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Risk Factors for Covid-19 Mortality in Paediatric Populations: A Scoping Review
Wijaya, J. T.; Browning, S. D.; Varshney, K.; Fatima, S. Z.; Shahrin, L..
Archives of Disease in Childhood ; 107(Supplement 2):A207, 2022.
Aims Paediatric populations are generally considered to be at a lower risk of mortality from COVID-19 infection compared with adult populations. Regardless, a notable number of deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in paediatric populations. Therefore, the purpose of our work was to conduct a scoping review of the literature to assess the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality among paediatric populations. Methods Our review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, medRxiv, and WHO Coronavirus Database. There were no restrictions placed for searches based on date. Papers that were written in English, included at least one paediatric death from COVID-19, and described at least one risk factor for the death and/or clinical presentation of the child(ren) were eligible for inclusion. The paediatric population was defined as children aged 18 years and younger. Results Searches generated a total of 5828 papers and, of those, 75 were eligible for inclusion. There was a pooled total of 876 paediatric deaths. Significant risk factors for paediatric mortality included having co-infection of other pathogens, and at least one comorbidity;the comorbidities most frequently associated with mortality were malignancies, heart conditions, kidney disease, and genetic disorders such as Down Syndrome. The development of Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PMIS) was also consistently demonstrated to be a risk factor. Common clinical complications associated with paediatric COVID-19 infection resulting in mortality were sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and acute kidney injury (AKI). Conclusion Our review has highlighted prominent risk factors for mortality from COVID-19 amongst paediatric populations. It is vital to consider the risk factors in order to assist prognostication and clinical decisions for severe paediatric infections of COVID-19. Our findings also highlight the importance of COVID-19 vaccination in paediatric populations.
"TRANSFER FOR HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE": AN EXCUSE TO GET RID OF UNINSURED PATIENTS?
Akhtar, J. K.; Zahid, A. N. Z. A.; Fatima, S.; N Masud, F.; R Surani, S.; Ratnani, I..
Chest ; 162(4):A1485-A1486, 2022.
SESSION TITLE: Actionable Improvements in Safety and Quality SESSION TYPE: Rapid Fire Original Inv PRESENTED ON: 10/17/2022 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm PURPOSE: The overall mortality rate for patients 'transfered' to the medical intensive care units is thought to be significantly higher than the mortality rate amongst those admitted directly. (1) It has also been suggested that uninsured critically ill patients have a higher probability of being 'transferred' to other hospitals as well as a higher mortality rate. (2, 3) We aim to determine whether insurance coverage impacts the transfer of critically ill patients. METHODS: This study was conducted at a quaternary care hospital which is also a regional transfer center. We accessed the public data for the year 2020 through our institutions Transfer Center Dashboard, System Analytics. The two aspects of transferred patients we focused upon were: 1) Hospital service (subspecialty care required) and 2) Financial class. Major subspecialties included in the study were: Pulmonology, Internal Medicine, Neurosurgery, Cardiology, and Neurology. Our study was a patient safety project, hence it qualified for IRB exemption. We classified the percentage of transfers as 'Accepted', 'Declined', or 'Canceled';and determined the insurance status of the patient. RESULTS: We found a total of 3552 patients transfers were initiated. 31.9% (1136) transfer patients were accepted, 46.79% (1662) transfers were declined, and 21.23% (754) were canceled due to reasons including unsafe transfer, acceptance at other institutions, or death prior to transfer. Major categories for transfers were Pulmonology (16.1%), other Internal Medicine related diseases (15.3%), and Neurosurgery (11.8%) were the subspecialties with the highest rate of transfers. In terms of financial class, we determined that 44.81% (n=509) of the ICU transfers had no insurance, 27.81% (n=316) had Medicare support, and 17.81% (n=202) had managed care through a health maintenance organization (HMO);the remaining 9.59% had other insurance plans. We used a binomial test to determine the probability of a transfer under no insurance (p) with the formula p + q=1, across the total number of transfer requests (n). K was the number of actual transfers that occurred. Total transfer requests were n=3552, actual transfers were k=1136 and transfers without insurance were 509/44.8%, converted into p=0.45 with a resulting q of 0.55.For z-test, we used the formula z = ((K - np) +- 0.5) / √npq = 15.58. Our one-tailed probability of exactly, or fewer than, 1136(K) out of 3552(n) was p <.000001. Our study was limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic occurring in the same year. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, we conclude that the 'uninsured' patients are more susceptible to getting transferred to other institutions. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Critically ill 'uninsured' patients are selctively subjected to be transfered to other hospitals for higher level of care. These transfers may have significant health implications thereby resulting in higher morbidity and mortality in unisured populations. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Joodi Akhtar No relevant relationships by Sahar Fatima Advisory Committee Member relationship with Astra Zeneca Please note: 24 months Added 03/16/2022 by FAISAL MASUD, value=Honoraria Advisory Committee Member relationship with Teleflex Please note: 12 months Added 03/16/2022 by FAISAL MASUD, value=Consulting fee Advisory Committee Member relationship with La Jolla Please note: 12 months Added 03/16/2022 by FAISAL MASUD, value=Consulting fee No relevant relationships by Iqbal Ratnani No relevant relationships by Salim Surani No relevant relationships by Anza Zahid
Coagulation profile in COVID-19
Kashif, A.; Taj, S.; Moin, S.; Fatima, S. A.; Lone, A.; Ahmed, Q..
Rawal Medical Journal ; 47(3):523-526, 2022.
Objective: To evaluate the coagulation profile in COVID-19 patients and to correlate disease severity with the coagulation parameters. Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted at Pathology and medicine departments, FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry. It included 101 confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease of both genders between 17 and 75-year age. Coagulation profile was compared between survivor and non-survivor groups. Results: Out of 101 patients, 93 (92.1%) patients were in the survivor group and eight (7.8%) in the non-survivor group. Mean APTT (p = 0.02) in non-survivor group showed relatively higher values than survivor group. Mean D-Dimers (p = 0.007) in non-survivors showed a significantly raised values. However other parameters of coagulation like Platelets, MPV, PT and INR showed no significant association statistically. Conclusion: High D-dimers and prolonged APTT were associated with mortality in COVID-19 Patients.
Khamira Banafsha for the symptomatic treatment of Covid-19 Disease
Zakir, M.; Naushad, M.; Ahmad, W.; Ahmad, T.; Fatima, S. H.; Alam, M. A.; Javed, G..
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science ; 21(4):883-892, 2022.
Respiratory illness is one of the most important public health problems in many countries worldwide. Even though most of the ailments are treatable with normal care, respiratory-related mortality continues to increase year after year. The global situation is deteriorating as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. Numerous Unani formulations are beneficial against a variety of respiratory disorders, but they must be clinically researched before they can obtain widespread acceptance in the modern world. At the moment, no antiviral medication is either available for each respiratory disease or is costly and not easy to use in pandemics like COVID-19 on large scale, although Unani medicines may be considered an option. Khamira Banafsha (KB) is a semi-solid blend of three dried flowers, Viola odorata L., Borago officinalis L., and Rosa damascena Mill and the distillate of Rosa damascena, and sugar. The components in this formulation are well-known and frequently utilized in the treatment of respiratory problems.The formulation has been used to treat a wide range of illnesses for decades. This review will discuss the pharmacology, ethnopharmacology, and repurposing of KB as an adjuvant or symptomatic treatment for Covid-19 illness.The chemical composition of the ingredients may be evaluated In-silico to identify their eligibility for Covid-19 disease symptomatic management.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Surgical Education and Training: A Resident Survey in a Low-Income Country
Fatima, S.; Arham, M.; Shafique, M. S.; Waqar Bhatti, H..
British Journal of Surgery ; 109:vi36, 2022.
Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected medical education and training programmes worldwide. This study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on surgical education and training in a low-income country. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Allied hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from June 2021 to July 2021. A structured questionnaire designed by the researchers was distributed to all surgery departments, and surgical residents who consented to participate in this study were included. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS v25. Results: A total of 152 residents participated in this study, of which 53 (34.9%) were in general surgery and 99 (65.1%) in various surgical allied specialties. A large number of respondents reported a severe to complete reduction of elective surgical procedures (78, 51.3%), outpatient clinical activity (54, 35.6%) and academic sessions (86, 56.6%). A significantly higher number of general surgery residents (52.8%) reported increase in emergency surgical procedures as compared to surgical allied specialties (35.4%) (P=0.037). Majority of the respondents believed that loss of surgical training opportunities had a negative impact on their training and job performance (127, 83.6% and 130, 85.5%, respectively) with 43 (28.3%) residents suggesting an extension in training program. 137 (90.1%) residents reported increased stress and anxiety levels with the number of surgical allied residents significantly higher than general surgery residents (P=0.031). 125 (82.2%) respondents claimed that fear of contracting the virus affected proper patient evaluation. Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the training and psychological wellbeing of surgical residents and drastically affected patient evaluation.
Psychological impact of second wave COVID 19 pandemic on medical and nursing staff in a tertiary care hospital
Prahasith, K.; Fatima, S. N.; Patlolla, V. R. P..
Indian Journal of Psychiatry ; 64, 2022.
Efficacy of Prednisolone/Zn Metal Complex and Artemisinin Either Alone or in Combination on Lung Functions after Excessive Exposure to Electronic Cigarettes Aerosol with Assessment of Antibacterial Activity
Hamza, Reham Z.; Alaryani, Fatima S.; Alotaibi, Reem E.; Al-Harthi, Maha A.; Alotaibi, Ghadeer S.; Al-Subaie, Nora A.; Al-Talhi, Amjad A.; Al-Bogami, Bander, Al-Baqami, Najah M.; El-Megharbel, Samy M.; Al-Thubaiti, Eman H..
Crystals ; 12(7):972, 2022.
Article in English | MDPI | ID: covidwho-1928497
The use of transition metal complexes as therapeutic compounds has become more and more pronounced. These complexes offer a great diversity of uses in their medicinal applications. Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are an electronic nicotine delivery system that contain aerosol (ECR). The ligation behavior of prednisolone, which is a synthetic steroid that is used to treat allergic diseases and asthma arthritis, and its Zn (II) metal complex were studied and characterized based on elemental analysis, molar conductance, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, electronic spectra, XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The FT-IR spectral data revealed that PRD acts as a mono-dentate ligand via oxygen atoms of the carbonyl group. Electronic and FT-IR data revealed that the PRD/Zn (II) metal complexes have square planner geometry. Artemisinin (ART) is the active main constituent of Artemisia annua extract, and it has been demonstrated to exert an excellent antimalarial effect. The experiment was performed on 40 male mice that were divided into the following 7 groups: Control, EC group, PRD/Zn, ART, EC plus PRD/Zn, EC plus ART, and PRD plus combination of PRD/Zn and ART. Serum CRP, IL-6, and antioxidants biomarkers were determined. Pulmonary tissue histology was evaluated. When in combination with Zn administration, PRD showed potent protective effects against pulmonary biochemical alterations induced by ECR and suppressed severe oxidative stress and pulmonary structure alterations. Additionally, PRD/Zn combined with ART prevented any stress on the pulmonary tissues via antioxidant regulation, reducing inflammatory markers CRP and Il-6 and improving antioxidant enzymatic levels more than either PRD or ART alone. Therefore, PRD/Zn combined with ART produced a synergistic effect against any sort of oxidative stress and also improved the histological structure of the lung tissues. These findings are of great importance for saving pulmonary function, especially during pandemic diseases, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Splatter Paint Room Event in the ICU - An Effort to Mitigate Burnout
Ratnani, I.; Fatima, S.; Masud, F..
Background - Among all the specialties, Critical Care Medicine physicians have reported the highest rate of burnout in the year 2021[Medscape National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report 2021]. Likewise, all Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff such as nurses, respiratory therapists and patient care assistants as frontline workers have been experiencing stress during g the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we present an initiative of Center for Performing Arts (CPAM) department at a tertiary care academic medical center to help reduce fatigue and burnout among ICU staff through splatter painting. Methods - This study was conducted in a 36-bed Cardiovascular ICU at a tertiary care hospital. Permission was obtained from the relative departments for the use of data. CPAM planned a 3-day splatter tent event in the ICU. This event was mainly for the ICU staff but was open to all the hospital staff. The event was advertised using colorful flyers. Each participant was led to a quiet room where they would drape, pick their favorite music selection, and color prop. Participants were then left alone to unwind and release all the feels in the form of creating art and could stay as long as they wanted. Pre- and post-completion surveys were recorded and, data was analyzed. Results - A total of 49 staff participated. 32 out of 49 participants returned their surveys. Overwhelmingly majority of the comments were positive. The most popular music genre was rap/hip hop. Average stress levels 1(low) to 5(high) were 4.19 - before to 2.56 - after. The average score (1-least) to 5-most) for if the intervention helped with compassion fatigue (F) and mental exhaustion (ME) was 4.22 and 4.44 respectively. The average score for if the intervention helped them feel more engaged at work (EW) and instilled positive attitude (PA) towards organization was 4.34 and 4.77 respectively. We did Pearson's correlation for the four components of the activity i.e., F, ME, EW and PA. Our R was strongly positive with value of 0.9913, using formula r = Σ((X - My)(Y - Mx)) / √((SSx)(SSy)). We also cross checked meta-numerics. Our value of R2 (the coefficient of determination) was 0.9827. Our P-Value was .001199, with significance at p < .05. Conclusions - The level of burnout amongst healthcare workers is at a critical level globally. Healthcare administrations need to find ways to mitigate feelings of burnout and fatigue amongst staff. (Figure Presented).
Neuroimaging in COVID-19 Patients on Mechanical Ventilation Receiving Sedation: Insight Beyond Diagnosis
Fatima, S.; Sudheer, P.; Agarwal, A.; Vishnu, V. Y.; Srivastava, M. V. P..
Neurology ; 98(18 SUPPL), 2022.
Objective: To study the cause of prolonged altered sensorium following cessation of sedation in mechanically ventilated patients Background: Patients with severe COVID-19 are at risk of thrombotic complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism, myocardial infarction and stroke. The incidence of strokes following COVID-19 is reported to be around 1.2%. There has been an increased incidence of large vessel strokes, especially, in young patients without any known risk factors in patients with COVID-19. Design/Methods: We report four cases of stroke diagnosed following neuroimaging in patients with severe COVID-19 Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Results: All the patients were receiving supportive treatment and mechanical ventilation at the time of diagnosis of stroke. All patients received sedation and paralytics during mechanical ventilation. Poor response to stimulation and inability to wake up after sedation had worn off prompted neuroimaging in these patients, which revealed stroke. Incidentally, all these patients had hypernatremia at the time of diagnosis of stroke. Conclusions: This case series suggests that stroke should be considered in all COVID-19 patients who continue to have altered sensorium even after the cessation of sedation.
A Critical Analysis of Covid-19 with Special Emphasis on Air Quality and its Consequences during Lockdown
Lawrence, A. J.; Khan, T.; Nascimento, A.; Fatima, S..
Indian Journal of Environmental Protection ; 42(4):424-431, 2022.
SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) has taken over the world. The deadly virus causes serious respiratory infections in humans. A number of research are ongoing to contain the spread of the virus. The aim of this review is to assess the impact of air pollution and environmental factors which may influence the transmission of the disease. The utilization of indigenous natural sources as remedial measures has also been explored. The studies cited in the review have been sourced from journals, books and digital media reports. The research papers indexed in databases such as PUBMED, SCOPUS and MEDLINE, etc., have been included. Evidence has suggested that the spike in air pollution may exacerbate the number of infections and the improved air quality during the lockdown period may influence the faster recovery rate. Environmental factors, like temperature, humidity and air pollution have been explored as contributing factors for the facilitated spread of the infection, or atleast in making people more vulnerable to it which makes it an issue of considerable attention in developing countries, like India, due to the high air pollution levels in megacities. © 2022 - Kalpana Corporation.
Student e-learning service quality, satisfaction, commitment and behaviour towards finance courses in COVID-19 pandemic
Ali, M.; Puah, C. H.; Fatima, S.; Hashmi, A.; Ashfaq, M..
International Journal of Educational Management ; 2022.
Purpose: This research investigates the relationship between e-learning service quality dimensions, student e-learning satisfaction, commitment and behaviour towards finance courses in higher education institutes of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach: Due to specific study objectives, the authors gathered sample data of 359 university students who were enrolled in the traditional learning system and shifted to the e-learning environment. The study employed partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) based approach using Smart PLS version 3.0. Findings: The results indicated that out of four e-learning service quality dimensions, three dimensions (system quality, course material and instructor quality, information technology (IT) and support service quality) positively impacted student e-learning satisfaction. The other dimension of e-learning service quality (course website quality) showed a positive but insignificant effect on e-learning satisfaction. Additionally, e-learning satisfaction was positively related to e-learning commitment, which, in turn, has a positive and significant influence on student e-learning behaviour towards finance courses. Originality/value: Overall, the study's findings provide useful policy implications for higher education institutes, particularly in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic among different population groups in Lahore, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study
Fatima, K.; Mir, N.; Fatima, S.; Ali, H.; Ch, S..
Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences ; 16(5):64-66, 2022.
Background: COVID-19 pandemic presents a consequential threat to individual's mental health in addition to obvious health-related impact. Aim: To focus on prevalence as well as related factors of psychosocial impact of COVID-19 in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: Our study design was analytical cross-sectional, and study population comprised 382 participants including healthcare workers, teachers, students, and household members. We used non-probability convenience sampling method. We built a structured self-administered questionnaire for collection of data and psychological impact was measured with Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Results: Independent factors related to psychological impact were identified using bivariate logistic regression and all significant factors at p-value 0.25 were processed using multivariate model. AORs with 95% CIs were used to assess magnitudes of associations. Prevalence of psychological impact in Pakistan is 53.4%. Being female (β=1.517;AOR=4.561;95%CI: 2.838-7.329)and covering mouth when coughing and sneezing (β=0.486;AOR=1.626;95%CI: 1.012-2.612)are significantly associated with psychosocial impact after logistic regression. Prevalence of psychological impact in Pakistan is very high. Conclusion: Henceforth, policy makers need to consider psychological issues while planning pandemic-related interventions.
Pre-Covid Accessibility of Critical Care Intensivists to the Medicare Population 2012-2019: A State-by-State Analysis
Arif, M. Z.; Afzal, D.; Fatima, S.; Khurana, A..
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine ; 205:2, 2022.
Article in English | English Web of Science | ID: covidwho-1879944
Synthesis, Spectroscopic Studies for Five New Mg (II), Fe (III), Cu (II), Zn (II) and Se (IV) Ceftriaxone Antibiotic Drug Complexes and Their Possible Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Capacities
El-Megharbel, Samy M.; Qahl, Safa H.; Alaryani, Fatima S.; Hamza, Reham Z..
Antibiotics ; 11(5):547, 2022.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-1870879
Magnesium, copper, zinc, iron and selenium complexes of ceftriaxone were prepared in a 1:1 ligand to metal ratio to investigate the ligational character of the antibiotic ceftriaxone drug (CFX). The complexes were found to have coordinated and hydrated water molecules, except for the Se (IV) complex, which had only hydrated water molecules. The modes of chelation were explained depending on IR, 1HNMR and UV–Vis spectroscopies. The electronic absorption spectra and the magnetic moment values indicated that Mg (II), Cu (II), Zn (II), Fe (III) and Se (VI) complexes form a six-coordinate shape with a distorted octahedral geometry. Ceftriaxone has four donation sites through nitrogen from NH2 amino, oxygen from triazine, β-lactam carbonyl and carboxylate with the molecular formulas [Mg(CFX)(H2O)2]·4H2O, [Cu(CFX)(H2O)2]·3H2O, [Fe(CFX)(H2O)(Cl)]·5H2O, [Zn(CFX)(H2O)2]·6H2O and [Se(CFX)(Cl)2]·4H2O and acts as a tetradentate ligand towards the five metal ions. The morphological surface and particle size of ceftriaxone metal complexes were determined using SEM, TEM and X-ray diffraction. The thermal behaviors of the complexes were studied by the TGA(DTG) technique. This study investigated the effect of CFX and CFX metal complexes on oxidative stress and severe tissue injury in the hepatic tissues of male rats. Fifty-six male rats were tested: the first group received normal saline (1 mg/kg), the second group received CFX orally at a dose of 180 mg/kg, and the other treated groups received other CFX metal complexes at the same dose as the CFX-treated group. For antibacterial activity, CFX/Zn complex was highly effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae, while CFX/Se was highly effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In conclusion, successive exposure to CFX elevated hepatic reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and lipid peroxidation final marker (MDA) and decreased antioxidant enzyme levels. CFX metal complex administration prevented liver injury, mainly suppressing excessive ROS generation and enhancing antioxidant defense enzymes and in male rats.
Wavelet-based Statistical and Mathematical Analysis of Spread of COVID-19
Fatima, S.; Khan, M. S.; Sajid, Y..
Advancements in Life Sciences ; 8(4):333-338, 2021.
T he and spreadoutbreak mortality. of COVIDof Therefore, coronavirus-19−19 which the will researchers (NCoV-19)help in planninghas are developed using to control various a universalthe available diseasecrisis methods andduetotomanage to high study ratethe the ofhealth pattern infectioncare of resources. This study compares Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) (statistical), Logistic, Gompertz (mathematical) and their hybrid using Wavelet−based Forecast (WBF) models to model and predict the number of confirmed cases of COVID−19. The study area includes the countries: Iran, Italy, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, USA, UK and Canada. Moreover, root mean squares error (RMSE) is used to compare the performance of studied models. Empirical analysis shows that confirmed cases could be adequately modelled using ARIMA and ARIMA-WBF for all the countries under consideration. However, for future prediction significance of the models varies region to region. © 2021. Advancements in Life Sciences. All rights reserved.
Prevalence of Coronavirus Anxiety, Nomophobia, and Social Isolation Among National and Overseas Pakistani Students
Mushtaque, I.; Khan, M. R.; Zahra, R.; Fatima, S. M.; Ejaz, M.; Lak, T. A.; Rizwan, M.; Awais-E-Yazdan, M.; Raza, M..
Journal of Population and Social Studies ; 30:408-422, 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic during initial lockdowns created a problematic situation in which individuals were forced to remain within their homes and were forced to follow social distance restrictions for the well-being of themselves and others. In response, people use social networking sites on mobile phones to gather information about the COVID-19 epidemic. This study aims to investigate the influence of lockdowns on mobile phone usage among university students. Moreover, the harmful effects of COVID-19, such as anxiety, social isolation, and nomophobia among national and international students, are also investigated. The total sample size for this cross-sectional study is 438 individuals. The sample consists of Pakistani students studying at local universities (58.7%) and Pakistani students studying abroad (41.3%). The indigenous data is gathered through convenience sampling. The snowball sampling approach is adopted to acquire data from overseas. The findings show that the excessive use of mobile phones for browsing social networking sites to get information about the pandemic caused COVID-19 anxiety, nomophobia ("no-mobile-phone" phobia), and feelings of social isolation. Our results indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak greatly impacted students' massive mobile phone use and psycho-social well-being, regardless of their geographic location. © 2022. All Rights Reserved.
Assessing Public Opinion Regarding COVID-19 Vaccinations in Pakistan: Knowledge, and Perceptions of General Public
Ullah, S.; Shahid, S. A.; Hafeez, S.; Fatima, S.; Zia, F.; Ali, M..
Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences: Part B ; 58(3):65-73, 2021.
The COVID-19 infodemic can be counteracted by clear and consistent communication of scientific evidence and improved health literacy between the public and informants. For complete eradication of COVID-19, several vaccines are approved in various countries for public use by regulatory authorities. Assessing public perception regarding COVID-19 vaccination is an important area of research. In the current study, we aim to evaluate the opinions of individuals from multiple localities about COVID-19 and its vaccination through an online survey. Participants of the study were divided into different groups based on age, profession, demography, and income, and their opinions were calculated in percentage. In age group analysis we reported the highest willingness, 62.8 % (n=22) in age group 30-40, followed by 60 % (n=3) in age group >50, 58.6 % (n=244) in age group 20-30, 57.95 % (n=51) was in age group 15-20 and the least willingness, 33.33 % (n=4) in age group 40-50. The highest disagreement regarding vaccination of 60 % was found in age group >50, followed by 33.3 % in the age group 40-50, 14.7 % in the age group 20-30, 11.4 % in the age group 15-20 and 30-40. Similarly based on profession, maximum acceptability, 59.1 % (n=262) was reported in students, followed by a businessman (68.7 %, n=11), professional workers (3.5 %, n=20). Likewise, in demographic analysis, individuals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) (61.3 %, n=200) were found more enthusiastic for vaccination, followed by AJK (58.33 %, n=7) and Islamabad (58.1 %, n=32). In the same way, people with income range $435-$621/month showed the highest willingness (65.7 %, n=69) regarding vaccination, followed by income group ($621 or more $s/month). Surprisingly, individuals from the low-income group were found more interested in vaccination as compared to the higher-income group. Comparatively low interest of high-income group individuals may be due to more exposure to conspiracy theories shared on social media. © Pakistan Academy of Sciences.
The difference between Zoom online and traditional physiology teaching in undergraduate physical therapy and biotechnology & biological sciences students during COVID-19 Pandemic
Fatima, S.; Fatima, S.; Rafique, S.; Kanwal, S.; Sultan, M.; Aziz, A..
Medical Forum Monthly ; 32(9):33-37, 2021.
Objective: To find the students' preference between zoom online and traditional face to face Physiology teaching in undergraduate physical therapy and biotechnology & biological sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross Sectional study Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Sohail University from April 2021 to June 2021 for a period of 02 months. Materials and Methods: The study participants included 100 Physical therapies and 94 Biotechnology & Biological sciences students. A questionnaire was distributed to each student. The questionnaire included 17 items regarding online and traditional teaching. The students were asked to select a response for each item on the questionnaire including the preferred teaching method from zoom online, traditional, or both. The data were presented in terms of percentage for the individual items, preference in theory, and the overall preferred teaching method. Results: The students gave the opinion that the presence of teacher (82.1%), asking the queries to the teacher (80.2%), giving feedback to the teacher (78.3%), and interest in learning (76.4%) were more important aspects for traditional teaching. Regarding the zoom online lectures, accessibility to the internet hindered online teaching (84%) and online teaching led to more distraction (67.9%). Moreover, a high majority of students (79.2%) preferred the traditional method for theory. The overall preference for the traditional method (83%) was higher as compared to online (2.8%) and both methods (14.2%). Conclusion: The majority of physical therapy and Biotechnology & Biological sciences students had a preference for traditional teaching methods in Physiology. © 2021 Medical Forum Monthly. All rights reserved.
COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological stress and coping strategies among doctors
Naheed, A.; Ahmed, A.; Choudhary, Z. I.; Fatima, S.; Naseem, S.; Ghias, M..
Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences ; 15(9):2504-2507, 2021.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress among medical doctors during the covid-19 pandemic and identify the coping mechanisms being employed by them. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Community Medicine, HITEC Institute of Medical Sciences, Taxila from 1st February 2020 to 31st July 2020 Methodology: Three hundred and ninety eight doctors (non-specialists, interns, junior consultants and senior consultants) from emergency services, medicine and allied and surgery and allied departments. Results: There were 224 (56.3%) females, 174 (43.7%) were males. Mean age was 35.2±8.6. Majority of participants were from medicine department (n=266,66.8%). Health professionals who worked at frontline during Covid pandemic were 186 (46.7%). One hundred and ninety four (48.7%) participants had no psychological distress, 62 (15.6%) had mild, 30 (7.5%) had moderate and 112 (28.1%) had severe psychological distress. BREIF-COPE questionnaire was found to have high reliability (Cronbach alpha=0.82). High mean scores were observed for Problem focused (4.7±1.4) and Emotional focused coping (4.7±1.1). Relatively low mean score was found for dysfunctional coping (3.3±1.0). A statistically significant low positive correlation ofIES-R scores was observed with Problem focused coping (r=.47, p=.001) and with emotional focused coping (r=.42, p=.001). However, moderately positive correlation was observed between IES-R scores and dysfunctional coping (r=.64, p=.001). Conclusion: Psychological distress was significantly higher among Covid-19 frontline health workers, particularly among postgraduate trainees working in Medicine and Emergency departments.
Role of hematological parameters in stratification of COVID-19 disease severity
Taj, S.; Kashif, A.; Arzinda Fatima, S.; Imran, S.; Lone, A.; Ahmed, Q..
Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis ; 5(SUPPL 2), 2021.
Background : Covid-19 disease involves respiratory as well as other body systems including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, immunological and hematopoietic system. Patient of covid-19 pneumonia presents with wide range of hemostatic abnormalities. These hemostatic abnormalities in COVID-19 are related with disease progression, severity and mortality. Aims : The aim of our study is to evaluate the role of hematological parameters in determination of COVID-19 disease severity. Methods : This was a retrospective study, conducted in Department of Pathology and Department of medicine, FMH college of Medicine and Dentistry from May 2020 to July 2020. Total of 101, confirmed cases of covid-19 disease, both genders between 17 and 75-year age were included. Hematological parameters were compared in mild, moderate, severe and critical disease group. Continuous variables were analyzed by using non parametric, Kruskal Wallis test while categorical variables were analyzed by chi-square test. Results : Out of 101 patients, 20.8%, 51.8%,19.8% and 7.9% were in mild, moderate, severe and critical group respectively. Median (IQR) values of WBCs ( P -value 0.004), ANC ( P -value 0.002), NLR ( P -value 0.001), D-dimer level ( P -value 0.001), ferritin (0.0001), LDH (0.0001) were significantly increased in patients with critical disease. Median (IQR) values of APTT ( P -value 0.003) and CRP ( P -value 0.0001) were suggestively higher in patients with severe disease. Other parameters like Hemoglobin, MCV, HCT, ALC, Platelet count, prothrombin time did not show statistically significant association with severity of disease. Conclusions : The study concluded that Leukocytosis, neutrophilia, elevated Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, APTT, D-dimer, LDH, serum ferritin and CRP are associated with severity of covid-19 disease.
au:"Fatima, S."


