ABF Freight is looking for self-motivated, hardworking and energetic City Drivers. Our City Drivers play a vital role in maintaining strong customer relationships. ABF Freight drivers use up-to-date technology to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. We recognize the importance of our drivers and that's why our turnover rate is so low.
This is your chance to start your career with the ABF Freight Team!
* Our drivers should be at least 21 years old.
Local Intermodal truck drivers enjoy daily home time and earn up to $65,000 per year* in this CDL driving position. Local truckers in Schneider's Intermodal division haul 100% no-touch freight containers — 75% drop-and-hook — in and out of the rail yards. Start and end your day at the rail yard, and drive within 250 miles of Kansas City, MO. Apply now to get the home time you've been looking for.
Class A CDL Company Driver (Nights) $5,000 Bonus! Potential for dedicated lanes and home daily!
We are an established and growing nationwide company located in Wichita, KS that offers its employees competitive pay, strong team environment and a chance for advancement.
Do you have a current CDL? We are now hiring for a variety of truck driver jobs in your area. Centerline is looking for truck drivers who can represent us and our clients with professionalism. Understanding safety protocol is a must.
Join West Side Transport to continue your wonderful career as a Class A CDL Truck Driver by choosing our OTR position. As an Over the Road Driver you will be running Midwest, Southeast and some Northeast, averaging 2,600 to 3,000/miles week. We guarantee that you will get home every 3 weeks, getting 3+ days home! Depending on experience you can expect to make $65,000 to $80,000/year. Driver Trainers can earn up to $12,000 additional pay per year!
Come to the Best Side and Work for West Side – APPLY TODAY!
At Butler Transport we believe our Drivers are truly our most valuable asset. For over 27 years now, Butler Transport's slogan "Partners In Excellence" has been more than just a motto; it's been the cornerstone of our success. Our success has been built upon the philosophy that the company's success can only be measured by the success of its employees. This philosophy truly sets us apart in the industry and is why we're known as the company committed to the success of our Drivers.
Great Pay Package / Per Diem Pay / 4 attainable ways to bonus MONTHLY!
Scheduled Pay Raises every 60,000 miles!
UPS Freight Truckload is hiring individuals to work as Full-time Dedicated Dry Van Drivers. This position involves the driving of a tractor-trailer for the over-the-road delivery of freight to two or more locations. Dedicated drivers are primarily assigned to run freight for one customer, and may be assigned to an operation based at a specific customer location. These drivers are normally on the road from one to two days at a time. The term "dedicated" refers to the customer, not a particular lane or destination.
Dedicated Drivers must pass a DOT physical and successfully pass a UPS Freight road test. Qualified applicants must have a valid Class A Commercial Drivers' License with Haz-Mat endorsement.Dedicated Drivers are expected to comply with all appearance standards.
Monday thru Friday Weekends Off!
Call Alex at 877.378.2721 today!
Guaranteed minimum 2200 miles a week.
You belong at Dayton Freight! Join our team of Drivers and be a part of The Dayton Difference.
Dayton Freight is a recognized leader in regional LTL transportation services and we are truly different from other carriers. It's apparent in how we treat our customers and each other. Our culture is one of teamwork, respect and professional honesty. Dayton Freight appreciates its employees: you are not just a number, you are family. We attribute our growth to the dedication of our employees, and the loyalty of our customers and business partners.
P&D Drivers are responsible for transporting, loading and unloading freight in a productive, safe and claims-free manner between our Service Centers and our customers.
This Regional truck driver position features different home time options and earn up to $0.50 per mile* with a weekly performance pay up to $0.04 per mile. Regional truck drivers haul 95% no-touch freight, most of it drop-and-hook all within the central 24 states, and average 1,800-2,200 miles per week with 300-600 miles per haul - plus no Northeast driving in this new configuration. As a Regional trucker, you'll enjoy the best of both worlds - the freedom of the open road while staying close to home. Start your Regional trucking career in Schneider's Van Truckload division today!
Do you have a current CDL and a pristine safety record? Do you want to ensure you're on the road every single day? How about a real passion for moving America? If this sounds like you, Centerline wants to talk.
