The tone of a business relationship can be set by an initial introduction. It is important to make a good impression right from the first handshake.
• Introduce businesspeople in order of professional rank - the person of highest authority is introduced to others in the group in descending order, depending on their professional position. Gender does not affect the order of introductions.
• When possible, stand up when introductions are being made.
• If clients are present, they should be introduced first.
• The name and title of the person being introduced is followed by the name and title of the other person. It is also helpful to include a small piece of information about each person to start the conversation.
• If you are being introduced to someone, shake hands and say 'Hello' (informal) or 'Pleased to meet you'/'How do you do' (formal), followed by the person's name.
• Treat business cards with respect. Take a moment to read them and carefully put them somewhere safe.
• Address people by their first names only if they indicate that they want you to.
Of course, in practice we often break these rules - but knowing they exist provides a starting point.
It is also worth remembering that many aspects of etiquette are not universal - cultural norms vary from country to country. What passes for good manners in one country may be frowned on in another. A firm handshake may be appreciated in the US, UK and Australia but a French businessperson is more likely to offer a single, light handshake. In Japan it is more usual to bow. Preparation is important in order to avoid culture clash. Doing some background research to get acquainted with local business etiquetteand social customs can spare the blushes of both visitor and host and avoid causing offence.
It has never been easy to balance work and leisure. During the late twentieth century the concept of a job for life was largely replaced by the short-term contracts favoured by the enterprise culture. Some found themselves with too much free time on their hands when company restructures led to redundancies. Others saw leisure time shrink and working hours increase in exchange for greater financial rewards. The British TUC (Trades Union Congress) estimates that, despite European Union legislation, 4 million people in the UK work more than 48 hours per week and 1 in 25 work over 60 hours. It is thought that managers and professional staff work the longest hours.
New technologies have proved a double-edged sword. E-mail, laptops and mobile phones have intensified the pace of work and allow people to be contacted anywhere at any time. A MORI* survey carried out for Toshiba of 300 British workers who use laptops found that users worked an average six-day week. Yet 70 percent agreed that developments in mobile technology offered them more freedom in their working lives and 64 percent believed that it made them more productive. However, it was noted that not alt employers value performance over presenteeism (this is when people stay at work later than necessary in order to make people think they are working hard). So, those leaving the office on time and taking work home to finish may be less highly valued than those who remain at their desk and do little actual work.
Workforce values in the twenty-first century do seem to be shifting. Employees are less willing to trade all other aspects of life for purely professional or financial gains. Work-life balance has become a new goal for many. Some flexible working practices such as flexitime or part-time work have become well-established. In 2003 the British government introduced legislation to encourage people to negotiate more flexible working hours to improve family life.
Teleworking seems like a natural application of modern technology. A recent report notes that 20 percent of employees in the UK work from home occasionally. However, 80 percent of those that do are managers. This suggests that managers may embrace the freedom of homeworking themselves, but still do not trust their employees to be productive outside a traditional work environment. Some people choose to downshift by moving to a less demanding job or decreasing hours and pay in order to enjoy a less pressurised lifestyle and to improve quality of life.
Work remains an integral and, for most of us, essential part of our everyday life. We are arguably armed with more tools and opportunities than ever before to share the time we give to work and the time we give to ourselves and family. Yet getting that balance right remains a difficult task.
* MORI is the largest independently-owned market research company in the UK.
Food can communicate complex messages about status, nationality and identity. The fashion for eating out in restaurant was adopted by the upper classes during the French revolution. Most English words relating to eating out are adopted from the French (hotel, cafe, menu, chef, etc.) including restaurant, which was originally from the French verb meaning 'to restore'. Later, the migrations of the twentieth century proved fertile ground for mingling cuisines and knowledge of the vast variety on offer is viewed as a mark of modern cosmopolitan taste.
Codes of eating vary from culture to culture. In one culture it is polite to leave food on one's plate; in another it shows lack of respect. An American will be amused to see a British person struggling to balance peas on the back, rather than the curve of the fork. A European will retain the knife in one hand and the fork in the other throughout the meal. In contrast, an American will cut with the knife and fork and then lay the knife along the top of the plate and transfer the fork to their other hand to eat. The order in which food is served also differs from country to country. When eating out in Eastern countries a variety of dishes can be served at the same time rather than dividing the meal into courses. The dinners serve themselves by transferring small amounts of food from communal bowls onto their own plates. In Western restaurants the food is served in individual portions and the meal is generally divided into starter, main course and dessert.
Anthropologist Robin Fox believes that 'doing lunch' has little to do with business and everything to do with status. He says, "just to be having business lunches marks one down as a success in the world of business" This was taken rather too much to heart by five bankers fired by aLondon investment firm for trying to write off on expenses a dinner bill of over £60,000. The traditional concept of a business lunch or dinner has broadened to encompass other meals. First there were breakfast meetings, now the latest trend in the US is to have meetings over afternoon tea. Whatever the context, it is important to check what etiquette is expected and what behaviour is acceptable. If in doubt, follow the lead of the host and allow them to guide you through the meal. Turn off mobile phones and be polite and attentive. It may be a free lunch but remember that it is still business.
One of the main strategies for building a solid customer base is through relationship selling. It costs more than five times as much to win a new customer as it does to maintain an existing client. So it makes sense to find ways to encourage customer loyalty. Most people react with suspicion to hard-sell, high-pressure techniques even if they are genuinely interested in the product. Instead, relationship selling; involves a low-pressure, soft-sell approach. The salesperson listens carefully to the needs of a client «nut works with them to find solutions tailored to their requirements. This involves maintaining regular contact and building trust by keeping promises and being accessible when a customer needs help. In addition to encouraging repeat orders, such an approach promotes good service. This encourages word-of-mouth referrals which can lead to additional sales. Where a real relationship exists between client and supplier, competitors find it more-difficult to entice customers away with promises of lower prices or special deals.
Modern technology complements this approach. A Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) uses software to track interactions between the customer and the departments within the company which are supplying goods. Marketing, Sales and Customer Services can collate and access information about customers in order to address their needs quickly and efficiently. Another modern sales technique is called high probability selling. This uses a detailed series of questions to focus efforts on clients who actively require the product or service that a company has to sell. This saves the clients' time and the sales team does not need to prepare a detailed proposal that is unlikely to be accepted by the potential customer. Sales techniques need to be adapted in accordance with each customer profile. The most effective techniques use technology to modernise traditional customer-care methods. The clients are encouraged to feel that they are more than just a signature on an order form.
What characteristics can help people to succeed in business and in life? A positive attitude, intelligence, perseverance and self discipline all help. Are the personality traits that contribute to success or failure genetic? Or do we learn these characteristics as we grow up? Experts still disagree as to whether nature or nurture is more important.
Can personality and intelligence be measured? IQ and psychometric tests remain popular, and the latter are still used by many companies as part of the selection process. However, in recent years the idea that only one type of intelligence exists has been criticised. Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences. This said that people have a number of different types of intelligence that they possess to varying degrees. These are linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, body-kinesthetic, intrapersonal (e.g. insight) and interpersonal (e.g. social skills and the ability to understand and motivate other people). Gardner noted that teaching and learning should focus on the dominant intelligence of each person.
• Be prepared. Know what you want and what the other side wants. Think about how to present your case and how the other side may respond.
• Remain flexible and explore options. Listen to the other person's ideas and concerns, even if they are different from your own. You can respect the other person's point of view even if you don't agree with them.
• A successful negotiation arrives at a solution that is acceptable to all parties involved.
• If there is no hope of a compromise, be prepared to politely end the negotiation.
If a company wants to sell a product or service successfully, it must identify the target market. There are many different types of market to choose from. The mass market aims to sell to as many people as possible, crossing age and income groups. In contrast, a niche market focusses on a narrowly defined group of customers. It often caters to need that has been overlooked by those suppliers who cater to markets which deal in more mainstream products or services. Focussing on niche markets can be cost effective as marketing campaigns can aim budgets directly at potential customers, for example through advertising on local radio or in magazines targeting special interest groups.
Two European countries lead the luxury market. Italy has 30 percent of the market and France 25 percent. Luxury product categories include art and antiques, cosmetics and fragrance, jewellery and cars. One of the most successful companies in this market is LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Moe: Hennessey) with over 13 percent of the global market for luxury goods.
Before a new product or service is launched on a particular market, it can be tried on atest market to see if people are likely to buy. If a seller corners the market, they own or produce most of the goods or services on sale and can therefore set prices. In a buyer's market there is more supply than demand, so buyers are at an advantage and prices are low. When these conditions are reversed, it is a sellers's market.
The World Trade Organisation aims to promote open markets worldwide, where foreign competitors are allowed to trade.
markets (or stock exchanges) around the world. Generally a stockbroker will buy and sell on your behalf. Investments fluctuate depending on a variety of factors such as news from the company, national/international economics and media reports. In a bear market prices fall and in a bull market prices rise, usually over a long period of time.
A company is an organisation that produces goods or services to make a profit. There are many different types.
A small business might become a medium or large business. If a company sells directly to the public, it is a retail business. A wholesale business sells goods in bulk to other companies. Some companies have Ltd in their name. This stands for Limited company. Here, shareholders only lose what they invested if the company goes bankrupt. A company with PLC after its name is a Public limited company -its shares can be freely bought and sold. In contrast a Private limited company only passes shares to another person if other shareholders agree. A conglomerate consists of several companies that have joined together. A multinational or transnational company has global operations in many different countries.
Funding influences the type of ownership. Companies can be funded by share capital, money raised from investors who bought shares. It is owned by the shareholders who elect a board of directors to make decisions and set company policy. Venture capital companies lend money to people to start a new business. Some projects which venture capitalists invest in may be high risk and unable to attract funding from elsewhere. If a person owns their own company without investors, they are a sole proprietor. When two or more people join together to start a company, they form a partnership. A company is bought by another company in a takeover, which can be friendly or hostile.
Traditionally a company board's main responsibility was to increase profits on behalf of the company's shareholders. In contrast, business ethics have been influenced by the idea of the stakeholder, which advocates that a firm also has an obligation to a wide range of people and groups, including shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, government agencies, protest groups and the community in which the company operates.
A successful company needs change management, charismatic leadership with a commitment to Innovation and improving performance, a clear business strategy and an easily identified corporate identity (so that the company name or products are recognised). However, James C Collins found that a key factor in companies that made the transition from good to great was a company culture that encouraged disciplined people to act in a disciplined manner.
The ethics and actions of big companies have increasingly come under scrutiny, it will be interesting to monitor which qualities and values come to define the most successful companies of the twenty-first century.
Now that the Internet has arrived, it is difficult to imagine how we lived without it; it has revolutionised communications. Changes are taking place at an incredible speed. Hardware is becoming more compact, faster and more affordable, allowing more individuals and companies to utilise the Net. In the past, research took longer, important documents got lost in the post and information could be difficult to find.
Unfortunately this revolution has brought with it a new set of problems. Research is certainly quicker but connections can be slow, making it difficult to access the websites that you need. Documents can still get lost, but now they float around cyberspace. Spam can be a problem when your e-mail account becomes overloaded with advertising that you don't want, but more sinister are the various computer viruses which can make your computer crash. And not all countries have equal access to the advantages of new technology.
The global economy has come to rely on the constant exchange of up-to-the-minute information. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed the way that companies and individuals communicate. E-commerce and the changing way that businesses connect to customers, suppliers and new markets are gradually creating a new economy. Traditional business models and processes may need to be re-evaluated and adapted to the network economy of tomorrow.
Technology has also opened up new horizons for education. E-learning continues to grow, allowing educational and professional courses to be taken by distance learning. This means that access to courses is not determined by geographic location. Online seminars can be synchronous (in real time) or asynchronous (where students and lecturers post messages for reading later). Blended learning: integrates both online and traditional learning techniques. Language learning has also benefited from the technological breakthroughs with TELL (technology enhanced language learning) - using computers multimediaand other new technologies.
The World Wide Web is still young. It will continue to evolve and change; both individuals and businesses are still coming to terms with the impact and applications of the vast flow of knowledge at their fingertips. Can the Internet of the future help bring about true global communication and shared prosperity? Only if the gap between the information-rich and the information-poor can be bridged.
Companies which deal in the global marketplace need to be able to adapt to different business cultures. It is easier to make a good impression in our own culture than in another, where our knowledge of the language and rules of behaviour may be limited. Knowledge of the protocol and etiquette in the countries we do business with is essential. Protocol is adhering to the correct procedures and conduct in formal situations. This involves knowing the acceptable way to behave and includes formalities of rank which denotes the level of a person's position in an organisation. Etiquette focuses on communicating in a respectful and polite way in accordance with the good manners and accepted norms of the culture.
When employees travel abroad on business, particularly on prolonged assignments, there can be a period of adjustment when they adapt to the local culture. If sufficient preparation has not been made, then the person may not be able to acclimatise to the loss of familiar cultural cues. These cues normally allow us to read gestures, body language and facial expressions and provide us with prompts that indicate how we should act in particular situations, if this is not possible then culture shock may occur, leading to frustration and ineffective communication on both sides. To avoid this, some companies provide cross-cultural training. Staff is shown skills and strategies to help with cultural adjustment. These include factual information about the culture, negotiating across cultures, managing employees from different backgrounds, decision-making styles in different countries and differing attitudes to time and task management. A good course will also teach employees about their own culture and the-preconceptions that others might have of them.
It helps to be aware that even the most basic forms of non-verbal communication are culturally specific. In most Western countries people stand close enough to shake hands without moving forward. This is the 'comfort zone', which means that standing closer than this can make other people feel slightly uncomfortable. However, in Asian countries people usually prefer to keep a greater distance, whereas in most of the Middle East and Latin America the 'comfort zone' is much closer. In order not to cause offence, it is preferable not to back away. Similarly, maintaining eye contact is seen as a positive thing in the West and avoiding it can be interpreted as evasive. However, in South Korea too much eye contact could be considered hostile or aggressive. Intermittent eye contact is acceptable in most parts of the world. A smile may be regarded as a universal gesture but in Japan it can communicate that the person is uncomfortable or sad.
Cultural awareness may be complex but companies can pay dearly if intercultural research has not been carried out. Nike Inc had to recall 38,000 basketball shoes because its swoosh design logo was considered offensive in some cultures. This example illustrates that even the largest companies can make cultural mistakes. Such errors can be costly in terms of both a company's money and its public image.
• Technical skills - which include the specialist knowledge that will help them do the job.
• Personal skills - personality, attitudes, personal work habits and style. (Can they work under pressure? Can they work as a part of a team as well as unsupervised?).
• Transferable skills- the basic skills learnt through everyday situations or previous work experience that can be usefully applied to a new position.
In the US the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) carried out a survey and asked employers what skills and abilities a new graduate would need to be prepared for an entry level job.
The survey also found that work experience and academic qualifications were highly valued.
The findings suggest that employers want employees who can communicate effectively in speech and in writing (e.g. presentations and reports), who can interact well with colleagues or customers and who can work as part of a team.
The first steps of the selection process include filling out a job application form or sending a well-written covering letter and CV. The next hurdle is the interview. A survey noted that the five most common mistakes made during an interview were displaying little or no knowledge of the company, being unprepared to discuss career plans or goals, having limited enthusiasm, lack of eye contact and being unprepared to discuss skills or experience. Lack of preparation is a key mistake in any job interview. Most companies now have websites that include a company profile and product information which can be useful for background research.
The changing job market means that employers are increasingly choosing from an international pool of candidates. The employer may be in one country while the prospective employee is in a different country or even on a different continent. Applicants may find themselves taking part in a virtual interview via telephone, e-mail, video- or tele-conferencing. Traditional interview tips normally include advice to shake hands, maintain eye contact and dress appropriately. These cannot always be applied to telephone and e-mail interviews, where the interviewer will not know whether you are wearing your best suit or your pyjamas and will not be able to see when your gestures or facial expressions underline key information. However, the aim of the interview remains the same; to evaluate a potential employee's enthusiasm, motivation, skills and commitment.
Modern technology may allow an interview to take place in cyberspace but the basics still apply: be informed and motivated and demonstrate that you are the best person for the job.


