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Home » 2016 ASI Top 25: Leading Worldwide Manufacturers of Adhesives and Sealants
2016 ASI Top 25: Leading Worldwide Manufacturers of Adhesives and Sealants
This issue of Adhesives & Sealants Industry magazine brings the ASI Top 25, our exclusive ranking of the leading 25 worldwide manufacturers of adhesives and sealants. ASI combined reader survey information with details from company websites, annual reports and press releases to compile the rankings. Included with each company's listing are contact information, estimated 2015 sales figures (if publishable), a company profile, and news highlights.
In some cases, revenue figures were provided by company representatives; all details were verified whenever possible. While our staff made every effort to seek out the top companies in the industry, some companies may have been inadvertently omitted. We will work throughout the year to provide any changes or updates for our online version of the ASI Top 25 and in next year's ASI Top 25 issue. To include your company in our listing, please contact Editor Teresa McPherson at mcphersont@bnpmedia.com.
2016 ASI Top 25 Interactive Map: Click a red state below
3M Center, St. Paul, MN 55144-1000 | www.3m.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $30.3 billion
3M applies science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. While leading a broad range of markets—from health care and highway safety to office products, abrasives and adhesives, 3M's 90,000 employees connect with customers all around the world.
"2015 was an important year as we prepared and positioned our company for long-term success," said Inge G. Thulin, 3M's chairman, president and CEO. "We strengthened and focused our portfolio, made significant investments in the business to support growth, and made good progress in moving toward a more efficient business model through business transformation and our corporate restructuring. We are building an even stronger and more competitive company for 2016 and beyond."
In March 2015, 3M announced plans for a new West Region Technical Center in Chengdu, China, reportedly one of the largest growing cities for technology and innovation in western China. The West Region Technical Center will be strategically placed in a technology park in Chengdu, allowing 3M access to the city's geographical advantages and market potential. The customer technical center is set to open in November.
"We will double-down on our investment in Chengdu," said Thulin. "Our new technical center will strengthen our relationship with local customers and allow 3M science to continue solving problems and improving lives across China."
Also in March, 3M announced that Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, named 3M a 2015 World's Most Ethical Company® for the second time. The designation reportedly recognized 3M's impact on the way business is conducted through its efforts of fostering a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the company. In particular, Ethisphere recognized 3M's compliance and ethics program and how effectively it is applied throughout the entire multinational company, creating strong social responsibility and corporate citizenship.
"At 3M, living by our Code of Conduct is a team effort and a responsibility we uphold for our customers, for our shareholders and for each other," said Jim Zappa, chief compliance officer. "The commitment of our people to the highest ethical standard and to doing business the right way promotes trust with our customers and in the quality of our products. Furthermore, it gives us confidence to grow our business anywhere in the world."
Source: Company contact, press releasesReturn to map.
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
40191 Düsseldorf, Germany | www.henkel.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $20.4 billion (€18.1 billion) | Adhesive Technologies sales: $10.169 billion ("8.992 billion), up 10.6% from last year
Henkel operates worldwide in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries and Adhesive Technologies. Adhesives, sealants and surface treatments from Henkel serve the transportation, electronics, aerospace, metal, durable goods, consumer goods, maintenance, and repair and packaging industries, with a range of products for the craftsman and consumer.
In 2015, Henkel's Adhesive Technologies business unit reportedly generated around 30% of its sales with products that were launched onto the market in the last five years. Loctite is the largest brand within the Adhesive Technologies business unit. Loctite products are used in more than 130 countries globally and in industries including aerospace, automotive, and industrial assembly and repair. It is also widely used in consumer applications. In 2015, Loctite products achieved sales of around @2.7 billion (~ $3 billion).
In April 2015, Novamelt announced it was acquired by Henkel. Novamelt has production locations in Wehr, Germany, and North Carolina. In 2014, the company reported a turnover of approximately @50 million (~ $54 million). It employs 100 people.
10003 Woodloch Forest Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77380 | www.huntsman.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $10.29 billion
Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Its operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging.
In July 2015, Huntsman announced that the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) gave its Auburn Hills, Mich., site continued status as a "Star" participant in the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP), reportedly keeping the status the site has maintained since 2004. The "Star" review process begins with a pre-audit outlining the site's current safety program. MIOSHA then sends representatives to the site over a three-day period to review the pre-audit, tour the facility and conduct interviews with company employees.
"This recognition exemplifies the result of successful efforts by all associates, and government, in partnering for excellence in workplace safety and health," said Pete Panourgias, Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) manager at the site.
Source: Annual report, press releasesReturn to map.
Charles D. Miller Corporate Center | Pasadena, CA 91103-3596 | www.averydennison.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $5.97 billion
Avery Dennison develops innovative solutions for the global adhesives market. The company specializes in pressure-sensitive technology and self-adhesive office and consumer products. The company reported its net sales in fiscal 2015 declined approximately 6%.
"In 2015, we delivered strong organic sales growth and double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share, in spite of challenging economic conditions in many parts of the world and significant headwinds from currency translation," said Dean Scarborough, chairman and CEO.
"Pressure-Sensitive Materials delivered its fourth consecutive year of strong volume growth, while significantly improving its profitability and return on capital," Scarborough said. "Retail Branding and Information Solutions began executing a new strategy in 2015 to accelerate growth in the core business through a more competitive, faster, and simpler business model, and made solid progress against its long-term financial goals during the back half of the year.
"In 2016, we expect to deliver solid organic sales growth and further expand our margins and return on capital, notwithstanding continued headwinds from currency translation and an uncertain economic climate, with continued return of cash to shareholders," he said. "We remain confident that the consistent execution of our strategies will enable us to meet our long-term goals for superior value creation through a balance of profitable growth and capital discipline."
Wacker Chemie AG
Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4 | 81737 München, Germany | www.wacker.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $5.94 billion (€5.3 billion)
Wacker is a globally active chemical company with some 16,000 employees. Spanning the globe with five business divisions, the company currently operates 25 production sites worldwide. Wacker has 21 subsidiaries and 48 sales offices in 29 countries worldwide.
Following a generally robust fourth quarter, Wacker Chemie AG reportedly achieved its sales target for full-year 2015 and slightly exceeded its earnings expectations. According to preliminary calculations, the company posted total sales of @5.3 billion in 2015, an increase of 9.7% compared to @4.83 billion (~ $ 5.48 billion) in 2014. This increase was chiefly the result of higher volumes and favorable exchange-rate effects. Every division generated year-over-year sales growth in 2015.
Dow Corning Corp.
Corporate Center, P.O. Box 994, Midland, MI 48686-0994 | www.dowcorning.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $5.65 billion
Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, the company offers more than 7,000 products.
In December 2015, The Dow Chemical Co. announced it has signed agreements to restructure the ownership of Dow Corning Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, Dow will become the 100% owner of Dow Corning, currently a 50:50 joint venture between Dow and Corning. Dow and Corning will reportedly maintain their current equity stake in Hemlock Semiconductor Group.In December 2015, The Dow Chemical Co. announced it has signed agreements to restructure the ownership of Dow Corning Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, Dow will become the 100% owner of Dow Corning, currently a 50:50 joint venture between Dow and Corning. Dow and Corning will reportedly maintain their current equity stake in Hemlock Semiconductor Group.
Source: Company website, press releaseReturn to map.
Zugerstrasse 50, 6341 Baar, Switzerland | www.sika.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $5.642 billion (5.489 billion CHF)
Sika AG supplies the building, construction and manufacturing industries with products for sealing, bonding, damping, reinforcing, and protecting load-bearing structures. In April 2015, Sika opened a new mortar manufacturing facility in Dubai and a concrete admixture plant on Réunion, United Arab Emirates. These openings reportedly help Sika react to the growing demand in the respective markets and strengthen its relationships with existing customers.
Also in April 2015, Sika founded a subsidiary company in Myanmar and opened a new production plant in Sri Lanka. These actions are intended to help the company to further utilize market potential and consolidate its position in one of the world's most important growth regions.
The company also expanded its presence in Sri Lanka, where it has opened a new concrete admixture plant in Ekala. The factory will produce a range of high-end additives for the construction industry, allowing Sika to supply the local market directly and be part of the dynamic development of the construction activities in the country.
In May 2015, Sika Region NA Automotive announced that Webasto-Edscha Cabrio USA has honored it with the Quality Excellence Award. Sika reportedly received the quality award for meeting a stringent set of customer quality criteria.
"The Sika Automotive OES team has worked extremely hard to ensure quality products and great service to our OES customer, Webasto-Edscha Cabrio USA," said Tom Fitzgerald, senior vice president. "We are truly grateful for this recognition. It is Sika Automotive's continuing objective to help our customers to make vehicles lighter, stronger, safer, quieter and greener."
Source: Company website, press releasesReturn to map.
RPM International Inc.
2628 Pearl Rd., P.O. Box 777, Medina, OH 44258 | www.rpminc.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $4.59 billion
RPM International Inc. is a holding company with subsidiaries that are world leaders in specialty coatings, sealants, building materials, and related services that focus on both industrial and consumer markets. Companies in its industrial products group, which brought in 65% of sales in 2013, include Tremco and Universal Sealants, while DAP, Rust-Oleum and others serve the consumer sector and earned the remaining 35% of sales last year.
Fiscal 2015 consolidated net sales increased 5% to $4.59 billion from $4.38 billion in fiscal 2014. Sales for the industrial segment increased 8% to $2.99 billion, compared to $2.77 billion in fiscal 2014. Consumer segment sales for fiscal 2015 decreased slightly to $1.60 billion, vs. $1.61 billion in fiscal 2014.
"For fiscal 2016, we expect consumer segment sales to increase by 4-5%, with our core consumer businesses continuing to gain market share with new product innovations," said Frank C. Sullivan, chairman and CEO. "Unfortunately, poor weather from the spring has continued into the summer months, dampening first-quarter sales. On a more positive note, we expect a return to both top- and bottom-line growth in our Synta and Kirker units, both of which faced significant headwinds in fiscal 2015."
Source: Press releasesReturn to map.
Dow Automotive Systems
1250 Harmon Rd., Auburn Hills, MI 48326 | www.dowautomotive.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $2.6 billion
Dow Automotive Systems is a technology-driven solutions provider offering products and technologies that bolster safety and health performance, improve energy efficiency, and enhance quality and appeal, while reducing manufacturing costs. In November 2015, Dow Automotive Systems announced that its BETAMATE™ structural adhesives appeared on the R&D 100 list of most significant technology innovations of the year. The adhesives are reportedly specified for use in multi-material lightweight applications in passenger cars, trucks/utility and commercial vehicles. The adhesives for aluminum bonding were also recognized as a 2015 Edison Award winner and a 2014 PACE Award winner for collaboration and product innovation.
1144 E. Newport Center Dr., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 | www.mapei.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $2.57 billion (€2.3 billion) | Adhesive Technologies sales: $2.6 billion
For more nearly 80 years, MAPEI has produced adhesives and sealants for the building industry. The company currently operates 68 production facilities in 31 countries around the world.
H.B. Fuller
P.O. Box 64683,1200 Willow Lake Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55164-0683 | www.hbfuller.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $2.084 billion
H.B. Fuller provides adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemical products for markets and applications including packaging, building and construction, paper converting, woodworking adhesives, general assembly adhesives and laminates, person hygiene and nonwovens, tile and floor adhesive products, and polymers. In 2015, as a percentage of total net revenue by operating segment, Americas Adhesives was 42%, EIMEA comprised 29%, Asia-Pacific made up 18% and Construction Products represented 11%. Net revenue for the Americas Adhesives segment was $876.8 million in 2015. The Americas Adhesives operating segment includes a range of specialty adhesives such as thermoplastic, thermoset, reactive, and water- and solvent-based products. Sales are made primarily through a direct sales force, with a smaller portion of sales through distributors.
In February 2015, H.B. Fuller Co. finalized the previously announced purchase of Continental Products Ltd., a provider of industrial adhesives to the East and Central Africa markets, and TONSAN Adhesive Inc., reportedly the largest independent engineering adhesives provider in China.
Bostik SA
253 Avenue du President Wilson | F-93211 La Plaine Saint-Denis, France | www.bostik.com | Estimated 2015 revenue: $1.79 billion (€1.6 billion)
Bostik manufactures and supplies adhesives and sealants for markets including personal care and hygiene, construction, transportation, packaging, and industrial assembly. On February 2, 2015, Arkema finalized the acquisition of Bostik, which reported €1.533 billion (~ $1.673 billion) in sales and €158 million (~ $177 million) EBITDA in 2014.
In July 2015, Bostik opened a new plant at its manufacturing facility in Bangalore, India, intended to extend its hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesives (HMPSA) production capacities. In December, Bostik extended its production capacities with a new HMPSA plant in Monterrey, Mexico. The expansion is reportedly in line with the company's plans to expand in high growth regions and will enhance its ability to serve customers in the disposable hygiene market.
Also in December, the company opened a new Production Facility and Training Center in Dallas, which would reportedly produce ceramic tile adhesives and floor preparation products.
3600 West Lake Ave., Glenview, IL 60026 | www.itwinc.com | Estimated 2015 revenue, Polymers & Fluids segment: $1.7 billion
ITW as a corporation has revenues of $13.4 billion in fiscal 2015.
Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) is a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered components and industrial systems and consumables. The company's Polymers & Fluids business segment includes adhesives, sealants, lubrication and cutting fluids, janitorial and hygiene products, and fluids and polymers for auto aftermarket maintenance and appearance; its businesses and brands include Plexus, Permatex, TACC, and Schnee-Morehead.
Source: Company contact, company websiteReturn to map.
LORD Corp.
111 Lord Dr., Cary, NC 27511-7923 | www.lord.com
LORD Corp. is a diversified technology and manufacturing company developing adhesives, coatings, motion-management devices, and sensing technologies that reduce risk and improve product performance. For more than 90 years, LORD has worked in collaboration with its customers to provide innovative oil and gas, aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial solutions. With world headquarters in Cary, N.C., LORD has approximately 3,000 employees in 26 countries and operates 18 manufacturing facilities and nine R&D centers worldwide. LORD actively promotes STEM education and many other community engagement initiatives.
Source: Company website, company contactReturn to map.
Royal Adhesives & Sealants
2001 W. Washington Ave., South Bend, IN 466286 | www.royaladhesives.com | Parent company: Royal Holdings Inc.
Royal Adhesives & Sealants is a manufacturer and marketer of high-performance adhesives, sealants, encapsulants, and specialty polymers used in a variety of markets, including aerospace and defense, automotive, recreational vehicle, bus, truck and trailer, marine, assembly, electrical/electronic, filter, printing, packaging and laminating, roofing, and flooring. In June 2015, Arsenal Capital Partners announced it had completed the sale of portfolio company Royal Adhesives and Sealants LLC to American Securities LLC.
"We are very pleased to have worked with CEO Ted Clark and his management," said Tim Zappala, a partner who co-heads Arsenal's Specialty Industrial group. "During our partnership, we successfully established Royal as a leading player in niche, high-growth end markets with a particular emphasis on the substitution of traditional mechanical fasteners toward adhesives and sealants technologies, which improve reliability and performance and provide a cost-effective solution to Royal's global customers."
"We greatly appreciate Arsenal's significant support of the management team, employees and customers throughout the last five years in the execution of our organic growth and acquisition strategy," said Ted Clark, Royal CEO. "Arsenal's deep understanding of the industry and their commitment to the investment contributed to the remarkable outcome achieved by the company. The new partnership with American Securities will allow us to continue Royal's growth trajectory and we look forward to the next phase of the company's evolution."
Last month, Grace Matthews Inc. and CASS Polymers, a Shoreview Industries portfolio company, announced that Bacon Adhesives has been acquired by Royal Adhesives & Sealants. Bacon previously operated as a division of CASS Polymers. Grace Matthews advised CASS Polymers and Shoreview Industries on this transaction.
Mactac® North America
4560 Darrow Rd., Stow, OH 44224 | www.mactac.com
Mactac North America is a leader in the manufacture and supply of pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) and has been a trusted source of PSA tapes for over 50 years. The company serves industries including labeling, packaging, assembly engineering, automotive assembly, medical device assembly, graphic design, digital imaging, and more.
In March 2015, MACtac appointed Ed T. LaForge to the position of president for MACtac North and South America. He most recently served as the Americas vice president of Sales and Marketing, and has spent 23 years at the company leading a variety of functions. LaForge succeeded Jim Peruzzi, who decided to pursue other interests after MACtac's divestiture from Bemis to Platinum Equity.
Source: Company contact, press releaseReturn to map.
Jowat Corp.
5608 Uwharrie Rd., Archdale, NC 27263 | www.jowat.com | Parent company: Jowat SE | Estimated 2015 revenue: $305 million
The Jowat Corp. was established in 1979 as a subsidiary of Jowat SE (established in 1919). The company manufactures adhesives used in industrial applications, including wood and furniture, paper and packaging, construction, structural wood, upholstery, mattress and foam converting, graphics and bookbinding, automotive, textile, and assembly.
In May 2015, Jowat SE announced it opened a new plant in Balakong, Malaysia. The new plant in the Industrial Park Bandar Enstek was built on an area of approximately 45,000 sq m that is reportedly a favorable location for logistic reasons, since it is located near the Kuala Lumpur airport. With a staff of 80 employees, the plant is intended to function as a regional center for manufacture, applications and R&D, covering substantial parts of the company's entire production portfolio.
"Malaysia is not an extension of our workbench, but an independent location and bridgehead, where we are also undertaking product R&D in order to provide the highest level of satisfaction for the requirements of local customers," said Ralf Schelbach, Ph.D., vice president, Asia-Pacific. "Being close to the customer in this respect means being able to to recognize his necessities as soon as possible and to convert these very fast into marketable adhesive systems."
2020 Bruck St., Columbus, OH 43207 | www.franklininternational.com
Franklin International manufactures adhesives for the domestic and global wood furniture, millwork, construction and engineered-lamination markets. It also provides pressure-sensitive adhesives for office products and food packaging, and specialty polymers to various companies to formulate or use them in fiberglass, filter fabrication, and nonwovens.
Source: Company contactReturn to map.
Wisdom Adhesives Worldwide
1575 Executive Dr., Elgin, IL 60123 | www.wisdomadhesives.com
Wisdom Adhesives Worldwide is a global leader in the manufacture and formulation of hot-melt and water-based adhesives for the packaging, converting and graphic arts markets. Core products and technologies include: olefin and EVA hot melts, pressure-sensitive adhesives, PVAc and VAE water-based adhesives, and protein and dextrin adhesives, as well as custom adhesives for specific needs.
"We continue to experience sales growth and attribute much of this growth to our focused, laser-sharp market and product approach to customers' needs," said Jeff Wisdom, CEO and fifth generation owner of Wisdom. "We are seeing an ever-growing number of industrial users selecting us as their go-to source for adhesives solutions."
Founded in 1875 by Philip Wisdom, Wisdom Adhesives Worldwide is reportedly the longest continuously operating adhesives manufacturer in the world, with company leadership headed by five consecutive generations of the Wisdom family. Today, Wisdom has production facilities and sales offices in the U.S. and Canada, Belgium, Turkey, India, Malaysia, China, Australia, Mexico, and many other markets.
The Reynolds Co.
10 Gates St., Greenville, SC 29611 | www.reynoldsglue.com | Parent company: Itochu Chemicals International
The Reynolds Co. is a manufacturer of water-based, hot-melt and dry-blended adhesives. The company also performs customized, contract or "toll" blending, as well as private labeling.
144 North Road, Ste. 2650, Sudbury, MA 01776 | www.delo.us | Estimated 2015 revenue: $88.5 million (90% adhesives, 10% sealants)
"After an outstanding 2014, in which the company grew 24%, 2015 shaped up to be a decent year as well," said Robert Saller, director of sales international and management board member. "Although it appears that U.S. revenues were slightly under what we did in 2014, it is not an equal comparison due to exchange rate effects. When calculated in euros and taking into account that our headquarters and most employees are in Europe, DELO was able to grow an additional 8% over the year before. At an industry level, we had tremendous growth in the field of automotive electronics. We were able to increase our revenues in this sector by more than 20%. Other drivers of growth were aerospace and consumer electronics.
"As in recent years, we intend to achieve a triple-15," he said. "We aim to increase our revenues by 15%, supported by a growth of our workforce at this rate as well. We also plan to re-invest a share of 15% of our revenues in R&D. After having opened an office in Japan and expanded our partner network in Mexico, Brazil and a few other countries recently, we are considering expanding our footprint into Southeast Asia with additional offices and distributors. We are also working toward hiring more sales engineers in the U.S.
"Over the past year we have increased our workforce by 10%," Saller said. "With so many new and exciting ideas about adhesive applications, it is important for us to continue to hire knowledgeable and capable employees to help continue to move our vision forward."
General Sealants Inc.
300 S. Turnbull Canyon Rd., City of Industry, CA 91745 USA | www.generalsealants.com
For over 50 years, General Sealants Inc. has specialized in the manufacture of unique sealants and adhesives for its customer base in the aerospace, telecommunication, automotive OEM, composites, HVAC, pipeline, highway, industrial manufacturing, construction, and RV/caravan industries. Headquartered in City of Industry, Calif., and with current product distribution in over 72 countries, General Sealants is one of the longest continuously operating, privately held extruded sealant manufacturers in the world. Company leadership has been headed by three consecutive generations.
Dymax Corporation
318 Industrial Lane, Torrington-CT 06790 | www.dymax.com
Dymax Corporation, founded in 1980, is a leading manufacturer of advanced light-curable adhesives, coatings, oligomers, light-curing equipment, and fluid dispense systems. With corporate headquarters in Torrington, Connecticut and additional facilities in Germany, China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore, Dymax serves the needs of OEMs in the medical, electronics, optical, aerospace, automotive, appliance, metal finishing, and alternative energy markets. Our Dymax solutions maximize capability and efficiency by increasing throughput, enhancing quality and performance, conserving energy, improving safety and reducing environmental impact.
10300 E. 107th Pl., Brighton, CO 80601 | www.sashco.com
Since 1936, Sashco has provided high-performance sealants and stains for conventional and log structures.
Yokohama Industries Americas Inc.
103 Kuhlman Dr., Versailles, KY 40383 | www.yhamerica.com | Parent company: Yokohma Rubber Co. Ltd.
In 1989, Yokohama Hydex established YH America to meet the ever-growing demands of U.S. automakers. YH America's Sealant Division, located in Versailles, Ky., is a global supplier of high-performance glass bonding adhesive systems to the transportation industry.
Uniseal Inc.
1014 Uhlhorn St., Evansville, IN 47710 | www.uniseal.com | Parent company: Koch Enterprises Inc.
Uniseal develops application-based adhesive and sealant solutions to meet the unique needs of its automotive OEM customers and customers in other industries. Products are supplied globally for use in the automotive, heavy truck and trailer, agricultural and heavy equipment, and general industrial markets.
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Big Lots (BIG) Stock Surges on Narrower-Than-Expected Q3 Loss
Zacks Equity Research December 09, 2019
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Shares of Big Lots, Inc. (BIG - Free Report) have soared as much as 31.6% during the trading session on Dec 6. The stock received a boost following the company's third-quarter fiscal 2019 results, with the top and the bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third straight time. On the top-line front, the company witnessed its third consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.
Further, management stated that it has commenced the fourth quarter on a solid note. Despite shorter holiday shopping period, sales were backed by Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Moreover, management expects positive comparable store sales (comps) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, after seeing a dip in the third quarter.
Big Lots, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
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Q3 in Details
This Columbus, OH-based company posted adjusted net loss of 18 cents a share that was narrower the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 21 cents. The bottom line came within management's guidance of a loss of 15-25 cents. However, the quarterly loss was wider than a loss of 16 cents reported in the prior-year quarter.
Net sales inched up 1.6% to $1,168 million and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,161 million. The upside can be attributed to sales growth in high volume new stores and increased store count. Notably, furniture was the top performing category that registered a mid-single digit comps growth in the quarter.
Comps dropped 0.1% against the company's expectations of flat comps for the fiscal third quarter. Although sales were sluggish in August, the company saw some sequential improvement in sales trends during September and October.
Gross profit increased 0.9% year over year to $463.4 million, while gross margin contracted 20 basis points (bps) to 39.7%. The downside was caused by higher markdown rate and promotional expenses that were partially offset by favorable merchandise mix. The company expects gross margin for the fiscal fourth quarter to be under pressure due to higher promotion expenses and adverse impact of tariffs.
In the reported quarter, adjusted S&A expenses came in at $433.2 million, up 5.3% year over year. However, the metric (as a percentage of net sales) remained unchanged in the same period last year.
Adjusted operating loss came in at $4.5 million against the prior-year quarter's operating income of $2.8 million.
Other Financial Details
This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $62 million. Inventories increased 4% to $1,117 million. Long-term debt totaled $501 million, up from $488 million in the prior-year quarter. Total shareholders' equity was $762.3 million.
Management stated that increases in inventory were caused due to planned year-over-year sales increases and inventory builds in certain merchandise categories, including Furniture and Soft Home. However, the company forecasts inventory at the end of fiscal fourth quarter to be down slightly year over year.
Year to date, the company has returned about $87 million to its shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividend.
Big Lots' projects comps to be positive in the fourth quarter. Also, management expects sales growth similar to what was witnessed in the fiscal third quarter. Based on these expectations, the company envisions fourth-quarter earnings per share (EPS) in the range of $2.40-$2.55, which suggests a decline from $2.68 delivered in the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the bottom line is pegged at $2.56 per share.
For fiscal 2019, the company continues to expect adjusted earnings in the range of $3.70-$3.85 per share. However, the guidance indicates a decline from the prior-year's reported figure of $4.04. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the fiscal year is pegged at $3.81.
Target Corporation (TGT - Free Report) , with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), has a long-term EPS growth rate of 7.6%. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The TJX Companies, Inc (TJX - Free Report) , with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has a long-term EPS growth rate of 10.6%.
Dollar General Corporation (DG - Free Report) , with a Zacks Rank #2, has a long-term EPS growth rate of 11.2%.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
SFF Calling Out for Hard Cash and Practical Help
30 July 2008, at 1:00am
SCOTLAND, UK - The Scottish Fishermen's Federation is calling for the Scottish Government to make a practical financial commitment to ensure the survival of the Scottish fishing industry.
SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: "The fundamentals of the fishing industry are solidly in place - there is a wonderful renewable resource which is ours to harvest and there is a hungry market for the product.
"But the bit in the middle - the industry - is buckling under the weight of fuel costs. The European framework for assistance has been built over the last few weeks and the Fuel Task Force set up by Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead is doing its work, but all this will just be words on paper unless government co-funding is committed now.
"We must break out of the cycle of receiving sympathy along with the answer that there is no money available in Scotland. There is money available if the Government has the political will to make that choice. If no funding is forthcoming, then it is inevitable that some fishing vessels will go to the wall. Where this happens, the infrastructure and community support in that area will go with it. It is a very stark choice that the Government faces."


