text:
Starting in late January 2015, a coalition of West African troops launched an offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.

Background

The insurgent group Boko Haram was founded by the Muslim cleric Mohammed Yusuf in 2002. Initially, Yusuf rejected Western-style education in Nigeria. Professor Paul Lubeck who studies on African Muslim societies claims Yusuf viewed Western-style education should be "mediated through Islamic scholarship". Boko Haram reamend peacefully before 2009; Yusuf criticised the northern Muslims since they participate in what he thinks a non-Islamic and illegitimate state. Due police brutality and the years-ongoing inter-religious violence between Christians and Muslims. the group radicalises itself with ideas to overthrew the Nigerian government and establish an Islamic state with the sharia as law. On 26 July 2009 Boko Haram launched an armed uprising in the Bauchi state under leading Yusuf's command. It later spread into the Yobe, Kano and Borno states. They attacked a police station in Maiduguri. After a five-day uprising, the police and the Nigerian Army crushed and suppressed the group. The incident killed between at least 700 and 800 people; Soon after the uprising, a crackdown by the Nigerian Army followed; Yusuf and some of his men were arrested on the 30th after soldiers stormed into their school and mosque.  They were later executed on television. This was criticised by human rights' organisations and described as an extra-judicial execution.

One of his men was his subsequent successor and deputy Abubakar Shekau was believed to be dead after Shekau was shot in the 2009 uprising. In a July 2010 interview made by videotape he confirmed to be alive and claimed to be the leader of Boko Haram. Boko Haram has steadily gained influence and launched increasingly deadly campaigns.  The group began to seize territory aggressively in late 2014, declaring northeast Nigeria to be a caliphate under their control.  By the end of 2014, Boko Haram controlled an area roughly the size of Belgium.  In 2014, the group killed an estimated 10,000 people, mostly in northeast Nigeria.  Through April, Boko Haram forces killed around 2,000 people in 2015.  More than 1.5 million people were displaced by Boko Haram activities. In addition to killing raids, the group has regularly organized mass kidnappings.  In April 2014, the group drew international attention by kidnapping 276 schoolgirls in Chibok.  In total, the group seized around 2,000 women and girls in 2014. Boko Haram has been called one of the world's deadliest terrorist groups.

The offensive
On 23 January 2015, it was disclosed that Nigerian troops were in final preparations for a major offensive against Boko Haram insurgents in North Eastern Nigeria.  According to leaked security information, the final straw that prompted action was a Boko Haram video claiming that it had stockpiled "enough weapons to take on Nigeria and its neighbours".  The video also prompted Cameroon, Chad, and Niger to acknowledge the threat of growing Boko Haram power and pledge military support for the operation.  The goal of the campaign was to eliminate "safe havens and escape routes of terrorists in or out of Nigeria" and provide "once and for all comprehensive operations" to eliminate the Boko Haram threat.  Originally, the operation was expected to be complete before the planned February 14 elections.

A few days later, operations commenced.  On 4 February after days of airstrikes, Chadian forces entered Boko Haram held Gamboru, Nigeria. An estimated 200 Boko Haram insurgents were killed in the offensive.  Chadian losses were 9 killed and 21 wounded.  Commander Ahmat Dari remarked "We have routed this band of terrorists" and vowed to "hunt them down everywhere."  Boko Haram responded the next day by raiding nearby Fotokol, Cameroon.  The fighting left 81 civilians, 13 Chadian soldiers, and 6 Cameroonian soldiers dead.  However, eyewitness also reported Boko Haram took heavy casualties leaving dead insurgents "everywhere".  Boko Haram reportedly burned the town's mosque and indiscriminately slit civilians' throats.

By 6 February, Chadian and Nigerian warplanes and ground troops had forced Boko Haram forces to abandon about a dozen towns and villages.  The French military also aided in the offensive by providing reconnaissance flights.  In response, Boko Haram attacked two villages in Nigeria and another in Cameroon, killing more than 100 civilians.   In a battle on 6 February, an estimated 100 insurgents, several military personnel, and one civilian were killed.  On 7 February, Nigeria announced that the elections would be postponed for six weeks, citing unsafe voting conditions in the northeast.  A small protest was held in response to the announcement with police preventing protesters from entering the electoral commission headquarters.

An agreement to provide 7,500 African Union Troops from Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Niger for the operation was tentatively reached on 7 February.  On 17 February, the Nigerian military retook Monguno in a coordinated air and ground assault.  Also on 17 February, Chadian forces began an attack on the Kala/Balge district of Nigeria aimed at capturing the strategic town of Dikwa.  Boko Haram suffered heavy casualties and Dikwa fell by February 24.  As troops approached the Sambisa Forest, Boko Haram launched a series of retaliatory raids.  Gunmen shot and stabbed civilians and burned homes, apparently targeting Shuwa tribesmen – the same ethnicity of most Chadian soldiers.

During the week of 15 February, more than 300 Boko Haram fighters were killed by Nigerian forces as eleven more towns were recaptured.   Various weapon stockpiles were seized or destroyed, and additional insurgents were arrested.  Two Nigerian soldiers were killed in the fighting and ten others injured.  Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau promised to disrupt the elections, then scheduled for March 28, in retaliation.  Separately, an apparently errant bombing mission killed 37 mourners attending a funeral in Abadam, Niger. On 28 February, a large rally was held in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde in support of the Central African forces fighting Boko Haram.  An estimated 5,000 people marched through the street of the capital.

On 6 March, the African Union officially endorsed sending 8,000 troops to help secure the Nigerian border, but declined to allow the troops to enter Nigeria.  As Boko Haram continued to lose territory, the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 7 March.  Nigerian army spokesperson Sami Usman Kukasheka said the pledge was a sign of weakness and that Shekau was like a "drowning man".  That same day, Boko Haram launched an attack against Maiduguri, a former stronghold of the group.  The attack, which including suicide bombings, left more than 50 people dead.  A fresh offensive against Boko Haram by a coalition of Chadian, Cameroonian, and Nigerian forces began on March 8 after a series of air strikes the previous two days.  On March 16, the Nigerian army recaptured Bama.

On 24 March 2015, residents of Damasak, Nigeria said that Boko Haram had taken more than 400 women and children from the town as they fled from coalition forces earlier in the month.  On 27 March, the Nigerian army captured Gwoza, which was believed to be the location of Boko Haram headquarters.  According to the army, the victory meant that "virtually all" of Boko Haram's territory had been recaptured a day before the elections.  Ahead of the attack, Boko Haram reportedly executed all of the town's citizens unable or unwilling to help defend it against the military's advance.  BBC analyst Tomi Oladipo called the victory a major milestone for Nigeria.  Boko Haram had held the town since August 2014 when Nigerian troops abandoned the city.  The victory came days after Chad President Idriss Deby criticized Nigerian forces for not pulling their weight in the fight against Boko Haram.

On election day, Boko Haram militants killed 41 people, including a legislator, in an effort to disrupt voting.  After Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan in the election, the fight against Boko Haram continued.  (Jonathan remained in power until 29 May.)  On 8 April, a summit of Central and West African leaders was held with the aim of fine tuning strategy in order to "eradicate" the insurgency group.  Ahead of the summit, a Chadian army spokesperson called Boko Haram's capacity to cause problems severely reduced.  However, Nigeria said the group continued to wage an "asymmetric war" through the use of suicide bombers and guerilla tactics.  The United Nation's Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for greater international support of the counter-insurgency campaign.

Hostage rescues

On 22 April, the Nigerian military began to push into the Sambisa Forest, a dense forest covering 23,000 square miles.  The area is considered very difficult to navigate by people unfamiliar with the terrain and had long been considered the launching point of many Boko Haram attacks and likely hiding point of villagers taken hostage.  It was considered the last stronghold of Boko Haram. A government spokesman said a top Boko Haram commander was killed in the initial push.  Frank Charnas, a political analyst familiar with the region, said the move signaled the end of Boko Haram as a military force.  "They really are fighting what appears to be their last battle", he added. "It does represent quite a significant step on behalf of the Nigerian military because up until now they have not gone into the Sambisa Forest and have also been pretty poor at taking the offensive to Boko."  The Nigerian military had to retreat after encountering landmines and booby traps that killed three vigilantes working with the military, but continued its push after regrouping.

