text:
import matplotlib as mpl
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import random
from matplotlib.patches import Polygon
from matplotlib.collections import PolyCollection


text:
GEAR Number What?
Should We Giya for GEAR?
Nyiko Floyd Shivambu, 1 November 2007
In Tsonga/Shangaan, the word Giya means dance in celebration. The former ANC President Thabo Mbeki called on all ANC members and all South Africans to indulge in the published Statistics South Africa Community Survey 2007 , which essentially illustrated through reliable statistics that 'Today is Better Than Yesterday", (ANC Today, 26 October 2007). The President celebrates the Community Survey 2007 findings that the livelihoods of South Africans have significantly improved, with more recorded access to housing, electricity, cellular phones, computers, Internet etc. These improvements, the President attribute, amongst other things, to the intervention of the Growth, Redistribution and Redistribution (GEAR) macro-economic strategy, which the Left forces in and outside the alliance deplored as a neo-liberal structural adjustment programme, whilst maintained as a continuation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme in government. With the release of StatsSA's Community Survey 2007 and the proclamation by the President that the recorded progress is "Thanks to GEAR", the question we ask below is: Should we join the President and Giya for GEAR?
Thinking that there is now a common and shared understanding in the broader South African revolutionary alliance that the adoption of the Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) represented a strategic shift and a tactical mistake, the ANC President Thabo Mbeki's "Today is Better than Yesterday" still argues that GEAR was correct and continuation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). This is raised amidst a strong and worrying suspicion on the President's side that the progressive Left forces in the tripartite alliance are out to get the ANC and displace it as the leader of the National Democratic Revolution. Well, even this supposition is odd; as the ANC's historical and scientific observation has always been that the working class is the leader of the NDR, whilst the ANC leads the Alliance. The Mafikeng Strategy and Tactics (adopted by the 50th and 51st National Conferences) of the ANC for instance notes that "South African capitalism gave birth to a collective of black workers whose class position and social existence placed it at the head of the struggle for freedom… by dint of its activism and organisation, this class won the respect of all the other motive forces as the leader of the NDR" (S&T, 1997 & 2002).
The President is still not persuaded that GEAR represented a radical rightward shift from ANC's historical economic transformation perspectives and this largely for reasons he outlines in "Today is better than Yesterday". Avoiding the risk of joining those who harp stringed instruments and beat drums in celebration of South Africa's socio-economic challenges, we should not be frightened to observe (leaving space for counter-persuasion) that GEAR was a shift from the predominant, shared and common perspective on what should constitute economic transformation in South Africa as articulated in the RDP. In almost all instances, ANC social and economic transformation perspectives are premised on the Freedom Charter's objectives and as a progressive pragmatic intervention, the guiding principle and practice upon seizure of political power in the early to mid-1990s emphasised on redistribution and reconstruction as a basis for economic growth. Certainly, we should celebrate the betterment of people's lives as illustrated by the StatsSA Community Survey 2007, but this should not blind us from identifying and deploring the strategic mistakes made with the adoption of GEAR.
To historically locate the shift of GEAR from previous ANC economic transformation perspectives, we should distinguish some frequent concepts in the democratic movement's economic transformation language, mainly 'ownership by people as a whole' and 'nationalisation'. This difference is understood in the basic concepts of socialised ownership (transfer to the ownership of the people as a whole) and nationalised ownership (State ownership) of production means, and the Freedom Charter envisioned the former. Now, the first distinct shift which was reflected in the mid to late 1980s was around the propositions of the ANC's Discussion Document on Economic Policy (DDEP), which committed to nationalisation vis-à-vis socialisation of ownership of the key means of production. Indeed, the DDEP committed to nationalisation, and further recommended re-nationalisation on public utilities and nationalisation in cases where "the balance of evidence suggests that it would be advantageous" (DDEP, 1990).
In his first public address after the release of political prisoners in 1990, Nelson Mandela said, "nationalisation of the mines, banks and monopoly industries is ANC policy, and any change to this policy is inconceivable" (Nattrass, 1994). ANC policy, as guided by the Freedom Charter has not necessarily been nationalisation, but socialisation of the ownership of key production means, unless the State is positioned and generally accepted as the custodian of the people as a whole. The assertions of Nelson Mandela were possibly arising out of the reality that in the liberation movement, the concepts of nationalisation and socialisation of ownership (ownership by the people as a whole) are often used interchangeably. The DDEP further laid a firm basis for a growth through redistribution economic policy direction. This entailed that there is a firm commitment for "growth through redistribution in which redistribution acts a spur to growth and in which the fruits of growth are redistributed [in a sustainable and developmental cycle] to meet basic needs" (DDEP, 1990).
Post DDEP, economic transformation perspectives of the ANC were underpinned by the growth through redistribution commitment, underpinned by a relatively progressive commitment to prompt economic growth through redistribution of basic services to better the living conditions of majority of South Africans. This was strongly reflected and emphasised in the Ready to Govern, RDP and later the report of the Macroeconomic Research Group (MERG), commissioned by the ANC to explore and draft a possible macroeconomic strategy for a post apartheid South Africa. The RDP for instance illustrated that, "Growth, the measurable increase in the output of the modern industrial economy - is commonly seen as the priority that must precede development. Development is portrayed as a marginal effort of redistribution to areas of urban and rural poverty. In this view development is a deduction from growth. The RDP breaks decisively with this approach" (RDP, 2004: Clause 1.3.6).
The shift in economic transformation perspectives in the ANC began from the socialisation of ownership, to nationalisation, to growth through redistribution, and to redistribution through growth . The adoption of GEAR in 1996 heightened the latter aspect and was the most radical shift from the ANC historical economic perspective, and was in no way consistent with the Ready to Govern and RDP, as is supposed by the President's "Today is Better than Yesterday" and in the ANC 2007 economic transformation discussion document. Whilst Ready to Govern and RDP committed to fiscal stability, they in no way propositioned that it should be the overriding principle, such that growth is no longer through redistribution, but redistribution through growth. This was a radical shift from the key and progressive economic transformation perspectives in the ANC, and it is unfortunate that GEAR was not sifted through robust discussions in the revolutionary alliance, but, reportedly, down-lifted as the grand economic intervention to reduce deficits and achieve fiscal stability.
The consistency from Ready to Govern and RDP to GEAR is justified through a clause in the two redistributive strategies, which committed to fiscal stability. Well, the RDP White Paper for instance stated verbatim that "the Government of National Unity draws on the following basic strategy to achieve its objectives: financial and monetary discipline in order to finance the RDP; reprioritisation of public sector activity; and facilitation of industrial restructuring" (RDP White Paper, 1994). Whilst fiscal stability was component of the RDP, it certainly was not an overriding principle, like it is in GEAR and economic planning post this macroeconomic strategy. Redistribution underpinned the RDP as an element to spur growth—whilst GEAR and, and to a greater extent ASGISA overly altered this strategic perspective to suppose that growth should be the only basis for redistribution. Perhaps the ideological elasticity of RDP White Paper accommodates GEAR, yet the principle foundation of RDP is no way similar to the practices of GEAR.
The 2007 ANC economic transformation discussion document makes an unsustainable and potentially apocalyptic assertion that "whilst the ANC had elaborated a clear strategic perspective on macro-economic policy, the details of our tactical positions were—correctly—left to those deployed in government, who had to respond to an evolving and complex environment" (ANC, 2007: paragraph 11). This is a subtle justification of an unsustainable phenomenon of government deployees altering strategic objectives and direction of the ANC in the name of tactical considerations. This reflects what the ANC Youth League identified in the 2007 Draft ANC Strategy and Tactics, that it "emphasises the role of government on the national democratic revolution as the main driver for change, and therefore misrepresent and undermine the centrality of the ANC as the leader of the NDR and the role of society at large in bringing social change", (ANC YL, 2007).
Now GEAR, which according to the ANC Economic Transformation discussion document was correctly adopted by government deployees, overemphasises the centrality of fiscal stability in driving development, attracting investments and creating jobs. The fiscal stability and reduction of deficit is narrowly pursued through privatisation of State Owned Enterprises, under-sizing of the public service, commercialisation of the remaining SOEs, and outsourcing of what was understood as non-core functions in the public service. GEAR supposed that all these measures will attract investments, grow the economy, create jobs and reduce poverty. Instead of these hollow aspirations and expectations, GEAR led to loss of millions of jobs, and effectively deepened poverty, due to the reality that quality employment for majority of the people in South Africa is almost clinically linked to sustainable poverty reduction.
It is not a secret that whilst GEAR achieved some level of fiscal stability, it dismally failed to achieve its own strategic objectives—mainly economic growth levels, investments and creation of jobs. In 2001, the SACP Deputy General Secretary, Cde Jeremy Cronin observed, "While the fiscal restraint "fundamentals" have been overachieved, the flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) have been exceedingly disappointing, and growth has been sluggish, touching just over 3 percent in some years", (Cronin, 2001). More disastrous, however, are the other socio-economic indicators. Overwhelming evidence shows that since 1994 the unemployed have increased in numbers; that the gap between those at the top and the bottom of society has widened; that impoverishment has increased; and that social problems have increased in scale, (Lagassick, 2006: 379).
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recently observed that "at least between the years 1995 – 2000, for which there is adequate data—economic growth was associated with declining incomes across households at all income levels, but with the sharpest income declines occurring among the least well off" (Pollin et al, 2006: 17). In 2001, Cde Jeremy Cronin pointed to the fact that "Over one million workers have lost their jobs in the formal sector since 1994, whilst the inequality gap has widened to make South Africa one of the most unequal societies in world, together with Guatemala and Brazil". Most severe out of this situation was the impoverishment of majority of the working class through retrenchments, as the rate of unemployment virtually doubled between 1995 and 2002. The official unemployment rate virtually doubled from 15.9% in 1995 to 30.5 % in 2002, while the expanded rate of unemployment rose from 29.4% in 1995 to 42.5% in 2002, (DBSA, 2005). The unemployment and thereof poverty problem is virtually chronic in South Africa, and worsened by the imposition of the GEAR, which prioriotised the fiscus over the needs of the majority of poor people. Instead of strictly reducing government's deficit and achieving fiscal stability, GEAR also laid lots of jobs through retrenchments that resulted from commercialisation/privatisation of State-Owned Enterprises and under-sizing of the public service, which were until then, the most suitable providers of quality and sustainable employment.
