text:
To accomplish the GBD goal of estimating the burden of all diseas
Posted on September 30, 2018 by plap4049
To accomplish the GBD goal of estimating the burden of all diseases, it is first essential to improve primary data collection through establishment selleck chemical of nationally representative or population-based sampling sources and accessible databases (including
non-English and gray literature). For hepatitis C specifically, the burden of disease that is currently being estimated using the data presented in this study is hoped to further inform and empower advocates and policymakers to accelerate progress in global prevention and treatment of HCV infections. The fact that global anti-HCV prevalence is increasing requires a global response for renewed efforts in primary prevention, including vaccine development, as well as new approaches to secondary and tertiary prevention to reduce the burden of chronic liver disease and to improve survival of those who already have evidence of liver disease. We thank Don Ward and his team who abstracted the studies. We thank Erica Din, Craig Lammert, Gail Bang, and Melissa Creary for searching, abstracting, and organizing data. We thank Claire Preaud, Johan Lemarchand, Zaki Hanafiah, and Sandra Garnier for
providing support for the prevalence graphs and mapping, and Gretchen Stevens for technical insight in the use of DisMod III. Financial support was made possible through the Global Hepatitis this website Prevention Cooperative. Agreement between the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the World ERK inhibitor Health Organization, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and by an appointment to the Research Participation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and CDC. K.M.H. Conducted data analysis and prepared the article; S.W. designed the study, supervised the study, and edited the article; J.G. Designed and led systematic search of articles and edited the article; A.F. Conducted data analysis and edited the article; all authors have read and approved the final article. "
"The term "translational research" is commonly used to describe efforts made toward bridging the gap between discoveries made at "the bench" to the patient's "bedside" by moving basic discoveries into a candidate health application such as the production of a new treatment or diagnostic test, which is typically assessed in clinical trials. However, the benefits of therapies and diagnostic tests observed in those studies are often reduced once they are implemented in clinical practice.
The purpose of this study is to propose a robotic colonoscopy for
The purpose of this study is to propose a robotic colonoscopy for patients infected by highly virulent contagious disease or patients in remote site where medical care is not possible. Methods: A slave robot was developed to hold the colonoscopy instead of endoscopist. This slave robot performs insertion, rolling motion, and two steering motions of the distal end of the flexible endoscope. Also a master robot was developed to teach motions of selleckchem the slave robot. In order to provide the endoscopist with haptic feeling, the insertion force and the rotating torque were measured and feedback
to the master robot. Results: The endoscopist performed the master-slave robotic colonoscopy using a colon phantom. One endoscopist and two engineers participated in the robotic colonoscopy. The task completion time was comparable to conventional colonoscopy and gets decreased as they repeat the test. The haptic function was also helpful to feel the constrained force or torque inside colon. Conclusion: This work proposed a robotic approach for colonoscopy and this robotic device would be effective to perform colonoscopy for patients
in remote sites. Key Word(s): 1. see more Robotic colonoscopy; 2. robotics; 3. colonoscopy; 4. minimally invasive therapy Presenting Author: LORD BYRON CORRAL Additional Authors: CAROLINE LIM, EVAN ONG, ALEXANDER UY, JO ANNE KHOW, CHEN PEN LIM, ODESSA BAYANI, ALMIDA REODICA Corresponding Author: LORD BYRON CORRAL Affiliations: Metropolitan Medical Center, Metropolitan Medical Center, Metropolitan Medical Center, Metropolitan Medical Center, Metropolitan Medical Center, Philippine Children's Medical Center, Philippine Children's Medical Center Objective: The presence of air bubbles, mucus and foam in
the stomach and duodenum impairs adequate evaluation of the mucosa. This can result in missed lesions, longer endoscopy procedure time and increased patient discomfort. Methods: This was a prospective study conducted at the Metropolitan Medical Center Endoscopy Unit from July to October 2013. Adult patients for upper endoscopy were included. All patients fasted for at least check details 4–6 hours. Patients were consecutively assigned to either Group A: standard fast; Group B: 30 ml of water; and Group C: 30 ml of water plus 1 ml of liquid simethicone. For Groups B and C, all drinks were taken 15–30 minutes before the procedure. During endoscopy, the antrum, the upper gastric body, the lower gastric body, the gastric fundus and the duodenum were evaluated for mucosal visibility using the mucosal visibility score. The volume of water flushed and total procedure time were measured and recorded. Results: A total of 150 patients were included in the study. The gastric and duodenal mucosal visibility was significantly better in the simethicone group (p < 0.001). The volume of water flushed was significantly less in the simethicone group compared with the NPO group (p < 0.05) and the water group (p < 0.01).
61 What is now needed are studies addressing the pathogenesis of
61 What is now needed are studies addressing the pathogenesis of SIBO that is found in a proportion of patients with IBS, clinical parameters that predict its occurrence and efficacy of treatment of SIBO in relieving symptoms or curing IBS. We believe that the Western criteria of the peak in breath hydrogen value of 20 ppm above basal within 90 min of ingestion of selleck chemicals lactulose during lactulose HBT for diagnosis
of SIBO in Asia is inappropriate; available data from the region show that mouth-to-cecum transit time is often shorter than 90-min. Glucose hydrogen breath test with estimation of methane may be used instead. Post-infective malabsorption syndrome should be excluded by appropriate investigations before a diagnosis of PI-IBS is made, because symptom-based criteria may be fallacious in such situations. Particular attention should be given to diagnose malabsorption syndrome and SIBO in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS in Asia. Studies from non-Asian countries showed that Giardia lamblia infection could lead to development
of functional bowel disease, including IBS.62 In a study from Norway, structured interview and questionnaires given 12–30 months after the onset of Giardia infection revealed that 66 of 82 (81%) patients had symptoms of IBS according to Rome II criteria.62 Diarrhea-predominant IBS was the commonest subtype (47%).62 A few other studies from non-Asian countries showed similar findings.63–65 In a study from Thailand, SRT1720 however, the frequency of detection of parasites among 59 patients with IBS diagnosed by Rome II criteria was comparable with the frequency among the control group.66 However, this study had a case-control design with a small sample size, which might have resulted in type II statistical error. In general, persistent infection with
Giardia is expected to cause chronic diarrhea, irregular bowel movement and abdominal discomfort, which may be diagnosed as IBS by a symptom-based criterion. However, there are scanty data from Asian countries where this infection is expected to be more common. For example, a study on 78 members from 15 families from rural India revealed that all except two (97%) selleck shed parasites in the stool as detected by microscopy on alternate days for one month, and 42 (54%) showed Giardia.67 Hence, more studies evaluating the role of Giardia lamblia in Asia are needed. Association of Giardia infection and IBS would be of importance even in non-Asian countries due to the high frequency of giardiasis (5.3 of 100 000) in travelers returning from endemic areas.68 Highest frequencies have been noted among travelers returning from the Indian Subcontinent (628 of 100 000), East Africa (358 of 100 000), and West Africa (169 of 100 000).
The intensity of headaches pre- and post-operatively were recorde
The intensity of headaches pre- and post-operatively were recorded by utilizing the visual analog scale scale and performing analysis with analysis of variance test comparison and Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Average follow-up was 30 months. Results.— Our overall success rate approximated 83% while the complete cure rate was 11%. Patients in group 4 achieved the best results. In this group all diagnostic criteria were positive. In addition,
patient responses were statistically significant in groups with more than one positive criteria compared with group 1 who only had positive examination. The positive response of 14 migrainous patients diagnosed with migraine AZD6244 order prior to treatment was 64%. Conclusion.— Surgery in specific cases of headaches with more positive evidence of contact point could be successful, particularly if medical therapy has failed. "
"Objective.— In this study, we evaluated the influence of sex and estrogen treatment on nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced neuronal activation in the rat brain. Background.— Systemic NTG activates cerebral nuclei of rat involved in nociceptive transmission, as well
as in neuroendocrine and autonomic functions. These changes are considered relevant for migraine, since NTG Copanlisib mw consistently induces spontaneous-like attacks in migraineurs. Methods.— Intact and castrated male and female rats, and castrated female rats treated with estradiol benzoate (or placebo) were injected with NTG and sacrificed after 4 hours. Rats were perfused, and their brains were processed for Fos protein, a marker of neuronal activation. Results.— Data showed a reduced expression of NTG-induced Fos protein in the paraventricular nucleus
(PVH), supraoptic nucleus (SON), and nucleus trigeminalis caudalis (SPVC) of male rats in comparison with female rats. Furthermore, in castrated female rats, NTG-induced neuronal activation was reduced in PVH, SON, central nucleus of the amygdala (AMI), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), area postrema (AP), and SPVC, while in castrated male rats Fos expression was reduced uniquely in the SPVC. Chronic administration of estrogens restored Fos protein expression in PVH, SON, AMI, NTS, AP, and SPVC in castrated female rats. Conclusion.— These data provide a support for the existence of a sexual dimorphism in NTG-induced neuronal activation, and they prompt a specific check details model for evaluating and modulating the influence of estrogens upon the cerebral structures implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine. "
"Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a frequent complication of lumbar puncture, performed for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes or accidentally, as a complication of epidural anesthesia. As PDPH can be disabling, clinicians who perform these procedures should be familiar with strategies for preventing this disorder. Since the best preventative measures sometimes fail, clinicians should also be familiar with the therapeutic approaches for PDPH.
patient responses were statistically significant in groups with more than one positive criteria compared with group 1 who only had positive examination. The positive response of 14 migrainous patients diagnosed with migraine Small molecule library prior to treatment was 64%. Conclusion.— Surgery in specific cases of headaches with more positive evidence of contact point could be successful, particularly if medical therapy has failed. "
as in neuroendocrine and autonomic functions. These changes are considered relevant for migraine, since NTG Decitabine consistently induces spontaneous-like attacks in migraineurs. Methods.— Intact and castrated male and female rats, and castrated female rats treated with estradiol benzoate (or placebo) were injected with NTG and sacrificed after 4 hours. Rats were perfused, and their brains were processed for Fos protein, a marker of neuronal activation. Results.— Data showed a reduced expression of NTG-induced Fos protein in the paraventricular nucleus
(PVH), supraoptic nucleus (SON), and nucleus trigeminalis caudalis (SPVC) of male rats in comparison with female rats. Furthermore, in castrated female rats, NTG-induced neuronal activation was reduced in PVH, SON, central nucleus of the amygdala (AMI), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), area postrema (AP), and SPVC, while in castrated male rats Fos expression was reduced uniquely in the SPVC. Chronic administration of estrogens restored Fos protein expression in PVH, SON, AMI, NTS, AP, and SPVC in castrated female rats. Conclusion.— These data provide a support for the existence of a sexual dimorphism in NTG-induced neuronal activation, and they prompt a specific selleck chemical model for evaluating and modulating the influence of estrogens upon the cerebral structures implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine. "
In addition to the short CRF summary, a succinct case summary cal
In addition to the short CRF summary, a succinct case summary called the clinical narrative was completed by the study investigator who enrolled the subject. The narrative provided detailed information on the history and chronology of the illness with dates of drug initiation and liver disease onset, pertinent features of the liver disease, and the time to improvement or recovery. The narrative also included information on past use of the implicated agent and significant concomitant drugs, the past medical history, Selleck 5-Fluoracil the extent of alcohol use, whether there had been an episode of hypotension, and information
on the course of the illness, including BGB324 ic50 hospitalization, a history of hepatic decompensation or organ failure, and death or liver transplantation. Finally, the investigator provided a rationale for ascribing the event to a specific medication or medications without offering
a personal view on the estimated strength of the association. The CRF summary and clinical narrative were first assessed by the DCC for consistency and omissions and, after approval, were forwarded to three reviewers, including the submitting investigator and two members of the DILIN causality committee from other sites. The three reviewers each worked independently, without knowledge of who the other two were or what scores they awarded. The
two nonsubmitting reviewers were selected in rotation from the full causality committee, which consisted of principal investigators and coprincipal investigators from the five clinical sites and the DCC and check details project officers and scientific advisors from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (see Appendix 1 in the supporting information). All the reviewers were hepatologists with experience in evaluating DILI. All contributed to the design of the study and, from the outset, participated in an in-depth discussion of the issues related to hepatotoxicity and in fashioning the DILIN causality process through frequent conference calls, e-mail communications, and face-to-face meetings. This allowed for the thorough evaluation of the scoring systems and ended in the development of standard operating procedures for both the DILIN system and RUCAM. The RUCAM standard operating procedure was generated after one of its originators was contacted for clarification purposes and with a broad examination of relevant literature. Thereafter, experience was gained by frequent discussion of representative examples of DILI and by re-review of specific cases.
Moreover, paired queens were nearly twice as productive as single
Moreover, paired queens were nearly twice as productive as single queens; given that individual queens are limited in their maximal contribution
to offspring biomass by their own fat and muscle reserves, this suggests that both queens contribute to brood care despite their unequal genetic contributions to the offspring. Thus, even in the absence of adaptation to social colony founding, the 'default' character of these queen groups includes a rudimentary form of two of the three essential features of eusociality: reproductive selleckchem division of labor and cooperative brood care. Self-organization can produce division of labor via a number of different mechanisms, which vary in the how individuals interact with their environment and one another. Intrinsic variation in stimulus response thresholds, for example,
can result in specialization if the task stimulus induces the lower threshold individual to initiate the behavior sooner than the higher threshold individual, resulting in a feedback loop as task performance by that individual further reduces the task stimulus encountered by the other (Page Jr & Mitchell, 1991; Page Jr & Robinson, 1991). Previous work on excavation specialization in P. barbatus queen associations was consistent with this mechanism (Fewell & Page Jr, 1999): which queen would become the excavation specialist could be predicted by their excavation propensities selleck screening library when alone, and the primary this website change in behavior when groups were formed was the cessation of excavation by the lower frequency queen. Similarly, we found that the primary change in excavation behavior when pairs were formed was task reduction by one of the two queens; in c. 40% of cases, one queen performed little to no excavation
(Supporting Information Fig. S1), an exceedingly rare rate of task performance in solitary queens. In addition to a response threshold mechanism, we also found evidence that interindividual social interactions may play a role in mediating excavation role. As expected for queens that typically repel conspecifics from their nest site, forcing queens into a restricted shared nesting space led to aggressive displays in the majority of nests. Importantly, aggressive behaviors were often asymmetrically performed, and the 'winner' of these agonistic interactions was more likely to become the excavation specialist. It is likely that agonistic interactions reinforce existing propensity differences, leading to more extreme task specialization. Aggressive interactions tended to produce spatial segregation of queens within the arena, as losers of encounters tended to avoid the winner, either remaining immobile on the soil surface or attempting to enter the incipient nest.
The role of PTEN in the HCV-induced biogenesis of lipid droplets
The role of PTEN in the HCV-induced biogenesis of lipid droplets was further investigated in vitro with hepatoma cells transduced with the HCV core protein of genotype 1b or 3a. Our data indicate that PTEN expression was down-regulated at the posttranscriptional level in steatotic patients infected with genotype
3a. Similarly, the in vitro expression of the HCV genotype 3a core protein (but not 1b), typically leading to the appearance of large lipid droplets, down-regulated PTEN expression by a mechanism involving a microRNA-dependent blockade of PTEN messenger RNA translation. PTEN down-regulation promoted in turn a reduction of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) expression. Interestingly, either PTEN or IRS1 overexpression prevented the development of large lipid droplets, and this indicates that the down-regulation of both PTEN and IRS1 is required to affect the biogenesis
HM781-36B mw of lipid droplets. However, IRS1 knockdown per se did not alter the morphology of lipid droplets, and this suggests that other PTEN-dependent mechanisms are involved in this process. Conclusion: The down-regulation of PTEN and IRS1 is a critical event leading to the HCV genotype 3a–induced formation of large lipid droplets in hepatocytes. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;) Metabolic syndrome and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are major causes of progressive liver disease.1 Interestingly, these two conditions share some clinical and histological features, such as insulin resistance (IR), hepatic steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis.2 In addition, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a potential Navitoclax mouse end-stage complication of both disorders.3 Abnormal signaling through the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN)/Akt pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of liver manifestations associated with metabolic syndrome, that is, nonalcoholic fatty selleck products liver disease (NAFLD) and HCC.4 The deregulated expression/activity of PTEN, a potent regulator of PI3K signaling in hepatocytes, importantly contributes to the occurrence of NAFLD and HCC.5 Indeed, liver-specific PTEN knockout mice
spontaneously develop NAFLD and HCC.6, 7 In agreement with these studies, PTEN expression is down-regulated in steatotic livers of obese human subjects and in fatty livers of rodent models.8 We have further demonstrated that fatty acids cause hepatic steatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and aberrant cell proliferation through the down-regulation of PTEN expression.8-10 Finally, PTEN is a well-established tumor suppressor that is frequently mutated/deleted in human cancers, including HCC.11, 12 Thus, it is tempting to speculate that the expression or function of PTEN may also be altered in HCV infections and may contribute to the development of steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. HCV induces steatosis, especially in individuals infected with HCV genotype 3,13 and this phenomenon has been reproduced experimentally.
The data obtained were evaluated by the log-rank test Univariate
The data obtained were evaluated by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were performed to identify variables that independently associated with HCC development. Variables with P < 0.1 in univariate analysis were included in a backward stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v. 16 software (Chicago, IL). Unless otherwise stated, P < 0.05 was considered statistically
significant. The sequence data reported in this article have been deposited in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank ICG-001 manufacturer nucleotide sequence databases with the accession numbers AB719460 through AB719842. The clinical characteristics of HCC and control groups are shown in Table 1. The HCC group had significantly higher titers of ALT,
AST, and AFP, and higher fibrosis staging score than that of the control group. There was no significant difference in viremia titers between the two groups. HCV core protein sequences were obtained from all (49/49) and 94% (94/100) of pre-HCC and control patients' sera, respectively. Comparative sequence analysis revealed that 22 (45%) of 49 HCV isolates in the pre-HCC sera (pre-HCC isolates) and 59 (63%) of 94 HCV isolates from the control group (control Dabrafenib in vitro isolates) had wild-core (Arg70/Leu91) (Table 2). The difference between HCC and control groups was hovering at a statistically significant level (P = 0.05). When the sequence pattern at position 70 alone was examined, a stronger association with HCC was observed. We found that
21 (43%) of 49 pre-HCC isolates had Gln70 while only 13 (14%) of 94 control isolates did (P = 0.0002). On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between sequence pattern at position 91 and HCC. Thus, a single mutation at position 70 (Gln70) was the only polymorphic factor within core protein that was significantly associated with HCC development. It should be noted that there was no significant selleck kinase inhibitor correlation between Gln70 and the degree of fibrosis progression (data not shown). Sequences of NS3 serine protease domain (aa 1027 to 1146) were obtained from 94% (46/49) and 93% (93/100) of pre-HCC and control isolates, respectively. We found that 29 (63%) of 46 pre-HCC isolates had Tyr and Gln at positions 1082 and 1112, respectively (Tyr1082/Gln1112), while 39 (42%) of 93 control isolates did (Table 2). The difference in the proportion between pre-HCC and control isolates was statistically significant (P = 0.029). On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between Tyr1082/Gln1112 and the degree of fibrosis progression (data not shown). NS5A protein sequences were obtained from 92% (45/49) and 74% (74/100) of pre-HCC and control isolates, respectively. Twenty-four (53%) of 45 pre-HCC isolates had IRRDR of 6 or more mutations (IRRDR≥6) while only 15 (20%) of 74 control isolates did (Table 2; P = 0.0003).
e decreasing pain, swelling and warmth, but secondarily to achie
e. decreasing pain, swelling and warmth, but secondarily to achieve the functional level the PWH had prior to the last bleed [95]. This will be reached step-by-step, using
functional milestones, a method introduced recently in haemophilia care. Selleckchem FK228 This method originates from regaining functional independence after hip fractures and is totally focused on the perspective of the patient [96]. This means, for example, that a PWH will make small steps from being restricted to bed-rest to reaching full daily functioning, and each step in the process will be marked by exercises needed to perform the activities required to advance to the next stage. Physiotherapy following chronic conditions such as synovitis and haemophilic arthropathy also starts from setting functional goals. This time achievements Nivolumab manufacturer are limited by the loss of flexibility, strength, proprioception, balance and aerobic capacity. This process evolves slowly [97], so optimizing all of these items is not a goal in itself, but a means
to reach an optimal functional level for that particular PWH. Functional goals reached should be stabilized, so that the PWH is aware of, and capable of maintaining this level over an extended period of time. If not, the conditions need to be readdressed. Practically put, the best way to view this method is similar to the manner in which one learns a new sport: you practise those skills you want to become proficient in performing. An example would be using the sport-specific activity of throwing darts as a functional exercise in the rehabilitation of an elbow joint. Alternatively, one may use occupational tasks to achieve the same results. find more With a patient who has developed adaptive muscle shortening in the upper extremity, using reaching tasks at work allows a significant degree of functional success to be maintained,
while therapeutically addressing the established pathology. It should be noted, however, that precautions need to be taken when utilizing this approach because of the difficulty of monitoring whether or not susceptible tissues such as synovium or cartilage are being negatively impacted by end-range repetitive micro-trauma. One method of addressing this potential problem is to apply a hinged, lockable brace that prevents potentially damaging close-packed positions of the joints from being reached. As the level of tissue irritation subsides, greater amounts of movement may be allowed by adjusting the position of the ROM lock. These braces though useful, are not always available, can be costly and never eliminate the responsibility of the therapist to closely monitor the effects of the exercise programme. To measure progression in an objective way is of the utmost importance. In acute situations measurements are mostly performed as ROM and circumference of a joint, and strength of an extremity. Regarding function, one often asks the PWH about their physical activity level prior to the last bleed.
Exocrine Pancreas Malfunction throughout Type 1 Diabetes.


