Jr., architect of the original Smithsonian Building designed the iron enclosure and the Chapel (built in 1849) which is a representation of the finest English specimens of old Gothic chapels. The cemetery itself is a major example of the 19th century Romantic movement, the natural and not formal English garden, an acceptance and blending of nature rather than a geometrical imposition.
Because of Oak Hill's age, its history is largely 19th century, with emphasis on the Civil War. The burials and monuments are mostly for that period. All lots were sold long ago and, until recently, the only new interments possible were in the few spaces remaining in old family lots. Recently, a new project has been started to renovate the paths and walkways.
GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 38.91280, Longitude: -77.05670
Oak Hill Cemetery
3001 R Street
Washington, District of Columbia
Other websites of interest:

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Central and dorsal or aboral: applied to the central ossicle of the stem of crinoids, as members of the genus Comatula.
- n. In crinoids, a centrodorsal ossicle which unites the skeleton of the stalk with the body.
- n. In paleont., a pentagonal plate found in many non-pedunculate crinoids (for example, Uintacrinus) at the base of the cup and probably representing an atrophied stalk.
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Sorry, no example sentences found.


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Video / Webinar / Podcast
Autism, Assessment, Behavior, Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS)
Middle School (6 − 9), High School (9 − 12), Elementary (K − 6), Early Childhood (Birth − K)
Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports
Terry Scott narrates a video to describe momentary interval recording (or momentary time sampling) as a data collection tool.


Serving inferences from your machine learning model with Sagemaker and TensorFlow
In Summary
Get your apps to make use of your trained machine learning model via standard REST requests with SageMaker and TensorFlow.
hen working on a project that requires building and training a custom machine learning model, TensorFlow makes the work much easier. It provides you with most of the tools you'll need to:
 - Handle your datasets.
 - Pre-process the data and post-process the model results.
 - Train your model.
 - Transform the information into useful visualizations (especially, when running on a Jupyter notebook).
 - Save your pre-trained models.
 - Test inferences.
 - Etc.
TensorFlow's possibilities are really well documented, from complete beginner to an advanced point of view.
Making real use of our trained model
Once your model has been designed, built and trained to infer predictions about the problem on the table, you'll likely need to make use of it from one of your applications.
For example, let's say you've trained the model on this TensorFlow example to retrieve the segmentation mask of a pet, given an image. When a user uploads a new picture of a pet, we'll need to pre-process the image to a valid format that the model can use and post-process the result to convert the segmentation mask to something that makes sense to be used internally by our backend or visualised externally in an app. Note: in this article, we'll focus on a model based on a convolutional neural network built with Keras but, basically, it should apply to any other model built with TensorFlow.
Sagemaker to serve model inferences
Although TensorFlow already provides some tools to serve your model inferences through its API, with AWS SageMaker you'll be able to complete the rest of it:
 - Host the model in a docker container that can be deployed to your AWS infrastructure.
 - Take advantage of one of the machine learning optimised AWS instances. They are super-powered with different options of CPU, network performance or memory and are capable to rely on GPUs for accelerated computing.
 - Create an endpoint that can be externally invoked to request predictions.
You can proceed by directly selecting one of the available pre-built docker images when building a SageMaker model or you can build your own container, following a specific structure and deploy it via ECR. The advantages of opting for the latter are:
 - Local testing of your inference endpoint
 - Total control over the machine
Amazon has simplified the job of creating your container, publishing and documenting projects like SageMaker TensorFlow Serving Container in GitHub with all the code you need to run the container locally pretty much out the box, what is much appreciated.
Preparing the SageMaker TensorFlow Serving Container
Clone the mentioned repository and choose the TensorFlow version and the required architecture to start running in your machine the container where your model will be placed.
Save the already trained model:
import tensorflow as tf, "./savedmodels/imagesegmentation/1/")
Check the model is saved correctly:
!saved_model_cli show --dir./savedmodels/imagesegmentation/1/ --tag_set
serve --signature_def serving_default
# Output:
The given SavedModel SignatureDef contains the following input(s):
inputs['input_2'] tensor_info:
dtype: DT_FLOAT
shape: (-1, 128, 128, 3)
name: serving_default_input_2:0
The given SavedModel SignatureDef contains the following output(s):
outputs['conv2d_transpose_4'] tensor_info:
dtype: DT_FLOAT
shape: (-1, 128, 128, 3)
name: StatefulPartitionedCall:0
Method name is: tensorflow/serving/predict
And place it on the container to start testing it. The expected location is /opt/ml/model in the container which is shared with your (host) machine through test/resources/models
├── models
├── petsegmentation
├── saved_model.pb
└── variables
└── variables.index
At this point, your model is already reachable and predictions can be requested via Http…
curl -X POST --data-binary _USER_/resources/inputs/test-image-segmentation.json -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -H 'X-Amzn-SageMaker-Custom-butes: tfs-model-name=imagesegmentation' http://localhost:8080/invocations
… if you have data examples following exactly the structure expected by the model, in our case, a 4d array tensor of floats.
However, the goal is making the endpoint as accessible as possible to our apps and take any heavy calculations away from them. So, we'll simplify the design of the API to work with standard application/json requests as follows:
The pre and post inference data processing can be achieved by implementing the methods input_handler and output_handler (or just handler that would cover both) in an file that must be placed in a folder named code, alongside the requirements.txt with the packages required to be installed. The final structure would look like:
├── models
├── code
│ ├──
│ └── requirements.txt
└── petsegmentation
├── saved_model.pb
└── variables
└── variables.index
And the and requirements.txt files like:
# requirements.txt
import tensorflow as tf
import numpy as np
import requests
import base64
import json
import os
def handler(data, context):
"""Handle request.
data (obj): the request data
context (Context): an object containing request and configuration details
(bytes, string): data to return to client, (optional) response content type
decoded_data ='utf-8')
processed_input = _process_input(data, context)
response =, data=processed_input)
return _process_output(response, context)
def _process_input(data, context):
if context.request_content_type == 'application/json':
decoded_data ='utf-8')
# Converts the JSON object to an array
# that meets the model signature.
image_array = image_to_array(decoded_data)
return json.dumps({"inputs": [image_array]})
raise ValueError('{{"error": "unsupported content type {}"}}'.format(
context.request_content_type or "unknown"))
def _process_output(data, context, request_data):
if data.status_code!= 200:
raise ValueError(data.content.decode('utf-8'))
response_content_type = context.accept_header
prediction = json.loads(data.content.decode('utf-8'))
segmented_image = mask_to_image(prediction["outputs"])
return json.dumps({"segmented_image": segmented_image}), response_content_type
Now, our container is ready to be used by real applications.
Deploying the container and creating the endpoint
Push your custom image to ECR by executing the script:
./scripts/ --version 1.14 --arch gpu --region eu-west-x
Compress and upload the saved model and code folder to a S3 bucket:
tar -czvf model.tar.gz imagesegmentation code
aws s3 cp model.tar.gz s3://model-bucket/mymodel/model.tar.gz
Create the model in Sagemaker, choosing our published custom image and uploaded model.tar.gz and setting other parameters like TensorFlow version and architecture type:
# Create the model in Sagemaker
# See the following document for more on SageMaker Roles:
aws sagemaker create-model \
--model-name $MODEL \
--primary-container Image=$IMAGE,ModelDataUrl=s3://model-bucket/mymodel/model.tar.gz \
--execution-role-arn $ROLE_ARN
Create the endpoint configuration (referencing to the created SageMaker model) and spin up the endpoint. You'll need to choose the instance/s that fit better your needs:
# You need to change the timestamp value with the output of
# It creates endpoint configuration.
aws sagemaker create-endpoint-config \
--endpoint-config-name $ENDPOINT_CONFIG_NAME \
--production-variants VariantName=TFS,ModelName=$MODEL_NAME,InitialInstanceCount=$INITIAL_INSTANCE_COUNT,InstanceType=$INSTANCE_TYPE
# Create the endpoint
aws sagemaker create-endpoint \
--endpoint-name $MODEL \
--endpoint-config-name $ENDPOINT_CONFIG_NAME
And voilà, the endpoint will be live and available for serving inferences in a few minutes. The invoke-endpoint command will allow you to double-check the deploy was successful:
aws sagemaker-runtime invoke-endpoint \
--endpoint-name petsegmentation \
--content-type=application/json \
--body "file://./test/resources/inputs/test-image-segmentation.json \
If everything works as expected you should retrieve a json with the processed prediction:
Originally published at
Senior Full Stack Engineer at _USER_