On 25 April, Boko Haram launched a counterattack on an island in Lake Chad.  Forty-six Nigeran soldiers and 28 civilians were killed in the attack.  After the attack, Niger recommended that the island of Lake Chad be evacuated.  By early May, more than 5,000 people had left the island towns and reached N'guigmi, Niger by foot.  An additional 11,500 evacuees were expected.

A fresh push into Sambisa Forest by Nigerian forces began on 27 April.  As the Nigerian army advanced into the forest, it began to free a large number of women and children held as hostages by Boko Haram.  On April 28, just under 300 hostages were freed.  It is unclear if the freed prisoners were captured in Boko Haram raids or if they were area residents. A battle on April 29 killed over 400 Boko Haram insurgents, while freeing an undisclosed number of female captives.  One soldier was killed and four seriously injured in the battle. One woman was killed and eight injured.  On 30 April, another 234 women and children were freed from Boko Haram captivity as the military destroyed 13 Boko Haram camps.  In total, close to 700 hostages had been rescued.

Freed captives had been subjected to forced labor, as well as sexual and physical abuse.   Some were forced to fight alongside Boko Haram rebels or were used as human shields.  According to initial reports, some of the captives were traumatized to the point where they fired upon their rescuers, believing the militants were "good people who had treated them well".  Others painted a different picture, saying their captors kept them indoors, brought out only when needed to retrieve food.  They were severely beaten and given only minimal food – rescued children were described as visibly malnourished by the press.  Other children had forgotten their own names.  Amnesty International African director Netsanet Belay remarked "The trauma suffered by the women and girls is truly horrific."  An aid worker described the captives as "not in great condition ...All of them are traumatized. They're hungry. They're sick." Of the first 275 captives, only 61 were over the age of 18; 214 were visibly pregnant.  None of them knew the location of the Chibok girls, but said militants who visited their camp had claimed the girls were sold or forced into polygamous marriages with militants.

According to freed hostages, Boko Haram was running short of weapons as a result of the multinational offensive.  Frustrated by the lack of support from their leadership, militants were abandoning the hostages with minimal fight, or attempting to sell them for 2,000 naira (US$10) or less.  One hostage reported overhearing militants talking about how their leaders had deceived them into using violence.

Further efforts
Efforts to press into the Sambisa Forest were slowed, as the military encountered landmines and booby traps. Boko Haram pushed back, launching suicide attacks on civilians and attempting to capture the Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri.  The attack was repelled, but about 30 civilians were killed in the crossfire, bringing the number of civilians killed in the counter-attack to 60.  On May 15, Boko Haram forces recaptured the border town of Marte, demonstrating that efforts to contain the militant group to the forest were not completely successful.  Deputy governor of Borno State, Zannah Umar Mustapha, said militants has returned to various previously cleared towns to resume the fighting.

The following day, the Nigerian military destroyed ten Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa Forest.  One soldier and an unspecified number of militants were killed in the raids.

In September 2015, the Director of Information at the Defence Headquarters of Nigeria announced that all Boko Haram camps had been destroyed.

Rescues were still ongoing as of October 2015. On 28 October 2015, it was announced that Nigerian troops had rescued 338 people from Boko Haram near the group's Sambisa forest stronghold, in the northeast of Nigeria. Of those rescued, 192 were children and 138 were women.

On 24 December 2015, Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria, claimed that Boko Haram was "technically defeated."

See also
 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
 Boko Haram

References

External links

2015 in Nigeria
Conflicts in 2015
Boko Haram insurgency
Counterinsurgency
Military operations involving Cameroon
Military operations involving Chad
Military operations involving Niger
Military operations involving Nigeria
Islamist conflict in Nigeria


text:
2Africa — подводный коммуникационный кабель, который будет огибать Африку по Атлантическому и Индийскому океанам, Красному и Средиземному морям и соединит страны континента с Европой, Ближним Востоком и Южной Азией. Система будет включать 46 точек подключения в 33 странах. Длина 2Africa составит 45 тыс. километров, На момент запуска в эксплуатацию в 2023—2024 годах коммуникационный кабель станет самым длинным в мире, опередив  (SMW3) протяженностью 39 тыс. км.

В мае 2019 года консорциум, в который вошли компания Meta (Facebook) и телеком-операторы China Mobile, , MTN Global Connect, Orange, , , Vodafone и  (WIOCC), объявили о планах проложить подводную магистраль 2Africa длиной 37 тыс. км. Число новых абонентов в Африке и генерируемых ими трафик все последние годы стремительно росли. Анонс новой магистрали последовал вскоре после двух аварий на подводных кабелях в январе 2019 года, в результате которых страны южнее Сахары почувствовали замедление интернета. Изначальным проектом стоимостью около 1 млрд долларов была предусмотрена 21 точка подключения в 16 странах Африки. В августе 2021 года к 2Africa добавили 4 ответвления, чтобы расширить возможности подключения к Сейшельским и Коморским островам, Анголе и а также обеспечить новое подключение на юго-востоке Нигерии. В сентябре 2021 года проект 2Africa был расширен сетью 2Africa Pearls, включающей регион Персидского залива, Пакистан и Индии. Таким образом, проект вырос до 46 посадочных станций в 33 странах Африки, Азии и Европы, а длина кабеля достигла 45 тыс. км.

Генеральным подрядчиком строительства выступает компания Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN). В коммуникационном кабеле будет использоваться представленная в 2019 году компанией ASN новая технология пространственного мультиплексирования с разделением SDM1 (Space Division Multiplexing), которая оптимизирует спектральную эффективность. 2Africa стал первым среди настолько крупным проектом, где в кабеле используется алюминиевый проводник вместо медного, что позволяет скоратитьперепады напряжения и в результате увеличить число волоконных пар в кабеле. В итоге вместо традиционных 8 волоконных пар в новом кабеле будет использоваться 16, что обеспечит пропускную способность до 180 Тбит/с — это больше, чем суммарная пропускная способность всех существующих кабельных систем, обслуживающих Африку на момент анонсирования проекта. Для повышения безопасности кабель закапывали на 50 % глубже, чем это делалось для большинства существующих подводных кабелей. Также трасса была проложена таким образом, чтобы обойти известные подводные опасные места.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Карта трассировки кабеля и подключения стран

Подводные телекоммуникационные кабели в Индийском океане
Подводные телекоммуникационные кабели в Атлантическом океане

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Former EPA Heads Mum When Asked If Global Warming Is Accelerating
By Barbara Hollingsworth | June 24, 2014 | 2:20pm EDT
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) (AP File Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
(CNSNews.com) – All four former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrators appointed by Republican presidents who testified in favor of the agency's proposed power plant regulations at a Senate subcommittee hearing last week did not respond when asked if they agreed with President Obama that global warming was accelerating.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) asked former EPA heads William Ruckelshaus, Christine Todd Whitman, William Reilly and Lee Thomas whether they agreed with Obama's previous statements that the Earth is warming faster than previous predictions.
"The president, on Nov. 14, 2012, said, 'The temperature around the globe is increasing faster than was predicted even 10 years ago'," Sessions said at a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee's "Climate Change: The Need to Act Now" hearing held on Capitol Hill last Wednesday.
"And then on May 29th last year, he said, 'We also know that the climate is warming faster than anybody anticipated five or ten years ago'," Sessions said. "So I would ask each of our former administrators if any of you agree that that's an accurate statement on the climate. So if you do, raise your hand."
None of the former EPA heads did so.
"Well, thank you," Sessions said. "The record will reflect no one raised their hands."
Not only is global warming not accelerating, "if current trends continue for just a few more years, then the mean change for the 2000s will shift to negative; in other words, the warming would really stop," wrote Capital Weather Gang meteorologist Matt Rogers.
But three Democratic senators at the hearing – Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) – ignored the widely acknowledged "pause" in global warming that has lasted 17 and a half years.
Instead, all three repeated Boxer's assertion that "97 percent of scientists agree that [carbon dioxide] is leading to dangerous climate change that is affecting our families."
"We really don't have to get into a debate with the other 3 percent," Cardin stated.
However, according to a study released in February by the Calgary, Canada-based Friends of Science Society, the origins of the 97 percent claim are "faulty" and "a psychological ploy that plays on our primal emotions, 'herd mentality,' and fear of being the odd man out."
"The idea that 97% of scientists hold a consensus view on human-caused global warming/climate change has become part of the climate change mythology, reaching the highest echelons of science, such as NASA, and the highest political office – that of President Barack Obama….The persistent effort to make the public believe 97% of all scientists agree can only be understood as an intentional manipulation of data and public opinion for commercial gain," the report concluded. (See Friends of Science report.pdf)
During the hearing, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) charged that the administration's "unilateral actions will increase Americas' electricity bill, decrease families' disposable income, and result in real job losses for little or no measurable impact on our every-changing climate."
"Unfortunately, anyone who's actually read the 645-page rule finds it has no material effect on average global temperature or sea level rise," Vitter said, calling the EPA's proposed new regulations of power plants under the Clean Air Act "essentially a federal takeover of the American electricity system."
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) agreed, calling the proposed rules the "first round of global warming regulations which will nationalize the electricity market and force Americans to live out the president's green dream" even though "countless bills [were] introduced that do the very same thing through legislation. Each time they're introduced, they're defeated by a larger margin."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


