text:
Bordeaux Services (Guernsey) Limited, Peter Gordon Radford, Neal Anthony Meader, Geoffrey Robert Tostevin
Registered Business
The Financial Services Commission (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 1987, as amended ("the Financial Services Commission Law")
The Protection of Investors (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 1987, as amended ("the Protection of Investors Law")
The Regulation of Fiduciaries, Administration Businesses and Company Directors, etc (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2000, as amended ("the Fiduciaries Law")
The Banking Supervision (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 1994, as amended ("the Banking Law")
The Insurance Managers and Insurance Intermediaries (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2002, as amended ("the Insurance Managers and Insurance Intermediaries Law")
The Insurance Business (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2002, as amended ("the Insurance Business Law") (together "the Regulatory Laws")
Bordeaux Services (Guernsey) Limited ("Bordeaux")
Peter Gordon Radford
Neal Anthony Meader
Geoffrey Robert Tostevin
AMENDED PUBLIC STATEMENT
On 28 July 2015, the Commission decided:
1. To impose a financial penalty of £150,000 on Bordeaux under section 11D of the Financial Services Commission Law;
2. To impose a financial penalty of £50,000 on Mr Radford under section 11D of the Financial Services Commission Law;
3. To impose a financial penalty of £30,000 on Mr Meader under section 11D of the Financial Services Commission Law;
4. To impose a financial penalty of £30,000 on Mr Tostevin under section 11D of the Financial Services Commission Law;
5. To make orders under the Regulatory Laws prohibiting Mr Radford, Mr Meader and Mr Tostevin (together "the Bordeaux Directors") for a period of five years from becoming or continuing to hold the function of controller, partner, director or manager in relation to business carried on by an entity licensed under the Regulatory Laws;
6. To disapply the exemption set out in section 3(1)(g) of the Fiduciaries Law in respect of Mr Radford, Mr Meader and Mr Tostevin.
7. To issue a Public Statement under section 11C of the Financial Services Commission Law.
The Commission considered it reasonable, necessary and proportionate to make this decision and impose these penalties having concluded that Bordeaux and the Bordeaux Directors failed to fulfil the criteria in Schedule 4 of the Protection of Investors Law.
The Bordeaux Directors failed to ensure Bordeaux carried on its business with appropriate systems to enable it to function properly and as a result it did not act with prudence nor exercise professional skill appropriate to the nature and scale of its activities.
The Bordeaux Directors demonstrated a consistent and serious lack of appropriate competence, judgement and diligence. Their conduct demonstrated a lack of understanding and attention to the legal obligations of Bordeaux. These failings suggest that the interests of investors and the reputation of the Bailiwick as a financial centre are, or are likely, to be jeopardised by their holding a position of director, controller, partner or manager of a licensee in the immediate future.
Subsequently, on 11 May 2016, the Royal Court set aside the penalty of £150,000 imposed on Bordeaux Services (Guernsey) Limited and the prohibition order of 5 years imposed on Mr Tostevin and ordered the Commission to reconsider both matters. The Commission has reconsidered the matters as ordered by the Royal Court and decided: -
• To impose a financial penalty of £100,000 on Bordeaux under section 11D of the Financial Services Commission Law;
• To make orders under the Protection of Investors Law and the Fiduciaries Law prohibiting Mr Tostevin for a period of two years commencing 31 July 2015 from becoming or continuing to hold the function of controller, partner, director or manager in relation to business carried on by an entity licensed under the Protection of Investors Law and the Fiduciaries Law
• To issue a revised Public Statement under section 11C of the Financial Services Commission Law.
The Commission considered it reasonable, necessary and proportionate to make this decision in the light of the comments of the Royal Court in its decision.
Bordeaux is licensed under the Protection of Investors Law and the Fiduciaries Law.
During the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009 ("the Relevant Period"), Bordeaux was the Designated Manager and Administrator of Arch Guernsey ICC Limited, now known as SPL Guernsey ICC Limited ("the ICC") and its incorporated cells ("the ICs"). The ICs owned special purpose vehicles ("SPVs"), which held assets ultimately owned by the fund structure. At its largest, the ICC had 26 ICs, the majority of which were listed on the Channel Island Stock Exchange ("CISX"). The ICC and the ICs are referred to collectively as "the Fund".
The Bordeaux Directors were at all material times the directors, the ultimate beneficial owners and the controllers of Bordeaux. Mr Radford and Mr Meader were also directors of the Fund. Mr Tostevin was the Compliance Officer at Bordeaux between 2000 and 2003 and again between August 2007 and January 2010.
Two United Kingdom Open-Ended Investment Companies, CF Arch Cru Investment Funds and CF Arch Cru Diversified Funds ("the UK OEICs"), whose Investment Manager was Arch Financial Products LLP ("Arch FP"), invested a significant proportion of their scheme property into the ICs of the Fund. Over 2007 and 2008 total investments in the Fund approximated £595 million.
On 13 March 2009 operation of the UK OEICs was suspended by the UK Financial Services Authority over liquidity concerns following increased redemptions.
On 21 December 2010, the Fund's consolidated net asset value was calculated at £234 million, this represented a significant loss to investors.
Any properly organised entity operating a business of financial services should ensure that there were procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest. Bordeaux should have done so and the Bordeaux Directors should have ensured that it did. It is no answer to this criticism to rely upon the Articles of Association or any Investment Management Agreement. There was no evidence that the Bordeaux Directors managed a conflict of interest appropriately within the Fund structure.
In failing to put in place and implement procedures for dealing with conflicts of interest Bordeaux acted in breach of paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 4 of the Protection of Investors Law under which Bordeaux was required to carry on business with prudence and integrity and with professional skill appropriate to the nature and scale of its activities.
Calculation of net asset values and their notification to CISX
The Fund's Scheme Particulars and the IC Particulars state that the IC's Directors had delegated the responsibility for the determination of the net asset value ("NAV") to the Administrator, i.e. Bordeaux. Bordeaux was required to calculate the IC's NAV on a monthly basis and to notify CISX of the prices as soon as practicable after calculation.
During 2008 the timetable for the production of NAVs by Bordeaux slipped and NAVs for the end of March 2008 were finalised on 31 July 2008, an interval of four months from the required date of completion. Correspondence between Bordeaux and Arch FP stated that Bordeaux had resourcing issues and were looking to add to those resources to speed up the production of the NAVs. There were further delays in 2009.
As a result of the delay in producing NAVs during 2008 and 2009 investors and potential investors were not given up to date information on which to base their decisions. Furthermore, as most of the ICs were listed on CISX, this could have led to the creation of a false market as independent investors would have dealt, or considered dealing, on indicative sale prices that were not properly reflective of NAV, but the Investment Manager who was undertaking inter-cellular trades would have been aware of a more accurate, up to date, value of the ICs.
The Fund's auditors also referred to a delay to valuations for 31 March 2009 which were not finalised until September 2009 and identified substantial weaknesses in the Fund's records for which Bordeaux was responsible.
The delays appear to be in part attributable to failures of Bordeaux to organise its business with the appropriate degree of diligence and professionalism in breach of paragraphs 1(1)(b), 2(1)(a) and 2(1)(b) of the Protection of Investors Law.
NAV Methodology
The listed ICs acquired significant assets in the form of loan notes, many of which were issued by the IC Arch Treasury IC Limited ("AT1"). The terms of these varied but many included a coupon with a fixed rate of interest. Many were asset backed, for example by ships, or were otherwise related to assets held either by the investing IC or by AT1. Many effectively permitted the borrower to defer the payment of the coupon for a period of time (i.e. to capitalise the interest).
Prior to October 2008, Bordeaux valued these loan notes at "par plus accruals". Thus, in effect, from one month to the next, in calculating an IC's NAV, where that IC held a loan note, Bordeaux increased the NAV by the income due that month, irrespective of whether that income had been paid, and irrespective of any change in the risk of the investment, such as a change in the value of the underlying asset upon which the note was secured. The increase in NAV by the income due in the month may be an appropriate method of valuation but it does require the valuer to investigate the underlying asset from time to time.
The NAVs at the end of February 2009 were significantly higher than the NAVs as at the end of March and April 2009, much of which was attributable to the overvalued loan notes. The substantial fall in the NAVs of the ICs that occurred subsequent to the suspension of the Fund and the appointment of a new administrator may demonstrate the inaccuracy of the pricing up to that point.
There is no evidence that Bordeaux or Mr Radford and Mr Meader, as Fund Directors, raised issues with the Investment Manager as to the performance of the Fund in comparison to other funds within the same sector during the Relevant Period when it would have been prudent to undertake such a comparison or raised any questions in respect of the valuations or the method of valuation.
There were no adequate procedures in place at Bordeaux for the valuation of unlisted securities in the Fund and Bordeaux was totally reliant on the Investment Manager to provide such valuations. In a compelled interview, Mr Radford was asked what valuation methodologies Bordeaux was employing for non-quoted assets, Mr Radford replied, "we didn't discuss non-quoted assets."
The answer above is consistent with Bordeaux relying entirely upon Arch FP in relation to illiquid assets; albeit it might have been entitled to rely on Arch FP to provide valuations it should have taken steps to understand the methodology employed and put in place a procedure to check on the valuations produced by Arch FP. Failure to understand valuations placed on unquoted assets by Arch FP resulted in Arch FP being unsupervised in relation to the provision of valuations of unlisted securities.
Compliance with Fund Documentation
On several occasions, requests for the release of funds to the SPVs comprised of no more than a one side of A4 letter faxed to Bordeaux. The request would then be forwarded to the custodian, sometimes within a very short period of time of receipt of the fax, suggesting that little or no analysis of the request had taken place. No evidence was provided to demonstrate that any subsequent analysis or review of the transactions had taken place by Bordeaux.
It was apparent that Bordeaux did not have adequate procedures in place relating to the making of payments. These functions were not adequately understood by staff resulting in a gap surrounding the review of payments contributing to a failure to ensure compliance with the Fund's documentation and to protect the interests of investors.
From 15 December 2008, Bordeaux, as Designated Manager and Administrator of the Fund, was required by Rule 2.01(c) of the Authorised Closed Ended Investment Scheme Rules, 2008 ("the ACEIS Rules") to administer the Fund in accordance with the most recently published information particulars.
Whilst there were no transactions undertaken by the Fund following the implementation of the ACEIS Rules, it appears that during the Relevant Period Bordeaux had failed to monitor investments made by Arch FP to ensure that the Fund was administered in accordance with the scheme documents, this continued until the eventual suspension of the Fund in July 2009.
The failure to monitor whether investments complied with the scheme particulars manifested a lack of competence and soundness of judgement, diligence and prudence and appropriate professional skill.
Principle 9 of the Licensees (Financial Resources, Notification, Conduct of Business and Compliance) Rules, 1998 ("the FNCC Rules"), the rules in force during the Relevant Period, required a licensee to organise and control its internal affairs in a responsible manner, keeping proper records, and where the firm employs staff or is responsible for the conduct of investment business by others, should have adequate arrangements to ensure that they are suitable, adequately trained and properly supervised and that it has well defined compliance procedures.
Rule 5.02 of the FNCC Rules required Bordeaux to have in place record keeping procedures and keep records for five years. The Commission found that original documents relating to the Fund were not kept in Guernsey; transaction documents were missing for up to a year and a half.
Bordeaux's level of control or oversight over the role of the Investment Manager was significantly reduced by not maintaining or having sight of original documentation. The Commission saw no evidence that Bordeaux took steps to ensure that the Investment Manager provided Bordeaux with all original documentation. It is noteworthy that Bordeaux's requests for original documents to the Investment Manager did not take place until the Commission had requested sight of the documentation.
A large proportion of the Fund's trading was between ICs. This included multiple instances of a listed IC subscribing into another IC's offering of shares. The explanation put forward by Arch FP for the inter-cellular trading was that it was more advantageous to investors to cross invest rather than leaving cash in an IC. As a result of inter-cellular trading between ICs, significant fees were generated for the benefit of the Investment Manager.
The IC Particulars state that Arch FP would be paid a 2% initial charge for any subscription money received and a 1.5% - 2% management fee based upon the NAV (to be amortised over a five year period). The net effect of cross trading was not only a payment to the Investment Manager based on the amount subscribed from one IC to another but an overall increase in the NAV of the investing IC. This resulted in increased subscription and management fees payable to Arch FP.
Whilst at all material times Bordeaux was aware of the transactions being entered into on behalf of the ICs, albeit after the event, the structure of these transactions and the fees being taken by Arch FP, any enquiry by Bordeaux was limited and insufficient. Bordeaux should have ensured that procedures were in place to prevent the fees being charged or paid as opposed to having to recover the fees after they have been paid.
As company secretary to the Fund, one of Bordeaux's responsibilities was to create and maintain minutes of meetings of the Fund boards. A review of the minutes kept by Bordeaux has shown that they are perfunctory in their nature considering the number and depth of issues discussed.
Minutes should be an accurate and clear record of the discussion and decisions made at a meeting. Mr Meader understood that the corporate secretarial department of Bordeaux was "very poor". This should have prompted the Bordeaux Directors to take action to remediate this failing. During the Relevant Period, the board was responsible for ensuring compliance with Principle 9 of the FNCC Rules which states that a licensee should be controlled and organised in a responsible manner so as to keep proper records, it is clear that this was not the case with Bordeaux.
Mr Meader confirmed during a compelled interview that Bordeaux used template minutes for meetings in relation to listing of cells on the CISX rather than minuting the discussion that had taken place. There is no evidence that Mr Meader, as a director of Bordeaux, queried or challenged this procedure for drafting minutes ahead of meetings. Mr Tostevin was not aware that minutes were being produced in respect of meetings that had not taken place.
As a result of the failure, the records of the company would not have been accurate and complete and represented a misleading record of affairs. The conduct of the Board of Bordeaux demonstrates a failure to understand the requirement to keep full, proper and not misleading records in respect of the controlled investment business undertaken.
Deficiencies in Bordeaux's Compliance Function
Rule 5.01(5) of the FNCC Rules required a licensee to appoint a compliance officer in Guernsey to be responsible for compliance. Rule 5.01(3)(b) required a licensee to review its written compliance procedures at least annually and to ensure that its employees are at all times aware of the current procedures.
The compliance monitoring programme of Bordeaux during the relevant period was deficient and no serious attempt was made to improve it. Bordeaux did not ensure that its compliance officer, or any member of staff or director of Bordeaux, from the date of licensing until 2012 had the relevant experience or qualifications to fulfil the role.
Mr Tostevin estimated that he spent 10-15% of his time on compliance matters during his tenure as compliance officer, with the remainder of his time being taken up by IT and accountancy tasks. Mr Tostevin also explained to the Commission in an interview that he did not consider that the role of a compliance officer, or his role as a director of Bordeaux, included a responsibility to assess the status of Bordeaux's internal rules and procedures against the changing external regulatory environment.
It is apparent that there was no clear delineation of responsibility for ensuring Bordeaux complied with external regulatory changes. Mr Tostevin conceded that to his knowledge no individual had checked Bordeaux's internal documents for continued compliance with the external regulatory scheme between the time of the creation of the documents in 2006 or 2007 and the end of the Relevant Period. As a result, Bordeaux's procedures were not updated to reflect the important changes brought about by the introduction of the ACEIS Rules following the amendment of the Protection of Investors Law to bring closed ended schemes with the remit of that law. The Fund became an authorised closed ended fund as it was grandfathered through the transitional provisions of those rules therefore this was particularly pertinent to Bordeaux.
The compliance monitoring programme did not identify any of the issues that have been identified above. The programme should have revealed that conflicts of interest were not being mitigated or managed, that the Fund was not being administered in accordance with the Scheme Particulars, that there were not adequate record keeping procedures in place and other such breaches as identified within this Public Statement.
Mr Radford signed a letter to the Fund's auditors certifying that the Fund was complying with the laws and regulations dated 15 December 2009 when he was in no position to do so, as evidenced above. Bordeaux did not have sufficient compliance procedures in place to be able to conclude that there were no issues of non-compliance. As a result, the auditor may have been materially misled as to the true position of the scheme.
Client Take On Procedures
Prior to the launch of the Fund, Bordeaux had not had a relationship with Arch FP. Arch FP had not previously managed a Guernsey closed ended scheme. Arch FP was taken on as a new client on or around November 2006. Bordeaux's relationship with Arch FP was not subject to any new client take-on procedures.
Although Arch FP was authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, Bordeaux should have taken appropriate steps to monitor Arch FP, particularly as they were a new client to Bordeaux and Arch FP had not previously managed a Guernsey closed-ended fund before. Bordeaux should have ensured that appropriate client take-on procedures were in place to identify potential risks with new business. Failure to do so was (amongst other matters) a failure to fulfil paragraph 3(2)(f) of schedule 1 to the Fiduciary Law. It also showed a failure to act with the appropriate level of skill and competence and diligence.
Anti-Money Laundering Awareness
Bordeaux did not have relevant or effective sanctions training during the Relevant Period. Mr Radford confirmed that the sanctions training at Bordeaux did not cover the types of considerations raised by the nature of investments invested in by Arch FP, such as a ship, which may be hired or chartered by a party subject to a sanction.
This is a breach of Rule 351 of the Handbook for Financial Services Businesses on Countering Financial Crime and Terrorist Financing ("the Handbook") which requires financial services businesses to consult the full list of financial sanctions targets on the sanctions committee list. Investments in the Fund were multi-jurisdictional and assets held by, or for the Fund, may have been chartered by Iranian companies and there is no evidence that the financial sanctions targets were reviewed at any time or consideration as to the potential breach of UN, EU or Guernsey sanctions had been undertaken.
Staff Training Deficiencies at Bordeaux
There was insufficient staff training undertaken at Bordeaux during the Relevant Period, with the result that some staff did not possess adequate knowledge or skills to fulfil their duties.
No external book-keeping, accounts or valuation training was given to the staff member responsible for the Fund's book-keeping. All that the staff member received was in-house training for posting securities and book-keeping. The member of staff received no training relating specifically to closed-ended funds, again only in-house instruction was provided.
The member of staff also confirmed that she did not receive any formal compliance training or training on conflicts of interest.
Paragraph 5(3)(a) of schedule 4 to the Protection of Investors Law requires the Commission to consider whether a licensee has staff of adequate number, skills, knowledge and experience to undertake and fulfil their duties. From the review undertaken by the Commission it would appear that Bordeaux failed to ensure that staff were adequately trained or experienced and as a result this criteria was not satisfied.
AGGRAVATING FACTORS
Although the Investment Manager was authorised by the FSA, Bordeaux should have undertaken appropriate due diligence and on-going monitoring of the Investment Manager particularly as Arch FP had not been previously known to Bordeaux and the Investment Manager had not previously managed a closed-ended collective investment scheme in any jurisdiction.
Bordeaux was aware and paid "structuring fees" to Arch FP regarding shipping transactions without adequate questioning of the purpose of the shipping transactions.
The Bordeaux Directors were aware of the fees taken by AT1 regarding shipping transactions despite the fact that AT1 was owned by Arch FP, the Directors of Bordeaux did not question the validity of these fee payments. The Bordeaux Directors failed at all material times to consider the conflicts of interest arising from the ownership of AT1 in entering into transactions with the ICs.
The issues identified indicate a systemic and serious weakness of the management systems and internal controls within Bordeaux, throughout the Relevant Period and more recently.
The Commission has received a number of complaints from investors in the UK OEICs and their MPs.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey as a reputable finance centre has been put at risk by the adverse media attention.
Bordeaux had been subject to heightened supervision by the Commission.
Bordeaux requested an extension to the first request for information and documents under section 27 of the Protection of Investors Law after 5pm the day before the submission was originally due to the Commission.
On 5 August 2013, Bordeaux's legal advisor notified the Commission that there were approximately 75,000 further documents which have not yet been reviewed in order to determine whether they are responsive to the Commission's Notice dated 24 January 2012. The failure to review these documents and submit them to the Commission, if relevant to the investigation and as part of the section 27 Notice served upon them, is a breach of the Protection of Investors Law.
The failure by Bordeaux to identify the additional 75,000 documents also calls into question whether the record keeping procedures utilised by Bordeaux are in compliance with section 6.1.4 of the Licensees (Conduct of Business) Rules, 2009.
MITIGATING FACTORS
Bordeaux no longer acts as the Designated Manager and Administrator of the Fund.
Bordeaux did not double charge its administration fee on the cross investments therefore it did not gain monetarily from the inter-cellular trading.
Bordeaux was entitled to place a degree of reliance upon the FSA authority conferred upon the Investment Manager and a degree of reliance on the Commission who confirmed that it would accept an application from Arch FP as a new promoter having undertaken its own due diligence.
The Directors and staff of Bordeaux attended the Commission's offices when required to do so for interview.
There is no allegation of dishonesty against Bordeaux or the Bordeaux Directors.
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I have two questions on using random forest (specifically randomForest in R) for missing value imputation (in the predictor space).
1) How does the imputation algorithm work - specifically how and why is the class label required for imputation? is the proximity matrix which serves to weight the average value to impute a missing value defined separately by class?
2) If the class label is needed to impute missing values - how can this be used to impute missing values for new data that you are trying to predict?
The basic idea is to do a quick replacement of missing data and then iteratively improve the missing imputation using proximity. To work with unlabeled data, just replicate the data with all labels, and then treat it as labeled data.
The fraction of trees for which a pair of observations share a terminal node gives the proximity matrix, and so explicitly uses the class label.
Replace missing values by the average value.
a. Using imputed values calculated so far, train a random forest.
b. Compute the proximity matrix.
c. Using the proximity as the weight, impute missing values as the weighted average of non-missing values.
If labels exist, use the imputation derived from test data.
If data is unlabeled, replicate the test set with a copy for each class label and proceed as with labeled data.
Here, (weighted) average refers to (weighted) median for numerical variables and (weighted) mode for categorical variables. 4-6 iterations are recommended in the references.
I have tried using Random Forest for multiple imputation in MICE to handle missing data in survival analysis. I used bootstrapping to account for sampling variability in the imputation models. I found that Random Forest MICE performed better than parametric MICE when there were interactions between predictor variables that were not included in the imputation model.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged data-mining predictive-models missing-data random-forest data-imputation or ask your own question.
How to impute a missing categorical predictor variable for a random forest model?
How to use pooled results from multiple imputation?


