My current activities focus on the study of everyday functioning using Technology devices to allow an accurate assessment of the patient's cognitive difficulties in daily-life activities, but also to draw technology-based interventions. This includes investigations with elderly persons and neurological patients (traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome), with a focus on: 1) developing virtual reality applications for an everyday-like cognition assessment and 2) developing digital assistants embedded at home via connected objects.
Developmental differences in explicit and implicit conceptual memory tests: a processing view account.
Virtual/real transfer of spatial knowledge: benefit from visual fidelity provided in a virtual environment and impact of active navigation.
Using the landmark-route-survey framework to evaluate spatial knowledge obtained from synthetic vision systems.
Performance on a semantic verbal fluency task across time: dissociation between clustering, switching, and categorical exploitation processes.


Comfort food, one-pot meals, and other easy plant-based dishes to pack your plate.
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The moment Lily found out Alive were coming back!
Our vision is a world where older people live lives full of joy, meaning, and opportunity. Our mission is to put older people's mental health and wellbeing at the hear of care across the UK.
Alive enrich the lives of older people in care through a range of meaningful activity sessions, we train and support care staff to enhance older people's wellbeing and deliver outstanding care at every opportunity, we reduce older people's social isolation by connecting them to their local communities and we speak up for the rights of older people in care to those with the power to improve their lives.


text:
Q: Can you explain the operation of this RC network for a crystal oscillator? I am trying to work out what the RC network in the circuit below does and how it works. The circuit output is fed as input to a CD4060 binary counter. According to what I have read, the signal from the crystal into the CD4060 must be bounce-less and noise free. Is that what the RC network is doing? How does it work?

A: 10M provides the DC input self-centering bias so the CMOS can amplify the signal near Vdd/2 by virtue of negative feedback from the internal CMOS inverter.
The two C's are designed to match the crystal load rating for centre frequency. (C1//C2)
The 33k reduces the current so that the internal crystal lattice only draws <50uW due to the high density of power limitations on the crystal lattice inside. It does not affect the frequency and the voltage gain in the CMOS now working as an analog amplifier that limits to a square wave.

A: Very often, a crystal is operated at one of this resonant frequencies - however, not in this case !! Outside the frequencies for series- or parallel resonance the crystal can work as a capacitor or as a high-Q inductor Lq. The latter applies in the shown example.
As a consequence, we have a frequency-dependent feedback circuit which produces at a certain frequency 180deg phase shift which is necessary to fulfill the oscillation condition. (unity loop gain).
Verification: We have a 3rd-order lowpass in classical ladder structure:
33k-32pF-Lq-15pF.
The maximum phase shift is (for very large frequencies) -270 deg and there is one single frequency with a phase shift of -180deg. (as required).
As explained by Tony Stewart, the 10megohm resistor provides negative DC feedback for operational point stabilization.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to Completely Remove Footer in Beamer? As per How to Remove Footers of LaTeX Beamer Templates?, I can replace default footer with page numbers as follows:
%gets rid of bottom navigation bars
\setbeamertemplate{footline}[frame number]{}

%gets rid of navigation symbols
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}

But this is still unsatisfactory to me. I would like to completely remove the footer in some cases.
For instance, when I use the draft option, the footer will be opaque and completely covered. If some bullet points end up in that region, even partly, they can't be visible then.
So how can I completely remove the footer in Beamer presentations?

A: As it turns out, to get a completely blank bottom of a Beamer document you need to do this:
%gets rid of bottom navigation bars
\setbeamertemplate{footline}[frame number]{}

%gets rid of bottom navigation symbols
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}

%gets rid of footer
%will override 'frame number' instruction above
%comment out to revert to previous/default definitions
\setbeamertemplate{footline}{}

Now the Beamer footer is squeaky-blank, and when compiling using the draft option absolutely nothing encumbers the bottom part of the document. When removing the draft option for final compilation, you can comment out this last line to revert to previous definitions or to defaults.

A: In a similar fashion, you can use \setbeamertemplate{footline}[page number] to replace the footer line in all the slides with a simple slide count. If you want to keep the footer, but remove the header instead, simply use \setbeamertemplate{headline}. These have to do with the outer theme infoline in the beamer. If you don't use or comment the \useoutertheme{infolines} in the corresponding .sty file, both are removed.

Code for this:
\documentclass{beamer}
\mode<presentation> {

\usetheme{Madrid}
\usecolortheme{AbhiGreen} % this is my custom theme, you can use yours
\setbeamertemplate{headline} % this is the line/code you need to add to get rid of header

}

\title[short title]{title}
\author{Abhinav Sinha}
\institute[IITB]{Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (Mumbai), India \\
\medskip
\texttt{sinha.abhinav@iitb.ac.in}}
\date{\today}
\pgfdeclareimage[height=0.5cm]{university-logo}{IITBombayLogo.png}
\logo{\pgfuseimage{university-logo}}

\begin{document}

\begin{frame}
\titlepage
\end{frame}
\end{document}


text:
Investigation needed into attack on members of Mexican indigenous community
Amnesty International has urged the Mexican authorities to investigate an attack on members of an Indigenous Triqui community in the state of Oaxaca after a man and woman were shot dead by an armed group with alleged links to the authorities.Gunmen ambushed five members of an Indigenous people's organization near the village of Tres Cruces on Saturday 16 October, killing Teresa Ramirez Sánchez and Serafin Ubaldo Zurita. Two other men and a woman, whose names are withheld to protect them, survived the attack. One remains in hospital."This attack heightens the need for the authorities to protect the survivors, but also to take immediate steps to restore rule of law and protect human rights in this troubled part of southern Mexico," said Kerrie Howard, Americas deputy director at Amnesty International. "Armed groups have been operating in the area with impunity for many years. The authorities must act to restore the law, starting with a prompt and thorough investigation into the killings of Teresa Ramirez Sánchez and Serafin Ubaldo Zurita."The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights this month called on the Mexican authorities to protect the communities.The five victims of the attack, which took place between the towns of Santiago Juxtlahuaca and Yosoyuxi, were members of a political group known as the Independent Movement for Triqui Unity and Struggle (MULTI). The MULTI, supported by 700 Triqui people, established the autonomous Indigenous municipality of San Juan Copala on 1 January 2007.In September 2010, armed members of two other Triqui Indigenous people's organizations, known as UBISORT and MULT, took over the autonomous municipality of San Juan Copala and occupied the town. All residents identified as belonging to MULTI fled the town and relocated to neighbouring areas such as Yosoyuxi.San Juan Copala was under siege from November 2009 until September 2010, with armed groups surrounding the community and firing into the streets on a daily basis to intimidate local residents, many of whom had supported the MULTI. During the siege food, water and medical supplies were cut off.On 27 April 2010, armed men belonging to UBISORT ambushed a humanitarian convoy near San Juan Copala and killed two human rights defenders. On 7 September, armed men attacked and wounded two indigenous women from San Juan Copala. No one has been brought to justice for these crimes. For many years, armed groups, some believed to have links with local and state authorities, have harassed and killed Triqui Indigenous people because of their perceived affiliation with local Indigenous organizations. The state and federal authorities have taken insufficient action to dismantle the armed groups.
Chapter 4: Online Tourism Companies Doing Business in the Settlements

