text:
Neurology > General Neurology
Web-Based System Shows Benefits for Recurrent Benign Positional Vertigo
— "The first time I experienced it, I thought I had woken up to an earthquake," expert says
by Kate Kneisel, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today January 17, 2023
Web-guided diagnosis and treatment of recurrent benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) proved efficacious in a randomized parallel-group study in South Korea.
In an intention-to-treat analysis of 128 patients, 72.4% of those who performed a self-administered canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM) according to the type of BPPV diagnosed when they experienced recurrent episodes reported resolution of their vertigo compared with 42.9% of those who performed a self-administered CRM according to the type of BPPV that had been diagnosed at enrollment (P<0.001), reported Ji-Soo Kim, MD, PhD, of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and colleagues.
Meanwhile, in a per-protocol analysis, 82.4% of the treatment group and 51.7% of the control group reported vertigo resolution (P<0.001), they noted in JAMA Neurology.
Nassim Zecavati, MD, of the Children's Hospital of Richmond in Virginia, told MedPage Today that "benign positional vertigo is a common and truly disabling neurological condition. The first time I experienced it, I thought I had woken up to an earthquake."
"As a neurologist and member of the telehealth subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology, I am very encouraged by the results of this study, which suggest that self-administered maneuvers like this one are effective when guided by a web-based tutorial," she added.
Of people with vertigo, 17% to 42% have BPPV, and one in five of those affected have multiple recurrences after treatment, with an overall incidence of approximately 50% by 3 years. "Indeed, 20% of the patients enrolled in this study experienced recurrence within a half year," Kim and team said.
"CRM results in immediate resolution of BPPV in about 80% of patients after a single application, and the success rate increases to 92% with repetition," they noted.
The team cited previous reports showing that the majority of recurrences of idiopathic BPPV were not of the same type, and that idiopathic BPPV of the posterior canal seldom recurred in the same canal. "These findings indicate a random chance of BPPV subtypes when it recurs and suggest a limited efficacy of administering the CRM according to the subtype from the previous attack."
Thus, the resolution of BPPV -- i.e., no dizziness on waking or with changes in head position, and no spinning dizziness -- reported by 51.7% of controls in the per-protocol analysis "may be explained by possible recurrence of the same type or spontaneous reduction of the otolithic debris, which is an occasional finding in BPPV," they suggested.
Given the growing importance of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and "the effectiveness of the questionnaire-based diagnosis and self-administration of the CRM in BPPV, BPPV appears to be a vestibular disorder that is highly appropriate for telemedicine and digital therapeutics," Kim and colleagues wrote. "Thus, the system adopted in this study may be used for primary care physicians, particularly when making a tentative diagnosis over the telephone or during an office visit when a provocative maneuver is equivocal or cannot be done."
"The take-home point is that this maneuver should only be self-administered when there is recurrence of an established diagnosis of BPPV," Zecavati said. "All patients should have a comprehensive neurological evaluation and if that evaluation results in a diagnosis of BPPV, self-treatment should absolutely be an option for patients who experience recurrent bouts of vertigo. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a few silver linings and I believe the ability to access care and treatment from home is one of them -- certainly this study provides data to support this."
For this double-blind study, Kim and co-authors included 585 patients with diagnosed and treated BPPV from multiple referral-based university hospitals in South Korea from July 2017 to February 2020.
Of the total study population, 21.9% had recurrence (58 in the treatment group and 70 in the control group), and 85.2% successfully used the web-based system.
The treatment group included 292 patients (mean age 60.3, 64% women), and the control group included 293 patients (mean age 61.1, 71% women).
Patients in the treatment group completed a simple six-question web-based questionnaire, previously shown "to diagnose the involved canal and type of BPPV with an accuracy of 71.2%." These patients then viewed a video clip for self-administration of the CRM for the the type of BPPV diagnosed when they experienced recurrent positional vertigo. Patients in the control group did not complete the questionnaire, but received a video clip for self-administration of CRM according to the type of BPPV that had been diagnosed at enrollment.
Self-reported resolution of positional vertigo was independently assessed using a standardized questionnaire in a phone interview within 3 days of CRM completion.
Kim and team noted that their study only included patients with confirmed and treated BPPV, which was a limitation. In addition, patients with traumatic BPPV, which tends to recur more frequently, may have been overrepresented.
Kate Kneisel is a freelance medical journalist based in Belleville, Ontario.
This study was supported by the Korea Healthcare Technology R&D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea.
Kim reported relationships with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea, Seoul National University Hospital, and DZMED during the conduct of the study, as well as nonfinancial support from the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Travel.
JAMA Neurology
Source Reference: Kim H-J, et al "Effect of self-treatment of recurrent benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: a randomized clinical trial" JAMA Neurol 2023; DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.4944.


text:
The Park Is Closed...
Jurassic World Books
The Evolution of Claire
Jurassic World Employee Handbook
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Survival Guide
Jurassic World Dinosaur Field Guide
Jurassic Park Adventures: Survivor
Jurassic Park Adventures: Prey
Jurassic Park Adventures: Flyers
Jurassic Park: Redemption
Jurassic Park: Dangerous Games
Jurassic Park: Raptors Attack
The Science Of Jurassic Park And The Lost World Or, How To Build A Dinosaur
The Science of Michael Crichton
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
New Trilogy
Battle at Big Rock
Camp Cretaceous
Operation Genesis
Trespasser
Park Builder
Park Forum
Park Pedia History
Park Staff
Jurassic Park Fanon Wiki
Jurassic World: Die Hard; BattleshipMan's fanfiction (with the prologue)
BattleshipMan • 30 August 2019	• User blog:BattleshipMan
Hi, fellow JP/JW Wikians.
I have an announcement to make.
I have thought of, planned and written most of my fanfiction.....
Jurassic World: Die Hard
Here's the Synopsis of it all...
Fourteen years has passed since the events of Jurassic Park III. A new dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, was opened in Isla Nublar for over ten years. But a ruthless anti-dinosaur terrorist organization, led by brutal, revenge-driven mastermind Sean Nolan, seized control of Jurassic World, intending to unleash their sinister plans on the tourists and the staffers to prove their point about the dinosaurs to the world, including the Indominus rex the genetic engineered hybrid dinosaur with savage capabilities. But they haven't counted on former Navy SEAL turned Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady, with help from Jurassic World operations manager Claire Dearing and others, to mess up their plans.
If you're new to my fanfiction, I'll explain what this fanfiction is and what it will try to do for the franchise.
Jurassic World: Die Hard is an alternate universe story that takes place during the timeline of 2015 summer blockbuster film and fourth official installment in the Jurassic Park/World Franchise; Jurassic World. It serves as the first of three stories of the universe I called Jurassic World: The Die Hard series. As in the original Die Hard series, the series is about a group of terrorists that causes chaos and affects the protagonists. However, the series has elements from the same Jurassic World trilogy] (e.g. Indominus Rex and the thematic park).
The information that I can reveal so far is that this fanfiction was based on Jurassic World, and will even have scenes inspired or based on from that film. It will have new characters that are developed exclusively for Jurassic World: Die Hard and the two upcoming sequels. Also, the point of my story is to show the view of the dinosaurs on both sides, terrorist plots involving dinosaurs, villains that are far different than the typical villains you see in the Jurassic Park/World series and the protagonists who will face threats that are beyond comprehension and will test their skills and courage to stop the terrorists from using dinosaurs for their own agenda. Also it will involve animal cruelty, human greed, and the concept of multiple companies having the genetic power, which is what I want to incorporate into my fanfiction as hidden themes. Also, the message "Life finds a way" will be put to the test in this fanfiction as the protagonists get into conflict with terrorists who will use dinosaurs to do their bidding and those who will exploit them for their own agenda which will occur multiple times throughout this fanfiction story and the rest of the series.
I, so far, written eighteen chapters, including the prologue, and currently working on chapter 18 as we speak. If you want to visit the main page, located in the Jurassic Park Wiki's Sister Wikia, the Jurassic Park Fanon Wiki, you can go here.
If you want to see the already completed prologue that was mentioned in the title, you can go here.
I will send you blogs of already completed chapters of Jurassic World: Die Hard each week. Conservative criticism is okay and welcomed to potentially improve the fanfiction.
Hope you enjoy reading the fanfiction! Leave your thoughts down below!
Retrieved from "https://jurassicpark.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:BattleshipMan/Jurassic_World:_Die_Hard;_BattleshipMan%27s_fanfiction_(with_the_prologue)?oldid=224449"
Jurassic Park wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ten things Paul Gross can't live without
He writes, directs, produces and stars in Hyena Road, a gritty war flick in theatres this month. Here, 10 things the king of CanCon can't live without
By Caroline Youdan | October 7, 2015
By Caroline Youdan | 10/07/2015
(Images: Erin Leydon)
1 | My buck knife
On my family's ranch in Alberta, it's important to always carry a knife. The one I have is indestructible—it can open cans and fix fences. I don't have much use for it in the city, but I keep it around just in case.
2 | My Andean flute
Decades ago, my wife, Martha, and I climbed Huayna Picchu, a mountain overlooking the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. At the top, a man serenaded us with this traditional wooden flute, called a quena. Afterward, he gave it to me. It's a beautiful instrument, though I can't really play it.
3 | My sealskin dice
Martha brought them back from Iqaluit, where she'd been working. I use them to give myself excuses. I'll say, "If I can throw a pair of sixes, I don't have to write anything today."
4 | My luchador
He's powerful—just look at him. And he's got smashing green tights. I got him (and a bunch more) in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where friends took us to a hilariously fun wrestling match. They're scattered all over the house.
5 | My Bedouin tents
I've got two: this one, which is about the size of a hat, and a matching room-size version in my basement, which is great for naps. They're the real thing, handcrafted in Cairo's tent-making district.
6 | My compass
To be honest, I'm not sure how to use it. But I love what it symbolizes: no matter what, I'll always be able to find my way.
7 | My Shakespearean statue
Martha was playing Ophelia at the Citadel in Edmonton, and I happened across this woodcarving in a gallery there. The name of the piece was Ophelia, so I had to buy it.
8 | My Afghan souvenir
It's the pass I wore during my trip to Kandahar in 2011, where I was part of a media embed with the Canadian Armed Forces. The footage we shot there became the inspiration for Hyena Road. It's a wildly complex, chaotic place—beautiful in some ways, but harsh.
9 | My dad's spurs
My father gave me this box years ago, but it was only after he died in 2014 that I discovered what was inside: his equestrian spurs, part of his regimental dress as a lieutenant colonel in Lord Strathcona's Horse, a tank regiment in the Canadian Army. They make me think of him.
10 | My director's tool
In the '90s, a director named Patrick Hasburgh gave me a Mark V viewfinder—that's the lens-type thing directors use to frame scenes. I'd never directed anything, but he said, "I think you might need this one day." He was right.
Topics: Film movies Paul Gross The List Toronto Life Magazine October 2015
One thought on "Ten things Paul Gross can't live without"
boris moris says:
I like Paul's work but I'm pretty sure I don't want to see any depiction of Canada's war in Afghanistan that doesn't acknowledge Canadian war crimes or the overwhelming evidence that Canadian soldiers are typically alcoholic racists, rapists and wife beaters.