text:
package digitalocean

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"
	"strconv"
	"strings"

	"github.com/digitalocean/godo"
)

type Artifact struct {
	// The name of the snapshot
	snapshotName string

	// The ID of the image
	snapshotId int

	// The name of the region
	regionNames []string

	// The client for making API calls
	client *godo.Client
}

func (*Artifact) BuilderId() string {
	return BuilderId
}

func (*Artifact) Files() []string {
	// No files with DigitalOcean
	return nil
}

func (a *Artifact) Id() string {
	return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", strings.Join(a.regionNames[:], ","), strconv.FormatUint(uint64(a.snapshotId), 10))
}

func (a *Artifact) String() string {
	return fmt.Sprintf("A snapshot was created: '%v' (ID: %v) in regions '%v'", a.snapshotName, a.snapshotId, strings.Join(a.regionNames[:], ","))
}

func (a *Artifact) State(name string) interface{} {
	return nil
}

func (a *Artifact) Destroy() error {
	log.Printf("Destroying image: %d (%s)", a.snapshotId, a.snapshotName)
	_, err := a.client.Images.Delete(context.TODO(), a.snapshotId)
	return err
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Commonwealth Medical Fellowships 2019 for Mid-Career Medical Professionals (Fully-Funded to the UK).
Commonwealth Medical Fellowships…Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK is currently at the moment accepting applications from Mid-Career Medical professionals for its 2019 Medical Fellowships. Deadline for submission of 2019 Commonwealth Medical Fellowships application is 16:00 (BST) on 13 May 2019. Continue reading to see more details below.
Commonwealth Medical Fellowships Selection Criteria.
How to Apply for Commonwealth Medical Fellowships.
Commonwealth Split-site PhD Scholarship 2019 in UK for Developing Countries-How To Apply For The Scholarship.
Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme 2019 for Masters Students in Commonwealth Countries-How To Apply For The Scholarship.


text:
Mississippi Moments Podcast
Since 1971, the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage has been preserving the memories of Mississippians from all walks of life. Our collection of over 4,000 interviews and counting has proven an invaluable resource for teachers, writers, researchers, and museums. While our collection has a recognized strength in the history of the civil rights movement and veterans' histories, the Center has collected broadly. The topics covered within the collection encompass the breadth of the state's history. Mississippi Moments began in early 2005 as a weekly series of radio spots broadcast statewide on Mississippi Public Broadcasting with funding provided by the Mississippi Humanities Council. Each episode features stories gleaned from hours of research, edited for time and clarity and narrated by Mississippi broadcast veteran, Bill Ellison. These stories range in topic and tone, but war stories and the struggle for civil rights receive the most attention. MSMO is not a History series. History frequently comes along for the ride, but Story drives the narrative. In 2009, the Mississippi Moments Podcast was launched as a way to make past and future episodes available online and searchable by subject. The podcast format allows us to greatly expand on the broadcast version and bonus content is a given. So give us a listen. With over 600 episodes available and new ones added each month, you are certain to find some amazing, moving stories about the diverse and colorful people who call Mississippi home.
Aerospace History
child social services
Chinese American History
Community Activism
Education in Mississippi
foodways
Gulf Coast history
Humanities in Mississippi
Jewish life in Mississippi
Lebanese in Mississippi
Liber Arts and Business
Mississippi History
Mississippi Journalists
Mississippi Railroad History
Public School History
small-town life
Small-town Newspapers
Southern Miss History
The American South
Vietnamese History
MSM 617 Sen. Thad Cochran - An Achievement-Oriented Family 0
Senator Thad Cochran was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, on December 7th, 1937. In this episode, he discusses his family's long history in Mississippi and his parents' careers in Education. As the son of public school teachers, Cochran was expected to excel in academics, sports and music. He explains how their emphasis on education and hard work made theirs an achievement-oriented family.
Even though Cochran's parents worked hard to provide for their family, money was always scarce. He remembers how they scrimped and took on extra jobs to make sure he and his brother could attend college.
Cochran got his first experience in politics when his parents campaigned for various candidates and got him involved, as well. He also recalls his poker-playing grandmother's run for county supervisor.
Mississippi Moments is written and produced by Ross Walton, with narration by Bill Ellison.
©Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage


text:
How many babies does a Hairy-legged vampire bat have at once? (litter size)
How many baby Hairy-legged vampire bats are in a litter?
A Hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata) usually gives birth to around 1 babies.
Upon birth, they weight 4 grams (0.01 lbs) and measure 27.5 cm (0′ 11″). They are a member of the Phyllostomidae family (genus: Diphylla). An adult Hairy-legged vampire bat grows up to a size of 7.9 cm (0′ 4″).
The hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata) is one of three extant species of vampire bats. It mainly feeds on the blood of wild birds, but can also feed both on domestic birds and humans. This vampire bat lives mainly in tropical and subtropical forestlands of South America, Central America, and southern Mexico. It is the sole member of the genus Diphylla.
Other animals of the family Phyllostomidae
Hairy-legged vampire bat is a member of the Phyllostomidae, as are these animals:
Insular single leaf bat with 1 babies per pregnancy
Silky short-tailed bat weighting only 14 grams
Marinkelle's sword-nosed bat weighting only 17 grams
Dark fruit-eating bat weighting only 35 grams
Little big-eared bat weighting only 6 grams
Thomas's fruit-eating bat with 1 babies per pregnancy
Heller's broad-nosed bat weighting only 13 grams
Wrinkle-faced bat weighting only 23 grams
Hairy yellow-shouldered bat weighting only 15 grams
Davies's big-eared bat weighting only 18 grams
Animals that share a litter size with Hairy-legged vampire bat
Chital
Mantled howler
Western broad-nosed bat
Dwarf brocket
Southern hairy-nosed wombat
African savanna hare
Red-tailed monkey
Cape serotine
Asian golden cat
Animals with the same weight as a Hairy-legged vampire bat
What other animals weight around 28 grams (0.06 lbs)?
Shadowy broad-nosed bat weighting 25 grams
Zacatecan deer mouse weighting 27 grams
Chinese dormouse weighting 31 grams
Oligoryzomys arenalis weighting 25 grams
Kultarr weighting 25 grams
Big crested mastiff bat weighting 29 grams
Sminthopsis laniger weighting 26 grams
Bibimys chacoensis weighting 28 grams
Anderson's gerbil weighting 27 grams
Kemp's grass mouse weighting 26 grams
Animals with the same size as a Hairy-legged vampire bat
Also reaching around 7.9 cm (0′ 4″) in size do these animals:
Chinese mole shrew gets as big as 9.4 cm (0′ 4″)
Ranee mouse gets as big as 7.5 cm (0′ 3″)
Mexican long-tongued bat gets as big as 6.6 cm (0′ 3″)
White-footed mouse gets as big as 9.4 cm (0′ 4″)
Steppe mouse gets as big as 7.5 cm (0′ 3″)
Common tube-nosed fruit bat gets as big as 8.2 cm (0′ 4″)
Mountain tube-nosed fruit bat gets as big as 8.6 cm (0′ 4″)
Nubra pika gets as big as 7.5 cm (0′ 3″)
Chinese shrew gets as big as 7 cm (0′ 3″)
Mediterranean water shrew gets as big as 7.5 cm (0′ 3″)


