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Munch Museum (), marketed as Munch (stylised as MUNCH) since 2020, is an art museum in Bjørvika, Oslo, Norway dedicated to the life and works of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.

The museum was originally located at Tøyen, which was opened in 1963. The museum moved to the new museum building at Bjørvika, which was opened in 22 October 2021.

Selected collection highlights

History

Original museum

The original Munch Museum was situated at Tøyen in the Oslo borough of Gamle Oslo. Construction of the museum was financed from the profits generated by the Oslo municipal cinemas and opened its doors in 1963 to commemorate what would have been Munch's 100th birthday. Its collection consists of works and articles by Munch, which he donated to the municipality of Oslo upon his death, and additional works donated by his sister Inger Munch, as well as various other works obtained through trades of including duplicate prints.

The museum had in its permanent collection well over half of the artist's entire production of paintings and at least one copy of all his prints. This amounted to over 1,200 paintings, 18,000 prints, six sculptures, as well as 500 plates, 2,240 books, and various other items. The museum also contained educational and conservation sections, and has facilities for the performing arts.

The museum structure was designed by architects Einar Myklebust and Gunnar Fougner. Myklebust also played an important role in the expansion and renovation of the museum in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of Munch's death. This site has also been the location of filming for an Olsenbanden-movie from 1984.

The last exhibition of the museum while at Tøyen, Oslo was opened in May 2021, which lasted until 1 October.

Current museum

Previously, in 2008, the City of Oslo promoted an architectural competition for a new Munch Museum in the area of Bjørvika, a new urban development where the Oslo Opera House is also located.  The competition was won in 2009 by Spanish architect Juan Herreros and his studio Herreros Arquitectos (now estudio Herreros).

Before the local election in Oslo in 2011, the Oslo Progress Party decided that they would no longer support the project due to economic concerns. After the election, in December 2011, the Oslo City Council voted to end the project. Instead the council wanted to consider improving the current museum or moving the collection to Nasjonalgalleriet.

In May 2013, the Oslo City Council finally took the decision to revive the project, and move the museum to its new site on the waterfront, next to the Oslo Opera House. Construction started during September  2015. The new museum has been widely criticised for its design, where it has been branded the unofficial worlds largest collection of guard rails.

In summer 2021, 28000 pieces of art was moved from the previous museum at Tøyen, to the new museum at Bjørvika, Oslo.

The museum was opened by the King Harald V in October 22 2021.

2004 armed robbery of two paintings

On Sunday, 22 August 2004, two paintings by Munch, The Scream and Madonna, were stolen from the Munch Museum by armed robbers who forced the museum guards to lie on the floor while they snapped the cable securing the paintings to the wall. The paintings were recovered by Oslo Police on 31 August 2006.

See also
 List of single-artist museums

References

Other sources
Eggum, Arne; Gerd Woll, Marit Lande Munch At The Munch Museum (Scala Publishers, 2005)
Langaard, Johan H. Edvard Munch: Masterpieces from the artist's collection in the Munch Museum in Oslo (McGraw-Hill. 1964)

External links
Munch-museet website
Munch Museum within Google Arts & Culture

Museums in Oslo
Art museums and galleries in Norway
Modernist architecture in Norway
Art museums established in 1963
1963 establishments in Norway
Biographical museums in Norway
Museums devoted to one artist
Edvard Munch


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Colorado Rockies |
Opening day: Rockies fans allowed into Coors…
Opening day: Rockies fans allowed into Coors Field for first time since 2019, and tickets are still available
With a capacity variance of 42.6%, the showdown against the Dodgers will feel different for fans
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Colorado Rockies fans beat the heat by staying in the shade of purple Colorado Rockies umbrellas during the Colorado Rockies games against the Miami Marlins at Coors Field on Aug. 18, 2019 in Denver. The Rockies beat the Marlins 7-6.
By Kyle Newman | knewman@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: March 30, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. | UPDATED: December 8, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.
For the Rockies season opener on Thursday, fans are coming back to Coors Field for the first time since 2019 after the coronavirus pandemic led to the gates being closed all of last year.
With a capacity variance of 42.6% (21,363 of 50,144), the opener against the Dodgers will feel different for fans used to packing the stadium for LoDo's annual holiday. Despite the attendance limit, as of Tuesday evening, there are still tickets available for the game as cheap as $50 through the team's official site, as well as through various secondary-market sites.
Tickets are being sold in pods of two, three or four and fans are not allowed to sit in front, behind or on either side of each pod. Each pod will have a designated entry gate, and all tickets for the 2021 season are digital.
Owner Dick Monfort: Rockies can "play .500 ball" in 2023
Rockies announce 22 non-roster invites to spring training, including top prospects Zac Veen and Drew Romo
Saunders: Baseball Hall of Fame voting process isn't perfect but it's darn good
🔊 Rockies podcast: Todd Helton's Hall of Fame miss, RyMac's thoughts on 2023
Keeler: Rockies icon Todd Helton was robbed. But Hall of Fame history says justice is coming.
Those who enjoy exploring the park, or loitering around the concourse while watching the game, should be prepared for a different experience this year. Standing room areas, including the concourse, The Rooftop and playgrounds, will not be available for gathering. There are also no standing-room tickets being sold.
Additionally, stadium access will be restricted to an individual's pod and corresponding restroom/concession areas, while directional arrows on the ground will indicate one-way walking patterns.
Fans are required to wear a mask at all times in the stadium, a mandate which the club's game day staff will be enforcing. Face coverings such as bandanas and masks with valves are not considered approved face coverings. Children under 2 do not have to wear a mask, and proof of COVID vaccination is not required for entry.
In a few other notable COVID protocols, sunflower seeds and shelled nuts are not permitted. All transactions will be cashless. And, players are prohibited from signing autographs at any point or from tossing balls into the stands.
The Rockies' 42.6% attendance variance extends through the team's opening homestand. Following a four-game series against Los Angeles, Colorado hosts Arizona for a three-game series that concludes April 8. After that, the capacity restrictions, or lack thereof, for the remaining 74 home games are to be determined.
Attendance in LoDo openers
A look at Colorado's attendance history on home opening day since 1993, when the club set an MLB record for the largest attendance ever in an opener.
The Colorado Rockies wave their caps to acknowledge the crowd of 80,227 as they are introduced Friday before their home Opener against the Montreal Expos in Denver, 1993 at Mile High Stadium.
2021 — ?? (42.6% capacity restriction)
2020 — No fans allowed
2019 — 48,404
1995 — 47,228 (1st game at Coors Field)
1993 — 80,227 (1st MLB game in Denver)
coronavirus in sports
More Rockies News
Rockies home opener
Kyle Newman | Sportswriter
Kyle Newman is a sportswriter for The Denver Post, a position he's held since 2016. He is a beat reporter covering the Colorado Rockies and Denver Broncos in addition to covering other professional, college and high school athletics around the state. He is a member of the BBWAA and PFWA.
knewman@denverpost.com
Follow Kyle Newman @KyleNewmanDP
More in Colorado Rockies

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Stop Mommy-Shaming Pregnant Women Who Have a Glass of Wine
When it comes to alcohol, the United States is incredibly puritanical. Our society has promoted the view that even a single drop of alcohol is harmful to developing babies. However, the totality of evidence does not support that belief at all.
A New Report on North Korea's Biological Weapons Program
Researchers at Harvard's Belfer Center scoured the globe for whatever was publicly available on North Korea's biological weapons program. Referencing news articles, journal papers, expert interviews and government reports, the team assembled a comprehensive study of the knowns and unknowns. Here are the main findings.
Is Air Pollution Killing Millions? Not in the United States of America
Air pollution in China has a substantially negative impact on public health. But with the exception of central and southern California and the upper Midwest, the United States has extremely clean air. And in fact, most regions in this country would not benefit from tighter air pollution standards.
Germany Isn't a Leader in Science
What does Germany's election mean for science? Absolutely nothing, except that the preexisting anti-nuclear, anti-GMO, and anti-technology policies that were already prevalent under Mrs. Merkel will be reinforced. And the world won't notice.
Why Would the EU Put the Kibosh on Bayer's Acquisition of Monsanto?
Mergers may be a great business decision, but they may not be great for society. If the European Union is not distracted by politics and anti-GMO activists – and if it's able to focus solely on the economic pros and cons of a merger – it is engaging in appropriate regulatory oversight. (But that's a big "if.")
Are Microbiologists Climate-Denying Science Haters?
Recently, in a room full of microbiologists, this question was posed: "How many of you believe climate change is the world's #1 threat?" Silence. Not a single person's hand was raised. Were they all rejecting science? No, not at all. They just didn't see it as threatening as antibiotic resistance, pandemic disease or geopolitical instability.
Overprescription or Recreation: What Is Driving the Opioid Epidemic?
The Trump Administration has convened a panel to address America's opioid epidemic. Its first mission should be to find convincing data to identify the actual cause(s) of the problem. That will be much harder than it sounds, since ideologues are always in plentiful supply.
Why Some Scientists Are Bad at Their Jobs
Scientists are humans, too. And just like other humans you know, some of them aren't very good at their jobs. There are three main ways in which scientists can mess up. Here's how.
March for Science: How Democracy Kills Expertise
Some might argue that democracy not only leads people to believe that all humans are of equal value (which is true), but all humans are equal in their abilities, thoughts, and behaviors (which is completely false). Yet, many people in a democracy believe the latter. And it leads to a very bad outcome.
Seattle Times Thinks Soda Taxes Are Racist
Soda taxes aren't racist, yet precisely that case was made by a reporter for the newspaper. His position: Blacks and Hispanics consume more sugary beverages than whites and Asians, while whites and Asians drink more diet beverages than blacks and Hispanics. Because the tax does not apply to diet beverages, it is racist. Let's break this down.
'March for Science' Organizers Just Love Science. So Do 2nd Graders
A co-founder of the "March for Science" says that it's "time for everyone to get on board." Okay, sure. We'll get on board – pending satisfactory answers to serious science policy questions.
To Save World, Chan & Zuckerberg Should Spend Money on Boring Stuff
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan recently announced their intention to "cure, prevent or manage all disease within our children's lifetime." But if that's their goal, then perhaps their initial funding ought to be aimed at fighting the underlying cause of so much of the world's suffering – poverty.