Great Britain
In brief: The World Before Us; Cunning Women; When Time Stopped – reviews
Tom Higham
Viking, £20, pp296
It is received wisdom that humanity is descended from the Neanderthals, and that they were the only prehistoric humanoid race. As archaeology professor Tom Higham convincingly argues in this fascinating and deeply researched book, this is a simplification of the facts that verges on the misleading. Instead, Higham draws on new information to describe a previously unknown race of humans – the Denisovans – and their contemporaries, an eclectic variety of beings who include, wonderfully, a tiny island-dwelling race known as "the hobbits". Higham conveys the thrill of archaeological discovery eruditely and accessibly.
Elizabeth Lee
Windmill, £14.99, pp368
In 1620s Lancashire, Sarah Haworth and her family are believed to be "cunning", a euphemism for witches. Their neighbours publicly shun them while privately seeking their counsel and medical expertise. Yet the Pendle witch trials, organised by the zealous forces of the patriarchal law, seek to expose anyone "other", and so Sarah and those she loves are confronted with a terrifying reckoning. Elizabeth Lee's debut novel is timely in its depiction of hysteria and persecution, and beautifully evokes a historical period poised between dark ignorance and long-overdue enlightenment.
Ariana Neumann
Scribner, £8.99, pp353
Ariana Neumann's memoir is based around a simple but vital question: how far can we really know our own families? When her father, Hans, died, he left behind a collection of papers that led her to discover his past as a Czechoslovakian Jew, and the extraordinarily resourceful manner in which he escaped the deportation and murder that befell most of his family. Neumann's father presented himself as a willing collaborator, while taking care to sabotage the German war effort from within. This fascinating and moving book is a fine testament to him.
Football news:
Neymar's contract in one picture. Mbappe wants the same one


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The importance of creating inclusive policy cannot be overstated. In response to this challenge, the UW Tech Policy Lab (TPL) developed the Diverse Voices method in 2015. The method uses short, targeted conversations about emerging technology with "experiential experts" from under-represented groups to provide feedback on draft tech policy documents. This process works to increase the likelihood that the language in the finalized tech policy document addresses the perspectives and circumstances of broader groups of people— ideally averting injustice and exclusion.
University of Washington Tech Policy Law
Law and Society | Science and Technology Law
Lassana Magassa, Meg Young & Batya Friedman,
Diverse Voices: A How-To Guide for Facilitating Inclusiveness in Tech Policy,
Available at: _URL_


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Using a "strawman" for page layout design
Designing the page layouts for a new or redesigned intranet can be complex. One of the most difficult aspects is creating the first layout. Starting with an empty screen, you need to determine what will go on each page and where it will go.
Using a strawman design – a design that is created with the intent of discarding it – can help to overcome many of the difficulties in the design process.
Team or individual
It is simple for one member of the intranet team to create a set of page layouts. They can use the information such as user research, intranet goals and key page elements to design the first layouts. Unfortunately, during layout discussion the team member may think that their ideas are being attacked.
Involving the whole intranet team brings together a range of experiences, skills and understanding of the intranet needs. The eventual design should be richer for the input. However, it is difficult to design as a team – it can be hard to move beyond the blank slate and communicate design ideas. Some team members may be good at discussing abstract concepts but many won't. Designing in this situation can be frustrating and unproductive.
Using a strawman
An approach that we have used successfully is to use a strawman design. The strawman is created with the intent that it will be pulled apart and discarded. It is used to encourage discussion of the layout's strengths and weaknesses and to generate better designs.
The key advantage of a strawman is that it provides something concrete to discuss. The team can point to it, sketch on it, discuss why an element won't work or what they would prefer to see. It allows the team to discuss the layout without it being abstract.
Creating the strawman
The strawman should show the position of key elements including a banner, navigation, search box and page content. It doesn't need to be either complete or very detailed and may contain elements that will be contentious. It should be hand drawn on paper or on a whiteboard.
Runing a strawman design session
A strawman design session needs to be managed by a facilitator. This person listens to suggestions, clarifies issues, and summarises ideas.
The input to the session (an information architecture diagram, personas, key tasks, intranet goals) should be available, preferably hung up on walls where everyone can see them.
Everyone should be given markers and there should be plenty of paper available for sketching. It can be good to use two whiteboards – one for the evolving design and one for interim sketches. An internet connection is useful to examine sites with particular features of interest.
The facilitator should make sure that everyone knows that the initial and evolving design is a strawman so they feel comfortable discussing it.
The team starts with a discussion of things that are good and bad about the strawman. As issues are discussed, alternatives can be generated and the facilitator can re-sketch parts of pages. The team should be encouraged to sketch and show their ideas to keep the session practical. Each sketch is considered a new strawman and open to further discussion.
During the session take time to break and step back from the activity. Keep an open mind and remember to focus on the user needs and intranet goals.
Most importantly, have fun!


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level of registering as voters.
Some countries have already taken special steps to elevate the position of the PWDs in this respect. Namibia was one of the first African countries to launch a crusade to guarantee the participation of PWDs in electoral matters in 2004.
It was recorded that out of Namibia's 950,000 voters, who took part in the November 2004 general elections, 20,000 were blind and used braille ballots.
Therefore, in line with the current discourse on PWDs rights and electoral reforms in Uganda, there is an ardent need to focus on specific actions that will enhance full participation of PWDs in the electoral process.
Experiences from developed countries and some African countries can provide benchmarks for making disability friendly electoral systems.
One of the key tenets of democracy is participation. The wider the participating sample space, the more legitimate democratic processes are deemed to be. In a bid to ensure that PWDs enjoy their well-being, the Government has to ensure that they are part and parcel of all nation-building initiatives. Improving accessibility of PWDs to elections is inevitable if Uganda is to remain on a true democratic course.
The writer works with the Citizens' Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda
|MDAA gratefully acknowledges funding provided by the Australian Government through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs,
as well as Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services NSW.
For Telephone Interpreter Service - Call 13 14 50
9381, Harris Park NSW 2150, Australia
(02) 9891 6400 | Fax (02) 9635 5355


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Development of a novel intraoral measurement device to determine the biomechanical characteristics of the human periodontal ligament.
- Drolshagen, Marcel; Keilig, Ludger; Hasan, I.; Reimann, S; Deschner, J.; Brinkmann, K. T.; Krause, Rolf; Favino, Marco; Bourauel, Christoph
- Periodontal diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis have damaging effects on the periodontium and commonly affect the mechanical properties of the periodontal ligament (PDL), which in the end might lead to loss of teeth. Monitoring tooth mobility and changes of the material properties of the PDL might help in early diagnosis of periodontal diseases and improve their prognosis. It was the aim of this study to develop a novel intraoral device to determine the biomechanical characteristics of the periodontal ligament. This includes the measurement of applied forces and resulting tooth displacement in order to investigate the biomechanical behaviour of the periodontium with varying loading protocols with respect to velocity and tooth displacement. The developed device uses a piezoelectric actuator to apply a displacement to a tooth''s crown, and the resulting force is measured by an integrated force sensor. To measure the tooth displacement independently and non-invasively, two magnets are fixed on the teeth. The change in the magnetic field caused by the movement of the magnets is measured by a total of 16 Hall sensors. The displacement of the tooth is calculated from the movement of the magnets. The device was tested in vitro on premolars of four porcine mandibular segments and in vivo on two volunteers. The teeth were loaded with varying activation curves. Comparing the force progression of different activation velocities, the forces decreased with decreasing velocity. Intensive testing demonstrated that the device fulfils all requirements. After acceptance of the ethical committee, further testing in clinical measurements is planned.
- Type of Publication:
- Journal of Biomechanics
- 2136 - 2143


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Seeing the Evidence: Forensic Scientists at Work is an informational book about the science of analyzing types of evidence found at crime scenes. The book provides a historical overview of the first forensic scientists in the early 1900s. Four case files give readers the opportunity to see modern forensic science at work, ranging from DNA testing to fingerprint analysis. Photographs and diagrams support the text.
Seeing the Evidence: Forensic Scientists at Work


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The impact of social class and status on citizenship information need: the results of two national surveys of the population of the United Kingdom.
MetadataShow full item record
MARCELLA, R. and BAXTER, G., 2000. The impact of social class and status on citizenship information need: the results of two national surveys of the population of the United Kingdom. Journal of Information Science, July 2000, 26(4), pp.239-254.
This paper reports the key results of the Citizenship Information research project funded by the British Library Research and Innovation Centre. This research comprised two large-scale surveys of the citizenship information needs of the UK public. The paper focuses upon the detailed analysis and examination of the results as they related to issues of social class and status. The research revealed that social class and status had an impact upon information need and information seeking behaviour, although the pattern emerging was not a simple one. Certain social classes and status groups were not exploiting public library information resources as effectively as they might; equally, certain groups were less willing (or able) to take advantage of new technologies to access information and participate in democratic activities. Those groups most willing to use a range of information sources were more conscious of disadvantage resulting from a lack of information. The paper concludes that there is a real danger of exclusion for certain groups of the UK population and that information policy must reflect an awareness of the most appropriate patterns of information dissemination in order to overcome barriers to access for each of these.


