Louisiana is known to have one of the highest death rates caused by heart disease in the United States. However, statistics from the Center for Disease Control have shown that over the past 35 years, Louisiana's heart disease death rates have dropped significantly in the areas served by CIS.
On August 15, 2018, Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) celebrated its 35th anniversary of providing complete cardiovascular care to communities in south Louisiana. Beginning as a one-man practice under the leadership of Dr. Craig Walker in Houma, La., CIS has grown to become a world-renowned practice with nearly 60 physicians and 750 team members with 22 locations, eight of which offer telemedicine services, across three states, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Since its start in 1983, CIS has made a dramatic impact on the number of hearts, limbs and lives saved in our communities.
Dr. Walker began CIS with the intent to provide state-of-the-art cardiac and peripheral vascular care to south central Louisiana. Throughout the years, CIS has pioneered many "firsts" including participating in the first peripheral stent trial in 1988 and the first coronary stent trial in 1989. These are just examples of the many "firsts" that CIS continues to pioneer, which have earned CIS international acclaim as a leader of research and development in cardiovascular care.
In putting patients first, CIS has contributed significantly to the advancement and development of non-surgical treatments for cardiovascular disease. These interventional procedures are minimally-invasive, involving a much lower risk for our patients and less recovery time than surgery. "From the beginning, we sought out new techniques and helped to develop techniques to better care for our patients," said Dr. Walker.
Dedicating his life to peripheral arterial disease (PAD) prevention and limb salvage, Dr. Craig Walker also founded New Cardiovascular Horizons, a multispecialty conference focusing on limb salvage and amputation prevention techniques for patients suffering from PAD and critical limb ischemia (CLI). The conference attracts world authorities and international attendees with one common goal—to improve care for patients through the use of cutting-edge technology and techniques.
"PAD affects 20 million Americans—which is far more than breast cancer—and it is associated with a higher mortality rate," explained Dr. Walker. "We must raise awareness for prevention and treatment to profoundly lessen the need for amputations, and we need to improve the level of care we provide for our patients—both locally and internationally." In line with this mission, Dr. Walker has visited China annually for the past nine years to offer physician training on interventional treatments for PAD and limb salvage.
Leading the region in technological advancements, CIS has also recently established a Virtual Care Center, which enhances care options for our patients by providing unique programs such as the CIS OnDemand call center, Telecardiology, Cardio@Home remote patient monitoring and CardioConnect, a mobile app and patient portal. These programs feature state-of-the-art technology, increasing access to care, improving outcomes and enhancing communication between the patient and the provider.
CIS continues to grow and expand to multiple locations to make the most advanced cardiovascular care accessible to more communities. "I take great pride in the fact that CIS has grown into one of the largest and most comprehensive cardiovascular programs anywhere in the world," said Dr. Walker.
To learn more about CIS or find a location near you, visit www.cardio.com.


From law to brand management, one of Nigeria's fastest growing brand managers, Damilola Owolabi has proven that excellence in brand management is not about your first love but passion. A student of Richard Brandson's business school of thought, Owolabi believes that a business/vocation has to be involving, fun and an exercise of one's creative instincts. This drove him to dump his erstwhile legal voyage for Integrated Marketing Communication and Brand Management. Guess what happened to him? "It has been fun all the way", he said in this interview.
What is your recent award all about?
I was recognized with the award for Young Brand Manager of the year by Marketing Edge in the 2016 Brands & Advertising Excellence Award. I have been in the Industry for 7 years and functioned in different capacity.
What's your current role in your organization and how challenging?
I am the Head of Brands & Corporate Communications at Deekay Group, a trading and manufacturing company in Nigeria. The role has been fun and challenging, as I am responsible for delivering high performance brand and comprehensive marketing strategy and overall brand equity build for Deekay Group and its businesses in about 5 subsidiary brands with over 80 SKU's ranging from different sectors of high consumer preference. I would say the major challenge has been the transformation of the various brands from predominantly B2B to B2C, most especially the Nexus Home Appliance brand.
What do you think stood you out to warrant the award?
Really I wish I have an answer, because I know myself to be quiet, and would rather make my brands do the talking. But to answer this, I would say my employer believes in me, my dedication, consistency, consistent rising profile, and my contribution to the growth and development of the brands I have worked and currently working on and the management of brand business in Nigeria stood me out for this award.
What inspired your passion in brand management?
Interestingly, I studied Law at the University of Lagos and subsequently followed my passion as I believe according to Richard Branson that a business/vocation has to be involving, fun and has to exercise ones creative instincts. This drive made me dump my erstwhile legal ambition for Integrated Marketing Communication and Brand Management and it has been fun all the way.Also, while in Unilag, I was involved with a couple of social activities, Youth Magazine Production, where I was in charge of sourcing for adverts and was mostly on the road to Advertising/Media Agencies to source for Ads and I just used to love the relaxed environment and cool lifestyle. Also with my critical mind of Ads and jingles since I was younger, I just knew this was what I wanted to do. So I simply followed my passion and here I am.
How will this award fire you up for greater exploit in the industry?
Tell us about yourself and your sojourn in the industry?
Just like most people, I started my Marketing Communications/Brand Management career in an Agency; SO&U and its then subsidiary Quest Publicis where I worked on brands across FMCG, Telecommunications and the Banking sectors. I proceeded to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC Nigeria) as Marketing Manager for the Nigeria business where I had an overall leadership role in driving all marketing activities, Portfolio and Program Management to ensure end to end planning and execution of the Marketing plans to achieve the overall business objectives and consumer experience for KFC Nigeria. And now my current role in Deekay Group as Head, Brands & Corporate Communications, where I oversee all Branding, Marketing and Corporate Communications activities of all brands under the group.
You work in Deekay Group. Tell us about the group?
Deekay Group,is a premier mixed trading and manufacturing company that is in the business of importing and assembling wide range of finished goods in the Nigerian market and has been a prominent player in this industry for over forty years (see www.deekaygroup.com). Deekay Group has its headquarters in Lagos and to effectively serve the entire country, there are branches in Ibadan, Kano, Port Harcourt and Asaba. Deekay Group deals in Nexus Home Appliances, Saisho Kitchen Appliances, Haano Foods (Tomato Paste, Sardine and Seasoning Cubes), we also deal in Building materials and some other franchise business.
Caption: Seni Adetu, former, MD/CEO, Guinness Nigeria presents award plaque to Damilola Owolabi at the just concluded Marketing Edge 2016 Brands & Advertising awards at the Civic Centre in Lagos recently.


To pay a debt you can easily use the information below.
Please use the form below to pay by credit card. Note that some debt payments are not allowed to be made by credit card.
Please use the client reference you have been provided to see if you are able to pay your debt by credit card.


Turkish cuisine is extremely popular for its delectable dishes and deserts. A simple mentioning of any of the dishes makes a person long for it. Turkish community in Lehigh Valley have been organizing Bake Sales for a long time now. It was one of the most attended events. Therefore, Lehigh Dialogue Center organizes Bake Sales in order to raise money to donate for those in need.
The recent hurricanes have struck some of the U.S. states and have left plenty of people homeless or without food and basic needs. In order to ameliorate the conditions of the disaster victims, Lehigh Dialogue Center organized a Bake Sale on September 24, 2017. All the money that was collected was donated to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma victims.


text:
No more Trojan horses
Labour needs to explain why Birmingham failed to stop the Islamist practices in the schools under its control
Peter Clarke was commissioned to investigate the alleged plot by a group of hardline Muslims to take over schools in Birmingham Photo: PA
By Telegraph View
6:35AM BST 23 Jul 2014
Throughout the controversy over alleged attempts to impose an Islamist agenda on state schools in Birmingham, doubts have been cast on the authenticity of the so-called Trojan Horse letter that exposed what was going on. However, as Peter Clarke, the former counter-terrorist chief brought in to investigate, pointed out in his report published yesterday, the extent of infiltration was, if anything, under-played. His inquiry found "disturbing" evidence that people with a "shared ideology" were trying to gain control of governing bodies in the city.
Mr Clarke uncovered social media postings in which teachers maintained that the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in London last year was "a hoax". There were also offensive comments about British service personnel, a stated ambition to increase segregation and "a constant undercurrent of anti-Western, anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment". The report supports recent Ofsted findings that a minority of schools were in thrall to aggressive Islamist propagandists and that the city council failed to intervene for fear of being branded racist.
This saga reinforces the need to arrest the spread of Islamist ideology through the schools, not least because it radicalises impressionable young men, some of whom have ended up fighting in Syria and Iraq and harbour a hatred of Western values that may yet be turned back on their own country. What it does not mean, however, is that the arm's-length academy system should be abandoned, as Labour proposes. It is possible to tackle extremists in a small number of schools without harming the education of the majority of children. If Labour wants to return full oversight powers to local authorities, the party needs to explain why Birmingham patently failed to stop the practices going on in the schools under its control.
Untying the knot of 'sham' marriages
'Trojan horse' teachers called for 'eradication' of homosexuality
Trojan Horse plot teachers keep jobs
Trojan horse plot: Birmingham schools fragmented 'like the Balkans'
Selfies, social media and online safety: the updates to Sociology A-level
Sketch: Michael Gove suffers in silence
Telegraph View »
Epiphany ice swimmers
The Day of the Dead
Eid al-Adha, in pictures
Hajj 2015 in pictures
The Pope in the US
Monlam Prayer Festival
The Hindu festival of Thaipusam

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package host

import (
	"bufio"
	"bytes"
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"io/ioutil"
	"os"
	"os/exec"
	"regexp"
	"runtime"
	"strconv"
	"strings"
	"time"

	"github.com/shirou/gopsutil/internal/common"
)

func Info() (*InfoStat, error) {
	return InfoWithContext(context.Background())
}

func InfoWithContext(ctx context.Context) (*InfoStat, error) {
	result := &InfoStat{
		OS: runtime.GOOS,
	}

	hostname, err := os.Hostname()
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	result.Hostname = hostname

