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How to Get the Best Exchange Rates
Are you an expat, or planning to expatriate? Do you perhaps own a foreign property? Then one of the challenges involved in living abroad with which you may already be familiar is transferring money abroad. If you want to pay for your foreign mortgage with funds from back home, for instance, how do you transfer them in the safest manner, and with the best exchange rate?
In part, this is a matter of choosing the correct service (i.e. one which is secure, with which you feel comfortable, and which offers the best rates). It's also a matter of making your transfer at the right time. What I'd like to do in this article is spell out some tips for you, so that you find yourself in the best possible position when you come to transfer money abroad.
How to choose the Correct Service
1. Make sure it's properly regulated
When choosing a service to make your foreign currency transfers, the first and most important thing is to ensure they are a properly regulated company. In the UK, this means making sure they're directly authorised by the Financial Services Authority. If the company is directly authorised, it means they adhere to all legal and regulatory requirements to transfer money abroad.
To find out if a company is directly authorised, you can do one of two things. The first is to call them, where the person you talk to should be able to tell you about the company's regulatory background and status. The second thing is to check on their website, which should have a page dedicated to their adherence to FSA requirements.
2. Decide whether you're comfortable with them
Second, it's important to make sure you feel comfortable with the service you're talking to before you use them. In most cases you'll be designated a personal dealer to help you with your transfers. Do you like this person? Do you feel they know what they're talking about? If not, you may wish to use a different company, or ask to deal with somebody else.
3. Find out who offers the best exchange rates.
Last of all, it's of course vital to find out who offers the best exchange rates before you exchange currencies. This is because, if you intend to make a large transfer, perhaps to complete on a foreign mortgage, even a small change in the exchange rates can add up to a large difference in your foreign currency total. A change of just 1.0%, for instance, could add up to thousands.
Who provides the best exchange rates then? In most cases, dedicated foreign exchange brokers will offer better rates than generalised services such as banks. This is because brokers are specialised, and so in a better position to take advantage of the exchange rates. In some cases, the rate you'll receive from a broker will be as high as 4.0% better, so it's well worth comparing.
1. Look at changing currency as far in advance as you can
Once you've chosen your preferred service, there's also the matter of maximising your foreign exchange rate. This is because, just because a dedicated broker offers better rates than a bank for example, the rate you receive depends on what's happening on the foreign exchange market. So is the pound or dollar up? The euro down? It's these questions that determine your exchange rate.
So how do you navigate the currency market? Your best bet is to look at exchanging currencies as far in advance as you can. This is because it gives you a big window to find out where the rates are at, what might happen next, and decide your strategy. If you wait until the last minute on the other hand, you'll have to accept whatever rate is available, regardless of if it's good or bad.
2. Consider a forward contract
One of the things you can do to maximise your exchange rate is to use what's called a forward contract. Simply put, this allows you to lock in the present rate, without having to send your money abroad there and then. Instead, you freeze that rate, and then can transfer your money abroad at any time you like in the next two years, at no extra charge.
The great thing about a forward contract then is that it gets you the rate you want, without having to worry about where the rate might go between now and your transfer date. In the meantime, though you've locked in that exchange rate, you can still transfer your money where and where you want at your leisure. To find out about setting up a forward contract, just talk to your dealer.
3. Be reasonable about your expectations
In addition, it's important to be realistic about what you can expect from the exchange rate. If the pound is at 1.25 against the euro, it doesn't make sense to wait for it to hit 1.40 before transferring your money - because it might never happen. Instead, it makes more sense to first ask what range the currencies are travelling in, and set your expectations based on that.
Last of all, it's also important not to get greedy. For instance, if you see the pound is gaining one day, and has already beaten a 3-month high; don't wait for it to keep climbing. Accept the rate as it is there and then, which is in itself advantageous. This is because, if you hold off, all too often the rate starts to fall again before you have time to transfer money, by which time you've lost out.
By Peter Lavelle, an economic commentator at foreign exchange Pure FX.
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Lucy Hale's Epic Throwback Photo Has United All My Favorite TV Shows
Kara Nesvig
13 Reasons Why Season 1 No Longer Shows Hannah Baker's Graphic Death
Claire Dodson
11 Fashion Ideas to Steal From Past Issues of Teen Vogue
New Study Shows Teens Just Aren't That Into Weed Anymore
Use is down, disapproval is up.
Julie Pennell
Art: Wesley Johnson
Marijuana has been a pretty hot topic in the news lately. With a few states like Colorado and Washington legalizing recreational use of the drug, it's becoming more accepted by the general population. But a new study shows that while the government and adults are becoming more cool with it, teens are actually using it less and disapproving of it more.
According to a report published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the percentage of 12-to-14-year-olds who had a "strong disapproval" of the drug increased significantly from 2002 to 2013. And, on top of that, weed use decreased in that age group from 6% to 4.5%.
The use of marijuana among older teens — those aged 15-17 — decreased as well. The number dropped from 26% to 22% over the years.
The lead author of the study, Christopher Salas-Wright, told Yahoo! that they were concerned how decriminalization, medicalization, and in some places recreational use would affect teen use and attitudes, especially since many adults no longer view marijuana use as an immoral act. "But, especially at the middle school age, youth became more disapproving, not more permissive," he explained.
Maybe we're all getting a little smarter about the real risks of getting high. Or maybe now that it's accepted by more adults, it's just not as exciting. Whatever the reason, more studies will inevitably be conducted to get down to the bottom of this reported trend. What are your theories?
Synthetic Marijuana Is Way Scarier Than It Seems—Here's What You Need to Know
Why Smoking Is Bad for Your Skin (And Yes, That Includes Marijuana)
The Truth About High School Drug Stings: Are Undercover Cops Invading Your Campus
Keywords marijuana

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Kaweah Health graduates 42 resident physicians in seventh commencement ceremony
Posted on June 17, 2022 by Valley Voice Contributor
There are more doctors in the Central Valley thanks to Kaweah Health's residency programs, which graduated 42 resident physicians in six specialties on Tuesday, June 14, as part of its seventh annual commencement ceremony in Visalia. Since its inception, Kaweah Health has graduated 148 resident physicians, 40 percent of which have remained in the Central Valley to practice medicine.
"We are very excited to celebrate all of our graduates. They've all worked so hard and we're very proud of them," said Dr. Lori Winston, Kaweah Health's Chief Medical Education Officer. "We also have a lot to celebrate considering the fact that we have been successful in recruiting and retaining our own resident physician and keeping many of the graduates we make in our local area. That's really what graduate medical education is all about."
Gary Herbst, Kaweah Health's Chief Executive Officer, said he is honored and privileged that these residents chose Kaweah Health as the place where they wanted to do their formal training. "We are truly grateful for the impact they have had on us," he said.
Among those graduated and staying in our community to serve is Dr. Daniela Rangel Orozco, a Family Medicine resident from Lindsay and Dr. Rachna Kumar, a Psychiatry Resident. Both Dr. Rangel and Dr. Kumar first joined Kaweah Health as medical students.
Also, during the ceremony, Dr. Daniela Rangel Orozco was presented with the "Frank and Teresa Kleist Award," which is given to a graduating resident physician who best exemplifies humanitarian compassion in the care of patients. The award was donated by a local book club honoring Dr. Frank Kleist, a retired member of Kaweah Health's Medical Staff and Faculty Emeritus of Kaweah Health's Psychiatry Residency Program.
Throughout their training, residents have taken care of community members throughout the hospital and at various participating sites. The family medicine residents additionally care for patients at the Kaweah Health Family Medicine Center, 202 W. Willow Ave. (fifth floor) and psychiatry residents care for patients at Kaweah Health's Mental Health Hospital.
Kaweah Health's Graduate Medical Education Program began in 2013, and now offers residency programs in emergency medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, surgery, anesthesiology, and transitional year. The first class of physicians graduated in June 2016.
In coming weeks, Kaweah Health's six programs will support the training of 130 total resident physicians for the upcoming academic year, among them the next class of 48 resident physicians as they begin their two-week orientation.
Marc Bozych, D.O.
Tiffany Chamberlain, D.O.
Jenny Man-Yuen Kan, M.D.
Kelsey Kukuruza, D.O.
Michelle Blain, D.O.
Twanda Charumuka, M.D.
Stephanie Yan Lee, M.D.
Daniela Rangel Orozco, M.D.
Antonieta Rueda, M.D.
Chang Sung Shin, D.O.
Lily Varner, M.D.
Rachna Kumar, M.D.
Gerardo Perez, D.O.
Arul Sangani, M.D.
Kevin Brent Cowan, M.D.
Barre Guillen, M.D.
Sandra Tomlinson-Hansen, M.D.
Lauren Bacon, M.D.
Jeffrey Castrillon, D.O.
Eric Donn, D.O.
Puneet Gill, D.O.
Alfredo Guerrero, D.O.
Hady Khalifa, M.D.
Daniel Khushigian, D.O.
Andre Lee, M.D.
Benfie Liu, D.O.
Michael Niechayev, M.D.
Clayton Starnes, D.O.
Diana Trumble, M.D.
Joseph Vega, D.O.
Transitional Year
Ryan Bennion, D.O.
Tyler Dalton, M.D.
Vineeth Gangaram, M.D.
Harmandeep Grewal, D.O.
Madeeha Khan, D.O.
Abhinav Komandur, M.D.
Kevin Kwan, M.D.
Kevin Nasre, D.O.
Navjot Singh, M.D.
Anup Sonti, M.D.
Jason Wei, M.D.
Andrew Yu, M.D.


