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Karyolysidae is a family of parasitic alveolates of the phylum Apicomplexa.

References

Apicomplexa families

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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China Brief | Edition 046: 5G networks in Canada and international and domestic responses to actions in Hong Kong
IN THIS EDITION: 5G networks in Canada, Canada's international and domestic responses to Hong Kong, Spotlight on Canola, Barley and Pork.
5G Networks
Canada is not unfamiliar with being caught between China and the U.S. With the Meng Wanzhou case, it was predominantly U.S. pressure that resulted in the arrest of the Huawei official and the subsequent trade retaliation from China; China's envoy to Canada has directly blamed the U.S. for causing trouble between China and Canada. With controversy around Huawei's participation in 5G networks, Canada has yet again found itself subject to both U.S. and Chinese pressure and threats of retaliation.
The United States and Canadian tech giants Telus and Bell Media have announced that they will not develop their 5G networks with Huawei due to security concerns. SaskTel, which used Huawei entirely for its 4G network, has not determined whether or not it will use Huawei for its 5G. The Saskatchewan government will make the ultimate decision, pending a federal decision, on which company to use given the political significance and trade implications.
There are significant concerns that if Huawei is not allowed to work on 5G in the country, then the north and rural territories may be left further behind in terms of digital accessibility. Currently, 15% of Canadians do not have high-speed internet access. Huawei is the primary source for high-speed internet, 3G and 4G cellular links in the Yukon, North West Territories, and Nunavut as well as rural communities across the country.
Despite its commitment to bring high-speed internet to all Canadians by 2030 – including remote and rural communities where it is critical to improving agricultural performance – the Canadian federal government has yet to make a formal decision on whether Huawei is welcome to work on 5G networks for the country as a whole. Internationally, this decision will land Canada on either side of a predicted tech Cold War. The United States has made it clear that if Canada does side with Huawei, the U.S. will reassess the Canada-US intelligence relationship. If Huawei is not permitted to work on 5G, Canada should expect further scrutiny from China and experts are already predicting trade retaliation for the Telus and Bell decisions.
International Response to Hong Kong
Tensions between Canada and China continue to escalate over Chinese actions in Hong Kong, actions which currently face international scrutiny.
The chair of the federal Foreign Affairs Committee joined with counterparts in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand to ask the United Nations to establish a Special Envoy for Hong Kong. The chairs also sent messages to their respective Prime Ministers asking for the leaders to lend their support for the envoy push.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa responded to the request with a reiteration of China's previous statements that Hong Kong is a part of China and Canada is to stop intervening in Chinese internal affairs. China also called out double standards in the international response to China's actions against Hong Kong protestors versus those of President Trump's actions against Black Lives Matter Protestors in the United States.
Canada-Hong Kong Immigration
Canada has a history of both immigration to and emigration from Hong Kong. About 300,000 people left Hong Kong for Canada between the 1980s and 1990s. Following the turnover of Hong Kong from the British to China, the number of immigrants dropped from 241,095 in 1996 to 209,775 in 2011. By 2016, the number of immigrants increased to 215,750 and continued to trend upwards in 2017 and 2018, with experts identifying education and skilled labour demand as key drivers. With current tensions in Hong Kong, we may see immigration increase again with Canadian passport holders returning to Canada.
Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister, has welcomed the 300,000 Canadian passport holders currently living in Hong Kong to return to Canada. Amid concerns that the Chinese government would prevent dual citizens from leaving Hong Kong, Avvy Go, the director of the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, made a series of recommendations for more timely repatriation.
Domestic Responses to Hong Kong
There are some domestic calls for the Canada-China Legislative Association to disband with those who want dissolution arguing that continued talks with China legitimize actions in Hong Kong. However, some members of the association have said that ending the association would stop one of the key communication channels between the two countries at a time when open communication channels are necessary.
John Higginbotham, former commissioner for Canada in Hong Kong and diplomat in Beijing, has argued for Canada to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Mr. Higginbotham sees a boycott as a way for Canada to increase pressure on China for its actions in Hong Kong.
Spotlight: Canola, Barley and Pork
The United Arab Emirates, one of the other key exporters of canola seed and oil to China, has previously acted as a backdoor to Canadian canola for China. It appears that the UAE may be continuing, if not increasing, its role in supplying Canadian canola to China. From 2018 to the end of March 2019, the UAE imported 305,000 tonnes of canola. For the next year – March 31, 2019 to March 31, 2020 – the UAE imported 760,000 tonnes of canola.
Australia faces a similar situation following China's tariff of 80% on Australian barley. Chinese importers are looking at other markets with Argentina ramping up production in response, increasing competition for Canadian barley. Australian exporters are purchasing Argentinian barley to send to China instead of domestic barley to retain Chinese customers, particularly those looking for malt barley for beer production.
However, other agricultural sectors are facing increased growth. With the African swine fever outbreak in China, pork exporters to China, including Canada, are projected to have one to two years of strong exports to China. Pork imports were up 170% in the first four months of 2020 with the price in May up 81.7%.
• The key federal official in charge of the China file, Foreign Affairs Minister François Philippe-Champagne, has two mortgages totaling $1.2 million with the Bank of China. While the mortgages were disclosed with the Ethics Commissioner, there is risk that the Chinese government, who own the Bank of China, could use those loans as leverage.
• Andrew Scheer asked for an emergency meeting of the Canada-China relationship committee following reports of the Foreign Affairs Minister's mortgage with the Bank of China.
• Former Ambassador to China, David Mulroney, issued a memo on his testimony to the Canada-China relationship committee, which was cancelled due to the pandemic.
• Former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson has provided a list of recommendations to move Canadian-China relations forward. These recommendations cover a wide range of areas including sovereignty, diplomacy, trade, human rights, Hong Kong, Taiwan and re-engagement.
• With U.S. President Trump's anti-China comments, Trudeau could be put in a difficult position if he attends the upcoming G7 summit in the United States. As the summit will be held in September, only two months before the U.S. election in November, President Trump may use the summit to gain necessary domestic political wins.
• The House of Commons Industry Committee held hearings on the Investment Canada Act and foreign take overs of Canadian business, particularly as COVID-19 has made companies critical or strategic for Canadian national security vulnerable. The primary concern for the committee is that state-owned businesses in countries like China may engage in takeovers to further their own intelligence and national security interests.
• Taiwan uses China's blunders with COVID-19 and the Hong Kong protests as a way to gain diplomatic ties with other countries, including Canada. Taiwan is sending PPE to Canada, which will go to front-line health care workers and Indigenous communities and has offered itself as a transparent and democratic alternative to Chinese partnership.
– Stephany Laverty, policy analyst and Taylor Blaisdell, intern
The China Brief is a compilation of stories and links related to China and its relationship with Canada's West. The opinions expressed in the links are those of the articles' authors and don't necessarily reflect the views of the Canada West Foundation and our affiliates.

