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HomeBrain hemispheres
Brain hemispheres
Gut and brain health
July 10, 2021 November 14, 2021 gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Amygdala, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Brainstem, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Immune system, Limbic system, Lower brain, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Stress, Testosterone	Brain neurons, Control group, Genetic factors, Infants, Neurodegenerative disease
This 2021 human review subject was interactions of gut health and disease with brain health and disease:
"Actions of microbial metabolites are key for appropriate gut-brain communication in humans. Among these metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), tryptophan, and bile acid metabolites / pathways show strong preclinical evidence for involvement in various aspects of brain function and behaviour.
Dietary fibres, proteins, and fats ingested by the host contain components which are metabolized by microbiota. SCFAs are produced from fermentation of fibres, and tryptophan-kynurenine (TRP-KYN) metabolites from dietary proteins. Primary bile acids derived from liver metabolism aid in lipid digestion, but can be deconjugated and bio-transformed into secondary bile acids.
One of the greatest challenges with human microbiota studies is making inferences about composition of colonic microbiota from faeces. There are known differences between faecal and caecal microbiota composition in humans along with spatial variation across the gastrointestinal tract.
It is difficult to interpret microbiome-host associations without identifying the driving influence in such an interaction. Large cohort studies may require thousands of participants on order to reach 20 % explanatory power for a certain host-trait with specific microbiota-associated metrics (Shannon diversity, relative microbial abundance). Collection of metadata is important to allow for a better comparison between studies, and to identify differentially abundant microbes arising from confounding variables."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763421001032 "Mining Microbes for Mental Health: Determining the Role of Microbial Metabolic Pathways in Human Brain Health and Disease"
Don't understand why these researchers handcuffed themselves by only using PubMed searches. For example, two papers were cited for:
"Conjugated and unconjugated bile acids, as well as taurine or glycine alone, are potential neuroactive ligands in humans."
Compare scientific coverage of PubMed with Scopus:
2017 paper: PubMed citations 39; Scopus citations 69.
2019 paper: PubMed citations 69; Scopus citations 102.
Large numbers of papers intentionally missing from PubMed probably influenced this review's findings, such as:
"There are too few fibromyalgia and migraine microbiome-related studies to make definitive conclusions. However, one fibromyalgia study found altered microbial species associated with SCFA and tryptophan metabolism, as well as changes in serum levels of SCFAs. Similarly, the sole migraine-microbiota study reported an increased abundance of the kynurenine synthesis GBM (gut-brain module).
Due to heterogeneity of stroke and vascular disease conditions, it is difficult to make substantial comparisons between studies. There is convincing evidence for involvement of specific microbial genera / species and a neurovascular condition in humans. However, taxa were linked to LPS biosynthesis rather than SCFA production.
Several studies suggest lasting microbial changes in response to prenatal or postnatal stress, though these do not provide evidence for involvement of SCFA, tryptophan, or bile-acid modifying bacteria. Similar to stress, there are very few studies assessing impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on microbiota."
These researchers took on a difficult task. Their study design could have been better.
Take acetyl-L-carnitine for early-life trauma
July 5, 2021 August 16, 2021 gettingwell4 5+ stars Premium, Amygdala, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Primal Therapy, Serotonin, Stress	Antidepressants, Brain neurons, Control group, DNA methylation, Embryo development, Infants, Neural plasticity, Prefrontal cortex, Unconscious memories
This 2021 rodent study traumatized female mice during their last 20% of pregnancy, with effects that included:
Prenatally stressed pups raised by stressed mothers had normal cognitive function, but depressive-like behavior and social impairment;
Prenatally stressed pups raised by control mothers did not reverse behavioral deficits; and
Control pups raised by stressed mothers displayed prenatally stressed pups' behavioral phenotypes.
"Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) protected against and reversed depressive-like behavior induced by prenatal trauma:
ALCAR was supplemented in drinking water of s → S mice either from weaning to adulthood (3–8 weeks), or for one week in adulthood (7–8 weeks). ALCAR supplementation from weaning rendered s → S mice resistant to developing depressive-like behavior.
ALCAR supplementation for 1 week during adulthood rescued depressive-like behavior. One week after ALCAR cessation, however, the anti-depressant effect of ALCAR was diminished.
Intergenerational trauma induces social deficits and depressive-like behavior through divergent and convergent mechanisms of both in utero and early-life parenting environments:
We establish 2-HG [2-hydroxyglutaric acid, a hypoxia and mitochondrial dysfunction marker, and an epigenetic modifier] as an early predictive biomarker for trauma-induced behavioral deficits; and
Demonstrate that early pharmacological correction of mitochondria metabolism dysfunction by ALCAR can permanently reverse behavioral deficits."
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-021-02255-2 "Intergenerational trauma transmission is associated with brain metabotranscriptome remodeling and mitochondrial dysfunction"
Previously curated studies cited were:
This dietary supplement is better for depression symptoms than placebo; and
A common dietary supplement that has rapid and lasting antidepressant effects.
This study had an effusive endorsement of acetyl-L-carnitine in its Discussion section, ending with:
"This has the potential to change lives of millions of people who suffer from major depression or have risk of developing this disabling disorder, particularly those in which depression arose from prenatal traumatic stress."
I take a gram daily. Don't know about prenatal trauma, but I'm certain what happened during my early childhood.
I asked both these researchers and those of Reference 70 for their estimates of a human equivalent to "0.3% ALCAR in drinking water." Will update with their replies.
Week 9 of Changing to a youthful phenotype with broccoli sprouts
May 31, 2020 August 8, 2020 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Beliefs, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Epigenetics, Immune system, Limbic system, Lower brain, Memory, Neurochemicals, Primal Therapy, Stress	Brain neurons, Conscious awareness, Dr. Arthur Janov, Levels of consciousness, Neural plasticity
To follow up Week 8 of Changing to a youthful phenotype with broccoli sprouts:
1. This week has really been different.
A. Physically, on Friday Eve I worked out per my usual upper-body-workout-every four-days routine. I felt strong, and on one exercise I increased the weight by 33%. No problem doing the same number of reps and sets! Keeping good form was challenging.
Per Week 7, I eight-count each concentric rep slowly, then perform each eccentric rep to the same count, with a goal to reach muscle exhaustion during each set. Then pause and do another set.
What changed? Could I have done all this before?
No. I'd tried, making baby steps with increasing weight and keeping good form. But now I can, and I'll do it again, along with other physical challenges.
B. Seven of this week's blog posts may be evidence of improved cognitive function. Awakening was how it felt.
Is A claim of improved cognitive function sufficient evidence?
C. This 35th blog post for May comes after 30 posts in April. It wasn't my goal to do one a day. It's my goal to Surface Your Real Self. Did a few of them help?
I hope to do other things with my life in June. But the fact remains that humans are herd animals. We "think in herds, go mad in herds, while they [we] only recover their [our] senses slowly, one by one." We'll stay in the Madness of Crowds phase until enough people refuse to be propagandized.
2. As a result of reading A pair of broccoli sprout studies, I changed practices to start batches with one tablespoon of broccoli seeds twice a day so I could consume broccoli sprouts twice daily. Right now it's a PITA task that requires optimization.
The two studies' findings were:
Broccoli sprouts are better than supplements.
Eating sprouts twice a day is better than eating them once a day.
When in doubt, refer back to Item 1.
3. I reordered broccoli seeds and will receive them next week. In the meantime, I introduced yet another unknown by consuming sprouts that came from a different vendor:
These seeds are smaller. Hundreds of seeds and seed coats annoyingly pass through my strainer, which didn't happen with larger seeds. 3-day-old sprout sizes are smaller, and they smell and taste different.
This vendor put "seed" four times on their label. The other vendor didn't bother to put "seed" even once on their broccoli seed package label.
Like other vendors, they prefer buzzword marketing with "microgreen" and "sprouting" rather than provide useful consumer information such as number of seeds and broccoli variety characteristics. Will people buy "Broccoli Sprouting Seeds" but won't buy Broccoli Seeds? Do people say "Cool beans!" anymore?
My reorder states there are ~720,000 broccoli seeds in that 5 lb. package. I'll update with its volume after it arrives.
See Week 10 of Changing to a youthful phenotype with broccoli sprouts for follow ups.
Using oxytocin receptor gene methylation to pursue an agenda
December 18, 2019 November 8, 2020 gettingwell4 < 0 Detracted from science, Amygdala, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Stress, Vasopressin	Brain neurons, Critical period, DNA methylation, Happiness, Infants, Language development, Neural plasticity, Prefrontal cortex, Unconscious feelings, Unconscious memories
A pair of 2019 Virginia studies involved human mother/infant subjects:
"We show that OXTRm [oxytocin receptor gene DNA methylation] in infancy and its change is predicted by maternal engagement and reflective of behavioral temperament."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6795517 "Epigenetic dynamics in infancy and the impact of maternal engagement"
"Infants with higher OXTRm show enhanced responses to anger and fear and attenuated responses to happiness in right inferior frontal cortex, a region implicated in emotion processing through action-perception coupling.
Infant fNIRS [functional near-infrared spectroscopy] is limited to measuring responses from cerebral cortex. It is unknown whether OXTR is expressed in the cerebral cortex during prenatal and early postnatal human brain development."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187892931830207X "Epigenetic modification of the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with emotion processing in the infant brain"
Both studies had weak disclosures of limitations on their findings' relevance and significance. The largest non-disclosed contrary finding was from the 2015 Early-life epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene:
These results suggest that:
Blood Oxtr DNA methylation may reflect early experience of maternal care, and
Oxtr methylation across tissues is highly concordant for specific CpGs, but