This Team Pick Your Own Freight owner-operator truck driver business opportunity features 65% of the Line Haul Revenue and 100% of the Fuel Surcharge, 95% no-touch freight, and flexible scheduling options. Get great weekly miles for your business as you travel the country with a friend! Schneider gives you the support your business needs from a team who is invested in your success.
This Regional truck driver position features weekly time at home, up to $0.50 per mile* with a weekly performance pay up to $0.04 per mile and a predictable work schedule. Regional truck drivers haul 95% no-touch freight, most of it drop-and-hook, and average 1,800-2,200 miles per week with 300-600 miles per haul and within 750 miles of your park location. As a Regional trucker, you'll enjoy the best of both worlds - the freedom of the open road while staying close to home. Start your Regional trucking career in Schneider's Van Truckload division today!
You belong at Dayton Freight! Join our team of Class B P&D Drivers and be a part of The Dayton Difference.
P&D Drivers are responsible for the transporting, loading and unloading freight in a productive, safe and claims-free manner between our Service Centers and customers as well as lift, carry and position freight for maximum use of trailer space.
UPS Freight is hiring individuals to work as Full-Time City Drivers. This position involves the driving of a tractor-trailer and the daily pick up and delivery of freight from numerous commercial and residential customers on a given route.
City Drivers must pass a DOT physical and successfully pass a road test. Qualified applicants must have a valid Class A Commercial Driver's License with Haz-Mat, Twin Trailer, and Tanker endorsements, issued by this state. Pick-Up & Delivery Drivers are expected to comply with our appearance policy.


text:
Kher Albaz
Sliman Al-Amour
Ariel Dloomy
Liora Schraiber
Irit Varum
Ahlam Abu Karen
Manager, Social and Economic Development Department
Hanadi Sha'er
Manager of Government and Local Authorities Relations
Dr. Eran Buchaltsev
Manager, Organizational Knowledge and Development Center
Asma Abu Jamma
Al Razi Gap Year Program Manager
Alexa Goldstein
External Affairs Manager
Nitzchit Pe'er
Co-Manager, Shabibat AJEEC Youth Organization
Khawla Yusef Alturi
Manager, Arab-Jewish Partnership Department
Ayesha Ziadna
Gap Year Southern Regional Manager
Yahav Eshed
Mirna Abu Arab
Gap Year Northern Regional Manager
Iman Alataouna
Fursa Program Manager
Nagham Nasrallah
Academic Excellence Gap Year Manager
Laila Srour
National Manager, Gap Years
Dani Stamri
Jusoor Program Manager
Jamila Badir
Manager of Bridgetech in Kfar Qasim and the Sabeel Leadership Institute in central Israel.
Omar al Amour
Ben Dagani
International Programs Manager
Resident of Tel Sheva, married, father of seven.
B.A. in social work from Ben Gurion University in the Negev, M.A. in Planning and Social Policy from WLU in Canada, M.B.A. from the University of Haifa. Graduated from courses in social and economic systems management.
A poetry and sci-fi movies enthusiast
Expert on government social policy and current trends in Bedouin society. Involved in a broad range of projects related to community planning and development, both at the local and national level. Serving as a member of the board of directors in several civil society organizations including Sapir College, the Abraham Fund Initiative, Igul-Letova, Midot, and others. Member of the Board of Governors of Ben Gurion University and a member of the Public Council – Magen Israel for fighting the Coronavirus.
Many years as manager of the regional Welfare authority, which provided services to Segev Shalom, Kseifeh, Ar'ara and the unrecognized Bedouin localities in the Negev. Worked as welfare and social worker in Canada for three years.
I regard the lives of people, wherever they may be, to be of supreme value and work to create a shared space where equal opportunities for education and employment prevail for all. I believe in every individual's right to live with dignity and with a sense of belonging and security
Resident of Kseifeh, 42 years old, married and a father of five.
M.S. in Public Administration and Policy from the Hebrew University.
Graduate of: the Maoz Fellowship Program; a group facilitators course run by Kay college and the Ministry of Education; Shatil's "Enabling Leadership" course; and, the "Window to Government" program – an introduction to the interface between civil society organizations and the government ministries
Has been working in AJEEC for 15 years and has filled the role of Co-CEO of the organization for the past two years. Leader of AJEEC's strategic plan, developer of community programs, and pioneer of work processes which are based on public trust and engagement
Began his work at AJEEC as Coordinator of an empowerment project for boys and girls in the Bedouin communities in the Negev. Coordinated, among other things, the Taliyah Gap Year for Arab women. Managed the team of coordinators who work within AJEEC's "Volunteer Tent". In 2009, Sliman became the manager of the Volunteer Tent and began working on forming partnerships with local authority leaders, deans in colleges and universities, and managers of social organizations and government ministries.