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text:
New Multiplex PCR for Rapid Detection of Isoniazid-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolates
Laura Herrera-León, Tamara Molina, Pilar Saíz, Juan Antonio Sáez-Nieto, Maria Soledad Jiménez
Laura Herrera-León
Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory, Servicio de Bacteriología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
For correspondence: lherrera@isciii.es
Tamara Molina
Pilar Saíz
Juan Antonio Sáez-Nieto
Maria Soledad Jiménez
In this study, we describe a multiplex PCR to detect a AGC→ACC (serine to threonine) mutation in the katG gene and a −15 C-to-T substitution (inhAC−15T) at the 5′ end of a presumed ribosome binding site in the promoter of the mabA-inhA operon. These mutations have been reported in the majority of previous studies as the most frequent mutations involved in the resistance to isoniazid (INH) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical strains with high levels of resistance. The method was optimized and validated after an analysis of 30 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates with known sequences of the relevant part of the katG gene and the regulatory region of the mabA-inhA operon. We analyzed 297 INH-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates collected in Spain from 1996 to 2003 by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (using the katG gene), DNA sequencing, and the newly developed multiplex PCR. The results were concordant for all 297 isolates tested. The analysis revealed that 204 (68.7%) of the isolates carried one or both of the mutations. This finding suggests that with further development this multiplex PCR will be able to detect the majority of the INH-resistant M. tuberculosis clinical isolates from Spain and other countries where a high frequency of similar mutations occur.
Currently, throughout the world, isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) together represent the backbone of short-course chemotherapy for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections. The number of multidrug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis, defined as resistant to INH and RIF, has been increasing over the years, and several outbreaks have been reported (5, 9, 24). The development of resistance to these two drugs reduces the efficacy of standard antituberculosis (anti-TB) treatment to 77%. It is very important, therefore, to identify these strains as soon as possible to allow for adjustments in treatment and to minimize the transmission of drug-resistant strains. Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing by conventional methods on solid media (6, 8) requires 10 to 30 days after the primary culture has been isolated. This time can be reduced by the use of rapid methods such as BACTEC, which requires 5 to 10 days.
Resistance to RIF has been shown to be caused by an alteration of the β subunit of RNA polymerase, which is encoded by the rpoB gene. More than 95% of RIF-resistant strains are associated with mutations within an 81-bp region of the rpoB gene (encoding the RNA polymerase β subunit). Specific mutations, insertions, and deletions have been described in several countries by several authors, and this 81-bp region has been termed the rifampin resistance determinant region (7, 14, 20, 26, 27, 30). Numerous methods exist to detect resistance to rifampin (10, 12, 18, 23).
In contrast, resistance to INH is more complicated, as mutations in several genes can lead to drug resistance. For most INH-resistant strains, mutations have been found in two genes, i.e., the katG gene, encoding catalase-peroxidase (31), and the mabA-inhA regulon (4), encoding a target of activated prodrug, enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (1-3, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 27). For some other INH-resistant strains, however, mutations in the ahpC promoter region (located in the 105-bp oxyR-ahpC intergenic region) or within the β-ketocyl acyl carrier protein synthase gene kasA have also been reported (19, 25). Most studies have examined the mutations present in these genes by DNA sequencing or analyses of a portion of the katG gene after PCR amplification and digestion with the restriction enzyme MspI or SatI (2, 3, 17).
Molecular methods have been developed to detect resistance to INH and RIF as an alternative to conventional tests because of their ability to provide results rapidly. Upon the elucidation of the genes involved in resistance to RIF and INH, several studies describing various PCR-based molecular genetic techniques for the detection of resistance were published (12).
In the present study, we report a simple, rapid, and inexpensive assay based on allele-specific PCR methodology targeting an AGC→ACC mutation in the katG gene and an inhAC−15T mutation in the regulatory region of the mabA-inhA operon to detect INH-resistant M. tuberculosis strains and to identify the M. tuberculosis complex in the same PCR tube for each sample.
Description of study samples. (i) Set one.Thirty M. tuberculosis strains with known sequences for the relevant part of the katG gene and the regulatory region of the mabA-inhA operon served as samples for optimization of the PCR assay conditions. The strains had the following distribution of katG and mabA-inhA operon alleles: wild type, 6 strains; AGC→ACC mutation, 10 strains; inhAC−15T mutation, 10 strains; and both the AGC→ACC and inhAC−15T mutations, 4 strains.
(ii) Set two.A total of 297 isolates collected from 1996 to 2003 in Spain and identified as INH-resistant M. tuberculosis strains by standard biochemical methods served to validate the developed multiplex PCR assay. Susceptibility testing with INH (0.2 and 1.0 μg/ml) was performed with Lowenstein-Jensen medium by the proportional method of Canetti et al. (6). A total of 50 M. tuberculosis strains that were susceptible to isoniazid were used as controls.
Extraction of DNAs for PCR.DNAs were extracted from cultures grown in Lowenstein-Jensen medium. A loop of culture was suspended in 500 μl of distilled water and boiled for 5 min, followed by centrifugation for 5 min at 12,000 × g, and 5 μl of the supernatant was used as a source of genomic DNA for amplification of the katG gene and the mabA-inhA operon.
PCR-RFLP.katG restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis to detect codon 315 mutations was performed by the use of previously described protocols and reaction components (23). A 620-bp region of the katG gene was amplified by use of the following primer set described by Uhl et al. (28): katG904, 5′-AGCTCGTATGGCACCGGAAC; and katG1523, 5′-TTGACCTCCCACCCGACTTG. After amplification, 10 μl of the product was digested with MspI (MBI Fermentas, Madrid, Spain) and analyzed by 2% MS8 agarose (8066; Pronadisa, Madrid, Spain) gel electrophoresis. Ten microliters of the same katG-specific PCR product was digested with SatI (MBI Fermentas) and analyzed in the same run with products generated by restriction with MspI (Fig. 1). SatI contains an overlapping GC sequence at a single recognition site of the triplet AGC at position 315, and any mutation at this position eliminates cleavage of the katG fragment.
Schematic presentation of multiplex allele-specific PCR to detect the AGC→ACC mutation in codon 315 of the katG gene (A) and the −15 C-to-T substitution (inhAC−15T) at the 5′ end of a presumed ribosome binding site in the promoter of the mabA-inhA operon (B). Short arrows indicate the primers, and long double-headed arrows depict the resulting PCR fragments. The targeted sequences are shown in shaded boxes. The mutated bases are underlined and in bold, and the mutated bases are underlined.
PCR and DNA sequencing.For PCRs and DNA sequencing, specially designed primers (for regions in the katG gene and the regulatory region of the mabA-inhA operon that are known to confer resistance to M. tuberculosis) were used to amplify genomic DNAs. These primers were designed from a published sequence of the M. tuberculosis H37Rv genome (GenBank) by the use of PCGENE software (IntelliGenetics, Mountain View, Calif.).
PCRs were performed with a pureTaq Ready-To-Go PCR bead kit (Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, N.J.). PCRs were performed in a 9600 thermocycler (Perkin-Elmer) under the same PCR conditions for both katG and mabA-inhA (an initial denaturation step of 5 min at 94°C, followed by 30 cycles of 1 min at 94°C, 1 min at 65°C, and 90 s at 72°C and ending with a final elongation step of 10 min at 72°C). Efficient PCR amplifications were confirmed by gel electrophoresis in 0.7% MS8 agarose gels (8066; Pronadisa). PCR products were purified by use of a GFX PCR DNA and gel band purification kit (Amersham Biosciences) and were sequenced by use of a Big Dye Terminator cycle sequencing ready reaction kit (Applied Biosystems Inc., Foster City, Calif.) in an ABI Prism 377 automated DNA sequencer (Applied Biosystems). The following thermocycler parameters were used: denaturation at 94°C for 3 min, followed by 25 cycles of denaturation at 96°C for 10 s and primer annealing at 60°C for 4 min. The primer sequences are shown in Table 1.
All sequence data were assembled and edited electronically with the EDITSEQ, ALIGN, and MEGALIGN programs (DNASTAR, Madison, Wis.) and were compared with the published sequences for the katG gene and the mabA-inhA operon (GenBank accession number NC_000962).
Multiplex PCR.Specially designed primers were used to detect the AGC→ACC and inhAC−15T mutations. The reverse primer R315mut was positioned so that its 3′-OH end paired with two changed bases, i.e., a GC-to-CT substitution (Fig. 1A). Consequently, in the presence of the AGC→ACC mutation at this position in katG, a 296-bp fragment was amplified by the forward primer katg0F (described previously by Mokrousov et al. [22]). On the other hand, the reverse primer inhARmut was positioned so that its 3′-OH end paired with two changed bases, a −15 C-to-T substitution (inhAC−15T) and a −14 G-to-A substitution at the 5′ end of a presumed ribosome binding site in the promoter of the mabA-inhA operon (Fig. 1B). If the inhAC−15T mutation occurred, a 146-bp fragment was amplified by the forward primer mabAF. In the absence of a mutation, the result would be two mismatches at the 3′ end of the reverse primers (R315mut and inhARmut). Thus, under appropriate PCR conditions, resistant strains with these two mutations resulted in 296-bp and/or 146-bp PCR products. The MTUBf and MTUBr primers (previously reported by Kasai et al. [16]) produced a 1,020-bp fragment by amplification of a partial sequence of the gyrB gene. This fragment was the individual positive control and needed to be present in every sample. The absence of this amplification product would show that the PCR was inhibited and that the result should be ignored.
The PCR mix consisted of 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 9), 50 mM KCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, a 200 μM concentration of each deoxynucleoside triphosphate, 2.5 U of pureTaq DNA polymerase and reaction buffer, which were included in the pureTaq Ready-To-Go PCR bead kit (Amersham Biosciences), and PCR primers to a final volume of 25 μl. The concentrations of the primers were 200 mM for katG0F and 400 mM for R315mut (to detect the AGC→ACC mutation), 400 mM for both mabAF and inhARmut (to detect the inhAC−15T mutation), and 400 mM for both MTUBf and MTUBr. All primer sequences are shown in Table 1.
For PCRs, a GenAmp PCR system 9600 thermocycler (Applied Biosystems) was used, beginning with a 5-min denaturation at 95°C and followed by 30 cycles of 1 min at 95°C, 1 min at 68°C, and 45 s at 72°C. The final cycle was followed by an extension time of 10 min at 72°C. Efficient PCR amplifications and the sizes of the products were estimated after electrophoresis in 2% agarose gels by staining with ethidium bromide.
An analysis of 297 INH-resistant and 50 INH-susceptible M. tuberculosis clinical isolates from TB cases by katG PCR-RFLP and automated DNA sequencing showed that none of the 50 INH-susceptible strains had the AGC→ACC mutation (S315T) at codon 315 of katG or the less frequent mutations in that codon. The AGC→ACC missense mutation was observed in 130 (43.8%) INH-resistant strains by PCR-RFLP with an MspI endonuclease treatment (Fig. 2, lanes 2 and 3), and 17 INH-resistant strains showed a different mutation in codon 315 by PCR-RFLP with a SatI endonuclease treatment (Fig. 2, lanes 10 and 11). The use of the MspI endonuclease only detected the AGC→ACC mutation, whereas SatI was able to detect any mutation in codon 315 that affected the GC nucleotides at that position. Of the 17 strains with different mutations, 12 (4.0%) showed an AGC→AAC mutation at codon 315 of katG and 5 (1.7%) showed an AGC→ACA mutation by automated DNA sequencing. The results are summarized in Table 2.
Profiles generated by PCR-restriction digestion with MspI and SatI endonucleases. Lanes 1 to 6, strains digested with MspI; lane 1, wild-type strain; lane 2, AGC→ACC mutation (S315T); lane 3, S315T mutation and R463L polymorphism; lane 4, AGC→AAC mutation at katG codon 315; lane 5, AGC→ACA mutation at katG codon 315; lane 6, wild type; lanes 7 to 12, the same strains digested with the SatI endonuclease; M, 50-bp DNA ladder (Amersham Biosciences).
Comparison of INH susceptibility test results obtained by the different methods used in this study
The inhAC−15T mutation was found in 70 (23.6%) INH-resistant isolates, with 4 of these strains showing the AGC→ACC mutation as detected by PCR-RFLP, and in none of the 50 INH-susceptible strains (Table 2).
The multiplex PCR that we developed was evaluated for its detection of the AGC→ACC mutation in codon 315 of the katG gene and the inhAC−15T mutation in the promoter of the mabA-inhA operon in the same PCR tube for each sample. The 130 INH-resistant strains with the AGC→ACC mutation produced a 296-bp band (Fig. 3, lanes 1 to 4), while the 70 strains with the inhAC−15T mutation produced a 146-bp band (Fig. 3, lanes 5 to 12). The four strains with both mutations produced two bands, one at 296 bp and the other at 146 bp (Fig. 3, lanes 13 and 14). All of the strains, including the susceptible strains (Fig. 2, lanes 16 to 18), produced a 1,020-bp band by amplification of a partial sequence of the gyrB gene. The multiplex PCR results were concordant with those generated by PCR-RFLP analysis and DNA sequencing for all of the strains tested (Table 2). The specificity of the multiplex PCR for the detection of INH resistance in resistant strains carrying the AGC→ACC mutation at codon 315 of katG and/or the inhAC−15T mutation in our setting was 100%. The sensitivity of the multiplex PCR for the detection of INH resistance depended on the prevalence of these two mutations among the INH-resistant strains in each geographic area. In our setting, the sensitivity was 68.7%. The negative predictive value was 35%, and the positive predictive value was 100%. In Spain, the prevalence rates of the AGC→ACC allele at codon 315 of katG and of the inhAC−15T mutation are 47.2 and 25%, respectively (unpublished data), whilst other mutations in codon 315 are found in 6.6% of INH-resistant strains. Consequently, 72.2% of the INH-resistant strains in our country could be detected with the multiplex PCR.
Profiles generated by multiplex PCR assay. Lanes 1 to 4, strains with the AGC→ACC mutation at katG codon 315; lanes 5 to 13, strains with the −15C→T substitution in the promoter of the mabA-inhA operon; lanes 14 to 15, strains with both mutations; lanes 16 to 18, INH-susceptible strains; M, 100-bp DNA ladder (Bio Tools).
Mutations at the Ser315 codon of katG and at the regulatory region of the mabA-inhA operon occur most frequently in INH-resistant isolates (1-3, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 27). These mutations, AGC→ACC and inhAC−15T, respectively, may be responsible for 70% of INH-resistant M. tuberculosis cases.
The prevalence of mutations in codon 315 of katG varies depending on the geographical region studied, with percentages ranging from 35% in Beirut (2) to 91% in Latvia and Russia (21, 27), while the prevalence of the inhAC−15T mutation varied from 32.7% in a study by Bakonyte et al. (3) to 3.3% in a study by Van Rie et al. (29), with several studied strains being similar to those in Bakonyte et al.'s study. Torres et al. (26) reported that this mutation was found with a frequency of 4.3% in strains isolated from Seville, Spain, but the present study shows a much higher frequency of 23.6%. The frequency of other mutations in codon 315 (5.7%) was found to be lower than those in other studies (1, 11).
The high prevalence of the AGC→ACC mutation in the katG gene and of the inhAC−15T mutation in the promoter of the mabA-inhA operon in the strains isolated from Spain suggests that the multiplex PCR technique can be used as a single, rapid tool for detecting INH resistance in M. tuberculosis clinical strains with a high probability. The assay is easy to perform and interpret and could be implemented as part of the routine practices of clinical laboratories in areas with a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB strains. For easier and unambiguous interpretations of multiplex PCR profiles, each run should include a wild-type strain (as a positive control for no amplification due to mutation) and one strain with a known mutation (as a positive control of amplification due to mutation). Furthermore, the procedure is inexpensive and requires only standard PCR and electrophoresis equipment. However, all negative results should be confirmed by conventional methods based on cell culture.
We thank A. Valverde and M. A. García-Aranda for excellent technical assistance and A. Echeita and S. Herrera for their time and advice. We are indebted to Malcolm Yates for revisions of the English language in the manuscript.
This work was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (0017/99).
Received 4 February 2004.
Returned for modification 26 June 2004.
Accepted 11 September 2004.
Abate, G., S. E. Hoffner, V. Ostergaard Thomsen, and H. Miöiner. 2001. Characterization of isoniazid-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on the basis of phenotypic properties and mutations in katG. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 20:329-333.
Ahmad, S., E. Fares, G. F. Araj, T. D. Chugh, and A. S. Mustafa. 2002. Prevalence of S315T mutation within the katG gene in isoniazid-resistant clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Dubai and Beirut. Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. 6:920-926.
Bakonyte, D., A. Baranauskaite, J. Cicenaite, A. Sosnovskaya, and P. Satakenas. 2003. Molecular characterization of isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates in Lithuania. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47:2009-2011.
Banerjee, A., E. Dubnau, A. Quemard, U. Balasubramanian, K. S. Um, T. Wilson, D. Collins, G. Lisle, and W. R. Jacobs, Jr. 1994. inhA, a gene encoding a target for isoniazid and ethionamide in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Science 263:227-230.
Bifani, P. J., B. Plikaytis, V. Kapur, K. Stockbauer, X. Pan, M. L. Lutfey, S. L. Moghazeh, W. Eisner, T. M. Daniel, M. H. Kaplan, J. T. Crawford, J. M. Musser, and B. N. Kreiswirth. 1996. Origin and interstate spread of New York City multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clone family. JAMA 275:452-457.
Canetti, G., N. Rist, and J. Grosset. 1963. Mesure de la sensibilité du bacilli tuberculeux aux drogues antibactériens port le méthode des proportions. Rev. Tuberc. Pneumol. 27:217-272.
Cavusoglu, C., S. Himioglu, S. Guneri, and A. Bilgic. 2002. Characterization of rpoB mutations in rifampin-resistant clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Turkey by DNA sequencing and line probe assay. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40:4435-4438.
Collins, C. H., J. M. Grange, and M. D. Yates. 1997. Tuberculosis bacteriology: organization and practice. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Davies, P. D. 2003. The worldwide increase in tuberculosis: how demographic changes, HIV, infection and increasing numbers in poverty are increasing tuberculosis. Ann. Med. 35:235-243.
De Beenhouwer, H., Z. Liang, G. Jannes, W. Mijs, L. Machtelinckx, R. Rossau, H. Traore, and F. Portaels. 1995. Rapid detection of rifampin resistance in sputum and biopsy specimens from tuberculosis patients by PCR and line probe assay. Tuberc. Lung. Dis. 76:425-430.
Dobner, P., S. Rüsch-Gerdes, G. Bretzel, K. Felsmann, M. Rifai, T. Löscher, and H. Hinder. 1997. Usefulness of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genomic mutations in the genes katG and inhA for the prediction of isoniazid resistance. Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. 1:365-369.
García de Viedma, D. 2003. Rapid detection of resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a review discussing molecular approaches. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. 9:349-359.
Haas, W. H., K. Schilke, J. Brand, B. Amthor, K. Weyer, P. Fourie, G. Bretzel, V. Sticht-Groh, and H. Bremer. 1997. Molecular analysis of katG gene mutations in strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from Africa. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 41:1601-1603.
Herrera, L., M. S. Jiménez, A. Valverde, M. A. García-Aranda, and J. A Sáez-Nieto. 2003. Molecular analysis of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated in Spain (1996-2001). Description of new mutations in the rpoB gene and review of the literature. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents 21:403-408.
Herrera, L., A. Valverde, P. Saíz, J. A. Saéz-Nieto, J. L. Portero, and M. S. Jiménez. 2004. Molecular characterization of isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical strain isolates in The Philippines. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents 23:572-576.
Kasai, H., T. Ezaki, and S. Harayama. 2000. Differentiation of phylogenetically related slowly growing mycobacteria by their gyrB sequences. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38:301-308.
Kiepiela, P., K. S. Bishop, A. N. Smith, L. Roux, and D. F. York. 2000. Genomic mutations in the katG, inhA and ahpC genes are useful for the prediction of isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Kwazululu Natal, South Africa. Tuberc. Lung Dis. 80:47-56.
Kim, B., K. Lee, B. Park, S. Kim, E. Park, Y. Park, G. Bai, S. Kim, and Y. Kook. 2001. Detection of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputa by nested PCR-linked single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:2610-2617.
Lee, A. S. G., I. H. K. Lim, L. L. H. Tang, A. Telenti, and S. Y. Wong. 1999. Contribution of kasA analysis to detection of isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Singapore. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43:2087-2089.
Mani, C., N. Selvakumar, S. Narayanan, and P. R. Narayanan. 2001. Mutations in the rpoB gene of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from India. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:2987-2990.
Martilla, H., H. Soini, E. Eerola, E. Vyshnevskaya, B. Vyshnevskiy, T. Otten, A. Vasilyef, and M. Viljanen. 1998. A Ser315Thr substitution in KatG is predominant in genetically heterogeneous multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates originating from the St. Petersburg area in Russia. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 42:2443-2445.
Mokrousov, I., T. Otten, A. Vyazovaya, E. Limeschenko, M. L. Filipenko, C. Sola, N. Rastogi, L. Steklova, B. Vyshnevskiy, and O. Narvskaya. 2003. PCR-based methodology for detecting multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing family circulating in Russia. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 22:342-348.
Nachamkin, I., C. Kang, and P. Weinstein. 1997. Detection of resistance to isoniazid, rifampin and streptomycin in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by molecular methods. Clin. Infect. Dis. 24:894-900.
Narvskaya, O., T. Otten, E. Limeschenco, N. Sapozhnikova, N. Graschenkova, L. Steklova, A. Nikonova, M. L. Filipenko, I. Mokrousov, and B. Vyshnevskiy. 2002. Nosocomial outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis caused by a strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis W-Beijing family in St. Petersburg, Russia. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 21:596-602.
Sreevatsan, S., X. Pan, Y. Zhang, V. Deretic, and J. M. Musser. 1997. Analysis of the oxyR-ahpC region in isoniazid-resistant and -susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms recovered from diseased humans and animals in diverse localities. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 41:600-606.
Torres, M. J., A. Criado, N. Gónzalez, J. C. Palomares, and J. Aznar. 2002. Rifampin and isoniazid resistance associated mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates in Sevilla, Spain. Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. 6:160-163.
Tracevska, T., I. Jansone, L. Broka, O. Marga, and V. Baumanis. 2002. Mutations in the rpoB and katG genes leading to drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Latvia. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40:3789-3792.
Uhl, J. R, B. Kline, and L. Abu-Khader. 1995. Association of two point mutation in the catalase-peroxidase (katG) gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with isoniazid resistance, abstr. U46, p. 125. Abstr. 95th Gen. Meet. Am. Soc. Microbiol. 1995. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.
Van Rie, A., R. Warren, I. Mshanga, A. M. Jordaan, G. D. Van der Spuy, M. Richardson, J. Simpson, R. P. Gie, D. A. Enarson, N. Beyers, P. D. Van Helden, and T. C. Victor. 2001. Analysis for a limited number of gene codons can predict drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a high-incidence community. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39:636-641.
Yue, J., W. Shi, J. Xie, Y. Li, E. Zeng, and H. Wang. 2003. Mutation in the rpoB gene of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from China. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41:2209-2212.
Zhang, Y., B. Heym, B. Allen, D. Young, and S. T. Cole. 1992. The catalase peroxidase gene and isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nature 358:501-593.
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Dec 2004, 49 (1) 144-147; DOI: 10.1128/AAC.49.1.144-147.2005
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text:
Q: How to convert String to TimeOfDay in Flutter? I have a String, lets say '16:00' and I want to convert it to a TimeOfDay type. I checked the documentation and it only provides a converter from DateTime to TimeOfDay, but I can't find a way to convert from String to TimeOfDay.