text:
We're based at Peace House, Paradise Street, Oxford, OX1 1LD - a 5 minute walk from Carfax.
You're very welcome to drop in to our Tuesday evenings, but for retreats please contact us by email (oxfordtriratna@gmail.com) in advance as we often meet in a different venue.
If walking on Queen Street towards Oxford Railway Station with the Carfax Tower behind you, cross at the pedestrian crossing where it meets New Street near the Art Cafe (where we meet at 5.00-6.00pm on Tuesdays). Turn left down Castle Street by the bus stops.
Turn right into Paradise Street and ahead in the left corner is Peace House.
The cycle rack is opposite the centre on Paradise Street. Alternatively, you can park your bike at the back of Peace House.
Many of the buses stop in streets nearby such as Queen Street, New Road and Castle Street. Other stops in High Street and St Aldates are only a 5 minute walk away.
By park & ride
There are five Park and Ride sites around the city on Oxford's ring road and all are clearly signposted. Search the Oxford City Council Park & Ride website for more details about finding a convenient one for you.
Oxford's main line rail station is managed by First Great Western. There are frequent services to and from London Paddington and Birmingham New Street.
The station is situated on the western side of the city centre, just a 10 minute walk from Peace House. There is a taxi rank immediately outside of the station and many buses also stop at the station.
We seldom have a parking space available but may be able to arrange one in very exceptional circumstances. If you need to drive please contact us in advance to ensure we can accommodate you.
If you would like to park nearby, there is a temporary Council car park at Oxpens (OX1 1RQ) as the Westgate Multi-Storey Car Park is currently closed for redevelopment.
If you are travelling to Peace House by taxi the main entrance is on Paradise Street.
001 Taxis - 01865 240000
ABC Taxis - 01865 770077
Radiotaxis - 01865 242424
Royal Cars - 01865 777333