This years show featured a fine new layout on the Turntable: a 3 track L shaped layout featuring Mike's yard, and Carl's new crossover modules. The layout was designed by Executive Assistant Trackmaster Ed Beaver. This year was also the first use of the Maryland Power Cabinet at the B&O.
Setup was a snap, no problems, we started at 7AM and were running at 11:00 AM when the museum opened. We had lots of help from everyone with modules: Ed Beaver, Bill Hakkarinen, Harold Pavelka, Ralph Fox, Carl Condon, Tim Minor, Fred Koester, Dave Sealing, and some that just came to help: George Tsakiris, Frank and Giovanni Coneglio, Mika and Matt Milburn, Chuck Pestacchi, Tommy Johns, Doug List, and Barry Sheehe.
The layout featured some really nice holiday decorated modules from Ralph Fox, Harold Pavelka (nice Bridge), and others.
Show Days were split between myself, XO Ed Beaver and Deputy Trackmaster Carl Condon.
Staffing was adequate to great, with plenty of run time for everyone due to the 3 tracks. The Legacy and DCS and Power Cabinet worked well. One big improvement was the range on the Legacy remote was greatly expanded from 30 feet last year to over 100 feet this year due to the new antennae on the Power Module. Crowds were good but not as heavy as in the early years.
Operation was smooth all week. The combination of Mike's yard and Carl's crossovers gave us for the the first time the ability to stage trains in the yard, and then move them out to any of the three loops, which was fun and made crew changes faster.
Many times we had two trains on each loop, running 6 trains at once was quite a sight.
We had lots of runners drop in to run: Andrew Israel, Ben Saxe, Matt Flanagan, Fred Rossmark, Garrett and Ben Goldtein, Frank and Giovanni Coneglio, Tommy Johns, Steve Gobel, Doug List, and Phil Barbara among others.
Free Cab rides on the Museum train were offered and many of us took advantage of it. The Museum had some very nice new decorations and looked great. Staff treated us well bringing us tables and chairs, and getting Trackers to the Cab rides when requested.
Special thanks to Dave Sealing for transporting Crash 2 to and from the show.
Take down went well, the museum closed at 4PM and we were on the road by 5:45PM.
Many Thanks to all the participants and helpers, we could not have done it without you. I hope to see you all back at the B&O next year.
December 17, 2014 By Joe H.
November 30, 2014 By Joe H.
November 10, 2014 By Joe H.
November 8 & 9 brought the Trackers back to the Rockville Senior Center to participate in the 24th Annual Rockville Lions Club Benefit train show. This is a very fun, small show that hosts various clubs from around the metropolitan area to showcase their layouts and trains to the public. This is a very family oriented show – and lots of fun and is a watershed event for the Trackers, being the very first public display event the Trackers participated in and the show that got me to join the Trackers almost 10 years ago.
In addition to the Trackers, railroads in Lego, Z, N, HO, G, and Standard gauges were all present, in addition to the Loco Doctor. It was particularly nice to see many new displays and modules by many of the clubs – the Z gauge club in particular, had a very nice airport and runway, ski slope, and wind turbines. In addition, being fascinated with intricate and somewhat unsual track designs (don't ask me why…) I was particularly interested in the dual gauge trackage on the HO layout. N scale and HO rails on the same track. Cool stuff! Ed Beaver also lead the building of a Standard Gauge railroad in the adjacent sunroom. With Trackmaster George Tsakiris as our leader, we filled the room with a nice sized oval layout. I also offered to be the Assistant Trackmaster and George willingly accepted the idea (…..not sure what he was thinking….). Overall, I think the event went well and everyone had fun and plenty of run time. In past years, a large accordion style room divider wall and fish tank limited out room even further but with those removed, we were able to "spread out" a bit more.
In addition, Mike Fistere Martin Dougherty and his son, Rick Eudy, new member Ron Tucker, Andrew Israel and his boys, Jack Frost and his grandson, Bob Easton, Dave Eadie, and new member Dave Malmquist all joined the fun. Special thanks to Dave Sealing and his wife for towing the trailer to the show and assisting with set up in addition to Jeff Talaga for taking the trailer home. If I missed anyone, my most sincere apologies.
Operationally, the layout ran well. Two minor issue – a poor repair from a previous show to the ground on the Geezer Gate. Thanks to Jeff for properly fixing it. Second, on Sunday morning, the inner conventional loop totally stopped. We tried resetting the transformers, followed the published instructions included with the power cabinet, and more minor troubleshooting tactics. Jeff Talaga dug out his multimeter and found power going in to the TIU Variable channel but nothing coming out. My personal hunch is the internal fuse on the TIU channel blew but I'm not an expert and I'll leave further investigation to the experts – I'm not touching the power cabinet! Of course, this doesn't include some distracted engineers, particularly our Trackmaster who may have been talking instead of paying attention, and happily plowed into the back of the Assistant Trackmaster's train. No damage, just some bruised pride and we were quickly back to runnin' in circles all afternoon. This was the first Rockville show the power cabinet was used and was overall extremely beneficial in operation and set up thanks to everything being built in.
Also on Sunday, Tracker Mike Fistere brought over his beautiful 1934 Packard Roadster. Chuck, Mike and myself took it to lunch Sunday. What a beautiful car. Thanks to Mike for letting us enjoy it with him. Word is if you tell him how nice of a car it is a certain number of times, he lets you borrow it for a weekend or two. See Mike for further details…..
This being a show where many questions of "how to we get a train set", "where to buy", etc are asked by the public, I had the idea of setting up and "intro to O Gauge" poster. I tried to make it as informative and easy to read as I could but unfortunately couldn't fit everything. I can see this expanding in the future. In addition, Paul Johnson of Catoctin Mountain Trains generously donated to me boxes of MTH and Lionel Train Set and Signature Catalogs as well as business cards attached to each catalog. I'm happy to report many excited kids, young and old, took catalogs home and hopefully the display inspired them to get into the hobby or dust off their old trains from years past. See below for photos of the display on Saturday morning. By Sunday, about 7 boxes of catalogs were gone. Only a handful came back home with me.
Thanks to all that participated. As always, it was a LOT of fun and I look forward to next year!
September 15, 2014 By Joe H.
This was the first time we have had a show at Children's Hospital. The Show was a one day show with setup from 0800 to 1000 and shutdown at 1600. The reaction from the audience and the club members was unanimous that it was a successful show. We are planning on a return to this venue in March or April 2015 with a two day event.
All nine participants had plenty of run time. In addition to the eight club members listed below, Eli Berkowitz (13 years old) was invited to participate as a guest engineer running the Thomas trains. He also provided the scenery on one of the corners. Eli has been a patient or Children's on a number of occasions. His mother Michelle was instrumental in us holding the show there.
The arrival went smoothly although the drive in for many of the members was a bit long. Checking in with the Security force was simple and required just showing a drivers license. The loading dock was on the first floor, the same as the show space, so it was a simple trip thru some wide corridors to the space. We had the layout complete and the first train running at 1000. It was actually 1030 when we had completed the scenery.
We used a simple rectangle with wide radius corners, the Geezer Gate and the two 2 foot bridges. Attached is the layout drawing.
Since this was a new venue and we weren't sure how difficult it would be to get there or to set up, we used a minimalist approach on the scenery (i.e. simple stuff easily setup and taken down with only a buildings. There was a coffee bar within 15 feet of us and a very nice cafeteria on the second floor for snacks and lunch.
The member vehicles, other that the tow vehicle and club trailer, were all parked in the attached parking garage. The parking was paid for by the hospital. The tow vehicle and trailer were left near the loading dock for the day.
One final note, one of the audience approached Regis about doing a show at another healthcare facility in the District. She left her contact information so we will investigate that further.
June 29, 2014 By Joe H.