A: Try this
TimeOfDay _startTime = TimeOfDay(hour:int.parse(s.split(":")[0]),minute: int.parse(s.split(":")[1]));

This Worked for me..

A: like this:
TimeOfDay stringToTimeOfDay(String tod) {
  final format = DateFormat.jm(); //"6:00 AM"
  return TimeOfDay.fromDateTime(format.parse(tod));
}

A: You can do something like this:
TimeOfDay time = TimeOfDay(hour: s.split(":")[0], minute: s.split(":")[1]);

s is the string you wanna convert.

A: I use some of the answers here, and doesn't work properly when AM and PM are in the String. Here is my solution.
TimeOfDay fromString(String time) {
  int hh = 0;
  if (time.endsWith('PM')) hh = 12;
  time = time.split(' ')[0];
  return TimeOfDay(
    hour: hh + int.parse(time.split(":")[0]) % 24, // in case of a bad time format entered manually by the user
    minute: int.parse(time.split(":")[1]) % 60,
  );
}

A: This might seems hectic for newcomers or beginners, but you can easily convert String to DateTime and then DateTime to TimeOfDay using a specialized constructor, detailed here.

Follow these steps for seamless conversion without messing anything up:

*

*add this package to pubspec.yaml : intl.

This package is necessary to convert any date string to a valid DateTime object.

*Convert your date string to a DateTime object like this way:

DateTime dateTime = DateFormat("h:mm a").parse(placement.startTime);
TimeOfDay timeOfDay = TimeOfDay.fromDateTime(dateTime)

There you have it. But don't forget to change your DateFormat String accordingly. For me, my date string was 4:30 AM, so my DateFormat string was "h:mm a". Change the DateFormat String as you need it to be. For DateFormat String references, follow this link

A: UPDATED SOLUTION AUGUST 26, 2020
I wrote a function to convert from the way a standard date String is displayed (ex. 7:04 AM) to TimeOfDay.
TimeOfDay timeConvert(String normTime) {
    int hour;
    int minute;
    String ampm = normTime.substring(normTime.length - 2);
    String result = normTime.substring(0, normTime.indexOf(' '));
    if (ampm == 'AM' && int.parse(result.split(":")[1]) != 12) {
      hour = int.parse(result.split(':')[0]);
      if (hour == 12) hour = 0;
      minute = int.parse(result.split(":")[1]);
    } else {
      hour = int.parse(result.split(':')[0]) - 12;
      if (hour <= 0) {
        hour = 24 + hour;
      }
      minute = int.parse(result.split(":")[1]);
    }
    return TimeOfDay(hour: hour, minute: minute);
  }

All you have to do is pass in your normal time (ex. 12:14 PM) and it'll return a TimeOfDay with the correct time and am/pm.
Hope this helps somebody!