Our colleagues have been finding out how to support people with a learning disability as part of International Day of People with Disability. The aim of the national awareness day is to encourage a better understanding of people affected by a disability, and to raise awareness of the rights, dignity and welfare of disabled people.
There are 1.2 million people in England with a disability yet only 189,000 are known to disability services. We know that many of our customers live with a mental, physical or learning disability, so its really important that colleagues know how to support people who have additional needs.
Staff at Queensberry Place, our supported housing for adults with disabilities, delivered the training. It helped colleagues understand more about the different types of learning disabilities, how to recognise them, and how to tailor our approach.


ETS2 patch version 1.33 is out in beta mode! You can get it via Steam. Check out what is new!
After the experimental beta of the 1.33 patch for Euro Truck Simulator 2 put to the public by SCS Software, the beta version is available to the public. Most importantly, it brings new trailers, Steam cloud-based profile option, reusable truck and trailers configuration templates. Technical improvements consist in improved graphics effect of rain and improved physics.
Steam cloud-based profile: this is important because now you will be able to store your profile saves into the Steam cloud. So you won't accidentally delete or lose your profiles anymore! For example, if you play on more than one PC you will have the same profile on all of them.
So, given this new update, our site offers the best ETS2 1.33 patch mods and for all the others patch versions. So check them out!


LAS CRUCES - Six Las Cruces Public Schools educators recently earned National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.
In order to earn the certification, the educators must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and practice in their individual certificate area by completing three portfolio entries and a computer-based assessment, according to the NBPTS website.
In addition, Kathleen Guitar, lead flight director at the Challenger Learning Center, earned her board certification in the area of Early Adolescent Science.
NBTS officials said the standards represent a consensus among educators about what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. Board certification is available in 25 certificate areas spanning 16 disciplines from Pre-K through 12th grade.


Yes you can buy them at the gate.
Are there toilets and disabled facilities?
What time do we have to be onsite if we are exhibiting cars?
Is there a free shuttle bus?
Yes there is one at Newbury, it picks up from Newbury railway station (north/town centre side) and drops you off at the showground entrance. First pick up at the railway station is 09.45 going to the Showground via the Travelodge at Chieveley Services, then on the hour until 10pm. The last bus from the Showground to the railway station is at 11pm.
No alcohol is to be brought on to the site. Due to licensing laws, it will be taken from you or you will be asked to leave the site. We have bars and catering throughout the festival site which sell at normal pub prices.
Can you bring your own chairs?
First Aid and a Paramedic team are available during the festival.
Are Security staff on site?
Cameras for personal use are welcome, no professional filming or photography is allowed. Unless prior permission is obtained from Retrofestival (SHC Ltd).
Please note that visitors might be photographed by Retrofestival (SHC Ltd) photography and may be used in retrofestival promotional literature.
Retrofestival (SHC Ltd) does not accept liability for personal damages, losses or injuries sustained at this event –including damage and losses to property and motor vehicles.
are contracted to Retrofestival (SHC Ltd) accepts no responsibility if an act fails to attend, or at the time scheduled. Aircraft displays flyovers etc are subject to aircraft availability, operational circumstances and weather permitting.
Please note all dance floors are temporary wooden structures for the period of the event and placed on the grass, Retrofestival (SHC Ltd) cannot accept responsibility for accidents which may occur on/off the dance floor.
Please wear at all times, replacements can be exchanged from the ticket office or the information marquee.
What is the deadline for booking camping?
For Newark – May 7th 2019.
For Newbury – July 9th 2019.
What is the size of a pitch/accommodation?
Please note that your caravan, motorhome or tent must not exceed 7 metres in length.
What time can we get there if we are camping?
You can arrive at the site from 12pm on Thursday onwards.
What time do we have to be off the camping site?
The selling of goods, distribution and advertising, etc. is strictly forbidden, except by official traders who have paid their pitch fee, and have the permission of Retrofestival (SHC Ltd).
What time can we trade from?
Trading opens at 6pm on Friday and at 10am on Saturday and Sunday. You can trade for as long as you like but most traders are expected to stay open until at least 9pm every evening.
Thank you for your help and understanding in aiding and keeping RETROFESTIVAL a fun filled friendly weekend .


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About SylverWhisper
Silver whispers… soft sounds with a metallic edge… barely there…
Tag Archives: marie jean-baptiste
DI Alec Hardy and DI Miller Are Back in Broadchurch Series 2!
Posted by SylverWhisper on March 4, 2015
Series 1 Cast of Broadchurch (ITV, UK)
It's been nearly two years since the premiere of the hit UK drama Broadchurch starring the brilliant David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Olivia Colman. Having only discovered it after Series 1 had ended, while watching its US counterpart Gracepoint at the same time, it's still very fresh in my mind.
When I learned Series 2 would come on the heels of Gracepoint's unfortunate demise, I was relieved to learn the story wasn't over yet.
Series 1 Cast of Gracepoint (Fox TV, US)
For those who are unfamiliar, both Broadchurch and Gracepoint center around the death of 11-year-old Danny Lattimer (Danny Solano in the US version), and the lives torn apart during the course of the murder investigation led by Hardy (Detective Emmett Carver in the US version – both played by David Tennant).
Written and produced by Chris Chibnall (Torchwood), the murder mystery keeps you guessing until the very last minute, all the while drawing you into the personal lives of all the key players living in the sleepy seaside community. Underneath the idyllic exterior, deep, dark secrets are unearthed, and by the end, no one is left unscathed.
When Danny's murderer is finally discovered, I'm sure most audience members felt saddened and disturbed. We knew the killer would be someone close to home, but like real life, it's never someone you'd expect – rarely some stranger, instead it's someone you'd trust with your own children. It leaves you with an uneasy feeling. Hardly resolved. There's no real sense of closure. There's no sense of peace as Danny's and Ellie's (Olivia Colman in the UK Version and played by Breaking Bad's Anna Gunn in the US Version) families are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. But how can they?
This is where Series 2 of Broadchurch begins.
Joining the cast for Series 2 alongside Series 1 regulars David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who), Jonathan Bailey (Doctor Who), Jodie Whittaker, and Andrew Buchan, are Eve Myles (Gwen from Torchwood, Doctor Who) as Claire, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Sharon, Charlotte Rampling as Jocelyn, and James D'Arcy as Lee.
Series 2 finally sheds some light on the events that brought a disgraced (and haunted) Alec Hardy to Broadchurch after the Sandbrook murders, as Danny's murder trial begins.
Mysteries and courtroom dramas fascinate me, but you get so much more with Broadchurch. The cast is brilliant, and you believe Beth and Ellie's heartache, you believe Alec's obsession… you believe… You feel every moment, and I couldn't help but have physical reactions as events unfolded. Tennant is so good at what he does I found myself both disliking Alec Hardy and finding him sympathetic at the same time, forgetting that underneath that scruffy beard was the Time Lord we all love.
Broadchurch Series 2 has just ended its run in the UK on ITV and premieres tonight March 4th, 2015 at 10/9c on BBC America in the US.
If you haven't seen the series yet, I urge you to catch up with Series 1 of Broadchurch on Netflix.
For more, watch the Series 2 Trailer of Broadchurch below.
Leave a comment Posted in Anglophiles, Celebrities, Entertainment, TV Tagged 10th Doctor, alec hardy, Andrew Buchan, anglophile, anna gunn, arthur darvill, bbc america, bbca, breaking bad, broadchurch, charlotte rampling, chris chibnall, courtroom drama, danny lattimer, danny solano, danny's murder, David Tennant, doctor who, Emmett Carver, eve myles, fox, gracepoint, gwen cooper, itv, james d'arcy, Jodie Whittaker, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, marie jean-baptiste, murder mystery, netflix, olivia colman, Sandbrook, sandbrooke murders, the killing, time lord, Torchwood, whovians
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Palmarès
Giochi olimpici estivi
2012 - Londra: oro nei 60 kg.

Campionato mondiale di judo
2010 - Tokyo: bronzo nei 60 kg.

Campionati europei di judo
2009 - Tibilisi: oro nei 60 kg.
2011 - Istanbul: bronzo nei 60 kg.

