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Conflict, Students
Braving Barrel Bombs to Create Schools
Wassim Abdo / 03 Nov 2015
An almost deserted, rubble-filled street in Aleppo, AFP-Getty Images.
ALEPPO—In the basement of a six-story building whose inhabitants have fled to escape death by barrel bombs, mortars, and missiles, dozens of children are crowded into a small area of about 50 square meters. Wooden logs divide the floor into makeshift classrooms away from the ongoing airstrikes.
"We are afraid to send our children to schools because of airstrikes and barrel bombs," said Samer Qorbi, a father of two primary-school students. "We want them to pursue their education but in safe schools."
Several times recently, education was suspended in all schools in Aleppo and the surrounding countryside because of the heavy pounding the city is taking from the government's planes and helicopters. Finding safe schools amid the destruction wrought on the city by the five-year war is not easy.
But the Aman project of the Foshet Amal Charity Association seeks to fulfill this educational need.
"We try to find basements and refuges in Aleppo where we can move school children to ensure at least the continuation of the educational process," said Mohammed Samer, the project supervisor, based in Aleppo.
The association's 12 schools have 3,000 primary and secondary-school students and about 145 teachers. The schools give all students free stationery and textbooks and teach a curriculum modified by the Syrian opposition coalition to remove government propagandizing.
The schools are operating in the middle of chaos. Electricity in Aleppo is erratic, limited to a few hours a day at best. Running water is even scarcer. Only those with satellite dishes can reliably connect to the Internet. The ground-shaking barrel bombs, stuffed with shrapnel and explosives, are often dropped in pairs to kill those who rush to rescue those initially injured. Residents who move from one area of the city to another have to thread their way through multiple checkpoints controlled by competing rebel groups.
A government air attack on an elementary school in April 2014 killed at least 17 students and two teachers—that attack came just as a children's art exhibit was scheduled to open. Four children and a teacher were killed in a barrel-bomb attack last May that struck as the children were sitting for exams.
In 2013, a group of Syrian expatriates established the Foshet Amal association, which was the first rescue association operating in the liberated territories of Aleppo. The association's operatives noticed the deteriorating quality of education in the territories occupied by the Syrian opposition as a result of the lack of good teachers and a shortage of school materials. The association, along with other several civil society organizations, is now trying to improve education.
A man walks through the rubble in Aleppo AFP/GETTY.
"We were shocked by the situation in our country and the sufferings of our people, and thus we thought of helping as much as we can to alleviate the pain of those afflicted by the calamities of the war," said Samer Seryo, a Syrian immigrant to Canada and a co-founder of the association.
So far, seven basements have been equipped to receive primary-school and high-school students. Each school has about five classrooms. The association is preparing another five schools despite the difficulties.
"We don't have enough buildings with basements, in addition to the fact that equipment, ventilation, sewage, wall maintenance, and painting take time and require ease of movement and work, which is not always available because of restrictions due to security," said Mohammad Bakour, a principal of one of the schools.
Teachers and students feel more secure now, but they miss their former educational institutions. "It's safer here, but we miss the school building and its playground," said Omar, a first-year high-school student.
Those responsible for Foshet Amal association seek to provide students quality education not only by giving them school materials, but by training teachers. Before the start of the school year, the association held training workshops for teachers, most of whom were young and had not continued their university education because of the war.
"Teachers need support," said Zein Al-Malazy, the head public relations officer of the association, explaining that the workshops sought to help teachers not just with subject matter and teaching but also how to reach students who have been traumatized by the war. Administrators set up two centers: One is for mothers to offer them advice on how to deal with fearful, angry and nervous children. The second provides children with activities such as painting, singing and reading to help them get rid of their fear and anxiety. There is no safe place for sports.
This year psychologists were appointed in each school to counsel students, especially those who suffer from psychological problems as a result of the ongoing war.
"The workshops helped us prepare for the new academic year and learn new educational methods for dealing with students inside and outside the classrooms," said Abou Mohammed, a secondary-school science teacher.
"We have a plan to expand and add more schools and move to the countryside, but current budget and capabilities are insufficient," Malazy said.
"We do not work to fulfill a need only, but also to make a difference," Malazy concluded. "In spite of the small magnitude of our work, we try to make it as effective as possible."
A Syrian Women's Organization Illuminates Possibilities for Private Efforts
Studying Medicine in Time of War
Displaced Syrian Private Universities Struggle to Educate Their Students
A Syrian Student's Fragile Hope for Higher Education
A Tiny University with a Big Spirit


Your modern living room awaits with this Warnerton power recliner sofa. Complete with durable upholstery, one-touch power controls and an adjustable headrest, finding that seated sweet spot is a breeze. Cup holders and a storage console add to the convenience of keeping drinks, snacks and remotes close by. Go ahead—treat yourself.
• Distance between recliner and wall: 7.75"
• Fully reclined height: 39.38"
• Fully reclined length: 68.5"
• Top of cushion to top of back: 24.12"
Volume 49.04 cu. ft. / 1.39 cu. m.
Add contemporary style to your living space with the Goldstone sectional featuring jumbo stitching and tufting.
Set your heart on the alluring leather Bristan ottoman from Signatuer Design. With a blend of natural colors and beautifully jumbo stitched design, this classic accent piece provides the perfect spot for tired feet.


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Jane Llewellyn examines 'Ghostly Nature – Part I' an exhibition at the Adelaide Town Hall celebrating Aboriginal voices. The exhibition coincides with NAIDOC Week.
2 July 2015 by Jane Llewellyn
The exhibition looks at our dark histories (our ghosts) with many of the artists exploring ideas around identity and place by investigating their own family histories. "It's storytelling overall, that's why it's part 1 and part 2," Curator Polly Dance says. "It's almost like chapters of history." Along with Built Constructs (which was on display at the Town Hall gallery in December last year) Ghostly Nature – Part 1 and Part 2 (set for later in the year) are part of a broader program developed by Dance. The exhibitions reflect where we are currently and how we navigate and fit into our surroundings, whether in the built environment as in Built Constructs or in our natural environment as in Ghostly Nature. Darren Siwes' work is an obvious choice for the exhibition with his photographs featuring a ghostly, transparent figure (himself as the Aboriginal protagonist) in recognisable locations around Adelaide. The work explores a sense of place and as Siwes disappears into the colonial landscape his transparency evokes the invisibility of Aboriginal culture in a predominantly white Australian society. Some of the images use London as a backdrop, taken when he spent time there during his Samstag scholarship in 2004, and reflect Australia's relationship to Britain. Emerging artist Tamara Baillie's installation work White But Not Quite is a personal story about meeting her great grandmother when she was seven, who was brown, while she was white. This encounter led her to explore her own identity and history but raised more questions than answers. The work made of branches, paint, muslin, plaster and oxide reflects a somewhat messy, ugly, murky family tree. Dance says: "While there is no clarity in the colours you get these really beautiful shadows and reflections and relationships between the fruits and trees." James Tylor's series Deheading State (the new Holey Dollar) are daguerreotypes of coins with holes through them, exploring the idea of Australia becoming a republic and creating our own coins by removing the Queen's head. The works are hung at "neck height" because daguerreotypes need to reflect off a black surface to experience their full effect, so it's reflecting off the viewer, but also at the level of the Queen's neck. Julie Gough's work is influenced by the narratives which are a result of her Tasmanian Aboriginal heritage. In the video work, The Lost World (part 1) Gough records a journey with her brother into the Tasmanian bush to try and find a significant, unnamed location. They manage to get completely lost as drama builds with voicemail messages from concerned family members and finally the local police. Also featured in the exhibition are works by Nici Cumpston and Sue Kneebone plus works from the City of Adelaide Civic Collection. "I don't want to give everything away because all these stories are quite personal but you can read into them," Dance says. So while the artists draw on their own personal experiences, their stories have universal qualities with which the viewer can identify. Ghostly Nature – Part 1 Adelaide Town Hall Until Friday, July 31
Jasmine Crisp: every picture tells a story
Living the dream at Bundanon
Adelaide artists reflect on the age of instant gratification

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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What is RCR
Aim of RCR-Greece
rcr@rcr.gr
About RCR - Greece
RCR - Greece is a nonprofit, officially recognized by the Greek State Scientific Organisation, which was founded in 2014 in Athens by Greek researchers, professors, scientists and professionals.
RCR-Greece addresses itself to scientists (PhD's, post docs, researchers) and Institutions that conduct research in Greece, but also to undergraduate and graduate students who occupy themselves or intend to occupy themselves with research.
Our organisation introduces to the field of scientific research in Greece a new, internationally recognized educational topic called RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research).
Science without justice and the rest of virtue ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom.
© RCR-Greece 2023


A Faculty-Mentored Research course is a 3-credit course for which a minimum of three (3) students have registered and which is taught by a full-time faculty member. Students may be engaged in individual research projects or a single research project, and must be conducting this research under the guidance and direction of the faculty member teaching the course. These may be major thesis projects, fieldwork projects, or faculty-research projects in which students are research assistants.