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Electronic ID Tracking
Over the past decade, technology has greatly improved artificial reproductive technology, particularly in the area of traceability and patient safety.
One significant advancement is the implementation of Electronic ID Tracking systems in the Queensland Fertility Group's (QFG's) embryology laboratories. This system, known as "Witness," utilises Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to detect and monitor activity in the IVF Laboratory.
Electronic ID Tracking, also referred to as RFID tracking, ensures that each patient's identity is allocated to their respective samples and digitally tracks every vessel containing eggs, embryos, and sperm. This technology minimises the risk of errors in handling human samples by providing a comprehensive system for monitoring and tracking patient samples throughout the IVF process.
The Witness system employs tags attached to dishes or tubes containing patient samples, which store electronically encoded patient information. These tags are automatically identified and tracked by antennae at each workstation. If samples belonging to different patients are mistakenly placed together, an audible alarm alerts the scientist, preventing any mix-ups.
The Witness system not only monitors the movement of samples but also records the time of each technique and the items within the antennae's range. This ensures that only one patient's samples are handled at any given time, enhancing accuracy and reducing the chances of cross-contamination.
Electronic ID tracking eliminates the risks associated with identity errors during laboratory procedures, providing peace of mind to both patients and staff. Additionally, all witnessed procedures are recorded, allowing for auditing and verification of correct handling practices.
Technology has played a huge role in improving the safety and efficiency of artificial reproductive technology over the past decade and I look forward to seeing how it evolves over the next ten years.


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Brill or Bril, Flemish painters, brothers. Mattys Brill (mäˈtĪs) [key], 1550–83, went to Rome early in his career and executed frescoes for Gregory XIII in the Vatican. Paul Brill, 1554–1626, probably studied in Rome with his brother and succeeded him at the Vatican. His calm, well-observed landscapes exercised a great influence on Italian art. His works after 1600 show his mature style; the landscape elements are arranged like stage-set wings receding diagonally into depth, his brushwork is broader, and his atmospheric effects refined. His frescoes and oils are found in many Roman churches. Martyrdom of St. Clement (Vatican), against a seascape, is perhaps his best-known work. He often painted small landscapes on copper.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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See more Encyclopedia articles on: European Art to 1599: Biographies


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Consequences of Conjugal Bereavement in Adults
Bereavement refers to the expected reactions and sadness associated with the loss of a loved one. It has been reported that the loss of a spouse is rated as the major life stressor among survivors of varying ages and diverse cultural backgrounds. Statistics have shown that in the United States over 800,000 men and women lose a spouse each year.
A wide range of symptoms has been associated with bereavement including; depressed mood, tearfulness, sleep disturbances, and irrational behavior. Previous studies have shown that up to 50% of bereaved individuals can develop major depression. Bereavement has also been associated with dysfunction of the immune system. As a result, bereaved adults are more vulnerable to infection. However, the exact relationship between bereavement and immunity is uncertain.
Researchers firmly believe that a relationship does exist between stress, more specifically bereavement, immunity, and the increased chance of dying following the loss of a long-term spouse.
The objective of this study is to find possible links between bereavement, depression, and the immune system. This study will follow a group of elderly bereaved spouses and a group of elderly people who have not lost a long-term spouse. The group of bereaved individuals will be followed for approximately 13 months after the loss of their spouse and the group of controls will be followed for 13 months after entering the study. Researchers will make note of any clinical, biological, and immunological changes in any participants of the study.
|Official Title:||Conjugal Bereavement in Older Adults: Biological, Functional, and Psychological Consequences|
|Study Start Date:||July 1997|
|Estimated Study Completion Date:||May 2002|
It is estimated that over 800,000 men and women become bereaved each year in the United States (LaRue et al, 1985). While the near certainty of such bereavement is predictable in one spouse or the other, the exact impact and duration of bereavement is much less predictable (Stroebe et al, 1995). It has been reported that the loss of a spouse is rated as the major life stressor among survivors of varying ages and diverse cultural backgrounds (Holmes and Rahe, 1967). As one copes with the loss of a loved one, expected reactions include sadness, tearfulness, and even depression (DeLeon, 1994; Pasternak, 1996). Other complications can include work-related difficulties, sleep disturbances, irrational behaviors, and immunologic dysfunction (Zisook, 1994; Prigerson, et al, 1995). All of these symptoms are common; yet, the underlying biology and relationship with the time course of bereavement are still poorly understood. The purpose of this study will be to prospectively follow a cohort of elderly bereaved spouses and controls from multiple clinical and biological perspectives over thirteen months after the loss of a spouse.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00001659
|United States, Maryland|
|National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)|
|Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892|


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This job is currently Archived,
Associate Consultant Scientist, DSP Lead - Canada
Posted on : 07 May 2017
- Our company is a global, innovation-driven company that develops and markets products to improve animal health and protein production in more than 75 countries.
- Responsible for timely progression of R&D projects through the application of scientific knowledge for the development of purification processes following innovative approaches to enhance customer value.
- Plan, execute and coordinate daily and weekly work schedule.
- Design, review and make recommended changes to scientific protocols and procedures.
- Participate in project teams within the function and present results during team, project or unit meetings.
- Write reports and may write external publications.
- Prepare SOPs/working procedures. Support preparation of registration documents.
- Perform data analysis and use results for the design of next experiment or troubleshooting activities
- Collaborate with other associates and scientists to facilitate knowledge exchange.
- Train and coach peers. Develop methods for characterization of recombinant proteins using varied analytical tools
- Develop of methods for protein purification and able scale-up purification process at pilot and commercial scale
- Maintain infrastructure of laboratory and an organized, clean and safe working environment.
- Ensure the compliance with external and internal guidelines (e.g. SOPs, GxP, HSE, and AW) are in an appropriate state of control.
Education and Experience | Education
- MSc/PhD in Chemical/Biochemical Engineering or related sciencesExperience
- Minimum 5 years industry experience (MS) or one year for PhD.Adequate understanding of research and/or development processes in own function.
- Thorough knowledge in purification of nucleic acid vaccines, virus-like particles and recombinant proteins at lab and pilot scale.
- Expertise in engineering concepts for scale up/scale down models for characterization and troubleshooting of vaccine manufacturing processes
- Experience in vaccine formulation considered a plus
- Candidates should be open to relocation,Thorough technical understanding of the quality systems and regulatory requirements
- Experience in root cause analysis
- Number of Direct reports: 1-3 Responsible for meeting agreed upon timelines for tasks, assignments, and/or objectives.
- Provides timely, regular & accurate update of projects to management and/or related databases & tools.
- Maintains compliance with quality systems & standards Supports Director in performance evaluations, settings and development planning
- Our company will conduct, at its own expense, a background search (including verification of educational credentials, contacting three of your personal references) of the successful candidate. The company is committed to employment equity.
- We encourage applications from qualified women, members of visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities.


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Efficiently and effectively manage and cope with future challenges by the continuing development of human resources with intelligence, skills and leadership qualities
Nawroz University seeks to:
- Preserve its leading position and history in the area through the adoption of scientific research, primarily in addressing community and market needs;
- Keeping abreast of technological and scientific advances and a constant openness to their local and global environment; and
- Contributing to a sustainable education environment in the region and Iraq.
- Provide local and global markets with competent, experienced, and skillful individuals, and who perform leading roles in the different fileds.
- Maintain the leading position of the university as a scientific and cultural edifice of its local, regional environment.
- Establish scientific and cultural ties with counterparts from local and international universities and scientific institutions and openness towards all institutions that share our objectives.
- Contribute to setting development plans through cooperation with governmental and non-governmental agencies.
- Sustaining university advisory and training centers and increasing their interaction with the market and social requirements.
- Continuous training and development of scientific, administrative, and vocational staff by involving them in local and international training courses, plus paving the way for them to fine-tune their skills and talents.
- Provide an appropriate environment for staff to work and students to learn.
- Adopt international labor standards and ideas that help the university deliver better services to society.
- Spread a culture of tolerance and pluralism among communities and work ethics between individuals in their different departments of NU.