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Labor & Time Use (13) Apply Labor & Time Use filter
Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Livelihoods (49) Apply Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Livelihoods filter
Agricultural Inputs & Farm Management (20) Apply Agricultural Inputs & Farm Management filter
Agricultural Productivity, Yield, & Constraints (21) Apply Agricultural Productivity, Yield, & Constraints filter
Environment & Climate Change (19) Apply Environment & Climate Change filter
Technology Adoption (17) Apply Technology Adoption filter
East Africa Region and Selected Countries (15) Apply East Africa Region and Selected Countries filter
Polygynous Households and Intrahousehold Decision-Making: Evidence and Policy Implications from Mali and Tanzania
A large and growing body of scholarship now suggests that many household outcomes, including children's education and nutrition, are associated with a wife's bargaining power and control over household decision-making. In turn, bargaining power in a household is theorized to be driven by a wife's financial and human capital assets – in particular the degree to which these assets contribute to household productivity and/or to the wife's exit options. This paper draws on the detailed Farmer First dataset in Tanzania and Mali to examine husband and wife reports of a wife's share of decision-making authority in polygynous households, where multiple wives jointly contribute to household productivity, and where exit options for any single wife may be less credible. We find that both husbands and wives assign less authority to the wife in polygynous households relative to monogamous households. We also find that a wife's assets are not as strongly associated with decision-making authority in polygynous versus monogamous contexts. Finally, we find that responses to questions on spousal authority vary significantly by spouse in both polygynous and monogamous households, suggesting interventions based on the response of a single spouse may incorrectly inform policies and programs.
Preliminary Technical Brief, Presentation Slides
Review of LSMS-ISA Research
Household survey data are a key source of information for policy-makers at all levels. In developing countries, household data are commonly used to target interventions and evaluate progress towards development goals. The World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study - Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) are a particularly rich source of nationally-representative panel data for six Sub-Saharan African countries: Ethiopia, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. To help understand how these data are used, EPAR reviewed the existing literature referencing the LSMS-ISA and identified 415 publications, working papers, reports, and presentations with primary research based on LSMS-ISA data. We find that use of the LSMS-ISA has been increasing each year since the first survey waves were made available in 2009, with several universities, multilateral organizations, government offices, and research groups across the globe using the data to answer questions on agricultural productivity, farm management, poverty and welfare, nutrition, and several other topics.
Presentation Slides, Results Coding
Asset-Based Community Development Applications
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) is a development framework which focuses on the capacities, skills and social resources of people and their communities, rather than initially focusing on the needs, deficiencies, constraints and problems of a community.1 This document contains three sections. The first section summarizes several papers which either (1) apply ABCD or similar asset-focused development frameworks in a rural/agricultural context and to development in Sub-Saharan Africa, or (2) provide general guidance on the implementation of ABCD approaches to development. The second section provides more detail on how Oxfam and the Coady International Institute have applied ABCD in Ethiopian communities.
Finally, in order to provide an example of how ABCD might be applied to a Foundation project, the third section briefly notes how an ABCD strategy might differ from the Foundation's proposed constraints-based Bihar strategy.
Agricultural Risks Management in Africa
This brief presents selected material from the Fourth African Agricultural Markets Program (AAMP) policy symposium, Agricultural Risks Management in Africa: Taking Stock of What Has and Hasn't Worked, organized by the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa that took place in Lilongwe, Malawi, September 6-10, 2010. We draw almost exclusively from Rashid and Jayne's summary, "Risk Management in African Agriculture: A review of experiences." This article summarizes across the background papers, with major findings grouped into three broad categories: cross cutting, government-led policies, and modern instruments.
Risks to Agribusiness Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa
This literature review provides a summary of the risks that potentially limit private sector agribusiness investment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and some responses to those risks. The report reviews risks that limit private sector investment and interventions used to mitigate risk to agricultural investment including government policy, international financial institutions, philanthropic efforts and other private initiatives. Risk is defined as a potential negative impact to assets, investments, or profitability of investments in the agricultural industry that may arise from some present process or future event. There is currently limited information examining how particular risk factors influence private-sector agribusiness investment in the region. However, the information that is available suggests that economic and political instability are among the most significant risks to agribusiness investors in SSA. Further, the literature notes that agricultural risks in SSA are particularly pronounced due to environmental risks that contribute to unreliable cash flows and uncertain profitability. We find that these risk factors are compounded by a lack of data and information for investors to use in assessing and pricing risks appropriately.
Agricultural Research and Development Hours by Crop
This research brief reports on full time equivalent (fte) positions devoted to research and development of major food and cash crops in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Data on fte by country and crop were collected from individual Agricultural Science and Technology Indicator (ASTI) country briefs. ASTI data are obtained from unpublished surveys conducted by CGIAR centers. Our report includes 23 countries in SSA.
Research & Development Finance for Agriculture in SSA
This report provides a general overview of trends in public and private agricultural research and development (R&D) funding and expenditures in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The request is divided into two sections, covering public funding and private funding. Within each section, relevant data is presented on historical funding patterns, the types of research conducted, and which countries within SSA are financing R&D at the highest level. We find that the majority of growth in African public agricultural research funding took place in the 1960s, when real public spending on agricultural research increased 6% a year. From 1971 to 2000 annual growth averaged 1.4% a year. Public financing of agricultural R&D experienced a moderate shift in the 1990s from bilateral and multilateral donor funding to domestic government financing. The shift varied by country, but donor funding dropped for all SSA countries an average of 10%. Private research and development funding is heavily concentrated in developed countries with the United States and Japan the two biggest spenders. Within SSA, private R&D expenditures comprise 2% of all R&D spending. The main private actors in SSA are companies based in South Africa and Nigeria. The private sector is focused on research areas that involve marketable inputs, such as chemicals, seeds, and machines/


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India should be stablising power amid disrupting forces: EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in Delhi during 'Raisina Dialogue 2020' stated that there are currently various forces of disruption in world, thus India should be stablising power and be a country which brings its capacities to bear on the inter-natal system for global good. "I think it is not India's way to be a 'disruptionist' power internationally, I think we should be a stablising power. There are already enough forces of disruption in the world. Somebody needs to make up a bit," said EAM. "It is also not the India way to be self-centered, to be mercantilist. Therefore it's important to be global, law abiding, consultative. India way would be a country which brings its capacities to bear on the inter-natal system for global good, which is a net security provider; which is firm in dealing with challenges like terrorism, which has its values, which addresses global issues like climate change," he added further.
Over 9,000 passengers screened at seven airports for Coronavirus
On hair, loss and self-acceptance: A personal account of living with alopecia, no longer hiding from reality


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Powerful: pullReceipt retrieves attached invoices, as well as those to be downloaded by clicking a link.
Multilingual: pullReceipt recognizes the invoices in foreign languages. English, Spanish, German, French, Italian currently supported.
Safe: You stay in control. For each supplier, you can choose either to have the documents processed automatically, or after your approval.
Adaptable: You work at your own pace. Connect every day, every month, or only once per quarter, as you prefer. pullReceipt fits in your process.
All plans include extraction and custom processing of documents from your email accounts, and access to a reporting dashboard.
The idea for pullReceipt came to Mehdi El Fadil, as he was spending his quarterly 8 hours to retrieve all incoming invoices in his mailbox and send them to his accountant.
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Check out what's new and popular in the world of CBC audio!
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The Q Interview with Tom Power | 'Listen to my side': Adele opens up about 30, divorce and her struggle with fame
The lead-up to Adele's long-awaited album, 30, was by the singer's own account "a big deal." In the six years since she released her last record, she almost completely disappeared from the public eye, so being thrust back into the spotlight took some adjustment at first.
"I don't like being famous," she told Q's Tom Power in a Canadian exclusive interview about 30, which is out now. "It's just hard to get used to, you know, everyone talking about me again, really."
Fuelling the current conversation around Adele are highly personal topics, such as her weight loss, her battle with anxiety and her divorce from entrepreneur Simon Konecki, with whom she shares a son named Angelo, 9.
New Podcast |Type Taboo: Diary of a New Diabetic
Denial, anger, depression and shame - Type 2 diabetes can lay the ultimate guilt trip. That's what journalist and former musician Emily Brass discovered when she was diagnosed as a new diabetic.
Forced to make big changes, Emily opens up about her personal struggles with the disease in a series of intimate diaries, and seeks out other diabetics who help her smash the hurtful stereotypes that come with Type 2. Whether you're living with diabetes, or have ever tried to make changes to get healthier, Emily's journey will motivate you, and make you think differently about Type 2 and the people that live with it.
Reclaimed with Jarrett Martineau |People of the Earth
Reclaimed is the home to the next wave of Indigenous music. Combining past, present and future, this series explores the many worlds of Indigenous music and introduces listeners to a new generation of Indigenous artists reclaiming their culture through music and song.
Join host Jarrett Martineau as he celebrates National Native American Heritage Month. Get ready for music from all over Turtle Island to honour our relatives in the United States during their month-long celebration of Native pride.
WHAT ON EARTH
What are atmospheric rivers, and how are they affecting the B.C. floods?
Chapman's Ice Cream faces backlash and boycott over vaccination policy
How this Edmonton therapist is using play to help kids heal
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Over the weekend barVolo took home all three bar/restaurant awards from the Bar Towel Golden Taps; Best Bar For Cask-Condtioned Beer, Bottle Beer Selection & Tap Selection in Ontario. Thank you to all of our fans for supporting us and all the microbreweries in Ontario for making great beer for us to serve. A special thanks to Cass Enright (Founder of BarTowel/Golden Taps) & Beer Bistro for hosting a great event. Also, congrats to all of our friends who also won awards.
Finally, shout outs to all the passionate individuals in the craft beer industry who are part of this evolution and are elevating the Ontario brewing scene every day. Support your local brewery and local beer bar!


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Budapest City Guide
Budapest City Info
How to Get the Immunity Card or App in Hungary
Here's a guide to everything we know about how to get a vaccination card/the app as an expat in Hungary!
Where to Rent a Car in Budapest
Ready to hit the road? This article will help you with renting a car in Budapest. Grab your license, credit card, and let's go!
Budapest Museum Guide
Hungary is home to plenty of enlightening museums. Check out the following list we've put together of the best museums to visit when you're in Budapest.
Where to Exchange Money in Budapest
If you're unfamiliar with Hungary's currency, the Forint, don't worry! We'll tell you the best places to exchange money in Budapest.
Budapest District Guide
Budapest is divided into 26 districts, although the inner districts get a lot more recognition. Use this district guide to navigate the city!
Budapest Hotel Guide
Are you looking for a place to stay when you visit Budapest? We've got you covered with our Budapest Hotel Guide!
Top 10 Sights to See in Budapest
Budapest has so much to see, it can be tricky to figure out where to start! Here we give you a walking tour itinerary of the top 10 sights to see in Budapest.
City of Baths: The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest
Learn the various landscapes and personalities of Budapest's most iconic thermal baths before you choose one in which to relax and enjoy history firsthand.
Laws and Customs in Budapest
Here are the most important laws and customs of Budapest, including important considerations as well as cultural bits and pieces.
How To Get Around in Budapest
It's important to know how to get around Budapest! Learn important info about taxis and pricing, how to use the public transport system, and more!
Scams to avoid in Budapest
Don't get caught out! Scams happen in almost every major city - here's a quick run through some of the major scams to avoid in Budapest.