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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{-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}

module Probability
    ( Probability
    , ProbabilityBounds(..)
    , doubleToProb
    , probToDouble
    , intToProb
    , ratToProb
    ) where
import Control.Arrow (first)
import TextShow
#ifndef FLOAT_PROBS
import Numeric (fromRat)
import Data.Ratio (numerator, denominator)
import Data.Monoid ((<>))
#endif

#ifdef FLOAT_PROBS
newtype Probability = Probability Double deriving (Eq, Show)
instance TextShow Probability where
    showb (Probability p) = showb p

ratToProb :: Rational -> Probability
ratToProb = Probability. fromRational

doubleToProb :: Double -> Probability
doubleToProb = Probability

probToDouble :: Probability -> Double
probToDouble (Probability p) = p
#else
newtype Probability = Probability Rational deriving (Eq, Show)
instance TextShow Probability where
    showb (Probability p) = showb (numerator p) <> "/" <> showb (denominator p)

ratToProb :: Rational -> Probability
ratToProb = Probability

doubleToProb :: Double -> Probability
doubleToProb = Probability . toRational

probToDouble :: Probability -> Double
probToDouble (Probability p) = fromRat p
#endif

intToProb :: Integer -> Probability
intToProb i = Probability $ fromIntegral i

instance Read Probability
    where
    readsPrec i = (first Probability <$>)       . readsPrec i
    readList    = (first (Probability <$>) <$>) . readList

instance Ord Probability
    where
    Probability x <= Probability y = x <= y

instance Num Probability
    where
    Probability x + Probability y = Probability (x + y)
    Probability x - Probability y = Probability (x - y)
    Probability x * Probability y = Probability (x * y)
    abs _       = error "BasicTypes: abs not defined for probabilities"
    signum _    = error "BasicTypes: signum not defined for probabilities"
    fromInteger = Probability . fromIntegral

instance Fractional Probability
    where
    Probability x / Probability y = Probability (x / y)
    fromRational = ratToProb