A: You may use a static utility function
static TimeOfDay parseTimeOfDay(String t) {
    DateTime dateTime = DateFormat("HH:mm").parse(t);
    return TimeOfDay(hour: dateTime.hour, minute: dateTime.minute);
  }

A: Try this method. This will convert 24 hour time to 12 hour time.
getTime(String time) {
  TimeOfDay _startTime = TimeOfDay(
      hour: int.parse(time.split(":")[0]),
      minute: int.parse(time.split(":")[1]));
  return "${_startTime.hourOfPeriod}:${_startTime.minute} ${_startTime.period == DayPeriod.pm ? "P.M" : "A.M"}";
}

Input = 15:48:00
output= 03:48 P.M

A: I have got an excellent way to implement TimeofDay Class & using this class can format Time as I want. Here is an example.
Code:
String getTime(BuildContext context) async {

    final TimeOfDay? time = await showTimePicker(
      context: context,
      initialTime: TimeOfDay.now(),
    );

    if (time != null) {
      String am_pm = '';
      if(time.hour < 12 ){
        am_pm = 'AM';
      }
      else{
        am_pm = 'PM';
      }
      return '${time.hourOfPeriod} : ${time.hour} $am_pm' ;
    }
  }

This Code will pop as a Time Select DialogBox & form that we can get our Time.
Screenshot:

A: Works for AM/PM
TimeOfDay _time = TimeOfDay(hour:int.parse(string.split(":")[0]),minute: int.parse(string.split(":")[1].split(" ")[0]));

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Teško ubojstvo je čin lišavanja života druge osobe izveden s namjerom, protivno pravu, i na posebno okrutan ili podmukao način. U hrvatskom kaznenom pravu to je najteži oblik ubojstva i kažnjava se zatvorskom kaznom ne kraćom od deset godina ili kaznom dugotrajnog zatvora. Njime se kvalificiraju ubojstva osoba posebno ranjivih zbog dobi, tjelesne ili duševne smetnje ili trudnoće, ubojstva prethodno zlostavljanih bliskih osoba, ubojstva iz koristoljublja, mržnje i bezobzirne osvete, ubojstva radi skrivanja drugog kaznenog djela te ubojstva službenih osoba u vezi s obavljanjem njihove dužnosti.

Često se za klasifikaciju ubojstava uzima u obzir stanje svijesti ubojice te zlonamjernost motiva i predumišljaj. Ubojstva bez namjere ili posebnih okolnosti klasificiraju se samo kao ubojstva i kažnjavaju kaznom zatvora od najmanje pet godina. Kada je usmrćenje uslijedilo nakon prethodnog napada usmrćenoga koji je doveo do jake razdraženosti i patnje ubojice, radi se o djelu usmrćenja. Ono se kažnjava zatvorom od jedne do deset godina. Usmrćenjima se klasificiraju i ubojstva djece počinjena od majki pod duševnim opterećenjem nakon poroda, uz zatvorsku kaznu od pola do pet godina, i ubojstva iz samilosti prema teško bolesnim osobama s kaznom zatvora do tri godine. U posebnu kategoriju spadaju i ubojstva iz nehaja koja se u hrvatskom zakonodavstvu kažnjavaju zatvorom od pola do pet godina.

U većini društava teško se ubojstvo smatra vrlo ozbiljnim kaznenim djelom pa počinitelj biva osuđen na strogu kaznu sa svrhom odmazde, izolacije zbog mogućnosti ponovnog počinjenja, i odvraćanja drugih od počinjenja sličnih djela. Osim dugotrajne zatvorske kazne, neka društva dosuđuju i doživotni zatvor pa i smrtnu kaznu.

Prema izvješću Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije iz 2002. godine, svakih 60 sekunda jedna osoba u svijetu biva ubijena: procjenjuje se da je 2000. godine u svijetu ubijeno 520.000 ljudi. Dvije petine ubijenih su mladi od deset do trideset godina koje su ubili drugi mladi ljudi. Učestalosti ubojstava uvelike se razlikuju među zemljama i društvima. U razvijenim zapadnim društvima teška ubojstava su u većini zemalja bila u znatnom padu tijekom dvadesetog stoljeća pa se sada godišnje broje do četiri ubojstva na 100.000 stanovnika. Latinska Amerika i Karibi, regije s najvećom učestalosti ubojstava na svijetu, zabilježile su ih između 2000. i 2017. godine više od 2,5 milijuna.

Izvori

Kazneno pravo
Ubojstva

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Rapper Rick Ross performed at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London on Wednesday (Nov 17) alongside Tyga from Young Money.
The rap star recently threw a fit by exiting the Soul Train Awards following his loss to Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" in the Best Hip Hop Song category. Ross was scheduled to perform "Aston Martin Music" with Chrisette Michele, which never happened due to the incident.
More pics of The Boss & Tyga below!


text:
Product Stewardship: The Refractory Ceramic Fiber Industry's Voluntary Workplace Protection Program
Dean E. Venturin, Ph.D.
Beginning in the mid 1970s, individuals within the regulated community, and even within the federal government, began advocating the use of negotiated rulemaking as a more efficient, sensible alternative to the traditional "notice and comment" procedures typically followed by federal agencies in the development of regulations. In the 1980s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began using a negotiated process as an aid to the development of certain regulations. By 1990, Congress formally endorsed negotiated rulemaking with the passage of the federal Negotiated Rulemaking Act, under the strong support of the Clinton Administration. Advocates of negotiated rulemaking tend to identify two primary benefits: reduced time to final rulemaking and a decrease in litigation over pending regulations. It is in this context that leading U.S. manufacturers in the refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) industry formed the Refractory Ceramic Fibers Coalition (RCFC), focused on workplace exposures to airborne fiber.
Before discussing the RCF industry's voluntary workplace protection program, it is useful to provide some background on the industry and the health issues associated with workplace exposure to RCFs. RCFs are advanced fibrous insulation materials used in various industrial, automotive, aerospace, and military applications requiring low weight and high heat resistance. RCFs are members of a group of materials commonly referred to as synthetic vitreous fibers (SVFs), a family of products that includes fiberglass (home insulation), rock wool, slag wool, and specialty high-temperature industrial fibers. RCFs are produced by melting and fiberizing a mixture of alumina (Al203) and silica (Si203). The combination of low density, low volumetric heat capacity and low thermal conductivity make this a valuable insulating material, particularly for high-temperature industrial applications. Invented in the 1940s, RCF sales grew substantially in the 1970s during the energy crises. RCFs now account for approximately one to two percent of the total SVF market in the United States.
RCFs contain individual fibers having a length weighted geometric mean diameter of less than 3 mm (respirable to humans); therefore, there is a potential risk associated with workplace exposures to airborne fibers. In the early 1990s, laboratory studies indicated that RCFs could cause cancer in animals exposed at doses hundreds of times higher than current average occupational workplace exposures. These studies are subject to extensive scientific debate, due to evidence of flaws in the study design. In contrast to animal studies, epidemiological investigations of persons actually exposed to RCF in the workplace for long periods of time did not show significant adverse health effects associated with RCF exposure. Nevertheless, the animal studies suggested that exposure to extremely high levels of RCF may pose some risk; therefore, RCF producers decided to take action to manage the potential human health risks and not to wait for more definitive scientific results or regulatory action.
The RCFC was formed in the late 1980s. The coalition and its member companies (Thermal Ceramics, Unifrax Corporation, and Vesuvius USA) account for more than ninety-five percent of all RCF currently produced in the United States. In 1991, the RCFC implemented a comprehensive, multifaceted Product Stewardship Program (PSP), designed to assist RCF manufacturers and end users in the evaluation, control, and reduction of workplace exposures to airborne fiber. The RCF PSP encompasses the entire "cradle-to-grave" life cycle of RCF-containing products, from primary manufacture, processing, and use through the ultimate disposal of RCF-containing materials.
The objective of the PSP for RCF was to help employees better manage the risk associated with workplace exposure to airborne RCFs. The PSP established and communicated proper material handling practices, engineering control technologies, personal protective equipment recommendations, regulatory information, and information pertaining to workplace exposure assessments. The PSP for RCF consists of the following seven key elements:
Health effects research:
This element includes epidemiological studies on worker cohorts, animal studies, and studies designed to learn more about fiber dosimetry—the relationships between exposure concentration, deposition in the deep lung, clearance of retained fibers, and possible biological effects. The information gained as part of this research is useful in conducting quantitative risk analyses.
Exposure assessments:
This element encompasses studies designed to estimate the exposed cohort (approximately 30,000 workers in the United States, and the same number in Europe) and to assess (qualitatively or semi-quantitatively) possible life-cycle exposure to various RCF-containing products. Based on this exposure "screening" analysis, products or product applications are identified and flagged for further quantitative analysis and executive review. The objective is to evaluate potential control options and, if these appear unsatisfactory, product substitutes.
Study of workplace controls:
This element (in concert with workplace monitoring) includes studies designed to identify and evaluate ways to reduce exposure (including engineering controls, workplace practices, and, for some jobs, use of personal protective equipment). Controls evaluated as part of this program element included use of general and local exhaust ventilation (LEV), baghouses, humidity control, isolation of high-exposure jobs, reengineering of dusty jobs, and development of improved work practices.
Workplace monitoring:
This element involves monitoring of task length average (TLA) and time-weighted average (TWA) fiber concentrations at facilities operated by RCF producers (termed "internal samples") and their customers (termed "external samples"). The objectives are to identify high-exposure jobs, characterize exposure by industrial segment, detect time trends in occupational exposure, and use this information for benchmarking purposes. The study of workplace controls and workplace monitoring enabled the industry to examine the feasibility of meeting various occupational exposure limits (OELs). The industry adopted a series of progressively more stringent recommended exposure guidelines (REGs) based on monitoring results and demonstrated feasibility.
Product research:
This element includes reach initiatives designed to find ways to reduce potential exposure through product design (e.g., encapsulation), fiber dimension, and the development of high-temperature fibers that are less biopersistent.
Special studies:
This catchall category covers relevant projects that did not fit neatly into the elements listed above. Included in this category were studies to measure stack emissions, possible substitutes, and waste generation rates. Among other things, these studies were designed to anticipate regulatory needs and provide relevant information to decision makers.
This element includes the use of various media to communicate the results of the PSP to employees, customers, unions, and government regulators. The industry developed videotapes, comic books (written in various languages), consumer telephone "hot lines" to provide time-critical information, material safety data sheets (MSDS), and (later) information posted on Internet sites maintained by the RCF producers, RCFC, and the European Ceramic Fibres Industry Association (ECFIA). A key part of the communications program was a customer outreach program. RCF producers helped form user groups (e.g., the RCF Vacuum Formers Association) to share relevant stewardship information. Another key component of the communications program was the decision to publish all scientific information in the peer-reviewed literature.
PSP 2002—Workplace Monitoring
On February 11, 2002, the RCFC member companies entered into a voluntary workplace protection agreement with OSHA. This program, entitled PSP 2002, is a highly acclaimed, multi-faceted strategic risk management initiative designed specifically to reduce workplace exposures to airborne RCFs. PSP 2002 has been developed for use wherever RCF is manufactured, fabricated, installed, or removed, as well as in other occupational settings where workers have potential exposure to airborne RCF. RCFC reports its progress on the implementation of PSP 2002 to OSHA annually. Although there are no reporting provisions for non-RCFC member companies, all RCF users were encouraged to adopt the key elements of PSP 2002. OSHA made a special point to commend RCFC for its commitment to assisting its industrial customers with managing workplace exposures to RCF. In a letter to RCFC dated February 11, 2002, the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, John Henshaw, commented, "OSHA believes that the commitment RCFC has made in developing the Program form an important step towards further improving worker protection. The 0.5 fiber/cc exposure guideline recommended in the Program, the specific engineering controls and work practices detailed in the Program, and the recognition that respiratory protection is appropriate in certain operations, will help reduce exposures of the workers who handle RCF products daily."
Workplace industrial hygiene sampling is conducted using a stratified random sampling plan (SRSP) with stated data quality objectives (DQO). The purposes are to: 1) identify differences in workplace exposures among workers in different functional job categories (FJCs), 2) track time trends in average workplace concentrations, 3) learn if there are systematic differences between exposures of workers employed in identical FJCs by RCF producers compared to those employed by customers, 4) develop "before and after" snapshots to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention and monitoring, and 5) investigate whether there are systematic differences among customers in different industrial sectors. Because one major purpose of these samples is to track exposure changes over time, the data are referred to as historical baseline samples. All industrial hygiene workplace exposure monitoring for RCF is performed by industrial hygienists employed by RCFC member companies following the strict protocol outlined within a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). Sample collection and laboratory analysis is performed following the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Method 7400 (NIOSH, 1989).
In addition to samples included as part of the SRSP, other samples, termed special emphasis samples (SES), are collected. These include personal monitoring samples, area samples, use of various analytical techniques (e.g., transmission electron microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, scanning electron microscopy) or Tyndall beam technology designed to better understand emission points and design engineered controls (dust collection). Special emphasis sample data are not pooled with historical baseline sample data for developing exposure estimates.
In 2005, RCFC member companies met all deliverables identified under PSP 2002. RCF workplace concentrations decreased in customer facilities by 28.5 percent, while remaining approximately the same (up four percent) for RCF manufacturers. The numbers of samples collected in 2005 actually exceeded the goals of PSP 2002 in each corresponding category, with overages of four percent for internal samples, sixteen percent for external "customer" samples, and thirty-six percent for special emphasis samples. Overall, weighted average airborne fiber concentrations have decreased substantially since 1990 (the inception of PSP for RCF).
In summary, 2005 was another successful year for PSP 2002 as all deliverables were provided and weighted average exposures remained approximately the same for RCF producers or decreased for customers. Looking ahead as the PSP 2002 program enters its fifth and final year, the RCFC is in the process of preparing a proposal for OSHA, NIOSH, and the EPA for the continuation of PSP for RCF. The industry intends to continue the PSP and look for ways to enhance its impact on reducing workplace exposures to airborne fiber.
Product stewardship for RCF has a 15-year proven track record of success. This comprehensive risk management strategy has given birth to new control technologies, modified handling practices, new fiber chemistries, a better understanding of workplace exposures to airborne fiber, and scientific discoveries that advance our understanding of the potential biological impacts of fiber exposure. Certainly, PSP for RCF can best be described as a work in progress, as future developments help us understand how to minimize the potential risks associated with workplace exposures to airborne RCF.