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Monthly Issues
The Crackers and Frackers Could Hold the Keys to 2020
By Salena Zito
All Darrin Kelly wanted for the energy workers in Western Pennsylvania was that the Democratic presidential hopefuls would talk to them before going to war against shale.
That opportunity slipped away this fall when Elizabeth Warren joined Bernie Sanders in calling for a total fracking ban.
"On my first day as president, I will sign an executive order that puts a total moratorium on all new fossil fuel leases for drilling offshore and on public lands. And I will ban fracking — everywhere," Warren tweeted.
"It is disappointing that any national candidate would not come in here and want to talk to the men and women of this area first before unilaterally making that decision," said Kelly, a charismatic Pittsburgh firefighter who is also the head of the powerful and influential Allegheny Fayette Labor Council, which represents workers stretching from Pittsburgh to the borders of Maryland and West Virginia.
The rest of the Democratic hopefuls will follow suit, with the possible exception of Joe Biden. At least, that's the prediction of Keystone College political science professor Jeff Brauer.
"The natural gas industry employs well over 40,000 people just in this region alone," Kelly said. "Countless more indirectly, providing economic opportunity for generations of families and communities that had been hollowed out by the demise of manufacturing and coal in this area."
Donald Trump won Pennsylvania with just over 40,000 votes in 2016.
Kelly doesn't think he is entitled to the presidential candidates' time. He just knows what happens when the energy labor force in Western Pennsylvania isn't behind the Democratic nominee.
"You cannot win the presidency if you are a Democrat without Pennsylvania," Brauer reminds bluntly.
Democrats have won Pennsylvania in past presidential years because of outsized margins in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and their suburbs. That support has been declining since Bill Clinton won 28 of the state's 67 counties in 1996.
Barack Obama won 13 of the 67 counties in 2012.
Trump's magic came in rural and post-industrial counties such as Luzerne and Erie, but most importantly in the populous counties around Pittsburgh, where shale is king and fracking is seen as the second coming of the steel industry.
They may look like ordinary construction cranes to someone unfamiliar with the history of this region. But if you're from here, they look like something different. Building the ethane cracker plant, each of these cranes looks like a new colossus rising from the ashes of yesterday's despair.
Building the plant has brought in 6,000 good-paying jobs, with more to come. Ultimately, there will be 600 permanent jobs at the plant, with industry analysts predicting triple that amount in supporting industries.
Jobs postings are everywhere touting opportunities, no matter the skill level – high school education, trade school certificate, chemists, engineers, information technology, labor. If you reliably turn up for work, there is likely a career for you in the oil and gas industry.
"And if you think our workers don't care for the environment or climate change you are wrong," said Kelly. "They are the ones not only working in the industry, but they live here, play here, raise their kids here, hunt, fish, boat, ski, swim, and hike. They want to be in a responsible industry," he said.
The high tides of the frackers and crackers will be offset by the sinking tide of the broader U.S. economy, experts predict. "We're going to probably enter at least a little bit of an economic downturn," Brauer warns, "which is the natural part of the cycle. And it's probably not going to be the greatest timing for President Trump since that's his strength."
"But if the Democrats continue to make these arguments and push these issues which are going to hurt the economy and these key states, then it plays right into Trump's narrative," he adds with a twist.
Brauer suggested Trump could easily argue: "This is part of the cycle and what's going to happen, but would you rather have me, who's going to have less regulations and not wipe out entire industries and try to build back the manufacturing base and try to get jobs to come back in the United States, or you have a Democrat who is so far to the Left, who's willing to get rid of entire industries because of some environmental concerns that can be addressed, without destroying the whole industry?"
That's not a tough question for most Western Pennsylvanians. But it poses a tough question for Biden and the other 2020 Democrats.
Salena Zito is a CNN political analyst and a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner. She reaches the Everyman and Everywoman through shoe-leather journalism, traveling from Main Street to the beltway and all places in between.
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• Watch your favourite team in action.
This Boxing Day we've got a cracker lined up for you. Paul Buckle returns to the Park with his new team Cheltenham Town to pit his wits against his erstwhile mentor Paul Tisdale. City have turned their form around at home this season and the goals are flying in from all positions.
Everything is shaping up to make the match this Boxing Day a memorable one so make a date to join us at St James Park. By the time Boxing Day arrives you know you're going to feel like getting out of the house and enjoying some fresh air and if you've got guests staying for Christmas bring them along too!