data ProbabilityBounds = ProbabilityBounds Probability Probability deriving Show

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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HERC » Analytic Methods » Pseudo Bill
Looking for information on estimating Medicare payments?
Medicare Relative Value Units
Inpatient Pseudo-Bills
Cost of Physician Services for Inpatients
Finding Pharmacy Cost
VA utilization data may be combined with unit costs from non-VA sources to estimate the cost of patient care. This is referred to as the pseudo-bill method, because the itemized list of costs is analogous to a fee-for-service bill for healthcare services. To estimate costs in this way, the analyst needs data on the services utilized by the patient, and the cost of each service.
Itemized information on outpatient services can be obtained from the VA outpatient National Patient Care Database at the VA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW)/VINCI environment, as described below. This database includes the Current Procedures and Terminology (CPT) codes assigned to each outpatient encounter. The cost of providing this care can be estimated from Medicare reimbursement rates developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Although Medicare does not reimburse for all services that have been assigned a CPT code, the analyst may still wish to assign a cost to care that Medicare does not pay for.
We first describe sources of data on VA outpatient care and methods for estimating the cost of outpatient procedures. These include employment of Medicare relative values, the use of non-Medicare values, and the types of assumptions that may be needed to find cost when neither source of relative values is available. We then consider "conversion factors," the rates which are used to convert a relative value to a reimbursement amount.
This discussion then turns to methods for finding the cost of acute hospital stays, and why a clinical cost function may be a more feasible method than a pseudo bill for finding this cost. Examples of studies that used the pseudo-bill method are given as references.
Sources of data on VA outpatient care
The most available source of information on VA outpatient care is the National Patient Care Database (NPCD). The procedure files from this database includes a unique patient identifier, the date of service, the location of care (the MCA/DSS identifier, formerly called the clinic stop), and the CPT codes assigned to the encounter. This file is accessible to users of the VA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW)/VINCI environment. Details on the contents of this file, and how to access it, may be found at the VA Information Resource Center (VIReC) website.
Outpatient visit data are also kept in the VISTA data system at each VA medical center. This information is the source of the data in the NPCD. Since it is difficult to extract VISTA, we recommend that the NPCD be used instead.
Outpatient laboratory
The NPCD outpatient procedure file includes CPT codes for laboratory procedures, but it may not contain all information recorded in VISTA. Research is needed to learn exactly what information is transmitted to NPCD, and what information is only available in VISTA. Comprehensive laboaratory test data are also available from the MCA Laboratory (LAB) National Data Extract (NDE). Details about this file are in the VIREC Research User Guide for the Veterans Health Administration Decision Support System Clinical National Data Extracts (email VIReC for details).
Methods of Extracting Data from VISTA
Utilization data may be extracted from VISTA using one of the following methods:
Write a report with the Fileman report writing tool included in the VISTA system.
Access individual patient records in VISTA, capture screens of data with the log features of a terminal emulation program, and then extract needed data from the file of captured screens using the Monarch programming language.
Request electronic patient summaries of data for specific patients, and extract these with the Monarch programming language.
Install a custom MUMPS program on each facility's VISTA system.
Use the data extracted from VISTA that appears in the MCA production system.
The VA Pharmacy Benefits Management database includes information on pharmaceuticals dispensed to each VA outpatient, and the cost of the prescribed drugs. The cost estimate does not include the cost of dispensing. VA researchers cannot directly access the PBM file; they must make a request of the Pharmacy Benefits Management program. (Details on the contents of this file, and how to access it, may be found at the VA Information Resource Center (VIReC) website.
The PBM data does not include the cost of dispensing pharmaceuticals. Medicaid pays pharmacies a fee of $2 to $5 per prescription to cover this cost. In 2019, based on findings from the VISTA drug file, the average per prescription dispensing cost for outpatient pharmacy was $17.17 per 30-day fill.
Alternatively, the MCA Pharmacy (PHA) NDE contains essentially the same information. The main difference is that the MCA NDE does not include the dosing instructions. But it does include full details about what was dispensed (exact drug, including pill size) and the cost of the medication. Details about this file are in the VIREC Research User Guide for the Veterans Health Administration Decision Support System Clinical National Data Extracts (email VIReC).
Determining the Relative Value of Outpatient Services
To find the cost of outpatient services, we recommend that Medicare reimbursement rates developed by CMS be used. Medicare regulations report a relative value for CPT codes for physician, anesthesiology, and laboratory procedures. A conversion factor translates these relative values into a reimbursement amount. This relative value is converted to a reimbursement rate by multiplying the relative value by a conversion factor. For the year 2018, Medicare pays physician and laboratory providers about $36.00 for each unit of relative value; anesthesiologists are reimbursed about $22.19 per unit.
Medicare Relative Values
Medicare has adopted the Resource Based Relative Value System to reimburse providers for services provided to Medicare patients. Care is characterized by a CPT code. Each CPT code has an associate set of relative values (RVUs), consisting of Facility, Physician Work, and Malpractice RVUs.
Global Fees
The RVUs for some procedures reflect a global fee that reimburses the providers for the procedure, for visits that occur immediately before the procedure, and for visits after the procedure was performed. For each procedure, CMS indicates the length of the follow-up period that the global fee covers. Global fees give providers an incentive to be efficient, and use the minimal number of visits. The cost analyst has a different concern, wishing to adopt a method in which the cost estimate reflects the number of visits that occur before and after the procedure. For this reason, we recommend that the analyst not apply global fees, but whenever possible, apply separate RVUs for the procedure and the pre-procedure and post-procedure visits
Facility vs. non-facility RVUs
CMS has created two sets of RVUs for the practice expense component of care. The standard payment is for office-based provider services. If the services is provided in a setting that meets the CMS definition of a "facility" (hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, etc.) then the facility is eligible for a separate facility payment and this reduces the practice expenses component of many procedures. The difference is these two sets of RVUs is generally small, but it can be substantial for certain procedures. The relative values for each CPT code may be downloaded from the CMS web site. The analyst should apply the facility weights for care at VA medical centers. It is uncertain whether the office setting should be applied for care provided by VA satellite clinics, or whether VA databases provide sufficient information to determine where care is actually delivered.
When the facility weights are used for the provider payment, the facility payment should also be included in the pseudo-bill. When including facility payments, one must be careful to not double count payments, especially for images and non-surgical procedures such as cardiac tests.
Services Not Reimbursed by Medicare
Many of the CPT codes used by VA do not appear on the list of services that are reimbursable by Medicare. There are several reasons for this, including the following:
Medicare does not pay for the service,
the VA code is not specific,
the VA code is out of date,
the VA code is not a valid CPT code.
In general, we believe that a cost should be assigned to all services, even if they are not reimbursable by Medicare. It is the challenge of the analyst to make as few assumptions as possible in assigning the RVU (and thus estimate the cost). We consider each of these problems in turn.
Gap Codes
There are some services which Medicare does not pay for. These services have a CPT code, but HCFA has not assigned them a relative value unit. These CPT codes are known as "gap codes." Relative values for these procedures were developed by the Cambridge Health Economics Group, a private firm that has been acquired by Ingenix. A book and an electronic file are available from this company.
Unspecified Procedures
CPT codes for unspecified procedures, typically ending with the digits "99", do not have a Relative Value Unit assigned to them. Among the top 30 CPT codes used by VA are the following unspecified codes for laboratory tests:
85999 - Unlisted hematology and coagulation procedure
84999 - Unlisted chemistry procedure
83999 - Unlisted miscellaneous pathology test
The analyst can assign an RVU by assuming that the unlisted code represents a typical procedure of its type. Thus the RVU would be the weighted mean RVU of the procedures of that type, with the weight the relative frequency the procedure is used by VA. Using this method we would assign an RVU to 85999 "Unlisted hematology and coagulation procedures", based on the VA weighted mean RVU for hematology and coagulation procedures, that is, all procedures reported in the range of CPT codes 85002-85810.
Other CPT Codes without RVUs
For some procedures, no RVU is available. For example, 99078, Group Health Education, is among the top 30 most frequently used CPT codes by VA, but it does not have a Medicare or a gap RVU. The analyst could use the RVU of a similar CPT code, or assign the mean RVU of all CPT codes used in the that clinic stop.
Some VA services are characterized by an invalid CPT code. Although a healthcare payer would reject the bill for such a service, the analyst may want to include the cost of this care in a pseudo bill. For frequently used codes, the analyst should check the code to see why it is invalid. For example, code 90724 was one of the top 30 codes used by VA in 1998, has been deleted, and has been supplanted by a series of new codes for influenza vaccine, 90657-90660. All of these new codes have been assigned the same gap code relative value unit.
If the VA assigned CPT code appears to be entirely invalid, the analyst can drop the code from consideration, or assign the mean RVU of all CPT codes used in the that clinic stop.
Determining the Conversion Factors
There are a number of issues to be considered in applying conversion factors to estimating the reimbursement for a relative value unit. These include:
Geographic Adjustment
Medicare provides separate geographic adjustment factors for the physician services, malpractice, and the facility component. These adjustments can be used to estimate costs in a given region. Alternatively, a national average can be used. The national average geographic adjustment factor is approximately one.
Professional and technical component
For some laboratory and radiology services, the RVUs are split into professional (physician) and technical components. This allows fees to be split between the provider and interpreter of the test. Care must be taken in apply these components to avoid double counting the RVU and associated reimbursement.
Non-Physician providers
CMS has established slightly different payment rates for non-physician providers; an accurate pseudo bill may wish to reflect these differences.
In addition, the analyst may wish to adjust the conversion factor to reflect differences between VA costs and Medicare reimbursement. This additional adjustment is analogous to the cost-to-charge ratio, with the total Medicare reimbursement for all services provided by that VA department representing its "charges", and it costs, from a source like the MCA Cost NDEs, representing the costs.
For more information, see the section, Cost of Physician Services for Inpatients.
It is very difficult to create a pseudo-bill for VA hospital stays. VA does not thoroughly document medical procedures provided to inpatients, nor does it assign CPT codes to physician services provided to inpatients. A list of many of the resources used in an inpatient stay can be extracted from the VISTA system, but there are gaps in what is covered. Information on inpatient laboratory and pharmacy utilization in VISTA may be incomplete. Additional information about services provided in VA hospital stays can be found in the Surgical and Procedures databases in the VA Patient Treatment File. Data include most surgical procedures, and some medical procedures, recorded as ICD-9 procedure codes. After 10/1/2015, VA started using ICD-10 codes.
If a list of resources is obtained for a VA hospital stay, there is still the problem of finding the appropriate charges for each item on the list. Charges from a non-VA hospital could be used only if the items listed are directly comparable. It will be difficult to create a resource list for a VA hospital with a level of detail that corresponds to the charge schedule of a non-VA hospital. There are no relative values associated with ICD-9 procedure codes. Strong assumptions must be made to convert ICD-9 procedures to a CPT codes; the CPT system has a much finer level of detail, with many CPT codes associated with a single ICD-9 procedure code.
Two studies from the United Kingdom have determined that hospital costs can be accurately measured with a reduced list of utilization measures. A study of community and home-based psychiatric care found that 5 out of 21 measures accounted for more than 90% of the costs (Knapp & Beecham, 1993) . A study of colorectal cancer found that 4 out of 14 types of utilization accounted for 91.6% of total costs (Whynes & Walker, 1995) . These studies suggest that a full pseudo bill may not be necessary, and that a reduced list of utilization may be used to determine hospital costs, if the markers of resource use are chosen appropriately.
An alternative to either the pseudo-bill or the reduced list cost estimate is to estimate a clinical cost-function. If a suitable source of non-VA data can be found, a function can be used to estimate the relationship between cost-adjusted charges and measures of utilization. Its parameters can be used to translate VA utilization data into a cost estimate. Its chief advantage is that it requires less VA data than is needed to prepare a pseudo-bill.
The cost function approach has been compared to an itemized pseudo-bill (Kukull et al., 1986) . It was found that a function that used days of stay, intensive care unit days, number of lab tests, and number of surgeries predicted 97.7% of the variance in these imputed charges.
Examples Applying Pseudo-Bills to Estimate VA Cost
The following studies are examples of where pseudo-bill methods are used to find the cost of VA healthcare. Non-VA data sources of relative value include the rate of charge rates of an affiliated university medical center (Schneiderman, Kronick, Kaplan, Anderson, & Langer, 1992; Wasson et al., 1992), the payment rates from a typical healthcare payer (Kessler, Kessler, & Myerburg, 1995), and the charge rates allowed by Medicare (Volicer et al., 1994; Wade et al., 1996; Wasson et al., 1992).
Hospital bills include the charges from the facility. Most physicians who provide care to hospitalized patients do not work for the hospital, and bill seperately. The cost of physician services to inpatients are significant, and should not be ignored. This FAQ provides a method for estimating this cost. (This method is not needed for VA data, as both MCA and HERC average cost estimates include physician costs).
Physicians prepare bills to Medicare using Current Procedures and Terminology (CPT) codes. The Medicare fiscal intermediary confirms that the bill was a appropriate and calculates a payment based on a system of relative values assigned to each code. The Medicare conversion factor provides about $35 per billed relative value unit.
Researchers may not have a copy of the physicians' bill, or have a list of all of the procedures provided during a stay. If the researcher knows the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) assigned to the stay, the cost of physician services may be estimated. This method assumes that every patient assigned to a given DRG received exactly the same physician services. This assumption, while not perfect, is fairly reasonable as provision of additional physician services often results in the stay being assigned to a different, more expensive DRG.
Three studies provide useful information for estimating the cost of physician services based on DRG.
Miller ME, Welch WP. Analysis of Hospital Medical Staff Volume Performance Standards: Technical Report. Washington D.C.: The Urban Institute; 1993.
Mitchell, JB, NT McCall, FT Burge, S Boyce, R Dittus, D Heck, M Parchman, L Iezzoni. Per Case Prospective Payment for Episodes of Hospital Care Health Economics Research, Inc. (1995) NTIS RB95-226023
Peterson C, Xu L, Florence C, Grosse SD, Annest JL. Professional fee ratios for US hospital discharge data. Med Care. 2015; 53: 840-9.
Estimating Costs of Physician Care to Inpatients Provided Prior to 2008
Here is how to use the relative values from these studies to find physician charges for inpatient stays. These studies found the mean charge for physician services associated with hospital stays in each DRG. They reported a relative value for each DRG, that is the mean charge for that DRG divided by the mean charges for all DRGs.
View the Excel spreadsheet with Miller and Welch's relative values. These values are from Appendix B of their report. The values are based on charges incurred only during the hospital stay. They are based on all stays in Miller and Welch's data; outlier stays were not trimmed from the dataset.
Miller and Welch reported the average charges for physician services of an inpatient stay in 1992 as $1,116. Thus, to find the charge for physician services in any given DRG, multiply the value in the spread sheet by $1,116.
It is possible to estimate the mean charge using more contemporary conversion factors. The 1992 mean charge of $1,116 was found by multiplying the Medicare 1992 conversion factor of $31.001 by 36, the mean number of Medicare Relative Value Units billed by physicians in the Miller and Welch data. Other conversion factors might be substituted, as follows:
Conversion Factor
Mean Physician Charge
1998 33.64 1,211
Miller and Welch analyzed charges for physician services from 1987 data. Physician practice patterns have undoubtedly changed since then. Several new DRG's are not represented in the Miller and Welch data.
These reports provide information on the average physician payment associated with each DRG. The payments may be adjusted. For example, the mean payment might be adjusted for differences in length of stay. The typical Medicare payment for a daily physician visit to an inpatient is $51; this adjustment could be applied for the number of days that the stay deviated from the national mean length of stay for that DRG.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides a number of various databases from which to access information to obtain acute hospital care cost.
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
MEPS is the third part of a set of national surveys gathering information since 1996 on health care services used, frequency of use, cost of services, sources of payment, and insurance coverage. MEPS is co-sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Data from various components have been collected through a combination of computer-assisted in-person interviews, telephone interviews, and mailed surveys.
Household Component (HC) provides information on an individual and household level including demographics, health conditions, health status, use of medical care services, charges and payments, access to medical care, satisfaction with care, health insurance coverage, income, and employment.
Medical Provider Component (MPC) contains information from medical providers identified by household data.
Health Insurance Component (IC) consists of information on employer, union, and private health insurance plans.
Nursing Home Component (NHC) contains information from a national survey of nursing homes, providing information on characteristics, health care use, and expenditures of nursing home residents and facilities.
The HC, MPC, and IC can be linked to provide comprehensive data that can estimate the level and distribution of healthcare use and expenditures.
These data can be used to:
make estimates of medical utilization and expenditures; and
identify costs, including consumers' out-of-pocket costs.
Note - Data are unable to be used to estimate the frequency of treatment or costs associated with particular treatments.
Advantage of new MEPS:
It is unique in being able to link data with individuals and households (demographics, health status, employment, income, etc.) to health care use, expenditures, sources of payment, health insurance status, etc.
Longitudinal analyses - ongoing longitudinal survey allows study of behavior-modeling, health care use, and expenses over time.
It is the only national survey that provides a foundation for estimating the impact of changes in payment sources and insurance coverage on different economic groups or populations of particular interest.
Other questions that can be answered on MEPS:
How many veterans are covered by private insurance?
Where do veterans get their medical care?
What are their out-of-pocket costs for health care?
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
HCUP consists of 2 database sources. The State Inpatient Database (SID) contains information from all hospitals and all discharges from 22 states. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), contains information from a sample of hospitals selected from states in the SID. It includes all discharges from the sampled hospitals.
Data consist of 3 types of data elements:
Measures of health care use and expenditures among the elderly, poor, children, minorities, unemployed, uninsured, and nursing homes.
Hospital characteristics - identifiers that can be linked to AHAAS, characteristics of hospitals used for sample AHA data
Weights to produce national, regional, and state estimates.
NIS contains information on over 100 clinical and non-clinical variables about hospital stays:
1st degree and 2nd degree diagnosis
1st degree and 2nd degree procedures
admission & discharge status
expected payment source
total charges
hospital characteristics(ownership, size, teaching status)
The database promotes comparative studies of health care services including:
use and cost of hospital services
medical practice variation
health care cost inflation
hospital finance distress
analyses of states and communities
medical treatment effectiveness
impact of health policy changes
diffusion of medical technology
utilization of health services by special population
NIS:
Is an unique and powerful database of hospital input stays.
Can be used to identify, track, and analyze national trends in health care utilization, access, charges, quality and outcomes.
Is the largest all-payer inpatient care database in the U.S.
Is the only national hospital database with charge information on all patients - regardless of payer, including those covered by Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and the uninsured.
NIS information can be used to determine:
The association between patient outcomes and volume-specific high-tech hospital procedures.
How to do alternative cardiac procedures compared in terms of patient costs and outcomes.
Racial differences in utilization, outcome, or cost experience of hospital health plans compared with national trends.
The NIS is available as a CD-ROM in ASCII format for use with SAS & SPSS.
HIV Cost & Services Utilization Study (HCSUS)
HCSUS is the first major research effort to collect information on a nationally representative sample of people in care for HIV infection. HSCUS examines costs of care, utilization of health care services, access to health care, quality of health care, quality of life, unmet needs for medical and non-medical services, social support, satisfaction with medical care, and knowledge of HIV therapies.
HCSUS will examine:
cost, use, and quality of care
unmet need for care
QOL (Quality of Life)
Knowledge of HIV
Relationship of these variables to provider type and patient characteristics
Kessler, D. K., Kessler, K. M., & Myerburg, R. J. (1995). Ambulatory electrocardiography: a cost per management decision analysis. Arch Intern Med, 155(2), 165-9.
Knapp, M., & Beecham, J. (1993). Reduced list costings: examination of an informed short cut in mental health research. Health Econ, 2(4), 313-22.
Kukull, W. A., Koepsell, T. D., Conrad, D. A., Immanuel, V., Prodzinski, J., & Franz, C. (1986). Rapid estimation of hospitalization charges from a brief medical record review: evaluation of a multivariate prediction model. Med Care, 24(10), 961-6.
Schneiderman, L. J., Kronick, R., Kaplan, R. M., Anderson, J. P., & Langer, R. D. (1992). Effects of offering advance directives on medical treatments and costs. Ann Intern Med, 117(7), 599-606.
Volicer, L., Collard, A., Hurley, A., Bishop, C., Kern, D., & Karon, S. (1994). Impact of special care unit for patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease on patients' discomfort and costs. J Am Geriatr Soc, 42(6), 597-603.
Wade, T. P., Virgo, K. S., Li, M. J., Callander, P. W., Longo, W. E., & Johnson, F. E. (1996). Outcomes after detection of metastatic carcinoma of the colon and rectum in a national hospital system. J Am Coll Surg, 182(4), 353-61.
Wasson, J., Gaudette, C., Whaley, F., Sauvigne, A., Baribeau, P., & Welch, H. G. (1992). Telephone care as a substitute for routine clinic follow-up. Jama, 267(13), 1788-93.
Whynes, D. K., & Walker, A. R. (1995). On approximations in treatment costing. Health Econ, 4(1), 31-9.