text:
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam or SSR for short was our first prime minister and the founding father of independent Mauritius. This remarkable man is the most famous Mauritian. He deserves a top place in the history of our country.
Our beautiful Botanical Gardens at Pamplemousse, our international airport, our national hospital and medical college are named after him.
You'll see his portrait on our stamps, one rupee coins and 2000 rupee notes.
SSR portrait on one rupee coin
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam: 1900 - 1985
Our father of the nation was born into a humble family. His father, Mohit Ramgoolam was an Indian indentured labourer who came to the island to work in the sugarcane fields. He married Basmati Ramchurn who was a widow with two sons. They had a son, Seewoosagur or 'Kewal'.
The family lived in a hut in a small village in the eastern part of the island. Kewal learned Hindu culture from an early age at the local school. His father died when he was 7 years and at 12 he lost an eye in an accident. He was well looked after by mother and his stepbrothers who were much older than him.
Later on he moved to Curepipe and stayed with his uncle to attend school. He did his schooling at the Royal College where he enjoyed English culture and literature. He was also fond of French literature. After passing his senior examination for Cambridge he left for the UK to study medicine at University College in London. His half-brother Ramlall help finance his studies.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam - political career
In London, he became involved in politics and was a founding member of the Indian Student's Central Association and then president of the London branch of the Indian National Congress. He returned to Mauritius in 1935 where he pursued his political aspirations.
He married Sushil known as Lady Sushil Ramgoolam in 1939 and the couple had two children.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam - achievements
He became the leader of the Labour Party, Chief Minister and Minister of Finance then Prime Minister of Mauritius in 1968 after independence.
SSR was distressed by the living conditions of the indentured labourers. He fought for equality and social justice in Mauritius. He established free secondary education, health care service, social security and introduced the old age pension.
In 1973 he was awarded the United Nations prize for outstanding achievements in the field of human rights.
SSR portrait on 2000 rupee note
He was elected chairperson of the OAU or Organisation of African Unity in 1976.
In 1983 he was nominated Governor General and Commander in Chief of Mauritius. SSR died in 1885. His body was cremated at the Pamplemousses botanical gardens and his ashes were scattered in the holy river Ganges in India.
During an interview with the Mauricien newspaper in 1985 he declared that "the freedom of the individual is the most precious heritage I bequeath to my country"
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam was a man of great intellect and could converse with ease about medicine, literature, philosophy and politics. Above all he was a fine politician, a visionary and committed humanitarian. Despite his many achievements he led a simple life.
Famous Mauritian people
Mauritius people - Who are we?
Mauritius many languages
Creole language with riddles
Home < Mauritius People < Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam


Thanks for posting this post. I appreciate you for posting this blog. This blog is helpful for those who are facing Antivirus Error .
Thanks for Sharing nice blog about how to fix Antivirus error its helpful for the Avast users.
This post really helps me to solve my avast error. Thank you for sharing this helpful information.