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One of the data visualizations Indiana has released is its naloxone heat map, which shows where the overdose treatment drug has been administered across the state.
Home»Data Analytics
How Tech Helps State and Local Governments Battle the Opioid Crisis
As National Public Health Week 2019 starts, government agencies are using a wide range of tech tools to fight the scourge of opioids.
Phil Goldstein
Phil Goldstein is the web editor for FedTech and StateTech. Besides keeping up with the latest in technology trends, he is also an avid lover of the New York Yankees, poetry, photography, traveling and escaping humidity.
Across the country, the opioid crisis continues to claim victims. Drug overdoses claimed 72,000 lives in 2017, a record number in the United States, according to The New York Times. That figure is higher than the peak annual death totals from HIV, guns or car crashes, the Times notes.
This week, the American Public Health Association will kick off National Public Health Week 2019, a time to "recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation's health." The association notes that the opioid epidemic has hit rural communities especially hard, and that the rate of fatal overdoses is higher in rural communities than in metropolitan ones.
"Complicating matters, rural residents are often more likely to face social determinants that negatively impact health, such as poverty, transportation barriers and lack of jobs that pay well," the association states on its website.
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released over $1 billion in opioid-specific grants to states to fight the epidemic, supporting a federal opioid strategy launched in 2017. State and local governments have been stepping up to battle the crisis via technology.
These tools range from data analytics and data visualization to track overdoses to secure software that can help doctors curb prescription fraud.
MORE FROM STATETECH: Find out how local governments can use data to better serve the underserved.
Data Analytics, Software Help Governments Fight Opioid Epidemic
Indiana has turned to data analytics to help, and is using its Management Performance Hub to create dashboards for a wide range of statewide opioid-related data sets, including emergency medical services runs, arrests and deaths, as well as prescription information, according to Government Technology. One of the data visualizations is its naloxone heat map, which shows where the overdose treatment drug has been administered across the state.
"Representatives of the state and governor's office said the map highlights the value of local input and motivates them to get residents and officials from all levels more involved," Government Technology reports.
Other state and local governments are taking similar measures. The Drug Enforcement Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are encouraging communities to take advantage of GIS maps to locate the residents most vulnerable to opioid abuse, according to GCN.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, city officials "began analyzing EMS response data to identify trends and geographic 'hotspots,' helping public safety identify key areas for strategically deploying personnel and medical resources," according to the city.
Chief Data Officer Brandon Crowley tells Diginomica that the data is also precise enough to enable city officials to take practical action. "Every day, dozens of public-safety and health-department officials, along with Talbert House (a fantastic nonprofit offering substance-abuse treatment and other services) check the Heroin Tracker," he says. "It helps them plan more targeted patrols in neighborhoods with the most serious overdose hotspots and anticipate overdose spikes based on previous trends."
Meanwhile, states are turning to prescription drug monitoring programs to help them. Such programs are "among the most promising state-level interventions," according to the CDC.
As HealthTech has reported:
These programs are government-run databases designed to track how doctors and pharmacists prescribe and dispense controlled substances. PDMPs help keep track of who prescribes and is being prescribed controlled substances, and they have emerged as particularly suitable solutions to the opioid crisis. According to the Oregon Health Authority, as of 2013, opioids accounted for more than 54 percent of the prescriptions in the state's PDMP data system.
Rachel Eckert, consultant on immixGroup's Market Intelligence team who specializes in IT trends in state and local government and education, argues that, on their own, PDMP databases have a limited function. "If state and local governments were to combine information from multiple sources, say prescription drug monitoring databases, welfare databases and law enforcement databases, governments could compile a much richer picture of the crisis and start to make more informed and perhaps more proactive decisions," she writes in Government Technology.
States are also taking advantage of the DEA's 2010 Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances rule, which allows clinicians to transmit prescriptions for controlled substances electronically.
As HealthTech reports, e-prescribing has one major advantage in that it gets paper prescriptions off the streets, which, "in turn, helps reduce doctor shopping, fraud and drug diversion, all of which can occur when the prescription is in the patient's hands."
State of Indiana
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Sahlin v. Hospital Housekeeping Systems, LLC
Sahlin v. Hospital Housekeeping Systems
2021L28
Welcome to the Sahlin v. Hospital Housekeeping Systems Settlement Website
IF YOU ARE OR WERE EMPLOYED BY HHS IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS BETWEEN NOVEMBER 30, 2015 AND NOVEMBER 30, 2020, AND HAD YOUR BIOMETRIC IDENTIFIERS AND/OR BIOMETRIC INFORMATION COLLECTED, CAPTURED, RECEIVED, OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED OR DISCLOSED BY HHS OR ITS AGENT(S), YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A PAYMENT FROM A CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT.
What Is This Settlement About?
A Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against Hospital Housekeeping Systems, LLC ("HHS"). The class action lawsuit involves whether HHS unlawfully collected, captured, received, or otherwise disclosed its Illinois employees' Biometric Identifiers and/or Biometric Information through its finger clock-in system. HHS denies the claims in the lawsuit, denies that it did anything wrong, and denies that class certification is warranted or appropriate. The Court did not resolve any claims or defenses, and the parties have agreed to settle the dispute solely to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation.
Who Is Included In the Settlement?
You are included in the class if you are or were employed by HHS in the state of Illinois between November 30, 2015 and November 30, 2020, and had your biometric identifiers and/or biometric information collected, captured, received, or otherwise obtained or disclosed by HHS or its agent(s).
How Do I Get a Payment?
Current employees included in the Settlement will receive a $950 payment from the Settlement Fund and former employees will be eligible to receive up to a $950 payment from the Settlement Fund. If you are a former HHS employee, you must submit a timely and properly completed Claim Form no later than October 7, 2021 to receive up to a $950 payment.
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT
If you are an active HHS employee, once the Settlement becomes Final, you will receive a $950 payment from the Settlement Fund in the form of a check or via direct deposit, at HHS's election. If you are no longer employed by HHS after the Court approves the settlement, then you still will receive your $950 share of the Settlement Fund in the form of a check issued to your last known mailing address.
If you are a former HHS employee, you must submit a claim to receive up to a $950 payment from the Settlement Fund in the form of a check. If you are a former HHS employee and do nothing, you won't get a share of the Settlement benefits and will give up your rights to sue HHS about the claims in this case.
SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM
Deadline: October 7, 2021 (Online or Postmarked)
If you are a former HHS employee, this is the only way to receive a payment up to $950.
If you are an active HHS employee, you do not need to file a Claim Form. You will automatically receive a $950 payment from the Settlement Fund, as long as you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement.
EXCLUDE YOURSELF FROM THE CLASS
Deadline: July 22, 2021 (Postmarked)
You will receive no benefits, but you will retain any rights you currently have to sue HHS about the claims in this case. Excluding yourself is the only option that allows you to ever bring or maintain your own lawsuit against HHS regarding the allegations in this case ever again.
Write to the Court explaining why you don't like the Settlement and think it shouldn't be approved. Filing an objection does not exclude you from the Settlement.
Visit this website often to get the most up-to-date information.
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The Fix My Street concept was born in the UK under the mySociety umbrella : volunteer citizens write to their MPs, report problems, and sometimes fix them.
Seoul citizens launched a Korean version of the website : people signal a pothole or a broken sign, and generally within days it's fixed. The concept is very nice and may prevent broken ankles, but there's no guarantee that the result will look good... even if street repairs performed by local administrations don't always look good either.
Something FixMyStreet Korea did really well is their website* and brand : Igeoba ("이거바") stands for Igeorireul bagguja" ("이거리를 바꾸자" - let's change this street) and sounds like Igeobwa ("이거봐"), which means "look !" or "look at this !"
Personally, I wouldn't encourage this kind of initiatives, except maybe in forsaken places where local authorities say they cannot afford public work. But in any case, it should be done with their approval.
In Seoul, where citizens can easily make themselves heard, there are already hundred ways of contributing to cityscape improvement at the individual level. The positive thing is citizens are more and more taking to heart their environment, and are ready to volunteer for it.
* FixMyStreet.kr definitely beats the original (FixMyStreet.com by mysociety.org).