text:
Memory performance and affect: Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults?
Graham Joseph McDougall, Keenan A. Pituch, Marietta P. Stanton, Wanchen Chang
After age 65, the incidence of episodic memory decline in males is greater than in females. We explored the influence of anxiety and depression on objective and subjective memory performance in a diverse sample of community-residing older adults. The study was a secondary analysis of data on three samples of adults from two states, Ohio and Texas: a community sample (n = 177); a retirement community sample (n = 97); and the SeniorWISE Study (n = 265). The sample of 529 adults was 74% female, the average age was 76.58 years (range = 59-100 years), and educational attainment was 13.12 years (±3.68); 68% were Caucasian, and 17% had depressive symptoms. We found no memory performance differences by gender. Males and females were similarly classified into the four memory performance groups, with almost half of each gender in the poor memory category. Even though males had greater years of education, they used fewer compensatory memory strategies. The observed gender differences in memory were subjective evaluations, specifically metamemory. Age was not a significant predictor of cognition or memory performance, nor did males have greater memory impairment than females.
Issues in Mental Health Nursing
Phychiatric Mental Health
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Memory performance and affect: Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Memory Medicine & Life Sciences
Metacognition Medicine & Life Sciences
Retirement Medicine & Life Sciences
Episodic Memory Medicine & Life Sciences
Cognition Medicine & Life Sciences
Data Analysis Medicine & Life Sciences
Anxiety Medicine & Life Sciences
Education Medicine & Life Sciences
McDougall, G. J., Pituch, K. A., Stanton, M. P., & Chang, W. (2014). Memory performance and affect: Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults? Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 35(8), 620-627. https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840.2014.895071
Memory performance and affect : Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults? / McDougall, Graham Joseph; Pituch, Keenan A.; Stanton, Marietta P.; Chang, Wanchen.
In: Issues in Mental Health Nursing, Vol. 35, No. 8, 08.2014, p. 620-627.
McDougall, GJ, Pituch, KA, Stanton, MP & Chang, W 2014, 'Memory performance and affect: Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults?', Issues in Mental Health Nursing, vol. 35, no. 8, pp. 620-627. https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840.2014.895071
McDougall GJ, Pituch KA, Stanton MP, Chang W. Memory performance and affect: Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults? Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2014 Aug;35(8):620-627. https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840.2014.895071
McDougall, Graham Joseph ; Pituch, Keenan A. ; Stanton, Marietta P. ; Chang, Wanchen. / Memory performance and affect : Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults?. In: Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2014 ; Vol. 35, No. 8. pp. 620-627.
@article{a671223a0311495e82537b2f17af13cb,
title = "Memory performance and affect: Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults?",
abstract = "After age 65, the incidence of episodic memory decline in males is greater than in females. We explored the influence of anxiety and depression on objective and subjective memory performance in a diverse sample of community-residing older adults. The study was a secondary analysis of data on three samples of adults from two states, Ohio and Texas: a community sample (n = 177); a retirement community sample (n = 97); and the SeniorWISE Study (n = 265). The sample of 529 adults was 74% female, the average age was 76.58 years (range = 59-100 years), and educational attainment was 13.12 years (±3.68); 68% were Caucasian, and 17% had depressive symptoms. We found no memory performance differences by gender. Males and females were similarly classified into the four memory performance groups, with almost half of each gender in the poor memory category. Even though males had greater years of education, they used fewer compensatory memory strategies. The observed gender differences in memory were subjective evaluations, specifically metamemory. Age was not a significant predictor of cognition or memory performance, nor did males have greater memory impairment than females.",
author = "McDougall, {Graham Joseph} and Pituch, {Keenan A.} and Stanton, {Marietta P.} and Wanchen Chang",
journal = "Issues in Mental Health Nursing",
T1 - Memory performance and affect
T2 - Are there gender differences in community-residing older adults?
AU - McDougall, Graham Joseph
AU - Pituch, Keenan A.
AU - Stanton, Marietta P.
AU - Chang, Wanchen
N2 - After age 65, the incidence of episodic memory decline in males is greater than in females. We explored the influence of anxiety and depression on objective and subjective memory performance in a diverse sample of community-residing older adults. The study was a secondary analysis of data on three samples of adults from two states, Ohio and Texas: a community sample (n = 177); a retirement community sample (n = 97); and the SeniorWISE Study (n = 265). The sample of 529 adults was 74% female, the average age was 76.58 years (range = 59-100 years), and educational attainment was 13.12 years (±3.68); 68% were Caucasian, and 17% had depressive symptoms. We found no memory performance differences by gender. Males and females were similarly classified into the four memory performance groups, with almost half of each gender in the poor memory category. Even though males had greater years of education, they used fewer compensatory memory strategies. The observed gender differences in memory were subjective evaluations, specifically metamemory. Age was not a significant predictor of cognition or memory performance, nor did males have greater memory impairment than females.
AB - After age 65, the incidence of episodic memory decline in males is greater than in females. We explored the influence of anxiety and depression on objective and subjective memory performance in a diverse sample of community-residing older adults. The study was a secondary analysis of data on three samples of adults from two states, Ohio and Texas: a community sample (n = 177); a retirement community sample (n = 97); and the SeniorWISE Study (n = 265). The sample of 529 adults was 74% female, the average age was 76.58 years (range = 59-100 years), and educational attainment was 13.12 years (±3.68); 68% were Caucasian, and 17% had depressive symptoms. We found no memory performance differences by gender. Males and females were similarly classified into the four memory performance groups, with almost half of each gender in the poor memory category. Even though males had greater years of education, they used fewer compensatory memory strategies. The observed gender differences in memory were subjective evaluations, specifically metamemory. Age was not a significant predictor of cognition or memory performance, nor did males have greater memory impairment than females.
JO - Issues in Mental Health Nursing
JF - Issues in Mental Health Nursing