Injured by a Coworker, Do You Have Legal Options?
If You're Injured by a Coworker, Do You Have Legal Options?
Workers compensation insurance can typically pay for injuries caused by coworkers, but there are many factors at play. The context of the moment before the injury, the exact nature of the coworker's behavior, the conditions of the workplace itself and other elements can all affect whether workers' compensation is available or if another source of damages recovery must be used.
Since these issues can get quite complex, getting hurt by a coworker can sometimes require the expertise of a workers compensation lawyer to decipher the factors at play and determine how the injury victim can best go about seeking restitution. What follows are just some of the aspects they must consider.
If the injury victim and coworker were engaged in work at the time, the injury should be covered by worker's compensation. The aim of workers compensation is to provide a "grand bargain" where all work-related injuries are covered in exchange for immunity from civil action, so the nature of the injurious incident typically does not come into play as long as it is work-related.
Therefore, even if a coworker could have possibly avoided the incident, the workplace ultimately assumes liability under their workers' comp policy. This coverage is nullified, though, if the circumstances were not technically work-related.
For example, if an altercation arises over a personal dispute over the weekend related to non-work related matters, the resulting injury would be the result of a non-work-related issue. However, if the dispute arose from something directly related to work duties, such as who got to use the only meat slicer first, then the injury may potentially be covered under workers' comp.
Other instances that could count as non-work-related include injuries that happen during clock-out breaks and injuries that happen as a result of employee horseplay, such as using office chairs and brooms to joust one another. While workplace conditions may have enabled the injury to happen, damages may have to be recovered from a source other than the workers' compensation policy.
Notify a supervisor or manager immediately. Workers' comp claims require immediate notice in order to correct the possible danger and take steps to treat your injury.
Document your injury. Take a picture of the injury sites as well as a picture of any objects or environmental hazards involved. You should also document in writing the non-visible aspects of an injury, including the pain you feel, how your mobility is limited and medical treatment, like pain medication, you have received. You will need clear details later on to document your claim, and the last thing you want is inconsistencies, so write everything down while it is still fresh.
File a work injury accident report. Your job should have accident claims forms on site and you can request them from your local workers' compensation board, as well. Try to be as specific as possible with dates, details, the timeline of the incident, anyone involved, the nature of the medical treatment and any other relevant details. Keep a copy for your own purposes.
Make sure you report your injury and file your claim as soon as possible. Some workers' comp plans require you file in as little as 30 days since the injury occurred.
If you have any possible concerns about your claim or are facing a possible claim denial, you can benefit from the guidance and advice of an experienced New Jersey workers' compensation lawyer. Contact the Law Offices of Peter Davis now if you wish to receive a free consultation regarding your claim.