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Monday, January 22, 2007
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
Agee, Jon. 2006. WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? New York: Dial. ISBN _PHONE_ [Suggested Grade Levels 1 – 6]
Although this eclectic picture book will amuse anyone, it holds special appeal for fans of contemporary children's picture book art. In it, fourteen of today's most successful picture book artists visually answer the perennial question: Why did the chicken cross the road?
The scenarios depicted range as widely as the artists' recognizable styles. Marla Frazee begins by contrasting a chicken coop beneath gloomy wet skies against a colorful chicken palace on the sunny side of the street. A single word--"duh"--hovers above the chicken. Later, David Shannon shows a chicken at the wheel of a red convertible filled with barnyard animals. The caption reads "because the light was green!" In contrast, Harry Bliss says that to answer the question we should "ask the mutated zombie chickens from Mars!" He then pictures a chicken hot footing it across the road with a legion of bug eyed, sharp-toothed, green-tongued chickens in pursuit.
Children will enjoy identifying the various artists and associating this art with familiar books. As with anything, they will likely appreciate the style and humor of some inclusions more than others. Sharing this book presents a great opportunity to talk about varying tastes and points of view.
Encourage children to brainstorm other ideas about why the chicken crossed the road and to illustrate their ideas in their own unique artistic style.
Jokes and riddles for beginning readers:
Hall, Katy. DINO RIDDLES. ISBN 9780142501795, _PHONE_
Helmer, Marilyn. CRITTER RIDDLES. ISBN 9781553374459, _PHONE_
For older readers:
Brewer, Paul. YOU MUST BE JOKING! ISBN 9780812626612, _PHONE_
Thomas, Lyn. HA! HA! HA!: 1000+ JOKES, RIDDLES, FACTS AND MORE. ISBN _PHONE_, 9781897066126
By Suzy Parchman


- With college just a year or two away, why do schools hold seniors and juniors in the same type of work schedule they had when they were in middle school?
 - Knowing that all students learn differently, why do we hold them all to the same structure?
 - With technology and the Internet changing how we work, why do schools retain a structure they had a century ago?
 - With new jobs emerging all the time, and with most people changing careers and jobs much more frequently than ever before, how do we know the traditional school model prepares our graduates for their future?
 - Read about the rationale for why we developed the Blended Classes Model
 At Shattuck-St. Mary's, ScholarShift =
 + self-management
 + 21st century skills
 + passion development and exploration
 + flexibility
 + breaking out of the old schedule
 + customization
 + independence/initiative
 + sustained energy & engagement
 + projects/experiences beyond the classroom
 + "true college prep"
What is ScholarShift®?
 - Beginning with the SSM Class of 2018, our educational approach for the 11th and 12th grades will grow to include, in addition to the excellent college preparatory academic program we have long offered, a series of educational experiences comprised of blended classes, a parallel curriculum of learning modules, and a year-long self-designed educational experience. We are calling this series of experiences ScholarShift.
 - Juniors will choose from a broad catalog of modules, many of which have been proposed by the students themselves. The modules focus on everything from financial literacy to writing poetry, from film making to gender roles in popular media. Students will have the opportunity to study botany in our own backyard, record and edit podcasts in our weCreate Center, and grapple with the complex issues facing our local and national communities today. After completing this foundational year, seniors will spend their final year at SSM engaged in internships, developing significant research projects, or designing other year-long experiences that explore their passions and expand their skills and talents.
 - 11th and 12th grade academic classes will be offered in a blended class model. This model opens up the weekly schedule so that students can engage in the opportunities ScholarShift provides alongside their traditional, classroom-based academic program. It also requires students to hone their time management skills and prepares them for the college model in which seeking extra help from professors requires planning and initiative and each day is not predetermined hour by hour.
 - To meet our academic graduation requirements, our students will complete their academic coursework plus the three-year ScholarShift series of experiences. Completion of these new requirements will be reflected on student transcripts along with the full array of rigorous college preparatory courses currently offered in our curriculum.


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Experienced hospitalists and medical directors agree that the key to multiple hospitalist groups coexisting effectively under one roof—whether directly competing or not—is good communication. Effective communication can take time to build.
"Start by working together on something—anything, [such as] a hospital committee of some sort where there's not likely to be much tension," says hospitalist pioneer and practice consultant John Nelson, MD, MHM.
Dr. Nelson practices at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, Wash., which has a hospitalist group employed by the hospital and another employed by Group Health Cooperative, a nonprofit health system in Washington state. It is important to put some trust in the trust bank, he says, "and that's hard if you have no social connections at all. At my hospital, we enjoy each other's company, we visit each other at lunch, and we even tried to have a journal club." The two hospitalist groups work together on developing care protocols. Dr. Nelson says it also makes sense for the groups' leaders to sit down together on a regular basis and have a venue for discussing important issues and solving problems that may arise.
Other suggestions for hospitalist groups working together under one roof include:
- Clearly define each group's territory. The groups' representatives can go out and try to persuade health plans or physician groups to shift their hospitalist allegiances, but there should be no "trolling" or "poaching" of patients going on inside the hospital's walls. That will only confuse patients and disrupt the hospital's larger service goals.
- Inform the ED and other key staff of your schedules. It's important that everyone know exactly who is supposed to get which patients, and how these referrals get made. But recognize that mistakes happen and, hopefully, these will even out between the groups over time.
- Transparency, honesty, and even-handed treatment of all hospitalists can prevent resentment. Clearly defined guidelines and expectations are helpful. If the policy spells out transfers for an incorrectly referred patient, both sides should be accessible and cooperative with that process.
- Identify areas of common interest and agree to work together on these areas (i.e. competition-free zones). It might be possible, for example, for competing groups to take each others' after-hours call on a rotating basis, with a firm commitment not to steal patients along the way.
- Spell out responsibilities in a way that everyone can agree is fair, such as alternating referrals or taking call on alternating days. For example, if subsidies are paid to more than one hospitalist group, is this done equitably, such as based on the number of hospitalist FTEs or shifts?
- Restrictive covenants and contractual noncompete clauses could become an issue in areas where multiple groups practice. Rather than using overly broad, blanket language, it could be clarified that such pacts apply only to the hospital where the physician currently works, and within a reasonable time frame. But everyone involved should be aware of what these covenants contain and, if they appear unreasonable, don't sign them.