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Peace and Justice Institute
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Monday - September 26th, 2022
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Monday's Schedule of Events - September 26th, 2022
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Morning Meditation *
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Better Connection = Conflict Transformation *
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Cultivating Inner Peace Through Yoga *
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Be the One to Step In *
4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Queer Students' of Color Sense of Inclusion in Community Colleges *
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Katie DeAscanis
Begin your day by centering your heart and mind in a short mindfulness practice to cultivate receptivity and openness. From this stance we can listen to ourselves and others to develop a language that centers on restoration and healing.
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Venue: Virtual
Better Connection = Conflict Transformation
Dr. Marcus Alexander
We often face confrontation and conflict in our work and lives. But did you know that conflict and confrontation, if framed and supported properly, can enhance our experiences and environments in the classroom, at home, at work and more? Learn how in this interactive and fun session.
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Cultivating Inner Peace Through Yoga
Melt into a 60 minute gentle yoga flow practice designed to help you reconnect to your body and cultivate peace within. All levels of experience are invited. Prepare for the class by clearing a space on the floor.
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Be the One to Step In
Trisha Whitmire
You know when something's not right. When someone's in trouble - or about to be. You can be the one to help. Say something. Cause a distraction. Be the one to step into a situation to help someone out of it.
Time: 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Queer Students' of Color Sense of Inclusion in Community Colleges
Dr. Niraj Wagh
How do we create a more inclusive atmosphere in community college classes for Queer Student's of color (QSOC)? This session will illustrate strategies that can help community college faculty, staff, and administrators create inclusive environments for their QSOC.
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Global Peace Film Festival Film Screening: American River
AMERICAN RIVER is a highly-cinematic feature documentary about a four-day kayak trip down one of the most beautiful and neglected waterways in the United States. The film centers on writer Mary Bruno, who spent her childhood along a degraded stretch of the Passaic River and returns decades later to tell its story. Guided by ecologist Carl Alderson, Ms. Bruno travels from the Passaic's pristine headwaters in a wildlife refuge to its toxic mouth in Newark Bay. Together, they navigate the river's many challenges and explore its history and geology as they head towards the industrial disaster that poisoned the Passaic for the past 60 years. Along the way, the filmmaker engages residents, historians and advocates in candid conversations that reveal Passaic's story: How did this river become one of the most contaminated in America? Can it be saved? The Passaic is an archetype for thousands of rivers across America facing similar reckonings.