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Bulgari opens the first-ever Octo Lounge at LA's Westime Boutique
Five of the brand's record-breaking watches are spending the summer on Rodeo Drive.
Bulgari's Octo Finissimo collection is making its way to Beverly Hills this summer with a unique retail experience at Westime on Rodeo Drive. Called the Octo Lounge, the retail concept is the first of its kind from the brand to be dedicated to their men's watch collection with a digital storytelling experience that features a the ability to maneuver their watches via a touchscreen to examine the carefully crafted details of their record-breaking creations. All five of their world record watches will be on display and available for purchase and will also be joined by new Octo Finissimo releases such as the sinister-looking black ceramic Octo Finissmio Automatic (above).
The Octo Lounge is now open and will remain open until August 31st.
bulgari.com / westime.com
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/acquire/~3/bXM72yhikgA/bulgari-octo-lounge-westime-beverly-hills
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text:
Education: Another bitter West Virginia legislative battle will not be helpful
From The Parkersburg News and Sentinel:
Many West Virginians have been anticipating a special legislative session on public schools for weeks, since the collapse in early March of efforts to enact an "omnibus education bill." Now, lawmakers are scheduled to go back to Charleston for a special session beginning Monday.
Education may not be on the agenda.
House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and state Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, set the special session to begin at 2 p.m. Monday. They notified lawmakers in a one-sentence letter that specified only the time and date of the session. Nothing about what will be dealt with was revealed.
Sources at the Capitol have said the session will not deal with education, but with some of the 30 bills passed during the regular session earlier this year, but vetoed by Gov. Jim Justice. Though the governor indicated concerns about the objectives of some bills, others were vetoed for technical reasons. It is common for legislators to correct such problems and resubmit bills to governors.
Legislative work continues on education reform in West Virginia
Education officials, teachers unions prepare for West Virginia legislative session
2016 West Virginia AP legislative Lookahead
West Virginia lawmakers outline legislative priorities
EDITORIAL: #SaveStudentNewsrooms — the importance of student media
By KAMERON DUNCAN The Daily Athenaeum editorial It's often said that college campuses are places where ideas can…
At the Capitol: Discussion focuses on Loughry sentencing, education bill
By Phil Kabler Charleston Gazette-Mail For the West Virginia Press Association CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With the now-significantly different…
Daily Mail short takes: On Stadelman, Alpha Technologies and Camden Park
Charleston Gazette-Mail Daily Mail editorial: Stadelman, one of W.Va.'s best The Charleston Daily Mail family, journalism and all…
The push for more open government is constant
Editor's note: Sunshine Week, March 16-22, 2014, is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance…


When it comes time to learn about the addition properties, the distributive property is probably the most confusing.
It builds upon the ideas learned with the associative and commutative properties as well as the partial products concepts.
Below are a few worksheets that you can download and print out for personal or classroom use.
Simply click on the picture and you will be taken to Google Docs where you'll find a printable PDF file.
Each worksheet has instructions on it, but I thought it may helpful to cover them here as well.
In the first paper your child is shown an equation. All your child needs to do is re-write the problem using the distributive method. If you're feeling really mean, you could make them solve it too.
In the example at the top of the worksheet, I've shown how to write the new problem (and solved it), but all we're focusing on in this lesson is using the property.
The second activity sheet is the same basic idea, except your child just needs to fill in the missing numbers. Again, the focus is not on solving the problems as much as it is understanding how the two equations are the same.
It's time to get serious in the third printout. In this activity, students need to solve each problem using the property and as always...show their work!
That's it for now, be sure to check out the related math lessons below. As I mentioned earlier, this lesson builds upon the material I covered in the partial products worksheets and associative/commutative lessons.


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Home > Orwell Past > Village Streets and Historic Houses > High Street > No. 2 High Street (The Old School House) >
Orwell Present
Orwell Past
No. 2 High Street (The Old School House)
By David Miller
The Old School House was built in 1839, and comprised the schoolroom, and the living accommodation for the teacher. It has now been converted for use as a single house, and the schoolroom itself has had a floor inserted in order to double the floor area.
For details of how the school looked in the past, and how the school system was operated, go to 'Schools (and Education) in Orwell' under the heading "Places."
The yellow bricks used are common in this area, and were either made locally, or perhaps brought from the brickyards just to the east of Cambridge.
This spot was once the village 'Camping Close,' and it is shown on the Chicheley Map as "Campions." Campion, or Champion, was a sport somewhat akin to soccer, but with a lot more rough play involved. A blown up pig's bladder was used as a football.
This page was added by David Miller on 06/12/2012.
HIGH STREET WALK PART TWO.
St. Andrews Church from the Street.
No.1 High Street (The Town House.)
Fire at The Town House
No.3 High Street (The Old Post Office.)
No.27, High Street (Well House.)
No.30, High Street.
The Old Mulberry Tree in the High Street
Quick Link to 'Farms & Farming' (in "Topics")
Peasants ploughing with Oxen, 12th Century
Orwell Local History Society
Quick Link to 'Orwell Memories' (in "People")
Orwell Fruit Pickers (four members of Flack family)
Orwell Past and Present > http://www.orwellpastandpresent.org.uk/