text:
How many lok sabha constituencies in bangalore dating
Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Southern state of Karnataka and will cast its vote in the election on April This constituency has been vacant since due to death of MP Ananth Kumar. parliamentary(Lok Sabha) Seats in India - View here details about Lok Sabha seats state wise & UT wise with total how many seats in Lok Sabha with maximum strength or . Karnataka Elections - Stay updated with latest news, parliament elections , breaking news and live updates of Karnataka lok sabha or general elections india constituency poll dates, schedule, opinion poll results, exit poll results, poll survey and election results online only at c35.me
Karnataka Elections - Stay updated with latest news, parliament elections , breaking news and live updates of Karnataka lok sabha or general elections india constituency poll dates, schedule, opinion poll results, exit poll results, poll survey and election results online only at c35.me Apr 06, · The Bangalore South is an Assembly constituency and not the Bangalore South Lok Sabha Constituency; Kanakapura Lok Sabha Constituency has been renamed as Bangalore Rural after delimitation; Bangalore Rural has been given political rebirth to big names like former prime minister Deve Gowda and former CM Ramakrishna c35.me: Raggi Mudde. Mar 11, · Karnataka Lok Sabha Elections -Poll Dates 14 constituencies will go into the poll in the 1st phase of Karnataka (2nd phase in India) which takes place on April 18th. The second phase in Karnataka (3rd phase in India) will take place on April c35.me: Madur.
3rd Lok Sabha Election ; 2nd Lok Sabha Election ; 1st Lok Sabha Election ; Election Lok Sabha Election Date ; Latest Opinion Polls. Get all latest news and updates on Karnataka Lok Sabha Election dates, seats and Results. Get Live Political News, Breaking News, Top Alerts, Exclusive Election Videos, interviews, Opinion/ Exit Polls, Surveys, Karnataka Election Date, Predictions, Constituency Wise Results, Reviews & more for Karnataka General Parliamentary Polls, List of Parliamentary Constituencies In Karnataka and MP. Bangalore Central Elections - Stay updated with latest news, parliament elections , breaking news and live updates of Karnataka lok sabha or general elections india constituency poll dates, schedule, candidates, opinion poll results, exit poll results, poll survey and election results online only at c35.me
Bangalore Central Elections - Stay updated with latest news, parliament elections , breaking news and live updates of Karnataka lok sabha or general elections india constituency poll dates, schedule, candidates, opinion poll results, exit poll results, poll survey and election results online only at c35.me parliamentary(Lok Sabha) Seats in India - View here details about Lok Sabha seats state wise & UT wise with total how many seats in Lok Sabha with maximum strength or . Apr 17, · There are a total of 28 parliamentary constituencies in Karnataka of which half would be going into the election on Thursday. These are: Bangalore, Central Bangalore, North Bangalore, Rural Bangalore, South Chamarajnagar, Chikballapur, Chitradurga, Dakshina, Kannada, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, Udupi and c35.me: Zee Media Bureau.
How many lok sabha constituencies in bangalore dating. Dating?
Bangalore South (Lok Sabha constituency) Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 28 Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) constituencies in Karnataka state in southern India. At present, Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency comprises the following 9 Legislative Assembly segments. Apr 06, · The Bangalore South is an Assembly constituency and not the Bangalore South Lok Sabha Constituency; Kanakapura Lok Sabha Constituency has been renamed as Bangalore Rural after delimitation; Bangalore Rural has been given political rebirth to big names like former prime minister Deve Gowda and former CM Ramakrishna c35.me: Raggi Mudde. Apr 16, · Bengaluru city is a key battleground for all the parties as there are 28 Assembly seats spread across three urban Lok Sabha constituencies, Author: Anil Urs.
Bangalore Central Elections - Stay updated with latest news, parliament elections , breaking news and live updates of Karnataka lok sabha or general elections india constituency poll dates, schedule, candidates, opinion poll results, exit poll results, poll survey and election results online only at c35.me How many lok sabha seats in Karnataka? Here is a list of Lok Sabha seats for the State of Karnataka. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. Apr 16, · Bengaluru city is a key battleground for all the parties as there are 28 Assembly seats spread across three urban Lok Sabha constituencies, Author: Anil Urs.
Dating for sex: how many lok sabha constituencies in bangalore dating
parliamentary(Lok Sabha) Seats in India - View here details about Lok Sabha seats state wise & UT wise with total how many seats in Lok Sabha with maximum strength or . Mar 11, · Karnataka Lok Sabha Elections -Poll Dates 14 constituencies will go into the poll in the 1st phase of Karnataka (2nd phase in India) which takes place on April 18th. The second phase in Karnataka (3rd phase in India) will take place on April c35.me: Madur. 3rd Lok Sabha Election ; 2nd Lok Sabha Election ; 1st Lok Sabha Election ; Election Lok Sabha Election Date ; Latest Opinion Polls.
parliamentary(Lok Sabha) Seats in India - View here details about Lok Sabha seats state wise & UT wise with total how many seats in Lok Sabha with maximum strength or . Apr 06, · The Bangalore South is an Assembly constituency and not the Bangalore South Lok Sabha Constituency; Kanakapura Lok Sabha Constituency has been renamed as Bangalore Rural after delimitation; Bangalore Rural has been given political rebirth to big names like former prime minister Deve Gowda and former CM Ramakrishna c35.me: Raggi Mudde. Bangalore Central Elections - Stay updated with latest news, parliament elections , breaking news and live updates of Karnataka lok sabha or general elections india constituency poll dates, schedule, candidates, opinion poll results, exit poll results, poll survey and election results online only at c35.me
How many lok sabha seats in Karnataka? Here is a list of Lok Sabha seats for the State of Karnataka. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. List of constituencies of the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). Each MP, represents a single geographic constituency. There are currently constituencies. The maximum size of the Lok Sabha as outlined in the Constitution of India is members made up. Apr 15, · Bangalore Central Parliamentary Constituency Map, General (Lok Sabha) Election Results, winner, runner up, current sitting MP, list of Bangalore .
Bangalore South (Lok Sabha constituency) Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 28 Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) constituencies in Karnataka state in southern India. At present, Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency comprises the following 9 Legislative Assembly segments. Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka state in southern India. This constituency was created in as part of delimitation. It was carved out of the Bangalore North and South Lok Sabha constituencies during Indian elections. It first held elections in and its first member of parliament was P. C. MohanCurrent MP: P. C. Mohan. Mar 11, · Karnataka Lok Sabha Elections -Poll Dates 14 constituencies will go into the poll in the 1st phase of Karnataka (2nd phase in India) which takes place on April 18th. The second phase in Karnataka (3rd phase in India) will take place on April c35.me: Madur.
How many lok sabha constituencies in bangalore dating. Dating for one night.
parliamentary(Lok Sabha) Seats in India - View here details about Lok Sabha seats state wise & UT wise with total how many seats in Lok Sabha with maximum strength or . List of constituencies of the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). Each MP, represents a single geographic constituency. There are currently constituencies. The maximum size of the Lok Sabha as outlined in the Constitution of India is members made up. Apr 06, · The Bangalore South is an Assembly constituency and not the Bangalore South Lok Sabha Constituency; Kanakapura Lok Sabha Constituency has been renamed as Bangalore Rural after delimitation; Bangalore Rural has been given political rebirth to big names like former prime minister Deve Gowda and former CM Ramakrishna c35.me: Raggi Mudde.
The best: how many lok sabha constituencies in bangalore dating
3rd Lok Sabha Election ; 2nd Lok Sabha Election ; 1st Lok Sabha Election ; Election Lok Sabha Election Date ; Latest Opinion Polls. Apr 16, · Bengaluru city is a key battleground for all the parties as there are 28 Assembly seats spread across three urban Lok Sabha constituencies, Author: Anil Urs. parliamentary(Lok Sabha) Seats in India - View here details about Lok Sabha seats state wise & UT wise with total how many seats in Lok Sabha with maximum strength or .
Karnataka Elections - Stay updated with latest news, parliament elections , breaking news and live updates of Karnataka lok sabha or general elections india constituency poll dates, schedule, opinion poll results, exit poll results, poll survey and election results online only at c35.me Mar 11, · Karnataka Lok Sabha Elections -Poll Dates 14 constituencies will go into the poll in the 1st phase of Karnataka (2nd phase in India) which takes place on April 18th. The second phase in Karnataka (3rd phase in India) will take place on April c35.me: Madur. parliamentary(Lok Sabha) Seats in India - View here details about Lok Sabha seats state wise & UT wise with total how many seats in Lok Sabha with maximum strength or .


MsTioga and I have come to believe that some of the most attractive things about Half Moon Bay are its cloudy days and low temperature. Many visitors come to Half Moon Bay on the weekends just to escape the heat of interior valleys. In fact, that is the exact reason why MsTioga and I are here.
Of course there are other reasons why Half Moon Bay is attractive. The town's center is really a nice place to walk around. Half Moon Bay is also a nice place to put your boat in the water!


Purple Color Premium Glow Bracelets | RaveStuff - Glow Sticks, Necklaces, Bracelets, LED Lights!
100 bracelets packed in a hard cylinder case to prevent accidental breaking of glow bracelets.
Globe ball connectors not included with the premium bracelets, can be purchased for $.25 a pair.