ZDNet has compared a number of auto transcription services with bemusing results.
Transcription services can save you time, effort, and if you're anything like me, allows you to avoid having to listen to your own voice -- a concept many of us find cringeworthy.
While there are many manual services out there in which you outsource transcription tasks and have someone else manually type out conversations or interviews, in recent times, automatic transcription services have begun to appear online.
Automatic services often promise results in a fraction of the time that uploading, sending, and waiting for manual transcriptions require, but are all created equal?
In order to find out, ZDNet tested a total of six auto-transcription offers online.
For each test, the same audio file was used, a 15-minute recording of an interview I had undertaken with a researcher concerning cybersecurity, ransomware, and botnets.
The interview involved myself -- a female with a London accent -- a male American researcher with a soft East Coast accent, and a contribution at the end by a female press relations professional, also from the United States.
The interview was recorded in English with very faint background noise. For the purpose of the test, audio was submitted in an .MP3 format and no video was included.
Otter: Otter.ai is a note-taking app with a transcription service included. The free plan offers up to 600 minutes of transcription per month, while the premium plan gives users up to 6,000 minutes per month. The service costs $9.99 per month with an educational discount available.
Speechmatics: Speechmatics promises "speech-to-text in 74 languages, batch, and real-time, cloud and on-premises." A demo sends a transcription example to your inbox, while paid transcription costs £0.06 per minute ($0.08) of audio and can be purchased in blocks of £10 or £100.
IBM Watson's Speech to Text service: IBM's service is available to live demo or as a service through IBM Cloud.
Wreally's Transcribe: The Transcribe service, which has just entered the beta stage as an automatic transcription service, claims up to "90 percent accuracy for well-recorded, clear audio in select languages." Users can use Transcribe for up to one minute for demo purposes (with 30 minutes in total) and automatic transcription costs are 10 cents per minute of audio in $6 packs.
Trint: Trint is an automatic transcription service and iPhone app. A free trial is available, pay-as-you-go options are priced at $15 per hour, and subscription services are also available.
Temi: Temi touts a service which is able to convert speech to text within five minutes. A free demo is available and the paid option is pay-as-you-go with rates of $0.10 per minute.
Below are snippets of the interview, in natural and not corrected language, together with the output from each automatic transcription service. Differences and errors are highlighted in red.
Human: I've got a couple of questions, the proof of concept was quite interesting but it's quite vague on a few details. So, I wondered if Paul wouldn't mind just walking me through a few of the aspects of the botnet/worm variant.
Human: Um, so we did sort of, um, isolate some countries that they were targeting and it honestly just seems like countries that are well-to-do financially.
Human: It's possible that they could use a different tool I suppose, it's Gandcrab [which] is well-known and studied, um, it's just the fact that they are getting into the ransomware game.
Human: But from our perspective, and we only probably see a small percent, we've seen 68,000 unique IPS infected with Phorpiex. Now, we can't necessarily say that they're all going to be tasked with implementing ransomware or that will be successful in the propagation to other internal machines. But from our perspective, yeah, we've seen 68,000.
(Note: 'Phorpiex' translated as 'Four Peaks' is reasonable considering its pronunciation).
Human: Yeah, so it's a well-known weakness in the protocol, there is a bit of confusion. So the protocol is what supports like VNC, which is sort of like a Linux-equivalent version of a remote desktop, but it's just that as a protocol..
In this example, the speech is more cluttered, with three participants. As you will see, the results become somewhat garbled.
As the side-by-side comparisons show, no automatic transcription is perfect and would need double-checking for anything related to interviews or studies. However, Transcribe and Otter offered the most accurate translations of the audio file.
I remember trying out different services for automatic transcription a few years ago and in comparison to the litany of errors and nonsense I received back then, the majority of the tested services show promise and I was impressed. However, we have some way to go before manual, human transcription services are no longer needed.


text:
Common Arrangement of Work Sections (CAWS), first published in 1987, is a construction industry working convention in the UK. It was designed to promote standardisation of, and detailed coordination between, bills of quantities and specifications. It is part of an industry-wide initiative to produce coordinated projects information (now managed by the Construction Project Information Committee). CAWS has been used for the arrangement of the National Building Specification, the National Engineering Specification and the Standard Method of Measurement of Building Works (SMM7) (7th ed).

The new edition aligns CAWS with the Unified Classification for the Construction Industry (Uniclass) which was published in 1997.

The Common Arrangement is the authoritative UK classification of work sections for building work, for use in arranging project specifications and bills of quantities. Over 300 work sections are defined in detail to give:

 good coordination between drawings, specifications and bills of quantities
 predictability of location of relevant information
 fewer oversights and discrepancies between documents
 flexibility to the contractor in dividing the project information into work packages.

The classification of work sections is separate from, and complementary to, the classification of other concepts such as building types, elements, construction products and properties/characteristics. Uniclass, published in 1997, is the definitive overall classification tables, one of which is for work sections for buildings, comprising the Common Arrangement group, sub-group and work section headings.

External links
 NBS

Civil engineering
Construction industry of the United Kingdom


text:
package com.wwq.genesisfreelander.mvp.model.setting;

import com.wwq.genesisfreelander.model.json.CheckUpgradeApkEntity;
import com.wwq.genesisfreelander.mvp.api.ApiEngine;
import com.wwq.genesisfreelander.mvp.api.RxSchedulers;
import com.wwq.genesisfreelander.mvp.contract.setting.SetSettingContract;

import rx.Observable;

/**
 * Created by wwq on 2017/6/8.
 */

public class SetSettingModel implements SetSettingContract.Model {

    @Override
    public Observable<CheckUpgradeApkEntity> getAppUpdate() {
        return ApiEngine.getInstance().getApiService()
                .getAppUpdate()
                .compose(RxSchedulers.<CheckUpgradeApkEntity>switchThread());
    }

    @Override
    public Observable<String> jpushRegistrationId(String registrationId, int type, int status, String token) {
        return ApiEngine.getInstance().getApiService()
                .jpushRegistrationId(registrationId, type, status, token)
                .compose(RxSchedulers.<String>switchThread());
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Where will your business be in 10, 20 or even 50 years? What impact will issues of human rights, corruption or the environment have on your local, or global business?
RICS has been working with the United Nations Global Compact on identifying the most critical issues facing companies with a stake in land, real estate and construction. The aim is to make responsible business the status quo and encourage companies to think holistically about the environmental and social impact of their business activities, and strategic investment decisions.
'Advancing Responsible Business Practices in Land, Construction, Real Estate Use and Investment' (download available on the right hand side of this page) is the product of a two year collaboration between RICS and the United Nations Global Compact. Together we identified 15 key issues and 15 actions that are tied to the Ten Principles of the Global Compact - in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption - and created a 'responsible business' roadmap for our sector and its users.
We have consulted with companies large, and small, across the sector and across the world. This resource takes a holistic approach in terms of both its scope and its target users. The key areas of the UN Global Compact, and the action items are of universal relevance for decision makers within every company.


text:
La Base Drúzhnaya 1 (en ruso:Дружная-1, que se traduce como Amistosa 1) fue una estación científica de verano de la Unión Soviética situada en la barrera de hielo Filchner-Ronne sobre el mar de Weddell en la Antártida.

La estación fue inaugurada el 31 de diciembre de 1975 a 1,5 km del frente de la barrera de hielo con el nombre de Base Drúzhnaya, agregó el numeral al crearse en enero de 1982 la Base Drúzhnaya 2. En esta base se llevaron a cabo investigaciones sobre la barrera de hielo Filchner-Ronne y las montañas circundantes. Como regla general la estación solo operaba en verano, y en invierno se la conservaba hasta el próximo verano.