Impact Stars At MSG (Photos), Opening For This Week's Impact, Ringside Wrestling - Kiswe Mobile App - Wrestling Inc.
- Above is the opening for this week's episode of Impact featuring Rosemary, Su Yung, LAX, Tessa Blanchard, Gail Kim, and others. Impact United We Stand goes down tonight at 11 pm ET, be sure to check out our live coverage of the event!
- Kiswe Mobile has launched a new mobile app called "Ringside Wrestling: A Hangtime Experience," which is available in the Apple and Google Play stores. The app brings together wrestling content with a unique social and interactive "Hang Together" experience pioneered by Kiswe Mobile. Starting tomorrow, Wrestling Inc.'s WINCLY will debut on Fridays with Raj Giri and Nick Hausman and will be on the "Ringside Wrestling: A Hangtime Experience" app. Below is the full release.
Kiswe Mobile has launched a new mobile app called "Ringside Wrestling: A Hangtime Experience" which is available in the Apple and Google Play stores. The app brings together wrestling content with a unique social and interactive "Hang Together" experience pioneered by Kiswe Mobile. This is the first app dedicated exclusively to fostering relationships within the wrestling community while providing a fully interactive mobile experience that creates a virtual living room amongst friends and fans.
Ringside Wrestling was originally established within Kiswe Mobile's own Hangtime™ app: an interactive and social mobile video platform. It quickly became clear that there was a market need for a more dedicated space for wrestling fans to gather and enjoy content together. With a rabid fanbase of wrestling enthusiasts, the Ringside app further serves this audience with an experience that truly connects the community.
The Ringside Wrestling app allows users to not only view exclusive wrestling content, but also interact with it. The app provides a number of interactive capabilities centered around a concept called "Hangs." Hangs are like virtual living rooms, where groups of friends or communities can feel like they are together. Users can join a "Private Hang" for a more intimate experience with a small set of friends, or a "Featured Hang" for larger groups of like-minded individuals. The app will also host wrestling related game shows including Fantasy Warfare, Wrestlepro Trivia, and others featuring notable wrestling personalities like Josh Mathews, where users will be able to earn points, compete for leaderboard positions, and earn badges for in-app achievements.
To access the Ringside Wrestling app, go to https://www.ringsidewrestling.app/ or download the "Ringside Wrestling: A Hangtime Experience" app from the Apple iOS or Google Play app stores.
- As announced earlier today, AAA's debut in MSG will take place on September 15. AAA has partnerships with Impact, MLW, and AEW, so it's expected talent from those promotions will be involved in some capacity. Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie and Tessa Blanchard visited MSG earlier today and it looks like they will be at the event in a couple months.


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Go Vote, Texans...In The Least Competitive State Legislative Races In The Country
It's nolo contendre in Texas legislative races
Richard Connelly | November 2, 2010 | 2:01pm
Not much action so far on this election day, although we have folks checking out the polling places (and feel free, readers, to pass on any reports of your own).
We guess the quiet shouldn't be so surprising because, according to a new study, Texas has the least competitive races in the country when it comes to seats in the state legislature.
Running to be a State Rep or State Senator? Chances are you won't have much opposition in the primary or general.
The study by Ballotpedia looked at 2010 races in all the states having them, seeing what kind of opposition incumbents had and how many candidates ran for open seats.
You want competition: Go to New Hampshire, Michigan or Arizona. (Geez -- there are 424 seats in the New Hampshire legislature. If they all draw competition, who the hell's not running?)
The least competitive states? Delaware, Tennessee and -- at the bottom of the pack -- Texas.
So apparently we all really, really love our state legislators. Or maybe redistricting and fund-raising scare off any competitors.
Overall, though, the study's authors found less ferment than expected at the state-legislature level, no matter what the state.
"When we first started building state-by-state lists of state legislative candidates, we were surprised at the number of seats where there was minimal or no competition. It was especially surprising because many observers on the national level regard 2010 as a highly-competitive election environment," they said.


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Tag archive for 'Francis Lawrence'
By Stephen Nevets On Thursday, June 16th, 2016
Universal hires Lisa Joy to write 'Battlestar Galactica' film, may get Francis Lawrence to direct
Universal appears to be serious about their adaptation of Battlestar Galactica to the big screen, hiring a writer and possibly landing director Francis Lawrence for the "first" film. Lisa Joy, who scripted More...
By Brandon Jones On Monday, November 30th, 2015
'Hunger Games Mockingjay part 2' ends the story with an epic adventure
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 wraps up the long, difficult adventure for Katniss and the resistance as they storm the Capitol to rip power away from Donald Sutherland's President Snow. Unlike the melodramatic More...
By Stephen Nevets On Wednesday, September 16th, 2015
New 'Hunger Games Mockingjay part 2' tease highlights Katniss and Prim
The Hunger Games franchise will close out this November, promising revolution, political propaganda, teen romance and war with Highlighted in a new promo is Katniss' (Jennifer Lawrence) devotion to her sister More...
By Zach Jones On Sunday, July 26th, 2015
New 'Hunger Games Mockingjay' trailer teaser the end of the game, traps, targeting Snow
The fight against President Snow in a new trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 will excite fans as the war appears to be escalated. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and the rest of District 13 More...
By Stephen Nevets On Wednesday, October 29th, 2014
Jennifer Lawrence gets 'Hunger Games Mockingjay' Empire magazine cover
Jennifer Lawrence is set to star in the two-part finale to the Hunger Games franchise and now graces the cover of the new Empire Magazine. The magazine's December 2014 issue celebrates the upcoming release More...
By Stephen Nevets On Sunday, February 23rd, 2014
'Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior' star Matt Ryan cast as 'Constantine' lead
NBC has cast the actor that will play John Constantine in their new comic book-based television series, Constantine. The show will be based on the DC Comics' Hellblazer. Deadline reports on Feb. 22 that Matt More...
By Stephen Nevets On Monday, November 18th, 2013
Watch 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' new clips and TV spot
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has released new clips and TV spot which features more Katniss's ongoing trials with the Capitol. The first new clip centers on the tributes showing off their skills in the training More...
By Stephen Nevets On Monday, October 28th, 2013
Final full trailer for 'The Hunger Games Catching Fire' highlights the action
The final full trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has arrived online and Jennifer Lawrence takes center stage as Katniss for the massive battle in the Quarter Quell. Recent trailers and promotions focus More...
By Stephen Nevets On Thursday, October 10th, 2013
Director Francis Lawrence discusses 'Hunger Games Catching Fire' and the love triangle
While still a month away, fans are clamoring for Hunger Games sequel news and new director Francis Lawrence discussed with New York Magazine how the film will be different from the Gary Ross film. "No shaky cam," More...
By Stephen Nevets On Monday, September 23rd, 2013
Director Francis Lawrence discusses 'Hunger Games Catching Fire,' says the story is 'much more complex'
In the latest Total Film magazine, which profiles many of the big films slated for the fall, director Francis Lawrence discusses the second Hunger Games film. "I really loved how the world opens up in the More...
By Stephen Nevets On Tuesday, January 15th, 2013
New 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire' poster and photo give fans look at Francis Lawrence on set
Lionsgate has released a new teaser poster and some new images for the highly anticipated upcoming sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The first images from the film were recently released, giving us a look More...