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: mapseasy.com embed google maps with multiple locations I was successful embedding google maps api with "mapseasy.com" script.
But their generator only has information for one location... I will need to use this map and have multiple locations.
Notice:
http://mesgolf.com/course-flyover.php
I would like to add another PIN... anyone know how to accomplish this?
Current JS is:
function LoadGmaps() {

    var myLatlng = new google.maps.LatLng(40.6094825,-73.7280392);
    var myOptions = {
        zoom: 10,
        center: myLatlng,
        disableDefaultUI: true,
        navigationControl: false,

        mapTypeControl: false,
        streetViewControl: false,
        mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP
        }
    var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("MyGmaps"), myOptions);
    var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
        position: myLatlng,
        map: map,
        title:"Lawrence Yacht & Country Club"
    });
    var infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow({
        content: "Lawrence Yacht & Country Club
View Course Flyover

"
        });
        google.maps.event.addListener(marker, "click", function() {
            infowindow.open(map, marker);
        });

}

I will give another long/lat example of a location: 40.65063,-73.528508
The HTML looks like this:

A: See the documentation of the Google Maps Javascript API v3 on Markers
var marker2 = new google.maps.Marker({
    position: new google.maps.LatLng(40.65063,-73.528508),
    map: map,
    title:"marker 2"
});
var infowindow2 = new google.maps.InfoWindow({
    content: "Marker 2
more information

"
    });
    google.maps.event.addListener(marker2, "click", function() {
        infowindow2.open(map, marker2);
    });

working fiddle

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The Asia Festival closes its tenth anniversary with public and participation success
2011/09/27 |
Listen Print
/swf/player.swf?videourl=/media/asset_publics/resources/000/017/109/original/PROMO_FESTIVAL_ASIA_2011_DEFINITU.mp4&fotourl=/keyframes/17109.jpg&barcolor=99C1FD&streaming=true
/swf/player.swf?videourl=/media/asset_publics/resources/000/017/709/original/FA_MAHUI_Fest.Asia_.mp4&fotourl=/keyframes/17709.jpg&barcolor=99C1FD&streaming=true
/swf/player.swf?videourl=/media/asset_publics/resources/000/017/682/original/turan_Fest.Asia_.mp4&fotourl=/keyframes/17682.jpg&barcolor=99C1FD&streaming=true
/swf/player.swf?videourl=/media/asset_publics/resources/000/017/850/original/PE_zweb.mp4&fotourl=/keyframes/17850.jpg&barcolor=99C1FD&streaming=true
/swf/player.swf?videourl=/media/asset_publics/resources/000/020/277/original/festival_asia2_web.mp4&fotourl=/keyframes/20277.jpg&barcolor=99C1FD&streaming=true
/media/asset_publics/resources/000/018/039/normal/festival_asia2011-2.jpg
The tenth edition of the Asia Festival has concluded with a great success of the public with the capacity of venues complete in all shows programmed in the heart of Barcelona: Biblioteca de Catalunya, plaça Reial, MACBA, CCCB, plaça dels Àngels and plaça Joan Coromines. From Friday 16th to Sunday 25th of September the Asia Festival has brought together in Barcelona outstanding Asian artists, in their committment to make Asia known in all its variety of colour, sound and culture.
The festival has counted around 17.000 people at this edition. Generally, a public of all ages interested in discovering the richness and diversity of Asian cultures has shown great interest in their participation in all of the performances and activities that have taken place in the last 10 days. After 10 years of life, the festival has remained faithful in its purpose of approaching citizens the cultural and artistic diversity, as well as the lifestyle of Asian countries. For this, it has been consolidated as a unique platform in all the country devoted to contemporary and traditional stage arts of the region of Asia and the Pacific.
This 10th edition has addressed its look to Central Asia and, like every year, it has shown the diversity and richness of Asian cultures through a multidisciplinary programme aimed to all the public: live music, dance, theatre, workshops, games, demonstrations and cinema.
Turan -opening show of traditional music from Kazakhstan- came from Asia for the occasion, Mamer -cult singer-songwriter in the independent Chinese scene of Kazakh ethnic group-, Sorum -group mostly made up of women and based on traditional Korean music-. Pe'z -famous Japanese band that fuses jazz with pop-rock, funky, ska and Latin sounds- and Humera Arshad —one of the best known popstars of Pakistan stand out. In total, for 10 days more than 30 events have taken place among international shows and artistic initiatives and demonstrations of the Asian communities resident in Catalonia.
On Sunday 25th of September, the Asia Festival presented «A Day in Asia», the already traditional day planned to discover Asia with your family, which closed the 10th anniversary with more than twenty free proposals. All the activities were concentrated at the plaça dels Àngels, plaça Joan Coromines, CCCB and MACBA. This year, from 10am to 10pm, this space of the Raval neighbourhood turned into a yurta camp, the tents used by the nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. There, the public lived the life of the Mongol nomads through workshops and demonstrations of customs and traditions of Mongolia and other cultures of this region.
The performances of Mamber, famous singer-songwriter and cult figure of the Kazakh root Chinese independent music (attached to Peter Gabriel's label), which performed with his hand IZ at the plaça dels Àngels stand out. On the same stage, Humera Arshad performed, one of the most popular popstars of Pakistan. These artists are added to demonstrations of fights that are difficult to see in our country: the fighters of Ulan Bator that took part in the most important contest of Mongolia, the Naadam Festival and the fighters of the centre CVN Kalari Shangham, representatives of the most ancient martial art, kalarippayat, practiced for centuries in Kerala (India). The dances and traditions of the region of the mountain chains of the Philippines, with Bibak, the Bengali folk-rock of the band Tirthok and the music and dances of Bangladesh and south Asia by the Cultural Association Shur Rong completed the performances at the Asia Stage. Finally, the game workshops rooted in the Asian tradition, therapies and practices related to health, music stories and the screening of the film The Cave of the Yellow Dog helped people enjoy «A Day in Asia» with your family.


Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as soft U.S. inflation data raised expectations that the Federal Reserve will pause rate hikes this year, while investors were looking for developments in trade talks between Washington and Beijing. Spot gold was up 0.2 percent at $1,308.39 per ounce, as of 0256 GMT. U.S. gold futures were down 0.3 percent at $1,311. U.S. consumer prices were unchanged for a third straight month in January, leading to the smallest annual increase in inflation in more than 1-1/2 years, which could allow the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates steady for a while.
"If you look more broadly, the Fed is unlikely to raise rates in an environment where inflation is still low," said Ilya Spivak, a senior currency strategist at DailyFX. There is a dense layer of technical support for gold around $1,294-$1,307, he added. Gold prices touched a more than one-week high of $1,318.12 on Wednesday, but pared gains in the late session on the dollar's strength.
The dollar benefited from sustained strength in core U.S. inflation. In the latest 12-month period, the so-called core CPI rose 2.2 percent for a third straight month. "The data was supportive for dollar. You can see intraday declines (in gold on the data), but there is not enough juice for a downside breakout in gold," Spivak said.
Gold prices have risen nearly 13 percent since touching more than 1-1/2-year lows in mid-August, mostly on expectations of a pause in interest rate hikes and tumultuous stock markets. The U.S. central bank held rates steady in late January and promised to be "patient" in rate moves due to impending slowdown and uncertain trade backdrop.
Several Fed officials have indicated that they will support a pause in interest rate hikes to assess its impact on the economy. Lower interest rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-interest bearing gold and weigh on the dollar. Meanwhile, investors were hoping for a breakthrough in the trade impasse between the United States and China.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the talks with China were "going along very well" as they try to resolve the tariff dispute ahead of a March 1 deadline. Although gold is experiencing several headwinds from a robust dollar and improved risk appetite, prices remain supported by global growth worries, analysts with Singapore-based Phillip Futures said in a note.
With gold unable to break higher, outflows rose in holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed ETF. Holdings have fallen over 3 percent so far this month. Elsewhere, palladium rose 0.4 percent to $1,400 per ounce. Platinum was up 0.1 percent at $784 per ounce, while silver rose 0.4 percent to $15.63.


Following the latest Supreme Court victory of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, David Ogba Onuoha (Bourdex), a chieftain of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Senatorial candidate for Abia North zone in 2015, has referred to as on Abians to affix fingers and support the Governor of the state, Okezie Ikpeazu to rebuild the state.
Onuoha, the Abiriba-born businessman and politician who made the decision when he paid a solidarity and congratulatory go to to Governor Ikpeazu at Abia State Governor's Lodge in Aba, acknowledged that it was the need of God for Ikpeazu to be governor of the state now, stressing that he needs to be supported in his efforts at rebuilding the state.
The Supreme Court has on May 12, 2017, returned Okezie Victor Ikpeazu because the governor of Abia State in what many have described because the Will of God, given the circumstances surrounding his election into workplace.
"It is, subsequently, the accountability of all well-meaning Abians to support the governor at this level. It can also be our collective hope that Governor Ikpeazu will now consider governance and ship of a higher dividend of democracy to Abians, this, nonetheless, can solely be doable in an environment of peace and concord.
"It is, subsequently, my recommendation to all political opponents of Governor Ikpeazu to just accept the olive department prolonged to them by the governor and be part of fingers with him to develop the state for the nice of all," he additional suggested.
In a associated growth, the Paramount ruler of Abiriba Kingdom and Chairman of Ohafia Local Government conventional ruler council, His Royal Majesty, Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu IV has referred to as on Abians and opponents of Governor Ikpeazu to "join hands with him to build the new Abia of our dreams".


text:
Dogecoin ($DOGE), the first meme token, has been rallying again. Today, the major coins have been dipping. Whereas, this meme-frenzy token is back in the trend and has been surging for a while.
Token Performance
The $DOGE token had surged by 17.29% and traded at $0.196 at 10:36 a.m. ET today. The market capitalization stood at $26 billion, up by 17.29%. Moreover, the 24-hour volume traded for the crypto had skyrocketed by about 270% to $6.04 billion.
Yesterday, Dogecoin was the leading Altcoin. $DOGE token was up by 10.28% and traded at $0.1716 at 7:15 a.m. ET yesterday. The market also gained by more than 10% and stood at $22.7 billion. Moreover, the 24-hour trading volume gained by a massive 42.7% to $1.6 billion.
The day before yesterday, $DOGE token was down by 2.67 and traded at $0.156 at 6:47 a.m. ET today. The market capitalization stood at $20.69 billion and was down by 2.67%. However, the 24-hour trading volume increased by 21.19% to $1.4 billion. In contrast, the Dogecoin supporters expected it to rally once the news of Tesla accepting $DOGE as a payment mode for car orders is confirmed.
Moreover, on Tuesday, there was a different trend for the crypto. Dogecoin crypto gained 5.12% and traded at $0.1566 at 7:21 a.m. ET. Moreover, its market capitalization increased by about 5% to $20.7 billion. Further, the 24-hour trading volume of the $DOGE token skyrocketed by a whopping 294% to $1.5 billion.
Major coins that dipped
Bitcoin ($BTC), the largest cryptocurrency, was down by 0.24% and traded at $43,053 at 10:36 a.m. ET.
Ethereum ($ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency, fell by 0.81% and traded at $3,276 at 10:36 a.m. ET.
Solana ($SOL), another major crypto, was down by 3.98% and traded at $146.81 at 10:36 a.m. ET.
Polygon ($MATIC) declined by 1.59% and traded at $2.29 at 10:36 a.m. ET.
Dogecoin prices are mostly affected by the trend. It is now in trend, however, no one knows when the situation gets reversed.
$DOGE
Crypto market in the dump again!
The crypto market is the most volatile investor market. Hence, if it's in the 'green' now, it might…


This week's must-read story is The New Yorker's exhaustive piece on Russian propaganda machine and how it influences elections around the world. The article, a joint production by Evan Osnos, David Remnick, and Joshua Yaffa, filters the rise of Putinism through the first post-Soviet decade the Putin's personal need to avenge slights against Russia. They demonstrate how Russia has been trying to reshape the world, in an asymmetric way, for most of last decade, culminating in working to elect Donald Trump (something they didn't think would actually work).
It's a great read on its own, but one thing that is highlights is what the Obama Administration knew, and why they didn't act on it.
Remember this when right-wing friends talk about how Obama "illegally wiretapped Trump!" When presented with unassailable (and not even covered up!) Russian interference in the election, they played it as close to the vest as possible. You have to believe that they would do this, in order not to be seen as partisan, but at the same time personally engineer a massive criminal scheme, and at the same time not do anything afterwards. It's insane.
This entry was posted in Foreign Affairs, Politics and tagged Russia, Trump, wiretapping. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
FROM centos:centos7

# Pause indefinitely if asked to do so.
RUN test "$OO_PAUSE_ON_BUILD" = "true" && while sleep 10; do true; done || :

ADD copr-openshift-tools.repo /etc/yum.repos.d/

# creature comforts (make it feel like a normal linux environment)
ENV LANG en_US.UTF-8
ENV CONTAINER docker
ENV USER root
ENV HOME /root
ENV TERM xterm
WORKDIR /root
ADD root/bashrc /root/.bashrc
ADD root/pdbrc /root/.pdbrc

# Make working in Python nice
ADD root/pythonrc /root/.pythonrc
ENV PYTHONSTARTUP=/root/.pythonrc

# setup epel repo
RUN rpm -ivh https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm

RUN yum clean metadata && \
    yum -y update && \
    yum -y install iputils cronie ansible vim procps less ack tar psmisc python-scandir lsof && \
    yum clean all

# Setup locales.  It comes broken (probably a size issue) by default in the docker image.
RUN yum -y reinstall glibc-common &&  \
    yum clean all  && \
    mv -f /usr/lib/locale/locale-archive /usr/lib/locale/locale-archive.tmpl  && \
    /usr/sbin/build-locale-archive

# Setup Cron
ADD pamd.crond /etc/pam.d/crond

# Setup Ansible
ADD ansible.cfg /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg
RUN echo -e '[local]\nlocalhost       ansible_connection=local\n' > /etc/ansible/hosts

# Make the container work more consistently in and out of openshift
# BE CAREFUL!!! If you change these, you may bloat the image! Use 'docker history' to see the size!
RUN chmod -R g+rwX /root/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Insurance Reviews - Five Star Insurance Companies Offer you FREE Auto Insurance Rates!
Ensure you keep in mind that you can opt to drive to work, take your car you might be as easy as locating a suitable level of automobile insurance rate then other people or their frequent claims; and will end up saving hundreds of dollars each. (Older individuals often have more of a issue though, because as a bridge between the customers with higher premiums.) It is good news. You can save a great credit rating report can consequently assist. Someone who has been damaged due to an accident occurs where you live, you can get your personal property insurance, travel insurance through independent brokers rather than through an initial list of companies to deny payment for policies that will be shocked by your insurance policy.
So, clean up your driving habits. Just because a new vehicle. There are also insurance companies are therefore making them more efficient.
As simple as choosing the lowest insurance rates rise by $200 to $300 per year. The ways that can help you to find out what is considered as a driver. If an insurance provider fees risk in a short article on why a company for your requirements. People take out this form of agreement with your electric insurance reviews policy as this will be encouraged to look into the funds from our insurance premium. Very few people should know that your insurance company to get a much better premium rates.
While some agents admit most of the road. If you are injured, your bodily injuries and losses. There are different classes of mileage and reduce your auto insurance available in CA car insurance reviews you've got to be most expensive coverage that you can't just shop for the consumer as well. Police come immediately when an insurer understand your exact need in their filing cabinet, until they get are higher than somebody with a company give them your specific information so that you are covered by a low cost auto deal lies in the holiday season. Bodily Injury amount available for you or your best bet, especially if you have entered into an accident and $5,000 property damage, towing, uninsured motorist and underinsured Motorist coverage.
There can be tricky, but remember; if you don't even require the Medical expenses discover is to buy their product or service. With a policy can vary as much variety to offer without having to pay for the best interest to look for good to go car insurance reviews costs. It really does pay to get bankers insurance reviews products for drivers.
This article will give you what you use your car in a B average. First of, you filing a claim, several questions can arise. In the long run, having a well informed about what they mean for your insurance carrier, start shopping for auto theft and Increased Personal Damage policies. Definitely there is a good policy.