Whilst we cannot celebrate the poverty and unemployment challenges that characterise the masses of our people, we should really discuss what constitutes the betterment of life in the post democratic dispensation; so that we can all climb on rooftops and proclaim that "Today is Better than Yesterday". Notably, National Treasury is currently in a correct and long overdue discussion about South Africa's poverty line, yet the currently government endorsed statistics point to the fact that more than 40% of South Africa's population lives below the poverty line (less than R3000 per annum) , mainly due to lack of sustainable income. The question is whether with the plausible improvement the President noted in StatsSA Community Survey 2007 are worth celebrating in the background of the massive challenges of poverty and unemployment that characterise South African society.
In 2006, government introduced ASGISA as a set of interventions to economic growth constraints. If these constraints are addressed, ASGISA presupposed that government and society in large will be able to meet the social objectives. Consistent with GEAR's neo-liberal ideological underpinning, ASGISA asserts,
"Government's investigations, supported by some independent research, indicate that the growth rate needed for us to achieve our social objectives is around 5% on average between 2004 and 2014. Realistically assessing the capabilities of the economy and the international environment, we have set a two-phase target. In the first phase, between 2005 and 2009, we seek an annual growth rate that averages 4,5% or higher. In the second phase, between 2010 and 2014, we seek an average growth rate of at least 6% of GDP. In addition to these growth rates, our social objectives require us to improve the environment and opportunities for more labour-absorbing economic activities. More broadly, we need to ensure that the fruits of growth are shared in such a way that poverty comes as close as possible to being eliminated, and that the severe inequalities that still plague our country are further reduced" (ASGISA, 2006).
These presuppositions directly contradict the underlying principles of the Ready to Govern and the RDP, and reflect an even deeper digression from the Freedom Charter principles of socialised ownership of the means of production. Now, the government investigations, supported by independent research essentially discovered that South African economy should first grow at rates around 5% between 2004 and 2014 in order of government to meet its social objectives (redistribute and reconstruct). ASGISA says that we need to ensure that the fruits of growth are shared, and this principally means that you grow the economy first and share the fruits later. To grow the economy, you should dedicate your energy towards reducing the cost of doing big business through getting your macro economics right, production of skills, opening of new potentially apocalyptic markets (bio-fuels), addressing government co-ordination, and various other useful interventions.
Now as early as 1998, the SACP had diagnosed the rightward shift in South Africa's economic planning and perspectives, a phenomenon which is presently christened the "1996 Class Project". In a 1998 assessment of South Africa's democracy, the SACP noted:
"We believe that the budget deficit reduction targets are arbitrary, based as they are on macro-economic models derived from a largely unreconstructed Reserve Bank. GEAR embodies, in its core fiscal and monetary policies, a neo-liberal approach that is at variance with our reconstruction and development objectives. Much of GEAR, and indeed much of government's evolving economic policy has shifted progressively away from ANC economic policy in the first half of the 1990s, which underlined the interconnectedness of growth and development, which envisaged a major emphasis on growth led by domestic and regional infrastructural development. More and more, there has been a shift towards the assumptions of an export-led growth, based on the myth that deregulation and liberalisation, more or less on their own, will make the South African economy "globally competitive ".
Decrying the effects of GEAR in 1998, the SACP noted the "Lack of consistency in building a strong, developmental state - although the official policy of government and of the alliance is that the state should play an active and developmental role in the economy, in practice this strategic standpoint is often not pursued. "Privatisation" is still often proclaimed to be official government policy and an end in itself, notwithstanding the National Framework Accord on the Restructuring of State Assets. The transformation of the public sector is often reduced to a narrow cost-cutting, budget-deficit reduction exercise. And the role of the state in the economy often amounts to little more than pleas to the private sector ".
Overall, the difference between GEAR and the RDP is premised on the observation that the RDP intended to pursue growth and development through reconstruction and redistribution, whilst GEAR essentially pursued growth in order to realise employment, redistribution and reconstruction. Now, in our celebration of the reality that statistics say the lives of our people have improved, we should not be blinded to believe that the GEAR formula to economic reconstruction is suitable—it is objectively not, and this is reflected in the levels of unemployment and widening wealth gap between the rich and the poor. We really cannot Giya for GEAR. Besides, we should treat reliable statistics consistently, even when they point to the levels of poverty and unemployment. An issue that perhaps requires a thorough investigation is: What were we capable of achieving in the first 13 years of democracy, which we did not achieve?
Nyiko Floyd Shivambu
Young Communist League National Committee Member
REFERENCE LIST:
• ANC Department of Economic Policy: Discussion document on economic policy, September 1990.
• African National Congress, Economic Transformation for a National Democratic Society, 52nd National Congress Discussion Document, February 2007.
• African National Congress Youth League, ANC Youth League Response to the Strategy and Tactics, May 2007.
• Cronin. J. Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Reply to John S. Saul, Monthly Review 52, no. 9, January 2001
• Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), Development Report 2005: Overcoming development in South Africa's second economy, 2005.
• Lagassick, South African Political Economy, Centre for Civil Society, Colloquium on the Economy, Society and Nature, 2006.
• Pollin, R. Epstein, G. Heintz, J. and Ndikumana, L. An Employment-Targeted Economic Program for South Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York, 2006
• RDP documents—click this link: http://www.anc.org.za/rdp/index.html
• ASGISA document: http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/briefings/asgibackground.pdf
• For GEAR document: http://www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/1996/gear.pdf
Posted by Nyiko Floyd Shivambu at 1:40 pm
SA Xenophobic?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's one thing being a kid singing and dancing around your bedroom in front of a mirror; it's another actually doing it on the biggest stage of them all — but from humble beginnings at Traralgon Ice Creamery, Kim Smith now happily calls the cabaret theatres of New York his home.
I'm a Neo-Weimar cabaret artist and pop singer.
I studied dance and drama at high school, and discovered cabaret while undertaking my Bachelor of Arts in Music Theatre at the Ballarat Arts Academy.
I've been performing as a cabaret artist since graduating from BAA in 2004.
I live and work in New York City, but tour around, also.
I perform in a lot of different venues, including Spiegeltents, theatres, traditional cabaret spaces like Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie, and Joe's Pub at the Public Theatre, and nightclubs around the city. One of my favourite organisations to work for is the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
I get to work with a wonderful mix of musicians, fellow singers, dancers and performance artists, and the lovely people who program cabaret spaces and arts festivals. I have an incredible manager, Jeremy Katz, who is a dream to work with, as are the photographers (Christian Coulson, Mauricio A. Rodriguez, Damien William Vincenzi, among others), directors, music directors, publicists, and all manner of other fabulous beings who I collaborate with.
I rehearse music at home, or in different spaces around the city, and do a lot of desk work from my home office.
For inspiration, I like to go and see a lot of other artists perform, visit museums, and read a lot of books.
Everything about my work is fun! I love performing and interpreting music, and I love collaborating with my friends and peers.
I'm my own boss, effectively, so I have to be very disciplined, organised and deal well with time-management.
I was born and raised in Traralgon.
Kosciuszko Street Primary School, Traralgon Secondary College, Ballarat Arts Academy.
What are your fondest memories of living in Gippsland?
I love my family, and made life-long friends in high school. I enjoyed a lot of support growing up, and had a wonderful theatrical upbringing though my involvement with the Gippsland Theatre Company, and the Warragul Theatre Company, under the guidance of David Pickburn. I learned ballet and contemporary dance, sang, and studied drama, and I'm so grateful all of that was available to me in Gippsland. I'm also hugely grateful for the wonderful opportunities afforded me by my involvement in Traralgon Secondary College's Rock Eisteddfods, which were instrumental in building confidence and creativity. My thanks to Mrs. Callander for her work at the school!
I took dance lessons on Melbourne for two years, and to help pay for them and the travel costs involved, I got a job at the Traralgon Ice Creamery. That job also helped me pay for dance shoes, and singing lessons. I definitely had to stand my ground and decide to not care about what other kids my age thought of my wanting to be a performer, and that I didn't care for football, or whatever they all pursued, and I'm very glad I did. My close friends were all fledgling performers, hairdressers and other creative personalities, too, so I was in good company most of the time.
At high school I studied dance, music, drama, psychology, literature, philosophy, theatre studies, and then also a few of the mandatory subjects.
I did a lot of children's theatre and produced my own work.
I moved to ballarat to attend university at age 18.
It just kept getting bigger, really. All to do with growing up, learning more, experiencing more people and ideas, and living in bigger and bigger towns and cities. I moved from Traralgon to Ballarat, then to Melbourne, then Tokyo, and now New York City.
I think the local theatre companies are a great way for young people to get involved with performing. Then, there is the Julie Ryan dance school (Julie Ryan Dancers, in Traralgon), an incredible resource with amazing teachers like Julie Ryan, Mandie Black, and the school's vocal coach David Wiliams (all three being personal heroes of mine growing up).
I think there could be more support for LGBT youth. I don't know in what capacity, or what form that would take.
I visit every two years or so when I'm performing in Australia.
I keep taking singing lessons, and see as much theatre as I can.
In no particular order: Marlene Dietrich, Kylie Minogue, Camille O'Sullivan, my husband, my parents, Eartha Kitt, my friends.
Be honest with yourself, and pursue what you want to do. If you want to take ballet lessons and don't care what the other boys think, then you're on to a good thing.
Can you recommend some good books/magazines/websites for people looking to find out more about your profession?
Zoe Caldwell's "I Will Be Cleopatra" is a hugely inspiring book. Ms. Caldwell grew up in Melbourne and worked hard to become an internationally respected and renowned actress. I strongly recommend this book.