Meeting and discussing together is just the beginning. Persevering together is progress, and working together for the greater good is success
Married, father of two. Native of Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Western Negev, currently a resident of Rehovot.
M.A. in Middle Eastern politics from London University and an M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard University.
A long-distance runner and member of the Playback Amateur theater group.
Specializes in community development and conflict resolution. Has been working with the Arab-Bedouin community in the Negev for over 15 years. Founder and developer of a broad range of programs of economic and community development in Israel, the Middle East, and the developing world. Founder and chairman of SID – the Society for International Development, a forum of Israeli governmental and non-governmental organizations working in the fields of humanitarian assistance and international development. In 2010, Ariel was awarded the Joint-Ashalim Award for excellence in working with at-risk children and adolescents. Ariel is a teacher and facilitator in workshops on international development, community work and dialogue between communities in conflict. His papers on these issues have been published in various media outlets in Israel, Europe, North America, and Iraq
At AJEEC I have dared to dream. I have even transformed my dream into reality with the help of a dedicated, professional team that is my second family
Mother of four. In her free time she enjoys music, travel, reading, seminary studies, conversations with friends, and pottery.
One of the founders of Migvan – the Urban Kibbutz in Sderot, where she remains a member to this day.
Has been working with AJEEC since 2006. Since 2013, she has been the organization's Finance Officer.
A social worker by vocation, which has helped with her success in the organization.
The aim is the creation of sane alternatives for living in our challenging country
Married and mother of four.
B.A. from the Faculty of Agriculture and an M.A. in Labor Studies from Tel Aviv University.
Over 20 years of experience in multinational companies in all aspects of human resource management: recruitment, support for employees and managers throughout their working lifecycle in the organization, training, manager development, team building, career paths etc. Irit joined AJEEC seeking a change, personal growth, and a desire to deepen her acquaintance with the world of civil society organizations.
Venturing beyond our comfort zones enables us to observe life from a multidimensional perspective. While it may be more complicated, it is also challenging and empowering
Married and mother of four. Ahlam is a Ph.D. student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She has a B.A. in Nursing from Ben Gurion University, majoring in early childhood, sponsored by the Schwartz Program at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Hiking enthusiast, lover of hill hiking and reading
Manager of the Social and Economic Development Department which operates programs in the fields of: health promotion, early childhood, community resilience, and women's employment (all within the Bedouin society). Member of the Autism Forum at the Center for Autism at Ben Gurion University and a group facilitator on health, parenting, and preschool
Worked as a nurse at Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, where her first assignment as a nurse was to identify and diagnose children on the autism spectrum in early childhood. She later worked in the area of public health in the Ministry of Health. Graduate of the Parent Group Facilitation course at Kay College; the Community Health Leadership course from the Specialization Center at Tel HaShomer; and a managers' course for assistance and treatment for families with autistic children and loved ones
The person that moves mountains starts out by moving little rocks
Resident of Beer Sheva, originally from Yafia.
A social worker with an M.S. in Public Policy Administration.
Graduate of the Rothschild Ambassadors Organization for growing leadership.
Hanadi feels that it is extremely important for different sectors to work together to advance policy and reduce socio-economic disparities across all communities, particularly within Israel's Arab society
Managed safe houses for victims of domestic violence in the Yachdav NGO, freelance advisor and provider of support for organizations in crisis and facilitating groups composed of diverse populations of youth, people with disabilities, female victims of domestic violence, and so forth
I am convinced that any challenge we encounter in life is a valuable lesson for our further development and growth. Out of crisis we grow and if we fail to see a challenge as an opportunity, then we must have missed something
Life partner of Sivan, father of four.
Member of the Kamah Community – an urban Kibbutz in the Negev.
Ph.D. in history and culture.
Expert in social economics, experienced in the development of projects promoting employment, social enterprises, cooperatives and sustainable local economy.