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El monoestable es un circuito multivibrador que realiza una función secuencial consistente en que al recibir una excitación exterior, cambia de estado y se mantiene en él durante un periodo que viene determinado por una constante de tiempo. Transcurrido dicho período, la salida del monoestable vuelve a su estado original. Por tanto, tiene un estado estable (de aquí su nombre) y un estado casi estable.

Funcionamiento

En la Figura 1 se representa
el esquema de un circuito multivibrador monoestable, realizado con componentes discretos, cuyo funcionamiento es el siguiente:

Al aplicar la tensión de alimentación (Vcc), los dos transistores iniciarán la conducción, ya que sus bases reciben un potencial positivo a través de las resistencias R-2 y R-3, pero como los transistores no serán exactamente idénticos, por el propio proceso de fabricación y el grado de impurezas del material semiconductor, uno conducirá antes o más rápido que el otro.

Supongamos que es TR-2 el que conduce primero. El voltaje en su colector estará próximo a 0 voltios (salida Y a nivel bajo), por lo que la tensión aplicada a la base de TR-1 a través del divisor formado por R-3, R-5 , será insuficiente para que conduzca TR-1. En estas condiciones TR-1 permanecería bloqueado indefinidamente.
Pero si ahora aplicamos un impulso de disparo de nivel alto por la entrada T, el transistor TR-1 conducirá y su tensión de colector se hará próxima a 0 V, con lo que C-1, que estaba cargado a través de R-1 y la unión base-emisor de TR-2, se descargará a través de TR-1 y R-2 aplicando un potencial negativo a la base de TR-2 que lo llevará al corte (salida Y a nivel alto) . En esta condición la tensión aplicada a la base de TR-1 es suficiente para mantenerlo en conducción aunque haya desaparecido el impulso de disparo en T.
Seguidamente se inicia la carga de C-1 a través de R-2 y TR-1 hasta que la tensión en el punto de unión de C-1 y R-2 (base de TR-2) sea suficiente para que TR-2 vuelva a conducir y TR-1 quede bloqueado. La duración del periodo cuasi estable viene definido por los valores de C-1 y R-2.

Monoestables integrados
Se encuentran monoestables integrados en varias familias lógicas, tanto TTL (9601, 74121 y otros) como CMOS (4047, 4528, ...). Son circuitos que comprenden parte analógica, que es la generación del pulso, y parte digital, que proporciona varias funciones lógicas entre las entradas y las salidas digitales.

La precisión de la temporización depende de la parte analógica, que suele consistir en un generador de corriente que carga un condensador C (externo) y un comparador de tensión. Muchas veces el generador de corriente sólo es una resistencia R (externa o interna) conectada a Vcc. La duración del pulso es función de R·C, aunque la dependencia exacta depende del modelo. Entonces, las tolerancias de R y C aparecen directamente como errores en la duración del pulso, así como sus variaciones con la temperatura. Además es la parte más sensible al ruido.

La parte digital les añade distintas prestaciones, produciendo diversos tipos de monoestables:
 Restaurable o resetable: Una entrada de reset permite interrumpir el pulso en cualquier momento, dejando el dispositivo preparado para un nuevo disparo.
 Redisparable (retriggerable): Permite reiniciar el pulso con un nuevo disparo antes de completar la temporización. Digamos que se tiene un temporizador de 4 ms, pero a los 2 ms de iniciado el pulso se realiza un nuevo disparo; la duración que se obtiene es de 2 + 4 = 6 ms. Los monoestables no redisparables sólo permiten el disparo cuando no existe ninguna temporización en curso. Es decir, en el ejemplo anterior ignoraría el segundo disparo y se obtendría un pulso de 4 ms solamente.
 Monoestable-Multivibrador: Son monoestables dobles (Dos, normalmente independientes) en la misma cápsula que permiten su conexión de forma que el fin del pulso generado por uno de ellos dispara al otro. Permiten el control preciso e independiente de los tiempos alto y bajo de la señal de salida.
 Para temporizaciones largas, se añaden contadores a un multivibrador que prolongan la duración del pulso. Por ejemplo, el ICM7242.

El uso de monoestables en circuitos digitales está fuertemente desaconsejado, ya que añaden imprecisiones debidas a los componentes analógicos, mayor sensibilidad al ruido y a fuertes golpes , y aumentan el consumo en niveles altísimos y el tamaño es demasiado grande. En su lugar se utilizarán contadores digitales que generen las temporizaciones a partir de un reloj de referencia.

Otros Monoestables

Además de los circuitos anteriores, existen circuitos con una parte digital muy reducida, que se pueden utilizar bien como monoestables o como multivibradores y existen tanto en tecnología bipolar como cmos. El NE555 es el paradigma de este tipo de circuitos.

Multivibrador monoestable con amplificador operacional

El circuito de la figura 2 corresponde a un multivibrador astable ampliado con una etapa de disparo y un diodo fijador de voltaje en el condensador C1.

Debe escogerse un valor de R4 mucho mayor a R1 para que, cuando el diodo D2 conduzca, sólo pase una pequeña corriente por él, permitiendo que el terminal V+ se aproxime al divisor entre R2 y R1.

Inicialmente el operacional, por sus propias imperfecciones físicas, generará aleatoriamente una pequeña diferencia entre sus terminales, la cual rápidamente se regenerará a través de la realimentación del operacional, haciendo que éste entre en saturación alcanzando un estado estable indefinidamente.

Si se inyecta una señal cuadrada a la entrada del disparador, compuesto por R4, C2 y D2, se producirá un impulso negativo en el terminal no inversor.

Si inicialmente el circuito se encontraba en modo de saturación positiva el pulso establecerá una diferencia entre los terminales suficiente para cambiar el modo a saturación negativa, a partir de este momento el multivibrador entra en un estado "cuasi estable". El condensador C1, fijado a la tensión del diodo D1, comenzará una descarga tratando de alcanzar el voltaje de saturación negativa, pero al superar negativamente el valor del divisor de tensión entre R1 y R2, conmutará nuevamente a saturación positiva. El condensador volverá a cargarse con una constante de tiempo C1*R3 buscando el voltaje de saturación positiva hasta encontrar el voltaje del diodo D1, permaneciendo estacionado en ese valor hasta la generación de un nuevo pulso.

Es importante resaltar dos intervalos de tiempo: el tiempo de modo "cuasi estable" y el tiempo de recuperación del condensador. La generación de un nuevo pulso debe respetar la suma de estos dos intervalos, de lo contrario podría no obtenerse los resultados esperados.

 Tiempo en que el circuito se encuentra "cuasi estable":

 Tiempo de recuperación:

: Voltaje de alimentación del operacional menos el voltaje de Swing (Vswing aprox. 2V a 3V )

: Voltaje del diodo D1

El tiempo entre pulsos no debe ser menor a:

De esta forma se requiere que la señal de entrada posea una frecuencia menor a:

Enlaces externos
 Vídeo describiendo de forma gráfica el funcionamiento.