I thought I would be writing this blog weeks ago, but in fact it is a lot harder than it looks and took a considerable amount of time to learn.
But, yesterday evening I finally took three lion fish off the reef at our house Survivor style. It was actually very cool. A new skill set if you will. The lion fish, an invasive species here, has been an issue for the last two years. I have been on dive hunts and captured one in a net with Dinah. They are taken off the reef now almost every recreational dive that I am on.
Over the last few months they have been showing up in our snorkel area. At eighty feet they dont pose a hazard to me. In three feet of water, however, I draw the line. I do not like them at all where my children swim and snorkel. They are more aggressive in shallow depths. The problem is that they have no natural preditors so they fear nothing. No natural preditors until now. They are like an alien species taking over the planet and I am going to go all Master Chief on them.
Last night I steamed them. Everyone complained of being still too full from Alessio's dinner. They were very, very good, however, and were totally consumed within a few short minutes.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Brian Theoret
Dirty Paws
Notes in the Sandbox
time will be on its way when you chase away the day
The story, the music...
"...the perfect blend of alternative, funk and folk for a winter's night." ~ Borders Books
Brian Theoret's sound is subtle mix of Darius Rucker, The Grateful Dead, and Jethro Tull. He takes his Vermont born influences and wears his heart on his sleeve with an Americana Alternative Folk-Funk sound.
Leading up to the release of Chasing Daylight in 2015, Brian's debut album, he spent the last few years playing shows in and around the Fairfield County, CT area taking snippets of his life and those around him and turning them into emotionally charged sketches.
For a year and a half I was the lead singer/songwriter for the band The Barlow Saints but now I'm out on my own singing, playing guitar, looping, recording, mixing and producing. Playing with the Barlow Saints were some of the best times I've ever had playing music and I wouldn't have done it any differently.
Here's how it all started...
I started off as the lead singer of The Phils, as we called ourselves, with my good friend Luke Appleton-Webster on the hand drums. It didn't take long before we realized we really wanted to get some more bottom end on our sound and began the long run towards finding our full lineup.
Andrew Picart I met through a friend and instantly we hit it off with him on guitar and singing harmony vocals. As told by a fan after one of our Fairfield University Bookstore gigs, Drew and I sound like one when we sing and play together and there was nothing more fun than playing music with him.
What can I say about Rob? Rob Rocco is one of the funniest guys I know and being the real character of the group did a lot of stand up in NYC and was always a blast to play music with. As our bass player and backup vocalist, he was always bringing a lot of life to our shows, and was always full of levity.
Unfortunately through Rob moving away, Drew starting a family, and Luke heading off to Berklee School of Music it was time to begin my solo journey.
Being the lead singer of the Barlow Saints really helped me develop more as a singer/songwriter, performer, and musician and although we're no longer together, like I said before, I wouldn't have changed anything for the world.
A little about where I come from...
I grew up in the little town in up state Vermont with its green mountains, rolling fields, cows, and lots of snow. Alongside my two brothers, I always enjoyed Vermont's beautiful four seasons (Winter, Winter, Mud Season and Summer) and always found a way to enjoy every one of those degrees below zero when it was 35 below. Not to make it sound dreary and dull, Vermont really is a beautiful place if you ever get the chance to visit. The winters are cold and snowy, but very beautiful, the summers are hot, the spring and autumn are truly breathtaking. I've never been anywhere else where the people were so warm and inviting. In Vermont I always found something to make me happy and felt like I was at peace. Such is life in Vermont. I miss you old friend...
Back to the Music...
I take my Vermont born influences and pour them into my Americana Alternative Folk-Rock sound that combines an acoustically sweet jam session with the warm toasted loops of my loop-station to make your evening just a little sweeter.
Ever since I first heard my dad sing a tune that I can vaguely remember being called "Dog Named Blue" I remember picking up his old guitar for the first time. I've always been drawn towards music. Some of my biggest influences include Glen Hansard, Josh Ritter, The Civil Wars, The Decemberists, Wilco, Iron and Wine, Martin Sexton, Ray Lamontagne, Damien Rice and Dave Matthews Band with a spattering of Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel, Coldplay, and Bruce Springsteen...
I love to speak to people through my music and find it's sometimes the only way I can really communicate and try and make sense of life. In the end I'm just a man with a guitar, always singing for hope, wearing my blue jeans and Birkenstocks with a necktie in my pocket...an inviting smile inducing dreamer.
Subsribe to see what's going on around here
Photo used under Creative Commons from Yosh the Fishhead