Alvaro Claver is a 3D Artist from Alvaro Claver. Recently he shared his latest 3D Art APEX. We took an interview with him about himself and about APEX. Hopefully this will be inspiring for our readers.
Q: Hello Alvaro Claver how are you, could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in CG?
Hi! Doing good, thanks. My name is Alvaro Claver and I am a 3d artist originally from Spain. For the last year I have been doing the one year CG Program at Think Tank Training Centre in Vancouver, Canada, specializing in texturing and getting ready for a job in the VFX industry. I have a bachelor's degree in fine arts (specialized in photography) and up to now I have been working as designer, TV cameraman and photographer. Having worked on set for many years and loving as much as I do computer graphics, it was a matter of time changing my career path to become a VFX artist. I am so lucky I could attend Think Tank and being trained by the best in the industry. I want to thank my mentors Justin Holt and Paul H. Paulino because, apart of being exceptional artists and good friends of mine, they helped and inspired me so much!
Q: What software programs do you use for your CG and why?
I mostly use Maya for modeling, Mari for texturing, Vray for rendering and Nuke and Premiere for comp and editing. Whenever I need to sculpt I use Zbrush. The reason behind this choices is because right now those are pretty much the standard in the movie VFX industry along some others. I believe when learning new software it's always better to adapt to where the market is going. There is no reason for defending one software because of a personal preference, and it's good not to get too attached to any as the industry can change at any time.
Q: You recently did "APEX" could you tells us a bit more about this project?
Sure. The story starts with me contacting Dan Jones, the artist who did the original sculpture, and asking if I could recreate digitally one of his robots called "Apex" to include it in my demo reel. It turned out he was really excited about this collaboration so I flew to California to personally meet him and to take photos and videos of the original piece in order to use them as reference. What a great experience I had! Not only I got to involve myself personally into a collaboration project like this but also made a new lifetime friend.
Q: Can you share a detailed process of creating "APEX"?
After planning all the steps, I began with a basic block out in Maya using reference pictures from the original. Then I modeled the robot and opened the UVs using a mix of Maya and UV Layout. There is a plugin for Maya called MmmmTools created by Joe Crawford, one of my teachers, that I used for keeping the density consistent among all the pieces when unwrapping the UVs. The texturing process in Mari involved using procedurals as much as possible, using masks that I created in Photoshop from the pictures I took from the original and projecting some detail on top of that.
After finishing texturing I illuminated the scene and look deved with Vray for Maya. I had to match the feeling of the real piece with more than 10 metal shaders with their own variations and dielectrics like wood and terracotta. Then I planned the camera shots and made one cut on Premiere with playblasts as previs. Once happy with it I rendered, comped in Nuke and edited the final version of the demo reel.
Q: What is the role of modern digital tools and technologies in the design process?
They are just that: tools. They are are there for being used for your needs! I always believed that it's not the tool, or in this case the software, what makes the artist. For instance: you can buy the most expensive DSLR camera but, if you do not put your heart and dedication on it, the outcome will not make any difference. It's the same with any software, workstation or medium.
Q: Which artist inspired you the most?
My two favourite classics had alway been Velazquez and Francis Bacon. I admire from Velazquez how he painted with light and did some studies of his art to understand it better. Bacon is something else, a tortured soul obsessed with anxiety and alienation. Very interesting indeed.
Q: What other interests do you have outside of creating art?
There is nothing more thrilling than motorcycles for me. I used to ride a Ducati Monster and my plans are saving some money to buy another bike. I do also enjoy traveling, doing yoga and listening to metal music with a good pair of headphones.
Q: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
Believe in yourself no matter what. Set a bar as high as you can and try as hard as you can to get there. If you have money available choose a good school, one that would care about you, and build a solid base of knowledge and skills. Schools are also good for networking: after all chances are you all in there are going to see each other again in the industry.
If you don't have any money it's not the end of the world. In fact many people even prefer learning by themselves. Arm yourself with patience, watch tons of tutorials and share your work for critique and comments in forums. Be careful though with the trolls 😉 It will take more time but the endgame is the same: become a better yourself and create something worth enjoying.


text:
is a city in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on January 1, 1950. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 51,241 and a population density of 95.6 persons per km2. The total area is 536.11 km2.

History
Nichinan began as part of the Fujiwara Shōen in the Heian period. The city's history and development were heavily influenced by the history of Obi town, a district of Nichinan which still exists today. Obi was one of the eight districts of Hyūga, an old province in eastern Japan, which was ruled by the Itō clan based at Obi Castle.

Throughout the Sengoku period, the Itō clan's most serious rival was the neighbouring Shimazu clan. The Shimazu clan had unified Satsuma Province and Ōsumi Province under its control, and began to clash with the Itō clan in 1570. The Itō clan was finally defeated by the Shimazu clan in 1578. After seeking help from then Shōgun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the family's lands were restored in 1587 after his invasion of Kyūshū and subjugation of the Shimazu clan. By the Edo Era, the Itō clan regained its holdings, which came to be known as the Obi Domain. In the period after the Edo period, efforts were poured into quality education at the Shintoku Clan School in Obi. The school is where the Meiji period diplomat Marquis Komura Jutarō graduated from.

On January 1, 1950, the city was established through an amalgamation of Agata town, Aburatsu town, Obi town, and Togo village. On February 1, 1955, Futo village and Hosoda town joined the city district. The current Nichinan city was established on April 1, 1956, when it amalgamated with Sakatani village, Kahara village, and the Odotsu district. Since 1963, Nichinan has been the spring training location for the Hiroshima Carp baseball team.

In 1998, plans were made to extend the eastern Kyūshū expressway to come as far as Kitagō town and Nichinan. In 1999, a 12-meter wharf was completed at the eastern head of Aburatsu port. Aburatsu's increasing role as a harbor has made it a regular stopover for both domestic and foreign ships, and it is becoming an authentic international trading port. From 2001 to 2010, a general plan for the future of Nichinan was drawn up, with the simple theme of progressing Nichinan as, "a city that combines its fragrant history and culture with the sunshine and lush green mountains."

During the nationwide round of Heisei-era mergers, the  was formed in August 2004 by the area's residents to consider the merger of the three municipalities. The group was, however, dissolved in May 2005 when the Kitagō Town Council vetoed the proposed merger bill despite the support for the merger by residents in both Kitagō and Nangō towns. The association was reconstituted on September 28, 2007, when merger supporters in both towns gained majorities on their respective town councils. On March 30, 2009, the three municipalities agreed to merge and become the new city of Nichinan.

Geography

Nichinan is on Japan's southernmost main island, Kyūshū. The average annual temperature is  with average annual rainfall of .

Climate
Nichinan has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. The average annual temperature in Nichinan is . The average annual rainfall is  with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Nichinan was  on 2 August 2013; the coldest temperature ever recorded was  on 24 January 1976.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Nichinan in 2020 is 50,848 people. Nichinan has been conducting censuses since 1920.

Economy
Mandarin oranges, ponkan, sweet peas, green peppers, kumquats, and rice are the main agricultural products of Nichinan, a sector that employs 2,130 people. In addition, logging, particularly of obi cedar, takes place on 3,451 hectares of land. Fishing of tuna, bonito, and spiny lobster is another major industry.

Manufacturing is worth approximately ¥47.2 billion per year. Tourism draws over a million visitors each year.

Culture

Festivals and events
There are three major yearly festivals that occur in Nichinan:
 : This festival typically occurs between late March and early April when the approximately 1,000 cherry trees of Chikkō-en come into bloom.
: This festival at the port of Aburatsu features Japanese rowing and shihanmato (bow and arrow) competitions. Usually held the third weekend of July, there are also street stalls, a fireworks display, and tours of a Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel.
 : Held the third weekend of October in the former Obi Town, this Edo period festival features a procession of warriors, the traditional Nichinan Taihei dance, and princesses of the festival among the many public events.

Other events include spring and autumn training for the Hiroshima Carp baseball team, swimming and marathon events, and monthly morning markets held at Aburatsu port and in front of Nichinan City Hall.

Temples and shrines

: A shrine built in a cave on a cliff on the coast. According to myth, the main deity of the shrine is the father of the first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jinmu. Visitors pray at the shrine for success in matchmaking and safe childbirth. Below the cliff there is a huge rock shaped like a turtle. It is said that one's wishes will be granted if one can throw a stone into the depression in the center.

Points of interest
: The main gate of the castle was restored with 100-year-old Obi cedar in 1978. In the castle, the samurai's mansion, the storehouse, and the white-walled merchant building still remain. The castle town produced 51,000 koku of rice. Because of its many cultural and historic landmarks, it is called the "Little Kyoto" of Kyūshū. It is part of the Japan National Trust to preserve traditional architecture.
: A replica of the original palace reconstructed using 100-year-old Obi cedar.
: A restored canal district in Aburatsu known as the location for the movie Otoko wa tsurai yo. The canal is 900 meters long and was built at the beginning of the Edo period in 1685. The main purpose of its construction was to transport Obi cedar safely down to the port from inland logging areas.
: A mountain looking out over the port of Aburatsu. Locally, it is called the watchtower mountain, and in the Second World War it became an air raid watchtower. It was also used as a weather forecasting mountain by fleets of ships based at Aburatsu Port during the days of the Obi clan. The ships used the summit of the harbor as a marker and made their way into Aburatsu Port.

Other points of interest include:
:

Transport

Rail
JR Kyūshū provides rail transport through the city via the Nichinan Line. The city's central station is , but  and  provide access to their respective districts.

Road
National Route 220 is the main transportation artery, passing through the center of the city.  National Routes 222 and 448 also provide automobile access through the city.

Educational facilities
There are seven kindergartens, 14 elementary schools, 11 junior high schools, and three high schools located within the city.

Sister cities
Naha, Okinawa Prefecture (Since April 24, 1969)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States (Since September 5, 1985)
Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture (Since August 10, 2000)
Albany, Western Australia, Australia (Since November 17, 2010)

Media
 The Obi district of Nichinan was the location for the NHK television series "Wakaba" broadcast from September 2004 to March 2005.

References

 "Visiting Nichinan", pamphlet, Nichinan Tourism Association, 2007.