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The Religion and Political Views of Vladimir Putin
Putin began as an atheist, but a car accident and a house fire caused him to question his views and now he is a devout member of the Russian Orthodox Church. Some argue he is ushering in a new theocratic government in Russia.
Putin's decades-long political career in Russia has endured the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transition of Russia into free market enterprise and democracy. He has many critics and at times seems antagonistic toward the West.
Vladimir Putin was born and raised in Leningrad, U.S.S.R., now known as St. Petersburg, Russia.
Putin had, in classic Soviet fashion, a secular upbringing. His father was a "model Communist" and a "militant atheist," though his mother was a devout Eastern Orthodox Christian[1] and she had young Putin secretly baptized into that church.[2]
It was merely symbolic, however, as Putin went through the bulk of his adult life–rising through the ranks of the KGB and the Soviet Communist Party–conforming to Soviet secular convention.
It wasn't until the double-whammy of 1) his wife's car accident in 1993 and 2) a life-threatening house fire in 1996 that Putin began questioning his atheism. During a vulnerable moment before Putin departed for a diplomatic trip to Israel, his mother gave him a baptismal cross. He said of the occasion:
I did as she said and then put the cross around my neck. I have never taken it off since.[3]
Now, Putin has become a bit of a zealot. He seems to want to reestablish a pre-Soviet combination of church and state, saying:
First and foremost we should be governed by common sense. But common sense should be based on moral principles first. And it is not possible today to have morality separated from religious values.[4]
Furthermore, Putin has proposed compulsory religion and ethics classes for Russian students.[5]
There are many reports of collusion between the Russian Orthodox clergy and the Russian government, with each of them fighting the other's battles for them. The most recent example to receive worldwide attention was the Pussy Riot debacle, in which the girl-punk band sang at a church in Moscow: "Mother of God, Blessed Virgin, drive out Putin."[6] Both the church and the government were outraged and the band was sentenced to two years of prison labor.[7]
The western world erupted in outrage and, recalling Soviet oppression of artists and intellectuals, condemned the sentence as theocratic totalitarianism. Even the Obama administration weighed in, saying:
While we understand the group's behavior was offensive for some, we have concerns about the way these young women were treated by the Russian judicial system.[8]
Still, Putin's religiosity is a blessing to some in the international community. The Eastern Orthodox Church has asked him to protect Christians worldwide, and he has agreed. Russia's controversial support of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria is due to Putin's concern that the Christian minority in that country will be persecuted if Assad is toppled.[9]
Much remains to be seen, as Putin discovers his newfound devotion to God and Russia still grapples with its religious freedom.
Not a Czar, but close.
Putin has been (so far) three times the Russian President and twice the Russian Prime Minister. It's a repetitive grab for power that has many in the West speculating that, not only is Putin becoming something like the old Russian Czars,[10] but that Russia itself is reverting back to its totalitarian ways.[11]
It all began when Putin, after graduating from Liningrad State University, became an intelligence officer for the KGB. He spent most of his KGB career in East Germany and, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, he retired.[12] So, we could safely say that Putin was an enthusiastic communist–even though his education was in free market economics.[13] And, it could be argued, that business and enterprise has been greatly encouraged under his leadership.[14]
Putin wishes to lead Russia out of its old ways and integrate it into the West–for the most part–though he exudes that nationalistic Russian pride:
We are a major European nation, we have always been an integral part of Europe and share all its values and the ideals of freedom and democracy. But we will carry out this process ourselves, taking into account all our specific characteristics, and do not intend to report to anyone on the progress we make.[15]
But Russia is still in transition, and at times, Putin is at odds with the West, particularly in foreign policy. He has positioned Russia en face de the U.S. and the E.U. in terms of North Korea[16] and Syria.[17]
And he struggles with organized crime in his country,[18] though many suspect corruption is involved, up to the highest levels of Russian politics.[19]
These are but a few of the issues and a small slice of the ideology surrounding Vladimir Putin. His nearly 40 year career in Russian politics covers a lot of ground. Check out his Wikipedia page for the beginnings of a comprehensive coverage of Putins's politics.
Putin's "religious awakening" follows wife's car crash ↩
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin ↩
Putin Q&A: Full Transcript – Person of the Year 2007 ↩
Putin: Compulsory Religion Classes Must Engage Students ↩
Putin Goes to Church ↩
Obama weighs in on Pussy Riot sentence ↩
Vladimir Putin Vows To Protect Christianity Worldwide ↩
Putin Rising, Russia Regressing ↩
Vladimir Putin Biography ↩
No Prosperity without business-friendly laws: Putin ↩
Vladimir Putin's Presidential Philosophy ↩
Russia: Bribery Thriving Under Putin, According To New Report ↩
This wiki was last updated on 16 Jan 2013 by:
Tom Kershaw
Wilson was a Democrat, considered by many to have been racist, and initiated foreign and economic policies that still reverberate today. Wilson was a devout Presbyterian.
Castro is a Marxist/Leninist. Castro is an atheist who has become a Christian sympathizer in his old age.
He is a Democrat, and although viewed as largely ineffective as a president, has been extremely active as a peace negotiator and diplomat in his post-presidency. Jimmy Carter is a devout evangelical, born-again Southern Baptist, and possibly the most religious U.S. president ever.
Stalin was a Marxist with his own slant on the philosophy, a slant he used to justify the killing of millions of Russians. Stalin was raised devout in the Greek Orthodox Church. His parents hoped he would become a priest. He became a religion-suppressing atheist instead.