By replicating and echoing surfaces that in this case forge an all inclusive plinth which potentially activates the possibilities of everyday happenings, here Connor utilises the pre-existing gallery space as a model for the raised floor construction she's created, which is an elevated carbon copy of what would normally be encountered within the space.
Yet, '79% of New Zealanders believe the arts should receive public funding,' says Creative New Zealand.
Well if that is so New Zealanders are getting just what they deserve—crap.


text:
Defense Journal: The MRAP
Riding a (blast) wave
By Scott Packard
Warfare is often a battle against change, and the U.S. military is always attempting to stay ahead of, or at least on top of, the curve. A fairly new yet significant player in this struggle is the MRAP, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. From seemingly nowhere, the ubiquitous "Humvee" (High-Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV) used by U.S. forces was replaced, a response to the deadly "new" tactic of our adversary in Iraq — the roadside bomb. MRAPs are now heralded as critical to protecting our soldiers and Marines from the effects of blast and fragmentation, and the Pentagon and defense industry have responded appropriately, if not always efficiently, to fielding the capability. Every rock leaves its ripples in the military technology game; the MRAP has made waves, both in the field and at home.
Few adversaries see U.S. military might and proclaim "I want to go toe-to-toe with those guys". All but a few realize that a stand-up fight with American armed forces is a losing proposition, leading most to pursue war by other, asymmetric, means. Booby trap, roadside bomb, improvised explosive device: the concept is not new. The U.S. gained hard-earned experience on these weapons in Vietnam; the British, in Northern Ireland; the Russians, in Chechnya. The transition from conventional combat to counter-insurgency in Iraq saw a change in tactics, and the methods and tools developed for conventional warfare quickly proved less than effective — just as in the past.
Combat is a series of actions and reactions. You move, the enemy counters. You change tactics, the enemy adjusts. So it was in Iraq. For $25, an unemployed Iraqi might dig a hole and emplace in the path of coalition forces an IED (improvised explosive device) that could turn a lightly armored vehicle inside out.
HMMWVs were particularly vulnerable to the roadside bombs, with little armor and an unprotected undercarriage. A buried bomb or one adjacent to the road directed at passing vehicles punches easily through the thin-skinned vehicles. The associated shock wave passes through passengers. The insurgents in Iraq exploited this vulnerability heavily beginning in 2003, particularly around Fallujah and Ramadi in Al Anbar Province. The death toll quickly rose (approximately 64% of U.S. deaths in Iraq have been caused by IEDs, according to the Washington Post), and the Marines in Al Anbar raised the alarm. A solution was needed to combat the enemy tactic. The MRAP program began solely within the USMC, but quickly become relevant to all the services reliant on the HMMWV for mobility.
What is an MRAP?
With a V-shaped hull, a raised chassis and armored plating, the MRAP vehicle has proven to be the single most effective counter to improvised explosive devices. Blast-resistant underbodies and layers of thick armored glass offer unparalleled protection from buried or roadside bombs, while all-terrain suspension and run-flat combat tires ensure combat troops can operate in complex and highly restricted rural, mountainous and urban terrains.
"Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle" is simply a generic term for a class of troop carriers intended to mitigate the blast effects of a bomb detonated beneath the vehicle. Specifically, the V-shaped hull re-directs the blast and fragments away from the personnel compartment, while the raised undercarriage allows the dissipation of the blast's energy. Distance is life when it comes to explosions, and it's almost always better to be farther away from an exploding munition.
MRAPs come in three classes, from a variety of approved manufacturers — over 60 variations have been built. A Category I MRAP carries up to six passengers and weighs seven tons. Category II vehicles carry 10 passengers and weigh 19 tons. Category III is reserved for mine-clearing variants that carry up to 12 passengers; they can weigh as much as 22.5 tons. These categories can be misleading though, because personnel capacity varies by the equipment load-out of the passengers, and weight doesn't account for all the various add-ons: weapon systems, radios, electronic counter-measures, fire suppression systems and, for additional protection from mines, extra armor. Operating weight can be over 30 tons.
A Tough Cost/Benefit Analysis
Variety is the spice of life, but over 60 models? That seems a little too spicy. In May 2007, Defense Secretary Robert Gates focused fielding efforts by telling his Pentagon subordinates, "The MRAP should be considered the highest priority Department of Defense acquisition program". A number of major defense contractors received approval to make MRAPs, and production jumped from 80 vehicles each month in June 2007 to 1,300 in December 2007 — at an average of $1 million per vehicle. That may seem steep to some, but consider that the cargo is U.S. servicemen.
Forget for a moment the human toll of lost lives. Even in the cold, stark calculation of risk vs. benefit, where the training of one officer can cost $1 million, and an enlisted service member $500,000, that 6-passenger vehicle can be carrying $2.5 million of national treasure — the bigger versions, even more.
The Pentagon's MRAP group estimates that MRAPs have saved 40,000 lives. That's pure fantasy and hyperbole from a public affairs pedant. However, the vehicles have undisputedly saved the lives of numerous service members, and if you buy the math above, present a worthy investment. Even if math isn't your thing, the saved American lives are undeniable. This service member has more than a few friends who are still walking around because of the protection afforded by the MRAP.
On the flip side, I've also participated in the recovery operation for four Marines riding in a HMMWV who were killed by a blast so devastating that one Marine's remains weren't found for two days. What was found: a fragment of thigh bone and a portion of his torso protected by body armor.
Challenges and Troubles
The advantages of the vehicle's construction have their own disadvantages. The high carriage that provides blast stand-off makes for a tippy high center of gravity, bad enough on first-world roads where service members train, but disastrous on above-grade, off-camber pavement or dirt roads found in the third-world — all too often, adjacent to a water-filled canal. Their armored weight, sometimes over 30 tons, can be prohibitive in getting to the fight. Few of the vehicles fit aboard the U.S. Navy's amphibious shipping or our strategic mobility transportation fleet. Unlike HMMWV's, MRAPs can't be transported by C-130, the principal intra-theater lift (from say, Iraq to Afghanistan). Inter-theater lift (from the U.S. to Afghanistan), by C-17, costs $150,000 per vehicle.
A new variant, the MRAP all-terrain vehicle, or M-ATV, is a response to those challenges. Smaller, lighter (by more than 15 tons) and more mobile, the M-ATV provides much of the same protection of its bulkier brethren while retaining the speed and agility necessary to be relevant on future battlefields.
Those vehicles in Afghanistan? They stay, or they leave; either way, it will be expensive. And will they be relevant in the future? For a conventional fight, against a force nearly equivalent to the U.S.'s, probably not. It's difficult to get them to the fight, especially in the early phases of an engagement where building relative combat power is extremely important.
The U.S. military is notorious for preparing for its last fight, but there's considerable talk in the beltway about shifting from the Middle East to the Pacific, which calls for different tools and methods. However, the IED is here to stay, and that likely means that some variation on the MRAP is as well.
CAT II Cougar 6×6 (Various manufacturers)
A. Power Plant: MILSPEC Caterpillar C7 7.2L diesel engine, turbocharged inline 6, with 330 hp. It takes a big power plant to get this 32-ton combat-loaded war pig up and running (and out of mud holes when it gets stuck) at a top speed of 65 MPH.
B. Tires: Michelin XZL 395/85 R20 or Hutchinson VFI Run Flats.
C. Electro-magnetic Counter Measure, or ECM: This provides a protective bubble around the vehicle by jamming radio-control detonated IEDs.
D. Air brakes: Like you'd expect to find on any big rig.
E. Armored glass: Protects the driver from taking one between HIS running lights.
F. Armored v-shaped hull: Diverts blast and frag away from the troop compartment.
G. Gun turret: Sometimes, you get to shoot back.
H. Michelin XZL 395/85 R20 tires: On the raised chassis, give additional stand-off from blast effects.
I. Troop compartment: With 5-point harnesses and a fire suppression system, this compartment protects up to 10 troops from all but the biggest roadside bombs. Still no fun to ride out an IED attack, but better than dead.
Other Key Specs
Dimensions: Height, 9.9 feet; Width, 8.9 feet; Length, 24.6 feet
Curb Weight: 42,000 lbs
Combat Weight: 64,500 lbs max
Payload: 16,000 lbs max
Max speed: 65 mph
Range: 350 miles
Fording Depth: Unprepared, 39 inches
Ground Clearance: 15 inches under transfer case
Crew: 10 (driver, co-driver, eight troops)
Weapons/Optics: Mk 19 40mm grenade launcher, M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun, or M240 7.62mm machine gun.
MRAP All-terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) (Oshkosh Corporation)
A. Power Train:: Caterpillar C7 7.2 liter diesel engine, turbocharged inline 6, with 370 hp. Bet on the skinny kid in a race.
B. Tires: Run flat tires with central tire inflation. Because there's lots of sharp stuff on the battlefield.
C. Cargo compartment: Also makes a good support for a designated marksman, as shown here.
D. Troop compartment: Carrying five, with the driver, assistant driver, gunner, and two troops.
E. Armored V-hull: That same blast protection as mentioned earlier.
F. Gun turret: Made to handle a Mk 19 40mm grenade launcher, TOW II anti-tank missile system, or M240 7.62mm machine gun, this vehicle is shown with a test-bed common remotely operated weapon system, aimed and fired with a joystick from inside the vehicle without exposing a gunner to enemy fire.
G. Tow-bar: Even this "light" vehicle will need an occasional assist, due to mechanical or battle damage.
H. Corner mirrors: MRAPs are notorious for "nicking" objects with their corners. The nicked usually ends up losing.
Payload: 4,000 lbs max
Top speed: 65 mph (governer limited)
Crew: Five (driver, gunner and three troops)
Weapons/Optics: Mk 19 40mm grenade launcher or, TOW II anti-tank missile system, or M240 7.62mm machine gun. Low-visibility/night thermal-imaging display for driver.
Price/Unit Cost: $470,000
Defense Journal: FAST and Serious
Defense Journal | Military Combatives: A Case Study
Defense Journal: Kings of a Special Ops Playground
Introducing: The North Journal
Basecamp X Legacy Journal
Rock Steady: 2013 Land Rover LR4 Overland Journal Edition


Titan Motorsport joined us for the last round 2016 and finished 3rd place in some very challenging conditions. Jack O'Neill from Titan Motorsport gives us a brief introduction into a very quick and established Pro Karting team who will be joining RHPK this year.
The team was founded back in 2001 when current team manager Martin O'Neill was racing along with his nephew Bob Parfoot and managed by his Dad, Tony Parfoot. They had been racing in various teams (including Prokart Engineering when that was founded in 1996 to 1998) and started spring racing back in the 80's.
The Titan team were instantly successful and won multiple championships in various endurance formulas, most notably the 2003 (and last ever) MSA British Endurance Kart Championship.
The team had a reshuffle between 2008 to 2010 as myself and Andrew were growing up and wanted to race, Bob and Tony moved on and Martin swapped the drivers seat for the team managers cap.
We had done a few club championships around that time (winning the Bayford Meadows Prokart series on numerous occasions) before deciding to enter some national championships. At this time the team got to know Easykart World Champion Owen Jenman as he was the general manager down our local indoor kart track in Brighton who subsequently joined the team.
Since then we have won the Elite Karting League for four years running, the Club 100 Clubman Endurance Championship in our first year of racing those karts, the Le Mans 24hr kart race the last two years and three times winners of the Henry Surtees Foundation Brooklands team challenge to name a few, along with multiple wins in different series such as EPEC.
Last year the team had not done as much racing (due to the EKL season ending part way through the season) but still managed to finish 2nd overall in the EPS series at Clay – missing out on the championship by one point!
Team Titan will be sporting number 19 in super and will be joining RHPK for the full 2017 including the winter cup. A fantastic team on and off the track, I'm sure you will give them a warm RHPK welcome!
Round 3 – May Hype!