Referencias

Electrónica digital

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Taryn is really pregnant. I mean, she's bursting at the seams in her eighth month and it's getting tougher and tougher for her to look after her flock. As a result, I've been trying to prepare more meals for us three.
Basically, that means we have much more BBQ than usual. Tonight, however, I decided to prepare a frozen Dellissio pizza in the oven. It sounded simple enough.
It turns out the cardboard beneath the pizza wasn't obvious enough and I accidentally baked it along with the pizza. When I discovered my error I managed the remove the cardboard and didn't think it would make much of a difference. I was wrong as the bottom crust was doughy and not edible. Immediately, I put the slices back on the oven rack and waited. Sure, the tops were borderline burnt, but at least the bottoms were baked. Unfortunately, most of the cheese melted off and fell to the bottom of the oven where there is now a huge mess to clean up.
I'm going to stick to BBQing.


text:
Marquis of Montrose (1612-1650)
The Plague (1645)
Last of the Wolves (1645)
Hanging around Crieff
Laird of the Comrie House
Miser of Moivard (Monzievaird)
Plagues were a fairly common event in daily life in the old days and they took a tragic toll. No-one was exempt. In Ochtertyre the victims were cloistered in huts at the west end of Ochteryre Loch where they lived amongst themselves and were waited upon by attendants called cleansers. In 1645 an Act of Parliament directed that public contributions be taken up for the benefit of the plague-stricken in the parishes of Crieff, Monzievaird and Comrie. The Keeper of the Public Magazine in Perth was instructed to provide four-score bolls of meal for the use in these Parishes. Many, however, died and their remains were placed in burial mounds which can still be traced.


The MIB module containing SVC information for VISM service module.
This is the number of Setup messages sent to the PXM(Processor Switch Module) from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Setup messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Call proceeding messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Call proceeding messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Connect messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Connect ack messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Connect messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Connect ack messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Release messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Release complete messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Release messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Release complete messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Restart messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Restart ack messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Restart messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Restart ack messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync start messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync start ack messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync start messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync start ack messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync end messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync end ack messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync end messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Resync end ack messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Bulk resync messages sent to the PXM from the VISM since VISM reset.
This is the number of Bulk resync messages received by the VISM from the PXM since VISM reset.
This object indicates the number of times the call proceeding timer expired before a connect message is received.
This object indicates the number of times the release timer expired before a release complete message is received.
This object indicates the number of times the connect timer expired before a connection message is received.
This object indicates the number of times the connect ack timer expires before a connect ack message is received.
This object indicate the number of times the restart timer expires before a Restart Response message is received.
This object indicate the number of times the Resync timer expired a Resync End Indication message is received.
End-to-end cell delay variation used in voice SVC establishment. It is used to guarantee the quality of the route selected for a voice SVC. It is applicable to both AAL1 and AAL2 SVC connection establishment. The value specified to this object is in 'micro-seconds'. This value is sent in voice SVC setup messages in extended quality of services information element as the objective value.
End-to-end maximum cell transfer delay used in voice SVC establishment. It is used to guarantee the quality of the route selected for a voice SVC. It is applicable to both AAL1 and AAL2 SVC connection establishment. The value specified to this object is in 'micro-seconds'. This value is sent in voice SVC setup messages in end-to-end transit delay information element as the objective value.
Maximum Cell Loss Ratio used in voice SVC establishment. It is used to guarantee the quality of the route selected for a voice SVC. It is applicable to both AAL1 and AAL2 SVC connection establishment. This value is sent in voice SVC setup messages in extended quality of services information element as maximum cell loss ratio value.
The default AAL2 Channel IDentification (CID) number used for AAL2 SVC connections.
The compliance statement for objects related to VISM SVC module.
The collection of objects which are used to represent VISM SVC counters.
The collection of objects which are used to represent VISM SVC Signaling and QOS parameters.
This object is are used to represent VISM scaling factor to SVC Signaling traffic parameter.
This object is used to represent VISM SVC AAL2 Cid.


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Paper Clips News
Virtual Mill Tour
Grade Comparison Charts
Paper Clips Industry News
Commercial Printing Papers
Web Printing
Sheetfed Papers
Printing & Imaging Papers
COVID-19 PROTECTION SUPPLIES
Custom Back to Work Kits
Publication Papers
Specialty Paper & Film
Print Advocacy
Carbon Balanced Paper
Supremex Announces Strong Q2 2021 Results
Midland Paper Clips
Supremex Inc. ("Supremex" or the "Company") (TSX: SXP), a leading North American manufacturer and marketer of envelopes and a growing provider of paper-based packaging solutions, today announced its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss these results, today at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time).
Second Quarter Financial Highlights and Recent Events
Total revenue increased by 8.7% to $51.8 million, from $47.7 million in the second quarter of 2020.
Envelope segment revenue was up 7.6% to $35.2 million, from $32.8 million in the second quarter of 2020.
Packaging and specialty products segment revenue increased by 11.1% to $16.6 million, from $14.9 million in the second quarter of 2020.
EBITDA1 at $8.6 million, up 24.1%, from $6.9 million in the second quarter of 2020. EBITDA margins stood at 16.5%, up from 14.5%.
Net Earnings at $3.4 million (or $0.12 per share), up from $1.9 million (or $0.07 per share) in the second quarter of 2020.
Recorded $0.8 million of assistance from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ("CEWS") program.
Purchased 488,100 shares for total consideration of $1.1 million as part of the Company's Normal Course Issuer Bid (''NCIB'').
Mary Chronopoulos was appointed CFO and Corporate Secretary effective May 31, 2021.
"This marks our sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement in adjusted EBITDA profitability. I believe that this strong financial performance, combined with our sustained growth in the US envelope and packaging markets, demonstrate the resiliency of our business and future potential of our diversification strategy," said Stewart Emerson, President & CEO of Supremex.
"This quarter's profitability was supported by our ability to swiftly implement price increases to offset rapidly rising input costs, extract synergies from our envelope platform and achieve further efficiency improvements in our folding carton business, the later benefiting notably from the recovery in the cosmetics and beauty channel."
"Looking ahead, considering growth opportunities available in the packaging industry, we will continue to prioritize the allocation of capital towards our growth and diversification strategy. In order to deliverer additional short-term value, the Company also intends to renew its share repurchase plan," concluded Mr. Emerson
details at: https://cms.supremex.com/document/925/show
Greif Reports Strong Second Quarter 2021 Results
Second Quarter Financial Highlights: *Net income of $149.8 million compared to net income of $11.4 million. *Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $52.5 million to a source of $152.3 million. *Total debt decreased by $368.9 million to $2,313.4 million. Strategic Actions and Announcements: *Completed the sale of approximately 69,200 acres of timberlands in southwest Alabama to Weyerhaeuser Company for approximately $149.0 million in cash. *Achieved record Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) volume, reflecting strong market demand. *Published Greif's 12th consecutive sustainability report highlighting the Company's commitments to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles and key metrics.
Smurfit Kappa has announced the opening of a new Experience Centre for Bag-in-Box in Épernay, France
The new Experience Centre provides a place for customers to get hands-on experience of the spectrum of capabilities offered by Bag-in-Box® solutions. State-of-the-art technology and interactive displays designed to showcase the films, taps and boxes are backed up by a wealth of information and technical expertise. Visitors are also given the opportunity to test the products in the laboratory and see how they can benefit their business. The Experience Centre opened last month as part of this year's celebration of 40 years of the Bag-in-Box division. Dominique Gessat, General Manager of Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box Epernay comments: "Customers coming to the Experience Centre can evaluate all the processes of production and see with their own eyes the quality standards that Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box has adopted over the years. Click Read More below for additional information.
Sonoco ThermoSafe Celebrates First Pegasus ULD® Uplift on AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Releases Case Study
Sonoco ThermoSafe and AirBridgeCargo Airlines have successfully conducted a test shipment with ThermoSafe's new Pegasus ULD®, the world's first passive bulk temperature controlled container for pharmaceutical use that is an approved unit load device. The complexity and duration of the journey made this initial shipment an ideal case study. The entire shipping process involved multiple segments of ground and air transportation, starting in London and including stops in Amsterdam, Moscow and Frankfurt, extending beyond 130 hours. The Pegasus ULD contains a fully integrated, FAA-approved telemetry system, providing real-time, cloud-based data on both payload and ambient temperature and key environmental factors, precisely synchronized with GPS location, which confirmed that the internal temperature held between 2°C and 8°C throughout the entire journey.
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Stora Enso changes its segment reporting
Stora Enso signs an agreement to divest its Hylte paper site and will discontinue the Anjala site divestment process
Average Time to Deliver Across Postal Network Steady at 2.5 Days
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Sansoucy Funeral Home
Send Flowers for Michael
Michael C. Manning
December 2, 1994 ~ January 8, 2020 (age 25)
Spencer...Michael C. Manning, age 25, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, January 8 at his home in Spencer, MA.
Michael is survived by his mother Lisa (Metterville) Ackley and husband, Larry Jr. of Oxford, MA. Michael also leaves three sisters, Shyanne Morin and husband, Glenn of Putnam, CT., Ariana Bachant of Webster, and Kacey-lyn Bachant of Oxford; paternal grandmother, Joan McCarthy and maternal grandparents, Robert and Mary Beauregard of Spencer, with whom he lived; his step-father James Bachant of Webster, many aunts, uncles, cousins, and loving friends. Michael is predeceased by his father, Michael S Manning.
Michael was born in Worcester and graduated from Oxford High School. He fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a barber by graduating Rob Roy Academy in Worcester and was able to put his talent to work at Keith's Barber Shop in Oxford.
Michael loved spending time with his friends and family, especially his cousins of which he was so close to. His favorite things to do were to make people laugh, fish and play with his little cousins. He always had a new joke. He was a gifted young man who will be missed by so many.
Calling hours will be held on Monday, January 13 from 4 – 7 P.M. Sansoucy Funeral Home, 40 Marcy St., Southbridge, MA. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home at 6:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to "Learn to Cope" 4 Court St. Suite 110 Taunton, MA 02780
To send flowers to Michael's family, please visit our floral section.
40 Marcy Street
© 2020 Sansoucy Funeral Home. All Rights Reserved. Funeral Home website by CFS