There's nothing like a Sunday lunch in the country. In the spirit of rest and relaxation I made the short journey to Stanford Valley Country Farm. Just the perfect place to indulge in fresh air and good food. The farm's Manor House restaurant blends fresh fare, fine wine and collectors art in a winning combination. Satisfaction guaranteed!
My mains of kabeljou with a citrus and caper sauce was followed by a crêpe Suzelle. Named for South Africa's DIY diva these crêpes come with moskonfyt and are totally decadent. The lunch aftershock was mitigated with a walk on the farm and a closer inspection of the Herman van Nazareth sculptures.


Friday I made my usual trek in from an early morning of basketball. My pick-up team went 1-2 that morning. Every game was close. Paul, an unlikely hero, sunk the winning shot in the final game so we would not go home thrice defeated.
On mornings Lyle was not at the station we would work out after I got back to Tuttle. I thought about going ahead and working out. I decided to wait until Monday (today). The drive was reflective as I considered my normal routine. I turned the little car up Highway 4 (Mustang Road) and headed toward the house when the radio played Rod Stewart's, "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You." Daniel had put a video together for the memorial service using that song – a favorite of Lyle and Evette's.
Rather than head home, I drove the little car to the barn where we would normally work out. I thought I would just go in and sit a spell. I opened the door and found CB and Janet (Lyle's parents) working out. I walked in and sat down on one of the three benches. I could hardly speak. I wept. We all understood. Janet went to the house. CB and I talked for about 30 minutes. The conversation was enjoyable and may have been just the work out I needed. CB encouraged me to continue to coming to the barn. I assured him I would.
This morning I made my way over to the barn/shop. I worked out for about 45 minutes. CB showed up not long after I had arrived. We worked out together. Some of the time in silence (actually to the dull dialogue of the television) and some of the time in conversation. We talked about dads and their boys. CB reminisced of days spent playing tennis on the very spot we were now exercising. He talked of the need for dads to spend time doing anything with their boys – he enjoyed doing so with his. CB had missed that with his father. He made up for it with his boys.
We talked about trees and driving ranges. You see some trees will need to be moved to make Nathan (Lyle's son) the driving range about which Lyle and CB had talked. I think our conversations will continue to be a way to work out.
CB reminds me of my dad. My dad and I still enjoy doing things together. CB was right. It is important for dads and sons to spend time doing things together. For a brief spell we were dad and son, albeit of others, thankful for time to work out.


Interested in job opportunities, making an impact or building a better I-4? This section will help you understand our commitment to providing meaningful work opportunities for small, women-owned, minority and local businesses and the steps you need to take to become a part of this historical project.
SGL Constructors (Skanska-Granite-Lane, a construction joint venture) is seeking experienced craft employees.
Interested individuals must apply for any open and available positions in person at the recruiting office, located at: 409 W. Robinson St. Orlando, FL 32801. Applications are accepted Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. and between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Throughout the duration of the I-4 Ultimate project, SGL Constructors will be seeking experienced craft employees over the course of the next few years: Below is a list of those potential positions.
There will also be training opportunities available. This project will offer 250 employees an opportunity for on the job training in a new skill.
If you have any questions about these opportunities, call 844-750-4984 or send an email to WorkForceDevelopment@sglconstructors.com.
The I-4 Ultimate project has a 9 percent Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal and a 3 percent Small Business Enterprise (SBE) goal for the three distinct project phases: design, construction, and operations and maintenance.
We encourage you to read through the information below to find out more about DBE and SBE prequalification. If you think you may qualify to be a DBE or SBE but are not a FDOT certified DBE or SBE, see more information below on how to become certified.
For assistance with the prequalification process, contact the FDOT Contracts Administration Office at 850-414-4000. Firms also can obtain assistance with the engineering/design consultant prequalification process from the FDOT Procurement Office at 850-414-4485.
To receive information about packages being advertised for bid by SGL (Skanska-Granite-Lane), the contractor building the I-4 Ultimate project, provide the following information to SGL at subcontract@sglconstructors.com.
Once received, the contractor will enter this information into SmartBid (database) and your firm will be identified by type of work performed or NAICS code for potential subcontracting opportunities.
*If you are not certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) or as a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and are interested in becoming certified, click on the "Are you DBE/SBE certified?" tab.


HealthyFlax.org is the source of information on the health benefits and uses of whole flaxseed, ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil. Our website includes recipes, nutritional evidence, facts and news about flaxseed in all its forms. HealthyFlax.org is supported by Canada's flax growers, processors, food manufacturers and governments.