Inferences across tissues are not supported for individual variation in Oxtr methylation.
That rat study found that blood OXTR methylation of 25 CpG sites couldn't accurately predict the same 25 CpG sites' OXTR methylation in each subject's hippocampus, hypothalamus, and striatum (which includes the nucleus accumbens) brain areas. Without significant effects in these limbic system structures, there couldn't be any associated behavioral effects.
But CpG site associations and correlations were deemed good in the two current studies because they cited:
"Recent work in prairie voles has found that both brain- and blood-derived OXTRm levels at these sites are negatively associated with gene expression in the brain and highly correlated with each other."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453018306103 "Early nurture epigenetically tunes the oxytocin receptor"
The 2018 prairie vole study – which included several of the same researchers as the two current studies – found four nucleus accumbens CpG sites that had high correlations to humans. Discarding one of these CpG sites allowed their statistics package to make a four-decimal place finding:
"The methylation state of the blood was also associated with the level of transcription in the brain at three of the four CpG sites..whole blood was capable of explaining 94.92% of the variance in Oxtr DNA methylation and 18.20% of the variance in Oxtr expression."
Few limitations on the prairie vole study findings were disclosed. Like the two current studies, there wasn't a limitation section that placed research findings into suitable contexts. So readers didn't know researcher viewpoints on items such as:
What additional information showed that 3 of the 30+ million human CpGs accurately predicted specific brain OXTR methylation and expression from saliva OXTR methylation?
What additional information demonstrated how "measuring responses from cerebral cortex" although "it is unknown whether OXTR is expressed in the cerebral cortex" provided detailed and dependable estimates of limbic system CpG site OXTR methylation and expression?
Was the above 25-CpG study evidence considered?
Further contrast these three studies with a typical, four-point, 285-word limitation section of a study like Prenatal stress heightened adult chronic pain. The word "limit" appeared 6 times in that pain study, 3 times in the current fNIRS study, and 0 times in the current maternal engagement and cited prairie vole studies.
Frank interpretations of one's own study findings to acknowledge limitations is one way researchers can address items upfront that will be questioned anyway. Such analyses also indicate a goal to advance science.
Emotional responses and BDNF methylation
October 22, 2019 October 29, 2019 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Amygdala, Brain hemispheres, Epigenetics, Limbic system, Stress	Brain neurons, Control group, DNA methylation, Genetic factors
This 2019 German human study found:
"A critical role of BDNF [brain-derived neurotrophic factor] methylation in human amygdala response to negative emotional stimuli, whereby:
High BDNF methylation rates were for the first time shown to be associated with a high reactivity in the amygdala; and
High BDNF methylation and high amygdala reactivity were associated with low novelty seeking.
There was no interaction or main effect of the Val66Met polymorphism on amygdala reactivity.
Our data adds evidence to the hypothesis that epigenetic modifications of BDNF can result in an endophenotype associated with anxiety and mood disorders. However, since correlations do not prove causality:
A direct link between human BDNF mRNA/protein levels, methylation, amygdala reactivity and psychiatric disorders is still missing, demanding further research.
Determining the underlying directions of the relations between BDNF methylation, amygdala reactivity, and NS [novelty seeking] cannot be accomplished based on our data and must await further research.
The fact that our results mainly involve the right amygdala is in line with previous studies. Recent reviews suggest a general right hemisphere dominance for all kinds of emotions, and, more specifically, a critical role of the right amygdala in the early assessment of emotional stimuli.
The experimental fMRI paradigm utilized a face‐processing task (faces with anger or fear expressions), alternating with a sensorimotor control task. Harm avoidance, novelty seeking, and reward dependence were measured using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire."
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hbm.24825 "The role of BDNF methylation and Val 66 Met in amygdala reactivity during emotion processing"
OCD and neural plasticity
June 22, 2019 December 31, 2021 gettingwell4 0-1 star Wasted resources, Amygdala, Brain hemispheres, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Stress, Thalamus	Control group, DNA methylation, Genetic factors, Neural plasticity, Neurodegenerative disease
Update: this was retracted on February 23, 2021. The retraction note is at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84474-5.
This 2019 New York rodent study investigated multiple avenues to uncover mechanisms of obsessive-compulsive disorder:
"Psychophysical models of OCD propose that anxiety (amygdala) and habits (dorsolateral striatum) may be causally linked. Numerous genetic and environmental factors may reduce striatum sensitivity and lead to maladaptive overcompensation, potentially accounting for a significant proportion of cases of pathological OCD-like behaviors.
Our results indicate that both the development and reversal of OCD-like behaviors involve neuroplasticity resulting in circuitry changes in BLA-DLS and possibly elsewhere."
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-45325-6.pdf "Amelioration of obsessive-compulsive disorder in three mouse models treated with one epigenetic drug: unraveling the underlying mechanism"
The researchers explored two genetic models of OCD, showed why these insufficiently explained observed phenomena, then followed up with epigenetic investigations. They demonstrated how and the degree to which histone modifications and DNA methylation regulated both the development and reversal of OCD symptoms.
However, the researchers also carelessly cited thirteen papers outside the specific areas of the study to support one statement in the lead paragraph:
"Novel studies propose that modulations in gene expression influenced by environmental factors, are connected to mental health disorders."
Only one of the thirteen citations was more recent than 2011, and none of them were high-quality studies.
Epigenetic causes of sexual orientation and handedness?
January 13, 2019 January 15, 2019 gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Epigenetics, Testosterone	Brain neurons, Corpus callosum, Critical period, DNA methylation, Embryo development, Infants, Language development, Neural plasticity
This 2018 Austrian human study subject was various associations of prenatal testosterone levels to fetal development:
"The available evidence suggests, albeit not conclusively, that prenatal testosterone levels may be one cause for the association of sexual orientation with handedness. Associations among women were consistent with predictions of the Geschwind–Galaburda theory (GGT), whereas those among men were consistent with predictions of the callosal hypothesis. However, research on the associations between sexual orientation and handedness appears to be compromised by various methodological and interpretational problems which need to be overcome to arrive at a clearer picture.
The GGT posits that high prenatal testosterone levels cause a delay in the fetal development of the left cerebral hemisphere which results in a right-hemisphere dominance and hence in a tendency for left-handedness. According to the GGT, high prenatal testosterone levels entail not only a masculinization of the female fetus, but also a feminization of the male fetus (contrary to neurohormonal theory). Overall, the male fetus is subjected to higher levels of intrauterine testosterone than the female fetus. The GGT is thus consistent with the higher prevalence of left-handedness among men than among women.
The callosal hypothesis applies to men only and assumes, in line with neurohormonal theory, that low prenatal testosterone levels are associated with later homosexuality. According to the CH, high prenatal testosterone enhances processes of cerebral lateralization through mechanisms of axonal pruning, thereby resulting in stronger left-hemisphere dominance and a smaller corpus callosum. Consistent with this, women have a larger corpus callosum than men."
The study's Limitations section included the following:
"Limitations of the current study pertain to the self-report nature of our data. Behavioral data may provide differing results from those obtained here.
Assessment of sexual orientation relied on a single-item measure. Utilization of rating scales (e.g., the Kinsey Sexual Orientation Scale) or of multi-item scales, and assessing different components of sexual orientation, would have allowed for a more fine-grained analysis and for a cross-validation of sexual orientation ratings with sexual attraction.
Albeit both our samples were large, the proportions of bisexual and homosexual individuals were, expectedly, only small, as were effects of lateral preferences. Thus, in analysis we could not differentiate bisexual from homosexual individuals. Bisexual and homosexual individuals may differ with regard to the distribution of lateral preferences.
Some effect tests in this study have been underpowered. Independent replications with even larger samples are still needed."
The largest unstated limitation was no fetal measurements. When a fetus' epigenetic responses and adaptations aren't considered, not only can the two competing hypotheses not be adequately compared, but causes for the studied phenotypic programming and other later-life effects will also be missed.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-018-1346-9 "Associations of Bisexuality and Homosexuality with Handedness and Footedness: A Latent Variable Analysis Approach"
Differing approaches to a life wasted on beliefs
December 17, 2017 August 16, 2021 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Amygdala, Anterior cingulate cortex, Beliefs, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Brainstem, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Dopamine, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Locus coeruleus, Lower brain, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Primal Therapy, Serotonin, Stress, Thalamus	Antidepressants, Brain neurons, Critical period, DNA methylation, Dr. Arthur Janov, Embryo development, Infants, Inherited disease, Neural plasticity, Prefrontal cortex, Psychotropic medication
Let's start by observing that people structure their lives around beliefs. As time goes on, what actions would a person have taken to ward off non-confirming evidence?
One response may be that they would engage in ever-increasing efforts to develop new beliefs that justified how they spent their one precious life's time so far.
Such was my take on beliefs embedded in https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5684598/pdf/PSYCHIATRY2017-5491812.pdf "Epigenetic and Neural Circuitry Landscape of Psychotherapeutic Interventions":
"Animal models have shown the benefits of continued environmental enrichment (EE) on psychopathological phenotypes, which carries exciting translational value.
This paper posits that psychotherapy serves as a positive environmental input (something akin to EE)."
The author conveyed his belief that wonderful interventions were going to happen in the future. However, when scrutinized, most human studies have demonstrated null effects of psychotherapeutic interventions on causes. Without sound evidence that treatments affect causes, his belief seemed driven by something else.