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Home » General News » Oregon's Grant Pass Downs Reveals The Flying Lark Gaming Initiative
Oregon's Grant Pass Downs Reveals The Flying Lark Gaming Initiative
12th November 2020 by Josh Stewart
Oregon's Grants Pass Downs has revealed that within the next year, a new gaming, entertainment and dining venue will open adjacent to the plant.
The Flying Lark, created as part of a larger initiative to revitalise the horse racing industry in Oregon by entrepreneur and Grants Pass native Travis Boersma, is scheduled to come to Grants Pass during the latter stages of 2021.
Said to reflect "a significant, long-term investment in the city of Grants Pass," it is added that the project will generate a significant number of jobs and improve the local economy.
In addition, The Flying Lark is intended to provide the equine industry throughout the area with critical funding and stability, including horse owners, trainers, veterinarians, jockeys, and a wide variety of vendors and suppliers.
The Flying Lark is part of the transformation of the Josephine County Fairgrounds into a year-round attraction for Southern Oregon and Northern California, along with recent improvements to Grants Pass Downs.
Boersma, CEO and founder of Grants Pass Downs and The Flying Lark said: "We're really looking forward to the impact The Flying Lark will make both economically and culturally to our local community and the state of Oregon."
Next to the Grant Pass downs, the Flying Lark will include a gaming floor and lounge, sports bar, food and beverage outlets, banquet facilities and regional artist-designed works of art.
The institution is named after the iconic Oregon thoroughbred of local racing icon Don Jackson, who in the 1980s led the nation in wins for two years. A well-respected Grants Pass group member, Jackson was a long-time Grants Pass Downs supporter.
Categories General News Tags Gaming, Grants Pass Downs, Oregon, The Flying Lark