Add all ingredients, except sugar, to a large glass microwave safe bowl. Stir well. Microwave on high for 5 mins.
Add sugar and stir well. Microwave on high for 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.
Pour into 4 small sterilised jars, label and enjoy.
I use Captain Morgan rum.


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The courts will provide access to information to any person who is not directly involved in a procedure only to the extent provided by the statutory provisions.


My goal is to help you improve your life with hypnotherapy and psychic readings. I enjoy working with clients who are open to the benefits of self-improvement. I'm wishing you the very best in your journey to finding all you want in life.


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By WCDA | 10th January 2022 | 0
Trisha Bennett (our Community Development Coordinator) was featured on BBC Radio Berkshire last Saturday, January 8th. You can hear Trisha talking with Paul Coia on the Breakfast show here: Whitley CDA is incredibly grateful to be part of such a great community on social media. We know that many people are challenged with the negative…
By WCDA | 8th December 2021
When the pandemic hit and things got tough Whitley came together and helped us provide vital support to people in our local community. To be recognised for this is an honour and to represent the best of Whitley made us so very proud. There are so many people to thank, of course, Pride of Reading…
By WCDA | 23rd November 2021
A baseline of 22% of people live in food poverty in the UK, often reliant on solutions outside of mainstream food systems, including food banks. This doesn't enable people to plan or choose their diet, or to improve their food security on a long-term basis. The vision of the programme is to provide citizens of…
John sadly passed away suddenly on Saturday 6th November and will be greatly missed. Whitley CDA (WCDA) first met John in 2012 after we secured Big Local Funding for community development and he was the representative of the Big Local. John quickly became a familiar face, connecting with locals effortlessly as he helped us kickstart…
By WCDA | 28th September 2021
7 hours per week, term time only plus 5 days, actual annual salary £19,520 Interviews will be held before the deadline should suitable candidates apply. About the Opportunity John Madejski Academy wish to recruit a fantastic, enthusiastic Cover Supervisor with a real passion for education to join our dedicated team and contribute to ensuring our school…
Casual hours contract, £9.25 per hour. Exams are held during the first two weeks of November, two weeks in March and a longer six week period in May/June Interviews will be held prior to the closing date should the right applicant apply. Please apply early to avoid disappointment. About the Opportunity John Madejski Academy are…
By WCDA | 2nd September 2021
Compass Recovery College is running workshops both online and in person, at a variety of venues. They have co-produced new workshops around Autism Spectrum Disorder and Bipolar Disorders, and are exploring how we can Live a More Mindful Life and they have new workshops about Grieving Losses. They are working with the MERL again, this…
By WCDA | 1st September 2021
We are very pleased to announce that we are reopening the Cafe – HUZZAH! We are so excited to be opening again, It's been such a long time since we've seen you all. The cafe will now be open from Monday – Friday 9am – 2pm. Do pop along and say Hi, we'd love to…
Whitley CDA's food surplus project has become a key and vital part of its local involvement in Whitley. Even before the pandemic started Whitley CDA had noticed an increase in the number of people using the service. This was a reflection on the number of people, including those in work, who were struggling to make…
By WCDA | 23rd March 2021
Whitley CDA's annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on Apr 12, 2021 07:00 PM. This year we will be having our AGM on zoom and everyone is invited. If you would like to attend the meeting you can do so by simply following this link and registering. At this meeting we will be presenting…


I'm from South Carolina in the United States of America. I live close to Myrtle Beach so I'm constantly surrounded by the wonders of nature. The beach is more than a sight. Its the smell and the feel and knowing you're there.
Although I like to be there, my paintings are directed more towards a lonely time in my life. I've used many mediums to convey my moods and thoughts but watercolour seems to give me the most satisfaction with its propensity for being uncontrollable at times.
© All of the images on this website are copyrighted original artworks by their author and are protected by international copyright law. No materials in this gallery may be reproduced, copied, downloaded, or used in any form without written permission of the contemporary artist James McLeod Reed.


Why The Hell Is This 10-Year-Old Interviewing Iggy Azalea About Her Breast Implants?
WHILE AT THE KIDS CHOICE AWARDS.
For some reason Extra enlisted a little kid (actor Nicolas Bechtel from General Hospital) to ask Iggy Azalea about her recent admission to getting breast implants.
Even though the small child posed this question on the red carpet of the Kids Choice Awards, Iggy (after her surprise) took the time to actually give a smart, thought-out answer.