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


With current reports showing that e-readers becoming more popular and e-book sales are on the rise, the future of printed books is in question. Stuart Applebaum, spokesman for Penguin Random House believes "print is here to stay" and I for one hope that he's right.
After casually flipping through some books on the counter at my local book store Mr B's, Bath I spotted something very exciting that offered me hope for the printed book! I flipped to the back page of one of the books and noticed a QR code printed on the inside cover. On closer inspection the book had been marketed as a hybrid book, a new idea from the Brooklyn based independent publisher Melville House.
For those reading who haven't come across them yet, they allow the reader to scan the QR code via a smartphone or a tablet which then links the user to additional information about the text, the author, illustrations etc which Melville House refer to as "illuminations." Seeing this got me very excited about the prospect of a blend between new technology and classic printing!
With the future of the book in question I believe we need to be finding ways to make multimedia products which still promote the printed book market but incorporate new technology in order to create a multidimensional exciting product. "The best publishers going into this transition are the ones that are not trying to change the experience, but are going to create new delivery systems that enhance the experience," says publisher Dennis Johnson. Hybrid books may possibly be a solution to those who wish to advance with current technology but who still relish in the exercise of holding a printed book.


Portland-Beyond-Belief On Sunday, November 30th, 2014, the Beyond Belief AA Group of Portland, Oregon celebrated its first year anniversary. As one of the founders of the group, I am humbly grateful to have been able to evolve with our group members and the support of our District and Assembly trusted servants a viable AA group to serve the needs of We Agnostics, Atheists and Free Thinkers within the AA community of Portland. We hold open AA meetings every Sunday morning at 10:00 am at the Portland Alano Club and welcome all who seek recovery from addiction to alcohol, regardless of belief or non-belief.
A wee bit of background — I went to my first AA meetings in New York City in October of 1972. I describe how I got sober in First AA Meetings, which is posted on the AA Agnostica website. I am forever grateful I found recovery in New York AA, where the prevalent formula for staying sober a day at a time was "Don't Drink, Go to Meetings, Help Others." In 2007, I moved up to Woodstock, NY where I met my wife, Jill, who was 25 years sober, at an ACOA meeting.
We relocated from New York to a small seacoast town in southern Oregon. AA meetings there were vastly different from what we had known in New York. The predominant focus of most meetings was a literal parsing of the Big Book, which in the opinion of most members was just a tad smaller than the biggest book, the Bible. No other AA — and certainly no-non-AA — literature were ever discussed, and the customary practice was to end every meeting with the Lord's Prayer. Jill was scolded at a meeting for dropping "F-bombs," being told that Jesus didn't want that kind of language at AA meetings. For the two years we lived there, we were most grateful to have found the AA Agnostica website. It sustained our recovery in AA, saving our serenity, if not our sobriety!
After two years, we moved further up the coast to be closer to the Portland metropolitan area. Here we've experienced AA to be considerably more open and progressive. Nevertheless, most meetings start with 15 minutes of dogmatically ritualistic readings of the Preamble,"How It Works," the Steps and the Traditions, along with the Daily Reflections or a chapter either from the Big Book or the Twelve and Twelve. Progress, however, is that most meetings end with the Serenity Prayer.
We saw that a "We Agnostics" meeting was listed at the Portland Alano Club, but when we attended the meeting, no one else was there. Since Portland is one of the most progressive and freethinking cities in North America, we were quite surprised. We were told by the Alano Club manager that it hadn't been active for several months. We inquired if we could possibly start another meeting, and he most enthusiastically supported us. Using resource materials from AA Agnostica about how to start a non-believer meeting and in contact with a several folks who had queried AA Agnostica about a meeting in the Portland area, the first meeting was held on December 1, 2013 with five persons in attendance.
By the end of January, we were averaging 5-7 persons attending the meeting and were collecting enough 7th tradition monies to pay our rent with a month's prudent reserve. At our first business meeting in early February, I was elected as GSR of the group and attended the District Meeting in Portland, where I was warmly welcomed by the DCM and other GSRs, who said they would announce our meeting at their groups. I also attended my first Area Assembly and met a number of Oregon Area 58 trusted servants. In late February, we registered our group with GSO through the Area 58 Registrar and in mid-April, we received confirmation from GSO that we were registered as an AA group by GSO with Group Number 711575.
Since we were formally recognized by GSO, we were now ready to approach the General Manager of the Portland Intergroup Office to list our meeting. Over the next several weeks we had several "debates," as he described them, regarding whether or not we were a legitimate AA group. He parroted many of the arguments against us being a legitimate AA group from the infamous White Paper, which was used by ardent theists to persuade Intergroup Offices in Toronto and Vancouver to delist WAAFT meetings. He was emphatic that if we used other than conference-approved literature, we could not be an AA group. Most onerously he suggested, as is advocated in the White Paper, that we form a separate organization apart from AA for agnostics, atheists and free thinkers, similar to what Alcoholics Victorious has done for fundamentalist Christians. He informed me that in order for our group to be listed we would have to submit our group format to be vetted by him and the Intergroup Board to determine if we qualified to be listed as an AA meeting.
that we would be honestly truthful to our Beyond Belief philosophy— we wouldn't "fake it" by reading AA's version of the steps from the Big Book at our meetings, nor would we send a fake format to pass muster with Intergroup.
Later in May I attended another Area 58 Assembly, during which I received strong support again from a number of Assembly trusted servants, including a former General Service Conference delegate. She said she would straighten out the Intergroup General Manager, if he continued to balk listing us as an AA group.
Having not heard back from Intergroup, I called the General Manager concerning our status the week of June 9th. He told me we had been listed online a couple of weeks after he got our format and that our meeting would also appear in the next printing of the meeting list. We were most pleasantly surprised and surmise that either he didn't bother to read our group format or he was persuaded by District and Assembly trusted servants to list us in full accordance with AA's history and traditions that have guided our Fellowship for almost 80 years. Several weeks later, he was most pleased when I gave him a donation from our 7th Tradition funds to support Intergroup activities for alcoholics throughout the Portland area.
By summer's end, our group had expanded to average 10 to 12 members attending each Sunday morning meeting. In late August I commenced on a 7-week long camping trip around the US. Like many bleeding deacons, I initially was concerned that without my being there, the group would dissipate if we didn't elect a permanent secretary for six months. However, the group conscience consensus was that the secretary position would be rotated among group members, including Jill, from week to week. When I returned in early October, average attendance had increased again, making it very crowded in the initial small meeting room we rented from the Alano Club.
At the group business meeting in October, the group decided to negotiate with the Alano Club to move to one of their larger rooms at a substantially increased rent. While I was away at the WAAFT Convention, the group held another business meeting, electing a group Secretary, Treasurer, H&I Chairperson, and Coffee Maker with me remaining as GSR. The group also decided to have a group list of phone numbers to provide to newcomers and tightened up the group format. The group today is fully functioning as a grown-up, fully responsible AA group in accordance with AA's Traditions, Concepts of Service and Responsibility Pledge. We now average between 15 and 20 attendees each Sunday. About half of the group are in early recovery; the other half consists of members with longer-term recovery. The meetings are full of laugher, fellowship and deep exchanges of the human power of shared experience, strength and hope to stay sober a day at a time, by not picking up, going to meetings and helping others.
In conclusion, this has been a most valuable experience. Jill and I received another powerful lesson that when we trust the process by being true to ourselves and choose to deal with people by utilizing AA's code of "love and tolerance," the results take care of themselves. We also learned how important it is for WAAFT groups to be fully integrated within the AA Service Structure. We strongly believe this is the way we shall slowly begin to shift the balance of influence within AA from ardent, and sometimes bigoted, theists to be more openly accepting of all alcoholics, including us who doubt, question or flat out don't believe in the absolute necessity of an intervention by some alleged deity in order to get and stay sober. Many of us live useful and productive lives through the Good Orderly Direction of the AA Fellowship and the human power of one alcohol addict sharing their experience, strength and hope with another alcohol addict.
A final thought, we deeply empathize with those of us who live in small-town, more rural settings where theism is the predominant ideology. After living much of our lives near New York City, we survived a most daunting couple of years in a small Oregon seacoast town. Even there, however, we found a Buddhist with 57 years of recovery and a couple of other non-believers. We grew very close together and were instrumental in helping keep ourselves sober. We are also most grateful we have the Internet to augment our Beyond Belief group members, keeping us in contact with other WAAFTs throughout North America and around the world. Through such deep connections our WAAFT movement within AA shall continue to expand and evolve.