Vishuci, Viṣūci, Visūcī: 7 definitions
The Sanskrit term Viṣūci can be transliterated into English as Visuci or Vishuci, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Vishuchi.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index
Viṣūci (विषूचि).—Queen of Viraja, and mother of a hundred sons and one daughter.1 Mother of Viṣvaksena.2
 - 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa V. 15. 15.
 - 2) Ib. VIII. 13. 23.
Purana book cover
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Discover the meaning of vishuci or visuci in the context of Purana from relevant books on Exotic India
Rasashastra (chemistry and alchemy)
Source: Wisdom Library: Rasa-śāstra
Visūcī (विसूची) refers to "cholera" and is caused by āmājīrṇa type of indigestion (ajīrṇa), as defined in the fourth volume of the Rasajalanidhi (chapter 4).—Accordingly, "in visūcī disease, vāyu (wind), vehementhy in excess, due to indigestion, gives rise to pricking sensation all over the body. Those who are acquainted with the principles of hygiene and medicine and follow them strictly are rarely attacked with this disease (except by infection). The victims of this disease are generally those persons who cannot control their desire and are greedy.".
Symptoms of visūcī:—"loss of consciousness, severe movement of the bowels, vomiting, thirst, pain resembling colic in the abdomen, giddiness, cramps in the hands and the feet, yawning, sensation of heat, discolouration, shivering, and pain in the breast and the head".
Rasashastra book cover
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Discover the meaning of vishuci or visuci in the context of Rasashastra from relevant books on Exotic India
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary
Viṣūci (विषूचि).—Mind (manas); अन्तःपुरं च हृदयं विषूचिर्मन उच्यते (antaḥpuraṃ ca hṛdayaṃ viṣūcirmana ucyate) Bhāg.4.29.16.
Derivable forms: viṣūciḥ (विषूचिः).
--- OR ---
Visūcī (विसूची).—Cholera; सूचीभिरिव गात्राणि तुदन् संतिष्ठतेऽनिलः । यस्याजीर्णेन सा वैद्यैर्विसूचीति निगद्यते (sūcībhiriva gātrāṇi tudan saṃtiṣṭhate'nilaḥ | yasyājīrṇena sā vaidyairvisūcīti nigadyate) Bhāva P.
See also (synonyms): visūcikā.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Viṣūcī (विषूची).—v. viṣvañc.
1) Viṣūci (विषूचि):—[from viṣu] m. or f. = manas, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
2) Viṣūcī (विषूची):—[from viṣu] a f. See under viṣvañc, [column]2.
3) [from viṣvañc > viṣu] b f. the cholera (= viṣūcikā q.v.), [Suśruta; Śārṅgadhara-saṃhitā]
4) Visūcī (विसूची):—[=vi-sūcī] [from vi-sūcana] [wrong reading] for vi-ṣ.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary
Viṣuci (विषुचि):—(ciḥ) 2. m. The mind.
[Sanskrit to German] (Deutsch Wörterbuch)
Viṣūci (विषूचि):—= viṣūcīna Bez. des überall hindringenden Manas [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 4, 29, 16] (ed. Bomb. fälschlich viṣūcīrmanaḥ).
--- OR ---
Viṣūcī (विषूची):—s. viṣvañc.
context information
Discover the meaning of vishuci or visuci in the context of Sanskrit from relevant books on Exotic India
See also (Relevant definitions)
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Welcome to oSTEM @ Minnesota
oSTEM is a national society dedicated to educating and fostering leadership for LGBTQIA+ communities in the STEM fields.
The name of our organization, oSTEM, stands for out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. oSTEM is a national, non-profit society dedicated to serving LGBTQIA+ identified college students who are pursuing their studies in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
oSTEM @ Minnesota works to foster community and visibility for LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and faculty as well as provide support in professional and personal development. We are a group of highly motivated students who feel strongly about the importance of creating spaces that are welcoming and safe for people of marginalized identities.
Since our chapter's founding, we have worked tirelessly to provide an on-campus environment where LGBTQIA+ students interested in STEM fields are able to further their education and realize their potential as community leaders. We strive to empower each other and our peers through social development, professional skills development, networking opportunities, and collaborative projects with other student groups.
Thank you to our Gold level sponsor:
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How to observe the elusive resonances in H or D + H2 → H2 or HD + H reactive scattering
William H. Miller, John Z.H. Zhang
Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review
Short-lived collision complexes in H or D + H2 (v = j = 0) → H2 or HD (v′, j′) + H reactive scattering give rise to broad resonance structure. Though this structure is not observable in the energy dependence of the integral cross section, it is readily seen in the energy dependence in the differential cross section σ(θ,E), as a peak along a line in the E-θ plane. The equation of this resonance line is E = Er(J(θ)), where Er(J) is the resonance energy as a function of total angular momentum J (i.e., the rotational quantum number of the complex) and J(θ) is the inverse function of θ(J), the effective classical deflection function for the transition. Observation of this resonance structure requires cross sections to individual final (v′, j′) states; it is quenched by summing over j′. It is even more enhanced in cross sections to specific final m′ states with m′ ≠ 0. (m′ is the helicity of the final state, the projection of the final diatomic molecule rotational angular momentum onto the final relative translational velocity vector.) The results reported are all from rigorous three-dimensional quantum mechanical reactive scattering calculations for these cross sections.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)12-19
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of physical chemistry
Issue number1
StatePublished - 1991
ASJC Scopus subject areas
 - Engineering(all)
 - Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
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Jewish Beliefs on Drug and Alcohol Addiction and Rehab
As is the case with members of all faiths, many adherents of the Jewish religion suffer from addiction. Unfortunately, the vast majority will never seek treatment, despite the fact that it is much more likely to lead to longterm sobriety. Luckily, there are many Jewish drug and alcohol rehab options available, along with many non-Jewish options that provide quality care.
What Is Judaism?
Judaism is a religion that began at least 4,000 years ago in the Middle East. The holy book of Judaism, called the Torah, explores laws for practicing Jews to practice and honor the will of God. Abraham is a central figure in the Jewish faith, and his grandson Jacob was called Israel. The descendants of Israel were called the Israelites. The Torah includes the Ten Commandments. There is another sacred book called the Tehakh, which contains ancient writings, as well as the Talmud. Presently, there are 14 to 15 million practitioners of Judaism globally, with 80% living in either Israel or the USA.
Get Help During COVID-19
With just 30 days at a rehab center, you can get clean and sober, start therapy, join a support group, and learn ways to manage your cravings.
Jewish Attitudes on Addiction
There is a stigma against addiction in the Jewish community. Some of this stems from guilt and shame surrounding substance abuse some adherents of Judaism may cast on others. This can be especially painful, because feelings of shame and guilt are often experienced deeply by individuals with substance use disorders.
Due to traditional religious values, some Jewish people may be taken by surprise upon learning of drug or alcohol abuse in their community. Some people believe there are no mental disabilities, or substance abuse in this community. The stereotype includes the "nice Jewish boy or girl who doesn't do drugs," as well as the disconnection of those who have become lost in addiction.
Unfortunately, an increase of Jewish-related substance abuse cases has caused many Jewish leaders to take interest in addressing the issue. Many are hoping this encourages Jewish individuals suffering with substance use disorders to take action and get the help they need, knowing there is support in their community.
The guilt of substance abuse and the shame others place on members in their community is changing, however. In particular, many Jewish individuals are impacted by the devastating effects of opioids and are getting help. Treatment centers have supported this by including Jewish-focused 12-Step principles to treat patients.
Jewish Addiction Statistics
A survey indicated 41.2% of (Jewish) individuals knew someone who currently battled substance abuse in their community. Additionally, 23.5% of respondents had a family history of drug or alcohol abuse. The many myths surrounding the lack of Jewish people battling chemical dependencies can hurt the community. Another source found that tranquilizer dependencies were common in the elder Jewish community, as well as sedative and pain pill dependences.
Jewish 12-Step Programs
12-Step programs focus on the emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical effects of substance abuse or chemical dependencies. They provide participants with a sense of fellowship and a support network, as well as advice, companionship, and many other benefits. Many in recovery find 12-Step programs and other support groups vital to their recovery and continued sobriety
Many of the 12 Steps encourage awareness of the self and the impact of substance abuse on others. Individuals take personal inventory over their actions, and lastly, the relationship with God. The Jewish 12 Steps are as follows:
- We admitted we were powerless over (fill in the blank)—that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove our shortcomings.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics/drug addicts/compulsive overeaters/compulsive gamblers etc… and to practice these principles in all our efforts.
There is also 7-step prayers, known as the Modeh Ani, which is encouraged to repeat daily to strength spiritual and personal discipline.
If you are looking for a Jewish-focused support group, there are Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others (JACS) chapters throughout the country.
Get Treatment Today
Treatment centers are becoming increasingly sensitive to all faiths of others. As a way to honor the diversity of individuals needing treatment, some centers have included treatments specifically intended for Jewish people. Some of these methods would take into account the dietary restrictions, and communal accommodations that are needed. In addition to these needed approaches, 12-Step programs and AA meeting s with Jewish themes are available. Taking the first step is the bravest action you can take to heal, and the time is now. Contact a dedicated treatment provider, and find out more.


12:00PM -1:30PM EST
How can we each contribute to raising children who thrive, despite adversity? We in the child welfare community work to improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families in our care, but all too often it is an unfortunate truism that children in child welfare experience long-lasting trauma, either from their parents or from a system that has a "one size fits all" approach. Children who age-out of care often have little to no supportive networks available to them. These challenges have been amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic, with added stressors on children, caregivers, and families. Despite this, there are children who not only survive traumatic experiences, but thrive. What can we learn from these children that we can then share? How do we prepare children who "age-out" of the child welfare system, and better equip them for independence? We can positively impact the child welfare system, making it more responsive and compassionate to all children. This speaker panel will examine possibilities and solutions.
Panel Discussion:
Cindy W. Christian, MD
Anthony A. Latini Endowed Chair in
Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Elizabeth Smart
Child Safety Activist
Jon Rubin
Deputy Secretary
PA Dept. of Human Services
Office of Children, Youth and Families
Waleska Maldonado
Chief of Prevention
City of Philadelphia
Office of Children and Families
50th Anniversary Diamond Sponsors


How much does dust affect the output of my PV system?
Detailed studies have been conducted on this subject, concluding that dust does not have a significant impact on PV systems. This is perhaps surprising, but washing the panels with tap water in places where there is a high concentration of calcium (such as Alice Springs) can actually have a more negative effect than dust. The arrays at the DKA Solar Centre are washed once a year by a specialised company who use a reverse osmosis filtration system to treat their water before using it to wash the solar modules.