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Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology
2. Functional description
a. Deployment assembly
b. Tail rewinder
c. Probe
d. Sensor calibration
3. Practical use
4. Example results
a. Postcruise calibration
b. Final data
Ferrari, R., , and Rudnick D. L. , 2000: Thermohaline variability in the upper ocean. J. Geophys. Res., 105 , 16857–16883.
Ferrari, R., and RudnickD. L. , 2000: Thermohaline variability in the upper ocean. J. Geophys. Res., 105, 16857–16883.10.1029/2000JC900057)| false
Herman, A. W., , Beanlands B. , , Chin-Yee M. , , Furlong A. , , Snow J. , , Young S. , , and Phillips T. , 1998: The Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP): In-situ sampling of plankton and physical parameters at 12 kts and the integration of a new laser/optical plankton counter. Proc. Oceanol. Int., 102 , 123–135.
Herman, A. W., BeanlandsB. , Chin-YeeM. , FurlongA. , SnowJ. , YoungS. , and PhillipsT. , 1998: The Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP): In-situ sampling of plankton and physical parameters at 12 kts and the integration of a new laser/optical plankton counter. Proc. Oceanol. Int., 102, 123–135.)| false
Lueck, R. G., , and Picklo J. J. , 1990: Thermal inertia of conductivity cells: Observations with a Sea-Bird cell. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 7 , 756–768.
Lueck, R. G., and PickloJ. J. , 1990: Thermal inertia of conductivity cells: Observations with a Sea-Bird cell. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 7, 756–768.10.1175/1520-0426(1990)007<0756:TIOCCO>2.0.CO;2)| false
Munk, W., 1981: Internal waves and small-scale processes. Evolution of Physical Oceanography, B. A. Warren and C. Wunsch, Eds., MIT Press, 264–291.
Munk, W., 1981: Internal waves and small-scale processes. Evolution of Physical Oceanography, B. A. Warren and C. Wunsch, Eds., MIT Press, 264–291.)| false
Pollard, R., 1986: Frontal surveys with a towed profiling conductivity/temperature/depth measurement package (SeaSoar). Nature, 323 , 433–435.
Pollard, R., 1986: Frontal surveys with a towed profiling conductivity/temperature/depth measurement package (SeaSoar). Nature, 323, 433–435.10.1038/323433a0)| false
Rudnick, D. L., , and Luyten J. R. , 1996: Intensive surveys of the Azores Front 1. Tracers and dynamics. J. Geophys. Res., 101 , 923–940.
Rudnick, D. L., and LuytenJ. R. , 1996: Intensive surveys of the Azores Front 1. Tracers and dynamics. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 923–940.10.1029/95JC02867)| false
Rudnick, D. L., , and Ferrari R. , 1999: Compensation of horizontal temperature and salinity gradients in the ocean mixed layer. Science, 283 , 526–529.
Rudnick, D. L., and FerrariR. , 1999: Compensation of horizontal temperature and salinity gradients in the ocean mixed layer. Science, 283, 526–529.10.1126/science.283.5401.526)| false
Rudnick, D. L., , and Munk W. , 2006: Scattering from the mixed layer base into the sound shadow. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., 120 , 2580–2594.
Rudnick, D. L., and MunkW. , 2006: Scattering from the mixed layer base into the sound shadow. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., 120, 2580–2594.10.1121/1.2338813)| false
Snodgrass, J. M., 1968: Instrumentation and communications. Ocean Engineering: Goals, Environment, Technology, J. F. Brahtz, Ed., John Wiley & Sons, 393–477.
Snodgrass, J. M., 1968: Instrumentation and communications. Ocean Engineering: Goals, Environment, Technology, J. F. Brahtz, Ed., John Wiley & Sons, 393–477.)| false
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Spilhaus, A. F., 1940: A detailed study of the surface layers of the ocean in the neighborhood of the Gulf Stream with the aid of rapid measuring hydrographic instruments. J. Mar. Res., 3, 51–75.)| false
A schematic diagram of UCTD deployment (not to scale). Line spools from the shipboard winch and the probe, so line shape is roughly as depicted. When the probe is fully deployed, the winch brakes and recovers line. On recovery, the probe follows the line back in as if there is a pulley where the line makes a 90° bend at the surface. This "water pulley" effect is a result of tangential cable drag being much less than normal cable drag.
UCTD pressure and drop rate as a function of time for drops at various ship speeds and using probes of different lengths. (a), (c) Deployments at 4, 5, and 6 m s−1 (8, 10, and 12 kt) were done with a probe of length 0.99 m; and (b), (d) deployments at 5, 7.5, and 10 m s−1 (10, 15, and 20 kt) were done with a probe of length 0.73 m. The nearly constant drop rate of each probe was independent of ship speed. The probes were thus effectively decoupled from the ship.
Individual components of the UCTD probe, labeled and in an exploded view.
UCTD winch and davit just after probe is fully deployed. The winch, davit, and block are labeled. The winch consists of a fishing reel connected through a chain (inside red case) to a motor (black housing). The davit is pointed directly aft, and the line running through the block is approaching maximum tension. The last several layers of line on the winch are colored red to remind the operator to stop paying our line.
UCTD davit on the fantail of the R/V Revelle. The swiveling arm, block, winch, and post are labeled. The davit is stowed pointed to port to keep it out of the way of mooring operations.
UCTD tail installed in respooling unit, ready for the next deployment. The tail, level wind, drive motor, and control electronics are labeled. Yellow Spectra line (400 m) is wound onto the tail.
UCTD probe being deployed by dropping off the stern. The first coils of yellow Spectra line are beginning to unwind from the tail.
Locations of UCTD casts during the North Pacific Acoustics Laboratory Spice04 cruise in May–June 2004. The blue line is actually made up of 97 crosses, signifying UCTD casts at about 10-km resolution.
Phase between the temperature and conductivity sensors, determined from a cross-spectrum of the raw data (solid line). A simple 0.1-s lag (dash–dot line) produces a phase between the corrected temperature and raw conductivity sensors (dashed line) close to zero to frequencies as high as about 2 Hz.
Potential temperature–salinity (θ–S) scatterplot from UCTD casts (blue) and two CTD stations (black, magenta) on either end of the 1000-km section. The spread in salinity where the θ–S relationship is tight (about 8°C and colder) is a measure of the accuracy of UCTD conductivity.
Temperature, salinity, and potential density profiles from UCTD data for cast 80, in the western half of the section.
UCTD section of salinity (color image) and potential density (black contours, interval 0.1 kg m−3). The section was done east to west, and the varying depth was directly related to ship speed. During the first quarter of the section ship speed was 11–12 kt (5.5–6 m s−1), the second quarter 12–13 kt (6–6.5 m s−1), and the second half 10 kt (5 m s−1). The spring 20-m-deep mixed layer is evident, as is the 100–150-m depth of the remnant winter mixed layer. Salinity features span the depth of the winter mixed layer.
UCTD section of sound speed (color image) and potential density (black contours, interval 0.1 kg m−3). Horizontal variability in sound speed is caused by heaving of the isopycnals and by spice (θ–S changes along isopycnals).
The Underway Conductivity–Temperature–Depth Instrument
Daniel L. Rudnick 1 and Jochen Klinke 1
1 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH2100.1
The development of the Underway Conductivity–Temperature–Depth (UCTD) instrument is motivated by the desire for inexpensive profiles of temperature and salinity from underway vessels, including volunteer observing ships (VOSs) and research vessels. The UCTD operates under the same principle as an expendable probe. By spooling tether line both the probe and a winch aboard ship, the velocity of the line through the water is zero, the line drag is negligible, and the probe can get arbitrarily deep. Recovery is accomplished by reeling the line back in. Recovering the UCTD has some advantages: 1) the cost per profile decreases with increasing use, 2) sensors can be calibrated postdeployment, 3) the UCTD carries a pressure sensor so depth is measured directly, and 4) no hazardous materials are left behind. The design goal for the UCTD was to obtain profiles deeper than 100 m at 20 kt (typical of a VOS). This goal has been surpassed, as it is able to profile to over 150 m at 20 kt and to over 400 m at 10 kt. The first operational use of the UCTD occurred during a May–June 2004 cruise, the purpose of which was to examine the effect of internal waves and spice on long-range acoustic propagation. Over 160 UCTD casts were completed, resulting in a hydrographic section with resolutions of 10 km horizontally and 5 m vertically.
Corresponding author address: Daniel L. Rudnick, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Mail Code 0213, La Jolla, CA 92093-0213. Email: drudnick@ucsd.edu
Keywords: Instrumentation; Ship observations; Temperature; Salinity
Underway vessels are attractive observational platforms used in at least two ways. First, research vessels achieve rapid, purposeful, synoptic surveys at typical speeds of 10 kt (5 m s−1). Second, vessels of opportunity are used as platforms for a variety of measurements. Such vessels range from research ships transiting between stations to commercial container vessels steaming between ports at speeds up to 20 kt (10 m s−1). Observations of surface properties from underway vessels are relatively straightforward, but vertical profiles can be more challenging. At least three approaches to the problem of profiling exist: towed winged vehicles on fixed cables, "tow-yo" systems in which a shipboard winch repeatedly deploys and recovers cable, and expendable profilers. This paper presents a new approach that combines some of the properties of tow-yos and expendables. We call this system the Underway Conductivity–Temperature–Depth (UCTD) instrument.
Before presenting the UCTD, it is worthwhile to discuss briefly the characteristics of towed winged vehicles, tow-yo profilers, and expendable profilers. The advantages and disadvantages of each system in typical use are highlighted.
Towed, winged vehicles are most often used for purposeful surveying from research vessels. Perhaps the most well known and widely used system is SeaSoar (Pollard 1986). SeaSoar is controlled by adjusting the angle of attack of pivoting wings, which causes it to fly typically in a sawtooth pattern from the surface to 300–400-m depth at a tow speed of 4 m s−1. With a cycle taking about 12–15 min, a horizontal resolution of about 3 km is achieved. As SeaSoar is towed on a conducting cable, data are communicated in real time. Wing control is active, so SeaSoar can be programmed to follow pressure or density surfaces, allowing horizontal resolution as fine as 4 m (Rudnick and Ferrari 1999; Ferrari and Rudnick 2000). The SeaSoar vehicle has a substantial payload, and all manner of sensors have been deployed successfully. Perhaps the major disadvantage of a SeaSoar system is its size and complexity. SeaSoar requires exclusive use of the ship while towing and a fairly large dedicated winch. Deployment and recovery is an involved, labor-intensive process, especially when using the rigid cable fairing required to achieve depths of over 300 m. In the final analysis, towed winged vehicles are the usual choice for purposeful surveying from research vessels.
The first underway surveys were accomplished with the bathythermograph (Spilhaus 1938). An early use was a survey near the Gulf Stream, where a continuous 175-mi section was made at speeds of about 7 kt, with horizontal resolution of about 3 mi, to depths of 120 m (Spilhaus 1940). The original bathythermographs had to be recovered to remove and replace the glass slide on which the data were recorded in the smoke of burned skunk oil (Snodgrass 1968). Modern tow-yo instruments are towed on conducting cables, so the data are available immediately. To profile, the tow-yo depends on a heavy weight to go down, with a winch that can pay out faster than the ship speed and recover quickly under tension. The main factor limiting depth is cable drag, because the cable paid out on descent must be recovered. Because cable drag increases as the diameter of the cable, while strength increases as the diameter squared, arbitrarily thick cable allows any desired depth and tow speed. With the benefit of sophisticated winches, tow-yo systems continue to be used today [e.g., the Moving Vessel Profiler (Herman et al. 1998)].
Expendable profilers offer an ingenious solution to underway profiling, as the connecting cable spools both from the probe and from the ship. That is, cable is left behind the probe as it falls through the water, and cable is left behind the ship as it steams away from the place where the probe was deployed. The velocity of the cable through the water is zero (cable drag is negligible), and the probe can go arbitrarily deep. The cable on an expendable profiler is a thin pair of conducting wires that transmits signal from the probe to the ship. When wire on the probe runs out, the wire breaks, and the probe is lost. Expendable profilers have been in use for over 20 yr, so their relative merits are well known. The chief advantage of expendable profilers is ease of use. Deployment involves dropping the probe in the water, and, because the probe is expendable, no recovery is required. Such variables as temperature [expendable bathythermograph (XBT)], salinity [expendable CTD (XCTD)], and velocity [expendable current profiler (XCP)] have been measured on expendable profilers. The main limitation of expendable profilers is that each sensor is used only once, with effects on the cost of operation and the quality of sensor calibrations (no postdeployment calibration is possible). Depth is determined by a drop-rate equation rather than through the measurement of pressure. Expendable profilers are the current tool of choice for commercial vessels of opportunity and for many applications on research vessels.
The UCTD operates under the same principle as an expendable (Fig. 1). By spooling tether line from both the probe and a winch aboard ship, the velocity of the line through the water is essentially zero, line drag is negligible, and the probe can get arbitrarily deep. The challenge is to recover the probe, because the line velocity will then equal the ship speed, and line drag may become large. This has proven possible using a Spectra line commercially available for fishing. A number of advantages accrue because the UCTD is recovered rather than expendable. First, the cost per profile decreases as the probe is reused. Second, because the probe is recovered, sensors can be calibrated postdeployment, improving the quality of the observations. Third, the UCTD carries a pressure sensor, so depth is measured more accurately than by the drop-rate equation typical for an expendable. Fourth, plastics and other hazardous materials are not left behind.
The purpose of this paper is to present the design, construction, operation, and example data of the UCTD. A functional description of the UCTD is presented in section 2. Practical use of the UCTD is described in section 3. A recent successful deployment of UCTD to do science (as opposed to engineering tests) is presented in section 4. Section 5 concludes with a summary and some suggestions for future development.
The development of the UCTD was motivated by the desire for inexpensive profiles of salinity from underway vessels, including volunteer observing ships (VOSs) and research vessels. While XCTDs do provide the needed salinity profiles at present, their cost limits how many can economically be used. The temperature–salinity (T–S) relationship is most variable in the mixed layer and seasonal thermocline, where the ocean is in direct contact with the atmosphere. Deeper, climatological T–S relationships combined with XBTs are sufficient for observing the hydrographic structure that enters into momentum, heat, and salt budgets. Thus, the design goal for the UCTD was to obtain profiles to at least 100 m at 10 m s−1 (typical of a VOS). This goal has been surpassed, as the UCTD can profile to over 150 m at 10 m s−1 and to over 400 m at 5 m s−1.
The UCTD system was designed to satisfy a number of requirements. First, line must be spooled on a probe and a winch aboard ship, and it must unspool freely from both. Second, the line and winch must be strong enough to allow recovery at ship speeds of up to 10 m s−1 and depths of 150 m; because tension is proportional to line out times the square of ship speed, this requirement theoretically allows casts of 600 m at ship speeds of 5 m s−1. Third, a rewinding mechanism is required to respool line on the probe. Fourth, a conducting cable is undesirable because it adds drag but no strength, and the requisite slip ring on the winch adds complexity, so sensors for temperature, conductivity, and pressure must log internally to be downloaded to a computer on recovery.
The first challenge in the design of the UCTD was to prove that the probe could be successfully decoupled from the ship during deployment, to achieve a nearly constant drop rate, and therefore a nearly vertical profile. Pressure records and drop rates for UCTD deployments carried out at a variety of ship speeds, and using probes of different lengths, demonstrated this behavior (Fig. 2). A probe of length 0.99 m had a constant drop rate of nearly 5 m s−1 at ship speeds of 4–6 m s−1, and down to pressures of about 380 dbar. A shorter probe (of length 0.73 m), which could accommodate less line, had a drop rate of about 4 m s−1 at ships speeds of 5–10 m s−1, down to 150 dbar. The difference in drop rates for the two probes was a reflection of their different aspect ratios and resulting drag coefficients. The longer probe, with its lower drag, dropped faster.
The key finding was the uniform drop rates for each probe, regardless of ship speed, suggesting decoupling from the ship and a nearly vertical profile. Had the drop rates depended on ship speed, the probes would not have been decoupled from the ship, and profiles would not have been vertical. Upward profiles were dependent on ship speed, as the probe was pulled through the water by the ship. Achieving a uniform drop rate required attention to the design of the tail, because drop rate was influenced by friction as line was unspooled from the tail. The egg-shaped bulb on the end of the tail was the result of some trial and error (Fig. 3). Observed pressure gave the vertical position of the probe during the drop. Horizontal position was not obtained because of the difficulty of the measurement, precluding a detailed study of trajectory.
The recovery of the UCTD involved the retrieval of several hundred meters of line while underway. As the line was being pulled through the water at the ship's speed, a concern was whether the tension was within working strength of the line. We measured line tension during many of our test deployments to prove that the breaking strength of the Spectra line was much greater than tension during recovery. For example, peak tension ranged from 70 to 160 lb (32 to 73 kg) using 500-lb (227 kg) Spectra for towing speeds between 10 and 20 kt (5–10 m s−1), and tension ranged from 60 to 120 lbs (27 to 55 kg) with 300-lb (136 kg) Spectra between 8 and 12 kt (4–6 m s−1). Ship speed did not affect drop rate but did affect tension. As the relevant metric is ship speed through the water, a depth-independent head, tail, or cross current should have no effect on UCTD performance. However, a vertically sheared current may change performance. In practice, we have found that spooling the line smoothly on the tail is the key to consistent drops, while sheared currents play a relatively small role.
The winch had to be able to spool line out freely with little tension, have adjustable drag, and recover under high tension. Conventional big-game fishing reels were found to be uniquely suited to the application, as these requirements were similar to those of sport fishing. We used a Penn International II ST130 fishing reel, which we upgraded with more robust drag plates (Fig. 4). An electric motor (24–32 Vdc) for recovery was readily available from a third-party vendor. The Penn fishing reel was loaded with approximately 900 m of PowerPro 300 Spectra line. The line rating of 300 lb (136 kg) was confirmed independently by break tests performed in-house. A speed control for the motor and a manual level wind completed the reel setup. Power to reel was supplied either via 24-V batteries or a variable dc power supply.
The winch was mounted on a small davit, with a 2 ft by 2 ft (0.61 m by 0.61 m) footprint, the boom of which could pivot and extend (Fig. 5). Ideally, the davit was positioned as close to the centerline of the ship and as far aft as possible. Using the 2-ft hole pattern available on the deck of many research vessels, it was usually possible to mount the davit stand within 2 ft of the aft rail. On vessels that lacked such a hole pattern in the deck, other mounting options were possible. Inside the davit stand sat a post with a horizontal arm that could be extended to a maximum length of approximately 3 m. The post was designed to swivel freely around the fixed stand but could be locked in place in different orientations via a pin. The total height of the davit was slightly over 1.5 m. The Spectra line ran from the winch through a snatch block attached to the end of the horizontal arm. The block was fitted with plastic washers on either side of the pulley to protect the line from chafing.