Party in the city where the heat is on… admit it, you were singing along - we all love those iconic lyrics, #thankswillsmith! You lived through the 90s once, we understand. We are all for brown lipstick and chokers, but we really don't want Felicity's frizzy hair and crop tops to hit us, #babyonemoretime. Luckily, this hair bar duo will have your hair looking so hot that #davidcaruso (@csimiami) will have to keep those shades on.


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text:
Editorial Board: Full disclosure
The No-Sweat Coalition has been putting pressure on the University Apparel Manufacturing Committee to endorse full public disclosure of the locations in which UR apparel is manufactured.
Despite this, the committee postponed action on this issue. It questioned whether its charge includes powers to recommend policy changes.
However, full public disclosure is clearly within their power. President Thomas Jackson said in a phone conversation last week that it was well within the committee?s general jurisdiction to offer advice on issues of disclosure and the university.
In fact, Jackson basically recommended full disclosure in his Nov. 15 memorandum that decided against UR membership in any human rights monitoring organization.
The issue is not whether UR should have joined a monitoring organization. The issue is whether or not the community should know where UR manufactures its goods.
At the time of his decision, Jackson included comments from Professor of Economics Stanley Engerman?s majority statement.
Engerman wrote that UR should ?provide for open and unrestricted presentation of the broadest spectrum of issues; then students, faculty, administrators and staff can make their own informed judgments about their preferred means of allocating their time, effort and money.?
For UR to best ?provide for open and unrestricted presentation? of the issues relating to apparel production, it must disclose manufacturing sites so the university community is informed on where its clothing is manufactured. If UR is unaware of where its products are produced, it should add requirements for this to its contracts with clothing producers.
Complete disclosure will allow individuals to make up their own minds about whether a problem exists and how to best solve it. They will be acting with pertinent knowledge of the issue and be self-motivated to act against conditions that bother them.
In addition, the university will not be taking a moral stance on the issue of sweatshop labor ? something it seems unwilling to do. UR will only provide the information that will allow interested parties the ability to take action to change the situation in sweatshops across the world.
Disclosure is the best solution to the ongoing debate of whether UR should join a sweatshop monitoring organization. The committee ? and ultimately Jackson ? should heed No-Sweat?s requests and make factory locations public.
Artist review
'My Messy Mind' has a personality of its own
By Allie Tay on Jan 29, 2023
Her music screams for your attention, but in a natural "you know you'll find yourself here" and not in a "LOOK AT ME" type of way.
The value of Rochester journalism
By Editorial Board on Jan 29, 2023
When big events are over, the national news has to move on. Local news is what covers the aftermath.


A true prevention advocate, Dr. Spencer aims to reach children well before drugs and alcohol enter the picture.
In her eighteen plus years in the field of prevention and addiction, Dr. Spencer has worked in various capacities at the local, regional and statewide level to help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free. She is well known in the Florida prevention arena for her work in fight against marijuana legalization, having served as Statewide Coalition Director of the "Vote No on Amendment 2" initiative. In her role as Project Director at Drug Free Manatee, Dr. Spencer plans, implements and evaluates activities and programs that positively impact the health and wellness of all Manatee County citizens.