Meanwhile, this Italian villa of a football coach is pretty well known, and several things has changed there.
Only a dusty dirt road leads to it and from outside the house looks quite inconspicuous. But once again proves: Don't judge a book by its cover...!
Nice looking place Andy, great find.
Thanks! Indeed, I found the place by myself.
More specifically: already last year, I saw pictures of the place online. This publication included a (although only very vague) description of the area / region and an outdoor shot of this place.
With these few clues I searched via Google Earth and Streetview. Granted, it took a quite long time before I finally found it. But my ambition was aroused, and then I just can't rest or stop, until I succeed.
For the hobby, I really search a lot on the web and on maps for abandoned places, and often for a very long time, too. But I enjoy it when I have the time for it (anyway, much more than just lazily asking for a location). And admittedly, I'm also a little proud every time I succeed.
To me, that is exactly what exploring is all about - doing some research, finding places, and going to visit them. It's so much more rewarding than just following instructions into a place someone else went to.
I see another football has appeared since I went! Really nice report there. Very thorough, I'm especially liking the ceiling shot.


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Fall Fun with the Zekiah Team at Raven's Crest
Zekiah was fortunate enough to have a clear, cool afternoon recently as we put on our annual Fall Harvest Gathering. The event was an opportunity for coworkers who have spent the past year working remotely to kick back, reconnect, enjoy a great meal and have some fun together. It also offered the opportunity for many employees who have started with Zekiah in recent months to meet their teammates safely in person for the first time. Festivities included a cornhole tournament, marshmallow roasting by the fire, and fresh oysters caught and prepared by Dan Bowling and…
Zekiah Receives 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh recognized Zekiah Technologies, Inc. as one of the 849 recipients of the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during a virtual award ceremony presented by U.S. Department of Labor. Zekiah earned the platinum award after applying earlier this year. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans. "The Hire Vets Program is doing integral work to raise awareness and appreciation for the importance of supporting…
Newell (ND) Jones Joins Software Development Team
Zekiah Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Newell (ND) Jones to our Software Development Team. ND graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design with a concentration in Illustrative Art. After graduating he worked in graphic design and animation, then transitioned into multimedia application programming, website development, and eventually, software programming. He is now focusing on software development for Zekiah. In his free time, ND enjoys playing soccer, ultimate frisbee, hiking & fishing. Newell is very excited to bring his experience to the Zekiah Team. ND's supervisor, Joshua Thomas said, "I think he will be…
Emily Schachtman Joins Zekiah's Administrative Team
Zekiah Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Emily Schachtman to our Administrative Team. Emily hails from southern New Jersey, across the river from Philadelphia. After graduating from Rutgers University, she set out to put her English major and Cultural Anthropology minor to good use by teaching English as a foreign language in Eastern Europe, South America, and Asia. While abroad she also served as a Peace Corps volunteer and since returning to the United States, she's served twice as a volunteer for AmeriCorps. She has a love for language and learning that she thinks will…
Allen Trawick Joins Zekiah's Software Development Team
Zekiah Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Allen Trawick to our Software Development Team! Like many Zekiah team members, Allen is from the Southern Maryland area. He's an alumnus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he received his BS in Information Systems Management. His previous projects have supported the Naval Research Lab, Office of Naval intelligence, and NASA. Allen enjoys reading, playing golf, and spending time with his family, including his granddaughter. Roller coasters are also one of Allen's interests. In particular, he prefers steel coasters over wooden ones because he loves the speed. He…
Ethan Chung Joins Zekiah's Summer Internship Program
Zekiah Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Ethan Chung to our 2021 Summer Internship Program! Ethan comes from Southern Maryland and is currently attending UMBC to get a degree in Computer Science. He has previously taken part in Dahlgren's (NSWCDD) Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) summer internship and the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center's Volunteen Program with their engineering department. Ethan has also participated in the 4-H Robotics program for many years and held multiple leadership positions such as President and Treasurer during his time. We are excited for Ethan to continue building upon his internship experiences with Zekiah.…
Zekiah Celebrates Military Appreciation Month
May brings about warm weather, fresh flowers, and outdoor recreation here in Southern Maryland. This year it is especially heartening to begin our return to normalcy amidst the rising numbers of fully vaccinated people within our community. One event to remember in May is Military Appreciation Month. Congress designated May as Military Appreciation Month in 1999, which makes this the 22nd year of celebration, although many of the individual days (such as Memorial Day) have been around far longer. Some important days to note are: May 1, 2021 – Loyalty Day: Loyalty day is celebrated the 1st of May.…
Allen Woods Joins Zekiah's Software Engineering Team
Zekiah Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Allen Woods to our Software Engineering team! Allen is a Virginia native, where he grew up, went to college, and currently lives. Virginia Commonwealth University is Allen's Alma Mater, where he graduated with a BS in Computer Engineering. He's currently working on his MS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. In addition to his schooling and work, Allen found the time to join the Army Reserves where he served for 6 years. He noted that he met some interesting characters and had a pretty good time while he was in and the insight…
Ari Del Castillo Joins Zekiah's IT Support Team
Zekiah Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Ari Del Castillo to our Information Technology Support team! Ari grew up in the Stafford, VA area and moved to Collegedale, TN to attend Southern Adventist University. A fun memory Ari has of his time at Southern is waking up to the smell of fresh pastries every morning. This is due to the Southern campus being adjacent to the McKee Foods headquarters which produces Little Debbie, Sovex, and Sunbelt products and was founded by a Southern alumnus. The company and the school have a long, mutually beneficial history together. After college, Ari became a…
Lori Sinclair Joins Zekiah's Administrative Team
Zekiah Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Lori Sinclair to our Administrative team! Lori is a true Southern Maryland native. She was born on a tobacco farm in Allen's Fresh, a remarkable tidal marsh at the southern end of the Zekiah Swamp Natural Environmental Area, from which Zekiah takes its name. She still resides in the Southern Maryland area and has raised two children here with her husband of 25 years. Lori graduated from the University of Maryland (UMD), College Park, with a degree in Business. After nearly a decade in the workforce, she eventually took time away to raise her…