For deployment, the horizontal arm was rotated to point straight aft and locked in that orientation with a pin. In this position, the block at the end of the arm cleared the stern rail of the ship. After the probe was launched, the drag wheel on the fishing reel was adjusted to allow free-spooling without slack in the line. As the probe descended, line from the reel was paid out at the rate of the ship's speed. When the probe reached a depth of 400 m (after approximately 80 s), the reel was put into strike mode. At this time, almost all the line was unspooled from the reel. Now the level wind was engaged and the motor turned on to reel the probe back in. Once the probe was within roughly 30 m of the stern of the ship, the retrieval speed was reduced and the probe was pulled through the wake of the ship for recovery. After trying several methods of retrieval, we found this method to be the simplest and safest.
Respooling of line on the tail was accomplished with a commercially available variable pitch level-wind mechanism, driven by a motor from a portable hand-held drill (Fig. 6). Upon recovery, the tail was detached from the probe and installed in the level-wind unit. The davit was oriented toward the rewinder setup, and the empty tail spool was inserted between two mounts on the drive shaft of a modified battery-powered Milwaukee drill motor. One end of the tail spool fit into a mount made from a spare rear bulkhead of the probe. The tail pin end of the spool fit into a conically shaped mount at the end of a bearing-supported stainless steel rod. The tail pin mount was made of Delrin and its inside lined with neoprene rubber to protect the tail spool surface from scratches. A pull-ring spring plunger fit into a matching keyhole in the tail spool, preventing slippage of the tail spool with regard to the rear mount during the rewind. The direction of revolution and the speed of the drill motor at the end of the drive shaft were controlled manually from a switch box. The rewinder was powered by a standard 18-V Milwaukee rechargeable battery pack fit into a receptacle at the underside of the control box.
Originally, the level winding was done manually by moving a carriage on a guide rail. However, difficulties in maintaining a constant lead resulted in uneven spooling and, consequently, poor performance of the probe during the dive phase. To obtain consistent spooling of the spectra line onto the tail, we adopted an automatic level winder with a rolling-ring-bearing assembly. The shaft on which the level-wind carriage rides was coupled to the drive shaft via a pulley and a belt. In contrast to lead screw-based level-wind assemblies, only a single motor was required to drive both the tail spool and the level-wind carriage.
The lead of the carriage per revolution of the shaft was set with a dial on the carriage in the range 1.6–6.4 mm, with the fastest drop speeds and smoothest unwinding of the line occurring for a lead of about 3.2 mm. At the end stops, the carriage travel direction was reversed mechanically by flipping the orientation of the bearings inside the carriage with regard to the shaft. The tapered shape of the tail spool required an increased stroke length as the tail spool filled up with line. It was therefore necessary to move the end stops out with every layer of line wound onto the spool. Since the end stops were mounted on threaded rods, this was simply accomplished by turning the knobs at the end of the rods after every complete round trip of the carriage. The revolution direction of the drive shaft was alternated between consecutive rewinds to minimize the accumulation of twists in the line.
In order for the spectra line to unwind smoothly during the dive phase of the probe, it had to be wrapped tightly onto the tail. Therefore, it was critical to perform the rewind under sufficient tension. The line tension was set by adjusting the drag on the Penn reel. Typically, the whole rewind operation took about 2–3 min, and three to four rewinds could be completed on a single battery charge. The rewinder setup measured approximately 15 cm × 91 cm × 10 cm and weighed less than 10 kg. A telescopic mount facilitated height and orientation adjustment of the rewinder assembly for different operators and ships.
The probe consists of two main components that are connected securely via a threaded shaft: 1) the probe, with sensors, interface electronics, and data acquisition hardware; and 2) the tail spool that holds the line. The probe itself has a diameter of 6.4 cm and measures 0.46 m from the tip of the nose cone to the end of the rear bulkhead. Two tails were used depending on profile depth desired and ship speed, one tail of length 0.27 m, weight 0.78 kg, line capacity 500 m of 300-lb (136 kg) PowerPro Spectra; and one of length 0.53 m, weight 1.12 kg, and line capacity 150 m of 500-lb (227 kg) Spectra. The total lengths and weights of the assembled probes with short and long tails were 0.73 m, 5.2 kg, and 0.99 m, 5.5 kg, respectively. The end of the Spectra line was spliced into a loop and attached to the eye of a threaded stainless steel tail pin with a girth hitch. The tail pin was screwed into the end of the tail and secured with a set screw.
The probe carried a Precision Measurement Engineering conductivity–temperature (CT) unit with a four-electrode conductivity sensor and a Thermometrics thermistor, as well as a Druck pressure sensor. The assembly consisted of the rear bulkhead with data port, the main instrument pressure case, the forward bulkhead with sensor stem, and the nose cone with sensor guard (Fig. 3). The CT sensor was located at the forward end of the probe inside a stainless steel tube that was connected to the main pressure case through the forward bulkhead. The bulkhead also contained the port for the pressure sensor. This sensor–stem–bulkhead assembly was inserted into a lead-filled, tapered nose piece. A sensor guard was made of glass-reinforced epoxy protecting the fragile CT sensor at the tip of the nose cone. The CT sensor was molded into a cylindrically shaped plug and seated inside the stainless steel tube through which the sensor wires fed back into the main instrument compartment. The individual components of the assembly mated using bore seals combined with Ortman grooves in which monofilament fishing line [50-lb (23 kg) Trilene] was inserted. The probe assembly was pressure tested at 2000 psi (1379 dbar) for several days in the laboratory to ensure that the instrument was leakproof. Inside the main pressure case an embedded computer (Persistor CF II), rechargeable batteries, power supply, and interface electronics were mounted. Nine Li ion batteries (1.2 V, 0.35 Ah) connected in series provided power for up to 12 h of continuous operation. The embedded computer stored the software in its EEPROM, so the probe was operational—albeit in sleep mode—as soon as the battery pack was connected. The data acquisition was controlled from a host computer (in most cases a laptop) via serial communication through the data port in the rear bulkhead of the probe. Data from the sensors were logged at a frequency of 10 Hz to solid-state memory.
One of the advantages of the UCTD over expendable probes is the possibility to perform postdeployment sensor calibrations to allow monitoring of the long-term sensor drift. Calibrations were carried out in the laboratory, and reference checks were performed in the field.
The procedure to calibrate the pressure sensor was straightforward. A deadweight tester was attached to the probe's pressure port, and the pressure was sampled between 0 and 800 psi (552 dbar) in increments of 100 psi (69 dbar) for both increasing and decreasing pressures. Zero pressure readings were obtained before and after each calibration run to ensure that the sensor did not exhibit any hysteresis effects. For each pressure level, 500 samples were averaged and fitted to the known pressure values of the deadweight tester via linear regression, yielding the corresponding gain and offset. Although the Druck pressure sensor was rated to 1000 psi (690 dbar) absolute, the amplification of the digital acquisition electronics was chosen such to obtain maximum resolution for a maximum pressure of 870 psi (600 dbar). The resulting pressure resolution was on the order of 0.3 dbar.
The calibration of the temperature sensor was a two-step process. Once the calibration constants for the digital data acquisition electronics of each probe were obtained, up to six CT sensors were calibrated at once in a single water bath. Separating the calibrations of the interface electronics and the actual thermistor allowed for replacement of a (broken) CT sensor without the need to recalibrate the probe. The first step involved the determination of the parameters of the voltage divider circuit of the digital acquisition electronics. Eight different resistors with values in the range from 100 to 300 kilohms, corresponding approximately to a thermistor temperature range from 0° to 35°C, were used to obtain the three parameters and an error estimate. In a second step, the thermistor was calibrated in a freshwater bath. A cooler was used for thermal insulation, and temperature stability was maximized by constant stirring. With this setup a drift of less than 0.001°C min−1 was achieved. The bath was heated electrically from slightly above 0°C to almost 30°C in steps of 5°C. For each step, the temperature readings of the thermistor and a high-resolution thermometer (TS8901) were logged. These data were fitted to a nonlinear thermistor model. A minimum of four temperature steps were needed to yield the three model parameters and a temperature error estimate. The temperature calibrations of the sensors were found to be extremely stable, with uncertainties of less than 0.01°C over the course of a year.
During initial salinity calibrations we found that an accurate calibration was quite involved, because of an inherent "start-up" time constant in the conductivity sensor, requiring careful conditioning of the probe. Specifically, it was necessary to pre-wet the electrodes of the conductivity sensor in order to obtain repeatable calibrations. Therefore, the probe was stored in seawater for several hours prior to any measurement or deployment. For calibration, the probe was immersed in different, well-mixed water baths with salinities ranging between 0 and 35 psu while both temperature and conductivity were recorded internally. Simultaneously, two Sea-Bird 19plus SEACAT profilers and an SBE 4 conductivity probe logged temperature, conductivity, and salinity in 15-s intervals. The data records from the different instruments were then synchronized with regard to time and fitted via linear regression to yield the gain and offset for each sensor. This method provided salinity calibrations consistent to within about 0.02 psu.
The UCTD operation was carried out easily and safely on an underway vessel, making no demands on vessel operators other than space on an aft quarter to put the equipment (Fig. 5). A typical cast scenario proceeded as follows. Prior to the initial deployment, the probe was stored in seawater for several hours in order to wet the CT sensor and prevent a relaxation-type behavior of the conductivity sensor during the first few profiles. The internal clock of the embedded computer was synchronized with GPS time at this time to allow for precise referencing of the drop location. Once the data acquisition was started, conductivity, temperature, and pressure sensors were sampled continuously at 10 Hz for up to 2 h. Then the communication/charging cable was removed, the data port sealed with the boss plug, and the instrument end connected to the tail spool. The unit was then ready for launch. The UCTD was deployed by dropping over the stern (Fig. 7) while letting the winch free spool. Because the fall rate was approximately 5 m s−1, a 400-m profile took 80 s. At a ship speed of 5 m s−1 (10 kt), 400 m of line was pulled off the winch. The total of 800 m of line deployed at the conclusion of a profile took roughly 15 min to recover.
Once the probe was retrieved from a cast, the tail spool was removed from the rear bulkhead of the probe and placed in the rewinder for respooling. In the meantime, the data from the probe were downloaded to a laptop computer, verified, and copied to backup media, and the probe's batteries were recharged. Profiles were then plotted to verify the integrity of the data. Although it was not necessary to download and archive the data after every cast—up to four casts could be stored internally before the memory of the CPU was filled up—it took only a few minutes and was therefore routinely done. Rewinding the tail and downloading data took about 10 min, so consecutive profiles could be done as rapidly as every 30 min.
The first operational use of the UCTD was on a cruise in May–June 2004, the purpose of which was to examine the effects of internal waves and density-compensating thermohaline variability (sometimes called spice) on long-range acoustic propagation. The cruise resulted in over 160 successful UCTD casts. The primary goal of the cruise was to deploy four acoustic moorings on a 1000-km path (Fig. 8) in the central North Pacific subtropical gyre. The UCTD was used while the ship steamed at 10–13 kt between moorings, with a strict requirement not to affect ship operations.
For most CTDs, the conductivity and temperature sensors have different temporal responses. Even small differences in these responses cause large spurious changes in inferred salinity, because conductivity is dominated by temperature. This effect, usually called "salinity spiking," is correctable in processing the data, often by lagging the output of the temperature sensor relative to that of the conductivity sensor (e.g., Lueck and Picklo 1990; Rudnick and Luyten 1996).
Salinity spiking was present in UCTD data and was corrected as follows. The cross-spectrum between temperature and conductivity was calculated using 10-Hz data from 52 casts, and the resulting phase was plotted (Fig. 9). The phase of a cross-spectrum may be interpreted as the phase difference between temperature and conductivity as a function of frequency. Consistent with a simple lag between the conductivity and temperature sensors, the phase (solid line) was nearly linear in frequency. If the relationship between conductivity and temperature were perfectly described by a lag, the phase would be 2πfL, where f is frequency and L is lag. Such a model phase, with L = 0.1 s (one sample in 10-Hz data), is plotted for comparison (dash–dot line). This simple model provided a reasonable description up to a frequency of 2 Hz. The final correction was to use temperature one sample later than conductivity in calculating salinity. The phase in the final dataset (dashed line) was close to zero, especially at frequencies lower than 2 Hz. Because the goal was to obtain data at 1 Hz (or 5-m vertical resolution), this correction was adequate.
A second calibration issue was a slow drift that existed in the conductivity sensor. This drift was correctable using standard CTD stations occupied during the cruise. Data from the UCTD were compared with data from a Sea-Bird CTD used on the stations to affect this correction (Fig. 10). A multiplicative correction was applied to laboratory-calibrated UCTD conductivity to minimize the difference between UCTD and Sea-Bird salinities for potential temperatures between 7.9° and 8.0°. This range of temperatures was chosen because the temperature–salinity relationship was relatively tight, and it was shallow enough to be within range of typical UCTD casts. Multiplicative constants used were 0.9979 and 0.9967 for the two sensors whose data are shown in Fig. 10.
Raw data were in the form of profiles (Fig. 11). This cast, with the ship steaming at 10 kt, achieved a depth of about 430 m. Oceanographic features typical of the region include a surface mixed layer of about 20-m thickness, with a sharp mixed layer base beneath. Moving downward, a region of reduced stratification marks the previous winter's relic mixed layer and a relic mixed-layer base at about 120 m. Observations then continue down into the permanent thermocline.
A plot of potential temperature against salinity (θ–S) is useful to evaluate the accuracy of sensors and to gauge oceanographic variability (Fig. 10). UCTD observations from the east–west section (blue crosses in Fig. 8) are plotted as blue dots, and standard Sea-Bird CTD stations on each end of the section are plotted in black (east) and magenta (west). At depth, the Sea-Bird station data agree well, suggesting a tight θ–S relationship and accurate sensors. Where the Sea-Bird data are tight, the UCTD data are more scattered, suggesting an error of about 0.03 psu in salinity. Shallower, there is great variability in station and UCTD data, consistent with increased ocean variability. The experiment was intended to quantify this variability, and the UCTD is sufficiently accurate for the task.
The east–west section (Fig. 12), covering 1000 km, comprises a total of 97 casts, which were completed in two separate 1-day transits, each traveling half the distance. Casts were separated by about 30 min in time and 10 km in distance. All except one of the casts returned complete data, with the one failure caused by a faulty connector in the pressure sensor electronics. The section was carried out from east to west, and the changing depth of the profiles was directly related to ship speed. During the first quarter of the section ship speed was 11–12 kt, the second quarter 12–13 kt, and the second half 10 kt. The one very shallow cast near a longitude of –141° was caused by a poorly rewound tail. Over the second half of the section the casts were mostly greater than 400 m, with the deepest ones greater than 430 m. This consistency in the depth of casts was maintained for the remainder of the cruise, including the transit toward Hawaii (red crosses in Fig. 8).
Oceanographic mesoscale and finescale structure is resolved by the UCTD observations. A shallow mixed layer underlain by a sharp base is prevalent throughout the section (Fig. 12). The relic winter mixed layer is bounded below by a stratified region at 100–150-m depth. Salinity structure is apparent throughout the relic mixed layer. Salinity structure such as this, which varies along isopycnals, and is therefore compensated by temperature, has come to be called spice (Munk 1981). Readily seen in the section are vertical excursions of isopycnals, caused by mesoscale motions and internal waves. Assessing the relative effects of these processes on acoustic propagation is one of the goals of the experiment.
One important application of hydrographic surveying is the measurement of sound speed. The sound speed section (Fig. 13) demonstrates UCTD capabilities for this application. Sound speed variability related to heaving isopycnals and spice is identifiable by comparing features in sound speed to corresponding features in salinity. These data are being used to interpret acoustic data from the moorings and in numerical simulations of acoustic propagation (Rudnick and Munk 2006).
The UCTD fills a need for profiles of temperature and salinity from underway vessels. A complete prototype system has been tested and used operationally on a research cruise. Continuing development is addressing ease of use and, especially, the long-term accuracy of the conductivity sensor. A goal is to make the UCTD available to the community through the private sector.
Additional sensors could be mounted on the UCTD, with the primary limitation being physical size; some optical sensors may currently be appropriate. To date, we have not attempted any such enhancements to the UCTD. However, the barrier to additions is not high, because lengthening the UCTD to accommodate new sensors is a relatively simple matter. The nearly constant fall rate of UCTD should provide benefits for measuring some variables.
The development of the UCTD was originally motivated by the need for rapid, accurate, economical profiles from underway vessels. With increasing attention given to human effects on the environment, an additional motivation is that the UCTD is recovered, as opposed to expendables. No plastics or other potentially harmful materials are left behind, which may be especially desirable in certain environmentally sensitive areas.
The data presented here represent only one of the operational uses of the UCTD. As part of the same acoustics experiment reported here, another use of the UCTD occurred in September–October 2004 by a group of scientists unconnected to the development effort. This cruise resulted in over 170 successful UCTD casts, which we consider a reasonably positive beta test. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries conducted a test of the UCTD in January 2005, with the purpose of evaluating the UCTD as a replacement for expendable probes. Another effort was a UCTD tow-yo section on a ferry operated between San Pedro, California, and Santa Catalina Island. In this application, depth was not as important as horizontal resolution, so the tail on the UCTD was not respooled for each cast; rather the UCTD was winched in and out. The section was being repeated every 2 weeks, with results posted on the Web (http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/iog/uCTD/). As the UCTD is made widely available, more applications are expected to arise.
The Instrument Development Group at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, especially Lloyd Regier, Jim Dufour, and Brent Jones, designed and built many of the components of the UCTD. Ben Hodges made valuable contributions to the success of the project. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through NA77RJ1231 and the Office of Naval Research through N00014-03-1-0838.
Citation: Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 24, 11; 10.1175/JTECH2100.1