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Cherokee Preservation Foundation's strategies have been shaped by the cultural values put down on paper by members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians before they began helping Cherokee Preservation Foundation plan the first of many culture-based initiatives. These tenets help explain how Cherokee have been a resilient people who have been able to surmount many crises and hardships. The Cherokee value:
- Spirituality, which creates a bond among Cherokee people in good times and bad, and is a source of hope.
- Group harmony in community and kin relationships, and freely sharing and giving time, talent and treasures.
- Strong individual character, with integrity, honesty, perseverance, courage, respect, trust, honor and humility.
- Strong connection with the land and commitment to stewardship of the homelands of the Cherokee.
- Honoring the past by knowing one's ancestors, identifying with and belonging to the tribe, and living and preserving Cherokee culture.
- Educating the children by providing values-oriented education and recreation, and by being strong role models for them.
- Possessing a sense of humor, which can lighten pressure in serious situations and help people make good decisions.


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Storage system designers constantly make engineering tradeoffs to maximize three key attributes – Throughput, Latency and Density. This blog series will delve into each of these separately and cover the thought process we went through when we designed the Pavilion Storage Platform as it relates to these attributes. This first blog of the series focuses on Throughput.
Part 1 - Throughput
We can generalize the Pavilion Storage Platform as a dataflow system in order to understand the throughput performance characteristics. Such a system can be viewed to have well defined system demarcation boundaries, and Amdahl's law can be applied to identify the weakest link in the chain to determine the overall throughput performance.
Figure 1 (Generic Storage Array) shows the primary dataflow elements in a storage array.
Figure 1 - Generic Storage Array
The clients are shown as Host 0..N and they connect to the Storage Array over a network. There are three boundaries identified by A, B and C in the figure. The throughput provided by the Storage Array (as seen by the clients) will be determined by the weakest of the three links A, B or C. In most designs, Bandwidth (A) < Bandwidth (B) < Bandwidth (C) and thus throughput, which follows bandwidth will be determined by A, the Network Connection Layer.
The reason for this IO Bandwidth allocation across A, B and C is primarily due to choices available for processing elements in designing an IO Controller. If an IO controller is designed using general purpose CPUs the amount of IO bandwidth available is determined by the merchant silicon available. While a custom ASIC can be designed to provide any IO bandwidth necessary it does not usually make economic sense to build for every storage array vendor. Silicon vendors such as Intel (for x86 CPU) provide about 40 lanes of PCIe per CPU since the Sandy Bridge generation. They have upgraded the lane speed of PCIe from Gen1 (2.5GT/s) to Gen2 (5GT/s) to Gen3 (8GT/s), but have not increased the number of PCIe lanes per CPU. Further, these high PCIe lane count CPUs also have the highest number of cores (or compute capacity) and can be clocked to run at highest frequencies. Other x86 vendors such as AMD have recently announced CPUs with much higher PCIe lane counts (64 and 128) but they are in a different power envelope and these lanes are used for inter socket communication as well. ARM vendors similarly have limited the number of PCIe lanes to well under 40. Silicon vendors make this design choice as they balance the processing and memory bandwidth capabilities for a given device. This leads the Storage Array designer to divide ~40 PCIe lanes between Networking and Media interfaces as shown in Figure 2 with a general purpose CPU.
Figure 2 - Storage System with General Purpose CPU
The designer in this case has to use the built-in PCIe switch to connect storage media. The division of PCIe lanes between A and B (B & C are collapsed in a high-end x86 CPU) thus decides the throughput. Further, if multiple CPUs are used as shown in the figure, the designer has to access media on the other CPU via an inter-processor link, deal with running a multi-processor aware OS (SMP or other) or have to live with a divided media pool. In the latter case, storage media on one socket will not be available to the other, and thus storage islands are created. Note that accesses across CPU via inter-processor links will result in non-uniform access latencies and the inter-processor link itself can become the bottleneck.
In practice today, two socket systems are most common, but when used to build a storage array they have to use one of the CPUs for redundancy and are thus throughput bound to the number of PCIe lanes they can allocate towards the network connection layer. Thus, typical throughput is limited to what can be achieved by ~16 lanes PCIe (40 PCIe Gen3 lanes split into 16 towards network and 24 towards storage) which roughly translates to ~12.5GB/s or ~4M IOPs.
This is a fundamental limitation imposed by silicon availability, and the challenge for Pavilion was to come up with a design that can surmount this throughput limit and scale with the number of CPUs, not divide the storage media pool, run each IO processor under a uniprocessor OS and still use generally available merchant silicon. Such a scalable solution should also meet practical realities of cost, schedule and power density. The resulting design is the first generation of Pavilion Storage Platform and is shown in Figure 3 (Pavilion Storage Platform) below.
Figure 3 - Pavilion Storage Platform
In order to overcome the limitation of PCIe lanes we chose to switch the focus of the design from the CPU and move it to a PCIe fabric. Once we could build a PCIe fabric with a high radix we added the most optimal CPUs (not necessarily the ones with most PCIe lanes). This allowed us to scale the throughput linearly with the number of CPUs. The number of CPUs was limited by the radix of the PCIe fabric and power density. We further chose to build a fabric with the highest port density devices available, and the scalability was limited only by the field widths determining the number space in the PCIe protocol.
Building such a storage system involved developing a fabric using a combination of hardware and software that enabled the media pool to be available to all the CPUs, while allowing logical and physical management through a separate management plane. The challenges of maintaining independent logical domains while residing in the same physical domain will be discussed in a separate article.
The important point to note here is that throughput limitations due to the number of PCIe lanes in a monolithic CPU is now removed. Further, each CPU can run an independent uniprocessor OS and fully saturate its network connection interface bandwidth, while operating in a lower power envelope. This is the reason why a standard 2-socket server cannot match the throughput of the Pavilion Storage Platform.
The new Ryzen CPU from AMD and others have more PCIe lanes, but they consume significantly more power than the CPU in a Pavilion Storage Platform. In the future, 2-socket systems built from those new devices can improve the throughput. It will be interesting to see if such a design can balance the compute capacity, memory bandwidth and power density as well as Pavilion Storage Platform. From a 30000 foot perspective, what we have built is really such a high lane count, many-multi-core CPU using discrete low power multi-core CPUs and an external fabric. As silicon vendors ride the technology curve and integrate components and arrive at this solution, we will embrace it and adapt it to provide even better solutions.
The key takeaway here is that Pavilion Storage Platform has delivered a design that brings benefits to the end customer. In the first generation of the product we have 20 IO Controllers (CPUs) delivering an aggregate throughput of 120 GB/s and 20 Million 4K Read IOPS.
To be continued... keep an eye out for Part 2 (Latency and Density) of this series, coming soon!


Date: 17/06/2021
Memorandum of Understanding between KAFD and MPs to implement the "Parliamentary Fellowship"
KAFD and House of Representative signed a memorandum of understanding to train and qualify (75) youngsters to work as research assistants for MPs through the implementation of the second cycle of the Parliamentary Fellowship Project, based on the impact study of the first cycle of the project launched in 2019.
The memorandum was signed by the director of KAFD, Saeb al-Hassan, and on behalf of the House of Representatives, its Secretary-General, Abdul Rahim al-Waked.
"that the implementation of the project comes as a translation of His Majesty King Abdullah II's vision of giving youngsters a real developmental role and involving them in the entire political process, given that the House of Representatives is the real body for oversight and legislation." Al-Hassan said.
al-Hassan indicated that the current cycle will be of great value in the field of political empowerment of youngsters, building on what has been previously accomplished to bring about the required positive change by honing the skills of participants in various fields.
"The House of Representatives is keen to cooperate with various national institutions, and is constantly looking forward to activating the role of youngsters in the national building process, providing them with all requirements and enhancing their participation in political life." al-Waked said.
al-Waked stressed the importance of connecting active youngsters with state institutions to enrich their experiences and knowledge towards many of the goals they seek to achieve, explaining that the House of Representatives is open to youngsters' initiatives aimed at establishing a generation capable of taking responsibility in the future.
The project implemented through 'All Jordan Youth Commission' (AJYC(, aims to contribute to the creation of youngsters leaders, increase awareness of various national issues and challenges, and expand the base of participation in public life by presenting a generation of youngsters who believe in the role of the MP, in addition to forming a real nucleus for future MPs by election.
The project in its first cycle, built the capacities of 147 youngsters, training and qualifying them according to a training manual developed for this purpose in acquiring multiple skills in the following areas: communication, dialogue, thinking skills, human rights, political and parliamentary work in Jordan, democracy and civil society, whereas the project's field of specialization, in its second cycle, was developed to provide research assistants to MPs, to undertaking the task of research and providing supporting information on draft laws or issues that are presented for discussion.
The project will be implemented based on a development plan consisting of two phases. The first phase will select youngsters from different governorates, giving them practical training on presentation and communication skills, political life in Jordan, concepts of democracy, and research skills. The second phase is a practical application for 6 months during the regular session of the House of Representatives.
It is noteworthy that KAFD launched the second cycle of the project last April where (1987) applications for accession were received, while personal interviewing is currently taking place to select the participants.