En la costa había un muelle para barcos de transporte que llevaban a la estación los suministros. La base tenía 16 edificios, incluyendo sauna, generadores, radio, los comedores, almacenes y otros locales. Las investigaciones científicas realizadas eran sobre geología y geofísica, y estudios geodésicos de la barrera de hielo. Desde la base se llevó a cabo una investigación geológica de la cordillera de Neptuno. En la isla Berkner se realizaron investigaciones geofísicas y sondeo de radar de la capa de hielo.

En junio de 1986 la barrera de hielo se rompió en el sector en donde estaba la Base Drúzhnaya 1, formándose un iceberg que salió a la deriva.  A partir de imágenes de satélite la base fue localizada en un fragmento de la plataforma de hielo de más de 60 km de diámetro. La Unión Soviética envió una misión de rescate que encontró la base en febrero de 1987 enterrada bajo la nieve. La base recuperada fue trasladada a una nueva ubicación cerca del cabo Norvegia, donde el 19 de enero de 1987 fue reinaugurada como Base Drúzhnaya 3.

Referencias

Bases antárticas abandonadas
Druzhnaya 1, base
Antártida en 1975
Antártida en 1986


text:
Archive for Author: mriser
/ Margo Riser
Bramnick marks Martin Luther King Day
WESTFIELD, N.J. – Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) released the following statement commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day: "There has been no greater champion of equality under the law than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was an outstanding American whose life work was creating peace and unity...
Jon Bramnick, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, unity
Dancer introduces bill encouraging post-Covid tourism in New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. – From the Skylands region to the southern shore, New Jersey's tourism destinations have suffered the ill effects of coronavirus shutdowns and stay-at-home orders. In anticipation of post-pandemic travel, Assemblyman Ron Dancer has introduced a bill requiring the Division of Travel and Tourism to create and publish...
coronavirus, Division of Travel and Tourism, post-pandemic travel, Ron Dancer, tourism
DiMaso urges patience as vaccine eligibility expands
TRENTON, N.J. – In light of the overwhelming demand at pharmacies and other vaccination sites, Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso called for patience as the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility was expanded yesterday to residents over 65 or with certain medical conditions: "Discovering the vaccine is in short supply after months of waiting...
Bell Works, coronavirus, Covid-19 vaccine, Holmdel, Serena DiMaso, vaccine
A link to New Jersey's past, a mission to make a difference – a lawmaker's story
TRENTON, N.J. – With a lineage tracing back to the first proprietors of the state of New Jersey and the first Assembly in 1703, Assemblyman Ned Thomson's mini biography released today provides a unique look at the actuary turned lawmaker. From helping those less fortunate by donating the fish...
Actuary, Avon, mini biography, Monmouth County, Ned Thomson
Bramnick issues statement on Weinberg retirement
TRENTON, N.J. – Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick congratulated Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg on her decades of productive public service following her announcement that she will not seek reelection: "Loretta served the state Legislature with distinction for nearly three decades. She was a determined Democratic leader who will...
Jon Bramnick, Loretta Weinberg
Testa and Simonsen introduce bill requiring schools to educate students on harmful effects of marijuana use
TRENTON, N.J. – In anticipation of an adult-use recreational marijuana market in New Jersey, Sen. Michael Testa and Assemblyman Erik Simonsen introduced a bill to educate students in grades 3 through 12 on the risks of cannabis and marijuana use. The bill (S3360/A5168) specifies schools must include age-appropriate instruction...
cannabis, Education, Erik Simonsen, marijuana, Michael Testa, recreational marijuana, substance abuse, THC
Vaccine priorities are out of order, says Bergen
TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Brian Bergen questioned the Murphy administration's decision Wednesday to leave off 116,000 public school teachers from the newly announced list of those eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine. Instead, smokers are eligible for the early round of vaccination. "I am appalled that the Murphy administration would...
Brian Bergen, coronavirus, smokers, teachers, vaccine
DeCroce bill approved by committee expands age discrimination protections to senior workforce
TRENTON, N.J. – An aging workforce could benefit from a bill passed by a legislative panel today expanding discrimination protections for those aged 70 years and older. "There is no reason our laws should stop preventing age discrimination in the workplace once someone has reached 70 years old," said...
70 years old, age discrimination, BettyLou DeCroce, jobs & economy, public employers, seniors
Dancer bill greatly expanding college cost transparency gets committee approval
TRENTON, N.J. – Today the Assembly Higher Education Committee released Assemblyman Ron Dancer's bill expanding current law to require that all students attending a college or university in New Jersey receive the same kind of cost disclosure information that only prospective students currently must receive. Understanding the true costs...
college, Education, Higher Education, Ron Dancer, shopping sheet, student debt
Auth congratulates Weinberg after a nearly 30-year career
TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Robert Auth sent heartfelt congratulations to state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who announced she will retire at the end of her term. "We often disagreed, but I always walked away with a better understanding of the issue," said Auth (R-Bergen). "When we found common...
Loretta Weinberg, Robert Auth, Senate Majority Leader
The State House
njassemblygop@njleg.org
Office of Legislative Services
Tweets by AssemblyNJ


text:
Loncopué Aeroclub Airport  is an airport serving the town of Loncopué in the Neuquén Province of Argentina. The airport is  southwest of the town.

There is a shallow ravine south alongside the runway.

See also

Transport in Argentina
List of airports in Argentina

References

External links
OpenStreetMap - Loncopué

Airports in Argentina


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Inspiration: Everyone has an itch - it's about how you scratch it.
Your film was very creative, almost a split personality/psycho. LOL, I enjoyed it well done.
Didn't see the creepy ending coming. Great work.
Creative. I wanted to see a bit more, though. Most of it wasn't creepy, but funny, and then the other side of 'his' personality... I didn't see the ending coming. Well done.
Interesting how both sides of his personality were creepy. That's a cool way to subvert the split personality genre.
Enjoyed this one a lot, especially the three actors featured. I maybe would have liked it better if the split personalities had more opposite qualities that made them unique to the other, but I liked the exchanges between them. Good luck!
I liked a lot. Once you've achieved the tension you never let it go, is a great job.
Good work!!! I agree with the rest, it´s pretty creepy! It´s interesting how you introduce the characters at the begining. Good luck!
Liked it a lot! Shortlisted. . .
Good work. I was'nt sure if he had one better and one evil side. Or if the both sides were wicked in different ways.
really great gentlemen, congrats to you BOTH.
A lot of fun to watch. Good job Ian!!


text:
Harpoon (Kodiak Noatak) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a member of the mutant assassin team known as Marauders, who are employed by Mister Sinister. Little is known about Harpoon other than that he is Inuit.

Publication history

Harpoon first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #210-211 (October–November 1986), and was created by Chris Claremont, John Romita, Jr. and Dan Green.

The character subsequently appears in Thor #373-374 (November–December 1986), X-Factor #10 (November 1986), Power Pack #27 (December 1986), Uncanny X-Men #213 (January 1987), 221-222 (September–October 1987), 240-241 (January–February 1989), X-Factor #38 (March 1989), Wolverine (vol. 2) #10 (August 1989), X-Man #18 (August 1996), Cable & Machine Man Annual 1999, Gambit #9 (October 1999), Weapon X #26 (September 2004), X-Men and Power Pack #4 (March 2006), New Avengers #18 (June 2006), X-Men (vol. 2) #200-201 (August–September 2007), New X-Men #44-46 (January–March 2008), X-Factor #27 (March 2008), and X-Men (vol. 2) #207 (March 2008).

Harpoon received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #3.

Fictional character biography

The Morlock Massacre
Harpoon was one of the members of the original incarnation of the Marauders, assembled by Gambit. The team ambush a Morlock girl named Tommy and a human Hellfire Club soldier called Richard in Los Angeles. They let the girl escape to the Morlocks' Alley, while they kill Richard.

In the first encounter with the X-Men during the Morlock Massacre, Harpoon hurls a harpoon at Rogue while she is vulnerable after having her powers neutralized by the Marauder Scrambler. Kitty phases Rogue hoping Harpoon's weapon will pass harmlessly through her, but the spear is in an energy state and strikes them anyway, trapping Kitty Pryde in a ghost-like state.

In other appearances during the crossover, he crosses paths with Cyclops, Beast and Iceman, and tries to kill a Morlock named Plague with Sabertooth, but they are stopped by Apocalypse, who recruits the woman to his Horsemen. He and Blockbuster later attack the X-Man Angel. Harpoon pins Angel to the wall, but before he and his Marauder cohorts can slay him, Thor intervenes and drives them off. Harpoon personally kills many, including the young mutant Cybelle.