	// Parse versions from output of `uname(1)`
	uname, err := exec.LookPath("/usr/bin/uname")
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	out, err := invoke.CommandWithContext(ctx, uname, "-srv")
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	fields := strings.Fields(string(out))
	if len(fields) >= 1 {
		result.PlatformFamily = fields[0]
	}
	if len(fields) >= 2 {
		result.KernelVersion = fields[1]
	}
	if len(fields) == 3 {
		result.PlatformVersion = fields[2]
	}

	// Find distribution name from /etc/release
	fh, err := os.Open("/etc/release")
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	defer fh.Close()

	sc := bufio.NewScanner(fh)
	if sc.Scan() {
		line := strings.TrimSpace(sc.Text())
		switch {
		case strings.HasPrefix(line, "SmartOS"):
			result.Platform = "SmartOS"
		case strings.HasPrefix(line, "OpenIndiana"):
			result.Platform = "OpenIndiana"
		case strings.HasPrefix(line, "OmniOS"):
			result.Platform = "OmniOS"
		case strings.HasPrefix(line, "Open Storage"):
			result.Platform = "NexentaStor"
		case strings.HasPrefix(line, "Solaris"):
			result.Platform = "Solaris"
		case strings.HasPrefix(line, "Oracle Solaris"):
			result.Platform = "Solaris"
		default:
			result.Platform = strings.Fields(line)[0]
		}
	}

	switch result.Platform {
	case "SmartOS":
		// If everything works, use the current zone ID as the HostID if present.
		zonename, err := exec.LookPath("/usr/bin/zonename")
		if err == nil {
			out, err := invoke.CommandWithContext(ctx, zonename)
			if err == nil {
				sc := bufio.NewScanner(bytes.NewReader(out))
				for sc.Scan() {
					line := sc.Text()

					// If we're in the global zone, rely on the hostname.
					if line == "global" {
						hostname, err := os.Hostname()
						if err == nil {
							result.HostID = hostname
						}
					} else {
						result.HostID = strings.TrimSpace(line)
						break
					}
				}
			}
		}
	}

	// If HostID is still empty, use hostid(1), which can lie to callers but at
	// this point there are no hardware facilities available.  This behavior
	// matches that of other supported OSes.
	if result.HostID == "" {
		hostID, err := exec.LookPath("/usr/bin/hostid")
		if err == nil {
			out, err := invoke.CommandWithContext(ctx, hostID)
			if err == nil {
				sc := bufio.NewScanner(bytes.NewReader(out))
				for sc.Scan() {
					line := sc.Text()
					result.HostID = strings.TrimSpace(line)
					break
				}
			}
		}
	}

	// Find the boot time and calculate uptime relative to it
	bootTime, err := BootTime()
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	result.BootTime = bootTime
	result.Uptime = uptimeSince(bootTime)

	// Count number of processes based on the number of entries in /proc
	dirs, err := ioutil.ReadDir("/proc")
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	result.Procs = uint64(len(dirs))

	return result, nil
}

var kstatMatch = regexp.MustCompile(`([^\s]+)[\s]+([^\s]*)`)

func BootTime() (uint64, error) {
	return BootTimeWithContext(context.Background())
}

func BootTimeWithContext(ctx context.Context) (uint64, error) {
	kstat, err := exec.LookPath("/usr/bin/kstat")
	if err != nil {
		return 0, err
	}

	out, err := invoke.CommandWithContext(ctx, kstat, "-p", "unix:0:system_misc:boot_time")
	if err != nil {
		return 0, err
	}

	kstats := kstatMatch.FindAllStringSubmatch(string(out), -1)
	if len(kstats) != 1 {
		return 0, fmt.Errorf("expected 1 kstat, found %d", len(kstats))
	}

	return strconv.ParseUint(kstats[0][2], 10, 64)
}

func Uptime() (uint64, error) {
	return UptimeWithContext(context.Background())
}

func UptimeWithContext(ctx context.Context) (uint64, error) {
	bootTime, err := BootTime()
	if err != nil {
		return 0, err
	}
	return uptimeSince(bootTime), nil
}

func uptimeSince(since uint64) uint64 {
	return uint64(time.Now().Unix()) - since
}

func Users() ([]UserStat, error) {
	return UsersWithContext(context.Background())
}

func UsersWithContext(ctx context.Context) ([]UserStat, error) {
	return []UserStat{}, common.ErrNotImplementedError
}

func SensorsTemperatures() ([]TemperatureStat, error) {
	return SensorsTemperaturesWithContext(context.Background())
}

func SensorsTemperaturesWithContext(ctx context.Context) ([]TemperatureStat, error) {
	return []TemperatureStat{}, common.ErrNotImplementedError
}

func Virtualization() (string, string, error) {
	return VirtualizationWithContext(context.Background())
}

func VirtualizationWithContext(ctx context.Context) (string, string, error) {
	return "", "", common.ErrNotImplementedError
}

func KernelVersion() (string, error) {
	return KernelVersionWithContext(context.Background())
}

func KernelVersionWithContext(ctx context.Context) (string, error) {
	// Parse versions from output of `uname(1)`
	uname, err := exec.LookPath("/usr/bin/uname")
	if err != nil {
		return "", err
	}

	out, err := invoke.CommandWithContext(ctx, uname, "-srv")
	if err != nil {
		return "", err
	}

	fields := strings.Fields(string(out))
	if len(fields) >= 2 {
		return fields[1], nil
	}
	return "", fmt.Errorf("could not get kernel version")
}

func PlatformInformation() (platform string, family string, version string, err error) {
	return PlatformInformationWithContext(context.Background())
}

func PlatformInformationWithContext(ctx context.Context) (platform string, family string, version string, err error) {
	/* This is not finished yet at all. Please contribute! */

	version, err = KernelVersion()
	if err != nil {
		return "", "", "", err
	}

	return "solaris", "solaris", version, nil
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Company The Modern Group is located in the city of Cape Town. The legal address of the company is 2 Elgin Road Milnerton , Cape Town, Western Cape SouthAfrica. Other interesting information can be found on working days by phone Not avaible. The scheme of travel to the company The Modern Group can be viewed on the interactive map.


Although only 10 percent of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases are hereditary, a significant number of them are caused by mutations that affect proteins that bind RNA, a type of genetic material. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers studied several ALS cases with a mutation in a RNA-binding protein known as hnRNP A2/B1. In the study, published by Neuron, they describe how damage to this protein contributes to ALS by scrambling crucial cellular messaging systems.
"Our findings are a significant step forward in validating RNA-based therapy as a treatment for ALS," said senior author Gene Yeo, PhD, professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastating neurological condition affecting more than 20,000 Americans. The disease greatly diminishes patients' quality of life and is terminal. ALS affects a special kind of nerve cell called a motor neuron.
These motor neurons enable us to move our bodies. Currently, there are no effective treatments for ALS, largely due to poor understanding of how the disease initiates and progresses at the molecular level. Yeo's team studies RNA-binding proteins and their ability to control how, when and if cells make certain proteins. To unravel the role RNA-binding proteins play in ALS, Yeo's team gathered skin cells from four patients with the disease — three with mutations in the hnRNP A2/B1 gene, one with a mutation in a different gene — and two healthy volunteers as controls.
The researchers coaxed these skin cells into becoming a special kind of stem cell called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and ultimately turned these patient-specific stem cells into motor neurons. This technique provided them with personalized models of each patient's disease, in a laboratory dish, where it's easy to do experiments. To determine the effects of the mutant hnRNP A2/B1 proteins in these samples, the researchers then measured the activity of thousands of genes in each of the ALS and healthy motor neuron samples.
In the ALS patient samples, Yeo and team found that the hnRNP A2/B1 mutation these patients had didn't merely disable the protein. Instead, the mutation gave the protein new toxic properties that scrambled RNA processing, and ultimately led to the death of motor neurons. Yeo said these findings may have important implications for their collaborators and others who are developing therapeutics that aim to treat disease by targeting RNA.
"These RNA-targeting therapies can eliminate toxic proteins and treat disease," said first author Fernando Martinez, a graduate student in Yeo's laboratory. "But this strategy is only viable if the proteins have gained new toxic functions through mutation, as we found here for hnRNP A2/B1 in these ALS cases." Environmental factors are thought to contribute to ALS, increasing the chances a person with a genetic predisposition will get the disease.


Born July 16, 1950, in the Bronx, New York, NY; daughter of Michael and Mary(maiden name, d'Esopo) Saviola. Addresses: Agent: Innovative Artists,1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 2850, Los Angeles, CA 90067.
Also appeared as Diane, The Zinger, P.A.F. Playhouse, New York City; mother, Rainbeam, Rainbow, Orpheum Theatre, New York City; diva, mother, Starmites, Ark Theatre Company, New York City; Irene, the bag lady, Dementos; Atina, Evil Queen of the Galaxy, Battle of the Giants, City Center, New York City.
Appeared as mother and the Acid Queen, in Tommy, a Rock Opera, U.S. cities; Saraghina, Nine, U.S. cities.
Also appeared as Mrs. Carlucci, All My Children, ABC; in Live at Five, NBC.
Appears on Songs from "Ragtime."
"Keep on Shakin' That Thing," Tropique Records.
Wrote (with Peter Dallas) A Vaudeville (one-woman show).
Author of songs, including "Keep on Shakin' That Thing."