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CFPB Initiates Review of Credit Card Company Penalty Policies -- comments invited (by 8/1)
asked 7 months ago by Andrew Reamer (38.3k points)
edited 6 months ago by Andrew Reamer
July 18 -- Comment period extended to August 1, 2022. https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-15245
June 29 -- Credit Card Late Fees and Late Payments: A Proposed Rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
In order to support its rulemaking and other functions, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau or CFPB) is charged with monitoring for risks to consumers in the offering or provision of consumer financial products or services, including developments in markets for such products or services. As part of this mandate, the Bureau is seeking information from credit card issuers, consumer groups, and the public regarding credit card late fees and late payments, and card issuers' revenue and expenses. For example, the Bureau is seeking information relevant to certain provisions related to credit card late fees in the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act or the Act) and Regulation Z. Areas of inquiry include: factors used by card issuers to set late fee amounts; card issuers' costs and losses associated with late payments; the deterrent effects of late fees; cardholders' late payment behavior; methods that card issuers use to facilitate or encourage timely payments, including autopay and notifications; card issuers' use of the late fee safe harbor provisions in Regulation Z; and card issuers' revenue and expenses related to their domestic consumer credit card operations. Comments must be received by July 22, 2022.
[S]ection 149(a) of the CARD Act provides that the amount of any penalty fee or charge that a card issuer may impose with respect to a credit card account under an open-end consumer credit plan in connection with any omission with respect to, or violation of, the cardholder agreement, including any late payment fee, over-the-limit fee, or any other penalty fee or charge, must be reasonable and proportional to such omission or violation. Section 149(b) of the Act directs the Bureau to issue rules that establish standards for assessing whether the amount of any penalty fee or charge is reasonable and proportional to the omission or violation to which the fee or charge relates.
In issuing such rules, the Act requires the Bureau to consider: (1) the cost incurred by the creditor from an omission or violation; (2) the deterrence of omissions or violations by the cardholder; (3) the conduct of the cardholder; and (4) such other factors as the Bureau may deem necessary or appropriate. The Act authorizes the Bureau to establish different standards for different types of fees and charges, as appropriate. Finally, the Act authorizes the Bureau in consultation with other agencies to provide an amount for any penalty fee or charge that is presumed to be reasonable and proportional to the omission or violation to which the fee or charge relates.
Section 149(a) and (b) of the CARD Act is implemented in part in Regulation Z, § 1026.52(b)(1). In particular, under § 1026.52(b)(1), a card issuer must not impose a fee for violating the terms or other requirements of a credit card account, including a late payment, unless the issuer has determined that the dollar amount of the fee represents a reasonable proportion of the total costs incurred by the issuer for that type of violation consistent with § 1026.52(b)(1)(i) or complies with the safe harbor amounts consistent with § 1026.52(b)(1)(ii). Currently, § 1026.52(b)(1)(ii) sets forth a safe harbor of $30 generally for a late payment, except that it sets forth a safe harbor of $41 for each subsequent late payment within the next six billing cycles. The safe harbor dollar amounts in § 1026.52(b)(1)(ii) are subject to an annual inflation adjustment. A card issuer is not required to use the cost analysis in § 1026.52(b)(1)(i) to determine the amount of late fees if it complies with the safe harbor amounts in § 1026.52(b)(1)(ii).
The questions in this notice cover several areas relating to the forgoing statutory and regulatory provisions, as well as areas relating more generally to the domestic consumer credit card market. Areas of inquiry include: factors used by card issuers to set late fee amounts, including but not limited to the statutory factors described above; card issuers' costs and losses associated with late payments; the deterrent effects of late fees; cardholders' late payment behavior; methods that card issuers use to facilitate or encourage timely payments, including autopay and notifications; card issuers' use of the late fee safe harbor provisions in Regulation Z, § 1026.52(b)(1)(ii); and card issuers' revenue and expenses related to their domestic consumer credit card operations. In answering the questions below, card issuer commenters should base their answers on information relevant to their domestic consumer credit card portfolios. Other commenters should base their answers on information they have about the domestic consumer credit card market. . . .
FRN: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-13864
Credit Card Late Fees report (3.29.22): https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/research-reports/credit-card-late-fees/
2) June 22 (press release) -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is taking the first step toward addressing credit card company penalty policies costing consumers $12 billion each year, starting by looking at excessive late fees. In an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published today, the CFPB asks for information on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors' 2010 immunity provision for excessive late fees that allows credit card companies to escape enforcement scrutiny. The CFPB is seeking data about credit card late fees and late payments, assessing whether those fees are "reasonable and proportional." We are also seeking data about card issuers' revenue and expenses, the potential deterrent effect of late fees, and the role late fees play in credit card companies' profitability.
"Credit card late fees are big revenue generators for card issuers. We want to know how the card issuers determine these fees and whether existing rules are undermining the reforms enacted by Congress over a decade ago," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. "This effort is particularly timely since current rules might give companies the incentive to impose big hikes based on inflation."
Credit CARD Act of 2009: To address concerns of widespread abuse by the credit card industry, Congress enacted the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act). The law curtailed a range of junk fees, coercive contract clauses, and other suspicious practices. For example, Congress curtailed fee harvester cards and over-the-limit fees, "universal default" clauses, and hidden kickbacks to colleges marketing to students. It also created a range of other protections for cardholders, including limiting how much credit card companies could charge for penalties such as late fees. In a Congressionally mandated review of the CARD Act in 2013, the CFPB found that the CARD Act reduced the overall cost of credit card credit by two percentage points, but only reduced late fees by $1.5 billion per year.
Fed's Immunity Provision: The CARD Act banned excessive penalties. In 2010, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (Fed) voted to implement provisions of the CARD Act that required penalties to be "reasonable and proportional to the omission or violation." In its rule, the Fed prohibited generating more revenue from late fees than was necessary to cover the cost of late payment. However, the Fed also included a provision that allowed credit card issuers to escape enforcement scrutiny if they set fees at a particular level, even if the fees were not necessary to deter a late payment and generated excess profits. The Fed also allowed these fees to rise by inflation. Today, these limits have climbed to $30 for the first late payment and $41 for a subsequent late payment within 6 billing cycles.
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Consumer Financial Protection Act, Congress transferred the authority to adjust the late fee provisions from the Fed to the CFPB. Today, the CFPB has published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to review the Fed's immunity provision and determine whether adjustments are needed to address late fees. Late fee penalties are charged in addition to interest when a cardholder does not make the minimum payment by the due date.
Over 175 million Americans hold at least one credit card. In March, the CFPB issued a report, Credit Card Late Fees, that found that many major issuers charge the maximum late fee allowed under the immunity provisions; 18 of the top 20 issuers set late fees at or near the established maximum level. The report also found that the credit card market continues to generate sizable profit from late fees. Credit card companies charged $12 billion in late fee penalties in 2020. This makes up 10 percent of the total cost of credit cards to customers. And that revenue comes disproportionately from people living in low-income neighborhoods.
Today's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asks card issuers, consumer groups, and the public to comment on the following:
How do credit card issuers set late fee amounts? How is the fee determined to be considered reasonable or proportionate or at least related to the actual costs to the card issuer? How is the fee related to the statement balance?
Are revenue goals a factor in determining late fees? How do they figure into profitability for the card issuers?
What are card issuers' costs and losses associated with late payments?
Do late fees have a deterrent effect? Does the amount have a deterrent effect? Do card issuers impose other consequences other than late fees when payments are late?
What methods are card issuers using to encourage timely payments, including autopay and notifications?
How many calendar days after the due date do consumers make the late payment? For example, what percentage of accounts is less than 24 hours late versus 30 days late?
For card issuers, what annual income is coming from interest and fees? What are annual expenses?
Public input will inform revisions to Regulation Z, which implements the CARD Act and the Truth in Lending Act. The deadline for submitting comments is July 22, 2022.
Press release: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-initiates-review-of-credit-card-company-penalty-policies-costing-consumers-12-billion-each-year/
credit-cards