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Battle of the School Bands
Thirst Groups
Group activities at Thirst
We offer a selection of groups for adults and children
Piano for Children
Reception & Year 1
Piano lessons for children wanting to learn to play the piano in a group environment.
Tutor: Heidi Garner
Time: Thursday, 15:45 – 16:00
Price: £7.50 per session paid on a half-termly basis in advance. Please get in touch if you would like further information.
T-Vox (Vocal Harmony)
Aimed at those who have already gained a good level of vocal experience (preferably grade 4 standard or above) whether through own performances or through grades or school singing. It will feature the study of various styles of music from traditional choral works to rock and pop backing vocals. Suitable for ages 11+
Tutor: Lisa Murfitt
Time: Saturday, 13:00 – 14:00
Price: £7 per session paid on a half-termly basis in advance. Please get in touch if you would like further information.
These sessions are for anyone interested in home recording or those wanting to develop a better understanding of Logic Pro and other DAWs. Topics covered include recording, mixing, EQ, compression and delay.
Tutor: Barney Lawson
Time: Wednesdays, 19:15 – 20:15 or Thursdays, 18:00 – 19:00
Price: £10 per session paid on a half-termly basis in advance.
Quenchers is a group session which is specifically designed for children in Reception,Year 1 and Year 2!
While still retaining the fun and sociable aspect of the Little Thirsties sessions, Thirst Quenchers will aim to bridge the gap between the pre-school group and progression to 1-1 instrumental lessons. Children will be introduced to basic music theory (eg. the names of notes and their values) which is so important if going on to learn a particular instrument later on. They will participate in group singing and percussion to develop listening skills and the importance of steady rhythm and timekeeping. There will also be the opportunity to learn about some of the instruments we teach here at Thirst Music School by watching demonstrations and having a go themselves.
The cost per session will be £7.50 (paid in advance).
Thirst Quenchers will be held at our studios on Tuesday afternoons at 4pm and will last approximately 45 minutes. It is not necessary to remain with your child for these sessions, however, you may stay in the room for the first few occasions if this is helpful to your child.
To book a place, please contact us here.
Please note the group is limited to 10 children so booking is on a first come, first served basis. For subsequent terms, priority will be given to children currently enrolled for the sessions.
We'd love to hear from you. Please get in touch if you have any questions or want to enquire about lessons at Thirst Music School. Fill in the form below, call / text us on 07781 128945 or email us at info@thirstmusicschool.co.uk You can also send us a message through our Facebook page!
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Dawn Tranchino Provenzale, MD
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
Campus mail 411 W. Chapel Hill St, 7th Floor, Durham, NC 27701
Email address prove002@mc.duke.edu
Dr. Provenzale is Director of GI Outcomes Research at Duke University and the Director of the Durham Epidemiologic Research and Information Center (ERIC). She directs a research program that integrates observational research, measurement of patient-centered outcomes and decision making to investigate patient-oriented research questions in gastrointestinal cancer screening, surveillance and quality of care. Dr. Provenzale also directs the training program for GI fellows committed to careers in health services research.
Ongoing projects include CanCORS, an NCI/VA funded consortium to measure quality of lung and colorectal cancer care in VA and non-VA settings, and the development and dissemination of CCQMS, a cancer care quality measurement system. Additional studies are developing a cancer tissue repository for microarray studies.
Fellow in Clinical Decision Making, Medicine, Tufts University, 1989 - 1991
Fellow in Gastroenterology, Medicine, Tufts University, 1987 - 1990
Medical Resident, Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1984 - 1987
M.D., Albany Medical College, 1984
Cancer Treatment Disparities in the HIV Population: Exploring the Impact of HIV on Physician and Patient Decision-Making
Duke CTSA (KL2)
Duke CTSA (TL1)
Postdoctoral Training in Genomic Medicine Research
Novel Combinatorial Screening for NTFs, NPCs, MMPs, and CCs in relevance to Autoantibodies in the Serum and CSF of Veterans with GWI
IPA - Teresa C Day
Shaheen, Nicholas J., Bryan Green, Raj K. Medapalli, Kate L. Mitchell, Jeffrey T. Wei, Sarah M. Schmitz, Lindsay M. West, et al. "The perception of cancer risk in patients with prevalent Barrett's esophagus enrolled in an endoscopic surveillance program.." Gastroenterology 129, no. 2 (August 2005): 429–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gastro.2005.05.055.
Sultan, Shahnaz, Deborah A. Fisher, Corrine I. Voils, Anita Y. Kinney, Robert S. Sandler, and Dawn Provenzale. "Impact of functional support on health-related quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer.." Cancer 101, no. 12 (December 15, 2004): 2737–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.20699.
Fisher, Deborah A., Christopher Martin, Joseph Galanko, Robert S. Sandler, Marc D. Noble, and Dawn Provenzale. "Risk factors for advanced disease in colorectal cancer.." Am J Gastroenterol 99, no. 10 (October 2004): 2019–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1572-0241.2004.40010.x.
Dam, Jacques van, Peter Cotton, C Daniel Johnson, Beth G. McFarland, Benoit C. Pineau, Dawn Provenzale, David Ransohoff, et al. "AGA future trends report: CT colonography.." Gastroenterology 127, no. 3 (September 2004): 970–84. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2004.07.003.
Ayanian, John Z., Elizabeth A. Chrischilles, Robert H. Fletcher, Mona N. Fouad, David P. Harrington, Katherine L. Kahn, Catarina I. Kiefe, et al. "Understanding cancer treatment and outcomes: the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium.." J Clin Oncol 22, no. 15 (August 1, 2004): 2992–96. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2004.06.020.
Provenzale, Dawn. "An overview of economic analysis for the practising gastroenterologist and hepatologist.." Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 16, no. 6 (June 2004): 513–17.
Farraye, Francis A., Kimberlee Horton, Harry Hersey, Yvona Trnka, Timothy Heeren, and Dawn Provenzale. "Screening flexible sigmoidoscopy using an upper endoscope is better tolerated by women.." Am J Gastroenterol 99, no. 6 (June 2004): 1074–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1572-0241.2004.30215.x.
Chiba, Naoki, Ian M. Gralnek, Paul Moayyedi, Dawn Provenzale, John M. Inadomi, Andrew R. Willan, Andrew H. Briggs, and W Ray Kim. "A glossary of economic terms.." Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 16, no. 6 (June 2004): 563–65.
Adams, Paul C., Michael J. Arthur, Thomas D. Boyer, Laurie D. DeLeve, Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, Mark Hall, Theodore R. Levin, Dawn Provenzale, and Leonard Seeff. "Screening in liver disease: report of an AASLD clinical workshop.." Hepatology 39, no. 5 (May 2004): 1204–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.20169.
Fisher, Deborah A., Karen Dougherty, Christopher Martin, Joseph Galanko, Dawn Provenzale, and Robert S. Sandler. "Race and colorectal cancer screening: a population-based study in North Carolina.." N C Med J 65, no. 1 (January 2004): 12–15.


SPRINGDALE (KFSM)–For the first time since 2014, a non-quarterback won the Burslworth Trophy. Hunter Renfrow , a wide receiver from Clemson was named the ninth recipient of the award, given in to the best college football player that started his career as a walk-on.
Renfrow was selected over Patrick Laird, a running back from Cal and Marcus Epps, a free safety from Wyoming.
Renfrow will be remembered for his last second, national championship winning touchdown catch over Alabama in January 2017. The senior has caught two TD passes in the 2016 & 2017 national title games. This season, Renfrow has 43 catches for 472 yards and a TD. After starting as a walk-on and redshirtting in 2014, the senior has compiled 180 catches, over 2,000 yards and 15 TD. Clemson is 13-0 and faces unbeaten Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, one of two College Football Playoff semifinals.
Laird compiled an excellent senior season with 238 carries for 932 yards and 5 TD. Laird also caught 50 passes for 291 yards and 4 more TD, leading California to a 7-5 record and a berth in the Cheez It Bowl in Phoenix in late December.
Epps led Wyoming to a 6-6 year. As a senior, Epps recorded 63 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and 8 pass break ups. In his career, Epps played in 50 games and recorded 325 tackles, 19.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 9 intereptions, 5 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.
Renfrow was a freshman on Clemson's scout team when current Arkansas coach Chad Morris was offensive coordinator with the Tigers.


Ali Merchant is the founder of a boutique leadership development firm specializing in training ambitious managers to become remarkable leaders. He has spent the last 10 years running Learning & Development organizations for public companies, iconic technology brands in Silicon Valley and the biggest online marketing agencies on the planet. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Sarah and dog, Albert.