(http://www.diabetes.ca/diabetes-and-you/living-with-type-1-diabetes)Type 1 Diabetes is a metabolic disorder where the pancreas does not produce insulin, which is a hormone that regulates the glucose or rather sugar content in your blood. Without insulin the glucose builds up in blood instead of being used as energy. Glucose can enter your body through food, such as bread, milk, and rice, or can be produced from your body. (http://www.diabetesresearch.org/what-is-type-one-diabetes)Type 1 diabetes is a severe disease, also know as "juvenile" because it is most common in developing in children and/or teenagers, though it may develop in any age. The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, and not preventable.
This pictures shows what happens in peoples bodies affected by Type 1 diabetes.
The body's immune system is strongly affected by type 1 diabetes, because it accidentally destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. In the most common cases of Type 1 Diabetes, the body's immune system mistakenly destroys the islet, or insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, instead of normally fighting harmful bacteria and viruses. (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/basics/causes/con-20019573)In a person with Type 1 diabetes the immune system is very weak causing them to be prone to infections and their body takes longer to repair itself.
(http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20019573)In order to diagnose Type 1 Diabetes, the specialized doctor will run a various amount of tests. The first test in which your doctor will ask for is a Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This in particular indicates what your average blood sugar level had been from the 2-3 months prior. An A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher on two separate tests indicate that you have Type 1 diabetes.
If the patient cannot be taken, from certain conditions , your doctor may use different sugar tests to diagnose diabetes. These tests include, Random blood sugar tests and Fasting blood sugar tests. Random blood sugar tests are literally blood samples taken at random times. 200 mg or higher suggests that the patient has diabetes. This is especially evident when signs and symptoms are found as well. Fasting blood sugar tests is a blood sample that is taken after and overnight fast. A fasting blood sugar level of 100 mg is considered average, or normal. 100-125 mg is considered pre-diabetes. If it is 126 mg or higher on two separate tests, the patient has diabetes.
(http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/basics/treatment/con-20019573)The goal for treating diabetes is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible. Some treatment in which a type on diabetes patient would include, taking insulin, carbohydrate counting, frequent blood sugar monitoring, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.
Patients diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes continue with life-long essential therapy. Types of insulin include, Rapid-acting insulin, Long-acting insulin, and intermediate insulin. Insulin may be administered through injections, and an insulin pump. Other prescribed medication for people with type 1 diabetes include, Pramlintide, high blood pressure medication, aspirin, and cholesterol-lowering drugs. The most important treatment goal is to ultimately monitor the blood sugar levels.


Please join us and take the opportunity to celebrate the exceptional individuals and businesses in our community. The Business Awards of Excellence Gala will take place at The Grand Hotel on Friday, October 19th, and will highlight the achievements and growth that has been exhibited by local business owners.
LEADERSHIP: The focus and strength of character that enables the entrepreneur to move forward and inspire a team to do the same, despite sceptics and obstacles.
For more information on nominations, tickets and sponsorships, please contact Jackie Kavanagh or Amber Campbell at the Chamber of Commerce office at 613-257-1976.
All nominations and nominee responses will be posted to the Chamber website.
The voting survey will be open for 2 weeks of September 7th to September 21st, 2018 and will be advertised through the Carleton Place and District Chamber of Commerce newsletter, direct emails to members, Facebook and Twitter.
The voting survey will be open for 2 weeks of September 7th to September 21st, 2018 and will be advertised through the Carleton Place and District newsletter, Website, direct emails to its members, Facebook and Twitter.
Each email address will be cross referenced with the voting list to ensure that each member only gets one vote per award. If there is a discrepancy (more than one vote comes from the same link) the votes will not be counted.
The Chamber will hold the Awards of Excellence Gala on Friday October 19, 2018 and notify all the nominees and Carleton Place and District Chamber members of the date, time and place of the Awards ceremony.
The tickets for the Awards of Excellence Gala will be $80 plus HST and include a 3 course dinner.
Attendees will be treated to a Champagne reception while a "congratulations to the nominees" slide show will be playing.
The awards will be presented after dinner.