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Jamaica: 'I don't want to die like Noel Chambers' – Man in prison for 50 years without trial pleads for freedom
Jun 17, 2020 | Further Afield | 0 comments
(Jamaica Gleaner) – GEORGE WILLIAMS used a gut-wrenching application to the High Court to pour out his soul about the nearly five decades he has spent in an infested maximum-security prison awaiting trial and to make a desperate plea to win his freedom.
"I don't want to die like Noel Chambers before my matter returns to court," Williams pleaded in an emergency application that will be heard today by a judge in the St Catherine Circuit Court.
Chambers, 81, died on January 27 this year after spending the last 40 years in the Jamaican prison system awaiting trial for murder, a report by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has revealed.
The late Rastafarian was incarcerated at the governor general's pleasure in February 1980 after he was deemed unfit to plead to a charge of murder. He was subsequently declared fit to plead, but the case never made it back to court.
Chambers' body "showed evidence of chronic emaciation" and was covered with bedsores, vermin bites, and live bedbugs, the report said.
Williams is one of seven mentally ill men identified in the INDECOM report who have each spent at least 40 years in prison awaiting trial.
In an affidavit to the court, a copy of which was obtained by The Gleaner, the 71-year-old, who is incarcerated at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, opened up about the emotional anguish caused by countless broken promises that he would be taken to court "soon". He also cited seeing the backs of numerous convicted killers who entered the institution after him.
Williams was arrested and charged with killing another man during a violent attack on a family that was driving through his St Catherine community of Mount Rosser in July 1970, but the then 20-year-old was declared unfit to plead, according to his attorney, Isat Buchanan, and a family member.
Williams, in his affidavit, claimed that he has not received constant psychiatric treatment during his incarceration, but said several times – the last being February 22 this year – he was declared fit to plead and told he would soon face the court.
"I feel so good, but every time I was disappointed until I learnt that my fate may be to die in here before I ever see a courthouse again," he said.
The elderly man charged that he has been placed in cells with convicted killers and recounted personally meeting Earl Pratt, the inmate who escaped the death penalty three times before he was freed in 2007 at the age of 48 based on a landmark ruling by the United Kingdom Privy Council.
"I witnessed, in my 49 years in custody, all types of death-row prisoners being released from prison whilst I sit here hoping for my day in court. I pray I will get to see inside of a courthouse before my dying day."
The septuagenarian disclosed, too, that over the last couple of years, "insects would feed on my body both day and night".
"My life for the last 50 years has been a living hell. Prison is not a bed of rose(s)," he said.
Up to late yesterday, chief prosecutor Paula Llewellyn said it was too early to indicate whether her office would oppose Williams' application.
Llewellyn, the director of public prosecutions, indicated that she had not seen a copy of the case file or the medical report, but said the length of his incarceration is "heavily persuasive in respect of us not pursuing the prosecution".
"But we would not say that at this time until we have seen all of the information that is relevant … ," she said.
"All parties must try to expedite these cases, but we can't take any shortcuts."
News of Williams' possible release stoked excitement for his younger sibling, Aldrin Jones, who plans to be in the courtroom for today's hearing.
"My expectation [going to court today] is that he will be released to me. That's what I'm prepared for," Jones told The Gleaner on Tuesday.
Seeing his brother freed, Jones said, would mark the end of a long and frustrating journey.
He recounted, as an example, back in 2003 when he had to personally care for his older sibling while they were both incarcerated at the St Catherine prison. Jones was convicted for wounding with intent.
It was at that time, he said, that one of the attempts to free Williams was made with the help of an attorney. "The Spanish Town court office said at the time they had no trace of the case," he said, explaining why that effort was unsuccessful.
The following year, Jones said he learnt that he was going to be transferred to the Richmond Farm prison in St Mary, and pleaded with the prison authorities to give him a "likkle more time [at St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre] 'til me see the back a me bredda a go through the gate".
That request was denied, he said.
According to Jones, the last attempt to win his brother's freedom was contemplated last year, but abandoned because the family could not reach an agreement with the attorney they were seeking to retain.
Jones, who was six years old when the alleged crime was committed, said he could not recall details of the incident that landed his brother in prison.
According to Jones, his brother, the second of eight children for their mother, was born without any mental challenges, but migrated at an early age to Trench Town, St Andrew.
"He came back insane. The things that he would do you could tell that something was not right," he said.


One of my favourite reaction images!
I feel like that after my dads cooking! lolz!
Awww the poor sick dalek...very funny though , nice job.
Impressively detailed for such a small image.
Do not feed the Dalek o.O"
A barfing dalek... that's a new one!
Cute work! I love it!


2011 Mitsubishi Triton GLR Manual Turbo Diesel 4x4 ! Just arrived with great Log Book Service History . This Triton is ready for your next adventure. Low Kilometres, Bullbar, Spotlights, LED light bar, Snorkel, Towbar, Sports bar, the list goes on !! All you need is here..Enquire today Easy Finance Available We are a family run business operating from morayfield for the last 17 years with 5000 plus happy customers, we stand behind the quality and excellent value in all of our cars we are also RACQ Approved Dealership......This vehicle is supplied with a current QLD Safety Cert (RWC) and a clear title PPSR Certificate, we sell cars throughout Australia so they are advertised excluding Registration and Government charges. PLEASE Note our vehicles are advertised automatically through the Redbook code and are not specific to this vehicle. Please confirm all advertised details prior to Purchase, THANKS.