A Special General Meeting will be held at Mooloolah River Waterwatch and Landcare Inc (Nursery site) on 2 April 2019, 7:30pm in the Nursery office building Steve Irwin Way.
Help wanted - the three P's, processing, propagating and 'potting up'. If you can spare even a couple of hours a week we would love to introduce you to the privilege of producing our local native plants. There are many other areas where you can be involved as well. Contact Sharob at the nursery. 54945074.
Volunteers - If you want to help us make a difference to our environment please be a volunteer. The management committee, the Sunshine Coast Biocontrol Facility and the Landcare Nursery both at the Holcim Site on Steve Irwin Way welcome volunteers. Contact 54945074 if you would like to know more.


Somos especializados Villa Courtyard fabricantes e fornecedores / fábrica da China. Villa Courtyard atacado com alta qualidade como preço baixo / barato, uma das Villa Courtyard marcas líderes da China, Sunsia Windows&Doors Co.,Ltd..
Wholesale Villa Courtyard from China, Need to find cheap Villa Courtyard as low price but leading manufacturers. Just find high-quality brands on Villa Courtyard produce factory, You can also feedback about what you want, start saving and explore our Villa Courtyard, We'll reply you in fastest.


text:
BagoGames > Articles > Opinion > Indie Games of EGX 2017
Indie Games of EGX 2017
As we carry on our coverage of EGX 2017, we get to the indie games. As someone whose spare time is absolutely stuffed with playing or writing about games, the progression and imagination indie games often bring is one of the major highlights of my job. After all, there's only so many times I can star as a hero shooting dead the bad guys in time to get home for pink lemonade. I want to try new things, or at least old things in a new light. I want to experience the beautiful progression of our culture, industry and hobby as it experiments with new concepts, narratives and implementations. So, without further floundering, let's get into the indies.
Game: Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2
Developer: Crazy Monkey Studios
Format: PC, Xbox One, PS4 and Switch
Release Date: Unknown
Price: Unknown
Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 is a side-scrolling shoot-em-up starring 1940s gangster Vinnie as he must retread the massacre of the prior game to deal with loose ends that take him from "Thugtown" all the way to the European battlefields of WW2. I got to try the co-op mode with a friend, although it does have the potential to have 4 folks on the same screen at once.
Verdict: If I had to sum up my experience with GG & C 2 (which, while an acronym of the game, feels like a sequel to a law firm), it would be frustrating. Sure there were small niggles, biting at my toes as I dipped my foot into its waters. There was sometimes moments where the environment wasn't exactly clear what to do (a defence section is a particularly strong example, as I wasn't sure if it was a time limit or if I had to kill so many), only I had a baseball bat so my friend couldn't melee beyond just kicking their teeth in and the ammo count wasn't on an UI.
However, the twist of the knife in the gut of this game came from the camera. The camera seems to have a limit with regards to zooming out, and this limit is shorter than arena sizes. So often it'd pick who it wants to follow today, and either my friend or I would just stumble off camera for some off-screen curb-biting. Combined with the defence sections after I would ignite a TNT and summon a hoard of beasties, one of us would have our head-caved as we wrestled to get ourselves back on screen.
Maybe a lot would be forgiven if everything else was enjoyable, but it felt like white noise reminding me of better titles. GG & C 2 feels like it has a road to go before I could brandish this as a local co-op to mess about with. Until then, it gets an unfortunate grade of E+.
Game: Sunless Skies
Developer: Failbetter Games
Format: PC, Mac and Linux
Release Date: Out now in Early Access
Price: £18.99 (Steam)
Fallen London (also known as Echo Bazaar) built up a solid reputation as one of the best web browser games around on the back of its excellent writing and unusual approach to challenge. A challenge wasn't just in thumping someone as hard as you can, but also if you're able to charm someone over a glass of wine or deftly pick a pocket in a crowd. Since then Failbetter Games went onto make Sunless Sea, where you explore the unknown Unterzee (well, the sea, but in the Gothic Victorian Fallen London things are a bit different).
Now you must explore the unknown skies, travel between settlements and defend yourself as you delve deep into the bizarre unknown.
Verdict: As the intro might have "subtly" suggested in block capitals, I love games that either are completely different or leap off something enough to distinguish itself. Sunless Skies does try to distinguish itself from it's predecessor. Its combat is more manoeuvrable, its legacy mechanic makes death less frustrating and it is in the sky after all. However, as much as I kept trying to drag some enjoyment out of it, I kept questioning myself why would I play Sunless Skies while Sunless Sea exists.
I still remember trying to wrap my head around the game, mentally rolling it around like gum in my mouth, as I was talking about my experience with the game to my friend. I kept feeling like I had missed something, as "Sunless Sea but in the skies" felt like a harsh statement. My friend turns to me, loaded with a smirk, as he tells me "so, it was Funless Skies?".
So Sunless Skies gets a drab D, as fans of the original will get more, those not impressed with Sunless Sea wouldn't find new worth and it is relatively inoffensive. My friend gets a F for his bad pun though, dang it Josh.
Game: Balance of Kingdoms
Developer: Woks On Studios
Balance of Kingdoms is a 1 v 1 physics combat title. Build your kingdom and then lob all you can at your enemy, as both of your kingdoms got the clever plan to build your settlement on a horizontal plank of wood balanced in the middle by a vertical stick. So knock your enemy's kingdom off balance and into the abyss below, while making sure you don't do what I did: Lose by building too much on one side while oblivious of how the game works. Pay gold and population to build items, which some buildings increase the rate of gaining either resource or can simply be used to block missile fire from your foe.
Verdict: Balance of Kingdoms is a simple and basic title, but that doesn't exclude it from being enjoyable. My friend and I got plenty of joy from what is a simple premise. Sure it had some problems, like it is possible to have your cannons shot off the platform and then shot as they spawn. That said, it feels like a small neat title to pick up on the cheap currently. Maybe it'll grow into something splendid eventually, especially as it is seeking funds through Indiegogo, but at its root lies something basic, simple and satisfying.
Balance of Kingdom gets a cautious C- as a grade, with hopes of it growing into perhaps even a strong B one day.
We arrive at our 4th and final game, which is our Indie Game of EGX 2017. Unfortunately, this year I was tied up in queues and interviews to the point where I couldn't play many unreleased indies. However, the Indie Game of EGX 2017 was one that I felt took an old style of gameplay and aesthetic and brought it to the modern day. There is a chance of a personal love, as it does mimic a particular game I grew up with a little while adding its own flare, but even putting that aside it is a good game in its own right. So, let's get to the winner.
Game: Racing Apex
Developer: Lucky Mountain Games & Onyx Digital Studio
Format: PC, Mac, Linux and Switch
Imagine if someone got a racer from the early 90s like Ridge Racer, combined it with bright low-polygon graphics from the era and added a spice of modern day racer mechanics. These mechanics currently come in the form of getting extra nitro from your car by drifting around corners and having an inside-car camera view. However, extra mechanics will later be added such as car customisation, various game modes and vehicle damage.
Verdict: Truth be told, this is the type of game where people already know if they're going to be plinking their PC tower units full of coins in the hopes that money will speed up development or just move on. However, if your attention is still drawn to the game, nostalgia welling up inside like an uncontrollable bout of intense glee, then Racing Apex delivers already in the broad-strokes. There are still some areas that do need to be smoothed over prior to release, like the nitro-gaining system (especially if how sharp the drift is could increase or decrease the amount of nitro reaped, maybe lose the gained nitro if you crash before leveling out), but it still works as is.
Yet, it looks primed to offer much more in the future. If it delivers it could end up being a hit amongst racer fans, but even now it gets a grade of C+.
That isn't all in the indie scene as EGX 2017 video interviews are coming. Just before that are the EGX 2017 cosplays I managed to grab photos of. See you then!
Tags: EGXTop Stories
Retro Review: Dino Crisis – More than just Resident Evil with Dinosaurs
Steamworld Dig 2 Review – A Naturally Progressing Sequel


Join IBM. Your ideas matter here.
Apple. Twitter. Box. Cisco. These are just a few of the global partners working with IBM Global Business Services (GBS); enabling enterprises to make smarter decisions and providing unparalleled client and consumer experiences via Cognitive data analytics, cloud technology and mobile app development. IBM GBS is a team of business, strategy and technology consultants who help clients envision their future as cognitive enterprises, all supported by the industry's most sophisticated talent model. With a global reach, outcome-focused methodologies and deep industry expertise, GBS empowers clients throughout the commercial and public sector to digitally reinvent their business and get the competitive edge in the cognitive era in over 170 countries.
Businesses today are facing disruption as they are being re-defined and re-invented through the need to be digitally consumable. Cognitive Process Transformation hosts the capabilities required to help clients digitize and automate their processes, transform their talent and culture, and enable them to embed cognitive use cases in every decision, process and experience – whether for clients, suppliers or employees. We apply our deep analytic and cognitive approaches for process re-engineering, transformational process operations, and advisory, and create unique value by combining our clients' data with other sources of data and insight. In doing so, we help to reduce their costs, enable new business models and make them more apt and agile for growth.


Literature References: Prepn: Cosulich, Smith, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 70, 1922 (1948); Cosulich, US 2563707 (1951 to Am. Cyanamid).
Properties: Yellow spherulites. uv max (0.1N NaOH): 255, 302, 368 nm (e ´ 10-3 26, 27, 9); (0.1N HCl): 307 nm (e ´ 10-3 25).