Description: Replacement pin remover tip for item number 1624. See replacement instructions below.
Step 1 - Unscrew the handle of item number 1624 (sold separately)in a counter clockwise direction.
Step 2 - Take off the white plastic bands at each end of the handle to remove the pin.
Step 3 - Replace old or damaged pin and snap the handle closed with the white plastic rings. After placing a plastic ring at each end, screw the pin and handle back on the tool.


When writing Emma: A Victorian Romance, Kaoru Mori pulled on a lifetime fascination with Victorian England to create one of the most accurate, if still idealized, depictions of a maid's life in manga. As it turns out, while she was reading up on England, she was also fascinated with the nomadic tribes of China and Mongolia. So, quite naturally, her new series, A Bride's Story is set here.
There is quite a bit of similarity in tone and side characters between her old series and what we see in A Bride's Story Volume 1. Her main character Amir (generally a male name, but here given to our main character) is once again a fairly strong woman. Here, Amir has a combination of Emma's earnestness and Dorothea's sensuality, even though her poor husband has no idea what to do about it. The younger children, too, are very similar to the younger children in both the Jones family and the Meredith family.
The storyline, though, is very different. Amir is very late to marriage. At 20 years old, she was a good four years past her peers' age of marriage, but she still went to the ceremony with the excitement of any bride about to start her married life.
How much of a shock it must have been, then, to raise her veil and see a terrified 8 year old boy staring back at her.
Still, this is her husband, and this is the family that she has married into, and she is content here. The family in which she was raised is still nomadic during the summers, but this family has settled down completely. Some of the cultural differences to come into view, but the elders here are indulgent of her oddities, and the matriarch is just as fiercely protective of her as she would be of any other member of 'her' family.
The only bit of continuing plot that has evidenced itself is that some of the men from Amir's birth family have come back to try to reclaim her. Their motives are fairly vague, and they were driven out, but they are sure to be back later.
Admittedly, this volume is very light on plot. Most of the book is a slice-of-life story set in early 1900s Mongolia. We see the daily workings of the family as well as the countryside in which they live. In fact, at times, the volume feels more like a cultural study, which is reinforced by a blond anthropologist, whose existence is never quite explained, that follows around and questions characters at random opportunities.
The artwork is what makes this book what it is. The embroidery of the robes, the carvings in the woodwork, and even the grasses in the landscapes are alive with detail and motion. The detail that we occasionally saw in the Crystal Palace of London and some of the formal balls of Emma are on every page of A Bride's Story. And this is what saves this book from its lack of plot.
As long as the storyline develops more, this series will certainly be worth the quality hardcover binding. After having seen how absorbing Mori's stories can be, I'm certainly willing to wait through a volume or two of beautiful artwork to see how this story develops.


text:
Traversal in flight. The art of moving across (usually urban) landscapes, parkour is similar to some martial arts systems in that it comes packaged in an insistence on a particular way of living and seeing: you're a traceur 100% of the time. Acquisition of skills is more about functional progression than tricks. Like breakdance, parkour is a separate artform that's informed circus heavily, and that's got a certain caché and underground (but not too underground) popularity that's become very attractive to programmers and commissioners.
a.k.a. Freerunning
Video of 6495648
A crew of exuberant Eastern Europeans.


text:
Q: I have an authentification failed error when i try to push with GitHub desktop im a beginner so i tried to use Git/GitHub, i downloaded the GitHub desktop but when i want to push my project i have an authentification failed.
i tried to use the personnal access token like it is specified on the website but it didnt work. I also tried to uninstall and re-install GitHub desktop, logout and re-login.
I dont have the 2FA enabled (i saw it might be the problem)
Do you have any ideas, i saw plenty of solutions on the web but im a beginner then i didnt understand everything

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


About three months after it first introduced its Honor 8 Lite handset public in Finland, Chinese-origin smartphone maker Huawei is set to unpack the same in India in the coming few days, after the company put it up for pre-orders.
The source behind this news is P. Sanjeev, who is the Vice President of Sales of the Indian division of the company, who posted an image of the phone, which said the phone is set to arrive in the country soon and is open for booking as of now.
Apart from the picture, we are afraid, no other detail about the phone was divulged either by Sanjeev, or any other member of the Huawei top brass (or anyone from the company, for that matter).
Reiterating the intricacies of the phone (which is a toned down version of one of the company's better phones last year – the Honor 8), it sports a 5.2-inch Full HD display secured by a 2.5D curved glass on the top, and operates on the very latest Android Nougat OS.
Other than that, it borrows most of its design from its elder sibling, but lacks the dual rear camera setup that the latter boasted of, totting 12MP one on the rear, alongside an 8MP on the opposite side.
The processor used here is the company's very own Kirin 655 chipset, the first half of which clocks 2.1Ghz, with the other one working at 1.7 GHz. The SoC has been mated to 3gigs of RAM, while the inbuilt ROM is 16GB (maximum limit 128GB).
Rounding off the specifications are a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a 3,000mAh power unit to keep the phone alive.
There's no word on the price range too, but we expect its price to be within the Rs. 20,000 range.