The author cited findings of research like A problematic study of oxytocin receptor gene methylation, childhood abuse, and psychiatric symptoms as supporting external interventions to tamp down symptoms of patients' presenting problems. Did any of the 300+ cited references concern treatments where patients instead therapeutically addressed their problems' root causes?
For an analogous religious example, a person's belief caused him to spend years of his life trying to convince men to act so that they could get their own planet after death, and trying to convince women to latch onto men who had this belief. A new and apparently newsworthy belief developed from his underlying causes:
"The founder and CEO of neuroscience company Kernel wants "to expand the bounds of human intelligence." He is planning to do this with neuroprosthetics; brain augmentations that can improve mental function and treat disorders. Put simply, Kernel hopes to place a chip in your brain.
He was raised as a Mormon in Utah and it was while carrying out two years of missionary work in Ecuador that he was struck by what he describes as an "overwhelming desire to improve the lives of others."
He suffered from chronic depression from the ages of 24 to 34, and has seen his father and stepfather face huge mental health struggles."
https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2017/dec/14/humans-20-meet-the-entrepreneur-who-wants-to-put-a-chip-in-your-brain "Humans 2.0: meet the entrepreneur who wants to put a chip in your brain"
The article stated that he had given up Mormonism. There was nothing to suggest, though, that he had therapeutically addressed any underlying causes for his misdirected thoughts, feelings, and behavior. So he developed other beliefs instead.
What can people do to keep their lives from being wasted on beliefs? As mentioned in What was not, is not, and will never be:
"The problem is that spending our time and efforts on these ideas, beliefs, and behaviors won't ameliorate their motivating causes. Our efforts only push us further away from our truths, with real consequences: a wasted life."
The goal of the therapeutic approach advocated by Dr. Arthur Janov's Primal Therapy is to remove the force of presenting problems' motivating causes. Success in reaching this goal is realized when patients become better able to live their own lives.
This post has somehow become a target for spammers, and I've disabled comments. Readers can comment on other posts and indicate that they want their comment to apply here, and I'll re-enable comments.
Transgenerational effects of early environmental insults on aging and disease
October 16, 2017 December 8, 2020 gettingwell4 0-1 star Wasted resources, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Neurochemicals, Stress, Telomeres, Testosterone	Brain neurons, Critical period, DNA methylation, Embryo development, Genetic factors, Neural plasticity, Neurodegenerative disease, Prefrontal cortex
The first paper of Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance week was a 2017 Canadian/Netherlands review that's organized as follows:
"First, we address mechanisms of developmental and transgenerational programming of disease and inheritance. Second, we discuss experimental and clinical findings linking early environmental determinants to adverse aging trajectories in association with possible parental contributions and sex-specific effects. Third, we outline the main mechanisms of age-related functional decline and suggest potential interventions to reverse negative effects of transgenerational programming."
A transgenerational phenotype was defined as an epigenetic modification that was maintained at least either to F2 grandchildren in the paternal lineage, or to F3 great-grandchildren in the maternal lineage.
The reviewers noted that mechanisms of transgenerational programming are complex and multivariate. Severity, timing, and type of exposure; lineage of transmission; germ cell exposure; and gender of an organism were the main factors that may determine consequences. Mechanisms reviewed were:
Parental exposure to an adverse environment;
Altered maternal behavior and care of offspring; and
Experience-dependent modifications of the epigenome.
There was a long list of diseases and impaired functionalities that were consequences of ancestral experiences and exposures. Most studies were of animals, but a few were human, such as those done on effects of extended power outages during a Quebec ice storm of January 1998.
One intervention that was effective in reversing a transgenerational phenotype induced by deficient rodent maternal care was to place pups with a caring foster female soon after birth. It's probably unacceptable in human societies to preemptively recognize all poor-care human mothers and remove the infant to caring foster mothers. But researchers could probably find enough instances to develop studies of the effectiveness of such placements in reversing a transgenerational phenotype.
The review didn't have suggestions for reversing human transgenerational phenotypes, just "potential interventions to reverse negative effects of transgenerational programming." Interventions suggested for humans – exercise, enriched lifestyle, cognitive training, dietary regimens, and expressive art and writing therapies – only reduced impacts of transgenerational epigenetic effects.
Tricky wording of "reverse negative effects of transgenerational programming" showed that research paradigms weren't aimed at resolving causes. The review was insufficient for the same reasons mentioned in How one person's paradigms regarding stress and epigenetics impedes relevant research, prompting my same comment:
Aren't people interested in human treatments of originating causes so that their various symptoms don't keep bubbling up? Why wouldn't research paradigms be aligned accordingly?
When reversals of human phenotypes aren't researched, problems may compound by being transmitted to the next generations.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014976341630714X "Transgenerational effects of early environmental insults on aging and disease incidence" (not freely available)
Parental lying thwarted both their children and researchers
September 17, 2017 May 25, 2019 gettingwell4 2-3 stars Required further work, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Epigenetics, Stress	Corpus callosum, DNA methylation, Genetic factors, Infants, Language development
This 2017 German human study explored the relationship between birth stress and handedness. The authors summarized previous research which, among other points, estimated epigenetic contributions to handedness as great as 75%.
The research hypothesis itself was worthwhile based on the prior studies cited and elsewhere such as Group statistics don't necessarily describe an individual. But the study hit a snag in its reliance on the sixty participants (average age 24) completing, with the assistance of their parents and medical records, a 24-item questionnaire of maternal health problems during pregnancy, substance use during pregnancy, and birth complications.
It's extremely unlikely that the sixty subjects provided accurate information. For example:
Only one of the subjects reported maternal alcohol use during pregnancy. An expected number would have been twenty-six!
None of the subjects reported maternal mental illness during pregnancy. An expected number would have been at least seven!
I'd guess that the subjects' parents willingly misled their children about facts of their child's important earliest development periods. It's my view that parental lies and omissions are not only unethical to the children, but also, whenever the lies and omissions became recognized, they potentially diminish or destroy the society among family members.
As mentioned on the Welcome page, lies and omissions ruin the standard scientific methodology of surveying parents and caregivers. The absence of reliable evidence made it impossible for the current study's researchers to determine causes of epigenetic effects still present in the subjects' lives.
Parental lies and omissions also diminish or destroy the society between the sources of information – the research subjects – and the users of the information. Such lies and omissions adversely affect anyone who values evidence-based research.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1357650X.2017.1377726 "DNA methylation in candidate genes for handedness predicts handedness direction" (not freely available)
Epigenetic stress effects in preterm infants
September 6, 2017 October 17, 2018 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Cortisol, Epigenetics, Glutamate, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Neurochemicals, Serotonin, Stress	Antidepressants, Brain neurons, Corpus callosum, DNA methylation, Embryo development, Genetic factors, Infants
This 2017 Italian review selected 9 human studies on the epigenetic effects of:
"One of the major adverse events in human development. Preterm infants are hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where they are exposed to life-saving yet pain-inducing procedures and to protective care."
Highlights of the referenced studies included:
"Early exposure to adverse events during the third trimester of pregnancy is capable to alter the epigenetic status of imprinted and placenta-related genes which have relevant implications for fetal development and preterm infants' HPA [hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal] stress reactivity during infancy."
"There was an association between DNAm [DNA methylation] and white matter tract tissue integrity and shape inferred from dMRI [diffusion MRI], suggesting that epigenetic variation may contribute to the cerebral phenotype of preterm birth."
Limitations of the referenced studies included:
"A multiple sampling design that includes parental samples, placental tissue, cord blood and extends across the life-course would be required to investigate the relative contributions of in utero and postnatal exposures to changes in DNAm, and the extent to which preterm birth leaves a legacy on the methylome."
Saliva, blood, and other tissues' DNA methylation may not produce valid links to brain tissue DNA methylation of the same gene, which may hamper conclusive inferences about behavior, etc.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763417302117 "Preterm Behavioral Epigenetics: A systematic review" (not freely available)
http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v6/n1/full/tp2015210a.html "Epigenomic profiling of preterm infants reveals DNA methylation differences at sites associated with neural function" (one of the studies selected, quoted above)
The hypothalamus couples with the brainstem to cause migraines
May 29, 2016 June 13, 2019 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Brain development, Brain hemispheres, Brainstem, Cortisol, Epigenetics, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus, Limbic system, Lower brain, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Stress
This 2016 German human study with one subject found:
"The hypothalamus to be the primary generator of migraine attacks which, due to specific interactions with specific areas in the higher and lower brainstem, could alter the activity levels of the key regions of migraine pathophysiology."
The subject underwent daily fMRI scans, and procedures to evoke brain activity. She didn't take any medications, and suffered three migraine attacks during the 31-day experimental period.
Neuroskeptic commented:
"The dorsal pons has previously been found to be hyperactive during migraine. It's been dubbed the brain's 'migraine generator.' Schulte and May's data suggest that this is not entirely true – rather, it looks like the hypothalamus may be the true generator of migraine, while the brainstem could be a downstream mediator of the disorder.