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text:
Shining Moments: Bulldog Larry Rakestraw owned the 1963 Orange Bowl
Gene Asher,
For a college football career, you can talk about your Charley Trippi, your Frank Sinkwich and your Herschel Walker, but for one single game the name that stands out is Larry Clyde Rakestraw.
Not that he didn't have a brilliant career – twice All-Southeastern Conference; passed for more than 3,000 yards; led his Georgia Bulldogs in total offense as a sophomore, junior and senior; led the SEC in pass completions and passing yardage as a senior; played in the Senior Bowl and was named most valuable player in the Blue-Gray All-Star game.
But make no mistake about it; Rakestraw's shining hours came in the 1963 Georgia vs. Miami Orange Bowl. Hurricane fans had come to see their brilliant George Mira, bound for the San Francisco 49ers. But they came away talking about the even more brilliant Rakestraw, the Dogs' 6′ 1″, 190 pound quarterback.
It was a steamy night in Miami but not nearly as hot as Rakestraw's right arm. He smashed one NCAA record, two Orange Bowl records and three SEC records. His 407 yards passing broke the NCAA mark of Stanford's Dick Norman's 401 yards set in 1959, the old SEC mark of 338 yards set by All-American Vito (Babe) Parilli in 1950 and the old UGA mark of 323 set by Trippi against Georgia Tech in 1945.
Rakestraw's 414 total offense yardage snapped Trippi's old SEC mark against Tech in 1944 and his one-game pass completion of 25 erased the mark shared by All-Americans Chuck Conerly of Ole Miss (1947) and Zeke Bratkowski of Georgia (1951).
Rakestraw also broke two all-time Orange Bowl stadium records: total offensive yardage of 382 by Georgia All-American and Heisman trophy winner Sinkwich in 1942 and passing yardage of 292 by Bratkowski in 1952.
In leading the Dogs to a stunning 31-14 victory over Miami, Rakestraw commanded scoring drives of 80, 80, 76, 80 and 83 yards. Any questions?
After the game, Mira, who had a career night himself with 341 yards, walked across the field, shook Rakestraw's hand and said, "That was not only the greatest performance I have ever seen, but you are the greatest player I have ever seen."
When Rakestraw was asked, "Who was the best coach you ever had?" he replied, "Lefty Thompson, Jack Fligg, Dave Redford and Jack Bush." All were Rakestraw's coaches in high school.
After he graduated from the University of Georgia, Rakestraw played five seasons with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League, mostly in a backup role.
But he had one of those "Orange Bowl nights" against the New York Giants one Sunday when he ran for two touchdowns and passed for three more. After the game, Jim Morris, who played, coached and officiated college and professional football for 60 years said, "Rakestraw is one of the finest I have ever seen."
Rakestraw was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He and his brother Jimmy, a fine if diminutive guard at Presbyterian College, and a successful high school coach at Druid Hills, grew up in the Bankhead Highway section of Atlanta.
The Brothers Rakestraw attended West Fulton High School, which wasn't a hangout for the college recruiter crowd. But Larry attracted them for football, basketball and baseball, making All-America in football and All-Southern in baseball and basketball. The only other West Fulton notable to make it big was Marvin Tibbetts, who quarterbacked Georgia Tech.
Today Larry is 64 years old, works out three times a week and is the same 190 pounds he was when he destroyed the Miami Hurricanes. He and Jimmy have a thriving insurance and corporate benefits business in greater Atlanta. Larry, who lives in Suwanee, is divorced, with five children and 10 grandchildren.
If they ever start retiring jerseys at Georgia for single game performances, first on the list should be jersey number 10, worn in the Orange Bowl by Larry Rakestraw.
Gene Asher is a veteran sportswriter and businessman
Categories: Features, Sports Leisure


Conan O'Brien couldn't resist ogling over Lara Croft's tight pants during his latest Clueless Gamer review of Tomb Raider. In this newly released video he doesn't review the game so much as profess his love for Lara while expressing wishes for her top to come off. Conan's quickly becoming my new favorite game reviewer and it's not because of his credible scoring.


Tourist destinations to consider near Florence are listed below. Click on any name for complete information.
Visit Dillon, South Carolina,and you'll feel like you're in smalltown USA. Travel just a few minutes from I-95 and you'll discover downtown Dillon, where you'll experience the pleasure of a friendly community that enjoys a casual, relaxed lifestyle.


This article investigates how experimental forms of urban mapping can reveal the particularity of places in non-standard urban situations with the intention of moving beyond the reductivism of still-dominant modernist modes of mapping and associated forms of planning. In order to do so, it reports on the emergence of a methodology involving transect walks, with the purpose of mapping the peculiarities of cultural landscapes. The study is located in cities and communities in the Arctic that are undergoing rapid transformation and are in urgent need of new conceptual approaches capable of enabling future thinking and strategic action. The article specifically asks how such a methodology works to includes the ephemeral and emergent, but also digital, dimensions of urban landscapes, and results in a complex reflexive method of critically reading and writing, of moving and locating, of seeing and picturing place mapping.


Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving prices (PAL Super Nintendo) are updated daily for each source listed above. The prices shown are the lowest prices available for Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving the last time we updated.
Chart shows the price of Aguri Suzuki F-1 Super Driving at the end of each month going back as long as we have tracked the item.


Selecting the best gs vaporizer ego t from a series of selections in high quality. Shopping ego q vaporizer online in DHgate Canada site and you will meet the ideal features a short time. Provide convenient ways to show customers the durable and cheap ego tank vaporizerin cold environments is our target. Through our transparent server, our platform has earned a reputation as a popular destination for ego c vaporizer supply. You can shop glass globe vaporizer for ego from reliable sellers on ca.dhgate.com with free delivery to Canada.


text:
\section{Introduction}
There is a considerable interest in the study of mesoscopic CDW
structures the characteristic size of which is comparable with the
coherence length for the phase or the amplitude of the CDW order
parameter. From these stu\-dies it is expected to obtain new
informations about the intrinsic coherence of the CDW conduction
\cite{1DC}. Recent experimental and theoretical investigations have
demonstrated the possibility of the observation of quantum
interference effects in heterostructures \cite{Sinchenko,Rejaei} and
nanostructures \cite{Latyshev} in CDW materials. Progress in
mesoscopic CDW studies is foreseeable with the recent deve\-lopment
of epitaxial thin film technology \cite{vanderZant} combined with
electron litho\-graphy technique. In the present publication, we
report on CDW transport in submicron structures patterned on thin
single crystal of the CDW quasi one-dimensional (Q1D) compound
NbSe$_3$.

\section{Experimental}
The idea of the experiment was to carry out the realization of a
mesoscopic structure in which CDW motion is localized in an array of
small cells with a submicron size, each cell being electrically
connected to the neighbouring ones by transverse (to the chains)
conduction. We show in Fig.~1 a schematic example of such a
structure. The chain direction of Q1D NbSe$_3$ is along x axis. A
triangular lattice of holes (antidots) is made in such a way that the
projection of holes along the y direction overlaps, that provides
small units of CDW conduction between neighbouring holes. The
individual cell is shown in Fig.~1 as a shaded rectangle.

We selected the most perfect thin NbSe$_3$ crystals with a thickness,
$d$, less than 1~$\mu$m and a relatively large width $w$
($w>$~20~$\mu$m). The width is along the c crystallographic axis. The
NbSe$_3$ crystals were first glued onto a silicon or sapphire
substrate using a fluid resist. After baking 10 minutes at
130$^\circ$C the residues of resist were removed by a soft oxygen
plasma etching. The crystal were then thinned using SF6 reactive ion
etching down to about 0.5~$\mu$m thickness. A 25~nm thin layer of
silicon is then deposited by e-beam evaporation to protect the
surface of the crystal and insure charge evacuation from the sapphire
substrate during the subsequent e-beam lithography.

The desired holes have high aspect ratio: the hole size is
0.4$\times$0.6~$\mu$m, wall thickness is about 0.2~micron and crystal
thickness is 0.5~$\mu$m. One therefore needs a sharp metallic mask.
We first spin on a PMMA layer of nominal thickness 0.5~$\mu$m and
bake it 160$^\circ$C during 10 minutes. This PMMA layer is then
patterned by direct writing with the electron beam of a scanning
electron microscope and developped. We prepare a 50~nm aluminum mask
by angle evaporation onto the surface of the patterned PMMA layer.

The etching of NbSe$_3$ is then achieved in a SF$_6$ plasma with the
aluminum film. We have checked optically that for most of the samples
the depth of etching coincides with the thickness of the crystal
itself. We then remove the aluminum mask by wet etching and the PMMA
layer in an oxygen plasma.

We have measured two NbSe$_3$ samples with triangular lattice of
holes, keeping nearly the same the ratio between the antidot lattice
periodicity and the average diameter of the holes. The scanning
electron micrographs in the patterned parts are shown in Fig.~2. The
triangular lattice of antidots for sample \#~1 (deposited on a
silicon substrate) as shown in Fig.~2a has a periodicity
$S_b$~=3~$\mu$m along the $b$ axis and $S_c$~=3.7~$\mu$m along the
$c$ axis. The hole cross section nearly circular is
1.4~$\mu$m~x~1.5$\mu$m. For sample \#~2 (deposited on a sapphire
substrate) the periodicity of the lattice of antidots is  $S_b$=
$S_c$=0.6$\mu$m with a rectangular hole cross section with
$D_b$=0.3$\mu$m along the $b$ axis and $D_c$=0.4$\mu$m along the $c$
axis (see Fig.~2b).

Four gold contact pads are then patterned in a second e-beam
lithographic step using lift-off technique. External leads are
attached to the gold strips using indium contacts. The contact
geometry is chosen to allow measurements on adjacent patterned and
non-patterned zones (typical length: 100~$\mu$m) of the same crystal
as drawn in Fig.~3. The microhole structure covers the whole width of
the crystal.

The electrical resistance and the differential current voltage
characteristics were measured with a 40~Hz phase sensitive bridge
using the inner probes 1-2 and 3-4 as voltage probes to compare the
properties of the patterned and non-patterned segments.

All the sample parameters are indicated in Table 1.

\section{Results}
The processing treatment yields some changes in the properties of the
NbSe$_3$ samples. In Fig.~4a we show the temperature dependence of a
NbSe$_3$  sample before processing and after processing (essentially
the baking of the PMMA layer at 160$^\circ$C). The consequences of
processing are an increase of both Peierls transition temperatures
($T_{P_1}$~= 145~K and $T_{P_2}$~= 59~K for pure NbSe$_3$ crystals),
an increase of the resistance at both maxima in the $R(T)$ dependence
and a larger residual resistance at low temperatures. However the
sample still conserves all the properties of a relatively good
quality NbSe$_3$ crystal. After processing but without patterning the
resistance ratio $R(\mbox{290~K})/R(\mbox{4.2~K})$  is in range of
$\sim$25-40 and the threshold electric field for CDW depinning at
50~K is $E_T\sim$~100~mV/cm.

Patterning the antidot array strongly affects the resistance of the
NbSe$_3$ sample. In what follows each NbSe$_3$ sample measured will
have been processed on its total surface but only a part is patterned
(see Fig.~3). The sheet resistance of the patterned part increases
considerably, for instance by a factor 6.5 at room temperature for
sample \#~2; however the Peierls transition temperatures are not
changed with respect to the unpatterned part as shown in Fig.~4b. The
effect of patterning is clearly seen in the temperature dependence of
the ratio between the resistance of the patterned part and the
resistance of the unpatterned part. Prominent features appear near
both Peierls transition temperatures and at low temperatures below
50~K. The decrease of the resistance of the patterned part below 50~K
is largely suppressed for sample \# 2 with the shorter antidot
lattice periodicity. Thus, the resistance ratio between room
temperature and helium temperature is 10 for sample \#~1 and 4.8 for
sample \#~2 (to be compared to 25-40 for the unpatterned zone).