A very good quality upright piano in a satin mahogany case. Manufactured in London circa 1979. English Schwander action. Offered reconditioned and in good order.
7 1/4 octave keyboard. 2 pedals (1/2 blow and sustain). Overstrung with a full iron frame.
Height = 110 cms. Width = 140 cms. Depth = 52 cms.
inclusive of delivery to ground floor, VAT, 1st tuning and 3 year guarantee.


text:
Groundwater Levels Slightly Up or Steady in Western, Central Kansas
April 23, 2019 | Posted in Water Management
Source: University of Kansas
Groundwater levels during 2018, on average, rose slightly or remained about even throughout most of western and central Kansas, according to preliminary data compiled by the Kansas Geological Survey.
"By and large, 2018 was a good year for groundwater levels," said Brownie Wilson, KGS water-data manager. "Virtually all levels in south-central Kansas wells were up along with a good portion of those in northwest Kansas, and although southwest Kansas saw a few decline areas in the usual spots, they were not as great as in years past."
The KGS, based at the University of Kansas, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Water Resources (DWR) measure more than 1,400 water wells in Kansas annually. Most of the wells are drilled into the High Plains aquifer, a network of water-bearing rocks underlying parts of eight states and the state's most valuable groundwater resource.
Ninety percent of the collected data comes from wells tapping the aquifer. The other wells are drilled into other aquifers underlying the High Plains aquifer and shallow aquifers adjacent to surface-water sources, such as the Arkansas River. Most of the 1,400 wells have been measured for decades.
In Kansas, the High Plains aquifer comprises three individual aquifers—the widespread Ogallala aquifer that underlies most of the western third of Kansas, the Equus Beds around Wichita and Hutchinson, and the Great Bend Prairie aquifer around Pratt and Great Bend.
Water levels in the Ogallala aquifer are influenced mainly by the amount of water withdrawn each year, which in turn is affected by the rate and timing of precipitation. Recharge, or water seeping down from the surface, adds little groundwater to the Ogallala. In central Kansas, however, recharge has more of an impact because the Equus Beds and Great Bend Prairie aquifer are shallower and average precipitation in that part of the state is higher.
Most of the wells in the network monitored by the KGS and DWR are within the boundaries of the state's five Groundwater Management Districts (GMDs), which are organized and governed by area landowners and local water users to address water-resource issues.
In Southwest Kansas GMD 3, average levels dropped .39 feet. Although down, the change was less than in 17 of the last 20 years when levels fell between .5 and 3.5 feet annually. A rise of .05 feet in 2017 was the only positive movement during that time.
For the second summer in a row, water flowed for a time from the Colorado state line to Garden City. The river, which interacts with its adjacent shallow alluvial aquifer, has been mainly dry in western Kansas for decades.
Wells monitored in GMD 3 are drilled into the Ogallala aquifer except in a few areas where they draw from the deeper Dakota aquifer. The district includes all or part of Grant, Haskell, Gray, Finney, Stanton, Ford, Morton, Stevens, Seward, Hamilton, Kearny and Meade counties.
Western Kansas GMD 1 experienced a slight drop of .18 feet following a slight gain of .07 feet in 2017. The GMD includes portions of Wallace, Greeley, Wichita, Scott, and Lane counties, where the majority of wells are drilled into the Ogallala aquifer.
"West central was basically unchanged as a whole but the average is bookended by declines in Wallace County and rises in Scott County," Wilson said.
Northwest Kansas GMD 4 had an average increase in water levels of .26 feet following a rise of .38 feet in 2017. GMD 4 covers Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan and parts of Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur, Graham, Wallace, Logan and Gove counties. Groundwater there is pumped almost exclusively from the Ogallala aquifer and shallow alluvial sources associated with streams. Besides being influenced by precipitation, water-level results in part of GMD 4 were tied to crop loss.
"Some producers south of the Goodland to Colby area got hailed out early in the 2018 growing season," Wilson said. "With hail damaged crops and higher precipitation rates in the eastern portion of GMD 4, wells there had less declines or even slight recoveries."
Big Bend GMD 5 had an average increase of 1.21 feet following an increase of .30 feet in 2017. The GMD is centered on the Great Bend Prairie aquifer underlying Stafford and Pratt counties and parts of Barton, Pawnee, Edwards, Kiowa, Reno and Rice counties.
Equus Beds GMD 2, a major source of water for Wichita, Hutchinson and surrounding towns, experienced a gain of 1.35 following a 1.93-foot decline in 2017. The GMD covers portions of Reno, Sedgwick, Harvey and McPherson counties.
The KGS measured 581 wells in western Kansas and DWR staff from field offices in Stockton, Garden City and Stafford measured 223, 260 and 357 wells in western and central Kansas, respectively. Measurements are taken annually, primarily in January when water levels are least likely to fluctuate due to irrigation.
The results are provisional and subject to revision based on additional analysis. Data by well is available by clicking here.


text:
Farmingdale es un borough ubicado en el condado de Monmouth en el estado estadounidense de Nueva Jersey. En el año 2010 tenía una población de 1,329 habitantes y una densidad poblacional de 949 personas por km².

Geografía
Farmingdale se encuentra ubicado en las coordenadas .

Demografía
Según la Oficina del Censo en 2000 los ingresos medios por hogar en la localidad eran de $48,889 y los ingresos medios por familia eran $59,625. Los hombres tenían unos ingresos medios de $40,000 frente a los $27,375 para las mujeres. La renta per cápita para la localidad era de $21,667. Alrededor del 5.7% de la población estaba por debajo del umbral de pobreza.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Boroughs de Nueva Jersey
Localidades del condado de Monmouth


I would just like to say that im terribly sorry for anyone who has lost in the 911 tradgedy, my heart goes out to you all. I have never personally lost anyone in my life in such a way and never felt such grief but reading everyones memories of their loved ones fills me with sadness God bless you all.
I'm Sorry For the famile ho lose there love ones. God bless them.
On 9-11-01 i was only in 5th grade. Im in 8th now. I really didnt understand what was going on. My mom picked me up early from school and told me to listen to the radio it said the world trade center had collapse and sine me living in massachusetts were the planes left i felt it was a nasty joke. I came home i ran up stairs to see my whole family and see the news. Tears ran down my face i culdnt bealive it. My cuzin was coming to new york on a plane and we thought he was there but it wasnt his plane. All the people who lost love ones i know what you went through no knowing if they were there i had that scared but for me my cuzin wasnt there. Wat made me more upset knowing that the terriest were in my state that thay could crash in Boston. And we did have some terriest wanting to bomb boston in 2004 as you all remember. 2005 for years. Im never going to forget that day cuz there was an angel with my cuzin that day. And there were angels with everyone who died. God showed them not to be afraid there with him now. Every night there are stars shining but sume are shinning more than others i always think its that people who died on 911 looking down on there families and friends and ther beloved country and people. God Bless The USA. In Gods eyes we are all one borthers and sisters so everyone lost somone.
My heart went out to the victims and the familys on this dredful day i hope in all living history nothing like this will ever happen again.


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Senate Panel Rejects Divisive 'Public Option' The Senate Finance Committee voted down two attempts by liberal Democrats to include a government-run insurance option as part of its health care legislation. Democratic Chairman Max Baucus joined all 10 panel Republicans to defeat the amendments.
Tracking The Overhaul
Senate Panel Rejects Divisive 'Public Option'
September 29, 200911:06 AM ET
Democratic Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia (left) talks with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) before the panel's vote Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption
Democratic Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia (left) talks with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) before the panel's vote Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted down two attempts by liberal Democrats to include a government-run insurance option as part of its legislation overhauling the nation's health care system.
Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) joined more conservative Democrats and all the Republicans on the committee to defeat measures by Sens. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Chuck Schumer of New York.
"My job is to put together a bill that gets to 60 votes" in the full Senate, Baucus said before voting against Rockefeller's amendment, which was defeated 15-8. "No one shows me how to get to 60 votes with a public option." It takes 60 votes to overcome delaying actions that Republicans could attempt on the Senate floor.
The Senate Finance plan by Baucus is now the only health care bill pending in Congress that does not have a public insurance plan, which Obama and other backers say would boost competition and control costs.
'Public Option' Amendments
Sen. Jay Rockefeller's Proposal
Sen. Charles Schumer's Proposal
Republicans were elated by the amendments' defeat. They had argued private insurers would be forced out of business and millions of people would have to get their insurance from the government.
The public option is "nothing more than a Trojan horse for a single-payer system in Washington," said Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch.
Earlier in the day, Rockefeller accused insurers of giving profits priority over consumers and maintained that a government-backed plan is the best way to rein in health care costs.
"We need this option because the insurance companies have failed to meet their obligation" to the public, he said.
Rockefeller's proposal was patterned after Medicare, the government program that insures the elderly. Under the plan, payments to doctors, hospitals and other medical providers would be based on the fees that Medicare pays.
Schumer's amendment, which was defeated 13-10, favored a system in which the government would negotiate payment rates with providers.
Baucus omitted the controversial public option from his bill, saying any legislation that included it would never pass the Senate. Baucus' bill provides for "co-ops" that he says would provide choice and competition.
Senate Panel Rejects Public Health Option
A compromise on the issue could come from Republican ranks. Aides to Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe have said she is considering using the public option as a trigger, which would go into effect only if private insurers fail to keep premiums in check after a reasonable period of time.
Baucus has come under fire from liberal Democrats, who accuse him of being from lukewarm to hostile on the government-backed plan.
Two liberal groups, Democracy for America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, say Baucus is too cozy with insurance and health care interests that have contributed to his campaigns and oppose the public option.
The groups are launching a TV and Internet ad that features a young father from Montana who is in need of a heart operation, uninsured and deeply in debt. In the ad, Bing Perrine, 26, looks straight into the camera and asks Baucus, "Whose side are you on?"
In an interview, Perrine said the public option "is the only true way we can keep it fair." The insurance industry has said it couldn't compete with the price-setting power of government.
Baucus aide Tyler Matsdorf said the ad falsely implies that Baucus doesn't care about the plight of people with pre-existing health problems. He said Baucus' plan would address such problems but in a way that differs from what liberals want.
For example, the plan would bar private insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing health problems and create nonprofit co-ops to compete with the insurance industry. Matsdorf said this would achieve the same result public-plan supporters are seeking and "prevent [Perrine's] situation from ever happening again."
Such arguments don't seem to hold much sway with liberals.
Another group, Health Care for America Now, is circulating a Sept. 23 letter to Baucus from local Democratic Party leaders in Montana that has raised more questions from the left about the senator's position on the public plan. The letter summarizes an August telephone call between Baucus and the Democratic leaders, and quotes the senator as saying, "I want a public option, too."
"We need you to say the same thing in Washington," the local Democrats wrote.
Matsdorf said the senator included a government option in his original health care blueprint issued last November but has since realized that a public plan doesn't have enough support to clear the Senate.
"Health care reform isn't just about what Sen. Baucus wants," Matsdorf said. "It is about crafting a bill that can get 60 votes in the Senate."
From NPR staff and wire reports
'Young Invincibles' Have Stake In Health Debate Sept. 27, 2009
Changes To Health Care Could Help 'Underinsured' Sept. 28, 2009
A Snapshot Of Journeys Here And Abroad Sept. 28, 2009
Examining Health Care Coverage Fears Sept. 28, 2009