A hypothalamic origin of migraines would help to explain some of the symptoms of the disorder, such as changes in appetite, that often accompany the headaches."
The above graphic looks to me like the result of feedback mechanisms that either didn't exist or inadequately handled the triggering event. Other examples of the hypothalamus lacking feedback or being involved in a deviated feedback loop include:
Lack of feedback to the HIF-1α signaling source mentioned in Lack of oxygen's epigenetic effects
Impaired hippocampal glucocorticoid negative feedback mentioned in Treating prenatal stress-related disorders with an oxytocin receptor agonist
There are many unanswered questions with a one-person study, of course. Addressing the cause of this painful condition would find out when, where, and how a person's hypothalamus became modified to express migraine tendencies.
I'd guess that migraine tendencies may appear as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, given that a highly functional hypothalamus is needed for survival and development in our earliest lives. Gaining as much familial and historical information as possible from the person would be necessary steps in therapies that address migraine causes.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2016/05/22/pinpointing-origins-of-migraine/ "Pinpointing the Origins of Migraine in the Brain"
https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/139/7/1987/2464241 "The migraine generator revisited: continuous scanning of the migraine cycle over 30 days and three spontaneous attacks"
As mentioned in How to cure the ultimate causes of migraines? comments are turned off for this post due to it somehow becoming a magnet for spammers. Readers can comment on that post instead.
Observing pain in others had long-lasting brain effects
April 5, 2016 May 8, 2016 gettingwell4 4-5 stars Advanced knowledge, Anterior cingulate cortex, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Stress	Control group, Empathy, Unconscious memories
This 2016 Israeli human study used whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study pain perception in military veterans:
"Our findings demonstrate alterations in pain perception following extreme pain exposure, chart the sequence from automatic to evaluative pain processing, and emphasize the importance of considering past experiences in studying the neural response to others' states.
Differences in brain activation to 'pain' and 'no pain' in the PCC [posterior cingulate cortex] emerged only among controls. This suggests that prior exposure to extreme pain alters the typical brain response to pain by blurring the distinction between painful and otherwise identical but nonpainful stimuli, and that this blurring of the 'pain effect' stems from increased responses to 'no pain' rather than from attenuated response to pain."
Limitations included:
"The pain-exposed participants showed posttraumatic symptoms, which may also be related to the observed alterations in the brain response to pain.
We did not include pain threshold measurements. However, the participants' sensitivity to experienced pain may have had an effect on the processing of observed pain.
The regions of interest for the examination of pain processing in the pain-exposed group were defined on the basis of the results identified in the control group.
We did not detect pain-related activations in additional regions typically associated with pain perception, such as the anterior insula and ACC. This may be related to differences between the MEG and fMRI neuroimaging approaches."
The subjects self-administered oxytocin or placebo per the study's design. However:
"We chose to focus on the placebo condition and to test group differences at baseline only, in light of the recent criticism on underpowered oxytocin administration studies, and thus all following analyses are reported for the placebo condition."
A few questions:
If observing others' pain caused "increased responses to 'no pain'," wouldn't the same effect or more be expected from experiencing one's own pain?
If there's evidence for item 1, then why aren't "increased responses to 'no pain'" of affected people overtly evident in everyday life?
If item 2 is often observed, then what are the neurobiological consequences for affected people's suppression of "increased responses to 'no pain'?"
Along with the effects of item 3, what may be behavioral, emotional, and other evidence of this suppressed pain effect?
What would it take for affected people to regain a normal processing of others' "'pain' and 'no pain'?"
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299546838_Prior_exposure_to_extreme_pain_alters_neural_response_to_pain_in_others "Prior exposure to extreme pain alters neural response to pain in others" Thanks to one of the authors, Ruth Feldman, for providing the full study
Empathy, value, pain, control: Psychological functions of the human striatum
February 17, 2016 May 26, 2018 gettingwell4 5+ stars Premium, Anterior cingulate cortex, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Dopamine, Limbic system, Memory, Neurochemicals, Thalamus	Empathy, Language development, Prefrontal cortex
This 2016 US human study found:
"A link between existing data on the anatomical and physiological characteristics of striatal regions and psychological functions.
Because we did not limit our metaanalysis to studies that specifically targeted striatal function, our results extend previous knowledge of the involvement of the striatum in reward-related decision-making tasks, and provide a detailed functional map of regional specialization for diverse psychological functions, some of which are sometimes thought of as being the exclusive domain of the PFC [prefrontal cortex]."
The analysis led to dividing the striatum into five segments:
Ventral striatum (VS):
Stimulus Value
Terms such as "reward," "losses," and "craving"
The most representative study reported that monetary and social rewards activate overlapping regions within the VS.
Together with the above finding of a reliable coactivation with OFC [orbitofrontal cortex] and ventromedial PFC, this finding suggests a broad involvement of this area in representing stimulus value and related stimulus-driven motivational states.
Anterior caudate (Ca) Nucleus:
Incentive Behavior
Terms such as "grasping," "reaching," and "reinforcement"
The most representative study reported a stronger blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response in this region during trials in which participants had a chance of winning or losing money in a card guessing game, in comparison to trials where participants merely received feedback about the accuracy of their guess.
This result suggests a role in evaluating the value of different actions, contrasting with the above role of the VS in evaluating the value of stimuli.
Posterior putamen (Pp):
Sensorimotor Processes
Terms such as "foot," "noxious," and "taste"
The most representative study reported activation of this region in response to painful stimulation at the back of the left hand and foot of participants. Anatomically, the most reliable and specific coactivation is with sensorimotor cortices, and the posterior and midinsula and operculum (secondary somatosensory cortex SII) in particular, some parts of which are specifically associated with pain.
Together, these findings suggest a broad involvement of this area in sensorimotor functions, including aspects of their affective qualities.
Anterior putamen (Pa):
Social- and Language-Related Functions
Terms such as "read," "vocal," and "empathic"
The most representative study partially supports a role of this area in social- and language-related functions; it reported a stronger activation of the Pa in experienced singers, but not when novices were singing.
It is coactivated with frontal areas anterior to the ones coactivated with the Pp, demonstrating topography in frontostriatal associations. These anterior regions have been implicated in language processes.
Posterior caudate (Cp) Nucleus:
Executive Functions
Terms such as "causality," "rehearsal," and "arithmetic"
The representative study reported this region to be part of a network that included dorsolateral PFC and ACC, which supported inhibitory control and task set-shifting.
These results suggest a broad, and previously underappreciated, role for the Cp in cognitive control.
The authors presented comparisons of the above striatal segments with other analyses of striatal zones.
One of the coauthors was the lead researcher of the 2015 Advance science by including emotion in research. The current study similarly used a coactivation view rather than a connectivity paradigm of:
"Inferring striatal function indirectly via psychological functions of connected cortical regions."
Another of the coauthors was a developer of the system used by the current study and by The function of the dorsal ACC is to monitor pain in survival contexts, and he provided feedback to those authors regarding proper use of the system.
The researchers' "unbiased, data-driven approach" had to work around the cortical biases evident in many of the 5,809 human imaging studies analyzed. The authors referred to the biases in statements such as:
"The majority of studies investigating these psychological functions report activity preferentially in cortical areas, except for studies investigating reward-related and motor functions."
The methods and results of research with cortical biases influenced the study's use of:
"Word frequencies of psychological terms in the full text of studies, rather than a detailed analysis of psychological tasks and statistical contrasts."
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/7/1907.full "Regional specialization within the human striatum for diverse psychological functions"
Does vasopressin increase mutually beneficial cooperation?
February 13, 2016 May 26, 2018 gettingwell4 < 0 Detracted from science, Amygdala, Anterior cingulate cortex, Beliefs, Brain hemispheres, Cerebrum, Hippocampus, Limbic system, Neurochemicals, Oxytocin, Vasopressin	Prefrontal cortex
"Intranasal administration of arginine vasopressin (AVP), a hormone that regulates mammalian social behaviors such as monogamy and aggression, increases humans' tendency to engage in mutually beneficial cooperation.
AVP increases humans' willingness to cooperate. That increase is not due to an increase in the general willingness to bear risks or to altruistically help others."
One limitation of the study was that the subjects were all males, ages 19-32. The study's title was "human risky cooperative behavior" while omitting subjects representing the majority of humanity.
Although the researchers claimed brain effects from vasopressin administration, they didn't provide direct evidence for the internasally administered vasopressin in the subjects' brains. A similar point was made about studies of vasopressin's companion neuropeptide, oxytocin, in Testing the null hypothesis of oxytocin's effects in humans.
A third limitation was that although the researchers correlated brain activity with social behaviors, they didn't carry out all of the tests necessary to demonstrate the claimed "novel causal evidence for a biological factor underlying cooperation." Per Confusion may be misinterpreted as altruism and prosocial behavior, the researchers additionally needed to:
"When attempting to measure social behaviors, it is not sufficient to merely record decisions with behavioral consequences and then infer social preferences. One also needs to manipulate these consequences to test whether this affects the behavior."
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/8/2051.full "Vasopressin increases human risky cooperative behavior"