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Members of the California Assembly are considering legislation, Assembly Bill 2500, to impose 'per se' criminal penalties to individuals who drive with trace levels of THC or any other Schedule I through Schedule IV substance in their body — regardless of whether he/she is behaviorally impaired. AB 2500 has been referred to the Public Safety Committee.
NORML and California NORML opposes the imposition of this legislation.
This proposed 'per se' measure is an unscientific and disproportionate response to behavior that is already sufficiently addressed by present traffic safety laws. The sole presence of THC and/or its metabolites in blood, particularly at low levels, is an inconsistent and largely inappropriate indicator of psychomotor impairment in cannabis consuming subjects. The imposition and enforcement of these strict liability standards risks inappropriately convicting unimpaired subjects of traffic safety violations, including those persons who are consuming cannabis legally in accordance with other state statutes.


Abortion Pill "Reversal": Where's the Evidence?. March 2019.
Women's access to abortion improves children's lives. January 2019.
Safety of miscarriage treatment in hospitals, ASCs, and office-based settings. December 2018.
Improving abortion service delivery and quality of care: Recommendations based on experiences of women turned away from abortion care. October 2018.
Socioeconomic outcomes of women who receive and women who are denied wanted abortions. August 2018.
Resultados socioeconómicos de las mujeres que reciben y a las que se les deniega el aborto deseado. August 2018.
The mental health impact of receiving vs. being denied a wanted abortion. July 2018.
El impacto en la salud mental de recibir vs ser denegada de un aborto deseado. July 2018.
Safety of Abortion in Ambulatory Surgical Centers vs. Office-based settings. June 2018.
The Impact of State-Level Alcohol and Pregnancy Policies on Birth Outcomes and Prenatal Care Use. June 2018.
How facility standards for common outpatient procedures are developed and the implications for abortion. March 2018.
How obtaining an abortion versus being denied one impacts alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. March 2018.
State law approaches to facility regulation of abortion and other office interventions. February 2018.
Religious hospital policies on reproductive care: What do patients want to know?. January 2018.
A systematic review of the effect of facility characteristics on patient outcomes for procedures in outpatient settings. January 2018.
Assessing barriers to medication abortion among California's public university students . December 2017.
Evaluating University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) capacity to provide medication abortion. December 2017.
Distance traveled for abortion and source of care after abortion in California's Medicaid Program. August 2017.


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Snow showers. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..
Snow showers. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
LETTER: Will we ever escape racism in the USA?
Why are Americans seemingly programmed towards biases against Black and Brown people? Joe Biden tapping Kamala Harris as his choice for vice president has already (just 4 hours after the announcement) started to show the racial divide in this city, county and country. We are taught as school children to believe in American superiority and ingenuity, and we briefly gloss over (or rather, white wash) the racial issues that many feel while sitting through those lessons.
It's been 4 hours and 10 minutes since the announcement and I have seen numerous comments on social media calling Sen. Harris "angry," a "socialist" and a few calling her ethnicity into question. First, let's be very clear here, a mixed race person of color who is partially Black, is Black in the eyes of every person in this country (I have a son who's ethnicity is ambiguous at best but in the eyes of everyone who sees him he's Black). Next, Kamala Harris is a United States Senator, and a former district attorney. She's not what progressives would call "liberal" and she's very intelligent and always well prepared. Hardly an "angry black woman."
My entire life I've heard Black women (and men) described as "angry" or "aggressive." Latinas are described as "fiery" or "feisty." While white women are "assertive," "determined" or, at worst, "bossy." Many in this county would love for us to believe that racism isn't prevalent anymore and if only we'd stop talking about it, it would magically disappear. These biases however, will not go away until we face them and teach our kids to do and be better. Stereotypes only serve to hold us back as a society. Language matters. Think before you speak.
CASSANDRA GONZALEZ
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Air France-KLM's New CEO To Face Headwinds
Can new leadership overcome persistent labor strife?
Author: Luca Ventura
Air France-KLM has a new CEO. The fourth-largest European airline by number of passengers picked Benjamin Smith, formerly Air Canada's president and COO, to replace Jean-Marc Janaillac, who had stepped down in May after workers rejected a pay deal.
Smith, who started earlier this fall as the conglomerate's first foreign chief, can expect plenty of turbulence. As the board of directors announced his appointment, unions in both France and the Netherlands complained that an outsider would not defend national interests or preserve wage levels and work conditions.
The backdrop to Smith's appointment was a wave of walkouts at the French unit in the second quarter that cost Air France-KLM about €260 million ($304 million). Revenues were flat for the period at €6.6 billion. With crews and ground staff seeking a 6% pay rise and international low-cost carriers offering stiff competition, Smith has his work cut out for him.
"I am absolutely sure that he has accepted the role with his eyes wide open to the enormity of the task ahead of him," says Chris Tarry, analyst at British aviation consulting firm CTAIRA. "The need is not only for a coherent strategy but for one that is capable of implementation. For too long there has been a detachment from reality regarding the position of Air France."
While KLM has tended to underpin the group in most years since the 2004 merger, Air France's performance has been disappointing despite its strong and recognizable brand. "Its cost of labor and poor revenue productivity continue to be a real problem," Tarry says, "notwithstanding the numerous cost-reduction and performance-improvement programs over the years."
In order to improve, he argues, Air France must clearly take responsibility for its own shortcomings. "Whether this can be done without the adoption of what I call 'precipice management,' looking over the edge and realizing that change is necessary, remains to be seen."
In the near term, Smith will face the threat of more employees' strikes, passengers "booking away" and opting for other carriers, and the impact of materially higher fuel prices. "It could be a hard fight, but management needs to be able to make the necessary changes, some of which would appear to be long overdue," says Tarry.
This article appeared in issue October 2018
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Alexa St. John
For the past several years, the first week of January has been especially important for automakers, suppliers and new industry entrants.
It's typically when the Las Vegas Convention Center and the surrounding area are reconfigured to accommodate the test drives, demonstrations and displays that are synonymous with the annual CES.
Hotels up and down the Las Vegas Strip are booked for that week months in advance. Hundreds of thousands of industry executives, leaders, enthusiasts and media from around the globe swarm to experience the latest developments in automotive technology, alongside other consumer electronics, that will influence the industry for years to come. Showgoers have seen everything from General Motors' OnStar to Toyota's Woven City.
Shapiro: Chance to come together
This year, CES has been stripped of those experiences because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Instead, the automakers, suppliers and startups that have often revealed innovations in electrification and autonomy at the nation's signature technology show will demonstrate their latest technologies virtually.
"What's happened in this one year since CES 2020 is so dramatic and so changing in so many ways," said Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association, which owns and hosts the show.
But "the auto industry still needs information," he said. "They need relationships and context. They need serendipity. They need to understand whether they can trust a vendor or not.
"Events like ours give an opportunity for people to come together."
Virtual show in view
When: Jan. 11-14
Automaker exhibitors: Audi, BMW, FCA, GM, Hyperion Motors, Mercedes-Benz, SAIC Motor, Sono Motors
Supplier exhibitors: Aptiv, Bridgestone, Continental, Here Technologies, Magna International, Pioneer Electronics, Renesas Electronics, Veoneer, Visteon, ZF Friedrichshafen
Expected exhibitors: 1,800-plus
Conference sessions: 100-plus
Automotive keynote: GM CEO Mary Barra, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 9 a.m. EST
Source: Consumer Technology Association information as of Jan. 4
Because of this, Shapiro is bullish about the show and said it provides a necessary outlet, even digitally.
"It's a cross-vertical event, and the auto industry especially has benefited from the fact that innovations are coming from outside of the traditional verticals," he said. "In other words, if you are in just the auto category, and you're a major company, you're looking for innovation everywhere. You're looking outside your vertical. You're looking to partner with all sorts of different technology companies.
"Especially in a year, frankly, where a lot of the auto shows have just gone away or been impacted in different ways, CES has provided an opportunity to do that."
The Consumer Technology Association revealed on July 28 its decision to go virtual with the show. That followed several changes to the industry's largest and most influential auto shows.
A few automakers and suppliers that have previously shown products at CES are not exhibiting this year.
Notably, as of last week, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Rivian and Toyota had not returned as exhibitors for the digital show, according to the association.
French electronics and seating supplier Faurecia, which outlined its partnership with Microsoft at the show in 2020, is not exhibiting this year, said a spokesman.
Another French supplier, Valeo, which demonstrated its eDeliver4U autonomous, electric delivery bot last year, also won't exhibit.
Shapiro said exhibitor participation ebbs and flows even in normal years, but the digital event presented some challenges.
"Sometimes the workflow of the company is such they couldn't pivot to even deal with the digital thing because it's a totally different skill set," Shapiro said. "Instead of having a physical exhibit presence, you have to do something totally different and imagine what you're doing."
Microsoft Corp. is producing the digital show, and Shapiro, a steady presence on the CES stage, will run things not from Las Vegas, but from Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash.
"Our philosophy was that we were not going to do everything," Shapiro said. "We're going to do a few things very well. And that's what our goal is. We want a good search engine. We want connectivity. We want people to have a personalized experience. We want to do things absolutely right in a way that makes sense and has everyone that's investing have a productive, valuable experience."
Not only has the show been transformed as a result of the pandemic, the trends in mobility and transportation that would typically be showcased there have shifted. One example is waning consumer interest in shared rides.
"There's a lot of impacts on the transportation world that come out of COVID that are still being felt," he said. "But I think in the long run, they'll be positive."
As for the future of CES, it is expected to return to Las Vegas in 2022 as a hybrid show, combining aspects of in-person and digital events.
"We need to walk around and see and feel," Shapiro said. "We need that discovery that you can't get fully on a computer.
"You need the body language, the signals. You need the hugs and handshakes," he added. "You need those relationships, the look in the eye. You need the smell of that new-car experience.
"So while business has gone on and technology's been a lifesaver in this time period, and I'm very proud of what the tech industry has done, we need those events."
Because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, automakers, suppliers and startups that have often revealed innovations in electrification and autonomy at the nation's signature technology show will demonstrate their latest technologies virtually.
Denso names new North American CEO