Mourning The Day after lossTamar ashkenazi
 - Author: Dr. Tamar Ashkenazi
 - Language: English
 - Category: עסקים, עזרה עצמית והדרכה
Mourning – The Day After Loss
How to deal with the death of a loved one?
Practical insight on coping with grief and bereavement
The death of a loved one surfaces pressing dilemmas: How should the deceased be commemorated in daily life and special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays, and memorials? How should his absence be regarded in school or at work? How does a marriage continue after death? How should the deceased's clothes and belongings be handled? How should one remember, and how does one find the power to live on?
Mourning: The Day After Loss delivers personal expressions of grief from parents and grandparents, siblings, spouses, and friends who have suffered loss or supported others in their grief. The author uses her experience as a group facilitator to bring the voices of participants in support groups for the bereaved, as well as the insights and testimonies of others who have dealt with life after loss. This book offers a comprehensive overview of bereavement and the approaches and methods of dealing with loss.


Clave Conundrum: Which View To Choose?
By Jeff Salisbury
After being fortunate enough to have seen a number of the most influential Latin percussionists of our time play simply astounding music, I encountered a sort of musical puzzle. The polyrhythmic prevalence of 3 over 2 and 3 over 4 has intrigued me and prompted me to document a combination I had yet to see on paper. By superimposing 3-2 Rumba Clave over 6/8 clave where 8th note= 8th note, a cycle of either 6 bars of 4/4 time or 8 bars of 6/8 is derived. When I wrote it both ways I wondered which look is more "user friendly". No instruments are specified and I did not use any x's or alternative noteheads, which might be preferred.
The logical extension of the clave combination for me was fleshing it out to be Bembe/Cascara. Then the possibilities of notation increased. Is it easier to read in ¾ time? What about 6/8 or 4/4? Is the top line easier when corresponding to the time signature, or does that matter? How about a rudimental look? Regardless of the view, they all amount to the same interaction of the rhythms and are not inherently more or less difficult to play.
This led me to wonder how our brains work when presented with different perspectives of the same musical situation. Based on my experience, I found it easier to play certain versions sooner than others. Try them out and have fun. I'd love to hear what other drummers experience when reading through these and which views are preferable.


Régie des rentes du Québec
Administering a defined contribution plan
A defined contribution plan is generally administered by a pension committee, which is the first responder for the plan and must ensure that the plan is in conformity with the relevant laws.
The pension committee is responsible for the administration of the plan and the management of the pension fund. Furthermore, it has an important role to plan in providing information to plan members. It must act with prudence, diligence and competence, like any reasonable person.
Sometimes the administrator is not a pension committee
A plan with less than 26 members and beneficiaries can be administered by the employer. In that case, the employer has the same obligations and responsibilities as a pension committee.
Who can provide information about a plan?
Generally, the documentation given to plan members indicates the name and contact details of a contact person. Those details can also be obtained from the employer our by using the Régie's online consultation service for supervised pension plans.
How can someone become a pension committee member?
Any person who wants to be a committee member, whether or not he or she is a plan member, can express an interest in becoming a member to the persons who have the power to designate committee members (for example, the employer or the union). An interested person can also run as a candidate for election by the plan members and beneficiaries at the plan's annual meeting.
To find out more...
See the Régie's section for plan administrators.
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Low morbidity high anterior neck approach for removal of a deep intraglossal foreign body: A case report
International Journal of Surgery Case Reports
Introduction and importance: In the era of both new bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulator and long-standing experience with Sistrunk's procedures, it is notable that the literature scarcely describes high anterior neck approaches, tending to focus on transoral removal of intra-glossal foreign bodies. Herein we describe a case of a low morbidity anterior approach for access to an intra-glossal foreign body and discuss the implications. Case presentation: A morbidly obese 73 year old lady presented acutely after inadvertent ingestion of a sewing needle. Initial assessment demonstrated an intraglossal foreign body which subsequently migrated into the deep substance of the tongue. Endoscopic retrieval was attempted but was unsuccessful. A midline transcervical anterior neck incision was made, exposure and midline separation of mylohyoid, and midline dissection of geniohyoid muscles was performed to expose genioglossi muscles and the foreign body removed. The patient recovered well without complication. Clinical discussion: This approach carries low morbidity compared to transoral approaches despite traditional dogma mandating avoidance of open neck approaches. Such approaches have recently been developed for implantation of bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulators. Conclusion: Otolaryngologists should consider midline transcervical approach to retrieve deep intra-glossal foreign bodies, particularly in scenarios where other options may not provide adequate access or may enhance intra-oral morbidity.
Open Access Status
This publication may be available as open access


The Siege of Tsingtao: China Penguin Specials
In 1914, Europe was not the only continent coming to terms with a new form of conflict. Through a mix of complex alliances and global ambition, the war had spread to northern China, where the German-held port of Tsingtao became a key battleground. To strike a blow at Kaiser Wilhelm's naval forces, Britain and its ally Japan lay siege to the port during October and November. In The Siege of Tsingtao, the first of the Penguin China Specials on the First World War, celebrated historian Jonathan Fenby examines the causes of the battle, the ulterior motives for it, and the path it helped set East Asia on for decades to come.
China (2,041)
Other geographical areas
Loess Plateau (103)
Eastern Asia (2,196)


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Great Crested Newts
Great crested newts (GCNs) breed in many areas of open water in the Borough, both rural and urban, including ponds, lakes, canals and ditches. They spend much of their time out of water, foraging in the surrounding habitats (rough grassland, hedgerows, scrub and woodland) and sheltering and hibernating under logs, rocks etc.
The Great Crested Newt is the largest of the British newts and, in the breeding season adult males are recognisable by their jagged crest and silvery-blue and almost fluorescent stripe down the centre of the tail.
The Great Crested Newt is widespread in Europe but is threatened and in decline throughout much of its range.
Britain has probably Europe's largest population and is, therefore, very important to the continuing survival of the Great Crested Newt.
GCNs, their breeding ponds, and their places of shelter are protected in the UK under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). GCNs are also classed as European Protected Species under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994. Taken together, the legislation make it an offence to:
- intentionally or deliberately take, injure or kill a great crested newt (at any life stage, including eggs);
- intentionally or recklessly disturb a great crested newt;
- intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place used for breeding, shelter or protection by a great crested newt;
- possess, sell exchange or transport a great crested newt (deal or alive), or any part of a great crested newt.
Last updated 04/10/2012
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Environmental Projects Team
Telford & Wrekin Council Development Plans & Sustainability
Address: Darby House
Tel: 01952 384384


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Sustainable water resource management in Iraq has no shortage of challenges. Some of Iraq's water hardships, like seasonal floods and droughts, occur naturally. Many of the most disruptive and destructive problems are, however, man-made: water infrastructure debilitated from decades of war and neglect; inefficient and outdated agricultural practices; rapid population growth and urbanization; competing water management approaches within transboundary river systems; and the looming crisis of climate change. The government of Iraq has plans to address the situation but it remains to be seen whether major reform will transpire.
Results for Tag: Employment
All in all Turkey's climate is defined as semi-arid, whereas nine types of climate are observed mediterranean climate, wet mediterranean climate, partially wet mediterranean climate, Black Sea climate, Partially wet Marmara climate, steppe climate, partially dry central anatolian climate, partially dry south east anatolian climate and continental east anatolian climate
A crippled economy, poverty, high unemployment and significant dependence on international aid affect most Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. These are all outcomes of Israel's strict control over the movement of people, goods and water between and even within the Palestinian territories.
The most worrying potential impacts of the project on the Dead Sea are: The original project aims to mitigate environmental degradation of the Dead Sea, which includes: The social assessment shows that most of the negative impacts will occur during the construction period and arise mainly from the influx of foreign workers into a sparsely […]