Correspondence: Satpal Ahuja, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Ophthalmology, BMC, B11, Klinikgatan 26, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden; satpal.ahuja@gmail.com, sat_pal.ahuja@med.lu.se.
Satpal Ahuja; Lectin Microarray Profiling and Relative Quantification of Glycome Associated With Proteins of Neonatal wt and rd1 Mice Retinae. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2013;54(5):3272-3280. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-11363.
Purpose.: Progressive dynamic, relative quantitative changes were compared in glycans associated with retinal proteins of wild type (wt) and retinal degeneration 1 (rd1) mice during neonatal development and degeneration of retinae.
Methods.: Proteins extracted from retinae of postnatal days 2 (PN2), PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice were labeled with Cy3-fluorescent dye. Glycome of these proteins was quantified relatively by lectin microarray technique. Net fluorescence emitted by individual complexes formed between 45 lectins and Cy3-labeled proteins was measured by evanescent-field fluorescence-assisted microarray reader.
Results.: GlcNAcβ1-oligomer and high-mannose/Manα1-6Man were major glycans associated with the proteins of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae. Gal/GalNAc/Man3-core-bi-/tri-antennary-complex, Sia2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc, and high-mannose glycans were conjugated mainly to proteins from PN7 rd1 and PN14 wt retinae, respectively. With increasing neonatal age, mannosylated, GlcNAcβ, and sialylated (minor component) glycans were increased, and fucosylated GlcNAc/Galβ glycans were decreased significantly in wt retinal proteins. This trend was less evident in PN14 rd1 retinal proteins. Mouse retina was almost devoid of Siaα2-6 (except WGA bound Sia), Fucα1-2, and Gal/GalNAc-containing glycans. STL reacting GlcNAc oligomers were high in PN2 rd1 retinae.
Conclusions.: Quantitative dynamic, relative variation in high-mannose and GlcNAc glycans, Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc associated with proteins from PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae suggested that these glycans participate in retinal development and degeneration, and may be used as markers for retinal electrophysiologic integrity during transplantation/therapy studies; Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc–specific Agrocybe cylindracea lectin and other lectins may be used to enrich/purify retinal ribbon synapse glycoproteins and other glycoproteins including rhodopsin. Further investigations are required.
Glycans are implicated in the retinal development, regeneration, and physiopathologic processes due to their association with a variety of intra- and extracellular proteins. 3,9,10 During the last 30 years, static glycans associated with glycoproteins/proteoglycans of retina of different species have been studied qualitatively by lectin-based low throughput immunohistochemical and blotting techniques. Profiling and relative quantification of the dynamic retinal glycome is crucial to understand its role in the regulation of structure and function of retinal proteins. An aberrant glycosylation of such proteins in mutant mice adversely affects the structure and function of retina. 3–21 This has remained undetermined due to lack of relevant technologies. Since 2005, high throughput lectin microarray technique involving the use of large numbers of lectins of high purity and well defined specificities became available for differential profiling and relative quantification of the glycome associated with complex biological samples. 22 Therefore, relative quantitative, dynamic changes in the glycome associated with the proteins of neonatal PN2, PN7, and PN14 wild type (wt) and rd1 mice retinae were compared by lectin microarray technique 22 and the results were correlated with known retinal proteins and physiopathologic processes.
Six each of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice (total number 36) obtained from the animal colony of Lund University were decapitated. Retinae were dissected out from the enucleated eyes and stored at −80°C until analyzed. The experiments were conducted according to the guidelines of the ARVO Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research, and with the approval (# M 221-09) of the Swedish National Animal Care and Ethics Committee at Lund University.
Four retinae from two each of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice were pooled to form one sample. Thus, a panel of 18 samples, three each from PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae, was formed. Retinal proteins were extracted by sonication in 500 μL phosphate buffered saline containing 1% each of a cocktail of EDTA-free protease inhibitors and Triton X-100 detergent (PBST) to extract proteins, including the membrane-bound ones.
Total protein content of the retinal extracts was estimated at 562 nm by using Micro-BCA protein assay reagent kit (PIERCE #23235; Thermo Scientific, Rockford, IL) and a multi-well plate reader (SpectraMax M5; Molecular Devices, Sunnyvale, CA). Retinal extracts were diluted with PBST to get a protein concentration of 50 μg mL−1. A 1.25 μg aliquot of proteins in 25 μL volume of retinal extracts was mixed with 100 μg monoreactive Cy3 fluorescent dye (#PA23011; GE Healthcare, Sykesville, MD) and incubated in dark for two hours at room temperature. Excess of free Cy3 fluorescent dye was removed by gel filtration on 0.5 mL Zeta desalt spin columns (PIERCE #89882; Thermo Scientific).
Identification and relative quantitative profiling of glycans associated with PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinal proteins was done on LecChip Ver. 1.0 (GP BioSciences Ltd., Yokohama, Japan) by lectin microarray technique supported by Bioinformatics tools. 22 A LecChip Ver. 1.0 (GP BioSciences Ltd.) has seven wells, each with 45 lectins (Table 1) immobilized in a pattern of 9 × 5 columns spotted in triplicate. These lectins specifically react with a wide range of N-/O-glycans linked to proteins. For nomenclature, abbreviation, source, and basic carbohydrate specificities of lectins, see the Lectin Frontier Database (available in the public domain at http://riodb.ibase.aist.go.jp/rcmg/glycodb/LectinSearch and Ref. 23).
Adapted from study of Hirabayashi J et al., 23 Lectin Frontier Database, available in the public domain at http://riodb.ibase.aist.go.jp/rcmg/glycodb/LectinSearch.
* Lectin grouping is based on results of this study.
Retinal proteins extracted from PN14 wt and rd1 mice, and labeled with Cy3 fluorescent dye were diluted serially with Probing Solution (GP BioSciences Ltd.) to get protein concentration of 2000, 1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, and 31.25 ng mL−1. A 100 μL aliquot of diluted sample was loaded into a prewashed well of the LecChip Ver. 1.0 (GP BioSciences Ltd.) and incubated for 17 hours at 20°C. Net fluorescence intensities of lectin-ligand complexes were measured four times by the GlycoStation Reader 1200 (GP BioSciences Ltd.). Images of the fluorescent lectin microarrays were acquired by using the evanescent-field fluorescence scanner (GlycoStation Reader 1200; GP BioSciences Ltd.) with an exposure time of 133 msec and Camera Gain of 85, 95, 105, 115, and 125. Results of the measurements were analyzed with help of the GlycoStation Tools Pro Suite 1.5 (GP BioSciences Ltd.). To expand the dynamic range of the measured data, a gain merging method was applied. 24 Binding curves between each of the 45 lectins and 31.25 to 2000 ng mL−1 concentrations of proteins from PN14 wt and rd1 retinae were determined. Protein concentration of 62.5 ng mL−1 was selected to determine optimum signal intensity, without signal saturation for lectin-ligand binding.
Profiling and Relative Quantification of Retinal Glycome.
For differential profiling and relative quantification of glycans, proteins extracted from triplicate samples of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 retinae were labeled as before, and serially diluted. A 100 μL aliquot of each sample, providing 62.5 ng mL−1 proteins, was applied per well of the LecChip Ver. 1.0 (GP BioSciences Ltd.) and processed as described above for lectin-ligand binding curve studies. Net proportional intensities of the fluorescence signals (given as arbitrary units [AU]), emitted by the complexes formed between a lectin and specific glycan associated with the retinal protein(s), were considered to represent relative quantities of glycans.
Mean ± SEM values of proteins and fluorescent intensities of lectin-ligand complexes of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 retinal proteins were compared for statistical significance of the differences. Bars represent mean ± SEM values. One-way ANOVA and Fisher's protected least significant differences post hoc comparisons were made (StatView Software; SAS, Chicago, IL). P > 0.05 (nonsignificant), P ≤ 0.05 (significant), P ≤ 0.01 (very significant), and P ≤ 0.001 (highly significant) were denoted.
The rd1 mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa shows rapid degeneration of retina due to loss of approximately 90% rod photoreceptors between the age of PN10 and PN21. 1–3 Retinal proteins and glycans from wt and rd1 mice were analyzed and compared at three time points, namely PN2, PN7, and PN14. They represent stages of progressive changes in neonatal development of wt and rd1 retinae except that PN14 rd1 represents the disease-associated stage when rapid degeneration of rd1 mouse retina still is in progress. Compared to the static qualitative changes as reviewed in the Introduction, this study identified different types of glycans that show dynamic and relative quantitative changes in their nature, and suggest a relationship between glycans and development of neonatal wt and rd1 mice retinae; and to a limited extent between glycans and retinal degeneration, especially at neonatal age of PN2 and PN7 rd1 mice.
Protein content (mean ± SEM) of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt (up to PN14) and rd1 (up to PN7) mice retinae was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased with age. However, protein content in PN14 rd1 mice retinae was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower than that in PN14 wt retinae (Fig. 1).
Total protein (mean ± SEM μg mL−1) content of retinal extracts from PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice was increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with increasing age. However, total protein content of PN14 rd1 extracts was significantly lower than that of PN14 wt extracts.
Lectin-Glycan Binding and Related Curves.
Of 45 lectins, 24 lectins showed appreciable binding to a variety of glycans associated with the proteins extracted from PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae. Binding reaction of PN14 wt and rd1 retinal proteins with the remaining 21 lectins was negligible. Binding properties (Fig. 2) and binding curves (Fig. 3) of retinal protein glycans with lectins are retina specific.
Representative scans of reactions between Cy3-labeled proteins extracted from PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae and 45 lectins show age- and strain-dependent differences in lectin binding. Cy3-labeled BSA marker was spotted in the four vertical spots on the left.
Binding curve (net fluorescence intensities) studies of the 45 lectins with 31.25 to 2000 ng mL−1 concentration of Cy3-labeled proteins from PN14 wt (red circles) and rd1 (green circles) mice retinae showed appreciable reactivity with 24 lectins, and reactivity with the remaining 21 lectins was negligible.
Differential Profiling of the Glycome.
Twenty-five different types of glycans, low in Sialic acid, were identified from wt and rd1 (Fig. 4) mice retinal proteins by 24 lectins in the microarray. Of the 24 lectins 16, namely STL, UDA, DSA, LEL, NPA, WGA, HPA, Jacalin, AOL, ACA, GSL-I4B, LCA, GNA, AAL, PTL-I, and PHA-E, reacting with retinal glycans showed net fluorescence intensities ranging between approximately 900 and approximately 50 to 75 AU (Fig. 4). These retinal glycans are listed here, in a decreasing order of their lectin-ligand fluorescence intensities (Table 2). GlcNAc oligomer glycans recognized by STL and complex type N-glycan having outer galactose and bisecting GlcNAc recognized by PHA-E were, respectively, the most abundant (∼900 AU) and least abundant (∼50–75 AU) glycans associated with the proteins from wt and rd1 mice retinae (Table 2). Overall, there is wide variation in the nature (Table 2) and levels of glycans associated with retinal proteins of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 (Fig. 4) mice.