text:
FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 & high prices for accommodation in Russia.
The World Cup is already in full swing!
The 21st World Championship takes place in Russia, which defeated 8 competitors, claiming the status of the hosts of the championship: Australia, England, Belgium, Netherlands, Indonesia, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, United States and Japan.
The oficial typeface called Dusha (from душа, Russian: soul) was created by Portuguese design agency Brandia Central in 2014.
The mascot of the championship is a charismatic wolf named Zabivaka, he was chosen by russians during the online voting. The emblem of the World Cup 2018, according to the organizing committee, includes three components: the love of the world for football, the theme of conquering space by the Soviet Union and the art of icon painting. In general outlines, the emblem reminds, of course, the FIFA World Cup.
Zabivaka at the FIFA Fan Fest in Kazan!
Match ball "Telstar 18"
The official match ball of the 2018 World Cup is based on the name and design of the first Adidas World Cup ball from 1970.
Live It Up (Nicky Jam song)
The official song of the tournament is "Live It Up", with vocals from Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi.
Also there is a song "United by love" by Natalia Oreiro , performed in English, Spanish and Russian.
At the openning ceremony was shining English singer Robbie Williams, Russian soprano Aida Garifullina
Today, 20-06-2018, IR Iran and Spain are in focus. The game will be in Kazan Arena, 21:00 Local time.
11 Russian cities host World Cup 2018.
map is taken from: https://bit.ly/2M5Pvrf
You may check the 360° views of all stadiums, including hospitality areas.
World Cup brings milliones of football fans and tourist to Russia. Although hundred of new hotels were built to accommodate the huge number of guests, it still does not have enough places and russian citizens began to rent out their apartments to foreigners. The prices soared to unthinkable values since the visitors will have only one choice – to stay on the street.
Our conclusion: most of the tourists are in Russia, so Barcelona hosts less visitors and the prices are not jumping yet.
Relax in Catalunya seaside, while the football fans are making noise in another country.
Spectacular apartment located in the Eixample district and specifically in the Sagrada Familia neighborhood .Reference number: AP0609
Lifestyle, Our top offers, sport, Tourism
fcbarcelona, fifa, fifa2018, football, journalism, Lifestyle, russia, sport, trends, worldcup
Stars and Legends in Barcelona, summer 2018
San Juan in Barcelona 2018
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Carriera