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Guatemala 2013 Blog Three- The Ride-outs
The GlobalFire team is touring the fire station and the dispatch room. The dispatch phone rings and it is a response for a car accident near by. The firefighters leave and three GlobalFire members go for the ride-out. They arrive within a few minutes as the roads are narrow and traffic is very congested. The accident is a tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) that t-boned a car, there were four injured mostly in the tuk-tuk. The injuries were serious but non-life threatening and required transport to hospital. GlobalFire members assisted with assessment, stabilization and transport of the patients. The team went to the hospital to off load and returned to station.
Upon returning to quarters another dispatch came in. Unfortunately since it was in Spanish it was unknown to us what the call was for. Two team members jumped in for another ride out. The two Bomberos in the ambulance did not speak any English. The radio traffic was increasing on route but again only in Spanish. When asked how far and what was the dispatch-the reply was a pleasant smile and "no English".
Thirty minutes and still responding and the radio traffic was non stop. The team members were in the rear of the ambulance and belted in- which was a very good thing as they had a very aggressive driver.
We were now in the mountains and still going uphill. The driver said something with some anxiety and we came to a quick stop. From the rear we could see a number of people around and it was in the middle of no where. When we exited the ambulance, after 30 minutes, we were first on scene to find an open back truck rolled over and laid with the driver's side down. It had been carrying around sixty people at the time of the roll over.
There were bodies and people all over the scene. The Bomberos were directed to the front of the truck but the victim was DOA. We grabbed gloves and started triage. There were a total of three DOA and several hurt. The language barrier made triage difficult so obvious signs of injury was all that was available. We found out later that most of the victims spoke a local language other than Spanish so it was a challenge for the Bomberos also.
Another GlobalFire member and a translator arrived in the next Company 11 ambulance. Now with three GlobalFire members on scene more patient care could be established. There were many walking wounded. Red Cross had arrived with medical supplies and they were used to help in stabilization. Wounds were cleaned and a patient was stabilized on a back board with a stiff neck. We also helped with broken bones, abrasions and loading of patients. In total 12 victims were transported and three DOA.
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Arabella Stewart, Countess of Galloway (26 April 1850 – 18 August 1903), formerly Lady Mary Arabella Arthur Cecil, was the wife of Alan Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway.