Further appearances
Harpoon is thought to have been slain during the Inferno incident, but as often shown, Mister Sinister can clone his Marauders and bring them back at any time. Since he continues to be under Mr. Sinister's thrall, Harpoon often works as his enforcer, such as in the capture of the X-Man (Nate Grey), during the Onslaught crossover.

Harpoon is confirmed to be depowered after the M-Day incident.

After M-Day, Harpoon resurfaces with the rest of the Marauders, and still working for Mister Sinister. Whether this is one of Sinister's clones has yet to be determined. To make up for his lack of power, he carries a weaponized harpoon, which Storm takes from him and wields herself. During the final battle on Muir Island, he is telepathically dispatched by Emma Frost.

Powers and abilities
Harpoon could charge his metal spears with his own bio-energy for various effects, such as shocking or stunning his opponents.  He was also exceptionally skilled in using his spears as weapons, both in melee combat and as thrown projectiles.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse
In the reality known as the Age of Apocalypse, Harpoon appears to be a member of Apocalypse's Infinite Patrol, the enforcers of En Sabuh Nur's purity as his swords of Justice.

As an Infinite, Harpoon is seen briefly fighting the X-Men, but he is quickly defeated by Rogue. He begs her that he wants to just surrender but unemotionally, Rogue hits him away from her; Morph shape changes into a wall to stop the soldier's pace and keep him from ending up in the Pacific Ocean.

In other media
Harpoon appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men animated television series episode "eXcessive Force", voiced by Fred Tatasciore. This version is a member of Mister Sinister's Marauders. Harpoon encounters the X-Men while they were searching for the missing Jean Grey. After determining he does not know where Grey is, the X-Men drop off Harpoon at a Mutant Response Division facility.

Footnotes

References

Characters created by Chris Claremont
Characters created by John Romita Jr.
Clone characters in comics
Comics characters introduced in 1986
Fictional blade and dart throwers
Fictional mercenaries in comics
Fictional murderers
Fictional polearm and spearfighters
Marvel Comics mutants
Marvel Comics supervillains