Club
Ha giocato nella massima serie finlandese con l'HJK Helsinki, con cui nel 2013 ha anche vinto il campionato. Il 14 maggio 2015 il , squadra greca, ha comunicato di aver raggiunto un accordo con il giocatore per un contratto triennale.

Il 16 luglio 2019 firma per i Minnesota United in MLS.

Nazionale
Nel 2013 ha giocato 3 partite di qualificazione agli Europei Under-21. Oltre a ciò, ha giocato due amichevoli con Messico (31 ottobre 2013) e Svezia (19 gennaio 2015) con la nazionale maggiore.

Viene convocato per gli Europei del 2020.

Palmarès

Club

Competizioni nazionali

HJK: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

HJK: 2014

HJK: 2015

Note

Collegamenti esterni

Calciatori della Nazionale finlandese

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Muscat: More than 226,000 tourists visited Jabal Akhdar, the preferred destination in winter, in 2018.
and in the mountains. They also arrange beach visits.
Azhar bin Khalfan al Tobi, Assistant Director, Department of Tourism of Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, said the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) was working on developing mountain tracks and a map to make it easier for tourists to explore the area.
Manal bint Mubarak al Shuraiqiyah, an environmental expert in the Ministry of Tourism in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, said that tourists arriving at the information centre at entrance of the mountain are provided with information, brochures and publications about the nature of the mountain.
Salem al Suwaimari, an employee of Alila Resort in Jabal Akhdhar, said tourists can enjoy activities such as horse riding, exploring wadis, visiting caves, hiking and camping.
Walid Saif, an Egyptian tourist staying in Anantara Hotel, Jabal Akhdhar, described the atmosphere on the mountains as "healing". He said he spent his time roaming around and taking photographs of the scenic landscapes.


Consortium for Trustworthy Organizations - Spying, Privacy and Trust in Relationships: Does the Current Approach Manifest Our Values?
Spying, Privacy and Trust in Relationships: Does the Current Approach Manifest Our Values?
While no doubt Edward Snowden's Guardian leaks have caused embarrassment and damage, it also seems very clear that he has generated some vitally important conversations that would not have happened had he not turned "double agent." Some of this conversation helps us understand trust better.
Total trust means being willing to make oneself vulnerable to the actions of another and to eschew any monitoring or control over that other person. I trust you to do the right thing, even though I cannot control or monitor you. This level of trust is rare indeed, and after September 11th it is even more rare in the United States. Why? Terrorists took advantage of the open society in the US and plotted deadly attacks that killed thousands. What's more, the inadequacies of the US intelligence system failed to catch warning signs of suspicious actors taking flying lessons in the US. On September 11th, the trust that the American people had in its government to keep them safe was damaged. Now, en route to repairing that trust, other trust relations have been damaged – the Iraq weapons of mass destruction narrative spun by Cheney and others proved incorrect and serving of their interests (leading to questions of deliberate deception). Secret prisons, Abu Ghraib, and now spying on world leaders.
Trust relations are both simple and complex. Simple in the following sense – treat everyone the way you would want to be treated and you're likely to earn trust. But what if you were the CEO of a bank, an oil company or a country? Could you follow that advice and be a trustworthy leader? Of course not. Why? Because as a steward you have a responsibility for risk management and if you were open and trusting with everyone, including bad people or people whose interests conflict with yours, your decision to trust would do damage to you and those you lead.
That puts you in the real world of managing trust relations. You will have some very high-trust relationships and others that are low-trust, for good reason. If you trust no one, you will have a small life and a small company. If you trust everyone, you will be burned. If we learn how to make good trust decisions, place trust in the right people, and manifest trustworthiness with those people, we will be safer and more prosperous.
But as a CEO dealing with real world trust relations, what this means is that you must locate distrust where it is warranted to manage your risk. You must have certain monitoring routines and controls in place to avoid disaster. You cannot trust everyone and manage risk well. In fact, if done correctly and in proportion, controls become a platform from which trust with certain stakeholders can blossom. For example, I trust my airline because they have a process in place to hire trustworthy pilots and they do not leave it to the pilots' discretion on when to be trained. Process done poorly erodes trust all around – with friends and enemies alike. I distrust my bank because their processes led to my being charged hidden fees and failed to detect their manipulation of LIBOR rates. If the US monitoring of communication detects threats to us and our friends without unreasonably infringing on others' rights, then it can be trust-enabling. If it does not detect threats and alienates our friends, it disables trust and increases our risks long term.
Maybe the US government and NSA have gone overboard in correcting intelligence inadequacies and managing risk, and maybe they have not. But the real question is: does our risk management approach have integrity? Can we be proud of our actions and defend them to those around the world that admire our nation as a force for good? To answer this we need to ask ourselves what freedoms we are willing to give up to have more control over risk. We must also examine how we want the government to relate to its own citizens and to our friends around the world to build and sustain their trust. Trust got much more complicated after September 11th. Maybe we need to step away from the trauma of that infamous day and revisit some of these fundamental questions. Unfortunately, our government officials, whose own trust ratings are lower than at any time in history, are too busy posturing and blaming to be of much help here. Perhaps it's time that citizens and other thought leaders started this dialogue.


● Requests can be made for a public Workshop or Training in your area, or for a private group such as your company, hospital, college, sports team, as a study session for therapists, etc.
●Each request leads to a Reset® Workshop or Training that is tailor-made to meet a specific purpose and needs. As such, the duration of a Reset® Workshop may vary from 2-3 hrs to a full day. Please note that Basic and Advanced Trainings are both 2-day courses, from 9am-5pm. Depending on the purpose and participants, this may be adaptable. Please give as many details as possible when you apply.
● As every workshop or training request is unique, it is impossible to give a fixed price-list here. We will outline costs having processed your request.
● For collaborative events with other presenters, we will consider all events that are in harmony with our work and our vision.
● During Natural Disasters, we are glad to support local efforts in affected areas by working with non-profits or organizations such as schools or local government, and by introducing you to Reset® Therapists in your area. Please do not hesitate to contact us.


As Bay Area communities reflect on the days that forever changed their landscape, relationships and local economies, art institutions have stepped up to provide room for that contemplation, proving the necessity of such spaces during the best and worst of times.
Exhibitions in museums, libraries and galleries across Sonoma, Napa and San Francisco counties showcase the artwork of those both directly affected by the fires, and those who felt compelled to respond artistically. Now you too can mark the year since by frequenting a few of these thoughtful displays.
The University Library Gallery at Sonoma State exhibits work by 21 people—not just artists, but photographers, videographers, first responders and community members—documenting and responding to the firestorm. The impulses behind their artistic output are varied: some want to process their own feelings through art, others hope to offer a sense of optimism and inspiration in the face of loss. A reception on Oct. 17, from 4–5:30pm, marks the date the campus reopened in 2017, a nod to the school's perseverance in the face of local disaster.
For any curator, placing a sculpture exhibition in the literal path of the 2017 fire raises a philosophical question: should the art reflect the region's tragedy? At the Luther Burbank Center, Harmonies isn't a fire-obsessed, hit-you-over-the-head exhibition, and it's better for it. While Nunn's XLIV—44 stars symbolizing the 44 lives lost in the fire—could be seen as somber, especially against the still-scarred nearby hills, Anita Wigglesworth tells KQED of Harmonies, "Once every piece was set, we walked around and all of us said, 'This is a really joyous exhibition.' You never know how everything comes together until it's there."
Many Sonoma and Napa county artists, this exhibition's description states, "have relied on their artistic practice to recover from their losses and help restore the community around them." This group exhibition stresses the artistic visions that help a community move forward. Among the long list of metalworkers, photographers, ceramicists, printmakers, new media artists, poets and writers included in this exhibition are familiar names like Norma I. Quintana and Brian Fies.
In conjunction with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, RE-COLLECT presents works by three local artists: Mike Acker, Barbara White Perry and Luba Zygarewicz. Zygarewicz's contribution to the show is an expansive sculptural arrangement of hundreds of salvaged objects—bits of twisted metal, hubcaps, scissors, things too distorted to identify—over a gradation of colored, melted glass.
The Museums of Sonoma County examines the fires from "personal, historical and environmental perspectives," bringing together a temporary exhibition with two ongoing projects developed immediately after the fires. One of those projects is The Fire Wall, a community-submitted digital database of images, artworks and stories. The other is The Fire Collection, objects and artifacts—like a heat-warped street sign—contributed to the museum. Artworks from Teresa Camozzi, Brian Fies, Kimberlee Koym-Murteira, Gregory Roberts, Adam Shaw, Penny Wolin and Martín Zúñiga represent personal and emotional responses, while a timeline of the fires' advancement, snippets of press coverage and examples of rebuilding efforts present a "facts-based" look at the events.