External links

 Nichinan City official website
 Japanese National Tourist Organization

Cities in Miyazaki Prefecture
Port settlements in Japan
Populated coastal places in Japan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The warmest month (with the highest average high temperature) is October (34.6°C).
The month with the lowest average high temperature is June (25.2°C).
Coldest months (with the lowest average low temperature) are June and July (6.2°C).
Months with the highest relative humidity are January, February and March (60%).
The month with the lowest relative humidity is September (32%).
The wettest month (with the highest rainfall) is January (104mm).
The driest month (with the lowest rainfall) is August (0mm).
The month with most sunshine is August (Average sunshine: 10.7h).
The month with least sunshine is February (Average sunshine: 7.5h).


text:
Technip selects Emerson as main control valve supplier for Algiers Refinery upgrade project
édité le 12/04/2013 - Plus de news de "EMERSON" - Voir la fiche entreprise de "EMERSON"
Technip has selected Emerson Process Management as the main supplier of control valves for the Algiers Refinery rehabilitation and adaptation project. The Algiers Refinery, located 10 km south of Algiers, in Algeria, is being revamped to increase crude oil processing capacity and ensure it can produce gasoline at specifications similar to those used throughout Europe.
Emerson will supply approximately 600 of its Fisher® control valves and regulators, including rotary, globe and butterfly type devices. The valves will be deployed throughout the refinery, including within the residual fluid catalytic cracking unit, naphtha processing units and new LPG storage unit.
"Emerson was selected as the main control valve supplier because its Fisher valves are proven to provide high levels of accuracy and reliability in demanding refinery applications," said Pascal Marette, Senior Procurement Manager, Technip. "The level of support offered was also critical. Emerson's local team includes experts with extensive experience of providing solutions to refinery applications."
The modernization of instrumentation and control valves will help the refinery optimize the various process units. This will help to sustain the production of clean fuels both for the local and export markets, as well as reduce maintenance and plant shutdown costs.
The Fisher valves will be supplied with a range of trims and silencers. Suitable for severe-service applications, they are designed to provide long lasting, fast and safe operation, as well as reduced fugitive emissions.
Emerson's new FIELDVUE™ DVC6200 digital valve controller, incorporating performance diagnostics and the latest HART (version 7) communications, will enable control valves to be easily integrated into the existing control system. ValveLink™ software will work with the existing control system to provide online diagnostics that can help users identify potential problems so that can be addressed before operations are affected.
Algiers refinery was constructed in 1964 and produces motor fuels and LPG for the local market and naphtha and fuel oil for export. The refinery is owned by Sonatrach, which is the largest oil and gas company in Algeria and Africa. Technip is the EPC contractor for the Rehabilitation and Adaptation project. The project is part of a broader refinery upgrade program initiated by Sonatrach for the production of clean fuels in Algeria.
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management (www.emersonprocess.com), an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, water and wastewater treatment, mining and metals, food and beverage, life sciences and other industries. The company combines superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management and maintenance services. Its brands include PlantWeb™, Syncade™, DeltaV™, Fisher®, Micro Motion®, Rosemount®, Daniel™, Ovation™, and AMS Suite.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2012 were $24.4 billion.
Voir le site de la raffinerie d'Alger
Origine : Communiqué EMERSON
Voir la fiche entreprise de "EMERSON"
Les dernières news de "EMERSON"
06/05/2019 - Emerson's Terminal Automation Solution Enables Operational Excellence at Eastham Refinery Ltd.
15/04/2019 - Emerson Upgrades Reservoir Engineering Suite to Offer Easier Interoperability with Existing Workflows
13/03/2019 - Emerson and Repsol to Form Alliance on Advanced, Cloud-Based Exploration and Development Software
13/12/2018 - Emerson Acquires Advanced Engineering Valves
23/10/2018 - Emerson Helps Refiner Safely and Successfully Deliver Megaproject
02/10/2018 - Emerson to Buy General Electric's Intelligent Platforms Business
28/09/2018 - New Emerson Corrosion Monitoring Solution Enhances Integrity Management For Remote Pipelines
10/07/2018 - Emerson Introduces New E&P Software to Accelerate Reservoir Model Development with Automation and Cloud-based Collaboration
28/03/2018 - Repsol Selects Emerson for Multi-Year Exploration Technology Contract
06/03/2018 - Emerson and Total Sign Long-Term Global Agreement for Paradigm Exploration & Production Software Solutions
26/02/2018 - Emerson Completes Major Multi-Million-Dollar Project for BP North Sea
05/12/2017 - Emerson Completes Paradigm Acquisition
28/11/2017 - Emerson Withdraws Proposal to Acquire Rockwell Automation for $225 Per Share
20/11/2017 - Wintershall Deploys Emerson's Advanced Downhole Wireless Integrity Monitoring System on Maria Field
16/11/2017 - Emerson Proposes to Acquire Rockwell Automation for $225 Per Share in Cash and Stock Transaction Valued at $29 Billion
02/11/2017 - Emerson Signs Collaboration Agreement With Statoil
20/10/2017 - Emerson Expands Reservoir Simulation Software to Help Customers Maximize Field Recovery
18/10/2017 - Emerson Agrees to Acquire Paradigm
20/09/2017 - U.S. Refineries Can Now Meet 40 CFR Part 63 Requirements with Emerson's Gas Chromatograph Solutions
13/06/2017 - Emerson Signs Agreement to Collaborate on Digital Transformation for Saudi Aramco's Operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
02/05/2017 - Energy Producers Maximize Well Production, Lower Cost per Barrel with Emerson's New IIoT-Enabled Artificial Lift Optimization Software
03/04/2017 - Emerson expands reservoir management software capabilities for improved field economics and maximum oil recovery
23/03/2017 - Emerson and TopNIR help refiners maximize opportunity crude value and avoid fuel blending losses
13/01/2017 - DNV GL awards industry's first Technology Qualification certificate for fiscal metering to Emerson's ultrasonic flow meters
21/12/2016 - Emerson Expands Reservoir Modeling Capabilities to Maximize Recovery
09/12/2016 - Emerson releases major updates to seismic reservoir modeling and simulation software
30/11/2016 - Emerson helps Kuwait Oil Company maximize value of reservoir assets
09/11/2016 - Emerson Expands Global Flow Solutions Capabilities with Acquisition of Blending & Transfer Systems Business of FMC Technologies
04/10/2016 - Emerson Announces Agreement to Acquire UK-based Permasense Limited
27/09/2016 - Emerson helps Shell Philippines Exploration keep energy flowing
08/09/2016 - Emerson awarded Shell Prelude contract
25/08/2016 - Emerson secures metering management services contract with Nexen
19/08/2016 - Emerson signs agreement to acquire valves & controls business from Pentair
16/08/2016 - Emerson selected by Total for control and safety systems maintenance services on oil and gas operations
07/07/2016 - Emerson and StepChange Global collaborate to help oil and gas producers improve production efficiency
30/03/2016 - Emerson launches latest reservoir engineering software enhancements for improved field development decision-making
29/03/2016 - Emerson introduces wirelessly-monitored storage tank safety valves
23/02/2016 - Emerson helps expand Mexico's infrastructure to meet future energy demand
18/02/2016 - Emerson to help Cameron LNG deliver complex, multi-billion dollar LNG project on schedule
03/02/2016 - Emerson and OVS Group help oil and gas operators maximize production and efficiency
02/02/2016 - Emerson helps BP Whiting refinery avoid downtime while improving safety and reliability
22/09/2015 - Emerson's expertise and technology helps Qatargas save energy and reduce greenhouse gases
10/09/2015 - Emerson acquires Spectrex, Inc., further strengthening safety monitoring offerings for industrial customers
18/08/2015 - Emerson signs 10-year agreement with BP for enhanced oil and gas project execution and operational reliability
02/06/2015 - Emerson acquires Energy Solutions International
13/05/2015 - Emerson introduces economical, scalable fiscal metering control system for improved reliability and measurement accuracy
06/05/2015 - Emerson launches subsea wet gas meter to reduce risk and strengthen production optimization strategies
23/12/2014 - Emerson acquires Cascade Technologies Ltd.
20/11/2014 - Emerson releases RTU and HART configuration suite for remote oil & gas field applications
06/11/2014 - Emerson to automate BP-operated Shah Deniz Stage 2 operations in Azerbaijan
Toutes les news de "EMERSON"