Relative quantification (mean ± SEM) of fluorescence intensities of Lectin microarray profiles of the glycans associated with proteins extracted from PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt (top) and rd1 (bottom) mice retinae show diversity and varying quantitative profiles of glycans.
Net fluorescence intensities of the lectin-glycan complexes (Fig. 4) are listed in decreasing order and ranged between approximately 900 AU for STL and approximately 50 to 75 AU for PHA-E ligands.
* Fluorescence intensities increased with increasing age of wt and rd1 mice.
† Fluorescence intensities decreased with increasing age of both wt and rd1 mice.
Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc, mannosylated glycans; and galactosylated glycans, recognized by two groups of lectins, namely ACG, Con A, HHL, Calsepa; and TxLC-I, RCA 120, PNA, TJA-II, were associated, respectively, with the retinal proteins of PN14 wt and PN7 rd1 (Fig. 4) mice. Fluorescence intensities of the above-referred glycans bound by Con A, HHL, TxLC-I, RCA-120, PNA TJA-II were up to approximately 50 AU, and those bound by ACG and Calsepa were up to approximately 100 AU (Table 3).
* Net fluorescence intensities of the lectin-glycan complexes (Fig. 4) were ≤50.
† Net fluorescence intensities of the lectin-glycan complexes (Fig. 4) were approximately 100 AU.
Intensities of fluorescence emitted by glycans Fucα1-2-, Fucα1-3-, Galα1-3-, Galβ1-3-/GalNAc, and Siaα2-6- (linked in different arrangements) bound by the remaining 21 lectins, were negligible (≤10 AU, Table 4) after reaction with proteins from PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae.
Net fluorescence intensities of the lectin-glycans complexes were ≤10 AU.
Relative Quantitative Changes in the Glycome During Retinal Development.
GlcNAcβ1-4 (tri-, tetra-, and oligomers)–containing glycans associated with the proteins from neonatally developing PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 (Fig. 4) retinae reacted maximally (>400 AU) and in decreasing order with the lectins STL, UDA, DSA, LEL, and NPA (Table 2). Net fluorescence intensity of GlcNAcβ1-oligomer; and high-mannose, Manα1-6Man glycans, respectively, reacting with STL and NPA (Fig. 4) was high but nonsignificantly variable with the increasing neonatal age of wt and rd1 mice retinae.
Fluorescence intensity of glycans (GlcNAcβ1-4)n, GalNAcβ1-4GlcNAc; and Fucα1-6GlcNAc-with-core-fucose, respectively, reacting with DSA and AOL (Fig. 4) was significantly decreased (Table 5), with an increase in neonatal age of both wt and rd1 mice retinae (except PN14 rd1 retinae). GlcNAc trimer/tetramer glycans associated with wt retinal proteins reacting with LEL were decreased nonsignificantly (Table 5). However, such decrease in glycans conjugated to proteins of PN14 rd1 (Fig. 4) retinae was significant (Table 5).
Abbreviated names of Lectins are given within parentheses. NS, nonsignificant.
The α-linked terminal GalNAc glycans reacting with HPA (Fig. 4) were significantly decreased in wt retinal proteins, whereas in rd1 retinal proteins such decrease was significant only at PN14 stage (Table 5). Fucα1-6GlcNAc, α-D-glucose, α-D-mannose; and Fucα1-6GlcNAc, Fucα1-3(Galβ1-4)GlcNAc glycans, respectively, reacting with LCA and AAL were decreased with neonatal age in wt and rd1 retinal proteins (Fig. 4), but this trend was significant only in wt retinal proteins (Table 5).
Comparison of net fluorescence intensities (≤100 AU) of the glycans associated with proteins of neonatal wt and degenerating rd1 retinae showed that mannose; high-mannose, Manα1-6(Manα1-3)Man; high-mannose, Manα1-3Man, Manα1-6Man; and Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc glycans, respectively, reacting with Calsepa, ConA, HHL, and ACG (Fig. 4) were present mainly in the proteins from PN14 wt mice retinae (Table 3). Mannose glycans of retinal proteins reacting with Calsepa (Table 3) and GlcNAcβ1-4GlcNAc, Man5 to Man9 oligomers reacting with UDA were increased significantly with increasing neonatal age of wt mice (Table 5). However, in rd1 retinal proteins the latter glycans were increased significantly only at PN14 stage (Table 5). High-mannose, Manα1-3Man; and sialic acid, GlcNAc glycans, respectively, reacting with GNA and WGA, and conjugated to wt and rd1 retinal proteins, were increased with age (Fig. 4), but the increase was more significant in wt retinal proteins (Table 5). GalNAcβ1-3GalNAc, GalNAc; and complex type N-glycan with outer galactose and bisecting GlcNAc glycans in wt and rd1 retinal proteins, respectively, reacting with Jacalin and PHA-E were increased with neonatal age (Fig. 4), but the increase was significant only in rd1 retinal proteins (Table 5).
Relative Quantitative Changes in the Glycome During Retinal Degeneration.
Galβ1-4GlcNAc; Galβ1-3GalNAc; Man3 core, bi-/tri-antennary complex type N-glycan, GalNAc; and Fucα1-2Galβ1 > or GalNAcβ1- > groups at nonreducing end, respectively, reacting with RCA-120, PNA, TxLC-I, and TJA-II (≤ 50 AU, Table 3) were present mainly in retinal proteins of PN7 rd1 (Fig. 4) mice.
GlcNAc oligomers in proteins of PN2 rd1 mice retinae reacting with STL were significantly higher (Table 6). As compared to decreasing trend of Fucα1-6GlcNAc, Fucα1-3(Galβ1-4)GlcNAc; and (GlcNAcβ1-4)n, Galβ1-4GlcNAc glycans in wt proteins, respectively, reacting with AAL and DSA (Fig. 4), the rd1 retinal proteins showed significantly higher level of these glycans (Table 6).
‖ Glycan not detected in PN2 retinal extracts.
(GlcNAcβ1-4)n, Galβ1-4GlcNAc; and Fucα1-6GlcNAc(core-fucose)–containing glycans, respectively, reacting with DSA and AOL were significantly lower in PN7 rd1 retinal proteins (Table 6). Mannose, high-mannose; Manα1-3Man, Manα1-6Man containing glycans, respectively, reacting with Calsepa; NPA, and HHL (Fig. 4) were significantly lower in PN7 rd1 and PN14 rd1 retinal proteins (Table 6).
Glycans of several glycoproteins associated with static retinal cells and ECM, namely opsins, interphotoreceptor retinal binding glycoprotein, α-dystroglycan—a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, mucin-like glycoproteins, proteinases, namely MMPs and serine proteinases, sialoglycoproteins associated with cones and rods (SPACR), and SPACR covalently linked to chondroitin sulfate (SPACRCAN) have been profiled only qualitatively. 7,14–21,37–42 Most of the proteins possessing or interacting with the glycans observed during this study are yet to be identified and characterized/quantified by glycoproteomics, glycan arrays and other related technologies. Meanwhile, the present study compares the relative quantitative changes in the glycome profiles of retinal proteins during progressive neonatal development of PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt retina, and of disease-associated degeneration of rd1 mice retinae.
Lectin-glycan binding curves and glycan profiling studies showed that GlcNAcβ1-4GlcNAc, GlcNAc trimers/tetramers, GlcNAc oligomers, (GlcNAcβ1-4)n, Manα1-6Man, mixtures of Man5 to Man9, high-Man, and Galβ1-4GlcNAc glycans constitute the major glycan components associated with the proteins of developing PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae. Nature of the glycome of wt and rd1 retinal proteins is retina-specific and similar during development, but varies quantitatively with neonatal age. Age-dependent down-regulation of GlcNAc glycans, as shown by decreased binding of DSA and LEL to the glycans associated with the proteins of PN14 wt and rd1 mice retinae, indicated that, in some respects, the process of trimming of these glycans in wt and rd1 mice retinae was similar during neonatal development.
Almost negligible levels of Fucα1-2-, Fucα1-3-, Galα1-3-, Galβ1-3-/GalNAc, and Siaα2-6–linked glycans were observed in the glycome of wt and rd1 mice retinal proteins, suggesting that the mouse retina is deficient in enzymes required for the biosynthesis of such glycans. Observation of significantly higher level of STL-specific glycan GlcNAc oligomers in PN2 rd1 suggested that the glycan profile begins to change at an early stage of development of neonatal mouse retina, as reported previously. 3 Present quantitative studies showed that the nature of retinal glycans is diverse, dynamic, and retina-specific, and varies with the stage of development of wt and of degenerating rd1 mice retinae.
Different glycans associated with retinal proteins were either decreased or increased with increasing neonatal age of wt and rd1 retinae, and to a limited extent in PN14 rd1 retina undergoing rapid degeneration. A decrease in the levels of most of the glycans during neonatal retinal development or degeneration indicated trimming of glycans, possibly by an age-dependent increase in the activities of specific glycosidases. Similarly, an increase in the levels of only a few glycans indicated extension of these glycans, which can be attributed to an increase in the activities of specific glycosyl transferases, but is a limited process. Such changes in the glycome of proteins of wt and rd1 mice retinae possibly generate glycoisoforms 18,37,43 of retinal proteins, which bring about stage-specific changes in the structure and function of the retina during its development and degeneration.
Net biosynthesis of mouse retinal proteins was increased with the neonatal age; however, the protein content in PN14 rd1 retina was lower than that in PN14 wt retina due to proteolysis by increased activity of proteinases, namely MMPs and cathepsins. 3,44 MMP-9 is a glycoprotein present on the cell surface and ECM, and has varying proportion of O-/N-linked galactosylated glycans. Presence of relatively fewer galactosylated N-glycans generates free and more active glycoisoforms of MMP-9, which degrade the ECM. 43 Relatively higher levels of galactosylated glycans in rd1 retinal proteins observed during this study suggested that higher activity of MMP-9 reported previously in rd1 retinal proteins 3 possibly is due to the presence of such glycoisoforms of MMP-9.
Significantly higher levels of high-mannose glycans bound by lectins HHL, Con A, and Calsepa; and of Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc bound by lectin ACG were associated mainly with PN14 wt retinal proteins. Omori et al. reported that Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc conjugated to α-dystroglycan component of dystrophin glycoprotein complex maintains the electrophysiologic integrity of the ribbon synapse between photoreceptors, bipolar-, and horizontal-cells of wt mouse retina. 7 Therefore, higher proportion of Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc in PN14 wt retinal proteins compared to those in PN14 rd1 retina appears to be a marker for determining the integrity of the ribbon synapse junctions.
From the comparative lectin microarray profiles of the glycome of retinal proteins, the following conclusions were deduced: that the nature of glycans in PN2, PN7, and PN14 wt and rd1 retinal proteins is diverse, dynamic, retina-specific, and correlates quantitatively with neonatal retinal development and, to a limited extent, with retinal degeneration; the quantification of retinal glycans, namely Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc, could be used as a diagnostic marker for evaluating the retinal electrophysiologic integrity during transplantation and therapeutic studies; and Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc-specific Agrocybe cylindracea lectin (ACG) and few other lectins may be used to enrich/purify retinal ribbon synapse glycoproteins and other glycoproteins including rhodopsin. However, more studies are required to confirm these aspects and to correlate further changes in the glycome with the structure and function of retinal proteins and retina.
The author thanks Sten Andréasson for infrastructural facilities; Masao Yamada, Kyoko Yokota, and Ryoko Sawada, GP BioSciences Ltd., Yokohama (Japan) for lectin microarray analyses; Per Ekström for providing mice; Birgitta Klefbohm for collecting retinae; Poonam Ahuja Jensen and Sanjay Ahuja for statistical analyses, preparation of figures, and database searches; and Leif Johnson for reorganizing Figure 3.
Supported by Stiftelsen Kronprinsessan Margaretas Arbetsnämnd för Synskadade (KMA), 645 40 Strängnäs, and Stiftelsen för Synskadade i.f.d. Malmöhus län, 205 20 Malmö, Sweden.
Supported by The Stiftelsen Kronprinsessan Margaretas Arbetsnämnd för synskadade (KMA, Sweden).