U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, front and center, talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, to his right, as they gather for a group photo with other Gaza Donor Conference attendees in Cairo, Egypt.
CAIRO (AP) — Qatar pledged $1 billion Sunday toward the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after this year's devastating Israel-Hamas war, once again using its vast wealth to reinforce its role as a regional player as Gulf Arab rival the United Arab Emirates promised $200 million.
The pledges followed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry earlier announcing immediate American assistance of $212 million, though Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said Gaza needs $4 billion to rebuild.
The promises came during a one-day conference on the reconstruction of Gaza in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Delegates representing some 50 nations and 20 regional and international organizations applauded the pledge by Qatar, a tiny but energy-rich Gulf Arab nation at odds with its larger neighbors, like the Emirates.
The Emirates, like regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, alleges that Qatar uses its massive wealth to undermine regional stability, primarily through meddling in other nations' affairs and aiding militant Islamic groups like Gaza's Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Arab world's oldest Islamist group with branches across much of the region.
Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, in announcing his country's pledge, denounced the "international silence" that surrounded Gaza's destruction. "While the Palestinian people need financial support, they need more political support from the international community," he said. "A just peace is the only real guarantee for not destroying what we are about to rebuild and reconstruct."
Donors plan to funnel the aid through Abbas' Palestinian Authority, and bypass Hamas. Abbas and Hamas recently formed a national unity government which held its first Cabinet meeting in Gaza last week.
The Western-backed Abbas, speaking to delegates, said the latest Gaza war caused "tragedies that are difficult to be described by words. ... Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble." The 50-day war was the third between Hamas and Israel since 2008.
"The (Palestinian) government will carry out the reconstruction plan with full responsibility and transparency in coordination with the U.N., the donors, international financial institutions, civil society and the private sector," he said.
Leading participants said the reconstruction of Gaza cannot be carried out in isolation from efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks in search of a comprehensive and lasting settlement and. "We must not lose sight of the root causes of the recent hostilities: A restrictive occupation that has lasted almost half a century, the continued denial of Palestinian rights and the lack of tangible progress in peace negotiations," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who later announced in a news conference that he planned to visit Gaza on Tuesday.
"I call on all parties to come together to chart a clear course toward a just and final peace," Ban said. "Going back to the status quo is not an option; this is the moment for transformational change."
Kerry said Gazans "need our help desperately — not tomorrow, not next week, but they need it now." He said the new U.S. money, which nearly doubles American aid to the Palestinians this year, would go to security, economic development, food and medicine, shelter and water and sanitation projects.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, whose government negotiated the cease-fire that ended the most recent war, said the reconstruction effort hinged on a "permanent calm" between Hamas and Israel, and required the exercise of "full authority" by the Palestinian Authority led by Abbas.
Egypt has had tense relations with Gaza's Hamas rulers since the Egyptian military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July last year and threw its weight behind the administration of Abbas in the West Bank. Morsi belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood and his overthrow strained ties between Egypt and Qatar.
El-Sissi said the conference sent a message that "the status quo must not continue, cannot be returned to, and that any attempt to bring about temporary stability will not last long." "I tell the Israelis, both citizens and government: The time has come to end the conflict without further delay, to grant rights and establish justice so that prosperity and security can prevail," he said.
"I want to stress one more time that the solution for Gaza cannot be found in Gaza alone," she said. "Only a credible resumption of the peace negotiations can allow for a durable solution to the current crisis.
"This must be the last time in which the international community is called upon to rebuild Gaza. There cannot be a return to the status quo which has proved unsustainable," she added.
Associated Press writers Bradley Klapper and Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.


Easy Peasy and takes approximately 20 minutes to make.
Health Tip: Always add turmeric and Himalayan Crystal Salt to eggs when beating, to optimize nutritional value. The salt is full of minerals, and the turmeric is power packed with anti inflammatory, liver supporting and immune stabilizing therapy!
Helpful Tips: This can easily be turned into an 'open omelette' by leaving it to solidify on the cooker for 2-3 minutes, as opposed to step 6 (i.e. do not scramble), and then popping it under the grill for another 2 minutes.
Fairly finely chop the onions and yellow & red peppers and add to the saucepan to saute for about 5 minutes till soft.
Add Himalayan crystal salt (to taste) and a third of the dried coriander leaves.
Beat eggs, milk, and powdered spices, and bouillon together.
In a baking tray, roast tomatoes and Tamari sauce and add two thirds of the dried coriander leaves.
Serve the roasted tomato on the side.
Garnish the egg with shredded fresh coriander leaves.


Image Title: Gas Double Wall Oven Throughout KitchenAid Combination With Microwave Stainless Ideas 11. Filename: gas-double-wall-oven-throughout-kitchenaid-combination-with-microwave-stainless-ideas-11.jpg. Image Dimension: 497 x 497 pixels. Images Format: jpg/jpeg. Publisher/Author: Madyson Schoen. Uploaded Date: Monday - May 07th. 2018 16:56:15 PM. Category: Architecture. Image Source: contemporist.com.
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Create visual aspects of marketing materials, websites and other media, including info-graphics.
Develop graphics for product illustrations, marketing ads, social media and websites.
Discuss and consult with creative director, marketing, content writer and sales team to create cohesive designs to meet our clients need.
i had read your requirment of project my team is ready to work on the project and deliver on stipulated time period.


text:
Washington trusts Netanyahu and wants to work with his government, says US ambassador
"Our position is very clear, we don't support legalizing any outposts or settlement growth," says Tom Nides.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides attends a conference at Reichman University in Herzliya, Sept. 11, 2022. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.
(January 18, 2023 / JNS) U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides stated on Wednesday that he has faith in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and plans to work with his government.
"At the end of the day, we want to work with this democratically-elected government. As Netanyahu said many times, he is very much in charge, and he has his hands on the wheel, and we will work with him to make sure that we keep that car on the road," Nides told Ynet.
The United States still wants to "keep the vision of a two-state solution alive, which means we focus on taking care of the Palestinian people without compromising the security of Israel," said Nides.
"Our position is very clear, we don't support legalizing any outposts or settlement growth, which will cause us to lose the two-state solution," he said. "We have been very clear. We want to keep things calm; that's our goal, we got Israel's back, and we will work with this government to make sure that occurs," he added.
Regarding a possible normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Nides replied that it was possible, but difficult.
"There is nothing that would make us happier, if, at some point, Saudi Arabia will normalize ties with Israel. It would be great for both countries and the security in the region," he told Ynet.
"I don't think we're there yet. Obviously, it's a priority, and we will work to achieve that goal, but I'm under no illusion; this is complicated, and this is hard, but we will work collectively to achieve this in the future," he said.
Nides also revealed that he has yet to speak with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
"I'm sure I'll speak with him. I don't boycott anybody; at some point, I'll end up speaking with every member of the government," he stated.
Tom Nides


The world's largest cruise company, Carnival Holdings, now has a monster ship. How does 6,000 passengers sound? And 1,500 crew. Yikes! That's a small city where I come from. Births, deaths … whatever you can imagine. The name is AIDAnova.
It's a thousand feet long and displaces 180,000 tons.
For adventure, you can climb though a mini-forest (sans monkeys), lazy down a river or scream down any of three waterslides.
To kick back, "manana" style, The Beach Club, sports a Caribbean atmosphere. It is enclosed by a dome built such that the sun shines in but any rain doesn't.
Read this. I'll be careful not to have fat fingers….there is a 40,000 sq ft Spa. Stop and imagine how big that is. Again — 40,000!!
The first cruise will be in December 2018. It'll hit the Canary Islands. You can join the fun for as little as $600 per person.
Subscribe to keep abreast of the cruise industry. We can help get you on ships – free cruise for two by offering your expertise as a speaker. Carnival doesn't host speakers, however. But it's fun to see what's going on.