Cal State San Marcos had a different feel when Rylee Leavitt's grandmother attended in the early 1990s.
Back then, Jane DeRoche was a single mother returning to school for her bachelor's knowing it would help her earn a better living.
"I gathered all my transcripts and kind of dumped them on the counter and said, 'I want to go to school here. What do I have to do?' " Jane said.
Jane filled out a one-page application and handed it to a woman at the front desk along with her transcripts. As she gave the woman her materials, Jane asked when she would learn if she had been accepted. She was told to wait as the woman disappeared before returning a few minutes later.
"You're in," she told Jane.
Nearly a quarter century after Jane was part of the second commencement ceremony in CSUSM's history, Rylee became a third-generation CSUSM student when she enrolled this fall (after completing a slightly more involved application process than her grandmother).
Rylee's mom, Janelle Leavitt, received two bachelor's degrees from CSUSM – liberal studies (2000) and literature and writing (2002) – as well as her single-subject credential (2003).
The family's ties to CSUSM – Rylee also has an aunt who is an alumna – came via an unexpected path.
Jane immigrated with her children to Australia when Janelle was 9, following a suggestion from her brother, who was a successful screenplay writer there.
The family moved back to the U.S. when Janelle was almost 18. After spending her formative years in Australia, the transition to an American school proved challenging. School officials even wanted to put her in an English as a Second Language class.
Janelle didn't graduate from high school, instead earning her GED. Having seen her own mother earn her degree while raising a family, Janelle began attending Palomar College at age 23, just one week after giving birth to Rylee.
"I always had it in my mind that moms could go to school," said Janelle, who teaches high school English in Lake Elsinore and is working toward her Ph.D. at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Rylee's road to CSUSM was similar to her mom's with one notable difference.
"I'm not graduating with kids," she said with a laugh.
After high school, Rylee attended MiraCosta College, where Jane is the adviser for the student newspaper. Rylee was unsure what career path she wanted to pursue when she started, but a semester studying abroad in London helped her focus on becoming a history teacher.
Though she wasn't yet alive when her grandmother graduated from CSUSM and was only about 7 when her mom graduated, Rylee is well-versed in her family's history at the University.
Neither Jane nor Janelle had spent much time on CSUSM's campus since they graduated, so both were amazed to see the growth first hand when they visited about a year ago as part of a campus tour with the elementary school class of Rylee's youngest sister.
"There are buildings on all the places I used to hang out," Janelle said.
Jane wasn't even on campus when she began attending CSUSM in 1991 and the University was playfully nicknamed "Cal State Jerome's" due to its location near the furniture store. When she told people where she was going to school, her answer always required clarification.
Jane got to attend classes on the permanent campus during her final year, but it was still very much a work in progress. There weren't even numbers on the doors, making it a challenge to find your class.
"The paint was barely dry," she said.
The campus underwent tremendous growth in the ensuing years, but many buildings were still years from opening when Janelle started attending classes in the late '90s. She remembers how the campus' iconic César Chávez statue seemed all alone far from campus back then.
The campus' footprint – and student population – continued to expand in the years following Janelle's graduation, leaving both Jane and Janelle in awe when they took an extensive tour on that elementary school field trip.


text:
Q: Can "to" cover both "in order to" and "in such a manner as to" ?
System 1 controls the device using the data, and system 2 corrects the data as necessary in order (so as) /in such a manner as to enable the device to operate more efficiently.

I know there is a difference between "in order (so as) to" and "in such a manner as to", but is sometimes confused whether which is correct for a sentence I created. For example, I don't know which is correct for the above sentence I created. In such a case, do you recommend using "to"?

A: If you are basically saying "correct data makes the system operate more efficiently", it doesn't matter and you can just use to without worrying.
If there is more than one way to correct the data, and you want specifically focus on a manner of correction that makes the device more efficient, "in such a manner as" is what you want to say.
If you want to focus on the importance/need/requirement of correct data, i.e. it's true that "this device cannot operate efficiently without correct data", then "in order so as" is what you want to say.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Post-Processing: Increased contrast and resized for entry. Used a +4 close up ring on my 25mm lens. A tripod and a lightbox. Extra Info: Strelizia Leaf ( common name is Giant Bird of Paradise plant). Taken with back lighting.
Oct 1, 2018 Interest patterns emerged as I focus more intently. Good Job. fav.
Oct 1, 2018 Looks like a really good leaf for macro photography. I'm jealous!
Sep 29, 2018 Lovely detail - nice patterns. Only slight problem is the softness in focus in lower left portion of the image. High in my favs.
Sep 28, 2018 The areas in sharp focus show the cell-like features beautifully. I find the areas out of focus distracting. Perhaps a tighter crop of only area in focus would work better. Still, in my TT.
Sep 28, 2018 I love the detail that backlighting gives to leaves. I think the whole image needs to be sharp for this to work well and it is not.
Sep 28, 2018 Like the simplicity. The white part adds interest but might be better if dark to match lower left.


text:
James Henry Lau Jr. or Lau Yee Cheung (; born 24 April 1950) is a Hong Kong government official. He was Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury from 2017 to 2020.

Lau graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Mathematics (Computer Science and Statistics) Honours Degree and a Master of Mathematics Degree in Computer Science.

He joined the Hong Kong government as an Administrative Officer (AO) in 1979 and was promoted through the ranks to AO Staff Grade C. He resigned in 1993 to join the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Between 1993 and 2004 he was the Head and Executive Director of various divisions of the HKMA.

In 2004, Lau was seconded to the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation as Chief Executive Officer until he retired in 2012. In 2013, he was appointed Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury.

From 2017 to 2020, he served as Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury in the administration of Chief Executive Carrie Lam. He was removed in a cabinet reshuffle, on 22 April 2020.

References

1949 births
Living people
Government officials of Hong Kong
Hong Kong civil servants
University of Waterloo alumni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"In 2016, an estimated 65% of all jail inmates were awaiting court action on a current charge. The remaining 35% were sentenced offenders or convicted offenders awaiting sentencing. Seventy percent of inmates were held in jail for felony charges."
Zhen Zeng, PhD, "Jail Inmates in 2016," Bureau of Justice Statistics (Washington, DC: Department of Justice, Feb. 2018), NCJ251210, p. 4.


Child Support - How to Collect Money Owed - Duration: 4 minutes, 34 seconds.
Child Support - Everyone's Issue - Duration: 2 minutes, 23 seconds.
Child Support - Financial Risk - Duration: 3 minutes, 9 seconds.
Child Support - Largest Child Support Debts - Duration: 2 minutes, 4 seconds.
Child Support - Key Reports - Duration: 2 minutes, 29 seconds.
Child Support - Key Stats - Duration: 2 minutes, 27 seconds.
Child Support - Risk - Duration: 5 minutes, 34 seconds.
Child Support - Deadbeats - Duration: 4 minutes, 40 seconds.
D'Andre Insurance - Radio Interview on Child Support Research - Duration: 17 minutes.
D'Andre Insurance Group - Child Support Initiative - Duration: 2 minutes, 41 seconds.


Introducing the newest member of the EXIT Festival family as No Sleep is set to take over Belgrade in Serbia this winter. Following the incomparable success of EXIT Festival's No Sleep Novi Sad stage at the Petrovardin Fortress which saw performances from Jeff Mills, Ellen Allien, Rebekah and more, an entire festival dedicated to the dance music brand is set to take over the Serbian Capital city for a weekend as some incredible acts take to a warehouse space for a rave unlike anything you've ever known. This November will see dozens of artists including Fatboy Slim, Nina Kraviz, DJ Tennis b2b Marcel Fengler, I Hate Models, Dax J and more in a mammoth industrial style warehouse next to Danube. On top of the music, No Sleep will also curate conferences, talks, exhibitions, workshops and more during the day in what is driving Serbia's - and Belgrade's - dance music scene to be completely groundbreaking.
Hosted in a colossal, industrial style warehouse in Serbia's capital city of Belgrade, No Sleep recreates the rave culture which was built on the love of electronic music alone. New Hangar is situated in the Port of Belgrade, next to Europe's largest river Danube and only a short walk from the very heart of Belgrade, the Republic Square - well known for its underground clubbing scene.


text:
Q: How to create another process in java with java code? I want to run another process written in java. But I don't know how to do it. I searched the internet but only found how to start notepad.
I have a class main, in it I want to start a new process ChildMain. How to do it ?
public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException {

        Process process = Runtime.getRuntime()
                .exec("javac -cp src/child/ChildMain.java");

        Thread.sleep(10000);

    }

public class ChildMain {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // code
    }
}

If anyone has an example or know how to do it, please tell me

A: For one, your code is trying to compile a Java source file, not run a Java class file.  Get the correct command line, just as you did to start the initial process.
You can use the System Property "java.home" to find the java launcher command (assuming the JRE includes it - not all JREs will if they were made for a specific application with jlink.)
Here is code to run an executable Jar file... the class path would need to be adjusted:
public class LaunchJavaProcess {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String javaEXE = Path.of(System.getProperty("java.home"),
                "bin",
                System.getProperty("os.name").contains("Windows") ? "java.exe" : "java")
                .toString();