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This recommendation applies to acute COVID-19 in adults. Some of our recommendations vary according to the severity of COVID-19 illness. Definitions of the categories are based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria and can be viewed by clicking the plus (+) signs below.
RECOMMENDATION: Baricitinib is not recommended in patients that do not have hypoxia (strong recommendation). In patients with hypoxia who have moderate, severe or critical illness, clinicians may wish to consider adding Baricitinib to steroids, if not on Tocilizumab (conditional recommendation). Tocilizumab and Baricitinib should not be given together.
DATE OF RECOMMENDATION: 17th September 2021
In patients with mild or moderate illness without hypoxia we do not recommend Baricitinib (Strong recommendation)
Definition of mild illness:
• Symptomatic (any acute COVID-19 related symptoms)
• AND respiratory rate <24/min
• WITHOUT pneumonia or hypoxia
Definition of moderate illness:
• Pneumonia (clinical or radiological)
• AND respiratory rate ≤30/min
• AND SpO2 ≥94% on room air
In hypoxic patients with moderate, severe or critical illness Baricitinib may be given to patients already on corticosteroids but not on Tocilizumab (conditional recommendation).
A conditional recommendation is one for which the desirable effects probably outweigh the undesirable effects (weak recommendation FOR an intervention) or undesirable effects probably outweigh the desirable effects (weak recommendation AGAINST an intervention) but appreciable uncertainty exists. This implies that not all will be best served by this recommendation and decisions can be made by the patient and caregiver based on patient values, resources and setting with a clear understanding of the ensuing harms and benefits.
Definition of moderate illness
Pneumonia (clinical or radiological) OR hypoxia (SpO2 <94% in adults with no underlying lung disease)
AND respiratory rate ≤30/min
AND SpO2 ≥90% on room air
Definition of severe illness:
Pneumonia with ANY ONE of the following:
respiratory rate >30/min
severe respiratory distress
SpO2 <90% on room air
NO invasive or non-invasive respiratory support needed
Definition of critical illness:
Requirement for high-level respiratory support: noninvasive ventilation, high-flow oxygen (≥20 litres per minute) or invasive mechanical ventilation
• OR acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 ratio of <300)
• OR sepsis
• OR shock
Baricitinib is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor which has been used in Rheumatoid arthritis for many years as an anti-inflammatory agent. In COVID-19 infection it has been used as an anti-inflammatory agent and has also been thought to have potential antiviral effects by interfering with viral entry (1).
Baricitinib was found to reduce mortality and progression to invasive mechanical ventilation in hypoxic moderate, severe and critical COVID-19 infection with the number needed to prevent one death being approximately 25 across all the severity groups. We also found that Baricitinib reduced the time to clinical recovery and length of hospital stay, with a slight decrease in the progression to non-invasive ventilation (NIV) as well.
The risk of adverse events and serious adverse events are uncertain, but appeared to be low in the short term. However, it is important to mention that the long-term effects were not assessed in either of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) available. However, there is considerable clinical experience with use of this drug in other clinical conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis), where it has a well-defined and acceptable safety profile. At present there appears to be no data for the use of this drug in the non-hospitalized, mild COVID-19 infection. The safety and efficacy of its concomitant use with other immunomodulators like Tocilizumab is also unavailable at the moment. With the present data available it is recommended that Baricitinib should NOT be given along with Tocilizumab as it may lead to severe immunosuppression.
Taking the evidence into account, the group recommends for a conditional use in hypoxic patients with moderate to critical COVID-19 infection, if there is a rapid progression of respiratory requirements despite use of steroids.
Evidence Summary
Date of latest search: 21st July 2021
Date of completion & presentation to Expert Working Group: 29th July 2021
Date of planned review: 29th January 2022
Evidence synthesis team: Karthik G, Annabelle Kaunds, Sujith Chandy, Bhagteshwar Singh, Richard Kirubakaran and Priscilla Rupali.
Summary of findings table
Table 1: Baricitinib vs placebo in hospitalized patients with COVID-19
a. Marconi et al (3): ≥18 years of age, hospitalized laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, had evidence of pneumonia or active, symptomatic COVID-19, and had ≥1 elevated inflammatory marker (C reactive protein, D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin); Kalil AC(2) et al: Male/non pregnant female >=18 years at the time of enrollment Illness of any duration, and at least one of the following: Radiographic infiltrates by imaging (chest x-ray, CT scan, etc.), SpO2 ≤ 94% on room air, requiring supplemental oxygen, requiring mechanical ventilation
b. Downgraded by one level for serious imprecision as the lower limit of 3% is clinically not significant.
c. Downgraded by one level for serious imprecision as the confidence interval is wide ranging from 0.63-1.10.
d. Downgraded by one level for serious imprecision as the event rate was low in each arm and OIS criteria not met.
Kalil AC, Patterson TF, Mehta AK, Tomashek KM, Wolfe CR, Ghazaryan V, et al. Baricitinib plus Remdesivir for Hospitalized Adults with Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2021 Mar 4;384(9):795–807.
Marconi VC, Ramanan AV, de Bono S, et al. Efficacy and safety of baricitinib for the treatment of hospitalised adults with COVID-19 (COV-BARRIER): a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial [published online ahead of print, 2021 Aug 31] [published correction appears in Lancet Respir Med. 2021 Sep 8;:]. Lancet Respir Med. 2021;S2213-2600(21)00331-3. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(21)00331-3
Table 2: Baricitinib compared to placebo for hypoxic COVID-19 patients with moderate illness.
a. Data was extracted from two studies [Marconi (3) and Kalil (2)et al] for this category -moderate severity.
b. Downgraded by one level for serious imprecision as the 95% CI for the risk ratio included no effect ranging from 0.96-1.27 and the optimal information size (OIS) criteria were not met.
c. Downgraded by one level for very serious imprecision as the 95% CI is wide, ranging from 0.63-1.10.
Table 3: Baricitinib compared to placebo for COVID-19 patients with severe to critical illness.
a. Subgroup data from Marconi (3)and Kalil (2)et al, hypoxic hospitalized patients requiring NIV or high-flow oxygen devices (ordinal scale -6) and hypoxic hospitalized patients requiring mechanical ventilation or ECMO (ordinal scale-7) .
b. Downgraded by one level for serious imprecision as the 95% CI is wide, ranging from 0.46-1.07.
c. Downgrade by one level for serious indirectness as the effect was more in patients in ordinal scale 6 (Hospitalized patients requiring NIV or high-flow oxygen devices) than in ordinal scale 7 (hospitalized patients requiring mechanical ventilation or ECMO).
Baricitinib, an orally administered, selective inhibitor of Janus kinase (JAK) 1 and 2, inhibits the intracellular signaling pathway of cytokines known to be elevated in severe Covid-19, including interleukin-2, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, interferon-γ, and granulocyte–macrophage colony stimulating factor; acts against SARS-CoV-2 through the impairment of AP2-associated protein kinase 1 and the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry and infectivity and improves lymphocyte counts in patients with Covid-19 (2). Emerging data suggests that disease severity in COVID-19 infection may be due in part to a dysregulated inflammatory response. It is postulated that mitigating the immune response and preventing a hyperinflammatory state may further improve clinical outcomes.
To identify all available systematic reviews pertaining to our PICO question, a systematic search of PubMed, covid-nma.org and the Epistemonikos databases was conducted. The search strategy was designed and validated by the Group's information specialist. The search results were screened independently by two reviewers against the pre-defined criteria set out above, using Rayyan.
Seven systematic reviews were identified using databases, of which 2 were excluded as they were narrative reviews. For eligibility, 4 were identified and all 4 systematic reviews had the same study. For randomized controlled trials, 25 were identified using databases, of which 6 were removed as they were duplicates. Of the 19 RCTs screened, 2 were press releases and 15 were study protocols or trial registries and hence they were excluded. The remaining 2 RCTs were assessed for eligibility and included for analysis.
For the risk of bias, Cochrane ROB2 tool was used. For all outcomes, one review author performed the assessment, and cross-checked it against the assessment by another review author. If there was a difference in more than one domain, it was assessed by a third independent author.
Data was extracted for the following outcomes as per the pre-defined PICO question by the anti-inflammatory expert working group:
Overall mortality
Time to clinical recovery
Secondary:
Length of hospital stay
Need for NIV/invasive mechanical ventilation
Duration of invasive ventilation
Duration of stay in critical care
Adverse events:
Nosocomial/opportunistic infections – may be measured indirectly by need for antibacterial or antifungal agents
Infusion-related adverse events
Data was entered into Review manager version 5.4 for meta-analysis. The results were entered into Grade ProGDT (online), to create the summary of findings (GRADE) table. We used risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
We found 2 randomized controlled trials that met our search criteria.
We also performed a subgroup analysis to assess efficacy of Baricitinib among the various levels of severity
1. Baricitinib compared to placebo in COVID-19
2. Baricitinib compared to placebo in moderate COVID-19
3. Baricitinib compared to placebo in severe to critical COVID-19
BARICITINIB COMPARED TO STANDARD OF CARE/PLACEBO FOR COVID-19:
All-cause mortality at 28 days: High certainty evidence from 2 RCTs (2,3) that included 2588 patients with COVID-19 disease indicated that Baricitinib reduces mortality at 28 days by 37% (RR=0.63; 95% CI 0.48-0.81). The number needed to treat (NNT) to is 25 patients to prevent 1 death with COVID-19.
Rate ratio for individuals recovered: Moderate certainty evidence from 2 RCTs (2,3) that included 2588 patients with COVID-19 disease indicates that Baricitinib probably reduces rate of recovery by 14% (95% CI 3% to 25%) as compared to placebo.
Need for non-invasive ventilation: Moderate certainty evidence from 1 RCT (2) that included 706 patients with COVID-19 disease indicates that Baricitinib probably results in a reduction in need for NIV by 17% (RR =0.83; 95% CI 0.63 to 1.10) or increases it by 10% compared to placebo. Based on the data, we anticipate that for 1000 patients with COVID-19 infection given Baricitinib, there may be 40 fewer (from 88 fewer to 23 more) requiring non- invasive ventilation as compared to placebo.
Need for mechanical ventilation: Moderate certainty evidence from 1 RCT (2) that included 922 patients with COVID-19 disease indicates that Baricitinib probably results in a reduction in need for mechanical ventilation by 34% (RR= 0.66 95% CI 0.46 -0.93) compared to placebo. Based on the data, we anticipate that for 1000 patients with COVID-19 disease treated with Baricitinib there may be 52 fewer (from 11 to 82 fewer) requiring mechanical ventilation per 1000 people. The number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent 1 additional patient requiring mechanical ventilation is 20.
Time to clinical recovery(days): This was lower in the Baricitinib group by about a day in both the studies – 10(9-11) in Baricitinib group vs 11(10-12) in placebo group [Ref Marconi et al(3)] and 7(6-8) in Baricitinib group vs 8(7-9) in placebo group [Ref Khalil et al(2)].
Length of hospital stay(days): This was almost equal in both the groups– 12.9(0.4)days in Intervention group vs 13.7(0.40)days in control group [Ref Marconi et al (3)] and 8 (5-15)days in the intervention group vs 8(5-20)days in the control group.
Duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or ECMO: In those already on IMV or ECMO at baseline, the duration of IMV was 20 (9-28) days in Baricitinib vs 25(11-28) days in the control group. In those in whom IMV and ECMO was not present at baseline and was newly required during the course of the hospitalization it was 16 (8-28) days in the Baricitinib group vs 27(12-28) days in the control group.
All adverse events: High certainty evidence from 2 RCTs that included 2558 patients with COVID-19 disease revealed that Baricitinib does not increase adverse events as compared to placebo RR=0.94 (95% CI 0.83-1.07).
Serious adverse events: High certainty evidence from 2 RCTs that included 2558 patients with COVID-19 disease revealed that Baricitinib reduced serious adverse events by 21% (95% CI 6% to 34%) compared to placebo.
BARICITINIB COMPARED TO PLACEBO IN MODERATE COVID-19 WITH HYPOXIA
All-cause mortality: High certainty evidence in 2 RCTs that included 1854 patients with moderate COVID-19 disease indicated that Baricitinib reduces mortality at 28 days by 39% (RR=0.61; 95% CI 0.40-0.92). The number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one death is 40 patients with moderate COVID-19.
Time to clinical Recovery: Moderate certainty evidence from 1 RCT that indicates that Baricitinib likely results in little to no difference in time to recovery as compared to placebo in moderate COVID- 19 (HR=1.10; 95% CI 0.96-1.27).
Need for non-invasive ventilation: Moderate certainty evidence from 1 RCT that included 706 patients with moderate COVID-19 disease indicates that Baricitinib probably results in a reduction in need for NIV by 17% (RR=0.83; 95% CI 0.63-1.10) compared to placebo.
BARICITINIB COMPARED TO PLACEBO IN SEVERE TO CRITICAL COVID-19