What began in China as a youth-driven social movement to celebrate being single has now morphed into a shopping holiday that makes Black Friday look amateurish.
Every Nov. 11, on Singles' Day, shoppers across China take to their phones and computers to scour e-commerce sites for deals on goods they desire. They place their orders, sleep and wait for the parcels to arrive the next day.
In the world's second-largest economy, this shopping holiday originally created to celebrate or console singles has exploded. This year, Singles' Day sales on the e-commerce platform Alibaba surpassed US$25B, making it the world's most lucrative shopping day.
The social context behind the genesis of Singles' Day itself is fascinating (think millennial relationship anxiety and retail therapy). But for this post, we are particularly interested in the consumer infrastructure that makes US$25.3B in daily sales possible and the opportunities that it presents to Canadians.
There are many stories in circulation about the origin of Singles' Day which became a popular social phenomenon and celebration across China during the 1990s. What we know is the date Nov. 11 (11/11) was chosen because it has four numeral ones, which work as a nifty metaphor for singles linking with each other to become a pair.
Jack Ma's Alibaba capitalized on the zeitgeist in 2009 by declaring Singles' Day a "holiday" in order to boost sales during a down season for its e-commerce platform, Taobao/T-Mall. Their slogan that year was "No significant other? You can still go online and shop!" The campaign was an absolute hit. The year after, Ma successfully reinvented and marketed the celebration as a day to shop online and treat yourself to something nice. With that he broadened his customer base to all consumers, regardless of relationship status. Singles' Day has since become a national shopping holiday like no other.
While other e-commerce platforms, most notably JD, and offline retail stores also have a piece of Singles' Day sales, this holiday is chiefly associated with Alibaba. On Singles' Day in 2016, Alibaba broke its record, processing US$17.8B in transactions. That figure was more than 40 per cent higher than the total sales revenue during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the US for the same year, according to Euromonitor Research.
Alibaba broke its record again with a whopping US$25.3B in sales during this year's Double-11 shopping frenzy.
What Makes Singles' Day Possible in China?
Three things have made this e-commerce sales tsunami possible: a young and increasingly affluent middle class, the availability of e-commerce platforms couched in broader fintech/social media systems allowing for the collection of big data, and inexpensive and efficient delivery logistics.
Despite overall slowing economic growth in China, new consumption in the country is expected to expand by US$1.8T by 2021, boosting the total to US$6.1T. That projected growth rate is equivalent to adding another consumer market the size of Germany's to the Chinese economy.
Approximately 80 per cent of young adults in China's large cities shop online and the share of e-commerce is expected to increase from anywhere between 24 and 31 per cent by 2020.
By 2020, the number of upper-middle-class and affluent households will double to 100 million. At that point, they will account for 30 per cent of all urban households, compared with 17 per cent today and only 7 per cent in 2010. The buying power of this cohort will then make up 55% of Chinese urban consumption.
As online shopping demand grows, Chinese e-commerce tycoons such as Taobao, Jingdong, and Sunning have evolved to become efficient and nimble enough to ensure it is met. No longer do these companies simply collect cheap commodities in massive warehouses to shop to consumers. Today, e-commerce companies develop their own technologies and have expanded their services to make online consumption easier and faster. Recent data shows over 10 million stores are now open on Taobao, attracting nearly 507 million users.
Most importantly, these e-commerce platforms are woven together with other lifestyle applications, including messaging apps and online wallets, which make online shopping easier for consumers as well as providing e-commerce companies with big data. For instance, Alibaba and Tencent (which has a partnership with Jindong) owns Alipay and WeChat, used by 520 million and 889 million users, respectively. Alipay and WeChat contain various lifestyle functions such as messaging and e-payment which makes online shopping easier.
Chinese e-commerce players also leverage e-commerce services with key social media platforms. For instance, your friend sends you a WeChat text to recommend an item. You can check out the reviews and pay for the product with WeChat wallet, WeChat's e-payment system.
All these integrated consumption ecosystems have big data implications. With a system that is akin to an amalgam of Amazon, Paypal, Uber, Google Maps, and more, the big data collected provides a more complete profile of consumers to these e-commerce giants, allowing them to fine tune their marketing campaigns.
Of course, none of this would be useful if the deliveries didn't come in time or were too expensive. In China, delivery services are reliable and extremely affordable. Seven major logistics companies dominate the Chinese market and are capable of dealing with the flood of parcels mainly thanks to cheap labour. In large part, this has been the reason why e-commerce has been so successful in China: customers don't have to pay $88 for Amazon Prime to have next-day delivery. Instead, they pay about $4 for overnight deliveries.
However, cheap and abundant labour won't always be available. As the Chinese economy grows and elevates more low-income people into the middle class, it will be increasingly difficult to find a workforce for manual labour, like parcel delivery. The heads of these e-commerce ventures are aware of this and have started investing heavily in the tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or Internet of Things (IoT), to remain competitive amid rising labour costs. The Chinese government deems AI a priority and is committed to creating strong supporting infrastructure. Alphabet's Eric Schmidt warned the U.S. that China is expected to surpass America's lead in the field within the next five years.
In this context, Chinese logistics companies have shown long-term vision and intent to maintain low delivery costs through the integration of AI in their operations. Since last year, most of the logistics companies in China have established and operated their own smart logistic centers. Cainiao, for instance, uses robots called "Little G" for the final legs of parcel delivery and JD hopes to replace some of the forklift operators in its warehouses by the end of this year, according to the Economist. These two companies also plan to dispatch driver-less trucks for delivery within the next three years. A few days ago, Alibaba even showcased drones delivering parcels to islands.
Our hot take: Singles' Day will be a "thing" in Canada within the next few years.
Singles' Day has already become a noticeable phenomenon outside China for both consumers and business owners. A Forbes article just made a case that U.S. retailers should follow China's lead and "embrace" Singles' Day over Black Friday.
Alibaba already offers international sales through Aliexpress, in which customers outside China (including Canadians) can purchase affordable Taobao goodies. Other third-party agents such as Superbuy or CNstrom, both endorsed by Alibaba, can facilitate Singles' Day splurging outside China as well.
Further, we say that Singles' Day is going to become a phenomenon in Canada because these e-commerce giants have already floated plans to operate here – and this is a great opportunity for Canadian small and medium sized businesses (SMEs). Alibaba has already established a Canadian headquarters in Toronto, where Jack Ma appeared alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to tell 2,500 Canadian businessmen (mostly in startups and SMEs) to take advantage of the Taobao opportunity at the Gateway '17 Conference. The CEO of T-Mall said Alibaba would establish a special section for foreign business owners to organize some sort of a trade show to help them connect to 1.38 Chinese consumers. He offered incentives such as complete assistance with international shipping and customs and occasionally, even free shipping.
Canadian brands are already extremely popular in these e-commerce platforms. The story about how 90,000 Nova Scotian lobsters were sold on Taobao in one day positioned the Chinese e-commerce market as a modern day El Dorado. But unlike El Dorado, Taobao is a very real opportunity for Canadians and Singles' Day offers the best opportunity for both buyers and sellers here to experience the scale and intensity of this powerful online marketplace.
Yingqiu Kuang is a Mitacs Research Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She is also a PhD Candidate in political science at the University of B.C. Her research interests include international political economy in multinational corporations and technology standardization, with a focus on China.