The Bell was rung and President Diane Woodruff welcomed everyone to the Rotary Club of Sacramento.
Judy Daru (JA Collins Properties) was the sponsor of the day and she graciously provided her time to Jim Martinez from the Roseville Jazz Festival. The festival will be May 25 and 26 in downtown Roseville.
John Frisch (Newmark Knight Frank) was joined by Elfrena Foord (Foord, Van Bruggen, & Pajak) to share the highlights of the Dive Bar Tour. Using Las Vegas as an example it is easy to say that what happens on a Dive Bar Tour should stay on the Dive Bar Tour. Obviously a good time was had by all and the most important part was the $4,600 that was raised and presented to Ivan Wild (The Salvation Army) of the Salvation Army.
. Mystery Trip – Emperor Wes Yee (Yee Dental Care) gave a plug for the Mystery Trip which will be this Saturday, April 6.
. Theatre Night – Allison Cagley (Friends of Sacramento Arts) announced two remaining tickets for dinner and the performance of Cats on April 6.
. Wined Up for Youth – guest Rotarian Tim Maliepaard from Point West invited everyone to get Wined Up For Youth on May 11 at the California Auto Museum.
. Golf for Kids – Bob Miller (First US Community Credit Union) continued his promotion of the Gold Tournament on May 6. We need golfers and sponsors.
A special presentation by Susan Sheridan was made to Elfrena Foord and Bruce Hester in celebration of the couple's upcoming 20th Anniversary. This amazing gift was obtained by Susan on a recent trip to Sedona in a brightly wrapped package with the hopes that this special memento would find a place of prominence in their home. As they tore into the package, they learned that their special gift was a large, red rock.
President Diane recognized a few members. Virginia Varela (Golden Pacific Bank) was honored for Golden Pacific Bank's being the most profitable community bank in Sacramento; Jeannie Reaves (Jeanne Reaves Consulting) honored Elfrena and John Frisch for their leadership of the dive bar fundraiser; Steve Ruland (Ruland's Office Furnishings) gave a $1 per year in celebration of the 35th anniversary of his business; Jon Snyder (Snyder Commercial Real Estate) honored Steve Ruland for the generosity of Steve's business; and Kory Ley (American Red Cross) announced that she is expecting a new little Rotarian.
Chair of the Day Cheryl Marcell (CA State Railroad Museum Foundation) introduced guest speaker Dr. Ty Smith from the Sacramento Railroad Museum. In just about five weeks we will celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, and Ty talked about the museum and the importance or railroads in community identity. He talked about the important role of museums in being a place without walls, serving a laboratories of learning and being about community. Ty noted that railroads run deep in our DNA and are central themes in songs, movies and television. He emphasized that California is what it is today because of the railroad. During the Q&A session we learned that one of the things he appreciates about the California Railroad Museum is the challenge of being "old as steam and as new as Google" all at the same time.
President Diane started off with a quick round of thanks to guest Jim Martinez for tickling the ivories; Kory Ley and Mike Bullington (Unrestricted Free Agent) for greeting folks at the door; Jay Lowden (Unrestricted free agent) for doing the Pulse write-up; Dee Hartzog for providing the wine; and John Swentowsky (Swentowsky Photography) our photographer extraordinaire. Tom Gilbert provided the opening thought for the day, and Skip Lawrence provided the smile for the day.
Sacramento developer Mike Heller will be with us next week for part two of his presentation of local development.


text:
Newsroom » Text-based "Nudges" to High School Seniors from School Counselors Boost Financial Aid Filing, College Enrollment
AERA in the News
2018 AERA In the News
News Releases and Statements
Recent AERA Research
Trending Research Topics
Achievement Gaps
Communication Resources for Researchers
AERA Highlights E-newsletter
AERA Highlights Archival Issues
AERA Video Gallery
Text-based "Nudges" to High School Seniors from School Counselors Boost Financial Aid Filing, College Enrollment
For Immediate Release: October 29, 2019
Tony Pals, tpals@aera.net
(202) 238-3235, (202) 288-9333 (cell)
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 29, 2019—High school seniors who receive texted reminders—or "nudges"—from their school counselors are 17 percent more likely to complete the college financial aid application process and 8 percent more likely to enroll in college directly after graduating than their peers who are not nudged, according to a new study published today in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.
In contrast with other recent studies that have found no positive results from nudging, the text-based outreach in this case was framed for students as coming from their school counselor. If students replied to the text, they were able to communicate directly with their school counselor, who could provide guidance and support. In other recent studies, text nudges to students came from organizations such as the Common Application and the College Board, with whom students had no personal connection or affiliation.
The authors—Lindsay C. Page (University of Pittsburgh), Benjamin L. Castleman (University of Virginia), and Katharine Meyer (Brown University)—designed and implemented an intervention in Texas in spring 2015 that involved eight school districts in the Austin and Houston areas. These districts together served over 17,000 high school seniors (class of 2015) across 66 high schools.
Students in 39 of the participating schools were randomly selected to receive weekly text messages from their school counselors during spring 2015 (the second half of their final high school year). The messages provided information about the importance of completing federal and state financial aid application forms, a customized update on each student's status in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, and access to one-on-one assistance from school counselors.
"Our results suggest that text-based nudging may be more successful when the outreach is coming from a trusted source that a student or family would expect to hear from," said Page, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh. "If the outreach is coming from an individual or organization with whom the student has no obvious relationship, it may be seen as less credible and end up being less effective in shaping student behaviors."
"The financial aid application process can be confusing and challenging to navigate," Page said. "We find that proactive text-message outreach, when combined with support from known and trusted sources, can be an inexpensive, efficient, and effective tool to help ensure that more students and families are taking advantage of available financial resources."
The authors note that school systems have access to a good deal of student data, including students' FAFSA status information in some settings. Educators could use such data to customize messages to more efficiently promote positive behavior through approaches such as text-based nudges.
"While nudges are not a cure-all to the challenges that many students face in transitioning to higher education, they can help move the needle in the right direction," said Page. "At the same time, policymakers need to address how to reduce the barriers that cumbersome application procedures create, and work to ensure that financial aid programs are better funded to meet student need."
"The FAFSA is the key gateway to college financial aid support, and completing the FAFSA on time is a crucial step to making sure a student ends up enrolling in college," Page said. "Furthermore, filing the FAFSA as early as possible can lead to higher award packages and give students and families time to respond if they are asked by the Education Department for additional documentation to verify their income."
The authors found that FAFSA filers who were selected for income verification were significantly less likely to enroll in college immediately after high school. In addition, they found some suggestive evidence that the nudging intervention helped to alleviate the detrimental effect of the verification requirement, at least in part.
While nudges boosted immediate college enrollment by 8 percent, the effect was concentrated among those enrolling in four-year colleges. Students who received the text messages were 20 percent more likely to enroll in four-year colleges—and 9 percent less likely to enroll in two-year colleges—than their peers who did not receive the nudges.
"It is possible that the negative effect of the intervention on two-year enrollment comes from nudges helping students who apply to four-year colleges from having to consider what might be 'backup' options," said Page. "If students follow through on the financial aid process in the spring prior to college enrollment, then they may be less in need of a less expensive option for starting college."
About AERA
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Find AERA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Customized Nudging to Improve FAFSA Completion and Income Verification