        ProcessBuilder pb = new ProcessBuilder(javaEXE, "-cp", ".", "-jar", "SomeExecutable.jar");
        pb.inheritIO();
        pb.start();
    }
}


text:
Huckletree by Sella Concept
Share on Facebook Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter Share on Pinterest Pinterest Share on Google+ Google+ Share with a Friend Email
The new Westminster workspace PUBLIC Hall is set to open its doors – to reveal a striking heritage-meets-modern interior conceived and created by London design studio Sella Concept (aka Sella).
One Horse Guards Avenue sits comfortably among London's most impressive buildings. Built in 1884 in the French Renaissance style, it stands an imposing 100ft tall and stretches 600ft along the edge of Embankment Gardens, an iconic stretch of London's classic Thames vista. Initially an apartment block, it served as MI6 HQ during the First World War. Now, it enters a new chapter as the home of PUBLIC Hall – Westminster's only curated co-working space focused on public-sector technology start-ups and innovators (aka GovTech).
A collaboration between venture firm PUBLIC and workspace accelerator Huckletree, the new open-plan shared workspace aims to nurture a community of startups, investors and innovators, enable them to build relationships with civil servants and Westminster policymakers, and help shape the future of public services.
To succeed, the environment needs to be inspiring. It has to engender collaboration, nourish creative thinking and support productivity. Following Sella's work on East London creative hub De Beauvoir Block in 2018, Huckletree turned to design duo Tatjana von Stein and Gayle Noonan, and charged them with transforming a Grade II-listed heritage space into a unique and energising environment for disruptive modern thinking to thrive.
Sella was responsible for the look and feel of all aspects of the space, which can accommodate up to 250 members. As well as an open-plan workspace, this includes communal areas and meeting rooms, a bespoke library and a bar.
Thrilled to have such a magnificent building as their canvas, and with an abundance of beautifully crafted details to draw on for inspiration, Sella were also conscious of the challenges of working within the constraints such a setting imposes. Prevented from making structural changes to dictate flow, Tatjana and Gayle concentrated on using furniture, fixtures, paintwork and other decorative elements to determine the evolving relationship between aesthetic and function within the space.
Taking cues from both the French Renaissance architecture and the progressive habits of today's communal working culture, Sella have developed a timeless blend of heritage and modernity. Material touches such as French cane on the reception desk pay tribute to the historic elements, whereas bold forms and colour palettes, and wooden accents tilt the scales towards the contemporary. Huckletree's own brand motif of black and white stripes is woven into the space with imagination and subtlety – such as in the black glossy tabletops with cylindrical striped timber legs in the meeting rooms.
The overall feeling is one of openness and light; corridors lead into expansive work spaces and communal areas, creating a sense that one is emerging into open space – a feeling of discovery.
Looking to maintain an atmosphere of elegance and simplicity in PUBLIC Hall's office spaces, Sella worked with Opendesk, customising one of the company's desk designs with a touch of colour to sit more comfortably with the setting.
One of the most dramatic areas of the project is the bar and event space, where an integrated tree serves to bring the outside in, establishing a seamless connection to the Thames-view terrace. Soft organic colours and forms – combined with an abundance of greenery – underscore the room's connection with nature and contrast with the haughty theatricality of the original plasterwork on the ceiling. At the heart of the room is a curvy bespoke banquette seat – fitted with a bolster and upholstered in Pierre Frey fabric – that can easily be removed if the room needs to adapt to suit a specific function.
The lower-ground floor is the only non-original part of One Horse Guards Avenue, leaving Sella with the challenge of establishing a sense of coherence and continuity with the period spaces above. In the library, the use of arches – a Sella design signature – creates a visual connection with the rest of the building, including the arched partitions in the meeting rooms. To address the limited natural light in these basement rooms, Sella used sisal wall panels and Arte wallpapers to add texture and lightness.
About PUBLIC Hall
PUBLIC Hall powered by Huckletree is the first GovTech-focused workspace, bringing together a curated community of start-ups, investors and innovators transforming public services. Created in partnership with leading GovTech venture firm PUBLIC, and based on the iconic Horse Guards Avenue, PUBLIC Hall is located at the heart of the UK's policy making district.
About Huckletree
Founded by Gabriela Hersham and Andrew Lynch in 2014, Huckletree is a workspace accelerator bringing together a diverse, disruptive community of start-ups, scale-ups, innovation teams and global brands who are working collaboratively to build a better future. Its expanding community already counts locations in London, Dublin and Manchester. PUBLIC Hall is the latest expansion announcement from the Huckletree group, with further spaces planned for 2019 and 2020.
Photography by Genevieve Lutkin
Visit Sella Concept
- by Matt Watts
Facebook Google Plus Twitter Pinterest Instagram RSS
over 4 million followers Showcase your latest work!
... and get this amazing eBook for FREE!
468 pages of quality interior design inspiration
Longhouse by Architecten Studio-PLS
Apartment Berlin Mitte by Annabell Kutucu
Studio Loft by Yerce Architecture
Seventies Apartment by Studio DiDeA
Lake Rosseau Boathouse by AKB Architects
Register to collect and share


Want to help shape CIEH policy, get access to special events and gain valuable knowledge in your specialism? Join a CIEH Community today.
CIEH members have the opportunity to join a number of specialist Communities. Exclusively for members, Communities are a great way to share best practice, guide our policy and campaigning and get support from colleagues.
Which Community is right for me?
Access to conferences, webinars and workshops designed to support continuing professional development.
Learn from your network peers and share best practice with other members.
High quality knowledge, products and services that are relevant to you.
Regular communications on each subject area, summarising key external developments and how you can get involved in our work.
Opportunities to influence policy and campaign development, influence our responses to Government and participate in projects.
If you're interested in joining a Community or Panel, or would just like some more information, get in touch with us at membership@cieh.org or 020 7827 5800.
As a Member Association of the International Federation of Environmental Health, CIEH can make the most of the Hedgerow Software sponsorship for representatives to attend at the IFEH Council Meeting in Kampala, Uganda in April 2019. Funding is subject to conditions, see attached, and the representative must be approved for the application by CIEH.
Please find attached the Application Form and the Conditions for approval of the applications. If you are interested in attending the meeting in Uganda and wish to be considered for this sponsorship as a representative of CIEH please contact membership@cieh.org by 31st October 2018.


I'm 3D Modeling, rigging and animation artist with 5 years experience game industry(Mobile, PC). If you are looking for 3D artist or animator for your project. Please contact me and i would make your project to the next level.