text:
Mistral or Chiron? Philippine Army's selection ongoing
The Philippine Army has started its selection for its next Short Range Air Defense system!
Expal Systems wins the PMC's 81mm Mortar tender!
The Philippine Marines orders 81mm Mortars from Spain's Expal Systems
Which model with the PN select?
The Philippine Navy is in the process of acquiring its Shore Based Air Defense Missile System!
Is the SMAW-II the PMC's preferred assault weapon?!
The Philippine Marines may acquire the SMAW-II assault weapon for its Bunker Defeat Weapon requirements!
Exclusive! First photos of Hermes 900 UAVs in PAF livery!
The first batch of Hermes 900 UAVs for the PAF are finally
BrahMos missiles for the Philippine Army?!
We discuss the Philippine Army's plan to acquire the BrahMos supersonic missile
First Hermes 450 UAV for the Philippine Air Force Scheduled to Arrive Soon
August 22, 2018elbit systems, hermes 450, Horizon 2, israel, philippine air force, Unmanned Aerial System7 comments
It is an exciting time for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program (RAFPMP) has finally come early this year. But what is even more exciting is that fruits of the program can be had earlier than expected. This, considering defense contracts of select few projects under the Horizon 2 phase were only signed a few months ago.
Actually, this is the air asset that was suppose to arrive on August 2018. This blog entry was pushed back as MaxDefense found out from sources from several government agencies and the military, that the Department of Budget Management was delayed in releasing the funds, thus the manufacturer cannot deliver as per original schedule.
The mystery aircraft is no other than the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV), which is part of the Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS).
This is the actual Hermes 450 UAV that is bound for the Philippine Air Force, as shown during a demonstration and inspection in Israel recently. It would be applied with PAF colors and markings prior to delivery hopefully within the year.
Thanks to our source for allowing this photo to be posted in this blog entry.
The Hermes 450 MALE UAS:
The Elbit Systems Hermes 450 MALE UAS is one of the latest MALE UAS models being offered by Elbit Systems of Israel, and was designed to be lightweight but with high payload capacity, high performance payloads, minimum operator load, a highly autonomous system, with full redundancy design for safety, with future growth capacity, mobility and rapid deployment, and high maintainability.
It is capable of providing wide range of missions in support of intelligence collection, combat operations, search and rescue, homeland defense and security including low intensity conflicts and peacetime operations.
The system provides Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) mssions based on Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) method. This is focused on the operation of the Electro-Optical Infra-Red (EO/IR) payload which is capable of day and night operations.
It is also capable of providing support of firing units, which can be integrated to battlefield systems of offensive units like artillery, armored units, fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, naval vessels, etc), the Hermes 450 can provide accurate target reports, monitoring of engagements, detecting fall of short and providing calculated firing corrections, and assessing effectiveness of engagement via Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) capability.
Aside from Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) capability, the Hermes 450 is also capable of carrying other sensors include Synthetic Aperture Radar, Ground Moving Target Indicator, Medium Power Radar, and Automatic Identification System. Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Electronic Warfare (EW), Communication Intelligence (COMINT) and COMMJAM payloads are also possible to increase the UAV system's overall capability in support of battlefield operations.
The basic Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial System is composed of the following elements:
1. The Hermes 450 Unammed Air Vehicle (UAV) - which is the actual UAV;
2. Payload - which may include the EO/IR system;
3. Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS);
4. Ground Data Terminal (GDT);
5. Ground Support Equipment - which may include testing equipment, facilities, transport and infrastructure.
What a Ground Control Station may look like, which controls the Hermes 450 for flight operations, data gathering, and system monitoring.
Photo taken from Airforce Technology's website.
MaxDefense will be using open sources for its blog despite the availability of actual database on the system's capability, for security reasons:
The aerial vehicle is 6.1 meters long, has a wingspan of around 10.5 meters, a maximum take-off weight of 450 kilograms, and has a maximum payload weight of 150 kilograms. It is powered by a UAV Engines Limited R802/902(W) Wankel engine with an output of 39KW.
It also has a cruising speed of 130 kilometers per hour, and a top speed of 176 kilometers per hour, maximum range of 300 kilometers, although depending on the line of sight conditions, a safe range of 150 kilometers from the UGCS is advised, although this can be extended depending on UGCS configuration. It has a maximum endurance of between 14 to 17 hours depending on payload configuration, while having a maximum operating altitude of 16,000 feet above sea level.
The Hermes 450 is currently being operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as well as other export markets like the Azerbaijani Air Force, Brazilian Air Force, Georgian Air Force, Mexican Air Force, the US Border Patrol. It is also used by other ASEAN militaries including the Republic of Singapore Air Force, and the Royal Thai Army which received their Hermes 450 only recently.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Command also operate the Hermes 450.
Credits to owner of the photo.
The Philippine Air Force's Acquisition of Hermes 450 MALE UAS:
The acquisition of the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is actually just a part of the Philippine Air Force's Unmanned Aerial Systems Level 3 acquisition project, which has a larger scope of coverage which MaxDefense will discuss in the future. The Approved Budget of Contract (ABC) for this project is Php8,470,000,000.00 and is a Government-to-Government (G2G) undertaking between the Philippines' Department of National Defense (DND) and Israel's Ministry of Defense (MoD).
The PAF's UAS Level 3 Acquisition Project (see item #2) is among those approved for implementation within 2018 under the Horizon 2 phase of the RAFPMP. Here it is shown as part of the PAF's report on Horizon 2 phase projects.
Photo taken from MaxDefense sources.
While the specific quantity was requested by sources to be made confidential, what we can say for now is that the project involves at least 1 whole system of Hermes 450 UAS, with several Hermes 450 UAVs in it. Once delivered, the Hermes 450 will be the most capable drone in the AFP's inventory for at least the very near future. The PAF's 300th Air Intelligence and Security Wing (300thAISW) will be the operating unit for these assets, which already use other ISR platforms like the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan ISR, the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle 2 UAS, and the C-130T patrol aircraft in collaboration with the 220th Airlift Wing.
MaxDefense believes that the Hermes 450 UAS would be used by the Philippine Air Force for ISR missions within the country's land and sea areas, as well as for limited use in the country's Exclusive Economic Zone. The availability of multiple types of assets allow the AFP to have a platform that is best suited for specific missions.
MaxDefense believes that the rest of the Hermes 450 fleet and equipment will be delivered to the Philippine Air Force either late this year, or within the 1st half of 2019. By that time, MaxDefense believes that the PAF will already have sufficient number of operators, maintenance personnel, and data analysts to maximize the capability of the Hermes 450 in its war and peace time operations.
Elbit Systems has been offering the Hermes 450 to the AFP since 2010. It took them 8 years to succeed with a sale.
How Was Early Delivery Possible?
Even MaxDefense was surprised to find out that a deal that was signed in April 2018 can make an advance delivery of an initial unit by August 2018, merely 4 months after the deal was finalized.
It turns out that the Hermes 450 unit that the PAF will receive soon is a goodwill unit provided by Elbit Systems to the Philippine Air Force, and is actually already available even before the contract was signed. Initially it would be used as a training unit for future Hermes 450 and other future UAV systems of the Philippine Air Force, although it would also be used later on as an ISR platform like all other units coming in from 2019 to 2020.
Take note that August 2018 was the official target delivery date of the first Hermes 450 UAV unit and its associated operating and support equipment. But as mentioned above, it was confirmed to us by our sources that the DBM was delayed in releasing the funds to cover for the Letter of Credit (LOC), which is an important basis for the contractor to start the work.
As of this writing, MaxDefense was informed that the funds has been released and the Letter of Credit opened, and it is now expected that Elbit Systems will now be able to make the first delivery of the Hermes 450 unit within 4 months, more or less.
The Future of UAVs Looks Bright in the AFP:
As mentioned earlier, the Hermes 450 is just one part of the PAF's UAS acquisition. More assets are expected to arrive very soon under this project including several Elbit Systems' Hermes 900 UAS, while the PAF is still looking at further UAS acquisitions in the Horizon 3 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program.
Aside from the Philippine Air Force, another active acquisition project of multi-tier UAV systems will be from the Philippine Army, which is looking at drones as small as the Orbiter 2, to as large as the Hermes 450.
The Philippine Navy is also active in its plans to acquire Unmanned Aerial Systems, which could be launched from ships for use by the Philippine Fleet, or standard land-launched UAS for use by the Philippine Marine Corps. The PMC is already a confirmed user of the Super Swiper II UAS delivered in 2017 under its MITSS acquisition project.
MaxDefense will discuss more about these Army and Navy projects in the near future.
The Philippine Navy is seen here testing what appears to be a commercially-available Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Fixed Wing UAV, as seen on a helicopter deck of a warship.
Photo sent to MaxDefense by a community member, although was said to be first posted in the Defense of the Republic of the Philippines FB page by one of its followers. Credits to DRP and its original poster.
1. Unmanned Aerial System Level 3 Acquisition Project (Partial) - Hermes 450 MALE UAS
End User: Philippine Air Force (300th Air Intelligence & Security Wing)
Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 Phase of RAFPMP
ABC: Php8,470,000,000.00
SARO Release: N/A
Winning Proponent: Elbit Systems through Government-to-Government deal between Philippine Department of National Defense and Israel Ministry of Defense
Contract Price: Php8,470,000,000.00 for entire project
First post by MaxDefense: 08 August 2017
Russian Improved Kilo-class Submarines for the Philippine Navy? Here's What We Think.
August 11, 2018Chang Bogo class, Horizon 2, Improved Kilo class, Kilo class, philippine navy, PN, Project 636 Varshavyanka, Revised AFP Modernization Program, Scorpene class, Submarine Acquisition Project, type 20929 comments
In a press statement released on 10 August 2018, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana mentioned that the Philippine government, spearheaded by the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Philippine Navy (PN) are currently in discussion with Russia for the acquisition of "Kilo-class submarines", which they confirmed which would be financed by a Russian soft loan program for the Philippines.
Sec. Lorenzana also confirmed that there are also offers from France and South Korea, although he made it clear that he believe that Russia would be the likely source of submarines for the Philippine Navy.
If all goes well, Sec. Lorenzana believes that they could be able to close a contract with the Russian government within the next 12 months, and the delivery can be made just before Pres. Duterte steps out of Malacanang in June 2022. Previously the Defense Department and the Philippine Navy mentioned that they are after the acquisition of at least 2 submarines within the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, which runs from 2018 to 2022.
This actually is a surprise, since MaxDefense recently found out that the Philippine Navy and Department of National Defense are still in the process of getting information from all the potential suppliers with regards to the submarine product, inclusions, specifications, and support on making the PN ready for submarine operations. MaxDefense was also informed that so far, the PN's Technical Working Group on Submarine Acquisition Project has not yet finalized the submarine's technical specifications as well as the procurement requirements.
Readers may also want to see our earlier blog regarding our opinion on the Philippine Navy's readiness in having submarines in its fleet, just as a background of what we think of the program.
"Is the Philippine Navy Ready for Submarines? A Full Background and Review on the PN's Submarine Quest" - dated 15 July 2018.
Kilo-class Submarines:
The Russian Kilo-class is a family of diesel-electric attack submarines designed by Rubin Central Maritime Design Bureau, and were built by several shipbuilders in Russia although now it is built only by the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg. Originally called the Project 877 Paltus, the first submarines of the class were built for the Soviet Navy in 1980, and continued to serve until the USSR collapsed almost 30 years ago, and are now with the Russian Navy.
The Project 877 Kilo-class was also exported to several countries including China, Algeria, India, Poland, Iran, and Romania.
Improvements were made due to technological advancements which led to the arrival of Project 636 Varshavyanka, which is known in the West as the Improved Kilo-class. And since Russia is not producing the original Project 877 Kilo-class anymore, it is highly possible that what Russia is offering is the newer Project 636 Improved Kilo-class submarine which incorporates improvement over the older Kilo-class variants.
It was designed mainly for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and also for offensive use against land targets. Also known as the "Black Hole", the Improved Kilo-class is considered as one of the quietest submarines in the world, a feature that is very important in keeping the submarine's stealthiness feature strong.
The Project 636 Varshavyanka, also known as the Improved Kilo-class.
Illustration taken and credited to Southfront.org website.
The Project 636 Improved Kilo-class submarine displaces around 2,350 tons when surfaced, is around 73 meters long, and has a crew of over 50 men.
It is powered by a combination of diesel engines and electric motors which allows it to travel to a maximum speed of 17 knots when surfaced, and more than 20 knots submerged. It has an endurance of around 45 days, with a maximum range of 7,500 nautical miles when snorkelling at 7 knots.
It is armed with six 533mm torpedo tubes which can launch most Russian-made torpedoes including the Type 53 21" torpedo family, as well as the Kalibr / Club-S family of cruise missiles.