All-cause mortality: Moderate certainty evidence from 2 RCTs that included 717 patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease indicated that Baricitinib probably results in a reduction in mortality at 28 days by 30% (RR= 0.70; 95% CI 0.46-1.07). Based on the data, we anticipate that for 1000 patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease in the Baricitinib arm 63 fewer (from 114 fewer to 15 more) are likely to die. The number needed to treat (NNT) with Baricitinib to prevent 1 death is 17 patients with severe to critical COVID-19.
Time to clinical recovery: Moderate certainty evidence from 1 RCT in 1033 patients indicated that Baricitinib likely results in little to no difference in time to recovery as compared to placebo in severe to critical COVID- 19; HR=1.40(1.07-1.85). The difference seemed to be more marked in those in ordinal scale 6 which is high flow nasal oxygen and non-invasive ventilation as compared to invasive mechanical ventilation which was ordinal scale 7.
The committee had a priori requested analyses of other important subgroups of patients including children, age > 50 years and those with co-morbidities, but unfortunately there was no data to address outcomes in these subgroups specifically. There was no data in either arm with regard to nosocomial or opportunistic infections, anemia, shingles. In addition, this was an oral drug rather than an injection and hence infusion related adverse effects were not considered.
Summary of characteristics of included trials
Baricitinib compared to Placebo for COVID-19:
OS - ordinal scale, OS 4: Hospitalized, not requiring supplemental oxygen – requiring ongoing medical care; OS 5: Hospitalized, requiring supplemental oxygen; OS 6 : Hospitalized, on non-invasive ventilation or high flow oxygen devices; OS 7: Hospitalized, on mechanical ventilation or ECMO
Forest Plots
I. BARICITINIB COMPARED TO PLACEBO IN PATIENTS WITH COVID 19.
1. All-cause Mortality at 28 days
2. Rate ratio for individuals recovered with baricitinib as compared to placebo in patients with COVID 19.
3. Need for Non-invasive ventilation in patients treated with baricitinib as compared to placebo in COVID 19 patients.
4. Need for invasive mechanical ventilation in patients treated with baricitinib as compared to placebo in COVID 19 patients.
5. Adverse events
6. Serious Adverse events
II. BARICITINIB COMPARED TO PLACEBO IN COVID 19 PATIENTS WITH MODERATE ILLNESS.
1. All-cause mortality at 28 days.
2. Rate ratio for individuals recovered with Baricitinib as compared to placebo in patients with moderate COVID 19.
3. Need for Non-invasive ventilation in patients treated with Baricitinib as compared to placebo in moderate COVID 19 patients.
III. BARICITINIB COMPARED TO PLACEBO IN COVID 19 PATIENTS WITH SEVERE ILLNESS.
2. Rate ratio for individuals recovered with baricitinib as compared to placebo in COVID 19 patients with severe illness.
Evidence to Decision
The Anti-inflammatory Expert Working Group met on 29th July 2021 to consider Baricitinib as a treatment for COVID-19. Conflict of interest declarations were reviewed by the Steering Committee; none were found to be relevant to Baricitinib.
A summary and then more detailed explanations of the Expert Working Group's judgements follow.
The COVID-19 pandemic in India with more than 30 million cases and over 0.39 million deaths has significantly impacted and stressed the health structure of the country. With a shortage of intensive care unit beds, oxygen and trained personnel the country is facing a major health crisis. Any intervention which is cheap, easily available and reduces mortality, progression to invasive ventilation and increases clinical recovery will be a major boon.
Desirable effects
The group agreed that the evidence suggests that Baricitinib has a clinically significant effect on mortality and progression to mechanical ventilation overall and across all severity sub groups especially the moderate and severe categories and also reduced time to clinical recovery and length of hospital stay. The group also noted that though the confidence intervals of the point estimates crossed the line of no difference the signal was towards a beneficial effect in the Baricitinib group.
Undesirable effects
The group noted that the pooled data suggested that patients did not experience major adverse events, and in fact serious adverse effects which may be related to either drug or disease were less in the Baricitinib group. Since it is an immunosuppressive drug, nosocomial infections may be higher in our population and not necessarily reflected in the trials which have been done in high income countries. Increased cases of Mucormycosis were noted in the second wave of the epidemic and immune-suppressants especially steroids were noted to be an important risk factor. Considering this fact caution should be exercised when prescribing Baricitinib. JAK inhibitors especially Baricitinib have been used in Rheumatoid arthritis for years. Though Herpes zoster has often been reported, other secondary infections are uncommon. There has been extensive experience in Rheumatoid arthritis where it has been used for years.
Certainty of evidence
Using GRADE methodology, the evidence synthesis team rated Certainty of evidence was found to be moderate for desirable effects like mortality, need for NIV and mechanical ventilation, low for time to recovery and serious adverse events, very low for adverse events in non-severe patients. Similarly, certainty of evidence was moderate for severe to critical COVID patients across the critical outcome of mortality and important outcome of clinical recovery. The group agreed with these judgements and rated the overall certainty of evidence as moderate.
The EWG felt that all the outcomes including those of admission to hospital, mortality and progression to mechanical ventilation were expressed variably in the studies. However, there is no important uncertainty or variability on how people would value the main outcomes.
Balance of effects
The expert working group felt that the balance of effects probably favored the intervention for across all severity subgroups. The trials that were evaluated both showed Baricitinib was beneficial. Though the study -Khalil et al was older it did reveal that when compared to steroids it fared as well as steroids if not better. However, it did not reflect the practice today where all hypoxic patients are automatically given steroids as standard of care. The subsequent study Marconi et al showed that Baricitinib was given in 70% of cases suggesting that Baricitinib was given in addition to steroids. However, it is a slower acting drug and possibly needs to be given earlier in the disease when rapid worsening is expected.
Resources required
The group felt that this is a very cheap drug (generic versions are available) and costs only Rs 420 for 14 days. The group discussed and concluded that this was an efficacious drug proven beneficial and as compared to other monoclonal antibodies available in the market with anti-inflammatory activity, it was much cheaper and would result is large savings. The group includes clinicians in different types of Indian hospitals who have a good idea of drug and hospitalization costs.
Certainty of evidence of required resources
The group felt that the cost of the drug varied, with generic options varying cost from Rs 420 – Rs 22,000 for 14 days. No studies reporting this were reviewed by the group but the clinicians in the group were aware of the cost and hence felt that there was high certainty of evidence for required resources to implement this intervention.
The group discussed that even though there is mortality reduction according to the evidence in moderate and sever subgroups, there is no evidence of benefit in critical category of patients because Marconi excluded ventilated patients. The group acknowledged the benefit and felt it should be used in hypoxic patients where steroids are used and there is evidence of systemic inflammation. So, the group favored the intervention for moderate and severe categories and was a cost-effective alternative.
At this point in time this intervention would probably increase equity as the costs are low and there is reduction in mortality and progression to invasive mechanical ventilation.
The group felt that this intervention is likely to have wide acceptance by all the relevant stakeholders (policy-makers, patients and clinicians) as it is an oral drug that is probably quite safe. Taking evidence and cost into account a well informed clinician would be very likely to use it.
This is a feasible intervention if found efficacious as it is easy to deliver and available easily over the counter in the country.
Implementations Considerations
The recommendations are based on 2 large multi-center placebo controlled randomized trials done across several countries (including centers in India). It has been shown to reduce mortality and reduce time to recovery in patients with moderate to severe COVID (ordinal scores of 5 and 6), especially patients requiring high flow oxygen or non-invasive ventilation. The result was not so marked in those who were mechanically ventilated (ordinal scale 7). Given the availability of generic Baricitinib in India and the low cost of the generic drug, it seems to be a very feasible and cost-effective intervention in India (and also in other low to middle income countries). The overall evidence favors its use when combined with Remdesivir or steroids at 4mg once daily dose for 14 days or till discharge/death for moderate to severe COVID. There seems to be an additive effect when the drug is added to either of these agents. Baricitinib has been in use for rheumatoid arthritis for several years and therefore, many clinicians are familiar with the drug. The side effects of Baricitinib are easily manageable and the 2 large randomized trials in COVID have not raised any new safety concerns. Also, administration of the drug is only till hospital discharge or till 14 days (whichever is earlier) and hence the duration of therapy is short. Major increase in infections does not seem to have been a problem in the trials. However, in the Indian setting where infections are inherently more common one would have to wait and see for a delayed increase/reactivation of problems like TB and fungal diseases. Given the potential of the drug to have a steroid - sparing effect in the treatment of moderate to severe COVID, the drug may be of particular importance in diabetics and in patients with pre-existing or co-existing fungal or bacterial infections. When needed, steroids may be added to patients receiving Baricitinib. Currently, (when needed) we would consider giving steroids in the same dose as in the RECOVERY trial. However, it remains to be studied whether a lower dose of steroids would be sufficient in such situations.
Its action is indirect by modifying cytokine release and therefore effects are likely to take a few days. In more severe disease when rapid response is necessary it is probably prudent to consider a parenteral preparation like Tocilizumab.
Since the drug acts at the level of JAKs, it seems likely that the drug will remain effective against the delta and the delta-plus variants. However, this is something which has not been formally evaluated and we will need to wait further data to make any conclusive statements on the efficacy of Baricitinib against the variants of concern.
Subgroup Considerations
The group carefully considered a potential subgroup effect across patients with different levels of oxygen and ventilation requirement (i.e. measures of severity), early administration and utility of Baricitinib.
Non-severe patients: Studies included patients with no oxygen requirements which could be extrapolated to a non-severe group; however, there was no mortality benefit noted and the overall certainty of evidence was found to be very low. Hence at this point Baricitinib is not recommended for this group of patients.
Severe patients: Baricitinib benefits hypoxic patients with moderate and severe illness. Moderate certainty of evidence was found in critical outcomes of reduction of mortality and progression to invasive mechanical ventilation. One study excluded those who were invasively ventilated and hence evidence is less certain in this group. However, there is a clear signal towards benefit and hence it is likely that it will work in this group of patients. The NNT was 16 in severe to critical group and 40 in the moderate group.
Baricitinib appears to be an attractive intervention owing to the incremental benefit it provides over steroids in COVID-19 patients with hypoxia with no increase in side effects. Hence it is likely to be used upfront along with steroids in these patients. While the available trials do not signal serious adverse effects and some of the patients were from India, there is a need to monitor safety with regards to secondary infections especially when patients in our setting may have received steroids prior to hospitalization or may get higher doses than recommended. Previous literature from longer term use has reported Varicella Zoster as a secondary infection, however with this dose and duration, it seems unlikely that the incidence would remain the same. The risk of mucormycosis needs to be particularly monitored. The risk of infections in patients who are later transitioned from Baricitinib to tocilizumab needs to be additionally evaluated. Another side effect that warrants monitoring is the risk of thromboembolism (FDA alert). The group will also review new efficacy data about the drug from RCTs worldwide as well as observational data in the Indian setting to update its recommendation.
The use of Baricitinib based on currently available evidence is limited to hypoxic patients who are moderate or severely ill. Areas of equipoise include
1. Correct timing of initiation of Baricitinib (based on oxygen requirement of inflammatory markers) after initiation of steroids
2. Long term adverse effects, when given with steroids in the Indian setting.
3. Further studies should also focus on its indication relative to Tocilizumab
4. Could Baricitinib replace steroids in patients in whom they are relatively contraindicated e.g., uncontrolled diabetics or diabetic ketoacidosis?
5. How could we utilize biomarkers to optimize Baricitinib use?
Arthur Y Kim, Rajesh T Gandhi. Baricitinib. COVID-19 management in hospitalized adults. In: UpToDate, Martin S Hirsch (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA. (Accessed on 26 August, 2021.)
Kalil AC, Patterson TF, Mehta AK et al for ACTT-2 Study Group Members. Baricitinib plus Remdesivir for Hospitalized Adults with Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2021;384(9):795. Epub 2020 Dec 11.
Covid Management Guidelines India Group – Anti-inflammatory and Antibody working Group – Baricitinib. Covid Guidelines India; Published online on September 17th, 2021; URL: https://indiacovidguidelines.org/baricitinib/ (accessed ).