Knowledge manager and social entrepreneur. Program developer, leader of strategic thought processes, professionalization, knowledge development, content and training development
In each person to find their replete world and the opportunities for partnering, while continually coping with the political subconscious that inhibits us
Resident of Arara in the Negev, born in 1991. B.A. in Human Resource Management from Sapir College and is currently studying for an M.A. in Preschool Education in the Schwartz Program for Policy and Administration at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Her hobbies include cooking, design and flower arrangement
Manager of the Al Razi Gap Year for the Health, Medical, and Paramedical Professions.
In charge of Occupational Efficacy Development processes for youths in Bedouin society at the Rayan Employment Center: individual and group mentoring of the program participants through finding the employment, placement, perseverance and career development
Every person has been born for a purpose, and has to choose whether to achieve it or stay stuck in the same place as time passes. And he decides and is prepared to make the effort necessary to reach that place he believes he is entitled to
Alexa grew up in Florida, made Aliyah to Israel in 2019, and is now a proud resident of Beer Sheva and the Negev.
B.A. in International Relations with a focus in Middle East studies.
Alexa has a background in youth-focused and Jewish non-profits, with a passion for social impact. She is active in "ProSheva" – Beersheva's young professionals community aimed at empowering the local communities of the Negev while creating more reasons for young people to move to the Negev and thrive
If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." – Toni Morrison
Resident of Beer Sheva, married to Noam, mother of two daughters. Her hobbies include traveling the world and eating.
Participated in a pre-army service year in the Noar Oved V'Lomed youth movement. B.A. in education and teaching from Kay College. Extensive experience in informal education and active in youth movements and organizations
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader". - John Quincy Adams
28 years old, mother of two daughters, living in Rahat, and grew up in Lod.
B.A. in Administration from Israel College in Ramat Gan, is currently a third-year student of family consulting.
Coordinator of AJEEC's Arab-Jewish Gap Year, initially in central Israel and then in Rahat, until she was appointed to the role of manager of the Arab-Jewish Partnership department in the organization
Knowledge is love and light and vision." — Helen Keller
Age 28, lives in the village of Um Namila in the Negev. She holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations from Bar Ilan University.
Gap Year Southern Regional Manager, managing the day-to-day operations of AJEEC's various gap year programs in the Negev
Ayesha began her career at AJEEC-NISPED more than a decade ago as a participant and volunteer in the Arab-Jewish gap year program, later working for the same program as its Negev Coordinator. She then went on to manage the Sabeel Leadership Institute gap year and served as its national volunteer director. Before joining AJEEC, Ayesha was a manager for Unistream – an organization promoting business and social entrepreneurship. She also worked as the manager of the Social Involvement program at the Rahat Community Center. She also served as an International Advocacy Coordinator for the Negev Coexistence Forum
38 years old, married to Alon, mother of three, living in Kibbutz Sde Yoav.
B.A. in communication from Sapir College and an M.B.A. from Ben Gurion University.
15 years in marketing, sales, and public relations including many years as a media consultant at a public relations office. Also served as advisor and support for sales-related training processes for employees in a company with hundreds of employees in Europe.
Be the change you want to see in the world." –Mahatma Gandhi
35 years old, from Nazareth. B.A. in Sociology, Anthropology, and Education from the Hebrew University; and an M.A. in NGO and Community Organization Administration from the Hebrew University.
In Mirna's eyes, her mission is social and community-geared work.
Joined AJEEC in 2020 and currently manages the Taliyah Gap Year and Sabeel Leadership Institute programs in the north and center of the country
Worked in employment and managed vocational skill-building programs as well as academic and employer training
To me, 'opportunity' is a magic word. I believe it comes our way more than once in our lifetime
Resident of Hura.
In recent years has gained considerable experience in the field of employment promotion.
Worked in the Rayan Southern Employment Center as Employer Liaison Coordinator.
if you can dream it, you can do it" "-- Walt Disney"
Nagham lives in Qalansuwa, from the"Little Triangle" region, and has a son, Ahmad.
She holds a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the Open University and a master's degree in gender studies and feminism from Bar-Ilan University.
Nagham is an enthusiastic social activist with a fun-loving and charismatic personality.
Manager of AJEEC's Academic Excellence Gap Year
Regional Coordinator and regional Project Manager at Rayan Centers in the "Little Triangle" region.