High school teams succeed and fail based on how burn is distributed. There must always be accountability for what occurs in the classroom and during workouts and practice sessions. The team improves based on the Intensity and Quality of training and playing time is an important incentive. Coaches can give out rewards to players in three ways: positive feedback, minutes, and touches.
Adolescents believe have a very high opinion of themselves and games become an opportunity to perform in front of their peers. A perceived slight in front of their social group can poison a player's relationship with their coach for weeks. While it is important to reward those who are working hard and contributing to the team's performance, playing time must match a player's expectations.
If there is a discrepancy between a expected minutes and the actual time, , the coach should address the issue ahead of time and inform the player how they can increase their court time. This will be an emotional discussion at first; rational thinking will follow once the emotions like fear, anger and pride have been addressed.
Effective substitution improves mental training (self-efficacy, cognitive anxiety, and experience) and performance among both individual players and the entire team. Coaches must find players who can play well and combinations that play well together to maximize team success.
Remain true to your values: I believe in self-actualization, choices and consequences, and open communication so my substitution strategies will reflect those values. I wish to encourage players by providing guidance and goals to achieve. Players always have choices about how hard to work – especially during the off-season – but they will have to live the consequences during games. Lastly, I will do my best to communicate my decisions to players. If there is discontent, I will provide the player with a plan to increase their role, including specific targets for improvement.
Give the players some say: Listen to what the players want but do not let this be the determining factor. Players may say that they want to win or that the entire team should play and this can guide your decision-process. When there is an opening because of injury, players can offer their suggestions for who should receive a chance; they offer a different opinion and may observe facts that the coach cannot see.
If two groups of people have entirely different philosophies, conflict is inevitable. A coach who knows what the players desire can explain decisions and engender buy-in. However, the professional judgment of a coach always supersedes the wishes of the players.
Keep your perspective: The priorities of high school and youth athletics are enjoyment, fitness, and skill development. It is not appropriate (nor wise) to play only five or six players for the entire game in search of a victory. Know the level at which you are coaching and act accordingly.
Extra-curricular sports guarantee not equal opportunities for playing time but equal opportunities to earn that playing time. All student-athletes should feel that they can increase their role over the course of the season. Nobody should feel discouraged and turning a player away from the sport is far worse than losing a single game.
Enable the entire team: When more players see action during the games, the team has more energy. The bench is involved because they expect to see action and players work harder in practices because they are seeing the dividends. Devise roles for players that best suit their physical and mental abilities.
Increase the number of key contributors: As the season progresses, a coach can reduce the number of minutes given to the bench or eliminate players as required. It is almost impossible for players who have never made contributions to step up at a moment's notice.
If a player – possibly one who started in a previous year – does not want to accept a reduced role, they should be cut rather than sit on the bench embittered. Sometimes, a marginal player who was fortunate enough to start due to circumstances such as injuries or graduation one year may not be effective to fill a role on the second unit.
Improve productivity: A reliable second unit permits a coach to press and fast-break if desired. If a coach wishes to slow the game down, they can use the substitutions to break up the momentum of the game.
Use the quarter breaks and regular timeouts to increase rest for key players. For example, a point guard who sits the first two minutes of the second quarter probably gets five minutes of rest without missing too much game time.
Use a hammer when required: A coach should demand that all players play as hard as possible for the minutes that they are on the court. If there are no viable alternatives, players intuitively know that they are safe. A competent second unit allows a coach to use techniques like briefly pulling all five players in order to send a message.
Think outside the box: One season, the U.T.S. Senior Boys Team lost both the starting and back-up point guards during the middle of the season. We adjusted by promoting the manager to the starting point guard and playing him for four minutes at the beginning of the first three quarters in a very controlled situation. At other times, we would play without a true point and emphasize athleticism and passing.
Keep the same rotation: Like an N.B.A. coach who strictly controls the minutes of all players, high school and college coaches should keep a regular schedule. Players know when they will enter the game and who they will play with.
In order to balance flexibility based on how the game plays out with a routine, a coach must use their professional judgment. Significant changes to the rotation should be made gradually over the course of the season.
Communication: Everyone understands their role. Each player has a reasonable set of expectations to meet and need not feel like they must do it all. When a coach alters a player's role, this should always be communicated privately in advance to the athlete in question.
Never penalize mistakes: A coach should not remove a player from the game for a single mistake. This could increase mental anxiety, especially among players with less confidence. The coach should address the mistake and give the player a chance to make amends.
Do not disrupt good chemistry: If an opening in the starting lineup materializes because of injury or another circumstance, promote someone who plays little or no minutes. Do not start the Sixth Man or the top guard or post substitute. A coach can increase the minutes given to those players down the stretch but should not sacrifice the initial impact those players bring to the game.
This is an opportunity for an unsung player to make a big contribution and develop, like how Sonny Weems stepped up into the rotation for the Toronto Raptors when DeMar DeRozan suffered an ankle sprain.
Plan the rotation ahead of time: If coaches plan a rotation schedule ahead of time, they can ensure that the lineup is balanced. Teams must have ballhandling, the ability to get the ball inside, and rebounding on the court at all times. Coaches can compromise a less significant skill such as shooting or post play.
Some aspects of this planned rotation needed to be altered because one of the back-up guards played really well, we altered our defensive assignments in the second half, and one player was replaced by one who was quicker.
Specific lineups will have unique characters such as a halfcourt passing focus, pressure defence that leads to transition offence, or shooting.
Writing an outline of each game's Player Rotation in advance permits a coach to think calmly and clearly. Do not carve anything into stone so that there is room for adjustments to suit the flow of the game.
Planning facilitates the correct use of timeouts. If it is necessary to use a short bench, a coach should use timeouts regularly over the course of the game in order to keep players rested (rather than for strategy). Waiting until the fourth quarter is too late.
Prepare during practices: A coach should mix up lineups in practice so that different combination of players work together. Team building activities can increase trust and communication among potential lineups.
Evaluate good combinations: Coaches should use stats to track which players work well together and maximize the usage of those combinations. "Hidden Stats" during games can highlight which players create excellent possessions and win the quality shot battle.
Tracking the winning percentage in all practice activities also sheds light on which players possess intangible qualities that can help the team.
Adjust to the game: The five that start the game are not necessarily the five who will finish the game. Likewise, the offensive and defensive systems executed at the beginning of the game may not be the same that are implemented at the end. The systems should suit the players who are on the court. The player rotation for the first half may feature a one guard front but a two guard front could be employed in the second half.
Monitor body language: A good coach should proactively prevent poor performance. If a player is obviously not mentally prepared, for example showing a lacksidaisical attitude or poor body language during warm-ups, a coach should speak with them to see what's going on. If the negative non-verbal communication continues on the bench or when they first enter the game, the coach should consider curtailing that player's minutes or not playing them during that game.
All competitive players want to play as much as possible. Some want to win more than others and some want individual success. Handling all of these personalities is one of the greatest challenges facing a coach. Some may be unsatisfied with their roles but by maintaining clear and open relationships, a coach can communicate what players need to do to improve so they can better contribute.