The ThreeForMe treatment is performed in 2 steps.
The first step treats discoloration and facial vessels using a technology called Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL. This can address unwanted sun damage including freckles, brown spots or age spots, and unsightly veins including broken blood vessels, facial veins and rosacea.
The second step uses laser technology to generate collagen and elastin – keys to the support structure of our skin. This results in the improvement of fine lines, wrinkles, scars and other surface imperfections.


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Select Committees to continue virtually until 17 September
House of Commons Select Committees are to continue meeting virtually until 17 September, the Speaker has announced.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he wanted to give certainty to Members that they could continue their business in the most effective way possible in the current circumstances.
Select Committees have been holding public meetings via Zoom since a decision of the House on 24 March – the day after the UK went into lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, chair of the influential Liaison Committee, said he wanted remote meetings to continue beyond the current deadline of 30 June "until at least the summer recess".
He said his committee – which is made up of the chairs of all the Select Committees – believed continuing to meet virtually would ensure all MPs could participate "on a fair and equal basis during the current pandemic".
Sir Lindsay said he was "very sympathetic" to the plan and was keen that Select Committees should be able to continue to provide scrutiny in a way that allows Members, staff and witnesses to participate.
But he felt it would give the committees even greater certainty if the deadline for meeting virtually was extended until 17 September, when the House is due to rise before the party-political conference recess.
Parliament, government and politics


"When love is the way, unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive, when love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again.
When love is the way, there's plenty good room, plenty good room, for all of god's children because when love is the way, we actually treat each other well, like we are actually family. "
"We must rediscover the Power of Love"
I have never watched any royal wedding ceremony ever yet…it was my first one ! …it was a peaceful Saturday afternoon, Tho is in Bhutan…I am here on my own…so just the right thing to do on such a « lazy afternoon « !
How refreshing to see positive news at last! Oh my, we really need some collective positive news of Joy, Love and Hope ! Don't you agree ? It has become urgent these days !
To see everyone cheering, hopeful and happy, old, young, Vip's or simple people in the crowd…or watching like me on my computer…I guess we all had a smile on our face.
The Power of LOVE of Kindness and Generosity are what makes the world go round…is what gives us Strength, Energy and Joy to face our human condition and the suffering in this world!
When the bishop said : Now let us all pray for the young couple, I felt the power of heartfelt good wishes that we all can send out to those we care for, but even to strangers without needing to hold back !
Without ever worrying that when giving something to others, wishing all the best to others, we might have « less »..
Giving space to others, giving Care to others, letting others BE the way they are, wishing them well!
I guess this afternoon many people were rejoicing over the Happiness of the young couple! yes rejoicing over someone elses Happiness makes us feel good!
This is Happiness ! JUST TRY IT OUT !
WISHING YOU ALL WELL !


Often portrayed as equaly evil, North Korea and Iran depart from one another in their influence on oil prices.
Deja vu. The more things change, the more they remain the same, don't they? Take North Korea, for instance. If the ascension of Kim Jong-un promised change, it -alas- wasn't meant to be. A liberal education in the West or the luxury of a younger age or passion for modern gadgets couldn't nudge Kim Jr. to lead his country to modernity. Forget pragmatic small steps to prosperity, if anything, the new Kim turned out to be more belligerent than his father.
So, when relentless Kim Jong-un makes news with announcements of nuclear tests/missile tests do you run to check the oil prices? Well, many do. There is a widespread assumption that tension in the Korean peninsula makes the oil prices tipsy. After all, markets, as well all know, are crazy. Any news of any tension in any part of the world is enough for the speculators to push up the price of oil. The poor consumer.
For good reasons, we know the effects of Iran's rhetoric on oil price, the repercussions caused every time Iran saunters into the news, but does North Korea have what it takes to pull oil prices northward? Should you worry when war statements clog the Korean air? Simple answer: No. Next time you hear of war cries in the Korean peninsula, you don't have to be anxious over oil and its price. The reason is uncomplicated: North Korea isn't a major oil-producing country. There you go- myth busted. According to EIA, total oil production in North Korea in 2012 was 90 barrels per day. In contrast, Saudi Arabia produced almost 11.6 million bbl/d of total petroleum in 2012. Naturally, North Korea, as of today, can't influence oil prices the way Iran can.
Hard to believe? Check the facts. Oil prices have been on the long journey southward since February. Early this week, Brent crude went below the $100 mark, the first time in almost nine months. All this even as a recent report from the IMF stated improvements in the world economy. If North Korea was such an important player, oil prices would have gone through the roof.
To the question of nuclear weapons: An advanced nuclear program, and North Korea can cause serious damage. However, what the present Kim inherited from his father is the bogey of a nuclear state. Almost every month we get announcements of nuclear tests from North Korea. Underground nuclear test? Bah. What about the missiles? For the missiles to carry a nuclear warhead, they need nuclear weapons, don' they? Bah. Compared to Iran, North Korea's nuclear weapons are still in the kinder garden stage of development. Yes, it does tests missiles but those tests hardly cause a ripple. Then there's Iran, where any sneeze shakes markets around the world. Why? Plenty of reasons.
For a start, Iran has oil. Iran has the world's third largest reserves of oil, enough to last a century. Thanks to an oil field it shares with Iraq, production has increased by 5,000 barrels a day. According to latest figures, the country's current oil production stands at 4.2 million b/d.
Also, Iran has the Strait of Hormuz. Readers of oil-price.net would be aware of the huge importance this strait plays in the field of oil. Stated as the world's most important 'oil choke point' by the US Energy and Information Administration, Strait of Hormuz is a shipping route which connects Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. So why is this so important? Almost 17 million barrels of oil pass through this strait every day. In other words, almost twenty percent of world's traded oil and thirty-five percent of all seaborne traded oil, making it a major choke point for maritime trade. As it is just 21 miles wide at the narrowest spot, Iran can block the strait disrupting the flow of oil. Even a day's block can disrupt oil supplies. For that matter, Iran uses the strait every time it wants the world's attention.
Back to Korea: North Korea is alone in its battle. Its only ally China is retreating from the scene. China is the single largest trading partner of North Korea helping the country with coal, oil, medicine and other essential commodities. Half of imported food in North Korea comes from China. In fact, North Korea imports almost eighty percent of oil from China. As part of an aid program, on a monthly basis China exports 50,000 to 300,000 tonnes of crude oil earning it more than $370 million. In 2012, China exported 523,041 tonnes. In spite of being such a close ally, last February, China did not export any oil to North Korea in the month of February. To put in some perspective, China didn't export crude to North Korea in 2012 either. This time though, China has voted in favor of more sanctions against North Korea in the UN Security council. As well.
Iran, on the other hand, isn't alone. North Korea is cut off from the rest of the world. Iran is smarter and knows how to play the trump card. One has to factor in the religious aspect too. Iran with its version of Islam can summon fighters true to its cause at any point of time. Further, Korea's educational system is no match to Iran's. Iran can still produce and send abroad large numbers of scientists, technocrats and economists, some of which teaching in the world's most best universities. North Korean people don't even have the luxury of mobile phones. Iran has money, oil, friends and a strong economy. North Korea takes to threats almost every other day. Iran does too but it backs it up with tangible points of attack.
The US knows that Iran can cause serious damage. But North Korea? The US doesn't even care for any more talks. The secretary of state John Kerry has stated that there would be no 'artificial talks' with North Korea. In a marked departure, China, has warned the country stating that "no one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gains".
How much will China's change in attitude hurt North Korea? Too much. The already ailing economy would disintegrate should China stop its aid. Yet there's another side to the story. A nation named North Korea is in the interest of China too. Tension in North Korea helps it avoid attention to itself. Take off North Korea and China comes in direct line of US attack for its dismal human rights record. Hence, a nation named North Korea will survive for some more time.
While China distances itself from North Korea, Iran has been cozying up with the disctatorship and is currently in talks about exporting Iranian oil to North Korea, which the Asian power desperately needs. Although North Korea may be short on Dollars or Euros to pay for Iranian oil, it has other means to afford it as you have guessed: nuclear technology and materials. Stay tuned for more.