The popular, and award-winning, local duo are known for their witty and warm tunes. Featuring their folksy vocal harmony and a cornucopia of acoustic instruments (from mandolins to bananas), Andrew and Polly unerringly entertain kids and parents alike with their live performances.
10580 ½ Pico Blvd. - L.A.


stargrabs.com 9 out of 10 based on 708 ratings. 1,304 user reviews.
Let's say you want that showroom finish and shine but without the showroom prices for that shine. A great way to "cheap out" but get that same exact look is by using a clay bar on your car's body paint.
This is designed with a passport slot and five card slots, a removable wristlet, a cellphone pouch, AND a pen holder — all while remaining slim enough to store in your tiny carry on purse.
If you want to make the most of your garage, look up. "Remember your vertical storage! Get hooks and shelving that will allow you to get seldom used, but needed, items up high and out of the way.
And when you demand a no pressure, hassle free car buying experience, we're the team you're looking for. Our goal is to get you into the car of your dreams at the lowest possible price and keep you happy on the road, not having to come back for repair service.


However, if your ship doesn't dock at Hamilton, don't worry – many ferries travel between Hamilton dock and the other Bermuda ports, so you don't need to miss it.
Hamilton is the only city in Bermuda, and with an area of only 75 hectares, it is one of the world's smallest capital cities. It is also smaller than the historic town of St George, which is located on the northern tip of the island. Although the number of residents is estimated between 1,500 and 1,800, about 40% of Bermuda working population spends the day in Hamilton, bringing the numbers to around15,000 people.
Roads are busy and you should know that visitors can't hire a car in Hamilton or anywhere else on the Island. This means rental scooters are the most convenient way to travel around Bermuda and allow you to avoid rush hours and traffic jams. Elbow Beach Cycles are located only a few minutes from Hamilton, or you can use their free collection and drop-off service.
Front Street is the main thoroughfare of the capital, where you can walk between the famous pastel-colored two-storeys houses. Every Wednesday, after 6pm, the street is only accessible to pedestrians and turns into a party with food and drinks stands appearing on the pavement and live music and dancing everywhere. This coincides with the arrival of most cruise ships in Bermuda docks and puts everyone in the holiday spirit straight away!
Front Street is at the heart of Hamilton's shopping district, where you can find authentic porcelain and cashmere at great prices – much like in the rest of the island. Nearby is the famous 'Bird Cage', a kiosk from where police officers wearing the famous Bermuda shorts are directing the traffic. There are many things to see in Hamilton, such as the beautiful City Hall building, the Victoria Park – created at the occasion of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee at the end of the 19th century – the Anglican Bermuda Cathedral, Fort Hamilton and Point Pleasant.
Since Bermuda is an island, it is worth stopping by the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, one of Bermuda's newest attractions and the world's first scientific institution to focus exclusively on deep-water exploration. Bermuda's finest pink sand beaches are only a short stroll from Hamilton and there is a golf course too.
Water sports such as jet-skiing, surfing, diving and sailing are a must near Hamilton, which hosts the Bermuda Gold Cup (also known as the Argo Group Gold Cup), a 5-day sailing event part of the World Match Racing Tour.
Next time you here, don't forget to put Hamilton on your places-to-see list – you will not be disappointed!
If you are expected to arrive at Hamilton Dock, Bermuda – just let us know by booking online with our easy to use booking form, and let us know the date and time of arrival, and our scooter delivery team will have your scooter ready and waiting for you when you disembark. From Sun-up to Sun-down, if you are visiting Bermuda and expecting to land in Hamilton, let Elbow Beach Cycles have your scooter ready for you, and even pick it up again when you are finished with it! Our scooter rental service is ideal for Hamilton visitors who just want a quick trip around Bermuda, and even for those looking to book a rental for a few days or a week.


While some drivers fall into the high-risk category, others tend to be described as low-risk ones. High-Risk drivers are defined by insurers as those that prove riskier to be covered due to their poor credit and driving history. Lack of proper driving skills may be considered to be an additional risk element. High-risk drivers tend to possess a driving history that depicts a couple of accidents, several traffic citations or speeding tickets and conviction of DUI.
Articles talking about the death of loved ones and their subsequent funeral are never likely to make light or entertaining reading.
Yet on top of the emotional grief that comes with bereavement, those left behind often face very substantial funeral expenses. These costs can be a real worry and cause financial hardship. That in turn can mean that grieving and healing can be adversely affected by the added worry of just how the funeral is going to be paid for.
It seems my efforts to wean my daughter off her bad habit of interrupting me whenever she wants to have her say are finally paying-off, just in time too as I recently spotted her staring at me out of the corner of my eye, seemingly not wanting to disturb my deep thought-process. While I was staring into the abyss, it hit me that most of us just aren't truly practical about the financial resolutions we make.


Mohanlal's Odiyan is arguably one of the most anticipated movies in South India. The movie has an unique theme, which has rarely been experimented in Indian cinema. It is a fantasy film that will have a mix of action, romance and magical realism. Odiyan marks the debut directorial of renowned ad filmmaker VA Shrikumar Menon and is written by National award winner Harikrishnan. Mohanlal's own production house Aashirvad Cinemas is funding this big budget venture.
Interestingly, the makers have registered the movie's story in the famous Writers Guild of America. Odiyan is most probably the first Malayalam movie to be registered there. With this, the makers have ensured that nobody copies the story without their permission as they will then be liable for legal proceedings.
Watch: Pranav Mohanlal perform stunts in making of 'Aadhi' video !!
These Images are Says Shobhana was How Beautiful….


Woman's Day magazine featured three bloggers, and how to turn a passion to profession. Skimbaco Lifestyle was honored to be one of the featured blogs! The other two amazing bloggers featured are Holly Homer and Mansi Desai. I am so proud to be among these two women, and I am not surprised that we have more in common that you would think.
Holly Homer of June Cleaver Nirvana and I love how she and I share the passion to pay it forward – in deed I believe that is a key to any success in life. Mansi Desai of Fun and Food Cafe advices that "Focus on perfecting your subject and the blogging will follow" – so true, nothing beats like good content and being passionate about what you do and sharing the passion.
Thank you Woman's Day for featuring mom bloggers!
If my subscription hasn't run out (I know it's close) I'll be looking for your mention!
Congrats Katja!! You deserve it! You are one of my most favorite bloggers/people!!
What a fun article. I feel very lucky to be included.
Congratulations! You are definitely deserving of the honor!


Join us for a 60-minute webinar to collaborate with district leaders nationwide. Explore education's most rapidly-growing methodology for effectively integrating instructional and curricular innovation with modern technology tools - creating the conditions to deliver modern learning at scale.
Discover how National Exemplar District Pickerington Local Schools is has successfully led the way in developing the groundwork to connect learning experiences of each student with updated skills to be successful after graduation. Director of Instructional Technology Brian Seymour, will share the key milestones in his district's journey to create the conditions for strategic transformation at scale.
Pickerington Local Schools has been named a National Exemplar District in Digital Convergence, a designation awarded to school districts and educational organizations who reach Stage 3 or above in the Digital Convergence Framework. Through their work in Digital Convergence, Pickerington has created the Plan for Progress movement to lead the district to modern learning at scale.
The Digital Convergence Framework provides the methodology, resources, and support to actionize your strategic plan and bring your portrait of a graduate to life at scale. Join the Virtual Leadership Forum to see a showcase of Pickerington Local Schools' key strategic milestones in the Digital Convergence journey to modern learning.
As the author of The Digital Convergence Collective Body of Work, Dr. Smith will moderate the discussion and draw connections between the outstanding work of Pickerington and the first three Stages of the Digital Convergence Framework.
As a practitioner and leader in Digital Convergence at Pickerington Local Schools, Brian Seymour will showcase the milestones that have enabled Pickerington to effectively integrate instructional and curricular innovation with modern technology tools at scale.
The New Agenda sets the context for change by providing compelling reasons our nation's schools need to meet the demands of the 21st Century. Author Dr. Shawn K. Smith will reference the strategic planning within the first three Stages of the Digital Convergence Framework as we discover what Pickerington has accomplished to reach Stage 3.
Those who have not read the book are still encouraged to attend, as the author will share key excerpts during the webinar and apply the book's key insights to best practices for change management leadership.