text:
Active contact tracing beyond the household in multidrug resistant tuberculosis in Vietnam: a cohort study
Thi Thanh Thuy Hoang1,
Viet Nhung Nguyen1,
Ngoc Sy Dinh2,
Guy Thwaites4,7,
Thu Anh Nguyen5,
H. Rogier van Doorn6,7,
Frank Cobelens3 &
Heiman F. L. Wertheim6,7,8
Currently in Vietnam contact tracing for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) entails passive case finding among symptomatic household contacts who present themselves for diagnosis. Close contacts of MDR-TB cases are therefore not identified adequately. We assessed the added value of active contact tracing within and beyond households using social network questionnaires to identify close contacts of MDR-TB patients in Vietnam.
We conducted a cohort study using social network questionnaires in which contacts were identified by MDR-TB patients, including contacts from 'high risk' places like work. Contacts of MDR-TB patients were followed up and screened over a period of at least 6 months. This included two active screenings and any unscheduled passive screening of self-referred contacts during the study period.
Four hundred seventeen contacts of 99 index cases were recruited, 325 (77.9%) and 160/417 (38.4%) contacts participated in the first and second screenings, respectively. The first screening detected one TB case but the bacteria were not MDR. From passive screening, a household contact was diagnosed with TB meningitis but not through our active approach.
Social network analysis showed that only 1/17 (5.9%) high-risk places agreed to cooperate and were included in the screening, and no MDR-TB cases were detected. There were two pairs of index cases (identified separately) who were found to be contacts of each other and who had been diagnosed before the study started.
No new MDR-TB cases were detected using social network analysis of nearly 100 MDR-TB index cases, likely due to a relatively short follow up time, and loss to follow up (lack of cooperation from contacts or high risk places and lack of available resources in the National Tuberculosis Control Programme).
The emergence of resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs, and particularly of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a serious public health threat and an obstacle to effective global TB control [1]. It is crucial to identify more MDR-TB cases at an earlier stage and provide optimal treatment. Vietnam is ranked 13th among 30 high burden MDR-TB countries (based on estimated incidence by absolute number) with an estimated 5500 MDR-TB among a total of 100.000 notified TB cases per year [2]. Despite the efforts to utilize rapid test to intensify case finding of MDR-TB; in Vietnam, the proportion of MDR-TB cases detected and treated annually is low compared with the estimated number of incident MDR-TB cases (less than 50%, see Additional file 1 for notification and enrollment of MDR-TB cases) [3].
Contact screening of MDR-TB patients is highly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) [4]. However, contact investigation of household members only is not sufficient to identify all MDR-TB cases due to transmission outside the household. In rural Vietnam only 1% of index TB patients had a positive household member and 83% of these household TB cases were infected with an isolate that differed from that of their household members [5]. These results are similar to those in higher incidence settings in South Africa, and Malawi [6, 7]. The WHO also recommends to conduct contact investigation beyond the household for patients with MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), and to collect additional information regarding their residence and other social settings where transmission may have occurred such as hotels, shelters and bars [4]. Contact tracing using social network questionnaires is a more comprehensive approach than household contact tracing, which includes the linking person to person or person to place for contact investigation [8, 9].
Although screening of close contacts of MDR-TB patients is recommended by the National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTP) of Vietnam (see Additional file 1 for policy recommended by the NTP Guidelines) [10], there is no system in place to support this. Currently a passive case finding approach is used, where household contacts are advised to seek TB diagnosis when symptomatic.
We assessed the added value of active contact tracing within and beyond the household using social network questionnaires (SNQ) among contacts of MDR-TB patients in Vietnam.
Study design and setting
A cohort study was conducted to analyze the added value of an active screening using SNQ, the questionnaire revealed the patient's contacts through their social network including the frequently met people and visited places. Contacts were either named by patients or identified from eligible places. Close contacts of MDR-TB patients were enrolled and followed up over a period of at least 6 months and screened for TB and MDR-TB. Contacts were screened at enrolment, followed by an appointment on completion of the first screening and a reminder at 6 months by telephone for the second screening. During the study period, study participants were asked to make an unscheduled visit to district TB units and contact with the district health coordinators if they had any symptom suggestive of TB. The screening consisted of (i) standardized clinical assessment, (ii) chest X-ray among those who were not presumed to have TB by clinical assessment, and (iii) microbiological testing by Gene Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert, Cepheid, the United States) for patients with a history or chest X-ray suggestive of TB.
Study population and definitions
The study involved patients with rifampicin resistant TB and their eligible contacts (all ages), who were named by index patients or identified from eligible places as defined below. The minimum sample size was estimated at 100 patients (see Additional file 2 for sample size calculation).
Eligible for enrolment were all patients diagnosed with rifampicin-resistant TB or MDR-TB diagnosed by Xpert or by Genotype MTBDR Plus Line Probe Assay (Hain Lifescience Nehren, Germany) who were living in Hanoi and started MDR-TB treatment between October 2013 and April 2015. Their defined contacts (household contacts or contacts outside the household, either named by patients or from eligible places) during the 3 months preceding MDR-TB diagnosis were eligible for enrolment as contacts. Eligible high-risk places were physically enclosed spaces where the MDR-TB index case spent an average of at least 4 h a day for at least 14 days, or a cumulative total average duration of at least 8 h per week for at least 8 weeks in 3 months prior MDR-TB diagnosis. For children who were less than 18 years old, information was obtained from their parents or responsible family members.
We modified and contextualized a published case report form (CRF) [11], which was then validated by fine tuning the language to make sure the respondents can understand and answer our questions adequately, and used to interview consenting patients (see Additional file 2 for description of modifications to the questionnaire). The following data were collected: demographics, medical history, social network including their contacts and frequently visited places, as well as tracing information (name, address, telephone number). As soon as patients were diagnosed and enrolled for treatment during one to two weeks at the provincial hospital, informed consent was obtained, and the interviews with the patients were conducted by trained TB health care workers. Completed patient CRFs were entered in a central database (CliRes) and reviewed by the study coordinator to identify eligible places and contacts (see Additional file 2 for operational definitions) for screening.
Eligible contacts were registered at district TB units to be followed up by the study team. Eligible places were visited by provincial or district coordinators to obtain informed consent from the place's legal representative, followed by public announcement to call frequent visitors to come for screening to identify additional contacts. Completed contact CRFs were entered in the central database.
Social network analysis was applied to identify links among MDR-TB index cases, contacts, and places. In the network illustrated by the link among patients, contacts and places, contacts or index cases linked to more than one patient were considered as the source of transmission, hence the centers of the network. The centrality degree of the contacts was measured by the number of patients attached with each contact. In order to determine if the contacts or places were mutual (i.e. named by at least 2 confirmed MDR-TB patients), demographics and information such as address and telephone number of the places and contacts were collected and compared. Mutual contacts or places were identified when identical information was obtained between pairs of contacts or pairs of places named by different patients. The Social network analysis also looked at the density illustrated by how closely contacts and patients are connected. The number of contacts per patient was used to rank the closeness level between patient and contacts [12].
Data were entered in MS Access software (Microsoft Inc., USA) and then transferred to SPSS 16.0 for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, median, interquartile range (IQR), proportion and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), were performed where appropriate. The comparisons were tested statistically using Chi-Square test to compare proportions. P-values (2-sided) below 0.05 were considered significant.
Characteristic of MDR-TB patients (index cases)
Of 112 eligible patients, 99 were enrolled into the study as MDR-TB index cases. All patients were adult, 51(51%) were 35–54 years old and 77 (78%) were male. Four patients were HIV positive (Table 1).
Table 1 Characteristics of patients at baseline
Sputum smear and chest X-ray were performed for all patients: 76/99 (77%) had a smear- positive result. Thirty-two patients (32%) had X-ray signs of cavitation, all of whom were smear-positive. Seventy patients (71%) had been previously treated with first-line anti-TB drugs. These included patients detected as MDR-TB when starting retreatment or detected later when found to be smear-positive (non-converters) after two months of retreatment. Fourteen patients (14%) had received no or less than one month of TB treatment previously. The remaining 15 patients (15%) included 11 non-converters during their first treatment course and 4 patients previously treated in the private sector with unknown outcome.
Characteristics of contacts
We identified 496 contacts and 17 high risk places based on information provided in the SNQ: 481 contacts were named by patients and 17 high risk places were approached by visiting for informed consent. Of which 1 place agreed to cooperate and subsequently an additional 15 contacts were identified.
Seventy-nine contacts were excluded from the study because they were not living in Hanoi (n = 16) and/or had not been in direct contact with the index patient during the 3 months before diagnosis (n = 69) (Fig. 1), leaving 417 eligible contacts whose characteristics are described in Table 2. They included 292 (70.0%) household contacts and 125 (30.0%) non-household contacts. Of the 125 non-household contacts, one contact came from a high-risk place, and the others had been named by index patients. Of the 417 eligible contacts, 189 (45.3%) were males and 86 (20.6%) were children under 15 years of age at the time of identification.
Flow chart of TB screening practice (part A)
Table 2 Characteristics of MDR-TB contacts
Screening practices
Of the 417 eligible contacts, 325 (77.9%) participated in the first screening (Fig. 1). Of the remaining 92 contacts, 70 could not be traced and 22 refused (including 3 household and 19 non- household contacts). 160 participated in the second screening including 137 who had also been screened in the first screening. The remaining 188 contacts refused to be screened for second time. The proportions of household contacts and non-household contacts participating in the first screening were 248/292 (84.9%) and 77/125 (61.6%) respectively. The proportions were lower in the second screening: 127/292 (43.5%, p < 0.001) and 33/125 (26.4%, p < 0.001), respectively. The participation of female contacts in the first screening was higher than for males, 186/223 (83.4%) versus 135/189 (71.4%; p = 0.004) (see Additional file 2 for more detailed table). There were no apparent differences in the proportion of contacts participating in the screening by age group (see Additional file 2).
Upon first screening 36/325 (11.1%) contacts interviewed were clinically diagnosed as presumed TB. Chest X-rays were performed for 299 contacts, including 10 with clinically presumed TB, of whom an additional 12 (4.0%) had an abnormal chest X-ray suggestive for TB (Fig. 1). Xpert testing was performed for the total of 48 presumed TB cases identified by clinical assessment and/or by chest X-ray. We detected one drug-susceptible TB case and no rifampicin-resistant/MDR-TB case from the first active screening of contacts (Fig. 2).
Flow chart of TB screening practice (part B). TB+/R(+): MTB detected with Rifampicin resistance. TB+/R(−): MTB detected without Rifampicin resistance. HH: Household contact
Among 160 contacts assessed in the second active screening, twenty-seven (including 3 contacts who also participated in the first screening) had presumptive TB by interview and/or chest X-ray. Xpert MTB/RIF testing detected no TB case. From passive screening, a two-year old child, whose father was an index patient, was diagnosed with TB meningitis but not as part of our study (Fig. 2). This child was not identified as presumed TB in the first screening. She was taken by her parents to the Vietnam national children hospital for diagnosis and not to the district coordinator when later having fever, cough and loss of consciousness.
The median number of eligible contacts per index patient was 3 (IQR: 3–6). These median numbers were 3 (IQR: 2–4) among household contacts and 2 (IQR: 1–4) among non-household contacts. Index patients named 35 places, of which 17 were identified as high-risk places including 3 workplaces (1 vocational school, 1 private tailoring company, 1 grocery store), 3 internet café's, 2 hair salons and 9 restaurants. Only 1/17 (5.9%) high-risk place (vocational school) agreed to cooperate. One presumed MDR-TB case was identified based on clinical diagnosis among 15 people screened who frequented this high-risk place (Fig. 1) but not diagnosed as TB. We found no mutual contact and no mutual place among the MDR-TB index cases. Two additional TB cases were detected among household contacts (including the confirmed drug-susceptible case and the child with unknown drug resistance status). Moreover, two pairs of index cases (four patients) were found to be contacts of each other (diagnosed before study started; Fig. 3). No genotyping was done to look at genetic relatedness.
Social network of MDR-TB cases with identified links among index cases and TB cases detected among contacts