The Matrix was a movie that depicted a frightening scenario of the robotic masses and their "handlers" (The Agents) determined to keep tabs on and prevent the public from a life of freedom. The character portrayed as "Neo," once taking the red pill did discover how deep the rabbit hole goes, but he also discovered an inner sanctum; a power woken up out of dormancy, that on some level we all possess.
The themes from this film resonated with so many about the constructed nature of physical reality, and how one can escape the proverbial Matrix. But there's another movie that exquisitely captures the idea of a planned or constructed reality. However in the end, it offers quite a different angle on how one can dissolve what appears to be an inescapable terrain of rules and authority.
Most people live life on the path we set for them, too afraid to explore any other. But once in a while people like you come along who knock down all the obstacles we put in your way. People who realize freewill is a gift that you'll never know how to use until you fight for it. I think that's the chairman's real plan. That maybe one day, we won't write the plan, you will.
But what does this have to do with love, you might ask?
This is what we'll discuss in this episode of Conscious Commentary.
Hi! I had a "pet soulmate", my cat, who passed away last year, I miss her very much, she was the best thing in this life for me, above all human… I want to know os there a way to rescue her from the Matrix? I won't give up on her.
Thank you very much for your answer, Alexys.


"What does a prophet do exactly?" This is an age old question. We know that a prophet is meant to be used of the Lord, to make His will manifest in this earth, but how... and with what? That is exactly what this book will tell you.
You will learn what they are for, how to use them, and most importantly, why we need them.
There is so much more to the prophet than standing up in church and prophesying. But then again, if you have picked up this book, you have already felt the stirring in your spirit for that "something more" that the Lord has for you.
Laid out beautifully so that you can understand and relate, Apostle Colette shares from her own personal experiences. She uses both the Word and the Spirit - a rare combination, to drive the point home. Be prepared to live and experience the Lord like never before. This is not fiction... this is your training guide to the prophetic.
The Secret Weapon of the Prophet - Faith!
How Do You Know if It's God?


You are here: Home / Investment Planning / How to transfer NSC from one person to another?
Recently one of my blog readers asked me regarding transfer NSC from one person to another possible or not. Initially, I too of the opinion that it is not possible. However, he dig deep and provided me information that it is very much possible.
Let us see the procedure and how we can transfer NSC from one person to another.
Before proceeding further, let us go back and refresh our knowledge about what is NSC. I will try to highlight them as below.
The minimum amount of investment is Rs.100 and there is no maximum limit.
Available in denominations of Rs. 100, 500, 1000, 5,000, & 10000.
Interest will be compounded annually. Earlier it was half yearly. This change was from 1st April, 2016. Refer the post "Post Office Savings Schemes -Changes effective from 1st, April 2016".
The interest rate for the current quarter (1st July-30th September 2016 is 8.1%. It will change on a quarterly basis.
Individuals, Joint holders, minors can invest. However, HUF, Trust or NRIs can't invest. But if a person was a Resident Indian at the time of purchasing the NSC and become an NRI during the maturity period, then he can continue holding the certificate till maturity.
Investment done under NSC is available for tax benefit under Sec.80C. Refer my earlier posts for the same "Deduction under Section 80C – A complete list" and "NSC-Accrued Interest taxation and way to reduce it".
There will be no TDS on interest income.
Certificates can be kept as collateral security to get a loan from banks.
You can withdraw before maturity only in case of a) On the death of holder or any holders in case of joint holding, b) Oon forfeiture pledge by Gazetted Govt. Officer and c) When ordered by the court of law. Refer my earlier post for the same "Post Office Savings Schemes (RD, NSC, MIS, SCSS)-Premature closure rules".
As of now, you can invest in NSC through Post Office ONLY. However, recently Government notified that NSC and KVP be available in e-mode and passbook mode. But banks are not listed for NSC issuance. Refer my latest post on the same "NSC and KVP in e-mode and Passbook mode from 1st July 2016".
Now let us concentrate on the topic of this post. Many of us don't know that transfer NSC from one person to another is possible. Below are few points to know before jumping into the transfer.
# You can transfer the certificate at any point of time from the date of issue to date of maturity.
# You can avail this facility ONLY once during this period.
# Post Master or Head Post Master's consent is a must for transfer.
# Transferee must be eligible to buy the NSC as per rule.
# Transfer is permitted for whole amount but not partly.
# After transfer again it can be transferred to the original holder. But same rule of transfer applies.
# After transfer you will receive a new certificate in transferee name but the date of investment will be the original date of investment.
When the transfer of NSC from one person to another is possible?
a) From the name of a deceased holder to his or her legal heir.
b) From the name of NSC certificate holder to the court of law or to any person under the orders of the court of law.
c) From Joint Holders of NSC to the name of the joint holders.
d) Transfer to the relative with love and affection. Near relative means, husband, wife, lineal ascendant or descendant, brothers or sisters.
# You have to fill NC34-Transfer form.
# Both transferor and transferee must sign the form.
# Transferee must complete the KYC process as a fresh investor.
Hope this much information is enough.
Sheeba-Who said there is a TDS?
—>Will they charge extra for this.
—> If I transfer it to them, If they are below 3L income, will they have to pay tax for the interest.
d) Whatever be their taxable income range, interest on NSC is taxable.


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Q: How do you add a custom HTTP response header in Rails? I'm looking to add custom HTTP response headers to a Ruby on Rails app that is currently hosted on Heroku.

A: In rails 4, set the response headers in the application.rb or respective environment files. Once you done that, you can override the header value wherever you required in the controller. Refer this url for more details.

A: In rails 4 works following:
class API::V1::BaseController
  after_action :set_version_header

  protected
    def set_version_header
        response.headers['X-ComanyName-Api-Version'] = 'V1'
    end
end

A: If your headers are static, e.g. your own custom Server header, you can simply update config.action_dispatch.default_headers. The following example sets a custom Server header; add it to your config/application.rb or config/environments/...:
config.action_dispatch.default_headers["Server"] = "MyServer/#{config.version}"

(Assuming you set config.version earlier)
For more, see Rails Guides: Configuring Rails Applications: Configuring Action Dispatch:

config.action_dispatch.default_headers is a hash with HTTP headers that are set by default in each response.

This will be less work each request than running a controller callback.
NB: For more than one header use merge! to not remove existing essential XSS etc headers.

A: In rails 5, the following solution works (in action methods)
response.set_header("Header-Name", "Header value")

Reference: edgeapi

A: In Rails 3 or above, simply
headers['Header-Name'] = 'header value'

works in controllers. This is even the recommended way; according to the documentation,

Response is mostly a Ruby on Rails framework implementation detail, and should never be used directly in controllers. Controllers should use the methods defined in ActionController::Base instead. For example, if you want to set the HTTP response's content MIME type, then use ActionController::Base#headers instead of Response#headers.

And this is still true in Rails 7.0.

A: Use:
response.headers['HEADER NAME'] = 'HEADER VALUE'

either in a specific method or to a before_filter method of your application controller depending on whether you need this to be added in a specific or to all of your responses.
UPDATE for Rails 5 - February 24th, 2018
As noted by @BrentMatzelle in the comments, for Rails 5:
response.set_header('HEADER NAME', 'HEADER VALUE')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


C & O Bloomington LLC is a company located in United States of America, 19801 Wilmington at C/O The Corporation Trust Company. C & O Bloomington LLC has an ACTIVE entity status and an ISSUED LEI code. The Legal Entity Identifier code of C & O Bloomington LLC is 254900BIFL0QXHCPN138. The legal form of this company is 9999.