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Use of trachea-bronchial swab qPCR testing to confirm Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae seropositivity in an SPF breeding herd
Frédéric Vangroenweghe1,
Eveline Willems2,
Jiří Malášek3,
Olivier Thas4,5 &
Dominiek Maes6
Porcine Health Management volume 4, Article number: 12 (2018) Cite this article
A dedicated program to monitor for freedom of several economically important diseases is present within most of the breeding companies that currently deliver high health breeding animals to their customers. Serology is therefore the preferential approach in order to screen for most of these diseases, including Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae). However, in case of positive serology, further decisions on farm health status and the related consequences should be based on additional confirmation tests.
The current case report demonstrates that tracheo-bronchial swab (TBS) sampling is a suitable alternative to confirm a suspect M. hyopneumoniae-seropositive situation. A Central-European SPF herd was shown positive (90% positive, 10% suspect; n = 10) for M. hyopneumoniae using the conventional ELISA serology (Idexx HerdChek Mhyo ELISA) and a second ELISA test (IDEIA™ Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae EIA kit) did not exclude potential M. hyopneumoniae infection (10% positive, 70% suspect; n = 10). Further follow-up remained inconclusive on both tests. Throughout the entire monitoring period of 6 months, no coughing, necropsy lesions or lesions at slaughter could be detected which could confirm the M. hyopneumoniae health status. TBS sampling was used to confirm the health status for M. hyopneumoniae. In total, 162 samples were collected at different ages (n = 18 per age category): piglets at 3–6–9-12 and 15 wks of age, rearing gilts at 18–21-24 and 27 weeks of age. Collected TBS samples were negative for M. hyopneumoniae until 15 wks of age, but rearing gilts were highly M. hyopneumoniae-positive from 18 wks onwards with 87–100% M. hyopneumoniae-positive animals and PCR Ct-values between 25 and 33.
This case report shows that collection of TBS samples to confirm the M. hyopneumoniae infection status of a breeding herd was able to provide additional information to serology in order to make crucial decisions concerning health management and eradication strategies within the breeding herd.
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae), the primary pathogen of enzootic pneumonia, occurs worldwide and causes major economic losses to the pig industry. The pathogen adheres to and damages the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract. Affected pigs usually show chronic coughing, are more susceptible to other respiratory infections and have a reduced performance [1]). Moreover, M. hyopneumoniae plays a key role in the Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC) through interactions with several other respiratory pathogens.
Piglets can become infected with M. hyopneumoniae during the suckling period and many studies have shown M. hyopneumoniae-positive animals from weaning onwards [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Moreover, once infected with M. hyopneumoniae, animals can excrete the pathogen over a long period of time, with total clearance lasting till 254 days post-infection [8]. This implies that infected gilts could carry M. hyopneumoniae well across their first pregnancy into their first lactation cycle, infecting their offspring with M. hyopneumoniae in early life.
Therefore, dedicated programs to monitor for freedom of M. hyopneumoniae have been developed within breeding companies that currently deliver high health breeding animals to their customers. Serology using ELISA is the preferential approach in order to screen for M. hyopneumoniae [9,10,11,12,13,14]. In case of positive serology, further decisions on farm health status and the related consequences should be based on additional confirmation tests. Clinical diagnosis of enzootic pneumonia can be verified by serological analysis [10]. However, in SPF programmes, the herd prevalence of M. hyopneumoniae infections is often low and the positive herd predictive value of a serological result decreases progressively with the decreasing herd prevalence [15]. Moreover, ELISA testing of sera from naturally infected pigs does not detect early-stage infection prior to seroconversion [16, 17], and infection and vaccination responses are indistinguishable. Under field conditions, the mean time to onset of coughing following an M. hyopneumoniae infection was 13 days, whereas the mean time between onset of coughing and seroconversion as measured by ELISA was 9 days [10]. Recent research has shown that currently used ELISA tests only start showing a seroconversion from 21 days post-infection onwards [18]. The percentage of animals seroconverting in the early stages of M. hyopneumoniae infection using one of the commercially available M. hyopneumoniae ELISAs remains relatively low (16–22% at 21 days and 35–45% at 28 days post-infection) [18]. This implies that a large number of samples is needed to reliably detect the presence of M. hyopneumoniae within the monitored herd. In the Danish SPF program, the final verification of herd infection with M. hyopneumoniae is consequently performed by demonstration of the agent [10]. A recent comparative study on diagnostic sampling approach for M. hyopneumoniae detection showed that laryngeal swabs were a reliable option to establish early detection of M. hyopneumoniae, followed by brocho-alveolar lavage fluids and nasal swabs [18]. Other innovative sampling techniques, such as tracheo-bronchial swab (TBS) sampling [6, 7, 19] have been introduced in combination with PCR detection of M. hyopneumoniae to reliably detect the pathogen of infected animals. The objective of the current case report is to show that TBS sampling is a suitable method to confirm a suspect M. hyopneumoniae-seropositive situation.
A high health breeding farm in Central Eastern Europe (220-sow herd) had been negative for M. hyopneumoniae for more than 20 years using a standard serological monitoring schedule (3×/year; 25 samples per time point) with a commercially available M. hyopneumoniae ELISA test (Idexx HerdChek Mhyo ELISA, indirect ELISA; Idexx Laboratories). Besides freedom for M. hyopneumoniae, the farm was also negative for Pasteurella multocida DNT+, Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.
External biosecurity is at the highest level, with no entrance to visitors and strict shower protocols for all farm personnel upon entrance of the farm. Internal biosecurity is also well established with boot hygiene (washing and disinfection) between production groups (sows, piglets, rearing gilts), clean disinfection baths at entrance of each individual compartment and no movement of other materials (cleaning equipment, pig handling materials, etc.) between production groups.
The sow farm is run on a 3-week batch management system with 7 groups of 32 sows each. Productive sows, weaned piglets and rearing gilts are housed in separate buildings on the premises. Successive batches of weaned piglets from 4 weeks until 16 weeks of age are housed in separate nursery compartments with strict all-in all-out (AI/AO) strategies. From 16 weeks of age onwards, rearing gilts are housed in a larger barn that is not managed according to AI/AO strategies.
Standard serological monitoring for M. hyopneumoniae
At gilt delivery (27 weeks of age), regular serological sampling to assess M. hyopneumoniae status was performed throughout the last decade, repeatedly confirming the M. hyopneumoniae-negative status. The farm first tested positive for M. hyopneumoniae using the first ELISA serology (Idexx HerdChek Mhyo ELISA, indirect ELISA; Idexx Laboratories) in March 2017. Additional monitoring one month later (Idexx) confirmed the M. hyopneumoniae positivity and therefore, a second ELISA test (IDEIA™ Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae EIA kit; Oxoid – Thermo Scientific) was performed, demonstrating a clear evolution towards lower M. hyopneumoniae-positivity in both ELISA tests used. This decreasing trend did however not persist in the fourth sampling showing again a gradual increase in M. hyopneumoniae-titers. The number of positive samples obtained with both ELISA tests on each sampling date are given in Table 1.
Table 1 Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae standard ELISA (Idexx HerdChek Mhyo ELISA, indirect ELISA; Idexx Laboratories; S/P-ratio, sample to positive ratio) monitoring results from March 2017 onwards. Results of the second ELISA test (IDEIA™ Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae; Oxoid – Thermo Scientific; PI, percentage of inhibition) are also given. Table demonstrates total number of samples and number of samples with negative (Idexx, S/P < 0.30; IDEIA™, PI ≥ 65%), suspect (Idexx, 0.30 ≤ S/P ≤ 0.40; IDEIA™, 50% ≥ PI > 65%) or positive (Idexx, S/P > 0.40; IDEIA™, PI < 50%) M. hyopneumoniae ELISA results. Mean titers (± SEM) for Idexx ELISA (expressed as S/P-ratio) and IDEIA™ ELISA (expressed as PI) are given per sampling timepoint
Monitoring of clinical signs and lung lesions
Moreover, throughout the entire monitoring period, no coughing, lung lesions at necropsy or at slaughter could be detected.
Epidemiological information: M. hyopneumoniae in neighboring farms and wind direction
Several other swine farms, some belonging to the same production group, are located within a range of 2–3 km from the described SPF farm. Farm VS, a fattening unit directly related to the SPF source farm, is located at 1.35 km air distance in western direction and Farm VH, an unrelated 35-sow herd, is located at 2.25 km air distance in south-south-eastern direction. Epidemiological information on disease state, including M. hyopneumoniae, is actively exchanged among these different farms. Under the local conditions, wind direction is most often from a western direction with high wind speed (source: http://oze.tzb-info.cz/vetrna-energie/9800-vetrne-podminky-v-ceske-republice-ve-vysce-10-m-nad-povrchem-ii). During the last quarter of 2017, both farms (VS, fattening unit and VH, sow unit) were detected M. hyopneumoniae-positive on serological monitoring using the conventional ELISA test (Idexx HerdChek Mhyo ELISA, indirect ELISA; Idexx Laboratories).
Diagnostic approach with TBS
Tracheo-bronchial sampling was performed as previously described [6, 7]. Briefly, TBS samples were obtained following restraint of the piglets with a nose snare, and subsequent use of a mouth opener. The aspiration tube used (CH12 × 50 cm; Medinorm) was inserted through the mouth and glottis down to the trachea-bronchial bifurcation where mucus was collected through gentle swab movement. The tip of the swab was collected in a sterile 10 mL polystyrene tube (MLS), mixed with 1 mL sterile saline and kept at 3–5 °C until analysis within 48 h of sampling.
Analysis of tracheo-bronchial swabs