I believe that crises and difficulties provide us with an opportunity for change, learning, development, and breakthroughs
Laila was born and raised in the village of Eilabun and has lived in Kafr Kanna for 13 years with her husband and three children. She holds a bachelor's degree in social work from the Hebrew University and a master's degree in organizational management from the University of Haifa. She is a graduate of the Mandel Program for Social Leadership in the North and is actively involved in the employment of Arab women.
National Gap Year Director at AJEEC-NISPED, responsible for the activity of young adults participating in gap years, and for the development and expansion of activity in the coming months in collaboration with government and philanthropic partners.
Over the past decade, Laila engaged in project management for youth from Israel's Arab society and managed systemic change processes in the Maoz organization, where she built multiple and diverse partnerships
I believe in the inherent potential of our young people and in their ability to lead Arab society both at the local and national level. Our job is to create the optimal conditions for them to develop and realize this potential
Born in Ganei Tikva, married to Yaara and father of four. A resident of the south for over 20 years, lived in Beer Sheva, Ashalim, and now in Kibbutz Kramim.
B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and an M.A. in Education Administration and Public Policy.
Manager of the Jusoor Program for integrating Bedouins in the civil service
Worked as manager of the national project for Ethiopian immigrants in Beer Sheva on behalf of Branco Weiss, and was a former educator and mathematics teacher in Beit Shemesh and Shoval. Joined the "Civil Service Cadets" program and worked as advisor to the Director General of the Ministry of Education and as Human Capital Policy Manager at the Teleprocessing Center in the Prime Minister's Office
I believe that the integration and advancement of Bedouin society has got to include providing accessibility and admission of outstanding youths from within this community into employment in the Israeli Civil Service
Jamila, a Muslim Arab, lives in Kfar Qasim and is married with three children. She holds an undergraduate degree in Social Sciences and Humanities from the Open University, and is a graduate of various courses in industrial management, employment promotion, and youth education.
Previous jobs:
Manpower and HR management; regional project management and coordination in the areas of employment and education at the Rayan Center in Kfar Qasim.
In her free time, Jamila loves to take vacations with her family.
I believe in the right of every human being to live with dignity and a sense of belonging, security, happiness, and peace.
Resident of Kseifeh, married and a father of two.
B.A. in Physical Education from the Kay Academic College and an M.A. in Public Administration and Policy from the Ben Gurion University in the Negev.
Worked in the PERACH Organization for 6 years as a coordinator and later on the manager of the first PERACH team in the Arab society in the south. Later on managed complementary (informal) education programming at Alsadiq School in Kseifeh. Worked 6 years in the Alhayat Hura Comprehensive School, as a physical education teacher and coordinator of social education in the school
I am a great believer in young leadership, influential at the social-educational level and leading toward integration in key influencing roles within Arabic society in the south and in general
M.A. in Environmental Studies from Tel Aviv University, 36 years old, resident of Tel Aviv, married with one child.
International Programs Manager – responsible for setting up and operating the AJEEC's international project in Cameroon (West Africa) and for initiation and management of cross-border projects with Palestinian partners from the West Bank. Founder and Manager of "Kitchen Talks" a social, culinary enterprise
Worked as Country Manager and Regional Manager in the humanitarian organization IsrAid, where he also served as International Development Consultant and Environmental Researcher.
To be is to change .

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Skinny: This rare UFO-branded film possesses many trademarks of that company's famous mid-nineties output...which isn't necessarily a good thing. There's some charm and even some decent emotion to be found in It Had To Be You, but the sum total of its parts is barely above average. Ekin Cheng and Karena Lam show good chemistry, for what it's worth.
Ekin Cheng and Karena Lam are sparring would-be lovers in It Had To Be You, an urban romantic comedy from the long-missed United Filmmakers Organization (UFO). Once upon a time, UFO made it their mission to create intelligent Hong Kong movies about people and relationships, and not kung-fu action epics starring a variety of now-retired actors and actresses. The plan worked, but since HK Cinema is now largely composed of movies about people and relationships, the sudden appearance of a UFO-branded film brings higher expectations. Certain signifiers do need to exist: urban trappings, upscale characters, and slightly overdone existentialism among them. However, given UFO's past pedigree, the movie also has to be good. Hell, given the current state of HK Cinema, it NEEDS to be good. Anything less would be a disappointment.