Fig.~5 shows the variation of the differential resistance
$\frac{dV}{dI}$ as a function of the applied current for both
non-patterned (Fig.~5a) and patterned (Fig.~5b) parts of sample \#~2.
CDW motion occurs above a threshold electric field $E_T$ defined as
$E_T$~= $\frac{V_T}{L}$~= $\frac{RI_T}{L}$ with $R$ the Ohmic
resistance, $L$ the distance between electrodes and $I_T$ the
critical current at which non linearity in the ($I-V$)
characteristics appears. It can be noted that $I_T$ for the lower CDW
is nearly identical for the patterned and unpatterned parts as shown
in Fig.~6.

\section{Analysis and discussion}
We will now describe a simple model in order to explain the
properties of submicronic structures patterned on a single NbSe$_3$
crystal. We consider that: 1)~transport along chains occurs only in
the short cells located between neighbouring holes (shaded part in
Fig.~1) and 2)~transport from one cell to the adjacent one requires
charge motion perpendicularly to the chains. One can imagine an
equivalent scheme which consists in an electrical network with two
types of resistances: one, $R$, for transport along the chains, the
other, $r$, for transport across the chains as drawn in Fig.~7.

\subsection{Ohmic behaviour}
The ratio between the sheet resistance of the patterned part, $R$,
and that of the unpatterned one, $R^\circ$, $G=\frac{R}{R^\circ}$ can
be expressed as a linear function of $r/R$, which is proportional to
the resistivity anisotropy $\rho_c/\rho_b$ ($\rho_c$: resistivity
along the width of the sample, $\rho_b$: resistivity along the chain
axis). Thus, $G=A+B(\rho_c/\rho_b)$ where $A$ and $B$ are
coefficients depending on the geometry of the network. In the case
where $A\sim$~1 and $\rho_c/\rho_b\gg~1$ which is appropriate in the
present case, one can write:
\begin{equation}
G=B\frac{\rho_c}{\rho_b} \label{eq1}
\end{equation}
For sample \#~2, we find $G$~= 6.5 at room temperature. Using the
value of $\rho_c/\rho_b\sim$~15 measured at room temperature in
NbSe$_3$ \cite{Ong}, one obtains $B$~= 0.43. The justification for
the validity of our conduction model is shown in Fig.~8 where we have
drawn the temperature dependence of $\frac{G(T)}{B}$ with $B$~= 0.43
and that of the resistivity anisotropy $\rho_c/\rho_b$ measured in
\cite{Ong} using the  Montgomery technique. A good agreement between
the temperature dependence of both quantities is found in the full
temperature range above $T\simeq$~55~K (remember that $T_{p1}$ and
$T_{p2}$ are larger in our processed samples). At lower temperatures,
Eq.~\ref{eq1} is unvalid, because the additional contribution to the
resistance due to the patterned structure. We consider that the
origin of this additional contribution comes from the additional
scattering in the mesoscopic units, when the mean free path, $\ell$,
becomes comparable at low temperatures to the length of the unit
along the chains. Using the data from \cite{Ong2} for the carrier
mobility along chains, we estimate that $\ell$ is $\sim$~0.3~$\mu$m
at $T$~= 40~K. Below this tempe\-rature, the increase of $\ell$
becomes limited by the antidot periodicity. That can explain the
decrease of the residual resistance ratio from 10 (sample \#~1) to
4.8 (sample \#~2) when the antidot lattice periodicity along the $b$
axis is reduced from $S_b$=3$\mu$m (sample \#~1) to 0.6~$\mu$m
(sample \#~2).

\subsection{Threshold field for CDW depinning}
We consider now the CDW depinning in a network structure. The
threshold we have defined in part~3 corresponds to a value averaged
over the whole structure. Let it to be noted as : $\langle
E_T\rangle$~= $\frac{R}{L}\langle I_T\rangle$.

However, it is also possible to define a local threshold field, noted
as $E_t$, in an elementary cell : the shaded rectangle for the
patterned part as shown in Fig.~1 with dimensions $\Lambda$ along the
$b$ axis and $\Lambda^\prime$ along the $c$ axis. If the elementary
cell extends half the distance between units along $b$ axis as
represented in Fig.~1, then $\Lambda$~=~$S_b$ and
$\Lambda^\prime$~=~$S_c~$-$~D_c$. For the unpatterned part, the
elementary cell is larger with dimensions $S_b$ along the $b$ axis
and $S_c$ along the $c$ axis. $E_t$ is connected with the local
current $I_t$, along the chains in that elementary cell such as
$I_t=\sigma_bE_tS$ where $\sigma_b$ is the linear conductivity along
the chains and S the cross section of the sample. The ratio between
$E_t$ in the patterned part and the threshold field of the
non-patterned part, that one notes as $E^0_t$, can be expressed as
follows:
\begin{eqnarray*}
\frac{E_t}{E^0_t}=\frac{I_t}{I^0_t}\frac{\sigma^0_b}
{\sigma_b}\frac{S_c}{S_c-D_c}
\end{eqnarray*}

One then makes the reasonable assumption that the local
$\frac{E_t}{E^0_t}$ is the same than the average value for the whole
sample $\langle \frac{E_T}{E^0_T}\rangle $.\\
For sample \#~2 we have shown the temperature dependence of
$\langle{I_T}\rangle$ and $\langle{I^0_T}\rangle$ in Fig.~6. The
temperature variation of $\frac{\langle I_T\rangle}{\langle
I^0_T\rangle}$ for sample  \#~1 and  \#~2 are drawn in Fig.~9.

For sample \#~1, with a larger cell size ($D_c$~= 1.4~$\mu$m, $D_b$~=
1.5~$\mu$m), we find that $\langle{I_t/I^0_T}\rangle\sim 0.7$ with no
significant temperature dependence. For this sample,
$\frac{S_c}{S_c-D_c}=1.6$; one neglects any size effect for
$\sigma_b$ such as $\sigma^0_b/\sigma_b\sim 1$. Then $E_t/E^0_t\sim
1.1$ not far from the value of 1.

For sample \#~2, with $D_b$~= 0.3~$\mu$m and $D_c$~= 0.4~$\mu$m, we
measure $\langle{I_T/I^0_T}\rangle$=1.2 (Fig.~9). With
$\frac{S_c}{S_c-D_c}$~= 3, one gets $E_t/E^0_t\approx 4$,
demonstrating that there is a well pronounced size effect for the
local $E_t$ in a cell with submicron size. Similar size effects have
been previously observed in TaS$_3$ single crystals with a very small
cross section \cite{Borodin} and a short length \cite{Zaitsev}.