The material collected by TBS was processed in a M. hyopneumoniae p183 real-time-PCR [20]. Nucleic acid was extracted from TBS using an RNA/DNA isolation kit (MagMAX Pathogen RNA/DNA Kit; Life Technologies) and an automated nucleic acid isolation processor (MagMAX Express 96 processor; Life Technologies) based on magnetic bead technology. One millilitre of TBS was centrifuged for 5 min at 16,000 g, the pellet suspended in 400 μL lysis buffer, and 400 μL of the suspension was used as the sample. If no pellet was observable, 300 μL of the TBS was used as the sample. Bead mix and lysis/binding solution were added and the mix transferred onto a 96-well plate in the processor. Nucleic acid isolation was performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. The PCR results were reported as negative (Ct ≥ 37) or positive (Ct < 37) for the presence of M. hyopneumoniae based on a Ct-threshold value. The detection limit range for M. hyopneumoniae reported [20] was from 10 ng/μL to 2.5 fg/μL. The detection limit for the PCR was validated for TBS spiked with dilutions of M. hyopneumoniae strain J (ATCC 25934) of at least 5 fg/μL.
Sampling for determination of freedom of disease
The minimal number of samples needed to show 'freedom of disease' in the farm was calculated (http://epitools.ausvet.com.au), using FreeCalc – sample size calculation for freedom testing with imperfect tests using the modified hypergeometric distribution for exact hypothesis testing, with the assumption that maximum 2.5% of the animals (n = 6000) present on the farm were positive for M. hyopneumoniae, assuming test sensitivity and specificity of the TBS/qPCR combination of 75 and 100%, respectively [19, 20]. Based on this calculation, a total of 162 samples were collected at different ages (n = 18 per age category): piglets at 3–6–9-12 and 15 weeks of age and rearing gilts at 18–21-24 and 27 weeks of age.
Statistical analysis for TBS positivity and Ct value
For the assessment of the overall effect of sampling date on the probability of a positive qPCR result, a Pearson chi-squared test was used. Pairwise comparisons between sampling dates was also performed with Pearson chi-squared tests, with p-values adjusted with the Holm procedure. All per-comparison p-values were computed by referring to the permutation null distribution of the test statistics. The latter were approximated based on 2000 random permutations. The overall effect of age (n = 9 age groups) on the average Ct values was assessed by means of an F-test in a one-way ANOVA. Post-hoc multiple comparisons of means were performed with Tukey's method. The overall effect of age (n = 9 age groups) on the probability of a positive qPCR result was assessed by means of the Pearson chi-squared test. Multiple pairwise comparisons were also done with Pearson chi-squared tests, with p-values adjusted with Holm's procedure.
All overall tests were performed at the 5% level of significance. Multiple comparison tests were performed simultaneously at the 5% familywise error rate (FWER) level. All data analyses were performed with the R statistical software version 3.4.3. [21].
M. hyopneumoniae detection using TBS and subsequent PCR
During lactation and nursery phase (from 3 until 15 weeks of age), no M. hyopneumoniae could be detected using PCR testing. However, once the animals entered the rearing barn located at the same site, M. hyopneumoniae was clearly present. Among the gilts from 18 until 27 weeks of age, the percentage of positive animals significantly increased (P < 0.05) to 87–100% in the oldest age group (Fig. 1). PCR Ct values initially decreased with age, starting at 29 in animals of 18 weeks of age, to 25 in animals of 21 weeks of age; and subsequently increased up to 30 and 33 in animals of 24 and 27 weeks of age, respectively (Fig. 1). Ct values were significantly different (P < 0.05) from 37, the cut-off value for PCR test positivity.
Tracheo-bronchial swab (TBS) sampling results of different age categories (n = 18 animals per age category) at the Central-European SPF herd. Piglets of 3–6–9-12 and 15 weeks and rearing gilt of 18–21-24 and 27 weeks of age were sampled. The qPCR M. hyopneumoniae-positive animals per age category were expressed as percentage (red line). The Ct values of those qPCR M. hyopneumoniae-positive TBS samples (Ct < 37) were expressed as means (± SEM; blue bars)
The current case report demonstrated that diagnosis of an M. hyopneumoniae infection can be difficult using the standard monitoring tools, such as clinical observation, serology [10] and slaughterhouse checks for typical lung lesions [1]. It was also shown that PCR testing on TBS samples confirmed the M. hyopneumoniae health status of a breeding herd. This allowed the farmer to make decisions concerning health management within the breeding company.
Interestingly, the collected TBS samples only showed M. hyopneumoniae-positive results from 18 weeks onwards, which is the age category that enters the gilt rearing barn. Until now, it is unclear how the M. hyopneumoniae infection has entered the farm. Generally, the major source of M. hyopneumoniae introduction into a farm is considered newly arrived subclinically M. hyopneumoniae-infected gilts, especially since M. hyopneumoniae-infected animals can excrete the pathogen for up to 254 days following initial infection [8]. However, this nucleus herd has not received any live breeding animals for many years.
A second hypothesis is that the M. hyopneumoniae entered the farm by airborne transmission from infected neighboring farms. Under favorable climatic conditions, aerogenous spread of M. hyopneumoniae between neighboring herds over varying distances has been demonstrated [22,23,24]. Indeed, the farm in the reported case had neighboring swine herds within a 1.5 to 3-km range. Moreover, epidemiological information shared among these neighboring farms clearly indicated that a break in M. hyopneumoniae health status had also happened during this year based on the results of their regular serological monitoring. Unfortunately, we do not have details on which of these swine farms first broke with its M. hyopneumoniae health status, although based on prevailing wind direction, farm VS which is located west from the SPF nucleus herd could be a good candidate.
Another source of potential introduction might be through an M. hyopneumoniae-infected transport vehicle. Especially under winter conditions, cleaning and disinfection of transport vehicles is not always easy to perform. Recently, M. hyopneumoniae survival on stainless steel at 4 °C was demonstrated for at least 2 days (max. 8 days for some strains) [25]. This would imply that the regular procedure for SPF pig-free downtime of 48 h for transport vehicles cannot always guarantee a 100% M. hyopneumoniae-free vehicle. Analysis of the M. hyopneumoniae infection kinetics on the farm revealed that the M. hyopneumoniae infection was first detected within the gilt rearing barn. This is also the location from which gilts are selected and loaded for external transport. Therefore, the probability of a biosecurity breach at the gilt loading point seems possible, since external biosecurity at all other levels has always been at the very high level. Moreover, once the M. hyopneumoniae infection entered this section of the farm, M. hyopneumoniae could easily further spread within the age groups from 18 until 27 weeks, which is not managed under strict AI/AO conditions. The reason why no coughing nor typical lung lesions were present is not clear. It may be due to the rather good housing conditions, e.g. air quality and level of dust [26, 27] and/or the fact that a low-virulent strain was circulating [28].
Although a break in biosecurity seems unlikely, it should be considered as another option for M. hyopneumoniae introduction into the farm. A 4-year research demonstrated that a 1-night downtime period is sufficient to prevent mechanical spread of both PRRSV and M. hyopneumoniae by personnel and fomites [29]. Moreover, that study concluded that basic sanitation procedures, such as hand hygiene and the use of both boots and coveralls should be enough to prevent mechanical spread and therefore, the implementation of a shower protocol is even not necessary [29]. In the present breeding farm, besides regular personnel, showering in on every entry, no visitors were admitted, except for the TBS sampling needed to confirm the M. hyopneumoniae infection status.
Further diagnostics is ongoing to confirm the M. hyopneumoniae infection status of the sow population, since TBS could not detect M. hyopneumoniae-positive piglets till 15 weeks of age. Based on the results of this monitoring, a specified eradication plan will be designed to result in a renewed M. hyopneumoniae-negative gilt outflow to the end customers.
The present case report showed that for several months, M. hyopneumoniae infection in an SPF-herd may occur without clinical symptoms and typical lung lesions. In addition, serological testing may be difficult to interpret, and PCR testing on TBS may be needed to establish a conclusive diagnosis.
AI/AO:
All-in/all-out
ANOVA:
Ct value:
threshold value
DNT:
Dermo-necrotic toxin
ELISA:
M.hyopneumoniae :
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
PCR:
PRRSV:
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus
qPCR:
Specific pathogen free
TBS:
Tracheo-bronchial swab
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The authors greatly acknowledges all the swine herd personnel for assistance during sampling. The authors acknowledge the background support by dr. Katerina Nechvatalova in arranging the farm visit and providing the details on weather data.
The study was funded by Elanco Animal Health, which facilitated the sampling and analysis of TBS samples.
The datasets analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Elanco Animal Health Benelux, Benelux, Plantijn en Moretuslei 1 – 3rd floor, 2018, Antwerpen, Belgium
Frédéric Vangroenweghe
Topigs-Norsvin International, Vught, The Netherlands
Eveline Willems
Topigs Norsvin CZ, Brno, Czech Republic
Jiří Malášek
Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Olivier Thas
National Institute for Applied Statistics Research Australia (NIASRA), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Department of Swine Herd Health and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
Dominiek Maes
FV coordinated the entire study from study design to data collection and writing of the manuscript. EV and JM provided the herd for this case report and JM supported the sampling of the 162 animals at the herd. OT performed data analysis and DM advised in study design and supported the manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Frédéric Vangroenweghe.
FV is currently a Sr. Technical Consultant Swine for Benelux within Elanco Animal Health. He holds a DVM and a PhD in Veterinary Sciences, has a specific specialization in TBS sampling in pigs from 2 weeks of age until slaughter, including replacement gilts and productive sows.
Vangroenweghe, F., Willems, E., Malášek, J. et al. Use of trachea-bronchial swab qPCR testing to confirm Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae seropositivity in an SPF breeding herd. Porc Health Manag 4, 12 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-018-0088-3
Accepted: 29 April 2018
Breeding Herd
Hyopneumoniae
Hyopneumoniae Infection
Entire Monitoring Period