Micah Singleton is the founder and editor-in-chief of CE: The Magazine. He is a journalist whose work has appeared on TIME.com, Yahoo, Mashable, NBC News, Today.com, ReadWrite and more. In 2013, he was cited by The Huffington Post Senior Editor Craig Kanalley as a rising star and part of the future of journalism.
Is a Software Patent Worth the Time and Effort?


text:
package uk.co.listpoint.contextmap;

import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessType;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessorType;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAttribute;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlType;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlValue;

/**
 *
Java class for FullName6Structure complex type.
 *
 *
The following schema fragment specifies the expected content contained within this class.
 *
 *

 * <complexType name="FullName6Structure">
 *   <simpleContent>
 *     <extension base="<http://www.listpoint.co.uk/schemas/v6>ObjectName6Type">
 *       <attribute name="version" type="{http://www.listpoint.co.uk/schemas/v6}VerNum6Type" />
 *     </extension>
 *   </simpleContent>
 * </complexType>
 *

 *
 *
 */
@XmlAccessorType(XmlAccessType.FIELD)
@XmlType(name = "FullName6Structure", namespace = "http://www.listpoint.co.uk/schemas/v6", propOrder = {
    "value"
})
public class FullName6Structure2 {

    @XmlValue
    protected String value;
    @XmlAttribute(name = "version")
    protected String version;

    /**
     * Gets the value of the value property.
     *
     * @return
     *     possible object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public String getValue() {
        return value;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the value of the value property.
     *
     * @param value
     *     allowed object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public void setValue(String value) {
        this.value = value;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the value of the version property.
     *
     * @return
     *     possible object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public String getVersion() {
        return version;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the value of the version property.
     *
     * @param value
     *     allowed object is
     *     {@link String }
     *
     */
    public void setVersion(String value) {
        this.version = value;
    }

}


The eight attached Greek Revival row houses of Linden Row are reputed to be the last survivors of a series of rows built on Franklin Street between c. 1840 and c. 1860. They are distinguished examples of their style and housed some of Richmond's most prominent citizens and influential families. In 1839, James Fleming bought the site on which they sit. In 1847, he built a row of five houses he called "Linden Square" after the linden trees planted in Charles Ellis' garden. Ellis and his business partner John Allan had previously owned the property on which they created a beautiful garden. Allan and his wife were the adoptive parents of Edgar Poe, who during his childhood played in the garden with the Allan children. The author later referred to the property as Ellison, and local legend has it that this was the "enchanted garden" that Edgar Allan Poe mentions in his famous poem "To Helen."
Samuel and Alexander Rutherford built five additional houses to complete the remainder of the row, after they purchased the western end of the block in 1853. Just before and during the Civil War (1861-65), D. Lee Powell's school, the Southern Female Institute, occupied the two most western houses. Virginia Pegram, widow of General James Pegram the famous Mexican war hero, ran another noted girls school, Mrs. Pegram's school, on the row from 1856 to1866. For many years before and after the war, Linden Row was the home of some of Richmond's most prominent citizens: Dr. William H. Scott, a well-known druggist; Major Robert Stiles, a distinguished jurist and former officer on the staff of Robert E. Lee; Mary Johnston, noted novelist; and the Mayo, Montague, and Tompkins families. From 1895 to 1906, the highly respected school of Miss Virginia Randolph Ellet, now known as St. Catherine's School, was on the row. Among its early pupils were Irene Langhorne Gibson ("The Gibson Girl") and Lady Astor, the first female member of the British Parliament.
Collectively, Linden Row is one of Richmond's finest examples of Greek Revival architecture and a superb Greek Revival row. Each of the houses is three stories high with a basement. They have thin-jointed red brick exteriors, matching Doric entrance porticos, granite window lintels, and a simple wood cornice that runs the entire length of the attached façades. In 1922, the two easternmost houses were demolished to make room for the Medical Arts office building, as the city's central business district grew westward. The remaining houses on the row were rezoned for business use sometime before 1950, and their interiors were reconfigured to be used for offices and apartments.
Around 1950, noted Richmond preservationist Mary Wingfield Scott began buying up the remaining buildings of Linden Row to ensure their future preservation. In 1971, Linden Row was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1980, Ms. Scott donated the row to Historic Richmond Foundation, which to this day holds easements that are intended to protect and maintain the architectural integrity of the buildings.
Linden Row is located at 100-114 E. Franklin St. and is now an inn with accommodations and facilities for gatherings. Free tours of the rooms are available on request. For information on accommodations, arranging for an event or gathering, or seeing the inn, call 804-783-7000 or visit the Linden Row Inn website. Linden Row has been documented by the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey.


text:
Q: What is the difference between sing for / sing to me? Currently i am reading a book called 'Lick' by Kylie Scott
I came across the above phrases on pg 89 - 90 where the lead character asks this question or uses expression in the following ways - that are

*

*Will you sing for me ?

*Did you sing to me that night ?

*Please sing me a song ?

I was wondering what's the difference in those.

A: There is very little difference.
In the case of sing for, the singer may simply be singing aloud; the singing is not necessarily directed at the listener, it just fills the environment.
In the case of sing to, the singer is singing directly at the listener.


Celebrate National Lollypop Day with See's Candies! Stop by a See's shop today (Wed July 20th) for a FREE lollypop!
See's Lollypop is gourmet candy-on-a-stick that's fun to eat, lasts longer than regular chocolates and is every bit as rich and tasty. Candy fanciers of all ages love these unique square lollypops made from heavy cream, butter, and flavors of real vanilla, Colombian coffee, smooth chocolate and rich butterscotch.
Plus, be sure to enter the National Lollypop Day Sweepstakes for a chance to win a VIP Tour of the See's San Francisco Lollypop and Chocolate Factories (includes tour and roundtrip airfare for two from within the 50 States to San Francisco and 4 nights hotel accommodation in downtown San Francisco). Or win a First Prize of one of ten $50 See's Gift Cards.
Don't miss this special one day lollypop tasting event!


The driver is in full charge of the bus and students. Students are expected to listen to and obey the driver promptly and courteously.
Students should load and leave the bus in an orderly manner.
Students must also have written permission to get off the bus at a stop other than their regular one. Parents must give the office a written request for a student who does not normally ride the bus to school.