text:
Kate breakey brings dead things back to life
By Clay Smith, Fri., Dec. 21, 2001
Cacatua roseicapilla, Galah (1997) from Small Deaths. "You're not quite sure [if it's a painting or a photograph]," Breakey says, "and I actually like that realm."
In the afterword to Small Deaths (University of Texas Press, $65), a recently published book of Kate Breakey's photographs of dead birds, flowers, rodents, and other animals that she embellishes with paint and pencil, Breakey describes her early predilection for collecting things. She grew up in a rural town in Australia on the Southern Ocean:
I began to pick things up to keep and examine; I collected rocks, shells, feathers, birds' nests, nuts, and pods, and with great reverence labeled, ordered, and displayed them in my little glass case. Visits with my father to the natural history museum in Adelaide filled me with awe and envy and the knowledge that the world was brimming with fantastic, mysterious, beautiful things.
The items Breakey collected as a child are fairly typical; it is tempting to note how peculiar her collecting habits have become -- the red-spotted toad, the chipping sparrow, the blue jays, and the white rose that are memorialized in Breakey's art experience a post-mortem residency in her studio in Tucson, Ariz. But Breakey doesn't exactly collect the objects that end up in her art; that word, with its connotation of permanence, doesn't apply to dead things rapidly becoming dust. The subjects of her art end up in her studio because they seem to be guided there. Some of them are newly dead and others are moldy dead. "My friends and their friends give me small dead things as gifts," she says in photography scholar A.D. Coleman's introduction to Small Deaths. "It is because they know that I will try to give them life." In whatever state they arrive, Breakey doesn't mold or artistically fashion the birds and flowers and insects selected for her examination.
"I set them up very simply," she told me recently at her publisher's office, where 125 copies of Small Deaths were waiting to be signed by her. "I just prop them up and I try not to manipulate them. If they're freshly dead, they're all droopy. I try not to manipulate them. And then I get a lamp, a very simple one, and I light them. And then I move the light around and I photograph them from every aspect and then basically choose an image that I think is the right one." The image is then blown up to human size and Breakey sets it on her easel. She paints it, transforming her photographs into images that are at once bright, magnetic, sensous, and alluring but also strangely formal, imposing, and distancing. In galleries, at their life-like size, Breakey's birds, flowers, and insects seem eerily, almost uncomfortably alive, but in Small Deaths, there is still the weird sense that dead animals can seem remarkably human.
Breakey at the Texas Book Festival, explaining her artistic process. (Photo By John Anderson)
Some of them seem magisterial and inviolate, defiant that their life was so fleeting. Others, clearly defeated, are crumpled and withdrawn, and several of them seem full of rage, with beaks wide open -- screaming, we assume. I asked Breakey about something she mentions in the afterword to Small Deaths, the day she picked up a dead bird and saved it, she says, from a more violent death.
Kate Breakey: The thing is, that day is really just an example of the fact that my whole life, because I grew up in a country town, I always would save things. You'd run out and save things from the cat or save things from having fluttered down out of the tree. So I've been saving animals for a very long time. But I think that the tragic part, and especially when you're young, is you invest in this little thing, this sad little thing, and it dies and you've got this little body and it's a very strangely beautiful thing, the body. And it's still warm and it's dead.
There is a time I think we probably all go through as children -- I don't know whether city kids go through it as often -- but you kind of start to understand what death really is and that this is now a body. Everything that made them "them" -- call it a soul if you like, but I'm not going to get mushy about that -- is gone. It's gone. And it's sort of the same with animals and your pets, whatever. There's this thing that is a very, very beautiful thing that's just a shell, if you like, to use one of those words. But it's a very profound thing when something actually dies; the beautiful thing is still there, as an object which is left. And that's what I do. I photograph them because, in a way, it's like once you bury it, that's gone, too. So I love the idea that I can make something that lasts forever, not quite like a photograph -- an image, something, that is the last thing left after the body is gone. And that it really is the memory of the real thing.
Austin Chronicle: So you try to capture them on film right after they arrive in your house?
KB: Well, no, see, some of them have been dead a long time. Some of them are really on their way to nothing being left of them.
AC: There are so many gradations of decay in your work, I just assumed that you manipulated the objects.
KB: The thing that fascinates me, actually, is that they take on their own life in a strange way, visually. Whatever happened to this poor thing, it's totally on its way to being gone. In a dry climate, things mummify down so that the feathers and the fluff go, but they retain their hardened skin, like a real mummy. And so they stay intact, as apart to moister climates where they just disintegrate and fall apart and the bones go as fast as anything else. But sometimes they're almost indestructible. I just think this is amazing.
AC: Do you think of yourself as a photographer or a painter?
KB: I think I'm basically a photographer. I paint on photographs. I get to embellish them. I'm exaggerating and embellishing. I'm picking up highlights and I'm actually extending this very photographic image into something else and hopefully having it fit somewhere between being a painting and a photograph in that strangely uneasy way. When you look at a photograph, you'll recognize a photograph because you recognize things like depth of field. You know it's a photograph, but it's got so much paint and in the real ones you can see so much pencil. You're not quite sure [if it's a painting or a photograph], and I actually like that realm.
AC: Critic A.D. Coleman writes about the sacred qualities of these photographs in the introduction to the book. Do you feel like you're doing sacred work?
KB: I do. What I like is when I've printed it, when I've finally chosen the image and I've printed it up because I'm committed to it to some extent, and I put it up on the easel, and I'm not in the dark room anymore and I start to color on them, I never know what's quite going to happen. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't and sometimes I have to work much harder to make it happen, but I get to know them very, very well, and that's part of what I really like, is that you get to know every feather. And so, in fact, you do get to know a lot about the physical aspects of the creature itself and I almost feel like there's a strange relationship. I can meet them eye-to-eye; we can have conversations. I actually do have sort of almost really childish fantasies about me speaking to the bird and what that bird would say, you know what I mean? It's a strange psychological thing. But it's part of working on something for so long and getting to know it so well.
AC: All of the images are about death, but none of them seem morbid. Why is that?
KB: Because we don't really accept death. We really reject it our whole lives. We keep getting older and dying, our bodies decaying, and so we kind of shy away from it and we don't look at it and we don't like images of it. Maybe it's the difference between being a rural kid and seeing it a lot and seeing the smelly carcasses and feeling much more comfortable with it, not feeling that it's horrible and awful, that it's just sort of part of something that happens. I mean, morbid's a funny word.
Small Deaths will be on display through February at the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern & Mexican Photography at Southwest Texas State, on the top floor of the Albert B. Alkek Library. For hours, directions, or parking information, call 512/245-2313 or visit the Wittliff Gallery Web site at www.library.swt.edu/swwc/wg/index.html.
More by Clay Smith
The Insider's Outsider Guide to Texas
Remembering Bud Shrake
Barlow the Ubiquitous
Daily Reviews and Interviews
Kate Breakey, Small Deaths, Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern & Mexican Photography, post-mortem photography, art books, photography books, artists' books


Fleas are more than an annoyance for dog owners and their pets. They can be a health concern for animals, as well as people, and having a house overrun with jumping, biting bugs is no fun for anyone. This is why every dog owner should invest in dog fleas treatment.
There are many over-the-counter dog fleas treatment products pet-owners can purchase. A well-known treatment for fleas is the flea collar. This is a collar, which is treated with anti-flea chemicals that will not harm pets. When a dog wears the collar, it wards off fleas to some extent.
Another method that is more effective short-term than the collar, is a flea bath. Special shampoos made especially for pets are available at any pet store, and most department and grocery stores. Washing a dog with this shampoo should kill fleas currently on the pup, and some shampoos kill eggs as well.
For those looking for a stronger, long-lasting repellent, a vet can provide medications to treat canines. Usually, these medications are applied to an area on the back of the head or neck every few weeks. Products like Frontline and Advantage Multi for dogs offer some of the best flea protection in the business, though they can be pricey.
It is important to wash hands thoroughly after handling any of these remedies. They all contain chemicals that may be harmful to young children, and the chemicals should not be used around food preparation areas. The chemicals in treatments for canines are sometimes harmful to cats, so the same medications should never be used on cats.
There are non-chemical options for treating flea problems, for those who do not want to introduce chemicals into their home or use them on their pets.
A product known as the All-in-one-Flea remedy, for example, is made from diatomaceous earth which is classed as food grade and is used for pest control in gardens and commercial grain stores. The ingredients are so safe, they are left in the grain during processing and become part of food which is sold in grocery stores throughout the world.
No matter which dog flea treatment a pet owner decides to use, it is important to treat puppies and dogs consistently. It becomes even more important for those who live in rural areas or who have dogs that are often outside. Treatments may be effective for a short amount of time, but failure to retreat on a reliable basis will only result in re-infestations.