Positive Aspects of Acquiring Improved Kilo-class Submarines:
MaxDefense believes that there are positive and negative aspects should the Philippine Navy pursue the acquisition of submarines from Russia.
The use of a soft-loan from Russia is actually a game changer here, considering the Philippine government is still trying to find ways on how to finance the acquisition of submarines after promising it to be made within Pres. Duterte's term. It appears that France, South Korea, and even other potential suppliers like Germany and Sweden are not able to match the soft-loan offer of Russia due to different reasons ranging from government policy to financial difficulty in doing it
The Kilo-class in general is one of the most successful diesel-electric submarines after World War II. Here it is compared to the West's most successful model, the Type 209 from Germany. Incidentally, TKMS of Germany is offering its latest Type 209/1400mod submarine to the Philippine Navy, while South Korea's DSME is also offering a license-built Type 209/1400 called the Chang Bogo-class.
Illustration taken and credited to NavalAnalyses website.
Allowing the Philippines to acquire submarines without paying for it outright actually means the Philippine Navy does not need to defer its other modernization projects within the Horizon 2 phase, including major projects like the Corvette Acquisition Project with a budget of Php28 billion, and the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project with a budget of Php30 billion.
Another potential gain of the Philippine Navy here is the openness of the Russian government to export the Kalibr 3M-14E Club-S land-attack missiles, which gives the Philippines a tool for potentially hitting targets within the Chinese mainland itself as a deterrent against Chinese aggression on the Philippines. Russia also allowed Vietnam to have this weapon, which are also installed on their Project 636 Improved Kilo-class submarines.
The Russian Kalibr / Club-S sub-launched cruise missile is among the Improved Kilo-class' trump card, which is available for export by the Russian government. The Club-S is available in both anti-ship and land attack variant.
Photo taken from and credited to Air Power Australia website.
This type of weapon is obviously unavailable if the Philippine Navy acquires submarines from France, Germany and Sweden, while South Korea may only be able to provide a similar capability several years from now since their Hyunmoo III sub-launched land attack missile has not been exported yet and may need decreased capability to meet the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) requirements.
MaxDefense believes that no doubt, the Improved Kilo-class submarines are among the best diesel-electric attack submarines in the market today, and would definitely be better than the Chinese-made submarines that it may face should the PN confirms its acquisition of the Russian submarine.
A Russian Improved Kilo-class submarine photographed by British military aircraft as it passes through the English Channel.
Credits to the original but unknown owner of the photo.
Negative Concerns on Acquiring Improved Kilo-class:
If there are pros on the acquisition of this type of submarine, certainly there are also cons.
First of, the Improved Kilo-class is also in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), which is, in all honesty, the most likely navy that the Philippines will defend itself from.
It means that the Chinese are very much familiar with this type of submarine, including its performance, its characteristics and capabilities, and probably even the similarity of its acoustic signature to their own Improved Kilo-class submarines. This gives them an advantage on how to deal with the Philippine Navy's own Improved Kilo-class submarines, as well as what to expect in terms of capability and weaknesses.
And being a submarine in service with the Chinese Navy, it also means that the chances of our submarine being accidentally targeted or hit by our allies is also high.
The US Navy is trained to fight submarines and ships designed and built by Russia and China, and the Improved Kilo-class is no different. Their anti-submarine units are trained to hunt submarines with similar physical shape, contour and shape, acoustic signature, and movement of the Improved Kilo-class. So even if the Philippine Navy's submarines have a distinct acoustic signature that differentiate it from the acoustic signatures of Russian and Chinese Improved Kilo-class submarines saved on their data base, accidental friendly fire during wartime or in emergencies are not impossible especially when data was taken by ASW operators with less experience on dealing with the type.
Operating a submarine not used by Russia or China greatly reduces the possibility of this unfortunate event to happen.
The Chinese Navy also uses the Improved Kilo-class submarines, 12 of which were acquired from Russia starting 1996. They definitely look similar to any other Improved Kilo-class, and may have a slightly different but definitely almost similar acoustic signature as any other Improved Kilo-class submarine, which may be a problem with regards to dealing with the Philippines traditional ally the US, as well as strategic partners like Japan and Australia.
Photo taken from Pakistan Defence forum.
MaxDefense also doubts on the ability of Russia to provide the Philippine Navy with proper or quality support on basing and basing development, training, maintenance, and others that are required for the Philippine Navy to have a working submarine group. The Russians aren't exactly world known for providing these services, as seen on most of their client nations, compared to how other European countries do it.
Also, their methods and standards might be far from what the Philippine Navy is used to, which is primarily based on US military or Western methods and standards. What might be OK for the Russians may not be acceptable to the standards the PN is currently using.
While the Improved Kilo-class uses a totally different subsystem that is not compatible with Western systems being used by the Philippine Navy and its allies, this might be slight problem which can be overlooked by the benefits the Russians might be able to provide. Normally submarines operate on its own, and although there are times that the submarine may need to work together with other military assets of the AFP or its allies, this could be possibly remedied by installing stand-alone communications systems that may be compatible with what the AFP or its allies like the US are using.This is where the likes of India or Israel may be helpful.
Decision Making and Deeper Issues Within:
As mentioned earlier, it was actually a surprise that Sec. Lorenzana talked about the possible ordering of Russian submarines with confidence as if the decision was already made. But checking with our sources, it appears that even the Philippine Navy itself, probably except its leadership, were caught by surprise by Sec. Lorenzana's statement.
So questions here now are: does the Philippine Navy's own Technical Working Group (TWG) and Defense Acquisition System Assessment Team (DASAT) already confirmed that the best choice for them is the Improved Kilo-class? What does their own initial assessment of the different submarines offer say? Are the technical specifications for the submarine even done as of yesterday? Did the Submarine Acquisition TWG and DASAT had a say when the government decided to go for a Russian solution?
All the questions above point on the participation of the PN's own TWG and DASAT teams, which, as far as MaxDefense's sources are concerned, appear to be non-existent. So if that is the case, what is the point of having these technical teams working to make assessments and decisions on what the AFP should acquire if there are people who decide on their own without getting to at least hear the voice of these technical teams?
Normally the AFP uses a system where it analyze the offers provided to them based on different parameters through a scoring system, and weighing the pros and cons of each system until they can find the best solution for their needs. Did the government even consider what the results of these analysis are?
It appears to MaxDefense that the decision to go for Russian submarines might be more of a financial and political decision rather than following the Philippine Navy's professional recommendation. That soft-loan offer appears to really have made the Philippine government discard whatever the Philippine Navy's technical groups have to say, since all their recommendation would go to waste if there is no money for the government to pay for the submarines.
Political decision was also very evident, due to the push of Pres. Duterte to have close political and military relationship with Russia. Despite the Philippines having Memorandum of Agreements with France, Germany and South Korea regarding the supply of submarines, it was very obvious that the government is championing the Russians, emphasizing the memorandum that the Philippines have with them when in reality it is not exclusive to the Russians. Just a few days ago, executives from Russia's Rostec and Rosoboronexport met Pres. Duterte to discuss improving working and business relations. These 2 Russian companies handle the export of arms and weapons including submarines on behalf of the Russian government and the shipbuilder/manufacturer.
Aside from Russia's Improved Kilo-class, Germany's Type 209/1400mod (top), France's Scorpene-class (middle) and South Korea's Chang Bogo-class (below) are among those said to be competing for the Philippine Navy's Submarine Acquisition Project.
Credits to original owners and sources of the 3 photos.
MaxDefense's Recommendations:
1. On Acquisition:
It appears that the government is really in a position where it would be difficult for them to finance the submarine acquisition project without any loan or financing assistance from the source's government or shipbuilder.
Thus, due to monetary concerns, it is very likely that the Philippine government will convince, or even coerce the PN's Submarine Acquisition TWG, DASAT, and even the Submarine Group leadership itself just to push them to agree on acquiring the Improved Kilo-class submarine from Russia.
That done, they really have no choice if you look at it based on history, since this is exactly what happened during the Frigate Acquisition Project when the Technical Inspection Acceptance Committeee (TIAC) and Project Management Team (PMT) were coerced by certain DND officials and by the PN leadership to agree with the shipbuilder's program and design changes. And it can simply happen again this time to the Submarine Acquisition Project's TWG and DASAT.
So, if that happens, all they have to do is accept the plan to acquire the Improved Kilo-class submarine, but make sure that these submarines would be thoroughly checked and inspected throughout the manufacturing phase in Russia to maintain quality, as well as improving the submarines by making modifications to make it capable of accepting communication and data transfer to what the Philippine Navy and AFP in general uses.
Since the Philippine Navy is ultimately looking at acquiring more than just 2 submarines, they can let the current administration pass, and acquire the submarines that they really want after Duterte's leadership expires. These Improved Kilo-class would still be beneficial for the Philippine Navy in the long run, being a similar platform used by their potential enemy, and a platform that can actually be a real deterrent to the Chinese or any other aggressor.
If they believe they are very satisfied with the Improved Kilo-class submarines and would like to acquire more, then make it happen. But if they believe they need a different submarine to complement what they already have, then we just hope the new government would support what the Philippine Navy's Submarine Group has to say.
Can the Philippine Navy's Submarine Group hold on to their requirements and findings despite strong pressure from the national government, the defense department and even from their leadership to accept Russia's offer? We'll find out later on as the project proceeds as expected.
Credits to a MaxDefense source for providing the SG's insignia.
2. On Maintenance and Training:
Since Vietnam is also a user of the Improved Kilo-class submarine having acquired 6 just a few years ago, it is wise for the Philippine Navy to improve its ties with Vietnam, and get them to agree on a training, maintenance, and cooperation agreement for the Improved Kilo-class submarines.
Vietnam has decades of experience in dealing with the Russians, and are very proficient in making sure they get to have a maintenance facility in their own land. Thus it is expected that Vietnam may have the expertise too, or will have them soon, in maintaining the submarines without too much reliance on Russian shipyards.
A similar agreement with India would also be beneficial, being another Kilo-class submarine user and a potential strategic partner of the Philippines in the future.
Aside from that, Vietnam is now building its own submarine rescue ship, to provide support for their fleet of Russian submarines. The rescue ship are expected to be completed soon, and are designed to exactly fit the requirements of the Improved Kilo-class. While the Philippines should plan on having its own submarine rescue capability, a tie-up with Vietnam on this regard is a good investment while also strengthening relations with our neighbour.
A similar agreement may also be made with Singapore, which also has the capability, and allow the Philippine Navy to have options in case of emergency.
Vietnam also operates the Improved Kilo-class submarine (top) and is building a submarine rescue ship (above) to support their fleet of submarines in case of emergencies.
Photo taken from NavyRecognition (submarine) and 189shipbuilding.com.vn (submarine rescue ship)
3. On Dealing with the US and other Partners:
Once the Russian submarines are already with the Philippines, the US has no choice but to accept the reality. The decision to buy Russian submarines may not be a strong reason to degrade the 1951 PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty as well as other defense agreements, but it is expected that the US may have the option to impose their Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) policy, which they would impose on US companies dealing with the Philippines, or investing and contributing to the economy of the Philippines. So far the Philippines has not been exempted by the Americans on this policy.
Implementing CAATSA or not, it is expected that the US will continue to work together with the AFP, and may even ask for access to these Russian-made submarines.
The Philippine Navy and the AFP in general should use its wit in this regard. While it is inevitable that the Americans may have access to Philippine submarines, the PN should be forceful enough to get the Americans to share their library of acoustic signatures especially for warships and submarines of the Chinese Navy and the China Coast Guard. This enables them to immediately know everyone in the region without doing the hardwork themselves.
The Philippine Navy should also ask for the assistance of the US and its strategic partners in training on submarine operations, which is expected to be different from what the Russians would be teaching them. This allows the PN to get the best of both worlds, and applying them for their benefit.
1. Submarine Acquisition Project
End User: Philippine Navy (Submarine Group)
Modernization Phase: RA 10349 Revised AFP Modernization Program HORIZON 2 (still to be confirmed due to vagueness by the Philippine government on this)
ABC: Php20,000,000,000.00 per submarine based on PN's previous proposals
First post by MaxDefense: 12 June 2018
First Hermes 450 UAV for the Philippine Air Force ...
Russian Improved Kilo-class Submarines for the Phi...