Follow these steps to get your lapsed donor re-engagement plan underway.
Who are your lapsed donors?
At first glance, the term "lapsed donor" seems self-explanatory. In practice though, the definition of lapsed can vary from organization-to-organization and from person-to-person, often leading to inconsistency and confusion.
So how should you define a lapsed donor?
I recommend you give your donors at least an entire calendar year before they are considered lapsed. This makes sense particularly for the many donors who give at the end of each calendar year. If a donor gave in December 2013, they shouldn't be considered "lapsed" (or heaven forbid a "lybunt') in August of 2014.
First-time donors who have not yet made a second gift should not be considered lapsed under this definition. Rather, they are "one-gift" donors, who should be included instead in an donor conversion effort.
Some organizations consider a donor lapsed at exactly 13 months (and sometimes 6 or 9 months) past their last gift date. While this makes sense on a theoretical level, I personally find the management and evaluation of renewal activities much more complicated when donors are lapsing every month. But if this system works best for your organization, then go for it.
The most important thing is to have a consistent definition of a lapsed donor along with manageable, repeatable processes in place to encourage renewals.
Now that you know who your lapsed donors are, you'll want to identify the ones who are the most recently lapsed. Typically, this includes donors whose last gift was 2 years prior. For example, 2014 recently lapsed donors made their last gift at some point in 2012.
Ideally in the first or second quarter of the calendar year, send your recently lapsed donors a targeted appeal, written specifically for them. Your intention is to gently nudge those who may have simply forgotten to contribute or whose financial situation may be more conducive to a gift at this point.
What should you say in your lapsed donor letter?
Your objective is to communicate that your mission depends on their support. You notice that they have been a loyal partner in your mission and you notice their gift was missing. Their support does truly matter.
Because we realistically can't focus on every one of our lapsed donors, we need to spend our time and money reengaging donors who have already demonstrated a strong affinity for our mission. We need systems in place to define and identify donors who are most likely to renew if given some extra attention.
These are the donors you really don't want to lose. You need to work harder to get them back.
As you work through this process, make sure you end up with a manageable number of donors that fall under the parameters you select. You may have to adjust your cutoff for total giving or years of giving, for example.
What do you do with these donors? Think through new ways to reach out to them on a more personal level. What haven't you tried yet?
Invite them to a (cultivation-only) breakfast event where you'll simply update them on your work.
Have board members write handwritten notes of thanks.
Email them personally with an update on a recent project or program. Ask if they are interested in supporting this particular program.
Conduct a phone-survey about what compelled or prompted your donors to support your mission originally. Ask what might compel them to continue their support.
While you'll want to try a variety of activities, reaching out to your VIP lapsed donors needs to become a routine annual activity. You'll need to record, track, and measure every activity you try and determine what works best.
Do not attempt to "recapture" your lapsed donors. Your donors are not wild animals on the loose. No one wants to be captured. This is internal industry jargon that really needs to become extinct. Instead, when we refer to our lapsed donors let's talk about reengaging them in our mission or earning their continued support.
Please drop the terms "Lybunt" and "Sybunt" from your organizational jargon. Just in case these terms are new to you, "lybunt" is an acronym for "last year but unfortunately not this year." This label is a relative term and usually confusing and irrelevant. A donor who gave in the prior year but hasn't given yet this calendar year should be considered a current donor in good standing! There is nothing "unfortunate" about this.
Similarly, the term "sybunt" (some years but unfortunately not this year) is also irrelevant. It matters specifically which years and how many years they gave. Lumping them in to "some years" just isn't helpful. A donor who gave "some years" in 2004, 2005 and 2006, but not "this year" in 2015, is not as important as a donor who gave in 2013 and 2014, but not 2015.
Don't keep them on your list forever. After a few years as a lapsed donor with no response, a lapsed donor becomes a former donor.
One of the most important things you can do for your nonprofit's donor retention is to develop a lapsed donor re-engagement system. Through a consistent, well-defined and personalized series of activities that you implement and test annually, you'll keep your donors engaged and giving.
Fundraising appeals are not "one-size-fits-all."


Google's modular Project Ara smartphone is an innovative ambition not only because it would give consumers control over device hardware design but also because it could dismantle entire modern manufacturing systems. Or at least 3D-printing could.
Google and 3D Systems signed a multiyear contract in 2013 for a "factory of the future" of sorts, where they would develop and build a manufacturing process and 3D-printing platform for Project Ara. 3D systems has today unveiled the techniques it is implementing to make that innovative ambition a reality. For one, it isn't using the conventional printing process.
Think of Project Ara as an open platform for smartphones. With it, you can add and remove options and specifications to suit your own needs when buying a smartphone. It's like adding and removing Lego blocks. But many have wondered how manufacturers are supposed to supply parts or assemble smartphones using so many custom parts.
3D Systems explained that the conventional printing process suffers from frequent changes in speed, so it is developing a continuous motion system for more streamlined printing. It's fast enough to handle mass production and should generate "millions" of smartphone parts, even when those parts are customised and require special attention.
The company said it is also working on (in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University and X5 Systems) conductive inks for printing functional parts and modules. With conductive inks, 3D Systems could print both hard and soft materials in a colour spectrum that includes cyan, magenta, yellow, black, white, and clear/transparency.
That means you'll be able to build a modular smartphone in a variety of shapes, materials, and hues. You'll have to wait until 2015 of course, but that's plenty of time to start planning what you want to design and order.


Get Heart Smart During American Heart Month!
1 in 3 deaths in the U.S. result from heart disease or stroke, amounting to about 2,200 deaths each day. One American dies of stroke approximately every four minutes. Since 1964, February has been recognized as American Heart Month in an effort to increase awareness of cardiovascular disease and reduce its death toll. You can do your part by understanding your risks and taking action to mitigate them with healthy habits and preventive care.
There are several different factors that can put you at risk for cardiovascular disease, some more within your control than others. If you have risk factors that you can't control, you have even more reason to make every effort to control those that you can.
Those who are at higher risk for developing coronary artery disease may benefit from cardiac calcium scoring. This procedure begins with a CT scan of the heart taken to assess the extent of calcium buildup in coronary arteries. This information then is used to assign each patient a cardiac calcium score, which corresponds to a heart attack risk level, from very low to high. With a more concrete understanding of their personal heart attack risk, many patients find greater inspiration to take appropriate steps to bring it under better control.
Ask your health care provider whether taking aspirin would benefit you.
Know your blood pressure, and if appropriate, take steps to reduce it.
Know your cholesterol level and take steps to keep it under control.
Get regular exercise. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (or a combination of the two) each week. If you're specifically trying to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol, try to get at least 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise 3—4 times per week.
Eat a variety of nutritious foods, including vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lower-calorie sources of protein like nuts, legumes, skinless poultry, and fish.
Limit sugar, sodium, trans fat, saturated fat, and red meat. If you do eat red meat, choose leaner cuts.
If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Current recommendations limit women to one drink per day and men to two.
Pay attention to food portion sizes, especially when eating out.
Heart attack, cardiac arrest, and stroke are all potential consequences of cardiovascular disease. One way you can help to reduce deaths from these events is to know how to recognize them and respond appropriately.
Cardiac arrest is an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes it to suddenly stop working properly. The victim soon becomes unresponsive and breathes only in gasps or not at all. In the event of cardiac arrest, it's critical that CPR or defibrillation be administered within the first few minutes. Call 9-1-1 immediately, and begin CPR (they can walk you through it if necessary). If an Automated External Defibrillator is available, use it as soon as possible.
A heart attack is caused by blockage of blood flow to the heart. Symptoms can vary and come on much more gradually than those of cardiac arrest, sometimes days or even weeks before heart attack occurs. Common symptoms are often confused with other ailments and include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, cold sweats, nausea, and back, neck, or jaw pain. Women may experience symptoms differently than men. Read this article for specific information on heart attacks in women.
Iowa Radiology offers CT cardiac calcium scoring at our Clive and downtown Des Moines clinics . Click here to contact us with questions or to schedule an appointment!
We strive to be a valuable resource for health information and provide the very best in patient care. Learn more about our clinics and services here, or click the image below to subscribe to our blog.


Welcome to the Got Mead? Forums. The internet's best and biggest Mead Community (we're pretty friendly too!) > Meadmaking Resources (Become a Patron Member) > Mead NewBees - Post your Questions Here > How long is okay for Pri.
View Full Version : How long is okay for Pri.
So I've done the background by reading Schramm. My plan is to take the 5 gallon show mead that started fermenting 4 days ago and add rack it onto some fruit in 1 gallon carboys, each with different fruits and alittle more honey, and one traditional mead. I have just found out that the raspberry season doesn't come around for another 2 months or so :'(. My question is; how long can I leave the must in the primary? I'm more concered about complete fermentation and no beasties left when I rack to the fruited secondary than I am with off flavor.
You are likely ok to leave it primary for another 2 months. Could you post your recipe? Also realize that fermentation will likely start back up when you rack, even if only for a little bit. The agitation of the yeast and that added sugar will almost guarantee it will.
After primary fermentation I will rack into seperate 1 gallon containers each containing another 1 lb of honey and about 2 lbs of fruit. I anticipate using raspberries, peaches, blackberries, and if I can swing it, pickly pears.
I was hoping this would end up making 6 gallons, but wont be disappoined as long as I get 1 gallon that is actually drinkable. This will be my third attempt at making mead. The previous 2 only yeilded rocket fuel. This time I have the benefits of "GOT MEAD" and Schramm.
What yeast did you decide on?
Sorry, how could I forget about my beasties???? I used the D-47 fro Lalvin.
(I have 6 gallons of my New Year cyser that has been sitting on D-47 lees since January this year. I've made some mesquite show mead that sat on the lees for a full year. My friends and family loved it.
There is a guy at Morebeer that made a batch aged sur lie for three years and everyone that tasted it enjoyed it from what I understand.
So it seems that you can let it age on the lees pretty much as long as you want, If you're going to back sweeten and concerned about restarting the fermentation... You should probably stabilize it, I agree that your fermentation is likely to start back up when reintroducing a sugar source for the yeast.
I have just found out that the raspberry season doesn't come around for another 2 months or so :'(.
I was waiting for the local stuff at the farmers market. Call me a freak if you want. I feel like I can choose which berries are worthy there.
Earlier this year, we visited the inlaws in SC -- just over the border, near Myrtle Beach. I was very surprised to see that some folks were using prickly pear cactus there as ornamental plants in their yards. One yard had the biggest display I've ever laid eyes on -- with, literally, dozens of the fruit left on them from the year before (all rotted -- what a waste). They were huge, too! Goes to show what enough water and attention can do. Maybe you can find somebody growing them near you like that -- or, worst case, grow them yourself.
Remember, if you're going to let your must sit on the lees in primary or secondary you need to make sure that the yeast is designed for sur lie aging. D-47 and K1V are both fine. If you're using anything else you burn the cycles doing some research, and then share it here with us!