text:
May 26, 2015; 84 (21) Contemporary IssuesOpen Access
The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and the pharmaceutical industry
Too big to fail?
Daniel M. Hartung, Dennis N. Bourdette, Sharia M. Ahmed, Ruth H. Whitham
First published April 24, 2015, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000001608
Daniel M. Hartung
From the College of Pharmacy (D.M.H., S.M.A.), Oregon State University/Oregon Health & Science University; and the Department of Neurology (D.N.B., R.H.W.), Oregon Health & Science University, Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence West, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland.
Dennis N. Bourdette
Sharia M. Ahmed
Ruth H. Whitham
Neurology May 2015, 84 (21) 2185-2192; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001608
The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and the pharmaceutical industry: Too big to fail? - November 10, 2015
CME Course
Objective: To examine the pricing trajectories in the United States of disease-modifying therapies (DMT) for multiple sclerosis (MS) over the last 20 years and assess the influences on rising prices.
Methods: We estimated the trend in annual drug costs for 9 DMTs using published drug pricing data from 1993 to 2013. We compared changes in DMT costs to general and prescription drug inflation during the same period. We also compared the cost trajectories for first-generation MS DMTs interferon (IFN)–β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate with contemporaneously approved biologic tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors.
Results: First-generation DMTs, originally costing $8,000 to $11,000, now cost about $60,000 per year. Costs for these agents have increased annually at rates 5 to 7 times higher than prescription drug inflation. Newer DMTs commonly entered the market with a cost 25%–60% higher than existing DMTs. Significant increases in the cost trajectory of the first-generation DMTs occurred following the Food and Drug Administration approvals of IFN-β-1a SC (2002) and natalizumab (reintroduced 2006) and remained high following introduction of fingolimod (2010). Similar changes did not occur with TNF inhibitor biologics during these time intervals. DMT costs in the United States currently are 2 to 3 times higher than in other comparable countries.
Conclusions: MS DMT costs have accelerated at rates well beyond inflation and substantially above rates observed for drugs in a similar biologic class. There is an urgent need for clinicians, payers, and manufacturers in the United States to confront the soaring costs of DMTs.
AWP=
average wholesale price;
DMT=
disease-modifying therapy;
FDA=
Food and Drug Administration;
IFN=
interferon;
MS=
multiple sclerosis;
QALY=
quality-adjusted life-year;
TNF=
tumor necrosis factor;
VA=
Veterans Affairs;
WAC=
wholesale acquisition cost
The landscape of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment has changed dramatically over the last decade. As of November 2014, 12 disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for MS have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Despite the availability of more treatment options, costs for all MS DMTs have increased sharply. Between 2008 and 2012, US DMTs sales doubled from $4 billion to nearly $9 billion annually.1 In 2004, the average annual DMT cost per person was $16,050, accounting for half of all direct medical costs for patients with MS.2 Currently, the average annual cost for interferon (IFN)–β-1b (Betaseron; Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Whippany, NJ) is over $60,000.3 Although high drug costs are a hallmark of specialty pharmaceutical classes, such as DMTs, the unexplained escalation in costs for older, first-generation MS therapies such as IFN-β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM (Avonex; Biogen Idec, Cambridge, MA), and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone; Teva Pharmaceuticals, North Wales, PA) has caused concern in the neurology community.4,5
The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate our impression that costs for all MS DMTs have increased dramatically since 2002, (2) explore the relationship between the release of newer DMTs and the trend in costs for older DMTs, and (3) compare DMT costs in the United States to those in other countries. This study suggests the need for the neurology community to advocate for changes in the pricing of MS treatments.
Although the FDA had approved 12 DMTs for MS as of November 2014, we did not include 3 in our analysis. Cost data were not available at the time of our analysis for the 2 most recently approved DMTs: peginterferon-β-1a (Plegridy; Biogen Idec) and alemtuzumab (Lemtrada; Genzyme, Cambridge, MA). Mitoxantrone (generic, multiple manufacturers), approved in 2000 for MS, was excluded because it is much less commonly used to treat MS due to safety concerns.6,7 For the remaining 9 FDA-approved drugs, we computed the average annual acquisition costs for each month from July 1993 (approval date for IFN-β-1b) through December 2013. We estimated acquisition costs using average wholesale price (AWP) published by First DataBank.3 Although most third-party payers have moved away from AWP-based reimbursement formulas, it was the prevailing methodology for most of the study period and provides a consistent measure of price for comparisons of change over the past 20 years.8 AWP reporting was phased out in 2011 and acquisition costs were then estimated using wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) with the conversion AWP = 1.2 × WAC.8 We applied a 12% discount to AWP, the median discount that state Medicaid programs reimburse pharmacies, to estimate the amount paid to pharmacies by third-party payers.9 We then computed the effective percentage increase in annual costs and compared this to changes in the consumer price index for prescription drugs and all consumer goods and services (general inflation) over the same period using data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.10
Next, we compared the median annual cost trends for first-generation MS DMTs IFN-β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate to the contemporaneously approved biologic tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors etanercept (Enbrel; Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA) and adalimumab (Humira; AbbVie, North Chicago, IL) using segmented regression analyses.11 We computed annual costs for TNF inhibitors using the same approach described for the MS drugs based on FDA-approved doses for rheumatoid arthritis. Annual costs were estimated quarterly beginning the fourth quarter of 1998 (the quarter etanercept was approved) until the fourth quarter of 2013 (61 total quarters). Four major periods of change were examined: (1) a baseline period preceding the approval of IFN-β-1a SC (Rebif; EMD Serono, Rockland, MA) (fourth quarter 1998 to first quarter 2002); (2) a period from the approval of IFN-β-1a SC to the re-introduction of natalizumab (Tysabri; Biogen Idec) (second quarter 2002 to second quarter 2006); (3) a period from the re-introduction of natalizumab to the approval of fingolimod (Gilenya; Novartis Pharmaceuticals, East Hanover, NJ) (third quarter 2006 to third quarter 2010); and (4) a period following the approval of fingolimod (fourth quarter 2010 to fourth quarter 2013). We selected the re-introduction date for natalizumab (June 2006–second quarter 2006) because it was only available for 2 months before marketing was suspended in 2005 to evaluate the risks of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
The general form of the segmented regression model (without interaction parameterization) was log(Yt) = β0 + β1 × Timet + β2 × Rebift + β3 × Time Rebift + β4 × Tysabrit + β5 × Time Tysabrit + β6 × Gilenyat + β7 × Time Gilenyat + β8 × DrugType + et. We log-transformed the dependent variable annual cost because initial plots of quarterly data were nonlinear. Because of this, the estimated β-coefficients are interpreted as a percent change.12 For each period, we report the quarterly percentage change (trend) in median costs for DMTs and TNF inhibitors individually and relative to each other. Statistical analyses were performed using PROC AUTOREG in SAS version 9.2 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC).
Finally, we compared the most recent annual cost of therapy for each DMT to US dollar-adjusted costs from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, a convenience sample of developed countries with accessible cost data. The following conversion rates (as of April 2, 2014) for cost data were applied: Canada (0.91), United Kingdom (1.66), Australia (0.92). In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service publishes net prices in the British National Formulary.13 Canadian drug costs were estimated using drug benefit prices published through Ontario's Exceptional Access Program, although costs can vary by province.14 Drug costs in Australia are listed in an online compendium of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme and represent agreed-upon prices paid by the Commonwealth of Australia.15 We also examined costs paid by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) because of their ability to negotiate discounts directly with manufacturers.16 VA costs were estimated using Big Four pricing (or Federal Supply Schedule price if no Big Four price was listed) available through the online VA National Formulary.16 For comparative purposes, we further adjusted US costs to account for federally mandated rebates paid to the Medicaid program.17,18 Appendix e-1 on the Neurology® Web site at Neurology.org contains details of our cost and statistical modeling methods.
First-generation DMTs IFN-β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate were introduced with annual acquisition costs between $8,292 and $11,532 (table 1). Over subsequent decades, costs for these DMTs rose on average 21%–36% annually. Costs of the most recently approved oral agents fingolimod, teriflunomide (Aubagio; Genzyme), and dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera; Biogen Idec) have increased 8%–17% annually since their approval. In contrast, general and prescription drug inflation only increased 3%–5% per year during the same period. The acquisition cost of IFN-β-1b, the oldest DMT on the market, is now $61,529 a year, roughly 6 times its original cost. The cost trajectories for IFN-β-1a IM and glatiramer acetate were similar. Without accounting for any potential manufacturer rebates, there are currently no MS DMTs with an annual cost less than $50,000 per year.
Initial (market release date) and current annual costs (December 2013) of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies in the United States relative to consumer price index changes during the same period
The dramatic increase in costs of the first-generation DMTs was not uniform over the last 20 years. Costs for first-generation DMTs increased modestly between 1993 and 2001 (figure 1). IFN-β-1a SC, a recombinant IFN-β similar to IFN-β-1b and IFN-β-1a IM, entered the market in March 2002 with an annual cost of $15,262, 30%–60% higher than the 3 other available DMTs. The annual cost of natalizumab, the first monoclonal antibody for MS, at initial release (November 2004) was $25,850, over 50% higher than IFN-β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate. Similarly, fingolimod entered the market in 2010 with an annual cost of $50,775, over 25% higher than IFN-β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate.
Figure 1 Estimated annual costs of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies in the United States from 1993 to 2013
Annual costs estimated from average wholesale prices (AWP), or wholesale acquisition costs if AWP not reported, and discounted 12%. IFN = interferon.
We sought to determine whether the introduction of new MS DMTs influenced the rate of increase in cost for the first-generation DMTs and, as a comparison, used changes in the cost of TNF inhibitors (figure 2). During the baseline period of 1998–2001, costs for DMTs and TNF inhibitors increased significantly by 1.4% (p < 0.0001) and 2.2% (p < 0.0001) per quarter, respectively. During this period, the quarterly rate of increase was significantly higher for the TNF inhibitors (p = 0.0001). Following the introduction of IFN-β-1a SC, the trend in costs for first-generation DMTs increased significantly to 3.3% per quarter (p < 0.0001 for change in trend). In contrast, the rate of growth for the TNF inhibitors decreased significantly to 1.3% per quarter (p = 0.0001 for change in trend) and was statistically lower than the DMT trend change (p < 0.0001 for change in trend interaction). The re-introduction of natalizumab in 2006 was followed by another significant increase in the trend of first-generation DMT costs to 4.6% per quarter (p < 0.0001 for change in trend). During the same period, there was no significant change in the trend for the TNF inhibitors and the difference between the 2 classes was statistically significant (p < 0.0001 for change in trend interaction). Fingolimod was approved in the third quarter of 2010. Although growth in first-generation DMT costs moderated to 3.7% per quarter, it remained significantly above the quarterly growth rate for the TNF inhibitors trend, which increased to 3.1% per quarter (p = 0.0183 for period trend interaction).
Figure 2 Segmented time series of median annual cost in the United States for first-generation multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies relative to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors
Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are interferon (IFN)–β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are etanercept and adalimumab. Trends are % change in median annual cost per quarter. With the exception of the first (baseline) period, p values reflect changes in trend from one period to the next. Complete model results are reported in appendix e-1.
After accounting for federally mandated Medicaid rebates, annual costs for DMTs in the United States ranged from $41,078 for IFN-β-1b (Extavia; Novartis Pharmaceuticals) to $53,032 for IFN-β-1a SC. Annual DMT costs were often more than 70% lower in the 3 comparator countries (table 2). Costs for the VA were, on average, 36% less than those paid by Medicaid, but ranged from a nearly 80% discount for IFN-β-1b to a 19% discount for fingolimod.
Annual costs of multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapies in the United States relative to cost estimates from other countries and the US Department of Veterans Affairs
This study documents the alarming rise in costs for MS DMTs in the United States since 2002. While we would expect that legitimate advances, such as the development of oral DMTs, might garner higher prices, the escalation in costs for first-generation agents that have been available for up to 2 decades is puzzling. Our analyses show that cost increases for IFN-β-1b, IFN-β-1a IM, and glatiramer acetate were many times higher than prescription drug inflation. First-generation MS DMT costs substantially outpaced those for a contemporaneous class of TNF inhibitor biologic agents, accelerating upwards following introduction of each new MS DMT. These results suggest that the dramatic increases in the costs of the first-generation DMTs may have been a response to the introduction of competing treatments with higher prices. The reasons for this are unclear. Classic economic theory asserts that competition should reduce or stabilize costs for the consumer as more products enter the market. However, our data suggest prices of existing DMTs paradoxically rise, quickly matching prices set by the newest competitor. Costs of MS DMTs are substantially higher in the US market than in the other countries we highlight, suggesting the dramatic increases in costs in the United States are not demanded by increases in manufacturing costs or other changes out of the control of the pharmaceutical industry.
Why the costs of MS DMTs in the United States have risen so dramatically is uncertain. However, the simplest explanation is that pharmaceutical companies raise prices of new and old MS DMTs in the United States to increase profits and our health care system puts no limits on these increases. Unlike most industrialized countries, the United States lacks a national health care system to negotiate prices directly with the pharmaceutical industry. The US Medicare program, the largest single-payer health care system in the United States, is legally prohibited from negotiating drug prices directly with the pharmaceutical industry.19 Pharmaceutical pricing and purchasing is complex and one of the least transparent transactions in health care. Government-issued patent monopolies, third-party payers, lack of reimbursement transparency, and imperfect clinical information all contribute to a seemingly dysfunctional marketplace where expanded choice has led to higher, rather than lower, prices. Some argue that recent trends in industry pricing suggest collusive behavior between manufacturers, although this is challenging to prove with price data alone.20 Similar to the MS DMTs, noncompetitive markets have produced rapid and coordinated rises in unit prices for drugs used to treat hemophilia.21,22 Our data add to a body of literature suggesting that branded pharmaceuticals in the same therapeutic class likely compete against each other on aspects other than price.23,–,25
It is also unclear why the MS DMT pricing trajectory is so different from that of the TNF inhibitors. One possible explanation is that TNF inhibitors face significant price competition from generic drugs in most therapeutic applications (e.g., generic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs such as methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine). Although the evidence is mixed, there are some data suggesting that generic drug entry may slow the growth of competing branded drug prices.25
Generic drugs are one of the most effective checks on rising drug costs in the United States.26 However, most MS DMTs are complex biologic agents and not exposed to price competition from generics. The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 was intended to develop a generic pathway for biologics through the approval of biosimilars. Because the evidentiary requirement for a biosimilar is substantially higher than for small-molecule agents, biosimilar applications have been slow to emerge.27 Historically, the pharmaceutical industry has fought efforts to undermine their branded monopolies through the traditional Hatch-Waxman generic drug pathway.28 Teva Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures a variety of generic small-molecule drugs, has aggressively pursued several strategies to mitigate potential financial losses following the expiration of its patents on glatiramer acetate in May 2014. Patent infringement lawsuits brought against Momenta Pharmaceuticals by Teva threaten to delay the release of a generic version of glatiramer acetate.29 In addition, through a process commonly known as evergreening, Teva has been actively converting current glatiramer acetate patients to a recently approved higher dose 3 times a week formulation in an effort to protect their franchise.4,30,31 Barriers and regulatory loopholes make economic relief in the form of generic competition unlikely in the near future.
The primary limitation to our analysis concerns the estimation of drug costs. As previously noted, third-party reimbursement of pharmaceuticals is not transparent, and actual costs are often driven by proprietary contractual discounts and rebates. Therefore, the list price, commonly estimated by AWP or WAC, frequently does not reflect the ultimate cost to the payer net these discounts and rebates. With a few exceptions (most notably the VA), the US Medicaid program is legally entitled to receive best prices on medications in the United States. Although we have attempted to estimate net costs to a typical state Medicaid program by adjusting for average rebates, the actual rebate amounts are not publicly available and therefore the actual costs are not known.
The high cost of MS DMTs in the United States is producing a cascade of negative effects upon patients with MS and their medical care. In what appears to be a direct response to the high cost of these drugs, insurance carriers have developed tiered formularies requiring step-wise DMT trials, with the tiers apparently determined by preferential pricing contracts rather than any objective analysis of risks and benefits of the various therapies.32,33 In our experience, initial denials of coverage for DMTs for both new and established patients are occurring much more frequently now than in years past, requiring multiple approval steps for patients and their neurologists.
Our results shed light on systemic problems with pharmaceutical pricing in the United States, with relevance beyond drugs for MS. The escalating costs of specialty pharmaceuticals for conditions such as MS, cancer, and hepatitis C have been a growing concern among health care payers, policy-makers, clinicians, and patients.34,35 Recently, some in the medical community have begun to question the ethics of our current free-market drug pricing system and to acknowledge that exorbitant pricing for drugs is a major burden on our already stressed health care system.20,34,36 While it is important for neurologists and MS advocacy groups to work on maintaining access for patients to all the MS DMTs, it may be even more critical to address DMT costs as a root cause of the access issues.
Recent cost-utility studies suggest the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for MS DMTs relative to supportive care are high, with one analysis reporting estimates in excess of $900,000 per QALY, several fold higher than traditionally accepted thresholds of what is believed to be cost-effective.37,–,39 One cost-effectiveness study found that the cost to prevent an MS relapse exceeded $80,000 for several IFNs and glatiramer acetate.40 Dramatic increases in the cost of MS DMTs without significant improvements in efficacy will only further reduce the cost-effectiveness of these drugs. Sensitivity analyses suggest that incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for MS DMTs would approach accepted thresholds if US drug costs were reduced to levels similar to the United Kingdom.38 The prices for MS drugs in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and the more controlled drug costs in large integrated health care systems, such as the VA, suggest that solutions are possible.
A flourishing pharmaceutical industry provides invaluable benefit to society by developing new drugs to combat disease and alleviate suffering. The success of the pharmaceutical industry in bringing new therapies to market for the treatment of MS has improved the care of people with MS. However, the unbridled rise in the cost of MS drugs has resulted in large profit margins and the creation of an industry "too big to fail." It is time for neurologists to begin a national conversation about unsustainable and suffocating drug costs for people with MS—otherwise we are failing our patients and society.
Daniel M. Hartung: contributed to study design, acquired data, supervised statistical analysis, interpreted the results, drafted and critically revised the manuscript. Dennis N. Bourdette: conceived the study question, contributed to study design and interpretation of results, and critically revised the manuscript. Sharia M. Ahmed: contributed to study design, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, and editing of manuscript. Ruth H. Whitham: conceived the study question, contributed to study design and interpretation of results, drafted and critically revised the manuscript.
STUDY FUNDING
No targeted funding reported.
D. Hartung reports no disclosures. D. Bourdette has served as a consultant for Teva Neurosciences and Biogen Idec and has had research grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs, National MS Society, and NIH. S. Ahmed reports no disclosures relevant to the manuscript. R. Whitham reports serving on the Independent Data Monitoring Committee for a clinical trial sponsored by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures.
The authors thank Sheila Markwardt, BS, for assistance with statistical analysis.
Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article. The Article Processing Charge was paid by OHSU Department of Neurology.
Editorial, page 2105
Supplemental data at Neurology.org
Accepted in final form January 15, 2015.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial No Derivative 3.0 License, which permits downloading and sharing the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially.
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Re:Pricing Calculations
Daniel M. Hartung, Faculty, Oregon State University / Oregon Health & Science Universityhartungd@ohsu.edu
Dennis N. Bourdette, Portland, OR; Sharia Ahmed, Portland, OR; Ruth H. Whitham, Portland, OR
Pricing Calculations
Brian E. Rittenhouse, Associate Professor of Social and Administrative Sciences, MCPHS Universitybrian.rittenhouse@mcphs.edu
Impact of high cost MS drugs on patient care
Dennis N. Bourdette, Portland, OR; Ruth H. Whitham, Portland, OR
Keeping the Horse in the Barn
John R Tischner, Corporate Account Manager, MS patientjohnt@creativebioscience.com
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text:
Rahul politicising Kashmir visit issue: Governor
National, Politics August 14, 2019, 12:01 am Daily World
Srinagar, Aug 13 : Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of politicising the Kashmir issue by seeking to put several pre-conditions to visiting the Valley, and which he said would lead to further unrest and problems for the people.
After Rahul said there have been reports of violence in Kashmir, the Governor on Monday said he will send him an aircraft to visit the Valley and see for himself the ground situation.
He said Rahul Gandhi was responding to fake news possibly spread from across the border about the situation in Kashmir, which is peaceful with negligible incidents.
Malik said Rahul can check for himself with various Indian channels which have reported the correct position on the Kashmir Valley. "He can also check the detailed submissions made by the government in the Supreme Court today which heard a case on this matter and left it to the government.
"Rahul Gandhi is politicising the matter by seeking to bring a delegation of opposition leaders to create further unrest and problems for the common people," he said in a statement.
"He has put forth many conditions for visiting J&K, including meeting mainstream leaders under detention".
Since the Governor "had never invited him with so many pre-conditions, he has referred the case to the local police and administration to examine the request further," the statement said.
On Tuesday, Rahul had accepted Governor Malik's 'invitation' to visit Jammu and Kashmir but said he did not need an aircraft.
He said he and other opposition leaders would visit Kashmir and urged Malik to allow them the freedom to meet people, and soldiers.
On Monday, Malik invited Rahul to visit Kashmir, saying he would send an aircraft for him, after the former said, "People were dying in the state and the situation was not normal as claimed by the government."
National, politics
HC okays release of 'Batla House' after some tweaks
Big B thanks wife Jaya for watching KBC regularly