The Council of the European Union has seen its presidency changed the 1st of January 2016 . This is a rotating presidency. The principle of Troika, formalized by the Treaty of Lisbon, provides for a coordinated presidency of three States for 18 months, each Member State holds the charge for a period of 6 months: from January to June and July to December. This should allow for continuity, coherence and proper functioning of new institutional rules.
The current trio (January 2016 – June 2017 ) is composed by the Dutch, Slovak and Maltese Chairs.
The Dutch has just succeeded the Luxembourg presidency (July to December 2015).
Netherlands, Slovakia and Malta, the Presidency Trio, have jointly drafted an agenda setting out the main topics which the EU Council will address in the incoming 18 months.
The Netherlands presidency has announced that it will focus on four main priorities.
First of all, indicating a comprehensive approach to migration and international security, in view of the fundamental changes over the past five years in the EU's immediate vicinity.
Secondly, referring to Europe as an innovator and job creator, with the aim of: stimulating innovative entrepreneurship, investing in research, committing towards the establishment of high quality standards of education in all member states and at the same time modernizing and, where possible, reducing legislation so that European laws could really work for citizen, business and local governments.
Thirdly, concerning the Presidency's focus on sound, future-proof European finances and a robust eurozone, in order to concentrate in particular on structural reforms and coordinated economic policy, to guarantee healthy public finances in modern economies.
Finally, as a fourth priority, the Netherlands has emphasized the close cohesion among the issues of climate change, energy, the environment and sustainability.
Nevertheless it is clear that the challenge of migration and refugees will remain high on the agenda for the Dutch, and Maltese Presidencies. As the December European Council underlined, steps to strengthen the EU's external borders will be a top priority.
In this context the Commission LIBE auditioned the Dutch justice and security minister Ard Van der Steur and State Secretary for Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff that presented the priorities of the incoming Dutch presidency for what concerns Civil liberties, justice and home affairs.
Ard Van der Steur began his speech by stating "Europe was built on a tradition of freedom, democracy and justice. The ideas that have shaped our states, which are governed by the rule of law, are not only French, British, Greek, or German, they are European".
"We are fully aware that the Parliament, the Commission, and the Council are the cornerstone of the European Union: one cannot function without the others" said Mr Van der Steur, asserting the Council will to cooperate with Parliament and the Commission in order to face all the security internal and external challenges Europe is currently passing through.
The minister declared that terrorism and radicalization remain high priorities of the Council agenda.
"We must strive for balance between defending the rule of law and fundamental rights, like privacy on one side, and checking down, persecuting and punishing terrorists: freedom and security should always be in balance".
The minister also remarked that in the wake of the recent Paris attacks, many legislative proposals have been accelerated: such as the directive on firearms, or the one on terrorism that will strengthen the European ability to fight against this crime by considering a criminal offence to finance, receive training or travel to other countries to commit acts of terrorism.
Moreover the minister stated that the Commission will present a new directive on the European Criminal Record Information System (ECRIS) and remarked the results reached on the directive on PNR.
As for the renewed European internal sectoral strategy for 2015 up to 2020 the minister recommended joint action between Member states and the Commission and asserted that the work of the Luxemburg presidency will be continued by the Dutch, Slovak and Maltese presidency.
Van der Steur then stressed the will to take further the work made by the Luxemburg presidency on the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) directive. This directive already contains all the key provision on the set up and the organization of the office as well as the rules on investigation, prosecution and procedural safeguards. The Minister expressed the will to build on this achievements, by provisionally closing the main chapters, especially starting with the relations of the EPPO with the external partners.
As for cybercrime security the minister declared that the Dutch ambition is to achieve a common view on jurisdiction in the cyberspace, given his importance for criminal investigation and stressed the importance of cyber security, by affirming that "a secure digital market is an incalculable strength when it comes to our social economic development, so we will seek to raise awareness, strengthen prevention enhance operational cooperation and to promote public and private partnership".
On all these topics Minister Van der Steur stressed the need of joint action between the Parliament and the Council, in order to get the work further and keep on being productive.
Many MEPs such as Mr Dennis de Jong, Confederal Group of the European United Left, and Michał Boni, Group of the European People's Party, then declared to be worried about situation in Poland for what concern the respect of the rule of law.
Mr Van der Steur answered that the Presidency was attentively following the discussion between the Polish government and the Commission and the General Affair Council planned to discuss the issue in May.
Many MPs questioned the relocation scheme asking whether the Dutch Presidency has a specific programme or a time table to follow, Mr Dijkhoff answered that the legislative proposals on Common European Asylum System, the relocation mechanism, a European list of safe countries of origin and developing measures related to legal migration will also feature prominently during the Presidency, in order to combat human trafficking.
In reply to these comments, several MPs, such as Mrs Judith Sargentini, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, Mrs Cecilia Wikström, Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and Kashetu Kyenge, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, also asked if the Dutch Presidency would advocate a "mini-Schengen" in response to the migration crisis.
Mr Dijkhoff answered that the purpose is not to question the present system, but also warned that, if member states will not be able to find an agreement on a mechanism to share asylum seekers, controls could then be reintroduced because, as he stated, "It is not a proposal, it is a contingency".
Subsequently, on Wednesday 20 January, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte took the floor at the European Parliament to give the presidency kick-off speech in front of the plenary session.
"We must achieve concrete results and make sure they are visible to counter growing skepticism throughout Europe" stated Mr Rutte, who then addressed diverse relevant issues, such as the way to tackle the refugee crisis, the protection of the Schengen free movement area and the economic growth and jobs' question.
The refugee crisis will be a top priority for the Dutch Presidency. Mr Rutte said that the agreement dealt with Turkey last November needs to be carried out fast, to relieve pressure on the EU's external borders. He also underlined the need to make refugee reception arrangements safe, to get external borders, especially in Greece, under control, to implement "hotspots" and to plan the registration of refugees.
« The current numbers are not sustainable. We are running out of time. We need a sharp reduction in the coming six to eight weeks », he said.
Many MEPs then during the debate addressed the question and in particular Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party Group, underlined the Council's "big problem of credibility" in agreeing to three billion Euro in aid to Turkey but then blocking them when it came to payment of this funding.
"The decisions that have been taken must be applied", said Mr Weber, urging the Council to take action.
Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Guy Verhofstadt, asked the Dutch Presidency to be able to agree on a timetable "so that in 2019 the internal market might be totally completed".
Although several MEPs backed the Dutch Presidency's work agenda, several of them also mentioned issues which Mr Rutte did not address during his presentation, such as the referendum planned for April in his country on the association agreement with Ukraine and taxation. Regarding Ukraine Mr Rutte said that he believe the agreement is needed not just from an economic point of view, but also to create stability on the eastern boarders of the European Union. Finally, for what concerns taxation, Philippe Lamberts, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance and Gianni Pittella, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, called for a more communitarian approach in terms of fighting corporate tax evasion.
As the next holder of the Council Presidency, it is incumbent on the Netherlands to help the European Union to find common solution in this challenging times. The issue is to remain focused on important long-running issues, even when current events require immediate attention.
Le statut du procureur français remis en cause par la Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme. Ce n'est pas une surprise. Cet arrêt intervient au lendemain de l'adoption des lignes directrices par le Conseil de l'Europe concernant le parquet : son indépendance est un principe absolu pour le Comité des ministres (cf. autre information).
EU-Logos fait peau neuve !
Merci d'être si nombreux !!