\subsection{Current conversion}
One of the aims of our study is the conduction due to CDW motion in a
submicron unit. The process of conversion of the normal carrier
current into a CDW current is still not well understood. In several
theoretical models the conversion process is accompanied by
auto-localization of carriers \cite{Brazovskii}, formation of
phase-slippage centers \cite{Gorkov}, dynamical amplitude solitons
\cite{Artemenko}, tunneling between solitons under the barrier
\cite{Krive}.\\

Phase slippage at current injection electrodes has resulted from
experiments in which the variation of the threshold voltage was
studied as a function of the distance between electrodes. It was
found  \cite{Monceau}, that :
\begin{eqnarray*}
V_T=E_{p}L+V_0
\end{eqnarray*}

The first term corresponds to the bulk pinning due to impurities and
the extra term $V_o$ was interpreted as the potential necessary for
the nucleation of a CDW dislocation loop for conversion of normal
current into the CDW condensate. Typically for NbSe$_3$ $V_0$ is in
the range of 0.2-0.5~mV at T~=~40~K \cite{Monceau}.\\

One can estimate the threshold voltage in our elementary cell of the
patterned zone. The local critical current is the total critical
current $\langle{I_T}\rangle$ divided by the number of channels along
$c$ axis. The resistance of the elementary cell can be calculated
according to its dimensions and the conductivity at the given
temperature. Thus, one estimate that at 40$\sim$50~K, the threshold
voltage in the elementary cell is in the range of 50$\sim$100~$\mu$V,
much less than $V_0$. One are led to conclude that in our network
geometry with submicronic dimensions where the current is fed to the
elementary cell without any interface with a normal metal, there is
no vortex dislocation loop generated. \\

The other models \cite{Brazovskii,Artemenko,Krive} estimate the
conversion length, $L_{\rm conv}$, to be of the order of $\hbar
v_F/\Delta$ ($\Delta$: the CDW gap). An estimate of $L_{\rm conv}$
for NbSe$_3$ is $\sim$~20~nm. One can expect to determine a value of
the conversion length from experiments on short samples with a length
$\Lambda$ comparable with $L_{\rm conv}$. In such a short sample only
a part of the length of the sample, $\Lambda$-$2L_{\rm conv}$,
contributes to the non-linear conduction. A comparison with a
macroscopic sample with the same thickness and the same ratio
length/width can be made. It is then expected that in small samples
the maximum contribution to the non-linear conduction will be at
least $\frac{\Lambda -2L_{\rm conv}}{\Lambda}$ smaller.

We have measured the non-linear properties in the current regime
where the CDW conduction saturates i.e. $I\approx
10\langle{I_T}\rangle$ for both patterned and unpatterned parts of
sample \#~2. We obtain that the CDW conductivity in an individual
cell, $\sigma_{\rm CDW}$, is always smaller in the patterned part of
the sample with respect to the value in the non-patterned part of the
same sample, $\sigma^0_{\rm CDW}$. Fig.~10a shows the temperature
dependence of $\gamma=\sigma_{\rm CDW}/\sigma^0_{\rm CDW}$. Making
the suggestion that this ratio $\gamma$ is a measurement of
$\frac{\Lambda -2L_{\rm conv}}{\Lambda}$, one can estimate $L_{\rm
conv}$ as equal to $\frac{\Lambda(1-\gamma)}{2}$. That yields a value
of $L_{\rm conv}$ of $\sim$~10-20~nm the temperature variation of
which is drawn in Fig.~10b. This estimate of $L_{\rm conv}$ is in
reasonable agreement with the theoretical calculations
\cite{Brazovskii,Artemenko,Krive}.

\section{Conclusions}
We have realized submicron antidot arrays in thin single NbSe$_3$
crystals. The comparison between the transport properties
respectively in the patterned and unpatterned parts of the crystal
reveals specific features of Ohmic conduction and CDW transport in
submicron units.

\section{Acknowledgements}
The work was partly supported by the Russian State Program ``Physics
of Solid State Nanostructures`` (project Nr~97.1052) and by CNRS
through the PICS Nr.~153.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
'Finding Dory' Omitted From Best Animated Feature Category at The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards
0 0 Pixar Post Monday, December 12, 2016 Edit this post
Early this morning as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed their nominations for the upcoming 74th Annual Golden Globes we anxiously waited to hear the Best Animation Feature Film category. As the nominations were read aloud we were saddened by the omission of Finding Dory. This past year has been a remarkable year in animation for numerous studios - including both Pixar Animation Studios and Disney Animation Studios, each of which have released billion-dollar grossing films this year (Finding Dory and Zootopia), possibly making the nomination process a more difficult one (see nomination list below).
My Life as a Zucchini
The history behind the Golden Globes category for Best Animated Feature Film began in the 2006/2007 award season (64th Annual Golden Globes) with Pixar Animation Studios claiming the coveted award each nominated year - with the exception of the 2011/2012 award season, when The Adventures of Tintin was awarded over Cars 2. During the 71st Annual Golden Globes, Pixar's Monsters University was the studio's first film that had been omitted from the Best Animated Feature Film category with the three nominations going to The Croods, Frozen and Despicable Me 2. See below for a complete Golden Globe history of the Best Animated Feature Film category winners.
2006 - Cars
2007 - Ratatouille
2008 - Wall•E
2009 - Up
2010 - Toy Story 3
2011 - The Adventures of Tintin (Cars 2 received a nomination)
2012 - Brave
2013 - Frozen (Monsters University was Omitted)
2014 - How to Train Your Dragon 2 (No Pixar Animation Studios Film was Released)
2015 - Inside Out (The Good Dinosaur was also nominated)
The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon and take place on Sunday, January 8th, 2017 (8PM EST).
The award season is just beginning, be sure to share your thoughts with other Pixar fans in the Pixar Post Forum or leave a comment below — what are your thoughts on the omission of Finding Dory? It seems very surprising the film wouldn't at least get a nomination solely on the strength and popularity that a Billion dollars in box office revenue brings — and that's not even factoring in the technical achievements accomplished on the film. The more we process this, the more baffling it becomes. In any regard, congratulations to the Finding Dory team on a wildly popular film and luckily all their hard work can still be recognized by many upcoming award shows and voting committees.
- Pixar Receives Four Nominations For The 44th Annual Annie Awards
- Heart-Wrenching & Hilarious: Our 'Finding Dory' Film Review 9/10
- 'Finding Dory' Soundtrack Review - The Tragedy & Beauty Therein
Pixar Post - Julie
Andrew Stanton Awards Finding Dory
Pixar Post: 'Finding Dory' Omitted From Best Animated Feature Category at The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Finding Dory omitted from Best Animated Feature Film for 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hUekdlJodQQ/WE2u1t8HvnI/AAAAAAAATSM/plnPwfhy5C0pJWJIx9hCVLEXDysV8FrPQCLcB/s640/Dory%2BGolden%2BGlobes.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hUekdlJodQQ/WE2u1t8HvnI/AAAAAAAATSM/plnPwfhy5C0pJWJIx9hCVLEXDysV8FrPQCLcB/s72-c/Dory%2BGolden%2BGlobes.jpg
https://www.pixarpost.com/2016/12/finding-dory-omitted-from-best-animated.html


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Home/buhari
Esther Keshi September 28, 2016
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