Water quality sampling has been done on Bear Lake in Manistee County under the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) for many years. Secchi disk readings have been taken for over 25 years under the CLMP on Bear Lake by William Fronk and David Adams and others. Charles Wolverton has conducted the total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a water quality monitoring for about 10 years. The continuity of these water quality parameters is critically important to detecting trends in water quality in Bear Lake.
The CLMP has been conducted on many Michigan lakes for over 40 years, making it the second oldest volunteer monitoring program for lakes in the country. Since 1992 the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association has administered the CLMP jointly with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and is called Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps). Visit it their website at www.micorps.org for more details about this great program.
The Secchi disk readings are taken monthly during the spring and summer and are conducted by lowering a Secchi disk attached to a measuring tape into the water and recording the depth at which the disk can no longer be seen. A Secchi disk is about 10 inches in diameter and is black and white in alternating quadrants of the disk. The Secchi disk readings indicate the relative clarity of the lake; usually the most clear in the spring and decreasing in clarity during the warm summer months as algae and other organisms are suspended in the water column. A lake with poor water clarity may have issues with excess nutrients that foster growth of algae. This test is best evaluated over a period of years as trends in water clarity are shown.
The total phosphorus sampling is done to determine the amount of this nutrient that is essential for algae and aquatic plant growth and to monitor the trophic level of the lake (i.e. productivity).
The purpose of the chlorophyll-a sampling is to measure the algae biomass in the lake; too much algae is a potential problem for the health of the lake.
Bear Lake has no inlet and only a small outlet, thus the residence time of water in Bear Lake is quite long compared to other lakes that have more "flow through." During most of the summer there is no water running from the outlet to the lake. The longer it takes for a lake to "change its water" the more potential exists for water quality issues to arise. Bear Lake is spring-fed and is a relatively shallow basin, so nutrients and contaminants may enter the lake via the springs (i.e. groundwater), overland runoff, and stormwater drains. The lake must be monitored if we are to discern trends in water quality and possibly take corrective action before lake conditions worsen.
Water quality samples are processed at my home and frozen for delivery to the DEQ in Cadillac twice; once in mid-summer and once after sampling is completed in mid-September. The DEQ processes the water quality samples and records the findings in an annual report.
The two quantitative water quality tests that I conduct on Bear Lake each year are total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. Samples are taken at the same location on Bear Lake as located with GPS coordinates. The DEQ determined the sampling location, which is in a basin that is about 23 feet deep.
The total phosphorus sampling is done within two weeks of ice-out in the spring (i.e. spring overturn) and in mid-September in the fall. I use my 14-foot boat to do this sample because I have to be able to extend my bare arm into the water to take the sample. This sample is done by filling two sterile sample bottles with water from one foot below the water surface. The bottles are inserted into the water upside down with the cap removed and when the bottle is about one foot below the water surface the bottle is inverted and allowed to fill with water. Some water is emptied out so the bottle doesn't split after freezing and the cap replaced. Two samples are taken so a backup sample is available if the first sample is lost or contaminated during the analysis. The bottles are labeled and frozen until delivery to the DEQ.
The chlorophyll-a sample is conducted monthly starting in May and ending in September during a time-slot indicated by DEQ, usually between the 10th and 15th of the month. This sample is more complicated to gather and process than the phosphorus sample. Once the sampling point is reached on Bear Lake, the boat is anchored. A Secchi disk reading is taken to determine the depth of the sampling for the chlorophyll-a sample; the sampling depth is twice the Secchi disk reading (e.g. a Secchi disk reading of 10 feet means the chlorophyll-a sampling depth is 20 feet).
A plastic sample bottle with a rubber stopper is placed in a metal can weighted with a steel plate and hooked to a plastic measuring tape. The rubber stopper has two short plastic tubes through it; one lets air out of the bottle as it is lowered into the water and the other tube lets water fill the bottle as air goes out. The bottle is lowered quickly to the sample depth and then raised very slowly to allow water from all levels of the water column to enter the bottle. As long as the bubbles are rising to the surface I know that the bottle is still filling. That is important because the bottle must not be totally full when raised from the water surface. Thus, a composite sample of the entire water column is obtained.
Two smaller sample bottles are filled from the larger sample bottle; again a backup in case the first sample is lost, etc. Five drops of magnesium carbonate are put in each bottle and gently mixed. The sample bottles are placed in a small cooler for transport to shore.
Once in our kitchen, the chlorophyll-a samples are processed. Fifty milliliters of water from each bottle are placed in a syringe and the water is forced through a fine one-inch diameter filter disc placed in a plastic holder and attached to the syringe. The very small algae in the water sample are captured on the filter disc. The DEQ knows the volume of the sample (50 ml) and can determine the amount of algae on the disc and can thus determine the amount of algae in the lake water. After all 50 ml of water are forced through the filter, the filter is removed, folded and placed in a small glass sample tube and labeled. A second sample is processed in the same way. Human hands never touch the water sample or the filter. The samples are then stored in the freezer until sample turn-in day.
This sampling is important to monitor the water quality of Bear Lake. We need to watch for the early warning signs of water quality degradation and take action if needed to protect this priceless resource we all love.