Espey Mfg. & Electronics Corp. ("Espey") is a power electronics design and original equipment manufacturing with a long history of developing and delivering highly reliable products for use in military and severe environment applications. Design, manufacturing, and testing is performed in our 150,000+ square foot facility located at 233 Ballston Ave, Saratoga Springs, New York. Espey is classified as a "smaller reporting company" for purposes of the reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Espey's common stock is publicly-traded on the NYSE MKT under the symbol "ESP."
Espey began operations after incorporation in New York in 1928. We strive to remain competitive as a leader in high power energy conversion and transformer solutions through the design and manufacture of new and improved products by using advanced and "cutting edge" electronics technologies.
The Company markets its products primarily through its own direct sales organization and through outside sales representatives. Business is solicited from large industrial manufacturers and defense companies, the government of the United States, foreign governments and major foreign electronic equipment companies. In certain countries the Company has external sales representatives to help solicit and coordinate foreign contracts. Espey is also on the eligible list of contractors with the United States Department of Defense and generally is automatically solicited by Defense Department procurement agencies for their needs falling within the major classes of products produced by the Company. In addition, the Company directly pursues opportunities from the United States Department of Defense for prime contracts. Espey contracts with the Federal Government under cage code 20950 as Espey Mfg. & Electronics Corp.
There is competition in all classes of products manufactured by the Company from divisions of the largest electronic companies, as well as many small companies. The Company's sales do not represent a significant share of the industry's market for any class of its products. The principal methods of competition for electronic products of both a military and industrial nature include, among other factors, price, product performance, the experience of the particular company and history of its dealings in such products.
Our business is not seasonal. However, the concentration of our business in the rail industry, and in equipment for military applications and industrial applications and our customer concentrations expose us to on-going associated risks. These risks include, without limitation, requirements for power supplies in the rail industry, dependence on appropriations from the United States Government and the governments of foreign nations, program allocations, the potential of governmental termination of orders for convenience, and the general strength of the industry sectors in which our customers transact business.
Uncertainty in federal defense spending and future procurement needs supporting the rail industry continues to drive competition. Many of our competitors continue to invest aggressively in upfront product design costs and lower profit margins as a strategic means of maintaining existing business and enhancing market share at the expense of lower profits. This has put pressure on the pricing of our current products and has lowered margins on new business. For the past several years, in order to compete effectively for new business, in some cases we have invested in upfront design costs, thereby reducing initial profitability as a means of procuring new long-term programs. Accordingly, we adjust our pricing strategy in order to achieve a balance which enables us both to retain repeat programs while being more competitive in bidding on new programs.
In order to maintain a balanced business, we are continuing to place an emphasis on securing "build to print" opportunities, which will allow production work to go directly to the manufacturing floor, limiting the impact on our engineering staff. This effort will keep our manufacturing team busy while the products being developed transition to production.
The total backlog at March 31, 2018 was approximately $47.0 million which includes $21.0 million from three significant customers compared to $38.7 million at March 31, 2017 which included $20.4 million from two significant customers. The Company's total backlog represents the estimated remaining sales value of work to be performed under firm contracts. The funded portion of this backlog at March 31, 2018 is approximately $42.5 million. This includes items that have been authorized and appropriated by Congress and/or funded by the customer. The unfunded backlog at March 31, 2018 is approximately $4.5 million and represents a firm multi-year order for which funding has not yet been appropriated by Congress or funded by our customer. While there is no guarantee that future budgets and appropriations will provide funding for a given program, management has included in unfunded backlog only those programs that it believes are likely to receive funding based on discussions with customers and program status. The backlog was fully funded at March 31, 2017.
Successful conversion of engineering program backlog into sales is largely dependent on the execution and completion of our engineering design efforts. It is not uncommon to experience technical or scheduling delays which arise from time to time as a result of, among other reasons, design complexity, the availability of personnel with the requisite expertise, and the requirements to obtain customer approval at various milestones. Cost overruns which may arise from technical and schedule delays could negatively impact the timing of the conversion of backlog into sales, or the profitability of such sales. We are currently experiencing some technical and schedule delays with our major development programs which are being resolved as they arise. Engineering programs in both the funded and unfunded portions of the current backlog aggregate $8.8 million.
Management expects revenues in fiscal year 2018 to be higher than revenues during fiscal year 2017. This expectation is driven primarily by orders already in the backlog and due to the commencement of shipments on a significant military contract from the Federal Government for a power supply we designed in-house and was qualified by the applicable government agency in the later part of fiscal year 2017.
New orders received in the nine months of fiscal year 2018 were approximately $28.6 million as compared to $16.8 million of new orders received in the first nine months of fiscal year 2017. It is presently anticipated that a minimum of $7.0 million of orders comprising the March 31, 2018 backlog will be filled during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018. The minimum of $7.0 million does not include any shipments, which may be made against orders subsequently received during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018. The estimate of the March 31, 2018 backlog to be shipped in fiscal year 2018 is subject to future events, which may cause the amount of the backlog actually shipped to differ from such estimate.
In addition to the backlog, the Company currently has outstanding opportunities representing in excess of $68.4 million in the aggregate as of May 1, 2018 for both repeat and new programs. The outstanding quotations encompass various new and previously manufactured power supplies, transformers, and subassemblies. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will acquire any of the anticipated orders described above, many of which are subject to allocations of the United States defense spending and factors affecting the defense industry.
Net sales to two significant customers represented 50.6% of the Company's total sales for the three-month period ended March 31, 2018 and net sales to two significant customers represented 40.7% of the Company's total sales for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017. Net sales to two significant customers represented 58.6% and 43.2% of the Company's total sales for the nine-month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. This high concentration level with these customers presents significant risk. A loss of one of these customers or programs related to these customers could significantly impact the Company. Historically, a small number of customers have accounted for a large percentage of the Company's total sales in any given fiscal year. Management continues to pursue opportunities with current and new customers with an overall objective of lowering the concentration of sales and mitigating excessive reliance upon a single major product of a particular program or minimizing the impact of the loss of a single significant customer.
A significant portion of our business is comprised of development and production contracts. Generally revenues on long-term fixed-price contracts are recorded on a percentage of completion basis using units of delivery as the measurement basis for progress toward completion.
Percentage of completion accounting requires judgment relative to expected sales, estimating costs and making assumptions related to technical issues and delivery schedules. Contract costs include material, subcontract costs, labor and an allocation of overhead costs. The estimation of cost at completion of a contract is subject to numerous variables involving contract costs and estimates as to the length of time to complete the contract. Given the significance of the estimation processes and judgments described above, it is possible that materially different amounts of expected sales and contract costs could be recorded if different assumptions were used, based on changes in circumstances, in the estimation process. When a change in expected sales value or estimated cost is determined, changes are reflected in current period earnings.
sales is primarily due to an increase in power supply sales resulting from the commencement of shipments on a new significant military contract in the current fiscal year offset, in part, by a decrease in magnetic shipments due to timing and completion of specific contracts.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, gross profits were $1,255,204 and $1,128,505, respectively. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 22.2% and 21.2%, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. For the nine months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, gross profits were $5,791,956 and $3,552,397, respectively. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 23.5% and 20.8%, for the nine months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The primary factors in determining the change in gross profit and net income are overall sales levels and product mix. The gross profits on mature products and build to print contracts are typically higher as compared to products which are still in the engineering development stage or in early stages of production. In the case of the latter, the Company can incur what it refers to as "loss contracts," meaning engineering design contracts in which the Company invests with the objective of developing future product sales. In any given accounting period the mix of product shipments between higher margin programs and less mature programs, and expenditures associated with loss contracts, has a significant impact on gross profit and net income. The gross profit percentage increased in the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 primarily due to product mix, offset in part, by an increase in expenditures incurred related to engineering design investments. The gross profit percentage increased in the nine months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 primarily due to an increase in sales while expenditures incurred related to engineering design investments remained comparable to those incurred in the same period in 2017.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $895,129 for the three months ended March 31, 2018; an increase of $110,540, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $2,756,319 for the nine months ended March 31, 2018; an increase of $448,683 compared to the nine months ended March 31, 2017. The increase for the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 relates primarily to the increase in employee compensation costs and professional services. The increase for the nine months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 relates primarily to the increase in employee compensation costs, professional services, outside selling expenses incurred for outside sales representatives, and freight due to an increase in shipments.
Other income for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, was $56,112 and $47,399, respectively. Other income for the nine months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, was $140,797 and $85,076, respectively. The increase for the three and nine months is primarily due an increase in interest income resulting from the increase in investment securities. Interest income is a function of the level of investments and investment strategies which generally tend to be conservative.
The Company's effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2018, were 23.6% and 25.2%, respectively, compared to 28.7% and 29.0% for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2017. The effective tax rate is less than the statutory tax rate mainly due to the benefit the Company receives on its "qualified production activities" under The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 and the benefit derived from the ESOP dividends paid on allocated shares. The Company's effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2018 uses a blended statutory tax rate which factors the reduction in the corporate statutory tax rate authorized under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") effective on January 1, 2018. The Company remeasured certain U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the rates at which they are expected to reverse in the future, which is generally 21%, and provisionally recorded a net income tax expense of $35,200 related to the remeasurement in the second quarter of fiscal year 2018.
Net income for the three months ended March 31, 2018, was $317,764 or $0.14 per share both basic and diluted, respectively compared to $279,173 or $0.12 per share both basic and diluted, for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Net income for the nine months ended March 31, 2018, was $2,375,399 or $1.02 per share both basic and diluted compared to $944,076 or $0.41 per share both basic and diluted for the nine months ended March 31, 2017. The increase in net income per share for the three months ended March 31, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 was mainly due to an increase in gross profit resulting from higher sales and a higher gross profit percentage resulting from product mix offset, in part, by an increase in engineering design investments. In addition, the company received a benefit in the current period from the reduction in the Company's effective tax rate discussed above. The increase was offset, in part, by an increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses primarily related to employee compensation costs related to an increase in headcount.
comparable between periods. In addition, the company received a benefit in the current period from the reduction in the Company's effective tax rate discussed above. The increase was offset, in part, by an increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses primarily related to employee compensation costs related to an increase in headcount.
The Company's working capital is an appropriate indicator of the liquidity of its business, and during the past two fiscal years, the Company, when possible, has funded all of its operations with cash flows resulting from operating activities and when necessary from its existing cash and investments. The Company did not borrow any funds during the last two fiscal years. Management has available a $3,000,000 line of credit to help fund further growth or working capital and letter of credit needs, if necessary, but does not anticipate the need for any borrowed funds in the foreseeable future. Contingent liabilities on outstanding standby letters of credit agreements aggregated to zero at March 31, 2018 and 2017.
The Company's working capital as of March 31, 2018 and 2017 was approximately $30.0 million and $29.7 million, respectively. During the three and nine-months ended March 31, 2018 the Company repurchased 0 and 4,798 shares of its common stock from the Company's Employee Retirement Plan and Trust ("ESOP") for a purchase price of $0 and $109,694, respectively. During the three and nine months ended March 31, 2017 the Company repurchased 0 and 1,663 shares of its common stock from the ESOP for a purchase price of $0 and $44,335, respectively. Under existing authorizations from the Company's Board of Directors, as of March 31, 2018, management is authorized to purchase an additional $876,297 of Company stock.
Net cash provided by operating activities fluctuates between periods primarily as a result of differences in sales and net income, provisions for income taxes, the timing of the collection of accounts receivable, purchase of inventory, and payment of accounts payable. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities in the first nine months of fiscal year 2018 compared to the prior period relates primarily to an increase in accounts receivable and inventories and a reduction in accounts payable offset, in part, by an increase in net income resulting from higher sales in the current period. Net cash used in investing activities was less in the first nine months of fiscal year 2018 as compared to the prior period due to the purchase of a single significant security in the prior period. Cash used in financing activities consists primarily of dividend payments on common stock and the company's purchase and issuance of treasury stock. The increase in cash used in financing activities is due to an increase in dividends paid resulting from the increase in outstanding shares when compared to the same period in 2017. In addition, more shares were purchased from the Company's ESOP in the first nine months of fiscal year 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. This was offset, in part, from an increase in proceeds received from the exercise of stock options during the first nine months ended March 31, 2018 when compared with the same period in 2017.
During the nine months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company expended $632,023 and $331,686, respectively, for plant improvements and new equipment. The Company has budgeted approximately $2.5 million for new equipment and plant improvements in fiscal year 2018. As of March 31, 2018, purchase commitments for plant improvements and new equipment totaled $533,100. Management anticipates that the funds required will be available from current operations.
Management also believes that the Company's reserve for bad debts of $3,000 is adequate given the customers with whom the Company does business. Historically, bad debt expense has been minimal.
This report contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "goal," "expect," and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements represent the Company's current expectations or beliefs concerning future events. The matters covered by these statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, including the Company's dependence on timely development, introduction and customer acceptance of new products, the impact of competition and price erosion, supply and manufacturing constraints, potential new orders from customers and other risks and uncertainties. The foregoing list should not be construed as exhaustive, and the Company disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. The Company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.


Tuesdays 15:30-17:30: September 1, 8, 22 & 29.
Wednesdays 15:30-17:30: September 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30.
Children will use a variety of art materials to collage self-portraits making a large collage on poster board for a display.
Skills: glueing, cutting, drawing & painting.
2. We made Portfolios to store our unfinished art work at the studio.
3. We made leaf rubbings, cut them out and glued them to coloured paper while taking about what texture means.
Skills: Listening, following directions, staying on task, drawing and painting.
Materials: Crayon and watercolours on 300g paper.
2. End of day wrap up: Painting with rolling pins.
We will use an A4 template to trace a simple figure and children will decorate with yarn, paint, and special papers to create a 2D paper doll of themselves.
Learning our colours! Paint and glue.
Self identity picture with beaded wire to hang pictures.
2. We will work on creating a canvas for each color of the rainbow this fall. This week we will start with the colour purple.
4. Paper dolls (for those who have not done this yet) and an additional tactile project.
This entry was posted on August 14, 2015 by mslambert in Afterschool art program overview, art classes for kids the hague, Early childhood activities, Weekly art classes preschool prekindergarten and tagged After school art in The Hague, Children art The Hague, Early Childhood art, Early years art, mixing colors, Statenkwartier.