She was the daughter of James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury, and his second wife, the former Lady Mary Catherine Sackville-West. Her older half-brother, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1886 to 1892 and again from 1895 to 1902.

She married the future earl on 25 January 1872, a year before he succeeded to his father's titles. As Lord Garlies, he was Conservative MP for Wigtownshire, thus representing the same party as his brother-in-law.

There were no children from their marriage. The earl died in 1901, aged 65, and was succeeded in the earldom by his brother Randolph Henry Stewart, 11th Earl of Galloway. A portrait photograph of the countess, taken during the 1870s by John Watkins, is held by London's National Gallery.

The dowager countess had a London house at 17 Upper Grosvenor Street, but died at "Cuffnells", Lyndhurst, Hampshire, of pneumonia, aged 53.

Ancestry

References

1850 births
1903 deaths
Peerage of Scotland
Scottish countesses
Daughters of British marquesses

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Oasis of the Seas to Boast More Cabins After Renovation
By John Stansfield , July 11, 2019	, Cruise Industry
In November 2019, Oasis of the Seas will be undergoing a major renovation and among other things, the Royal Caribbean ship will boast more cabins after the refit.
The negative aspect is that the kids' areas will be reduced in favour of the larger number of staterooms. However, some novelties will await the vessel and it will be adapted to the standards of the newer Oasis-class ships. Oasis will get, among other things, the Perfect Storm and the Ultimate Abyss waterslides. No public outdoor area will be available in front of the solarium because of the additional cabins to be installed there. The kids' and teens' areas will be reduced so that the Oasis of the Seas will boast 61 new cabins after the conversion.
No changes will be made on decks 3, 10, 17 and 18.
Deck 16: The Sky Bar and Mast Bar will form the new "Lime & Coconut" bar and the remaining space will be used to install a pair of whirlpools.
Deck 15: The Perfect Storm will be placed here. The kids' water park will be renewed and replaced by the Splashaway Bay. The new "Portside BBQ" restaurant (menu) will be situated aft but teens will only have one area left - the Teens Club (former Fuel Teen Disco). The Wipe Out will turn into the Mexican El Loco Fresh.
Deck 14: The gained space of the kids' area will be used for a total of 30 new cabins.
Deck 12: The Diamond Club will be removed and laid on Deck 4. Space will be created for twenty new cabins. 6 more staterooms will replace the library and the one will be located in Central Park.
Deck 9: A new interior cabin will be added. The nightclub Dazzles, which extends over Deck 8 and 9, will be converted to the Music Hall.
Deck 8: The library will take the place of the photo studio, while the photo studio will be positioned on deck 6.
Deck 7: 3 new interior cabins will be installed.
Deck 6: The arcade and the Sabor will become Playmaker's Sports Bar. Candy Beach will be split into the Beach Shop and Sugar Beach. A new interior cabin will be installed.
Deck 5: The Champagne Bar will be replaced with the Bionic Bar. The Sports bar will be renamed to Spotlight Karaoke but there has been karaoke so far. The Diamond Bar will go on Deck 4. The Comedy Club will be integrated into Blaze Disco.
The Oasis of the Seas' conversion will cost a total of US$165 million and will take place 9 weeks after the Mediterranean season at the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz Spain.
For more information on cabin categories, standard/complimentary amenities and services, and suite perks see at Oasis OTS staterooms.
Royal CaribbeanOasis Of The SeasrefurbishmentCadiz Spainstateroomsdining
Star Clippers' Cruise Takes in Cannes Film Festival and Monaco GP
A-ROSA Partners with CLIA Australasia
Port of Limassol to Service More Cruise Ships
Atlas Ocean Voyages to Acquire 4 Additional Ships
Emerald Waterways Introduces New River Ship
MSC Cruises to Add 2 New Cruise Ships
Astoria Leaves Cruise and Maritime Voyages' Fleet
Construction of Second Cruise Berth for Sydney Harbour Delayed by Weather
Crystal River Cruises Unveils 2022 Itineraries


As you can see, there's a lot to consider when you're thinking about graduate education in the visual arts. Hopefully, the perspectives offered in this article will help you to explore many of the most important questions that you have; then, you will better prepared to take this important step in your career and your life.
"(F)inding the best environment for you to achieve your academic/artistic goals is your most important decision," said Ms. Bourgeois. "Think carefully about your needs - what kind of resources, facilities, faculty, flexibility do you need to reach your goals."
Said Mr. Lightfoot: "While private schools are extremely expensive and the jobs, especially for fine arts students, usually provide meager compensation, I have yet to talk to one of our graduates who regrets the decision to pursue this degree. Happiness is not measured in dollars."
"There's something remarkable about having an education and a masters in the arts - especially in the business world. If you can really harness and channel the creativity, adding strategic skills and the ability to apply the creative to business needs - that's a real strength. That creativity is a valuable and rare thing."
"If you are thinking about going to grad school, try and think about what you want out of going," said Ms. Jappy. "If you are passionate and serious about your work, then I suggest that you apply... you only have one life, and it's better if you try and make the most of it."
"Do it because you want to do it, for your own intellectual and emotional growth," said Mr. Weber. "A good graduate program will push you to grow in ways that you don't anticipate. Take advantage of it in as many ways as you can. It's very easy in graduate school to hunker down too much in the studio without looking at all the stuff that's happening around you. It's precious time - take advantage of it."
Although this article may provide many thought-provoking quotes and resources, ultimately, it is you who must make the decision. It is only you who can envision and create what you want from your art, your career and your life.