Jack (Ekin Cheng) and Jill (Karena Lam) are partners at work—and on the short end of the relationship stick. Though the two meet and spar in grand screwball romantic comedy style, this pair of attractive would-be lovers shares an unfortunate romantic situation: both qualify as "the other guy/girl." In Jill's case, she's stuck in a backup relationship with bohunk doctor Chi On (Hu Bing, who looks like a thicker, studly version of Tony Leung Ka-Fai). She knows she's the other gal, but deep down she's sure that Chi On will come around and make her his one and only. Meanwhile, Jack is still smarting over the revelation that longtime gal Bobo Chan is seeing a bohemian airline pilot (Hayama Go). Actually, she was seeing him BEFORE she started seeing Jack, a factoid he was unaware of until only recently. Jack and Jill may start off not liking one another, but given their shared romantic plight, they have to be made for each other, right?
Of course they are! However, we're the audience, so we know that already. In the heavily glossy world of It Had To Be You, Jack and Jill are completely unaware of their obvious heaven-made match. Hell, even their coworkers know, as does Jill's mom, Jack's uncle (Hui Siu-Hung, appearing in his 100th film since 1998), and probably the guy running the popcorn stand at the local theater. But that's the rule of these glossy romantic comedies: you know the two are getting together, so it's the "how" that makes the difference. Some animated misdirection, some feisty sparring, and a couple of missed opportunities are enough to get any audience primed for the inevitable romantic pairing. So do writer-directors Andrew Loo and Maurice Li deliver?
The waffling, passive answer: not really. Though it looked to be promising, It Had To Be You is only average for a romantic comedy, and definitely disappointing for a UFO-branded film. The "how" is supposed to be the meat and potatoes of romantic comedies, but the "how" of It Had To Be You is less interesting than the "who" and "where"—not the ideal formula for this genre. The "who" is fine: Ekin Cheng is a likable romantic lead, and he shows a more mature charm than in his previous romantic roles. It used to be that Ekin Cheng's romantic screen persona was a grown-up kid who suffered from arrested development; in It Had To Be You, he appears to be a likable, decent guy who really wants to find the right girl—and actually makes a couple of cheer-worthy choices to get there. Karena Lam is Karena Lam, meaning she's lovely and oh-so-adorable, and probably enough to get any heterosexual male to sit up and pay attention.
As for the "where", the two inhabit the attractive urban streets of Central, which is where Casa Nostra, their shared workplace, is located. A homey Italian joint, Casa Nostra has delicious-looking food, coffee that's described in a surprisingly tasty manner, and nice, likable employees (including the spritely Yan Ng, last seen in Crazy N' The City). It's also located right off the Midlevel Escalators, meaning it's easy to find if you're in Hong Kong and looking for a classy joint to snag some grub. Make some reservations and I'll see you there, though neither Karena Lam nor Ekin Cheng will be around to satisfy your star-gazing, star-stalking, or star-bashing desire to take on Chan Ho-Nam in an impromptu bar brawl—or Italian restaurant rumble. You'll have to make that date on your own.
But I digress. The fact that I can go on and on about everything but the film itself should tell you what you need to know: It Had To Be You is recycled stuff which looks and seems like it should be a good movie, but unfortunately isn't. Jack and Jill do grow closer in a relatively pleasing manner, but the filmmakers resort to some out-of-nowhere pathos of the urban UFO variety to make an impact on the audience. At a pivotal moment, Jack and Jill must tend to pal Jason (Eric Tsang, doing his usual UFO supporting actor thing), who shares an offbeat and completely manufactured secret that's supposed to be touching, but seems more hackneyed and convenient than anything else. Jack and Jill also mouth the words to a Faye Wong song at the exact same time, which is supposed to indicate a sort of unspoken closeness, but the moment comes off as jarring and cloying instead. To top off all the obvious romantic comedy devices, Jill walks an imaginary dog and talks to it as if it existed. The effect is supposed to be endearing, but Jill ultimately seems more loopy than lovable. When you have a star like Karena Lam, you should find more for her to do than recycle Meg Ryan's greatest hits. At the very least, Ekin Cheng is more attractive than Billy Crystal, but Cheng probably would be a lousy Academy Awards host.