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2021 NFL Power Rankings Week One
2021 Week One NFL Power Rankings
Well, hello there friends. It's been a while. We just capped off the first week of meaningful NFL games since we saw Tom Brady hoist yet another Lombardi trophy seven months ago. After a season in which most stadiums were full of empty seats, it was nice to have a sense of normalcy this weekend. Seeing those packed stadiums and watching some ridiculous comebacks (who stayed up to watch that game in Las Vegas last night?!?) gave me the itch. The itch to write again. It's something that brings me, and hopefully you, a ton of joy. It's cathartic. A release, if you will. So I'm pleased to say that I'm back baby! It's time to scratch that itch! On to the NFL Power Rankings!
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) ~ Stop me if you've heard this before. Tom Brady threw for more than 350 yards and four touchdowns as his team puts another one in the win column. Sound familiar? Well, this is the first time he's done it as a 44-year-old. Easy stat to point out? Maybe, but it's been a while since I did one of these. Let's ease in, shall we?
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) ~ Like Tampa, the Chiefs were on the ropes in their opener. Like Tampa, their star quarterback rallied the team to a 4th quarter comeback. Like Tampa, they won their opener just like we all thought. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are now 11-0 in September games during his tenure. He's also thrown 35 touchdowns to zero interceptions in that opening month. Can't do much better than that.
3. Los Angeles Rams (1-0) ~ The Rams? At number three? OK, I'll come right out and say it. L.A. is my preseason pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They boast two of the best defenders in the game in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. Their offense may not be the Greatest Show on Turf, but adding Matthew Stafford is a clear upgrade over Jared Goff. The toughest part will be navigating the NFC West which has started the year 4-0.
4. Seattle Seahawks (1-0) ~ Speaking of that NFC West, the Seahawks went on the road and had little trouble dispatching the Indianapolis Colts who were in the playoffs last year. Russell Wilson looked like the Russell Wilson of early 2020 by throwing for four touchdowns and putting his name on the early list of MVP favorites. They'll play host to another AFC South team (Tennessee) this Sunday. Can you think of a team that has a bigger homefield advantage than Seattle with the 12th Man? I have a feeling Sunday's game will register on the Richter scale.
5. San Francisco 49ers (1-0) ~ Three straight NFC West teams. Shouldn't be a surprise, really. The scoreboard would have you think San Fran nearly blew a 24-point lead, however, the game was all but over when the Lions started putting up those points. The biggest news out of that game, however, is that Raheem Mostert was placed on injured reserve. Rookie running back Elijah Mitchell tallied 104 yards and a score in relief which was the best debut of any Niners running back as he eclipsed the 100-yard day Ricky Watters put up way back in 1992. Man, I wish I still had my Watters jersey from when I was a kid. It would, of course, be a Philadelphia Eagles jersey. You know, the team the Niners play next week. See how it all ties in?
6. Cleveland Browns (0-1) ~ That team that had the Chiefs on the ropes? It was the Browns. They led by a dozen at the half and even took the lead back in the 4th quarter after Kansas City had gone ahead. Yes, they lost. But this type of game is one that probably puts the league on notice that this Browns team is for real. Oh, and they should get Odell Beckham Jr back from injury in the next week or so.
7. Buffalo Bills (0-1) ~ Another team that didn't win their opener? Ranked this high? Surely, I must be joking. Surely, I must be ready to make an Airplane! Joke. Surely, that would make sense, but, you're already thinking about the movie so I've made my point. The Bills made a point in the first half holding Pittsburgh to just 53 yards. The wheels came off after that and the rest, as they say, is history. On to Miami for another crack at that first win.
8. New Orleans Saints (1-0) ~ In case you missed the NFL offseason, it wouldn't be a surprise to hear that New Orleans got five touchdowns from their quarterback on Sunday. If you didn't miss it, and knew that Drew Brees was no longer there, it might be a surprise to hear that the Saints new QB, Jameis Winston, tossed those five scores in an absolute beatdown of the Green Bay Packers. All while being displaced by yet another hurricane. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery to the city of New Orleans and those affected by Hurricane Ida.
9. Arizona Cardinals (1-0) ~ They may be the lowest ranked team out of the NFC West, but Arizona had the most impressive victory in Week One. The Cardinals picked apart the Titans in every facet of the game. Kyler Murray accounted for five touchdowns. Chandler Jones had five sacks. They held Derrick Henry, he of the 2,000 yard club just last year, to under 60 yards. One game does not a season make, but it's hard to believe any Cardinals fan could have asked for anything more out of this one.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) ~ A team with a rookie head coach. An early game on the east coast against an NFC playoff team from a year ago. A team that turned the ball over not once, but twice in the red zone. Sounds like a typical Chargers loss, doesn't it? Well, you might want to take a peek at the standings. Or even just the record I noted after the team name. You do know I do that, right? This had all the making of yet another close game loss for the Chargers. Except it wasn't. If L.A. can start winning these games, they could be a threat to the Chiefs in the AFC West.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) ~ The last thing I remember about last year's Steelers team was that they got pasted in the playoffs by the Browns. I looked up the score and it was closer than I remember with Pittsburgh falling short 48-37. That was their fifth loss in the final six games. After their first half in Buffalo, it looked like they would surely start the 2021 season with a loss. The team rallied, however, and it has to make you wonder if they can get back to the postseason in what could be Ben Roethlisberger's final season.
12. Baltimore Ravens (0-1) ~ No J.K. Dobbins. No Gus Edwards. No Mark Ingram. The three lead backs from last year are either hurt, or in Houston. The joke is that the Ravens still have their best runner because Lamar Jackson is on the field. That may be true, but he can't do it all. He needs to hand it off to someone. While the game itself, and especially the ending, were insane, what might be on par with that insanity is that Latavius Murray led the team in carries with 10 Monday night. The same Latavius Murray that signed with the Ravens just last week. I would not be surprised if he is the lead back once he is up to speed on the playbook.
13. Dallas Cowboys (0-1) ~ Dak is back. All it took was one game for Dak Prescott to put the league on notice that he is fully healed from the ankle/leg injury he sustained early last season. He threw for 403 yards and three scores in a game the Cowboys easily could have won against the defending Super Bowl champions. Is the Comeback Player of the Year award already locked up? As an Eagles fan, I hope that's the only hardware Dallas wins this season.
14. Green Bay Packers (0-1) ~ I'm stealing this from Matthew Berry, but I don't care. Aaron Rodgers finished Week 1 as QB35 in fantasy points. Only 32 teams played. Let's ask Jameis Winston what he thinks about that.
15. Indianapolis Colts (0-1) ~ I will fully admit that I was glad to see the Colts game was on the TV next to my Eagles game on Sunday. I will also fully admit I enjoyed seeing Carson Wentz get beat up just like he did when he was a member of the Eagles. I will thirdly admit that I picked the Colts to win the AFC South. A home loss to a really good Seattle team isn't enough to make me panic on that just yet.
16. Miami Dolphins (1-0) ~ Jaylen Waddle, the number six overall pick in this year's draft, had a solid NFL debut. He caught four of six targets for 61 yards and a score from his former college qb Tua Tagovailoa. Will Fuller is due back from a suspension next week, but I think that should only help Waddle as Fuller will command defensive attention. Waddle is gonna be a good one kids.
30 Years of Cartoon Network: "Courage the Cowardly Dog"
17. New England Patriots (0-1) ~ A one-point home loss to a division rival is not the end of the world. Especially when that happens with a rookie quarterback making his first start. We all collectively groaned when Mac Jones fell right into New England's lap during this year's draft. I have a feeling we have a few more collective groans in us regarding the Patriots before the season is done.
18. Tennessee Titans (0-1) ~ When your offense has stars like Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones you are expected to put up some big offensive numbers. Naturally, the team leader in offensive yards on Sunday was *checks box score* um, someone named Chester Rogers with 62 receiving yards. How you feelin' Titans fans?
19. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) ~ Am I biased? Yes. But numbers aren't. Jalen Hurts amassed more than 300 yards using his arm and legs. Miles Sanders had more than 100 all-purpose yards. Rookie DeVonta Smith had six catches for a team-high 71 yards and a score in his first NFL game. Last year's first round pick Jalen Reagor added 49 yards and a score. The defense sacked Matt Ryan three times and had six other tackles for loss while keeping Atlanta out of the end zone. All in all it was a really good first game for new head coach Nick Sirianni.
20. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) ~ Derek Carr through for over 400 yards while leading an impressive last-second drive to force overtime. Then it looked like the Raiders won on a long pass down the sideline. Players were out on the field, coaching staffs and the like. Turns out, that touchdown was ruled just short so they had to play it again. Then came an unlucky interception in the end zone. The crowd went silent. Baltimore had the ball back. Lamar Jackson turned it over giving the Raiders hope and Carr connected with Zay Jones on a long touchdown that did not need any type of replay for confirmation. The crowd got to lose their minds a second time. Remember kids, in Vegas, the house always wins.
21. Denver Broncos (1-0) ~ For the sixth time in six years, Denver had a new starting quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater, who is stunningly still just 28 years old, did not turn the ball over and threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns in a road victory. The Broncos have been quarterback starved ever since Peyton Manning retired, but I believe they may have found their quarterback for years to come.
22. Minnesota Vikings (0-1) ~ They had a dozen penalties for 116 yards. Dalvin Cook? He lost a fumble in overtime after the Vikes scored the last 10 to force the extra quarter. Cincy was able to boot a 33-yarder with no time remaining in overtime to come away with the win. The only solace for Minnesota is that 0-1 is good enough to be tied for first place atop the NFC North.
23. Washington Football Team (0-1) ~ Obviously the big news here is that new quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was placed on injured reserve and will miss the next 6-8 weeks. Could there be a reunion with Ron Rivera and Cam Newton? The two did make a trip to the Super Bowl together back in Carolina. It seems to make sense for both sides. Maybe too much sense.
24. Carolina Panthers (1-0) ~ The Sam Darnold era in Carolina began the only way possible: with a victory over Darnold's former team the New York Jets. Perhaps more important to Carolina's hopes are that Christian McCaffrey was healthy and put up 187 all-purpose yards while leading the team in rushing and receiving. It's all about Run CMC in Panther blue. Or is it panther black? I got it….it's panther silver. Yep. Let's go with that.
25. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) ~ Against all odds, Joe Burrow was back and healthy for Week one. After a horrific knee injury cut his rookie season short, I thought there was no chance for him to be back to start the year. I guess the doctors know more than me. Go figure. Burrow found his old college buddy Ja'Marr Chase five times for 101 yards and a score. That is the most ever by a Bengals rookie in a season opener. I don't think they'll hook up for 20 touchdowns like they did at LSU, but I've been wrong before. See me thinking Burrow would not be ready for the season opener if you weren't sure about me being wrong before.
26. Atlanta Falcons (0-1) ~ My big takeaway from this is that Cordarrelle Patterson led the team in rushing. Mike Davis had 15 carries to Patterson's seven, but it makes me at least wonder if there is going to be more of a running back by committee here than a clear cut starter and backup. Why does this matter? Because I have Davis as my #3 running back on my fantasy team. That's why.
27. Chicago Bears (0-1) ~ Andy Dalton is in, what the experts call, a lose-lose situation. The Bears have been desperate for a quarterback for the past, oh, 50 years or so. Chicago and their fans were elated when they were able to land Ohio State's Justin Fields in this year's draft. Fields isn't the starter though. At least not yet. That is Dalton's job and he didn't exactly light it up as he completed 27 passes for just 206 yards and an interception in the end zone. Fields took five snaps and completed both passes for 10 yards while adding a three-yard touchdown run. There's almost nothing Dalton can do here. It's rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic at this point.
28. Houston Texans (1-0) ~ The Houston Texans, whom many believe will finish with the league's worst record, are alone atop the AFC South. This after new quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw for 296 yards and two scores in a victory over division rival Jacksonville. The Texans may not be good this year, but for one week at least, they are holding down a playoff spot.
29. New York Giants (0-1) ~ Saquon Barkley is yet another player coming back from a knee injury suffered last year. The star running back took ten carries for a mere 26 yards on Sunday. I'm hearing some in the media, and amongst other Giants fans, that they think Barkley is a bust. If that's the case, let him go and bring him to Philly to reunite with Miles Sanders. Stranger things have happened, haven't they?
30. Detroit Lions (0-1) ~ I'll give a little credit where credit is due, and say the Lions at least made this look close on the scoreboard, but it was not a close game. Detroit was down by 24 before scoring twice, and adding two successful two-point conversions, with less than two minutes left. They showed some spunk, but it was way too little too late.
31. New York Jets (0-1) ~ Fair or not, Zach Wilson is going to be compared to Sam Darnold all year long. He was, after all, drafted to replace Darnold. Wilson did throw for over 250 yards and two scores in his debut. Maybe he will have better numbers than Darnold at the end of the season. I'm sure there's a prop bet on that available somewhere.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) ~ Sixteen straight defeats for the Jags. This one marked the first ever loss in the regular season for rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. You might be thinking, well, no kidding, he's a rookie and it's his first game. Of course it's his first loss! You'd be right, but then I'd let you know that I was also incorporating Lawrence's games in high school and college. You see, he never lost a regular season game at either of those levels. As crazy as that is, I have a feeling there will be some more losses in Lawrence's near future.
Well, that's it. That's all she wrote. Better yet, that's all I wrote. I plan on being back next week, but for now, let me know how you feel in the comments. Or find me on Twitter @therichwhiteguy. Until next time!
JOC from Syracuse, NY on September 14, 2021:
Patriots losing to a middle of the road Dolphins squad would have them ranked a bit too high in my book. They'd be middle of the twenties until they get anybody you could pick out of a lineup on offense.
Cleveland, Dallas, Baltimore, Tennessee, Buffalo and Green Bay you can understand being still ranked high because of the amount of talent on those teams.
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Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity
Alistair B. Russell, Elizaveta Elshina, Jacob R. Kowalsky, Aartjan J.W. te Velthuis, Jesse D. Blooma
Influenza virus-infected cells vary widely in their expression of viral genes and only occasionally activate innate immunity. Here, we develop a new method to assess how the genetic variation in viral populations contributes to this heterogeneity. We do this by determining the transcriptome and full-length sequences of all viral genes in single cells infected with a nominally "pure" stock of influenza virus. Most cells are infected by virions with defects, some of which increase the frequency of innate-immune activation. These immunostimulatory defects are diverse and include mutations that perturb the function of the viral polymerase protein PB1, large internal deletions in viral genes, and failure to express the virus's interferon antagonist NS1. However, immune activation remains stochastic in cells infected by virions with these defects and occasionally is triggered even by virions that express unmutated copies of all genes. Our work shows that the diverse spectrum of defects in influenza virus populations contributes to—but does not completely explain—the heterogeneity in viral gene expression and immune activation in single infected cells. IMPORTANCE Because influenza virus has a high mutation rate, many cells are infected by mutated virions. But so far, it has been impossible to fully characterize the sequence of the virion infecting any given cell, since conventional techniques such as flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) only detect if a protein or transcript is present, not its sequence. Here we develop a new approach that uses long-read PacBio sequencing to determine the sequences of virions infecting single cells. We show that viral genetic variation explains some but not all of the cell-to-cell variability in viral gene expression and innate immune induction. Overall, our study provides the first complete picture of how viral mutations affect the course of infection in single cells.
10x Chromium
Defective virus
Interferon
PB1
PacBio
Single-cell RNA-seq
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influenza Agriculture & Biology 100%
Orthomyxoviridae Medicine & Life Sciences 85%