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Q: Filter kafka stream by topic Filter Kafka steam of multiple topics by topic.
kafka_stream = KafkaUtils.createStream(ssc, zookeeper_server, groupId='group-0', topics={'topic1': 1,'topic2': 1}, valueDecoder=lambda v: json.loads(v))

I like to filter the stream by topic1 and topic2, let's say it kafka_stream_topic1 and kafka_steeam_topic2 and then process it separately.
 kafka_stream_topic1.foreachRDD(lambda rdd: rdd.foreach(process_func_for_topic1))
 kafka_stream_topic2.foreachRDD(lambda rdd: rdd.foreach(process_func_for_topic2))

Filter stream by each topic and then process separately.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Fundamenta Informaticae - Volume 139, issue 1
Maximizing T-complexity
Authors: Clark, Gregory | Teutsch, Jason
Abstract: We investigate Mark Titchener's T-complexity , an algorithm which measures the information content of finite strings. After introducing the T-complexity algorithm, we turn our attention to a particular class of "simple" finite strings. By exploiting special properties of simple strings, we obtain a fast algorithm to compute the maximum T-complexity among strings of a given length, and our estimates of these maxima show that T-complexity differs asymptotically from Kolmogorov complexity. Finally, we examine how closely de Bruijn sequences resemble strings with high T-complexity.
DOI: 10.3233/FI-2015-1223
Citation: Fundamenta Informaticae, vol. 139, no. 1, pp. 1-19, 2015
Characterising Concurrent Histories
Authors: Janicki, Ryszard | Kleijn, Jetty | Koutny, Maciej | Mikulski, Łukasz
Abstract: Non-interleaving semantics of concurrent systems is often expressed using posets, where causally related events are ordered and concurrent events are unordered. Each causal poset describes a unique concurrent history, i.e., a set of executions, expressed as sequences or step sequences, that are consistent with it. Moreover, a poset captures all precedence-based invariant relationships between the events in the executions belonging to its concurrent history. However, concurrent histories in general may be too intricate to be described solely in terms of causal posets. In this paper, we introduce and investigate generalised mutex order structures which can capture the invariant causal relationships …in any concurrent history consisting of step sequence executions. Each such structure comprises two relations, viz. interleaving/mutex and weak causality. As our main result we prove that each generalised mutex order structure is the intersection of the step sequence executions which are consistent with it. Show more
Keywords: concurrent history, causal poset, weak causal order, mutex relation, interleaving, step sequence, causality semantics
Citation: Fundamenta Informaticae, vol. 139, no. 1, pp. 21-42, 2015
Particle Swarm Optimization based Sequential and Parallel Tasks Scheduling Model for Heterogeneous Multiprocessor Systems
Authors: Kumar, Paulraj Ranjith | Babu, P. | Palani, Sankaran
Abstract: Multiprocessors have emerged as a powerful computing means for running real-time applications, especially where a uniprocessor system would not be sufficient enough to execute all the tasks. The high performance and reliability of multiprocessors have made them a powerful computing resource. Such computing environment requires an efficient algorithm to determine when and on which processor a given task should be executed. In multiprocessor systems, an efficient scheduling of sequential and parallel tasks onto the processors is known to be NP- Hard problem. In this paper, the problem of minimizing schedule length with energy consumption constraint and the problem of minimizing …energy consumption with schedule length constraint on homogeneous and heterogeneous multiprocessor computers through independent sequential and parallel tasks are proposed. These problems emphasize the tradeoff between power and performance and are defined such that the power-performance product is optimized by fixing one factor and minimizing the other and vice versa. The performance of the proposed algorithm with optimal solution is validated using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) The PSO algorithm achieves 47.5% and 32% of power savings for scheduling sequential and parallel tasks to the processors respectively and also 45.5% of energy saving are achieved for scheduling both sequential or parallel tasks to the processors. Show more
Keywords: Multiprocessor, Embedded Systems, Energy and Power Optimization, PSO Algorithm
Multigranulation Decision-theoretic Rough Set in Ordered Information System
Authors: Li, Wentao | Xu, Weihua
Abstract: The decision-theoretic rough set model based on Bayesian decision theory is a main development tendency in the research of rough sets. To extend the theory of decision-theoretic rough set, the article devotes this study to presenting multigranulation decision-theoretic rough set model in ordered information systems. This new multigranulation decision-theoretic rough set approach is characterized by introducing the basic set assignment function in an ordered information system. It is addressed about how to construct probabilistic rough set and multigranulation decision-theoretic rough set models in an ordered information system. Moreover, three kinds of multigranulation decision-theoretic rough set model are analyzed carefully in …an ordered information system. In order to explain probabilistic rough set model and multigranulation decision-theoretic rough set models in an ordered information system, an illustrative example is considered, which is helpful for applying these theories to deal with practical issues. Show more
Keywords: Decision-theoretic rough set, multigranulation, ordered information system, partition function, probability measure
Immunological Computation for Protein Function Prediction
Authors: Zekri, Meriem | Alem, Karima | Souici-Meslati, Labiba
Abstract: Immunological computation is one of the largest recent bio-inspired approaches of artificial intelligence. Artificial immune systems (AIS) are inspired by the processes of the biological immune systems like the learning and memory characteristics which are used for solving complex problems. During the last two decades, AIS have been applied in various fields such as optimization, network security and data mining. In this article, we focus on the application of AIS to data mining in bioinformatics, more specifically, the classification task. For this purpose, we suggest three immune models based on clonal selection theory for the identification of G-protein coupled receptors …(GPCRs) to predict their function. Our three classifiers are the artificial immune recognition system (AIRS), the clonal selection algorithm (CLONALG) and the clonal selection classification algorithm (CSCA). The GPCRs represent one of the largest and most important families of multifunctional proteins and are a significant target for bioactive and drug discovery programs. It is estimated that more than half of the drugs on the market currently target GPCRs. However, although thousands of GPCRs sequences are known, many of them remain orphans, have unknown function. Our experiments show that the three immunological classifiers have provided interesting results, however, AIRS obtained the best ones. Therefore, it is, for us, the most suitable immune model for the GPCRs identification problem. Show more
Keywords: Artificial immune system, Protein function prediction, GPCRs Classification, Clonal selection algorithms, Pseudo amino acid composition
Citation: Fundamenta Informaticae, vol. 139, no. 1, pp. 91-114, 2015