text:
Q: Force NSFetchedResultsController update when association count changes I have an NSFetchedResultsController which displays a list of items in a table view, including a count of an associated entity. When an object is added for this association (using addXXXObject), no callbacks are called to notify my controller of the update.
How can I receive a notification of an object being added to the parent entity's NSSet, or otherwise force the fetched results controller to update?
To be clear, I'm currently retrieving the count using parent.children.count, which may be suboptimal. Is there a better way to go about this whole thing? It's basically just a screen like the iPhone Mail app, with folders showing a count of messages inside.

A: My model is a little different, but it can easily be translated to your one.
I got a tree-like structure:

*

*Element

*

*title

*parent (to-one)

*Folder : Element

*

*children (to-many)

*File : Element

When a file gets added or deleted, only the first folder in the queue up gets notified about this change. When a file's title changes, not a single folder would get notified. So, what to do?
I tried overriding -willChangeValueForKey: and -didChangeValueForKey: in my Element class.
- (void)willChangeValueForKey:(NSString *)key
{
    [super willChangeValueForKey:key];
    [self.parent willChangeValueForKey:@"children"];
}

- (void)didChangeValueForKey:(NSString *)key
{
    [super didChangeValueForKey:key];
    [self.parent didChangeValueForKey:@"children"];
}

Basically, what this does is forcing the parent folder to update because one of its children changed.
Hope it works for you, too.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
HomeSportsOVC will broadcast contests on ESPN+ as part of new ESPN rights...
OVC will broadcast contests on ESPN+ as part of new ESPN rights deal
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)
Brentwood, TN – The Ohio Valley Conference and ESPN have reached an extension of their media rights agreement, which will now include a minimum of 600 conference events on ESPN+, the recently launched multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment and ESPN.
The first OVC events to be broadcast on ESPN+ will be two football games on Thursday, August 30th, 2018. In total, 36 OVC football games will be streamed on ESPN+ this season. Another eight games will be streamed live on ESPN3 as part of the league's Game of the Week package.
The sports of soccer and volleyball will see regular season contests air on the OVC Digital Network this fall before ESPN+ becomes the exclusive streaming home of Ohio Valley Conference productions and features exclusive regular-season and OVC Championship broadcasts.
"The OVC membership is delighted to be able to extend our long-standing partnership with ESPN and to expand our level of exposure with ESPN+ during this its inaugural year," said OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. "ESPN+ is an innovative initiative that will permit the OVC to not only serve its current fanbase, but expand its reach, as sports fans in general will be able to view our exciting contests and learn more about the storied history of the league."
Added Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president of programming, "We are very happy to be continuing a great relationship with the OVC and its rich sporting legacy across multiple sports. The passionate and dedicated fans and alumni of OVC member institutions will have a dynamic new digital home for sports on ESPN+, alongside an incredible lineup of other live sports and original programming."
Under the arrangement, the OVC Men's basketball championship game will continue to air on either ESPN or ESPN2, with ESPNU and ESPNNEWS broadcasting additional events. Additional linear opportunities are included, and the OVC will maintain its exposure on ESPN3, including a Football Game of the Week.
The Ohio Valley Conference is the latest addition to the comprehensive ESPN+ lineup, which includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, thousands of college sports events, domestic and international soccer, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning 2019), international rugby, cricket, original shows and series, the full library of 30 for 30 films, and more.
ESPN has previously announced deals with the Atlantic 10, Big South, Conference USA, The Ivy League and Sun Belt, with hundreds of games from those and other conferences available on the platform each year.
Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ through the ESPN App for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year).
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company's Direct-to-Consumer and International division in partnership with ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. ESPN+ is an integrated part of the completely redesigned ESPN App.
Already the leading sports app, the new ESPN App is the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans across mobile and tv-connected devices. ESPN+ is also available through ESPN.com.
Beth DeBauche
Brentwood TN
Ohio Valley Conference
OVC Championship
OVC Digital Network
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text:
Q: Group a vector in a rolling fashion I have some years with length N. For e.g.
yearVec <- 1980:2019

I want to group years such that each group has 4 years which are rolling
group1 1980:1983
group2 1981:1984
group3 1982:1985
.
.
.
groupN 2016:2019

Preferably in a list like below
[[1]]
[1] 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983

[[2]]
[1] 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984

[[3]]
[1] 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985

[[4]]
[1] 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986

[[5]]
[1] 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

A: Using lapply:
lapply(yearVec, function(x) x:(x + 4))[seq(length(yearVec) - 4)]
[[1]]
[1] 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984

[[2]]
[1] 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985

[[3]]
[1] 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986

[[4]]
[1] 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987

...etc


The Best Show in Public Works drew a considerable crowd to Chicago in August. The American Public Works Association conference featured keynote speakers Thomas Friedman, a best-selling author and columnist for The New York Times, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation Gabe Klein, best-selling author Cy Wakeman, and ESPN Analyst and Pro Football Hall of Fame Player Mike Ditka.
The four-day conference included more than 125 education sessions and hundreds of exhibitors which covered nearly 90,000 square feet of exhibit space to help them keep up with trends, stay motivated and get refreshed.


The Cambrian Railways was an extensive network covering much of mid-Wales. The company was formed through an amalgamation of a number of railways that together formed the Cambrian Main Line (see below). Following the Railways Act 1921 the Cambrian Railways became a constituent part of the Great Western Railway on 1st January 1922.
The lines subsequently became part of British Railways (Western Region) and the remaining parts British Railways (London Midland Region) in 1963.
At the time of writing the main lines to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli remain open.
Centred on its headquarters at Oswestry the Cambrian Railways reached Aberystwyth, Pwllheli, Brecon, Whitchurch and Wrexham.
Cambrian Railways. - R. Kidner, Oakwood Press, 1992 .
Coast Lines of the Cambrian Railways. - C.C. Green, Wild Swan 1993 & 2002.
The Cambrian Railways . - R. Christiansen & R. Miller, David and Charles 1967 & 1971.
North Wales Branch line album C. C. Green, Ian Allan, 1983. ISBN 07110-1252-0.
The Mid Wales Railway (Scenes From The Past ). - Derek J Lowe, Foxline Publishing.
Six Railways to Merthyr. Hodge John, WRRC, 2014. ISBN 978-09527267-7-7.
Cambrian Railways Working Time Book. WRRC, 2014. ISBN 978-09527267-6-0.
WRRC Journal Volume 1 No.1 & No. 2. Cambrian Railway coaching stock.
WRRC Journal Volume 1 No.5. Cambrian small goods.
WRRC Journal Volume 2 No.10. Through carriage workings of the Cambrian Railway.
Railway Magazine, December 1918. The Mawddy Railway.
Railway Magazine, January 1908. The Welsh Kerry Express.
Railway Magazine, October 1903. The Cambrian Railways Modern Rolling Stock.