innate immunity Agriculture & Biology 85%
Innate Immunity Medicine & Life Sciences 78%
viruses Agriculture & Biology 55%
infection Agriculture & Biology 44%
Viral Genes Medicine & Life Sciences 41%
virion Agriculture & Biology 40%
Russell, A. B., Elshina, E., Kowalsky, J. R., te Velthuis, A. J. W., & Blooma, J. D. (2019). Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity. Journal of virology, 93(14), [e00500]. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00500-19
Russell, Alistair B. ; Elshina, Elizaveta ; Kowalsky, Jacob R. et al. / Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity. In: Journal of virology. 2019 ; Vol. 93, No. 14.
@article{c97eb292265449118d1c96bd5d05a30c,
title = "Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity",
abstract = "Influenza virus-infected cells vary widely in their expression of viral genes and only occasionally activate innate immunity. Here, we develop a new method to assess how the genetic variation in viral populations contributes to this heterogeneity. We do this by determining the transcriptome and full-length sequences of all viral genes in single cells infected with a nominally "pure" stock of influenza virus. Most cells are infected by virions with defects, some of which increase the frequency of innate-immune activation. These immunostimulatory defects are diverse and include mutations that perturb the function of the viral polymerase protein PB1, large internal deletions in viral genes, and failure to express the virus{\textquoteright}s interferon antagonist NS1. However, immune activation remains stochastic in cells infected by virions with these defects and occasionally is triggered even by virions that express unmutated copies of all genes. Our work shows that the diverse spectrum of defects in influenza virus populations contributes to—but does not completely explain—the heterogeneity in viral gene expression and immune activation in single infected cells. IMPORTANCE Because influenza virus has a high mutation rate, many cells are infected by mutated virions. But so far, it has been impossible to fully characterize the sequence of the virion infecting any given cell, since conventional techniques such as flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) only detect if a protein or transcript is present, not its sequence. Here we develop a new approach that uses long-read PacBio sequencing to determine the sequences of virions infecting single cells. We show that viral genetic variation explains some but not all of the cell-to-cell variability in viral gene expression and innate immune induction. Overall, our study provides the first complete picture of how viral mutations affect the course of infection in single cells.",
keywords = "10x Chromium, Defective virus, Heterogeneity, Influenza virus, Interferon, NS1, PB1, PacBio, Single-cell RNA-seq",
author = "Russell, {Alistair B.} and Elizaveta Elshina and Kowalsky, {Jacob R.} and {te Velthuis}, {Aartjan J.W.} and Blooma, {Jesse D.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the NIAID of the NIH under grant R01 AI127893 and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Young Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases grant to J.D.B. A.B.R. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (DRG-2227-15). J.R.K. was supported by a Washington Research Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship and a Mary Gates undergraduate research scholarship from the University of Washington. A.J.W.T.V. was supported by joint Wellcome Trust and Royal Society grant 206579/Z/17/Z and Isaac Newton Trust grant 17.37(r). E.E. was supported by a Vice-Chancellor{\textquoteright}s scholarship from the University of Cambridge. J.D.B. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication. Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2019 Russell et al.",
Russell, AB, Elshina, E, Kowalsky, JR, te Velthuis, AJW & Blooma, JD 2019, 'Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity', Journal of virology, vol. 93, no. 14, e00500. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00500-19
Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity. / Russell, Alistair B.; Elshina, Elizaveta; Kowalsky, Jacob R. et al.
In: Journal of virology, Vol. 93, No. 14, e00500, 07.2019.
T1 - Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity
AU - Russell, Alistair B.
AU - Elshina, Elizaveta
AU - Kowalsky, Jacob R.
AU - te Velthuis, Aartjan J.W.
AU - Blooma, Jesse D.
N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the NIAID of the NIH under grant R01 AI127893 and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Young Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases grant to J.D.B. A.B.R. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (DRG-2227-15). J.R.K. was supported by a Washington Research Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship and a Mary Gates undergraduate research scholarship from the University of Washington. A.J.W.T.V. was supported by joint Wellcome Trust and Royal Society grant 206579/Z/17/Z and Isaac Newton Trust grant 17.37(r). E.E. was supported by a Vice-Chancellor's scholarship from the University of Cambridge. J.D.B. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2019 Russell et al.
N2 - Influenza virus-infected cells vary widely in their expression of viral genes and only occasionally activate innate immunity. Here, we develop a new method to assess how the genetic variation in viral populations contributes to this heterogeneity. We do this by determining the transcriptome and full-length sequences of all viral genes in single cells infected with a nominally "pure" stock of influenza virus. Most cells are infected by virions with defects, some of which increase the frequency of innate-immune activation. These immunostimulatory defects are diverse and include mutations that perturb the function of the viral polymerase protein PB1, large internal deletions in viral genes, and failure to express the virus's interferon antagonist NS1. However, immune activation remains stochastic in cells infected by virions with these defects and occasionally is triggered even by virions that express unmutated copies of all genes. Our work shows that the diverse spectrum of defects in influenza virus populations contributes to—but does not completely explain—the heterogeneity in viral gene expression and immune activation in single infected cells. IMPORTANCE Because influenza virus has a high mutation rate, many cells are infected by mutated virions. But so far, it has been impossible to fully characterize the sequence of the virion infecting any given cell, since conventional techniques such as flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) only detect if a protein or transcript is present, not its sequence. Here we develop a new approach that uses long-read PacBio sequencing to determine the sequences of virions infecting single cells. We show that viral genetic variation explains some but not all of the cell-to-cell variability in viral gene expression and innate immune induction. Overall, our study provides the first complete picture of how viral mutations affect the course of infection in single cells.
AB - Influenza virus-infected cells vary widely in their expression of viral genes and only occasionally activate innate immunity. Here, we develop a new method to assess how the genetic variation in viral populations contributes to this heterogeneity. We do this by determining the transcriptome and full-length sequences of all viral genes in single cells infected with a nominally "pure" stock of influenza virus. Most cells are infected by virions with defects, some of which increase the frequency of innate-immune activation. These immunostimulatory defects are diverse and include mutations that perturb the function of the viral polymerase protein PB1, large internal deletions in viral genes, and failure to express the virus's interferon antagonist NS1. However, immune activation remains stochastic in cells infected by virions with these defects and occasionally is triggered even by virions that express unmutated copies of all genes. Our work shows that the diverse spectrum of defects in influenza virus populations contributes to—but does not completely explain—the heterogeneity in viral gene expression and immune activation in single infected cells. IMPORTANCE Because influenza virus has a high mutation rate, many cells are infected by mutated virions. But so far, it has been impossible to fully characterize the sequence of the virion infecting any given cell, since conventional techniques such as flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) only detect if a protein or transcript is present, not its sequence. Here we develop a new approach that uses long-read PacBio sequencing to determine the sequences of virions infecting single cells. We show that viral genetic variation explains some but not all of the cell-to-cell variability in viral gene expression and innate immune induction. Overall, our study provides the first complete picture of how viral mutations affect the course of infection in single cells.
KW - 10x Chromium
KW - Defective virus
KW - Heterogeneity
KW - Influenza virus
KW - Interferon
KW - NS1
KW - PB1
KW - PacBio
KW - Single-cell RNA-seq
Russell AB, Elshina E, Kowalsky JR, te Velthuis AJW, Blooma JD. Single-cell virus sequencing of influenza infections that trigger innate immunity. Journal of virology. 2019 Jul;93(14):e00500. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00500-19