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The first part of our talk considers the characterization of equilibria arising from stochastic Nash games with continuous strategy sets. Deterministic variants of such games with differentiable payoff functions admit tractable variational conditions whose analysis leads to statements regarding existence, uniqueness, stability etc. Analogous conditions are harder to obtain in stochastic regimes since they necessitate analytical expressions of the expectations and their derivatives. We develop a pathway for characterizing the solution sets of the associated stochastic Nash equilibria by analyzing only the sampled variants of the original stochastic game. Extensions to regimes where payoffs are nonsmooth are also examined. The second part of the talk addresses the computation of Nash equilibria in distributed settings particularly when gradient maps do not satisfy strong monotonicity properties. We present single-timescale counterparts of classical Tikhonov and proximal-point schemes along with convergence theory. Extensions to stochastic regimes via regularized stochastic approximation are also discussed. Some preliminary numerical results are provided.
Group for Research in Decision Analysis


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British female red deer has lived for more than 27 years.
It was unusual for Bactrian deer to migrate, especially in good habitat conditions. Depending on geographical location, deer were shown to move either several hundreds of meters or only 2-3 kilometers while searching for food during a twenty-four period. However, in the 19th century, a seasonal migration of a Bactrian deer population was recorded.
In the winter, the recorded population left the Tugai forests of the Syr-darya River, which flows through southern Kazakhstan, eastern Uzbekistan, and northwestern Tajikistan, to reside in the neighboring Haloxylon deserts, returning the following summer.
In addition, non-periodical migrations of the deer were observed during major spring and summer river floods and fires such as those caused by reed burnings.
Besides that, in case of high population density and high number of young stags, their migrations are provoked by adult stags (pushing younger ones away from the leck – mid September) and that is the major way of the initial expanding of the area inhabited by the deer. Therefore, while Bactrian deer populations demonstrate a tendency to remain within defined areas, they are able to migrate outside these localized regions in search of more food or better habitat. Overall, 30 to 50% of all populations have been shown to migrate every year and cross national borders.
Historically the major predator for the Bukhara deer was turanian (Caspian) tiger – extinct from nature since _PHONE_. Besides that wolf's press on the deer population is important. Jackal (and fox) can sometimes kill a newborn deer – just some hours after the birth, but usually the baby is successfully protected by the mother, and jackals can only sometimes use rests of the wolf's prey.
There are some Bukhara deer in the zoo's and in Askania-Nova zapovednik (Ukraine), but as we have checked in many cases those are hybrids with other red deer subspecies – and it is difficult to be sure that captive-bred zoo animals are really Bukhara deer. Now there are pen groups of Bukhara deer in:
The last two pen groups (Zarafshan and Turkestan) are developed in the frame of WWF project for reintroduction in Zarafshan and Syrdaria river valleys accordingly; 2-3 releases already took place, additional planned. Badai-tugai group was established during deer reintroduction in Badasi-tugai. Now wild population in the site exceeds 300 animals, and deer from pens can be used for additional reintroduction projects in the suitable riparian forests in the Amudaria delta and former bottom of the Aral sea.
Cervus elaphus bactrianus is a subspecies of Red deer occurring in Central Asia – in river valleys of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Historically it inhabited all river vallies of Amudaria and Syrdaria, as well as Murgab and Tedjen to the west (Turkmenistan), Zaravshan, various minor rivers – and Ily to the East (Map 1).
In the 1960's many populations went extinct including those found in the river valleys of Syr Darya, Tedjen, Murgab, and Illi, and at the lower reaches of the Amu Darya. Some populations were partially restored in the 1970's through reintroduction programs and was introduced in some new sites (see "Conservation" chapter) and resulted in total number around 900 deer total in 13-15 independent populations. (Map of species distribution in 1989).
By the end of 1999 total number of Bukhara deer dropped dramatically to less then 350 animals total in the Central Asian countries of the FSU, no data on the species numbers in Afghanistan).
Since 2000 the numbers are increasing in all sites (see "Conservation" chapter), and according to the census 2009 there were 1450 deer in wild populations and reintroduction is on-going in three sites (Syrdaria, Zerafshan and Ily).
The Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins line the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Bactrian deer populations remaining in Northern Afghanistan most likely exist in these borderlands. The last two "strongholds" of Bactrian deer in Afghanistan included wetlands of Amu Darya near Imam Sahib in Kunduz Province and the river islands of Darqad in Takhar (along the Tajikistan border).
Bactrian deer were introduced to Ajar Valley but were hunted to extinction there throughout the years of conflict.
The biggest threats to Bactrian deer are poaching, illegal trade, and habitat loss and degradation. Along Amudaria (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) only 10% of riparian forests still remain, the rest – replaced by fields. In other river valleys the situation with riparian forests (major habitats) is better – but deer dissapered from there since 1962 – and the only way of restoration is reintroduction.
In Mongolia and China, Bactrian deer parts are traded for use in traditional medicines (???) (especially the velvet antlers).
In Afghanistan, poaching for food as well as significant losses in habitat due to livestock grazing and reed burning has caused significant declines in the past few decades.
Intensive development of agriculture, tree and shrub felling on river banks, cattle grazing, and uncontrolled hunting led to the decline of Bactrian deer populations in the 1960's. Strenuous conservation efforts, including designation of protected areas, allowed for a slight recovery. However, Bactrian deer likely remained threatened, especially in Afghanistan where national laws have yet to be passed and lack of food and financial security may increase poaching in the borderlands.
The population has declined from 900 in 1989 to 350 in 1999. According to the latest data – census in 2009 – the total number of Bukhara deer in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is 1430**.Nevertheless the populations in Central Asian countries are recovering thanks to special measure, the Bactrian deer should be classified as Endangered C1 as all separate populations are still small and sustainability is not ensured.
This project allowed to reverse the situation with the highly endangered species in the region. There were about 350 – 400 deer in Central Asia in 1999 when the project started and the results of the 2006 census showed that now about 1000 deer live here. Deer reintroduction was initiated in 3 sites, which had been inhabited by these animals till the middle of the previous century. The political result is the Memorandum and Action plan of understanding on Bukhara deer conservation that was signed in the frame of Bonn Convention by all four range states.
As a native floodplain forest, the area of Tigrovaya Balka needs regular floods for normal existence and development. Natural floods are prevented by an artificial regime of water use (system of dams and dikes), so water needs to be given to the forest artificially once a year. In order to prevent flooding of fields and settlements, surrounding the forest area, a system of dykes need to be reconstructed around the forest, and it is necessary to dig a canal from the river around the forest. Previously some system of canals existed, but now they don't function at all. There were three extremely dry years in Central Asia one after another, and the forest stated to degrade because of lack of water and high level of salination. Now we have the second wet year running, and there was a hope for forest rehabilitation. But this didn't happen as riparian forests don't need just humidity, but flooding - to take cumulated salts out of the soils.
The main goal of the project is to conserve and restore the tugai ecosystem in the Tigrovaja Balka area in Tajikistan, providing a model for sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems in the Amudarya river basin, which includes Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – one of the two major watersheds of Central Asia.
In order to facilitate socio-economic development of local communities and to restore the unique ecosystem of riparian forests, a range of measures are required, including normalizing water patterns in the ecosystem and the surrounding agricultural lands through implementing water-saving technologies in agriculture.
The long-term goal of the project is to provide the foundation for integrated river basin management and nature protection in the middle stretch of the Syrdaria river basin, providing a model for sustainable development.
The Bukhara deer -was seriously threatened already in 1960-th, first of all – because of habitat destruction. The history of the first phase of Bukhara deer restoration included special protection in existing and specially established nature reserves, reintroduction and introduction in new sites (such as mountains of Ramit in Tajikistan. As a result, by 1989 there were about 900 Bukhara deer totally in all groups, with potential for population growth up to 4000 – 5000 animals. After the break of the former Soviet Union only 350 Bukhara deer rested in all populations throughout the area - as a result of poaching.
Since 1999 WWF carries out a project on Bukhara deer restoration. The very first funding was provided by LHI (5 th. USD) in 1999, major funding is provided by WWF Netherlands (~ 50 th. a year for 4 countries) with some additional support from for Tajikistan (deer habitats restoration) from Minnesota zoo and Disney Fund