text:
How to write this sentence in passive voice? [closed]
"they awoke on hearing a strange noise"
Susanthika Wanasinghe
Susanthika WanasingheSusanthika Wanasinghe
closed as off-topic by David, JJJ, Robusto, Jim, tchrist♦ Jun 15 at 2:31
"Please include the research you've done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – David, JJJ, Robusto, Jim, tchrist
They were woken by a strange noise. – FumbleFingers Jun 14 at 17:31
Is this homework by any chance? If so you are asking us to help you cheat. If not I advise you to avoid the passive voice when the active voice is clearly adequate, and, in my opinion, better. – David Jun 14 at 18:55
Depends on the circumstances of the text. If it is a formal text, then using the passive voice can increase the sense of formality. Also, if the OP has already written a lot of their text in the active voice, they might just want to switch it up for variety's sake (or at least know how to). @David – A. Kvåle Jun 14 at 20:50
@A.Kvåle — Of course, there are times when the passive is to be preferred. When I write a scientific paper it avoids the repetition of I or We, which can sound too self-important. But this just sounds like an English exercise or a misguided attempt to sound formal. – David Jun 14 at 22:07
You can't awake somebody; you can only wake them. – tchrist♦ Jun 15 at 2:30
Any answer to this question about the usage of
awoke
in its conversion to passive voice will be tricky.
As has been pointed out, passive transform lends itself best to transitive verbs. However, these different forms of the same verb have a history.
For example...Collins On-line describes "awoke" as both transitive, and intransitive.
BrE. a past tense or (now rare or dialectal) past participle of awake
AmE. verb transitive, verb intransitive pt. of awake
There is a lot of confusion about these verbs.
At this point in time, our evidence shows that the most common inflections of awake are awoke in the simple past ("he awoke") and awoken as the past participle ("she was awoken"). The most common inflections of awaken continue to be awakened in the past ("he awakened") and awakened as the past participle ("she was awakened").
It helps if you remember that awaken and awake are different verbs, and that awakened is regular. Maybe just don't think about it too hard when you first wake up.
-Merriam Webster
In summary: Awake and awaken are two distinct verbs that mean the same thing. The verb forms for awake are irregular, but the most common choices are awake, awoke, and was awoken. The verb forms for awaken are regular: awakens, awakened, was awakened.
: to arouse from sleep or a sleeplike state
He was awoken by the storm.
As John Lawler said in a comment:
In a word, Don't. There are four verbs: wake, the adjective awake, which can be used as a verb, the causative waken meaning 'cause to wake', and the causative awaken meaning 'become (or cause to become) awake'. The first two verbs are deponent; there is disagreement on the form of the past participle of wake -- woke, woken, waked, waken, and what have you. So mostly people avoid the perfect and passive with these verbs because nothing sounds right.
In general...
"en" with a verb indicates "cause, or make so"
"a" is more or less "to become" .
Since both verbs are accepted, I agree with John, except I would also accept "awoken" as the PP.
"They were awoken upon hearing strange noises."
But the verb does not actually lend itself well to passive transform.
edited Jun 15 at 9:57
CascabelCascabel
Upon hearing a strange noise, they were awakened
Willoughby WillWilloughby Will
Thank you very much ! – Susanthika Wanasinghe Jun 14 at 17:24
Erm...wrong verb...although they pretty much mean the same thing – Cascabel Jun 14 at 17:44
In a word, Don't. There are four verbs: wake, the adjective awake, which can be used as a verb, the causative waken meaning 'cause to wake', and the causative awaken meaning 'become (or cause to become) awake'. The first two verbs are deponent; there is disagreement on the form of the past participle of wake -- woke, woken, waked, waken, and what have you. So mostly people avoid the perfect and passive with these verbs because nothing sounds wright. – John Lawler Jun 14 at 19:46
To have some fun with the exercise of converting an active verb to passive, it's best to start with a transitive verb. A transitive verb takes a direct object. Examples of sentences with verb-object: She saw the crime. I will ask a question. She's making a cake. We can now do the fun conversion to passive, where we flip our point of view and focus on the object: The crime was seen (by her). A question will be asked (by me). A cake is being made (by her).
Examples of sentences that don't have a direct object: I like to read. I'm cooking. She can't see. These don't work for conversion to passive. There's nothing to grab hold of to do the flip with.
"They awoke" has exactly that problem. The only way to make a passive version is to use a slightly different formulation, as suggested by Will.
OK...I understand about the suggestion for a transitive verb, but what is wrong with "awoken"? ie "They were awoken" as suggested by M-W – Cascabel Jun 14 at 21:18
@Cascabel - Where's the object? When the sentence is "They awoke," they did the action themselves. When the sentence is "The loud noise awakened them," then you can convert to passive without making any other adjustments: "They were awakened by the loud noise." Converting to passive makes me think of judo. You have contact with the opponent and use their momentum to throw them. – aparente001 Jun 14 at 21:22
I gotta process that. To me it seems like the 2 forms are still in free-fall, amd a definitive answer will not be in the offing. As John said below...maybe better to " avoid the perfect and passive with these verbs because nothing sounds right" M-W accepts both forms. – Cascabel Jun 14 at 21:29
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text:
No. 6 Paul VI halts a rare losing streak with 62-54 win over No. 3 Gonzaga
Paul VI's Josiah Freeman splits Gonzaga defenders Myles Stute, left, and Judah Mintz in the second half of the Panthers' 62-54 home win Thursday night. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)
January 9, 2020 at 10:45 PM EST
Coming into Thursday night's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference game against Gonzaga, the Paul VI Panthers carried unfamiliar baggage: a three-game losing streak.
The No. 6 Panthers had dropped a home game to McNamara and lost to national powers Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) and Wasatch Academy (Utah). It was a rough patch, no doubt, but great teams face those all the time.
Not Paul VI. Not a single player on the Panthers' roster had experienced a three-game losing streak at the varsity level. The last time the program had a three-game skid was January 2016. And the last time it had lost four straight? Five years before that, in January 2011.
On Thursday night, the Panthers played with an urgent physicality and rode the momentum of a capacity home crowd in Fairfax City to lead for most of the evening in a 62-54 win.
"We started the season strong, and then we just hit a hole basically," junior guard Trevor Keels said. "But we just kept our heads up. We're lucky it's happening right now and not [in the postseason]."
Games between the Eagles (10-4, 4-2 WCAC) and the Panthers (8-3, 5-1) are always fierce; the programs are often jostling for conference supremacy, and the key players know each other well. But Paul VI displayed fight of a different kind Thursday, a near-manic effort driven by the desire to protect their home court and get back into the win column.
Boys' basketball Top 20: DeMatha takes over No. 1 spot, Episcopal climbs the rankings
The referees allowed physicality early as the two teams pounded away at each other beneath the basket. The speedy Panthers, led by senior Jeremy Roach with 18 points, did their best to contain Eagles forward Terrance Williams down low and turned every Gonzaga miss into a transition look.
"I was proud to see the fight," Coach Glenn Farello said. "We're in a bit of a shooting slump, but that will go away; we saw how we could play in December. But to keep fighting through every possession, fighting for a rebound, fighting defensively — that's what I appreciated today."
Gonzaga made its move in the third as it chipped away at Paul VI's 12-point halftime lead. The Eagles took a 41-40 lead late in the quarter, but Keels responded immediately by muscling through the lane for a bucket and the foul. Their lead quickly and defiantly restored, the Panthers did not trail again.
"Tonight was new for some of our guys," sophomore Dug McDaniel said. "But we live for moments like this; we're PVI. This is what we're all about."


text:
Flatulent cows no longer on the nose with seaweed solution to climate problem
By Mike Foley
January 6, 2021 — 7.56pm
Australian scientists and entrepreneurs have begun rolling out a commercial solution to a major source of greenhouse gases with a seaweed feed to block gassy livestock burps, and promising results offering more than a whiff of global potential.
Two Australian companies, CH4 Global and Sea Forest, are kicking off world-first commercial trials with major dairy and beef companies of a feed supplement they say can enable the livestock to become carbon neutral.
Livestock production currently generates around 10 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. Credit:Justin McManus
They are using intellectual property licensed to FutureFeed, CSIRO's commercial venture, for a feed additive made from the native asparagopsis seaweed species, which reduces livestock emissions by more than 80 per cent.
Market demand is being driven by farmers' response to social pressure to tackle climate change, and Australia's red meat industry has committed to become carbon neutral by 2030.
As steady rain hits much of Australia's drought-hit pastoral lands, graziers are switching their focus from selling for slaughter to breeding, kicking off the long process of rebuilding the nation's livestock herds from their lowest numbers in decades.
But more cows and sheep mean more greenhouse gas. Their gassy burps are loaded with methane, generated by their digestion process that involves microorganisms including methanogens, which produce methane as a byproduct.
Livestock production generates around 10 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, according to CSIRO, and around 20 per cent of global emissions.
A feed supplement for livestock made from asparagopsis seaweed reduces livestock emissions by more than 80 per cent.
CSIRO scientist and Future Feed director Michael Battaglia explained that the asparagopsis has a "chemical that disrupts the last step in the breakdown process by the methanogens and stops them producing methane".
General manager of rural think tank the Australia Farm Institute Katie McRobert said livestock producers' commitment to climate action is driven by consumer expectations and powerful market forces.
"They recognise the leverage this offers in trade negotiations, market access and access to competitive finance and insurance," Ms McRobert said. "Moves by significant agrifood corporate players are unambiguous market signals that Australian agriculture needs to be on the front foot when it comes to sustainability."
The asparagopsis seaweed being grown on converted mussel leases at Triabunna, Tasmania
Sea Forest is growing asparagopsis seaweed, a cold water species, on converted mussel farm leases at Triabunna, Tasmania.
The company is selling its feed additive to dairy giant Fonterra for a trial on 2000 dairy cows, Sea Forest chief executive Sam Elsom said.
"We are also engaged with or have spoken to virtually every major producer in the country," Mr Elsom said. "The interest in using the supplement and tackling climate change is enormous."
CH4 Global on South Australia's York Peninsula grows seaweed on both land-based facilities and offshore leases. It has an agreement in place with a South Australian abattoir and is supplying trials with sheep and dairy producers in Australia and New Zealand.
"It's not far-fetched stuff now, it's off the shelf technology," CH4 Global chief executive Adam Main said. "There's no downside to it, or impacts on other species. The seaweed creates fish habitat and improves water quality by filtering nutrients and run-off into the ocean."
Dr Battaglia said sales of the seaweed feed had begun in intensive livestock industries like feedlots at abattoirs and dairies, where livestock can be fed the supplement regularly, and techniques to feed free-ranging cattle was under investigation.
In Australia about 23 million head graze on rangelands, about 1.5 million in feedlots and 2 million in dairies.
Our Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here, The Age's here, Brisbane Times' here, and WAtoday's here.
Mike Foley
Mike is the climate and energy correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.