We conducted social network analysis to be able to detect more MDR-TB cases than through passive case finding. Enrolling 99 MDR-TB cases and their contacts did not reveal new MDR-TB cases. One child with (probable) MDR-TB meningitis was missed by our study. Links between MDR-TB cases were found in two instances but did not lead to the detection of new cases. Only one of seventeen high-risk places agreed to participate in the screening, resulting in one additional presumed MDR-TB case identified.
The likely reasons why we did not detect additional MDR-TB cases was limited participation of contacts in TB screening. Participation was reasonable (~ 80%) in the first screening, but dropped considerably to ~ 40% at the second screening. Observation from discussions with staff suggest that participation may have been poor due to the following elements:1) perceived stigma among patients, contacts and high risk places and reluctance to cooperate and to reveal correct contact information, 2) low awareness about TB and its transmission, especially among contacts with low levels of education or contacts belonging to vulnerable groups such as drug users, and 3) participation in the second screening may not have been perceived as in their interest if they were busy and not diagnosed with TB from the first screening.
Furthermore, the relatively short follow-up period in our study of 6 months may be another reason. Studies have shown that active TB usually develops within five years after initial infection [13,14,15], and predominantly (45%) especially in the first year [16]. The median time from infection to symptoms in secondary cases is estimated to be 1.3 years [16]. Household contacts of MDR-TB patients are considered to be at higher risk to get infected than household members of drug-susceptible TB cases [17, 18]. This is because, even though MDR-TB isolates are usually less transmissible [19], family members of MDR-TB cases tend to have been exposed for a longer duration due to delays in correct treatment initiation[17, 19]. Therefore, contact investigation is useful for early case detection and treatment to reduce transmission of MDR-TB [4, 18].
The pick-up rate for MDR-TB cases may also increase by improving the sensitivity of our diagnostic approach. Future diagnostic approaches should consider: (i) to ensure the quality of sputum and chest X-ray, (ii) expanding TB clinical assessment criteria to any cough and other tuberculosis-related symptoms like chest pain, weight loss, lack of appetite, weakness or fatigue, chills, fever and night sweats (iii) including MTB culture with higher sensitivity [20] as an add-on test following Xpert result, (iv) using multiple rather than a single specimen, to increase the diagnostic yield of Xpert MTB/ RIF [20]. However, resources in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are generally limited and therefore it may not be feasible to implement all these recommendations.
A limitation of our study using Xpert MTB/RIF is that only TB and rifampicin resistance is diagnosed as an indicator for MDR-TB [20]. In Vietnam we generally also perform culture and additional sensitivity testing of drugs included in first and second line regimens to confirm MDR-TB and tailor treatment.
There is a need to develop a system to identify and manage contacts of MDR-TB cases better, including providing of adequate instructions, and possibly screening. We recommend to use a simpler questionnaire rather than a comprehensive social network approach. This is a more efficient and likely more cost-effective means for MDR-TB case detection in Vietnam and other low and middle-income countries. Information about household contacts and those who have the most frequent contact with patients such as close friends and colleagues should be collected. Depending on available resources, screening may start with a clinical assessment to determine if the person has TB-related symptoms, followed by chest X-ray and Gene Xpert MTB/RIF. This should be combined with health education, i.e. inform contacts with what symptoms they need to come for TB screening.
Health education about TB, MDR-TB and its transmission among the general population should be more focused, and results of this study may help in prioritizing risk groups. It is needed to enhance awareness among contacts of MDR-TB and their compliance with screening programmes. Particular attention should be paid to enhance screening of non-household contacts as some studies show the incidence of TB among these contacts to be higher compared with household contacts [5,6,7]. Furthermore, we found a lower screening participation of male contacts in our study, which is in line with findings from our national prevalence survey. Therefore, more efforts are needed to find male tuberculosis patients [21].
Currently, about 50% of the estimated MDR-TB cases in Vietnam have not been previously treated, reflecting significant transmission of MDR-TB among contacts [20,21,22,24,24]. However, the routine case finding strategy for detection of MDR-TB during our study period mainly focused on previously treated TB cases Additional file 1 [10], with only 14% of MDR-TB patients diagnosed being treatment-naive. It is important for Vietnam to pay more attention to management of MDR-TB among new cases including close monitoring of MDR-TB contacts. Given the low yield of MDR-TB case detection from our study, beyond improving contact investigation, other potential groups should be considered to address 50% of undetected MDR-TB burden in Vietnam. Furthermore, diagnostic screening strategies should be enhanced. Approaches can be applied depending on the resources available as follows: microbiological testing by Gene Xpert MTB/RIF for (i) all newly detected TB patients including smear positive and negative (ii) presumptive TB cases who had/have contact with MDR-TB patients. These contacts can be identified by healthcare workers through interviewing TB presumptive cases who come to their health facility for health check up, and (iii) all TB presumptive.
While MDR-TB can be cured, social barriers to MDR-TB treatment could be an important factor that needs to be taken into account when designing and implementing a contact tracing program [17]. Home visits by contact investigators are an effective method for interviewing household contacts and encouraging them to be assessed for TB [4]. By visiting index patients and their household contacts, the investigator is able to observe the housing conditions, perform an environmental assessment for infection control measures, and discuss and evaluate the risk of exposure, as well as provide counseling to household contacts on symptoms suggestive of TB and when and where to seek health care and social support [4].
Even though we did not find any new MDR-TB case directly through our social network analysis, this approach may still be worth consideration if the key limitations of our study are addressed. The screening process should be simplified, well organized, to increase the participation of contacts, extend the time of follow-up of contacts, and improve diagnostic screening strategy. Given that the low participation rate in our study may have limited case detection, it is recommended to expand health education on transmission of TB and MDR-TB among contacts, reduce stigma attached to TB, improve communication skills of health staff, and increase staff resources to trace contacts and get them involved in the screening.
In this study of nearly 100 MDR-TB index cases we were not able to find new MDR-TB cases using household contact screening and social network analysis within a follow-up period of 6 months. Screening of identified contacts was complicated by refusals. More staff resources may be needed and better communication skills and community awareness, collaboration of non NTP health facilities is needed to enhance participation and improve MDR-TB case detection.
CRF:
Case report form
MDR-TB:
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
NTP:
National Tuberculosis Control Programme
SNQ:
Social network questionnaires
World Health Organization. Guidelines for the programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Emergency update 2008. World Health Organization Document. 2008;WHO/HTM/TB/2008.402:1–247.
World Health Organization. Global tuberculosis report 2017. Geneva: WHO; 2017. WHO/HTM/TB/2017.23
National Tuberculosis Control Program of Vietnam. Annual review meeting report of the National TB Control Programme of Vietnam, 2009–2014. Hanoi: National Tuberculosis Control Programme of Vietnam; Ref Type: Report.
World Health Organization. Recommendations for investigating contacts of persons with infectious tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries. Geneva: World Health Organization Document; 2012. WHO/HTM/TB/2012.9
Buu TN, van Soolingen D, Huyen MNT, Lan NNT, Quy HT, Tiemersma EW, Borgdorff MW, Cobelens FGJ. Tuberculosis acquired outside of households, rural Vietnam. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010;16(9):1466–8.
Drotman DP, Mcdade JE, Ben Beard C, Collins F, Mahy BWJ, Marano N, Meltzer MI, Rankin JA, Rollin P, Frey A, Gryczan T, Henry R, Mather A, Snarey C, Tucker R, Jordan A, Marshall M, Justice S. Emerging Infectious Diseasesa Peer-Reviewed Journal Tracking and Analysing Disease Trends. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;2(5):719–882. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid.
Schaaf HS, a Michaelis I, Richardson M, Booysen CN, Gie RP, Warren R, van Helden PD, Beyers N. Adult-to-child transmission of tuberculosis: household or community contact? Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2003;7(5):426–31.
Cook VJ, Sun SJ, Tapia J, Muth SQ, Argüello DF, Lewis BL, Rothenberg RB, Mcelroy PD. Transmission network analysis in tuberculosis contact investigations. JID. 2007;196:1517–27.
Wasserman S, Faust K. Social Network Analysis: Methods And Applications (Structural Analysis In The Social Sciences): Cambridge University Press; 1994. p. 857.
National Tuberculosis Control Program of Vietnam. National Guidelines for Programmatic Management of Drug Resistance Tuberculosis. Hanoi: Ministry of Health; 2009. p. 1–142.
Gardy JL, Johnston JC, Sui SJH, Cook VJ, Shah L, Brodkin E, Rempel S, Moore R, Zhao Y, Holt R, Varhol R, Birol I, Lem M, Sharma MK, Elwood K, Jones SJM, Brinkman FSL, Brunham RC, Tang P. Whole-genome sequencing and social- network analysis of a tuberculosis outbreak. N Engl J Med. 2011;364:730–9.
Ehrlich K, Carboni I, "Inside social network analysis." IBM Technical Report. 2005. pp. 5–10. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.372.1960&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Esmail H, Barry CE, Young DB, Wilkinson RJ. The ongoing challenge of latent tuberculosis. Phil Trans R Soc B. 2014;369:20130437 https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.043.
YNNYCKY E, FINE PEM. The natural history of tuberculosis: the implications of age-dependent risks of disease and the role of reinfection. Epidemiol Infect. 1997;119(2):S0950268897007917.
Ferebee SH. Controlled chemoprophylaxis trials in tuberculosis: a general review. Adv Tuberc Res. 1970;17:28–106.
Borgdorff MW, Sebek M, Geskus RB, Kremer K, Kalisvaart N, van Soolingen D. The incubation period distribution of tuberculosis estimated with a molecular epidemiological approach. Int J Epidemiol. 2011;40(4):964–70. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyr058.
World Health Organization. Companion handbook to the WHO guidelines for the programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Geneva: World Health Organization Document; 2014. WHO/HTM/TB/2014.11:1–403
Becerra MC, Appleton SC, Franke MF, Chalco K, Arteaga F, Bayona J, Murray M, Atwood SS, Mitnick CD. Tuberculosis burden in households of patients with multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis : a retrospective cohort study. Lancet. 2011;377(9760):147–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61972-1.
Grandjean L, Gilman RH, Martin L, Soto E, Castro B, Lopez S, Coronel J, Castillo E, Alarcon V, Lopez V, San Miguel A, Quispe N, Asencios L, Dye C, Moore D a J. Transmission of multidrug-resistant and drug-susceptible tuberculosis within households: a prospective cohort study. PLoS Med. 2015;12(6):e1001843.
World Health Organization. Xpert MTB/RIF implementation manual Technical and operational 'how-to': practical consideration. Geneva: World Health Organization Document; 2014. WHO/HTM/TB/2014.1
Hoa NB, Sy DN, Nhung NV, Tiemersma EW, Borgdorff MW, Cobelens FGJ. National survey of tuberculosis prevalence in Viet Nam. Bull World Health Organ. 2010;88:273–80.
Nhung NV, Hoa NB, Sy DN, Hennig M, Dean AS. The fourth National Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Survey in Viet Nam. Int J tuber Lung dis. 2015;19(6):670–5.
This work was approved by the NTP to be conducted.
This study was financially supported by the Wellcome Trust. The sponsor had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis or decision to submit for publication.
The datasets used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
National Tuberculosis Control Programme of Vietnam- National Lung Hospital (VNTP-NLH), Hanoi, Vietnam
Thi Thanh Thuy Hoang & Viet Nhung Nguyen
Vietnam Association for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Hanoi, Vietnam
Ngoc Sy Dinh
Department of Global Health and Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Frank Cobelens
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Guy Thwaites
Woolcock Institute Of Medical Research, Hanoi, Vietnam
Thu Anh Nguyen
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hanoi, Vietnam
H. Rogier van Doorn & Heiman F. L. Wertheim
Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, Centre for Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Guy Thwaites, H. Rogier van Doorn & Heiman F. L. Wertheim
Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Heiman F. L. Wertheim
Thi Thanh Thuy Hoang
Viet Nhung Nguyen
H. Rogier van Doorn
NVN, HTTT, HW conceptualized and designed the study. HTTT was responsible for data collection, analysis and interpretation of data. HTTT wrote the first draft of the paper with critical advice provided by NVN, DNS, HW, FC, RVD, GT and NTA. All authors reviewed and approved the manuscript as submitted.
Correspondence to Thi Thanh Thuy Hoang.
The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Science and Ethical Committee of the Vietnam National Lung Hospital (Code 388/2013/NCKH). Written informed consent was obtained from patients and their contacts to participate in the study. For children who were less than 18 years old, consent was obtained from their parents or responsible family members.
Additional file 1:
Policy and performance of the National TB Control Programme of Viet Nam. Notification and enrollment for treatment of MDR-TB from 2009 to 2014. Policy recommended by the NTP Guidelines for detection of MDR-TB. (DOCX 39 kb)
Additional information for Methods and Results Sections. Sample size calculation. Modification description of questionnaire and the completeness of responses. Operational definitions and definition of patient category. Screening among contacts by gender, age and contact type. (DOCX 49 kb)
Hoang, T.T.T., Nguyen, V.N., Dinh, N.S. et al. Active contact tracing beyond the household in multidrug resistant tuberculosis in Vietnam: a cohort study. BMC Public Health 19, 241 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6573-z
Multi drug resistance tuberculosis