This playbook is designed to help better prepare destination organizations for a variety of scenarios related to the stability of their funding and reputation within their communities. The tools and materials in the guidebook are based on the findings from numerous obstacles and successes combined with insights from travel promotion professionals. These are being provided as a series of best practices, message guides and tips for preparedness.


text:
Nicolas Cage: Why I want to move to Somerset
THE EXPRESS Jul 21, 2013
What's up with Nicolas Cage?
The man who has played some of cinema's battiest and baddest characters is sitting tamely before me, sharply dressed in a swish green blazer, talking courteously about his new movie The Frozen Ground in which he plays possibly his most normal character to date, a cop determined to bring a serial killer to justice.
"Originally they offered me the bad guy because people would probably expect me to play that," chuckles Cage, famous for his outlandish performances in films like Wild At Heart, Lord Of War and numerous blockbusters (Face/Off, Con Air, Kick-Ass).
"It's no secret that I like to experiment with the boundaries of film acting and go outside the box. Some people call it over the top but to me it's more operatic or surreal. I don't want to get stuck with naturalism."
Still, after taking a year off work he wanted to remind people he could be, well, normal.
The Frozen Ground is based on the true story of serial killer Robert Hansen (played by John Cusack) who murdered at least 17 women in Alaska in the early Eighties. Cage is the dogged, down-to-earth State Trooper Jack Halcombe who nailed him.
"I thought it was time to show people I was also capable of a quiet, small performance," he says. "And I was interested in playing a person who in my opinion is a real hero."
Cage says Halcombe, a pseudonym for Glenn Flothe, "genuinely cared about those young ladies who were abducted and slaughtered like animals". He was also pioneering in his use of FBI profiling to help identity the killer, an unassuming baker.
Mixing it up has always been important to the hard-working Cage, who has hardly stopped since landing a leading role in 1983's Rumble Fish (directed by his uncle Francis Coppola, brother of his university professor father).
"I've made 80 or more movies but you can never get too comfortable with what you're doing or you get lazy. I've tried to hopscotch with the genres and the styles."
In any case, insists Cage, he's actually a pretty ordinary guy, far removed from his eccentric, wild-eyed persona (cemented when he ate a cockroach for real in 1989's Vampire's Kiss).
"It may come as a surprise to people but I'm actually quite boring and normal," he admits cheerfully. "What do I do? I read books. I drive my kid to school, I have lunch with my wife. I pick my kid up from school. I go home."
Approaching his fifth decade (he turns 50 in January) Cage is more than happy to bid goodbye to his forties.
In 2009 he started selling off his assets to settle a $13million unpaid tax bill after reportedly blowing through a $100million fortune on properties galore, a private island in the Bahamas, luxury yachts, numerous cars and a Gulfstream jet.
"I'm done with my forties," he admits. "It was a decade of reckoning for me." How so, I ask? "In all kinds of ways. Transitions. Re-evaluation. Re-location. Family. Work. It was a decade of reckoning and survival," he adds with a smile. "Without going into too much detail."
Out of that rationalisation process, Cage chose two principal places of residence which could not be more different but which appeal to alternatives sides of his personality: Las Vegas and, er, Somerset.
Yes, Mr A-List Hollywood star has a "little cottage" in a village in Somerset, which he adores.
Purchased in 2006, it's all that remains of his grand British property portfolio that included a townhouse in Bath and Midford Castle in Somerset, an 18th-century mock-gothic folly castle. Both were sold in 2009.
An Anglophile ("I love England, it's no secret") he spends the Christmas holidays in Somerset and may even move there permanently having eyed a good school for his son.
"I usually spend the winter holidays here, Christmas and whatnot," he reveals. "But I think in a couple of years I'll be spending more time here. The house is close to a school that I like a lot. I'm hopeful that I'll be back here."
So what is it that he likes about England so much?
"In Somerset, I enjoy the peace of the oak trees and the rolling green hills and I like going into Glastonbury," he explains. "It's like walking into a pack of Tarot cards. On one side of the street you have some of the oldest Christian churches, on the other these pagan shops. It's like a microcosm of different belief systems and that's interesting to me."
And what about Las Vegas, where Cage lives most of the year when not working. "Vegas is more about the night. And the lights. And the shows and the entertainment. And I also enjoy that. There's a magic to it."
Interestingly, the California-raised Cage says he feels almost more at home in the UK than America because of his discomfort with the slaughter of Native Americans.
"I always see America as really belonging to the Native Americans. Even though I'm American I still feel like a visitor in my own country.
"When I'm in England I know I'm a visitor but being a white man in England with ancestry that's German and Italian, I have a history with the Romans and the Saxons. I feel some connection and ancestry here, as weird as that sounds."
It's also thanks to a British director, Mike Figgis, that Cage won his Oscar for his portrayal of an alcoholic who drinks himself to death in Leaving Las Vegas.
"That was one of the highlights of my experience as a film actor," he says. "Thank God the shoot was only four weeks because I was really living the part. I kind of let the demon in a little."
He laughs. No trace of any demons in the relaxed superstar before me.
Cage may have enjoyed some eyebrow-raising headlines over the last decade (the short-lived second marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the profligacy and unpaid taxes) but he certainly seems pretty chilled out and content now.
He's happily married to third wife Alice Kim, a waitress he met in 2004, and they have an eight-year-old son, Kal-El, named after the birth moniker of Cage's favourite comic-book hero, Superman.
"Let's just say that I have my values in perspective now. What's important to me, and what's sacred to me, is my family and my work," says Cage who has a 23-year-old son, Weston Coppola Cage, from an earlier relationship.
"I've always enjoyed being a dad, I'm just fortunate enough to blend the two better now. I make sure I have my family with me when I'm working. I don't want to jinx anything so let's just say I'm content."
The Frozen Ground is in cinemas nationwide now.
This article is online


Your favorite Lego heroes are back on the big screen with The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
While being a part of this movie looks like a lot of fun for everyone, the stars revealed the perks that they can also share with their kids.
Of course it's not just freebies and line-cutting. Pratt and Banks alluded to the franchise's positive impact on younger audiences.
With a cast that also features Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, and many more big stars, one might wonder what it takes to land a part in a Lego Movie. Co-star Stephanie Beatriz gave us an inside tip on on the audition process.
Make sure to get to the theaters and see The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part in theaters now!


text:
Home / NCAA / Milwaukee Panthers / Milwaukee faces Wisconsin to begin NCAA Tournament
Milwaukee faces Wisconsin to begin NCAA Tournament
For seven straight seasons (2006-2012) the Milwaukee Panthers (15-2-2) were absent from NCAA Tournament play, but after winning the Horizon League Tournament, they will be returning to the dance. Tomorrow night they will square off against in state rival, Wisconsin (13-4-2), in Madison for the chance to advance in the tournament.
The Panthers will be entering the Tournament on a roll as they are unbeaten in their last six games, and are on a five game winning streak. Milwaukee also has the slight advantage in the all-time series, 16-15-7, against Wisconsin. The Badgers on the other hand have a 13 game unbeaten streak at home, the longest in the nation, but surprisingly enough the Panthers were the last team to knock them off at home, as they beat them last season 1-0.
This will be a rematch of the late October meeting that was held in Milwaukee between these in-state rivals. This game lived up to the hype as both teams played great, competitive soccer, but neither team could find a way to win the game.
Milwaukee had the advantage offensively the entire night, but a goal only 22 seconds after Laurie Bell made a penalty kick in the second half, caused this game to be tied up at one apiece. Even two overtime periods were not enough to determine a winner, as the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Badgers have had a very productive offense this season averaging two goals per game. They have 10 different players with at least five points this season, but their main offensive threat is midfielder/forward Nick Janus. He leads the Badgers with 20 points on nine goals and four assists.
Wisconsin has used three different goalies this season, with Casey Beyers starting the majority of the time. He has a 1.38 goals against average and a .647 save percentage. But it is still unknown who will be starting tomorrow night, as Max Jentsch has been the recent starter with a 0.81 goals against average and a .706 save percentage.
While the Badgers have played well on both sides of the ball, the Panthers have done even better. Milwaukee has had a great offense all season scoring 2.05 goals per game, 10th best in the nation, as they are lead by Horizon League Player of the Year, Laurie Bell.
Liam Anderson and the defense have also done an exceptional job recording 10 shutouts this season, with a 0.61 goals against average.
Milwaukee showed in their regular season meeting against Wisconsin that they can play with them because they are a well-rounded team. This will be an outstanding matchup between these in state rivals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and whichever team is able to take advantage of their opportunities will be moving onto the next round.
← Previous Story Tough loss at home
Next Story → Panthers fall in NCAA Tournament


SeaPort-e is the Navy's electronic platform for acquiring support services in 22 functional areas including Engineering, Financial Management, and Program Management. The Navy Systems Commands (NAVSEA, NAVAIR, SPAWAR, NAVFAC, and NAVSUP), the Office of Naval Research, Military Sealift Command, and the United States Marine Corps compete their service requirements amongst 2400+ SeaPort-e IDIQ multiple award contract holders.
Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading-Edge Solutions II (EAGLE II) is a multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle, specifically designed as the preferred source of information technology (IT) services for the majority of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) enterprise infrastructure and initiatives.
General Services Administration (GSA) establishes long-term government-wide contracts with commercial firms to provide access to millions of commercial products and services at volume discount pricing.