text:
/**
 * (C) 2015 NPException
 */
package de.npe.gameanalytics.events;

import com.google.gson.annotations.SerializedName;
import de.npe.gameanalytics.Analytics;

/**
 * @author NPException
 *
 */
public class GAErrorEvent extends GAEvent {

	@SerializedName("message")
	private final String message;
	@SerializedName("severity")
	private final String severity;

	public GAErrorEvent(Analytics an, Severity severity, String message) {
		super(an);
		this.severity = severity.name();
		this.message = message;
	}

	@Override
	public String category() {
		return "error";
	}

	public enum Severity {
		critical,
		error,
		warning,
		info,
		debug
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Is there any evidence in China of the Great Flood of Noah's time?
A Chinese myth that speaks of a flood so high "it threatens the very heavens" may be rooted in fact after all.
Some 4,000 years ago, legend says, the flood tore through a large are of central China washing away cities and inundating farmland.
Enter a hero named Yu the Great, who earned his sobriquet by spending decades organizing a campaign to dig canals to channel the floodwater, supposedly passing his home three times as he traveled the region, but never setting foot inside until the job was done.
Yu was so revered for these public works that he passed into legend as emperor of China's supposed first dynasty, the mythical Xia Dynasty.
Analysis of the crushed skeletons of children have revealed that an earthquake 4,000 years ago could be the source of a legendary "great flood" at the dawn of Chinese civilisation.
The evidence of a massive flood in line with the legend "provides us with a tantalising hint that the Xia dynasty might really have existed", said one of the authors, David Cohen of National Taiwan University.
If civilization was to survive, the people needed a hero who could tame the floodwaters and restore the land. That man was Yu, founder of China's first dynasty, the Xia. Over the course of decades, Yu organized a dredging campaign, dug channels that would carry the water back to its source, and pioneered a tradition of great Chinese public works.
It is a powerful foundation myth, but many believed that was all it was. Some 4,000 years after the flood was supposed to have happened, historians had found no archaeological evidence of its effect or firsthand accounts of its destruction. There are no historical artifacts from Yu, or the Xia dynasty he founded. All researchers had to go on were stories written long after the fact, dramatized and politicized to justify the ends of those who wrote them.
Until Wu Qinglong, a geologist at Nanjing Normal University, found signs of the flood in the sediments beneath his feet.
In a new paper published Thursday in the journal Science, Wu and his colleagues describe geological evidence for a catastrophic flood on the Yellow River in about 1900 B.C. — right around the time the "Great Flood" was said to have taken place.
The Bible tells of a massive worldwide flood that occurred (Genesis chapters 6 -8). This seems to have been around 2325 B.C. (see Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).
Since carbon dating has its flaws, it could be that the remains found were related to the flood in Noah's time, or perhaps a different, more local flood, that occurred a few centuries later.
However, there is other evidence in China that the Chinese were aware of the biblical flood.
25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan (Genesis 10:25).
When I tried to copy each of the Chinese characters into this post, they did not copy properly.
To see them, however, simply go to my article China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters.
That article also has evidence, via Chinese characters, that the ancient Chinese knew about Adam & Eve and more in Genesis.
The AMERICAN INDIANS in both North and South America preserved legends of the Flood in which a few escaped by means of a boat and repeopled the earth.
The NATIVES of GREENLAND maintained that all men were once drowned and that a man and woman became the ancestors of all now living.
The POLYNESIANS from the South Pacific contend that a flood overwhelmed all but eight people.
CHINESE traditions speak of their civilization as having been founded by a man, together with his three sons and daughters, who escaped a devastating flood.
EGYPTIAN and other AFRICAN traditions preserve similar accounts.
The GREEKS pictured their "Noah" as building an Ark to escape the waters, after which he sent out a dove twice before setting foot on earth again.
The ancient BABYLONIANS and ASSYRIANS have preserved for us on clay tablets word-for-word accounts of the same traditions among them — traditions which are exact in many details!
Think for a moment — IF the Flood had not occurred, would all these peoples have preserved these records of the Flood? Certainly all people would not have been deceived into believing the Flood had happened if it had not happened! You may find this unanimous testimony of ancient nations in the International Standard Encyclopaedia, article "Deluge," and in summary form in Halley's Bible Handbook.
Thus, for the Flood of Noah we have the actual geological evidence AND the testimony of many ancient peoples who remembered the catastrophic results. The only reason the testimony is not believed today is that man is unwilling to believe what God says! He would rather believe the evolutionary fairy tale that everything has continued the same since the beginning of time.
The biblical accounts can be trusted, even if certain 'experts' wish to pretend that they are only myths.
Have the Turks and Chinese Just Found Noah's Ark? Some have so claimed. If true, this could change how much of the world views events from the Bible.
Study the Bible Course Want to learn more about the Bible? This new course is for you! It is also available in French (Leçon 1 En francés), Kiswahili (Somo 1 Katika Kiswahili), Mandarin Chinese (首页 › 中国), Tagalog (KURSO SA PAG-ARAL NG BIBLYA), and Spanish (Lección 1 En castellano).
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2019 at 12:01 am	and is filed under Old Testament History.
Is there Chinese evidence that point towards Noah and the great flood?
Is there Chinese evidence pointing towards the Great Flood and Noah?
Greek support of Genesis? Israeli report of Peter's house?


Farms are, for the most part, pretty large energy users. Barns housing livestock, the use of sophisticated feeding or milking technology or climate control and water recycling systems in greenhouses – all require energy to keep going. So it's no surprise, with energy costs on the rise, that many farmers are looking for ways to reduce or off-set their energy use.
Terry Reesor is one such farmer. I met him last summer when I interviewed him for an article I was writing about solar energy. Here's his story. Solar energy is generally considered to be good for both the environment and farm businesses. Not only are solar panel installations generating clean energy, they're also a source of additional income for farmers and businesses.
Terry Reesor of Reesor Seed and Grain near Stouffville, Ontario is certainly convinced. His two new solar panel microFIT installations came online this spring and he's pleased with the impact the project has had¾ both on his energy consumption and on his bottom line.
Reesor has a roof mount unit on his grain elevator and a ground mount system installed on a hillside overlooking the company's main building. The ground mount panel is connected into the provincial electricity grid; Reesor sells 100 per cent of his generated power to the grid at $0.80/kWh and buys back what he needs for his farm and business use at the standard consumer rate.
"For us, this panel is an investment. Although we're producing enough power on normal days to cover our own use, we buy back from the grid," he says.
The Ontario Power Authority, which buys the electricity, pays its solar generators quarterly and they can track their electricity production online at any time. The ground mount panel harvests the sun in two ways: when there is no sun, the panel lies flat and picks up reflection from the sun; when the sun is shining, it continually and automatically readjusts its angles to pick up the best, most direct light.
Reesor originally caught the solar bug from his cousin, who had spent time in Africa as a missionary. Their church then decided to embark on a social responsibility project to lessen their environmental footprint and installed a rooftop solar panel.
When he went to build his own installation, Reesor was able to access cost-share funding through the Greenbelt Green Energy Program for Agriculture (GGEPA) and the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program (COFSP).
GGEPA is funded by the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and administered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) to provide cost-share funding for farmers to implement best management practices that involve energy conservation and green energy generation.
Although there are three or four other solar panels in the area, Reesor says they are currently one of the only ones, if not the sole installation that is hooked up to the grid and working.
Reesor Seed and Grain is a family-owned business in Durham Region that specializes in custom crop protection application, seed sales and grain storage and marketing. In addition to the farm supply business, the Reesors also crop 1,300 acres of corn, beans and wheat.


New EU-funded project CoSTREAM (www.costream.eu) targets the common mechanisms and pathways of stroke, Alzheimer's disease to improve disease prevention and treatment, by combining clinical, genetic, epidemiologic, metabolic and radiologic research to develop an organ-on-a-chip in vitro model for the blood-brain connection.
CoSTREAM is on Twitter! Stay up to date and follow us @CoSTREAM_H2020.
The CoSTREAM kick off meeting took place on December 18th and 19th, 2015 and was hosted by the Project Coordinator Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.