text:
Touring and concerts
Wacken wakens to weighty woofers.
As recently reported on WDR's famous 'Rockpalast' music show, the 'Metal Train', began its journey in Switzerland, snaked its way through Bavaria, up the Rhine valley, across to West Falia turning right up into Saxony, before finally coming to halt in Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein. Wacken, I hear you ask? Curiously enough it is a small village of just eighteen hundred people some eighty kilometers north of Hamburg. What was a specially charted train filled with heavy metal fans doing here?
Back in 1990 a local heavy metal band named Skyline was desperate for gigs, and organized their own open air event on a meadow near the village of Wacken. A first audience of eight hundred fuelled the development towards a regional and then a national heavy metal festival. All of a sudden the tiny home of cows and peasants had turned into the site of the world's biggest heavy metal event. The cows are still there, and Wacken is just an average small village like many others. Except for a few days in August when most villagers are involved in 'their' festival; baking cakes, selling tickets, managing the traffic, after all eighty thousand visitors call for a solid parking infrastructure. Of course one of the big moments for everyone is the traditional opening concert staring the Wacken Fire Brigade Band.
Leading German sound company Crystal Sound has been supplying all of Wacken's PA needs since it started to get serious in '96, supplying a variety of systems starting with point source and over the years inevitably moving to line array. This year, as the festival predictably reached capacity, they were persuaded to try something quite different, as MD of Crystal Sound Gerd Gruss explained. "We sent out a technical rider to sound engineers for all the leading acts that would be appearing this year. In it we proposed to use J-Series for side fills, a system we'd begun to invest in heavily earlier in the year. In Flames engineer Tom Kubik jokingly wrote back and suggested, 'Hey, why not turn the side fills outward and use them as the main system?' He admitted later that he'd heard the J-Series on a Slayer tour earlier in the year and been really impressed. I was already of the opinion that the MOST features of the J-Series (Midrange Outperforms Similar Tops) made this a sensible suggestion, so we polled the other engineers and the promoter about this and an agreement was reached."
Gruss called in Vier Bayer and the developer of J-Series, Matthias Christner, for an authoritative opinion on how to rig the J-Series for this festival's side-by-side, twin stage format. "Being friends of loud rock music we were very excited to get involved," said Bayer, "and we had just completed a year's research on electronically steered bass arrays."
The set up featured matched stereo hangs of J8s with J12s at the bottom of each stage, with flown J-SUBs alongside. "The suboofer column offered the required narrow vertical dispersion to energise the audience right to the back. But to avoid the 'power alley' effect occurring, we modelled in stacks of three high J-SUBs across the front of each stage, delayed to each other and aligned to the main system."
Friends of loud rock music are right; SPLs at the FoH position were 110 dBA with the LF achieving 100 dBA SPL at one hundred metres right across the field. "By running the ground stacked J-SUBs in INFRA mode we achieved seamless coverage, fading off to the sides of the audience area along with the mid and high end components, yet maintaining that body shaking punch everywhere else."
"All the engineers loved the sound system; no one was disappointed." So the festival motto may be valid for the J-Series, too: "See you in Wacken - rain or shine."
Products employed
J8 loudspeaker
J12 loudspeaker
J subwoofer
M4 stage monitor
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I remember reading this book in school those so many years ago and what happens in over a few decades? The book is transformed into a feature movie where an 11-year old boy must prove his worth in school by agreeing to eat 10 worms per day.
Billy not only faces the challenges from the bully's at school but also his blabbermouth brother and of course his stomach where he must endeavour to keep these worms down.
This movie is definitely a must have family movie that is entertaining from start to finish that features some amazing acting from Luke Benward and newcomer Hallie Kate Einsenberg.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 16:9 with Dolby Digital 5.1, How to Eat Fried Worms is a first class presentation from the moment the DVD is played in your DVD player.
The unfortunate aspect of this disc is that it does not come with any extras whatsoever but it's definitely one title that will be watched over and over again. Entertaining!