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text:
First Trailer for British Comedy 'Dad's Army' Features Toby Jones and Michael Gambon
by Dave Trumbore August 12, 2015
American audiences might know them best as Dr. Arnim Zola, Dumbledore, and Shaun's step-father Philip, but Toby Jones, Michael Gambon, and Bill Nighy are set to appear together as World War II soldiers in Oliver Parker's British sitcom adaptation, Dad's Army. Based on the 1968 series by the same name, the plot will follow the volunteer members of a fictional British town's platoon tasked with defending against possible invasion. The arrival of a female journalist (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and German spy aim to complicate their job. I can't say I'm familiar with the original show but that doesn't stop this new teaser trailer from being quirky and charming.
Tom Courtenay, Bill Paterson, Daniel Mays, Blake Harrison, Sarah Lancashire, Alison Steadman, and Mark Gatiss also star. Dad's Army will open in the U.K. and U.S. on the same day – February 5, 2016 – reuniting the Allied Powers once more. Check out the trailer below, along with a new image and poster (via Empire):
Here's the film's official synopsis:
It is 1944 and World War II is reaching its climax. The Allies are poised to invade France and finally defeat the German army. But in Walmington-on-Sea morale amongst the Home Guard is low. Their new mission then – to patrol the Dover army base – is a great chance to revive spirits and reputation, that is until glamorous journalist Rose Winters arrives to write about their exploits, setting the pulses racing and putting the local women on red alert. MI5 then discover a radio signal sent direct to Berlin from Walmington-on-Sea. There's a spy on the loose! The outcome of the war is suddenly at stake, and it falls to our unlikely heroes to stand up and be counted.
Image via DJ Films
Greta Gerwig on the Difficulty of Keeping 'Mistress America' a Secret
'Straight Outta Compton' Cast, Ice Cube and DJ Yella Talk Memorable Moments…
• Bill Nighy • Catherine Zeta-Jones • Dad's Army • Images • Michael Gambon • Poster • Toby Jones • Trailer


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