text:
Limos.com Secures $10 Million in Financing From Austin Ventures
Former Members of Hotwire.com Team Have Built the World's Largest Online Marketplace for Limo and Car Services, Saving Leisure and Business Travelers Millions
March 29, 2011 07:00 ET | Source: Austin Ventures; Limos.com Austin Ventures; Limos.com
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - March 29, 2011) - Limos.com today announced $10 million in financing from leading venture capital firm Austin Ventures and the release of its new corporate travel management product, Limos.com for Business.
"Three years ago we saw an opportunity to bring a highly fragmented offline industry to the web and use technology to create an efficient, transparent marketplace that benefits both consumers and suppliers," stated T.J. Clark, Limos.com President & CEO. "After our experience at Hotwire.com, we couldn't understand why there wasn't an easy way to search, compare and book car services online, which has been so popular for hotel rooms and airfares. Austin Ventures will be a fantastic partner for advancing our strategy and business model, given their experience and proven success in online travel."
Limos.com has become the largest online destination for limo services1 by offering leisure travelers easy comparison of top local car service companies, consumer reviews and instant online booking that clearly shows the total cost upfront, including the driver's tip. Additionally, all Limos.com operators are pre-screened and covered by $10 million in insurance. Major online sites, including OpenTable.com, Live Nation/Ticketmaster.com and David's Bridal, have partnered with Limos.com to feature booking buttons prominently on their sites.
Austin Ventures Partner Mike Dodd said, "After quietly building a profitable business and assembling the largest local supplier network in the world, Limos.com has by far the broadest footprint, best technology platform and overall growth potential we've seen among the players in the ground transportation industry. In our view, car service is the last major travel category to become web-enabled."
Ground transportation in the U.S. alone is a $36 billion industry2 ($17 billion private car and $19 billion taxi), with less than 5 percent of reservations currently made online. Additionally, the industry is highly fragmented with local, independent car service operators whose inventory is not broadly available online.
Limos.com for Business
Limos.com is also announcing Limos.com for Business, an online car service management product that offers advanced controls for corporate travel managers and direct access to quality local car service operators. Limos.com estimates that its system holds specially-negotiated rates and inventory from 80% of the U.S. suppliers who specialize in corporate car services. Last year Limos.com expanded its reach to China, India and South America.
"We estimate that companies overpay by at least 40 percent on car services when they don't book with local suppliers," said Clark. "Limos.com for Business also provides business travel managers with modern controls like reporting and policy settings, which have been so successful in helping companies save millions in their air and hotel spend."
In coming weeks, the company also will launch its mobile applications for iPhone and Android, which will allow travelers to search and book car services "on the go" in all of its markets worldwide.
Austin Ventures Partners Mike Dodd and John Thornton will join the Limos.com board of directors. The new Austin Ventures investment adds to the company's original funding of $5 million from Canal Partners.
About Limos.com
Limos.com is the largest online marketplace for chauffeured transportation worldwide, enabling leisure and business travelers to compare and book pre-screened car services at specially-negotiated discounts of up to 40 percent off standard rates. With exclusive search technology, thousands of quality local vendors and helpful customer reviews, Limos.com consistently delivers more ways to find the perfect car service or limousine for any occasion. Learn more at www.limos.com.
About Austin Ventures
Austin Ventures ("AV") has worked with talented entrepreneurs to build valuable companies for over twenty-five years. With $3.9 billion under management, AV is the most active venture capital and growth equity firm in Texas and one of the most established in the nation. With an investment focus on new media, Internet and information services, software, business services, supply chain, financial services and Texas special situations, AV invests at all stages of company development, from $100,000 in "planned experiments" in early stage ideas to $100+ million investments in expansion rounds, minority recapitalizations, and buyouts of lower middle market growth companies. AV's strategy is to partner with talented executives and entrepreneurs through its CEO-in-Residence and Entrepreneur-in-Residence programs. Visit www.austinventures.com for more information.
About Canal Partners
Canal Partners is a Private Equity firm located in Scottsdale, AZ that seeks to realize superior returns by investing and partnering with proven management teams to create and increase value for highly scalable, growth-oriented companies -- with a focus on software and internet technologies. Visit Canal Partners at www.canalpartnersllc.com/ for more information.
1Based on site traffic and unique visitors as measured by Google Ad Planner
2Source: IBIS Research 2010
Andrea Riggs
Limos.com
limo service limo car service corporate travel online travel
Austin Ventures


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Serious hearing loss for 1 in 5 teens: survey
The level of hearing loss among American teens has risen to a level researchers have never seen before. So scientists from the House Ear Institute wanted to identify why this happening and figure out what they can do about it. So they decided to go to rock concerts to get some answers.
Many of us know what it's like to have your ears ring hours after a concert, but can that damage be measured? Mariah Hernandez, 18, was one of 30 local teenagers who proved it could.
"Before, my ears were OK. You wouldn't have to talk loud and I could hear you. But now I feel a lot of pressure in my ears, so you have to talk louder," said Hernandez.
The House Research Institute shot a video at a three-hour concert at Staples Center last summer.
Dr. Jennifer Derebery and her colleagues evaluated the concertgoers' hearing before and after.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines require hearing protection in workplaces where decibel levels reach higher than 85. At the concert being studied, more than a third of songs reached over 100.
"At this concert, no, I didn't wear earplugs. I wanted to get the full experience," said Hernandez.
Each kid was advised to wear plugs, but only three chose to use them. Of those who didn't?
"Seventy-one percent of them had an abnormality after the concert," said Derebery. "All of the kids were normal before the concert."
The damage to healthy sensory neural cells inside the ear look like much different after noise damage.
"Everything sounds the same, but it feels different, my ears feel different," said volunteer Steven Chik. Feels like there's pressure."
Sensory neural hair cells line the inside of the ear's cochlea. When they're exposed to loud noise, they stand up, swell and lie down. When they're down, they don't work. Recent research shows just one exposure to loud noise might be enough to keep them down permanently.
"We are no longer confident that this is going to reverse back. Hopefully it will and likely it will, but it shouldn't have occurred in the first place," said Derebery.
Derebery says the study shows few teens would choose to wear earplugs so it's up to concert promoters to make sure kids are safe when they go to performances.
"We want to work with the promoters on this. We want concerts. We like concerts, everybody does. We just want to work with the promoters at these venues, at these stadiums, and say let's get these to reasonable sound levels."
Derebery says a four-hour concert at 90 decibels would be considered safe. But more research needs to be done to find out if a teen's hearing is more vulnerable than an adult's. Derebery adds that anybody can download an app that can measure how loud a concert is.


Mavi holds a MD and a PhD in neurosciences and, since 2008, has been an ICREA Research professor at IDIBAPS where she heads the Systems Neuroscience group. Her independent research has been supported by national and international agencies. She has been funded by the Human Frontier Science Program and has been the coordinator in ten European Projects. In addition to her role as Chief Medical Officer at Virtual Bodyworks, she is also a Professor in the Department of Basic Psychology and Co-director of the Event Lab at the University of Barcelona and editor-in-chief of the journal Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. She is a pioneer in exploring body ownership illusions in the context of neuroscience. Mavi has published c.173 papers in journals like Scientific Reports, Nature and PLos one and has been cited c.9,000 times.


The Bible says Jesus came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10) We believe it is our primary responsibility as believers to focus our effort in bringing the good news of the Gospel to all who are lost.
Spiritual growth in Christ is an important aspect of a believer. It is our desire to help equip the saints in order to fulfill this second portion of the Great Commission.
The Great Commission is a mandate given to all believers. We desire to see all believers 'sent out' to take this mandate to every realm of their lives.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, that He was conceived and born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and sacrificed Himself to be punished in substitution for sinners. By the blood of His cross and His resurrection from the dead, He obtained for us eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting. He was raised bodily and ascended to the right hand of the Father. He will return to the earth personally and visibly to consummate His kingdom.
"Welcome to our site! I am so glad that you are here. Take a look around to learn more about who we are as a church, our mission and vision for Christ, as well as information about how you can get involved in any of our events and minstries. We welcome you to come visit our church! If you have any questions at all, I would love to connect with you."
The ministry was launched to reach out to the English-speaking second generation of Korean and Asian American immigrants.
After becoming financially independent from KCUMC in 2006, the church changed its name to Journey of Faith and began pursuing operation as a fully independent entity from KCUMC.
As the next step in fulfilling the church's mission, Journey of Faith became a fully independent church by relocating to its current location in Las Colinas.