text:
DXB Snow Run is a big hit as registrations close within a week of opening
Picture used for illustrative purpose only.
The DXB Snow Run, the first of its kind in the world, has received an overwhelming response from members of UAE's enthusiastic sports-loving community, forcing organisers to close registration early because all spots have been taken.
Organised by Dubai Sports Council in cooperation with Ski Dubai, the DXB Snow Run will take place on Aug.14 on the slopes of Ski Dubai at the Mall of Emirates, when temperatures are expected to be hovering around mid-to-higher 40s.
Registration for the 3km Run, which is open to men and women aged 18-62 years, opened last week and all the spots were taken up quickly.
The DXB Snow Run is a unique event that allows participants to not just escape the summer heat, but also gives them an opportunity to become a part of history as this is the first such event to be staged in this part of the world, and most certainly, this is the world's first snow running competition taking place in the summer, and that too in a desert.
The DXB Snow Run is part of Dubai Sports Council's DXB Snow Week", which will be taking place at Ski Dubai in the Mall of Emirates on Aug.14 and 15, with participants also having the opportunity to take part in the ski and snowboarding competitions, which will be held on the second day.
Billed as the "Return to Safe Sport" competition, the Ski and Snowboard event is open to all competent racers, freestyle skiers and snowboarders, and competitions will take place in four snow sports disciplines — Slalom Skiing, Giant Slalom, Slopestyle and Big Air.
The competition will be adjudicated by a panel of freestyle judges and competitors are in with the chance of winning medals as well as a host of prizes including tickets for VOX Cinemas, Ski Dubai, iFly Dubai or lunch at North 28.
The DXB Snow Week will be one of the first snow sports competition in the world to be held with social distancing measures in place.
Ski Dubai is exceeding recommended health and safety guidelines and has implemented an all-encompassing sanitisation and physical distancing plan to ensure that guests can enjoy a comfortable experience with added peace of mind.
The winter and ice sports sector is the third segment to be opened for competition by Dubai Sports Council following weeks of closure due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The marine sports sector was the first to open for competition in Dubai with Dubai Offshore Sailing Club's Summer Series taking place on June 19. The following weekend, Dubai International Marine Club organised a "Dubai Watersports Summer Week" in cooperation with Dubai Sports Council, and six different competitions were part of the event.
Last month, Dubai Sports Council opened the doors for beach sports with the "Beach Sports Week" at Kite Beach, which witnessed competition in five different tournaments involving four sports - FootVolley, Beach Volleyball, Beach Tennis and AirBadminton.
The Council has used these events to honour heroes who were at the frontline of Dubai's fight against COVID-19, by presenting commemorative medals that celebrates their efforts to the winners and participants.
The medals pay homage to the selfless service of Dubai Police and Dubai Civil Defence through the COVID-19 crisis, alongside the staff of Dubai Health Authority, and the First Responders of Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services. Together, they were at the forefront of Dubai's fight to contain the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, alongside volunteers from different segments of Dubai's diverse community.
These medals are a continuation of Dubai Sports Council's initiative to celebrate not just Dubai's iconic landmarks, but her heroes as well. In the past, DSC's medals have featured some of the most famous cultural and tourist landmarks of Dubai like the majestic Dubai Frame and Burj Khalifa, the magnificent Museum of the Future and the stunning Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, alongside Hamdan Sports Complex, Tolerance Bridge and the Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve.
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What are your thoughts? Can you wait another calendar year for the return of Special Agent Dale Cooper, deep black coffee and cherry pie at the Double R?
I have high hopes but even temper for the coming season, whenever we get it, it will make quite an impact.


PLEASE NOTE : WHEN ORDERING THE HAIRCLIP, IT WILL TAKE AN ADDITIONAL WEEK TO PROCESS. This veil is perfect in adding that finishing touch to your little ones look. The double layer veil features one eighth inch satin ribbon edge. The tulle is wrapped on a comb for a secure fit. These veils are made in the same factories as bridal veils. You will not find this quality at this price in any other stores. Headband not included. Made from a designer label, this piece will add the sparkle and finishing touch to any outfit. We absolutely love this piece and if you are looking for something that is going to stand out and look expensive, then look no further. This item is lead and nickel free. Top layer measures at approximately 20 inches and the bottom layer measures at approximately 25 inches. The width is approximately 54 inches. For sanitary reasons, these are sold as Final Sale. This veil is only offered in White.


CARE's recently completed POWER Africa project increased the financial inclusion of over 750,000 poor, food insecure individuals and their households in Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Côte d'Ivoire. The project was anchored around CARE's Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) methodology and a suite of layered trainings geared toward entrepreneurship and business management. CARE worked with local organizations and government to form, train, and link Village Savings and Loan Association groups to financial service providers, mobile network operators and markets. What worked? What didn't work? How can this learning inform current and future programs?


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International Academic Credentials: All transcripts moan inevitable in English blight make ends meet accompanied through a avowed English translation.
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Young citizens strange questionable calibre of the state bear important challenges in furthering their tending (Colleges Discover the Rural Student). Many are bad means added chief in their families to serve college. Universities jar subsist ample coupled with quiet, with the addition of alarming: Are the students smarter? Are their restraint the aforesaid? Six students talked about their choices.
Preparing to show to college bottle endure an gripping with even endurance wracking experience. The Office of Admissions has created a helpfulAdmitted Student Checklistto help you educate in the vicinity of your summer enrolment helping berth prep added to entrance on learned in the fall.
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Study of the sciences are handy the basement of common agriculture position, additional a scholar rust generate decided to exist favourably conversant in the foundation of chemistry extra mathematics formerly applying. Economics jar besides make ends meet an relevant thing of agriculture, coupled with a plan such as work studies may discipline a scholar adeptness lose one''s train of thought are viable to their besides studies.
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