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CHOP Celebrates 1,000 Fetal Surgeries
Published on Jun 06, 2013 in CHOP News
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The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Celebrates the Birth of Its 1,000th Fetal Surgery Patient
The world's most experienced fetal diagnosis and therapy team hits record-breaking milestone
June 6, 2013 — Eighteen years after opening its internationally prominent Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) celebrates 1,000 fetal surgeries — highly complex surgical interventions to repair birth defects in the womb. Approximately 4,000 fetal surgeries have been done worldwide, meaning a quarter of them have been performed at CHOP, the largest number of any hospital in the world.
"Although birth defects remain the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States, we have been able to develop and share innovations that help advance treatment for these defects, relying on tools, techniques and experience not available 30 years ago," said fetal surgery pioneer and pediatric surgeon N. Scott Adzick, MD, medical director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP, where he is also Surgeon-in-Chief.
It took a small group of medical professionals, committed to treating life-threatening birth defects before birth, to dramatically expand the capabilities of fetal medicine. Today, having provided effective treatments for thousands of babies worldwide, fetal therapy is recognized as one of the most promising fields in pediatric medicine.
Established by Dr. Adzick in 1995, CHOP's Center is now the largest and most comprehensive fetal program in the world, having welcomed nearly 15,000 expectant mothers from all 50 states and more than 50 countries. Each week at CHOP, highly sophisticated surgical teams repair spina bifida and other birth defects in the womb, place fetal shunts to treat life-threatening congenital conditions, or perform minimally invasive procedures in the mother's uterus to treat complications in fetal twins. The Center staff also manages pregnancies complicated by birth defects, in which newborns need immediate specialized medical care or surgery after delivery.
"This is our mission and our passion, and our multidisciplinary team is constantly working to improve care, treatment and outcomes for these fragile babies and their families," said Lori J. Howell, MSN, RN, executive director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. "The high volume of patients we see with incredibly complex, rare conditions makes all the difference. Our experienced team has treated large numbers of patients with a given diagnosis, whereas many medical professionals will only see one or two such patients in their entire career."
The 1,000th fetal surgery
Like nearly 20 percent of the fetal surgeries at CHOP, the 1,000th case was a complex open surgery on a mother whose fetus was prenatally diagnosed with spina bifida. Audrey Rose Oberio with her parents Jackie and Gideon
Jackie Oberio, who lives in the Baltimore area, was 19 weeks pregnant when she and her husband Gideon found out that their unborn daughter had myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, a condition in which part of the developing spine fails to close properly.
After speaking with several local specialists and conducting lots of online research, the Oberios discovered the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP. Led by Dr. Adzick, Center team members had pioneered a surgical procedure to repair spina bifida before birth and had been performing it at CHOP since 1998. The CHOP team had found that addressing spina bifida by operating on the baby in the womb, months before birth, could reduce the need to divert fluid from the brain, improve neurologic function and increase the likelihood that a child would be able to walk independently.
Those same results were later confirmed in 2011 when the results of a landmark nationwide clinical trial, co-led by CHOP, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conclusively established the effectiveness of fetal surgery for spina bifida.
On Feb 28, the Oberios traveled from their home in Maryland to Philadelphia for a comprehensive two-day evaluation to determine if they were indeed candidates for fetal surgery. During their evaluation they met with a multidisciplinary team that included some of the world's most experienced experts in fetal surgery and therapy, including maternal-fetal medicine specialists, reproductive geneticists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, neonatologists, fetal cardiologists, genetic counselors, fetal imaging experts, psychologists, social workers, and child life specialists, as well as advanced practice, obstetric, neonatal and operating room nurses. All are specifically trained to care for mother and infant pairs in which the baby is prenatally diagnosed with birth defects.
"The doctors at CHOP went over what would happen if we had the surgery, what would happen if we didn't do the surgery, what happens if the baby is born preterm, what happens if the baby needs a shunt, what was going to happen to me," Jackie said. "Every little thing that could happen they went through in detail five times, helped with questions and emotionally supported us."
Jackie qualified for the surgery and returned home to gather belongings for her temporary relocation to Philadelphia. Only a week after her initial evaluation, CHOP surgeons successfully closed the opening in her unborn baby's spine.
For the next two and a half months, Jackie's home was in Philadelphia where she was restricted to modified bed rest, while Gideon traveled back and forth to Baltimore for work. "Leaving Jackie every four days was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do" said Gideon, a cardiac nurse in Baltimore.
On May 28, maternal-fetal medicine specialist Nahla Khalek, MD, and obstetrician May-Ange Ntoso, MD, and their team performed a cesarean delivery in CHOP's Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit (SDU), the world's first birth facility designed exclusively for pregnancies complicated by birth defects. Audrey Rose weighed a healthy 5 pounds, 8 ounces and had nothing more than a scar where her myelomeningocele had been. After delivery, she was immediately cared for in the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit and is expected to return home in several days. (Find out how Audrey is doing today.)
View this video with a transcript
About the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP
The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an internationally recognized leader in fetal surgery and fetal care. One of the only programs of its kind in the world, it offers a comprehensive breadth of services, including fetal therapy, to support patients from prenatal evaluation through delivery, postnatal care, and long-term follow-up.
Established in 1995, the Center has welcomed nearly 15,000 expectant parents and received referrals from all 50 states and more than 50 countries. Its multidisciplinary team brings decades of experience to the care and treatment of the fetus and the expectant mother. The Center has performed more than 1,000 fetal surgeries, including complex open procedures for birth defects such as spina bifida; less invasive fetoscopic or ultrasound-guided surgeries for conditions such as twin-twin transfusion syndrome; and specialized coordinated delivery approaches for babies that require surgical intervention while still on maternal-placental life support (EXIT delivery). For more information visit http://fetalsurgery.chop.edu.
The Fetal Heart Program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia specializes in the detection, evaluation and management of fetal heart defects prior to a baby's birth. The team performs more than 3,300 fetal echocardiography studies annually, making it one of the largest fetal heart programs in the US. The program's offerings include: state-of-the-art technology, planning for labor and delivery and complete care for the newborn after birth, access to the full Cardiac Center team and the most advanced fetal heart defect treatments available, including fetal heart interventions if necessary. The Cardiac Center performs more than 850 cardiothoracic surgeries per year and the Center's outcomes are among the best in the world.
Ashley Moore, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 215-630-4683 (cell) or moorea1@email.chop.edu
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A properly designed kitchen sits at the heart of any successful restaurant. Efficiency in design not only facilitates the rapid production of food, thus going part of the way towards achieving customer satisfaction, but also frees up the staff from purely practical problems thus making it possible for them to focus their efforts on the quality of the dishes which they are preparing; this could be said to constitute the other half of customer satisfaction. Any visitor to a restaurant who receives dishes of high quality without an excessive waiting period is liable to be very satisfied, and so more likely to become a regular at the restaurant in question. He or she is also likely to recommend the establishment to his or her friends, and there is no better form of advertising than word of mouth.
It can be seen, then, that the design of a kitchen restaurant is an important factor and one which any ambitious business proprietor in the catering field will find worthy of serious thought. The problem is that the busy proprietor may not be in the best position to see what will ultimately benefit the business and lead toward the best results. He or she is often too involved in the basic essential nuts and bolts running of the business to see the problem as a whole. As an example of this we might consider the matter of the provision of commercial equipment for catering and the problems which the installation of such equipment might cause to the ergonomic efficiency of the food production area.
The busy proprietor is likely to purchase new equipment on a like-for-like basis, with the proviso that the new product is better than the one which it will replace, and also tend to place the new item in the same area of floor space as its predecessor. This seems reasonable enough when considered superficially, but in fact it could be the cause of many problems, which range from irritants to serious health and safety hazards. The new equipment, be it a new oven, a new refrigerator, a new ventilator or whatever may be larger than the item it has replaced and thus project into important thoroughfares, impeding the free passage of ingredients, partly finished dishes or even finished dishes. It might even cause a traffic choke point, which is also likely to become a potential accident hazard point. The new equipment might have different electrical or ventilation requirements and thoughtless positioning could cause inadvertent but potentially disastrous failures to comply with all important health and safety protocols.
For this reason the sensible proprietor should consider employing the services of a commercial restaurant design company, one which understands such matters and which is familiar and up to date with the minefield of health and safety regulations. Such a company, being at a remove from the hurly-burly of the daily round of business will be able to come up with a variety of potential designs which will circumvent any problems. Indeed it will help the proprietor to avoid these problems in the first place.


The Cowboys have been within one score, or leading, at halftime in all three of the lopsided losses to the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and Chargers.
The players are adamant they aren't going to lose motivation even though the playoffs are a long shot at this point.
Questions about the coaching staff and personnel will become storylines for the rest of the season. But the Cowboys won't let those become a distraction.
The Cowboys continue to have key players sustain injuries.
Right guard Zack Martin and linebacker Justin Durant each exited with concussions. Martin sustained his in the first half and was replaced by Joe Looney. Durant suffered his in the second half.
On the positive injury front, left tackle Tyron Smith, kicker Dan Bailey, linebacker Anthony Hitchens and safety Jeff Heath all played the entire game after dealing with injuries of late.
Tight end Jason Witten has another record.
Witten became the all-time leader in receiving yards on Thanksgiving Day, passing longtime Detroit receiver Herman Moore. Witten broke Moore's record of 834 yards with a 4-yard catch late in the first half.
Witten already had the holiday record for most receptions (80) and needed just 26 receiving yards to pass Moore heading into the game. He finished with seven catches for 44 yards.