Still, the Pentagon on Thursday brushed off Putin's boast of developing "invincible" missiles, claiming the United States was fully prepared for anything that might come its way.
Washington: Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim to have developed a new generation of missile that is impervious to any Western shield has highlighted a gap in America's already imperfect missile-defense network.
In a national address Thursday, Putin described several advances in missile technology, including a hypersonic weapon that can fly at many times the speed of sound and evade existing missile-defense systems.
While experts are deeply skeptical about how close to operational such a missile might actually be, US officials in recent weeks have sounded growing alarm about the potential threat.
Hypersonic weapons under development by Russia and China -- as well as by the United States -- can beat regular anti-missile defenses as they are designed to switch direction in flight and do not follow a predictable arc like conventional missiles, making them much harder to track and intercept.
Gary Pennett, director of operations at the Missile Defense Agency, said the potential deployment by America's rivals of hypersonic weapons -- which could be launched from planes, ships or submarines and carry either nuclear or conventional payloads -- would create a "significant" gap in US sensor and missile interceptor capabilities.
"The key challenge to US national security and the security of US friends and allies is the emergence of new threats designed to defeat the existing" ballistic missile defense system, Pennett said recently.
In its proposed $9.9 billion requested budget for 2019, the MDA is asking for $120 million to develop hypersonic missile defenses, a big increase from the $75 million in fiscal 2018.
"We are not surprised by (Putin's) statement, and the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Russia has been developing "destabilizing weapon systems" for over a decade in direct violation of obligations to non-proliferation treaties.
But despite the Pentagon's claims, America is far from capable of stopping all types of missile attack, a fact it has lived with since the Cold War.
While it has had some limited success in developing interceptors capable of stopping one or two missiles from a rogue regime like North Korea, a barrage of nukes from Russia or anywhere else would be unstoppable and trigger the "mutually assured destruction" of both nations.
Barry Blechman, co-founder of the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan anti-nuclear proliferation think tank in Washington, scoffed at both Putin's claim to have developed a new hypersonic arsenal, and the Pentagon's rhetoric that it is prepared to meet any threat.
"We don't have effective defenses, so we are not prepared to deal with an attack," Blechman told AFP.
But US officials increasingly are turning attention to trying to improve the Pentagon's own offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies.
The military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which innovates and develops new warfighting technologies, is working to improve America's own hypersonic missile capabilities.
DARPA Director Steven Walker said the agency is working on several projects, including two in partnership with the Air Force, to develop hypersonic engines and weapon prototypes.
"If you look at some of our peer competitors -- China being one -- and you look at the number of facilities they have built to do hypersonics, it surpasses the number we have in this country and is quickly surpassing it by (a factor of) two or three," he told reporters Thursday.
"It is very clear that China has a focus on hypersonics and making it one of their national priorities," he said. "We need to do the same."


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Columnists Commentary
'Mr. Rick' brought sunshine to children, from his heart, soul and being
Richard R. Siska joined John W. Fountain on Thursday mornings to read to boys and girls at Matteson Elementary School. He died earlier this year.
By John W. Fountain
SHARE 'Mr. Rick' brought sunshine to children, from his heart, soul and being
John Fountain's friend Richard Siska reads to children at Matteson Elementary School.
Photo by John Fountain.
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." —St. John 15:12-13
Be like Rick.Give without regret, without expectation. Love without dissimulation. Live, laugh, love, uplift others, even the least of these. Be like Rick.
I want to be like Rick.
In a world that assigns superstar and role model status to men with bulging muscles, to so-called heroes who drip with bravado, physical power and prowess; a world that immortalizes professional athletes and idolizes fictional heroes like Iron Man, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk; everyday mere mortal men often go overlooked.
Columnists bug
In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
Sometimes pass from this life into invisible eternity like a vapor — barely noticed, their presence dissolved, perhaps soon to be forgotten. Except by those who have felt upon their hearts and soul the breath and beauty of a man who poured purely, selflessly, from his heart, soul and being — until his breath itself was gone.
Like Rick. I want to be like Rick…
Rick, or "Mr. Rick," as the children of Matteson Elementary School called him, was my partner in time for a season now cemented in my soul.
He is my brother from another mother who answered my call six years ago. "Looking for a few good men," I wrote in my column. Richard R. Siska showed up one bright Thursday morning.
He was the first. And for a while, he was the only. We were ebony and ivory.
Plainly dressed and dripping with the enthusiasm of a newly minted grandpa, he said he had stumbled upon my column.
"I was like, 'hey, I'm not doing anything,'" he quipped. "'I can do that.'"
And so he did. For the children. Always for the children.
Rick used to tell me, smiling with that effervescent childish gleam in his eyes, "Johnny, I don't know how much time the Good Lord has left for me here, but I'm gonna read until I can't. I just love it."
Lord, make me more like Rick…
Honestly, I had hoped initially to recruit a battalion of Black men to help read at the predominantly Black south suburban school.
But Mr. Rick would teach me a lesson: That more important than the color of a man's skin, what's needed for mentoring Black children is the content of a man's heart. That the heart of a man willing to become an agent of change for his community can become a rainbow of hope, joy, sunshine.
Mr. Rick brought the sunshine. Every single Thursday morning of every week we assembled to read, with every ounce of joy and energy that surrounded him like a golden sun-lit aura. He loved the children. And they loved him back, their voices ringing upon sighting him in the halls, "Misssssterrrrr Riiiiiick!"
Lord, I want to love like Rick...
On many mornings, it was just Mr. Rick and me. Then others joined. Some came and went. We eventually grew to a steady faithful dozen.
In my times of discouragement over the absence of other men, Mr. Rick's presence helped me keep the faith. Honestly, some mornings I would have been a no-show — disheartened by the virtual complete absence of the fathers of the several hundred children enrolled at the school. Mr. Rick's enthusiasm and assured presence each Thursday called me to accountability.
He became a one-man public relations machine known to pester public officials and show up at village meetings, recruiting and extolling the virtues of our program. Of course, I wrote again. We even stood on the street with signs. News traveled. The news cameras came. So did the men. On rare Thursdays, we had as many as 40. Then the young men at Southland College Prep Charter High School joined our ranks.
Opinion Newsletter
We were up and running smoothly. Then last year the pandemic happened, school closures and remote learning, and a pause in our reading program, though thanks to technology, we returned virtually. Now Real Men Read is available online and in perpetuity to children district-wide, even globally.
…All from a dream and a seed when there was once only me — and Mr. Rick.
Mr. Rick, my brother and dear friend, suffered an injury in summer 2020, and was never able to join our virtual readings. He died on a winter's Friday, on Jan. 22, surrounded by family — passing from this life into eternity, though not from our hearts and memories. He was 86.
This weekend, at a service at Matteson School to celebrate his life, family and friends will remember Richard R. Siska. For the way he gave — without regret. For the way he loved — without dissimulation.
And as a mere mortal but real-life hero who poured purely, selflessly, from his heart, soul and being — until his breath itself was gone. For the children. For the good of his community. And whose fragrance, like a rose that blooms afresh each season, will live on.
I love you, brother. I miss you. And I hope someday to see you again.
Until then, Lord, make me more like Rick.
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No legislation has been filed and no sponsors have been named for a measure that would create a new class of tax incentive that would allow the Bears to pay to Arlington Heights a negotiated sum for the property taxes on the 326-acre site of the old Arlington International Racecourse.
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Childhood trauma can leave scars on DNA, Harvard-UBC study finds
Children who are abused can be left with physical, "molecular scars" on their DNA that last well into adulthood, according to a new study from Harvard University and the University of British Columbia.
The findings could one day impact disease research as well as criminal investigations, though more work needs to be done before experts know how the "tagging" — known as DNA methylation — affects a victim's long-term mental and physical health.
But Nicole Gladish, a PhD candidate at UBC and co-author of the study, said the research is a promising development for researchers looking to better understand the link.
"It's a really good first step," she said.
A team of UBC researchers looked at chemical tags on the DNA of 34 adult men for the study, published in Translational Psychiatry on Tuesday.
Gladish researchers were looking for methylation in the mens' sperm.
If genes are lightbulbs, Gladish explained,methylation is a "dimmer switch" that affects how cells are turned on or off.
Seventeen of the participants had reported being physically attacked as children, with two saying they'd been sexually abused.
Gladish said researchers circled back to check if there could be other external factors causing the tagging — smoking, PTSD, more recent trauma — but the differences weren't there, leading researchers to believe the tags were from childhood trauma.
As for how methylation impact a person's day-to-day health, Gladish said that's not clear yet — but the fact that researchers have linked child abuse and tagging is a good move forward.
"I wasn't anticipating getting anything because the sample size was so small …To get the type of signal that we got, it was really exciting."
Gladish also said the study could pave the way for genetic tests that would indicate whether someone had been abused as a child — a tool that could be used to weigh allegations of abuse.
Trauma can change brain chemistry, expert says
It could also be used to determine how childhood stress can lead to diseases in adults — something long hypothesized in science.
"We don't know what goes on in the body between the abuse and diseases that happen later in life," Gladish said.
Gladish said it's not yet clear if "tags" on a victim's DNA can be passed along to their children. She also said the study was restricted to men due to the difficulty in extracting egg cells from women — who, statistically, are more likely to be abused as children.
Scientists are increasingly looking into what turns genes "on and off" over the course of a lifetime, known as the study of epigenetics, because the ons and offs are believed to be influenced by external forces: like natural environment or abuse.
The men who donated their sperm for the study were already part of a larger, separate study being conducted at Harvard. The data was gathered at the Ivy League University and analyzed at UBC.
Read more from CBC British Columbia