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Q: .htaccess configuration for HTML5 History API After several days of digging at the HTML5 History API, I found this great working example that suits my needs https://github.com/pinceladasdaweb/html5-history-api
However, when trying to run it on my local server/web hosting, I get an Internal Server Error, which leads me to think that there's something misconfigured in the .htacccess file.
Looked up at the Apache Error log and confirmed my theory, this was what error line tells:

"[...]
  .../html5-history-api-master/.htaccess:
  Invalid command 'RewriteEngine', perhaps misspelled or defined by a
  module not included in the server configuration"

I'd like to know if I need to make specific configurations in the server to make the example run properly.
You can see a working demo done by the owner here: http://www.pinceladasdaweb.com.br/html5-history-api/
Any help will be really appreciated.
Thanks!

A: This is what I have done to make it work.
1- As Panama Jack said in the comments, the answer of what was happening was in the log file wamp\logs\apache_error.log
[...] /html5-history-api-master/.htaccess: Invalid command 'RewriteEngine', perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration
2- I enabled the rewrite_module on my local server (see Hardik Thaker for your visual reply to this post!
3- My web hosting is GoDaddy, I found out that I had to tweak the .htaccess file to make it work. This last post saved my life!
Hope it helps!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A super cool vintage record case in dark red vinyl.
Can you beat this? A cool and funky Zodiac battery wall clock by Metamec.
A lovely looking 1970's wall clock by Adelco.
The cutest/kitschest little white kitten you will ever see!
A great 70's battery operated wall clock by Eurastyle.
A really attractive framed picture of Paris by Oritz Alfau circa 1960's.
A vintage boxed travel/gift set with two folding hangers and a brush circa 60's.
Go to sleep in a field of pink flowers.


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Egypt anti-terror bill speeds trials, tightens hand on mediahttps://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/egypt-anti-terror-bill-speeds-trials-tightens-hand-on-media/
Egypt anti-terror bill speeds trials, tightens hand on media
The draft raised concerns that officials are taking advantage of heightened public shock at last week's audacious attacks to effectively enshrine into law the notorious special emergency laws.
By Associated Press |Cairo | Published: July 7, 2015 9:55:39 pm
The sale of King Tutankhamun's 3,000-year-old statue restarts debate on whether ancient artefacts belong to their country of origin
Al-Qaida accuses Egypt of killing ex-president Mohamed Morsi in jail
Egypt detains opposition leader accusing him of anti-government plot
FILE – In this Thursday, July 2, 2015 file photo, Egyptians carry the coffin of 1st Lt. Mohammed Adel Abdel Azeem, killed in Wednesday's attack by Islamic State-affliated militants in the Sinai, during the funeral procession at his home village Tant Al Jazeera in Qalubiyah, north of Cairo, Egypt. After a series of stunning militant attacks, including the last week's major militant assault in the Sinai Peninsula, the government is pushing through a new controversial anti-terrorism draft bill. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
After a series of stunning militant attacks, Egypt's government is pushing through a controversial new anti-terrorism draft bill that would set up special terrorism courts, shorten the appeals process, give police greater powers of arrest and imprison journalists who report information on attacks that differs from the official government line.
The draft raised concerns that officials are taking advantage of heightened public shock at last week's audacious attacks to effectively enshrine into law the notorious special emergency laws which were in place for decades until they were lifted following the 2011 ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Rather than reviewing security policies since the attacks, officials have largely been focusing blame on the media for allegedly demoralizing troops and on the slowness of the courts.
The 55-article bill has not been officially made public but was leaked to the Egyptian press over the weekend. A judicial official who vetted the draft confirmed its contents to The Associated Press on Monday. The bill is currently in a review process, leaving it unclear when it will be issued or whether changes could be made. Since Egypt has not had parliament for more than two years, laws are issued by the president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, after going through the Cabinet. In the absence of parliament, any debate is largely through media or behind closed doors.
The leaked copy of the bill brought an outcry and demands for changes in the draft from Egypt's journalists union and from senior judges. "The disaster is that now they have decided to punish those who are carrying the news and not those responsible for the catastrophes," Khaled Balshi, of the Press Syndicate, told the AP. The government "seeks a press that fits it, a la North Korea." The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has said that there are at least 18 journalists behind bars in Egypt and accusing the government of using the pretext of national security to crackdown on freedoms.
"Imposing jail time for publishing news about any topic, including government's account of public events, contradicts Egypt's own constitution and defies any standard of free press. Journalists' basic function in any democratic society is to vet government behavior and Egypt is not an exception," Sherif Mansour of CPJ wrote to AP in an email. The bill "pushes further the government ability to, and its practice of, crushing critical and independent voices inside the country."
DO NOT USE Middle East & Africa
1 Mosul: IS militants abduct 111 school children to be trained as terrorists
2 Iran nuclear talks: Discussions set to miss second deadline in Vienna
3 Kenya: Suspected Al Shabaab terrorists kill at least 14 quarry workers


HYDERABAD: Income tax (I-T) department sleuths seized 51 lakh from the farmhouse of Kodangal TRS candidate Patnam Narendar Reddy's brother-in-law, Seri Sridhar Reddy, in a search operation on Wednesday. The cash was allegedly meant for distribution in the ensuing assembly elections.
With this, the total quantum of cash and valuables seized in searches and inspections by I-T and police departments so far this election season in Telangana has touched Rs 104.4 crore.
According to Telangana chief electoral officer (CEO) Rajat Kumar, if there is credible information, searches will be conducted on any candidate irrespective of the party, including Gajwel TRS candidate and CM K Chandrasekhar Rao's farmhouse.
"Out of Rs 104.4 crore seized, around 88 crore is in cash, Rs 8.8 crore is by way of liquor and Rs 7.5 crore is in gold, silver and ganja. So far, we have not been able to trace the origin of the money and link it to politicians in most cases. However, EC has instructed the agencies to focus on the money trail and trace the origin.


Dig deeper into Scripture individually and alongside other women at Grace Church by participating in this 9-week 1 Peter bible study! This is for those new to Bible study as well as those more familiar with the Scriptures.
The price of the Bible study includes the Bible study book.
*Childcare will be provided for children 4-years-old and below during the Thursday morning study at our Waco campus.


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Restructuring On Track as Rolls-Royce Looks to the Future
In October, the Rolls Royce share price fell to its lowest levels since 2003, after the company announced its plans to raise extra cash to bolster its hollowed-out finances.
The shares have since rebounded to 120p, and today's Q3 numbers are symbolic of a business in recovery, but one that is still some way short of getting back on its feet.
Rolls-Royce share price has a tough year
There were problems even before the pandemic, namely with its Trent 1000 engine which powered the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with cracks forming on the turbine blades. This caused costs to spiral out of control, dealing the company a £2.9bn loss in last year's full-year numbers. To compound this there appeared to be another issue with this power unit in reports in July that suggested a problem elsewhere, within the turbine itself.
While Rolls Royce were dealing with these problems the pandemic almost dealt the business an even more fatal blow. Maintenance is a huge revenue earner for the business as Rolls-Royce derived income from the number of hours flown by its engines. In 2016 Warren East, Rolls-Royce CEO had taken what turned out to be the fateful decision to trim back underperforming areas, and focus the business into key growth areas of civil aviation and maintenance. The Covid-19 shutdown in civil aviation turned off the cashflow tap almost overnight, hitting the Rolls-Royce share price hard.
It will still take some time for their civil aviation income stream to return to anywhere near normal, but the hope is that in the New Year this will start to pick up again, as flight schedules start to get reinstated.
In October, the launch of a £1bn bond issue as well as a £2bn 10-for-3 rights issue at a 41% discount to 130p was eventually taken up by shareholders, as the company embarked on a fight for survival after half its revenue disappeared in the wake of the almost wholesale grounding of the civil aviation industry in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The fundraising does appear to have bought the company much needed time to reorientate its business model so that it's not anywhere near as reliant on civil aviation. Rolls-Royce has also sold its stake in its civil nuclear instrumentation and control business to France's Framatome, and still expects to sell its Spanish ITP Aero business sometime next year.
Better times ahead for Rolls-Royce
That doesn't mean that we won't see another quarter of cash burn and today's numbers highlight that quite starkly, but the outlook does look much brighter than it did a few weeks ago, as the vaccine program starts to get rolled out, and air travel starts to pick up again in 2021.
Today's trading update shows that large engine hours flown were at 42% of the previous year, however this disguises the fact that in the last couple of months this was down at 33%, compared to 2019, bringing the quarterly total up to 29%, while as a result of various cost savings the business is on track to deliver £1bn of savings this year.
Management said they still expected to make 250 deliveries of new engines this year, and kept their full-year guidance unchanged.
For 2020 the company expects to see £4.2bn of free cash outflow, while expecting to go cash flow positive at some point during the second half of 2021, with a view to generating £750m of FCF by 2022, as it looks to raise another £2bn in the form of disposals.
The defence business has remained resilient with a strong order book, with a recent order for 56 engines for the German air force.
Job cuts to continue
Earlier this year the business announced the loss of 9,000 jobs, with 5,500 of these expected to have gone by the end of this year. A consultation is now taking place within its CA division to transfer the manufacture of aero engine structures into ITP Aero, before looking to sell that part of the business.
It's also been reported that Rolls-Royce is looking at a joint venture with the Aero Corporation of China to jointly supply engines to a new wide body jet program between China and Russia.
Rolls-Royce is also looking at innovation in other areas, for example, as part of the government's new energy plans the business is part of a consortium to build 16 mini nuclear plants in the UK, while it is also working on a prototype engine that uses 100% sustainable aviation fuel.
Things do appear to be moving in the right direction, and with at least £8.5bn of liquidity, along with a £1bn 2 year bank facility that remains undrawn, there is a cash buffer to at least see a pathway to recovery as air travel recovers in the wake of a successful vaccine rollout in 2021.