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Learn More About Prison Hill Recreation Area Near Carson City, NV, Site Of 2019 NOHVCC Mobile Workshop
August 2019 Powersport News Laura Feist, NOHVCC
Registration is open for NOHVCC's 2019 Annual Conference in Reno, NV. If you haven't already signed up, click here.
Those who elect to participate in the Mobile Workshop on Oct. 17, are in for a treat. The workshop will be held at Prison Hill Recreation Area just outside of Carson City, NV. NOHVCC is currently in phase two of a three-phase project at the area and participants in will have an opportunity to gain a unique insight into the on-the-ground work (such as trail layout) that NOHVCC espouses.
The workshop will be broken into three sessions. Each attendee will have an opportunity to participate in each session. Transportation to and from the conference hotel (Whitney Peake) and lunch will be provided to registered participants.
Session Descriptions:
Guided Tour Of Prison Hill Recreation Area: ROV tour of the southern end of the Prison Hill Recreation Area. Tour guides will discuss unique features, history of the area, special management considerations and management issues encountered during the project. All participants in this session will be required to wear a helmet, eye protection, long sleeves, long pants, over-the-ankle boots and gloves.
Trail Layout and Design: A walking tour of the OHV trail and facility designs and concepts at the Prison Hill Recreation Area. Participants will have a chance to critique, ask questions and interact with a trail design team member.
Moto-Trials and Rock Crawl Demonstration: Moto-trials and OHV Rock Crawlers are two types of OHV recreation that are often misunderstood by OHV managers. Participants will be able to observe recreationalists doing what they love. Demonstrations will be followed by a Q&A period where you can find out more about these sports and what the riders/drivers are looking for.
More about Prison Hill Recreation Area: The Prison Hill OHV Recreation Area is located on the southeast edge of Carson City, NV. The highly desirable and unique landscape is scattered with large colorful rock formations and a variety of topography, ranging from steep and challenging terrain to meandering sand washes and open sandy desert soils. The elevation change is substantial, increasing from 5,000 feet above sea level at the lowest point to 5,724 feet at the highest point. The sweeping views of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, Carson Valley and Carson City provide an incredible vista for anyone wanting to gain altitude by climbing the challenging summit.
Most of the OHV recreation area is located on the south facing slope where enthusiasts can access trails and riding opportunities throughout the year, especially during the winter months where snow can become a limiting factor for some forms of recreation.
Located approximately seven miles from downtown Carson City, Prison Hill is an easy destination for residents to access with limited travel time and distance. The Prison Hill Area is adjacent to four subdivisions and a prison located on Snyder Avenue and Golden Eagle Lane. The Carson River borders a small section on the southeast portion of the area where there is no motorized use.
The natural inhabitants of the area include rabbits, coyotes, deer, songbirds, a variety of raptors, and rattlesnakes. The vegetation is primarily sagebrush steppe with sagebrush, bitterbrush and a small scattering of Pinyon Pine, juniper, and pockets of old-growth bitterbrush.
The phenomenal views and awe-striking rocky landscape provide an experience like no other within a few miles of a major population center. Proximity allows enthusiasts to visit Prison Hill during weekends and in some cases, daily. Others are drawn to the area for the variety of terrain, technical challenges, interesting routes and scenery. Enthusiasts also often visit Prison Hill because of its family-friendly nature and for the open riding areas.
For more information about NOHVCC's involvement at Prison Hill click here to view NOHVCC's OHV Management Plan for the area submitted in October 2018.
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https://www.servicetitan.com
Welcome to ServiceTitan!
Grow your business with the world's leading all-in-one software for commercial and residential HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other field service businesses. At ServiceTitan, we judge our success by one metric: the success of our customers. Customer success drives every feature we create, every advancement we bring to the industry, every best practice we champion through our software. And at ServiceTitan, customer success means nothing less than our customers changing their lives and achieving the extraordinary.
ServiceTitan Named to Inc. 500 for Third Year in a Row (Apr 08, 2020)
No. 1 management software platform for home service and commercial contractors is one of the fastest-growing, most innovative private companies in America
LOS ANGELES – Aug. 15, 2019 – ServiceTitan, the world's leading all-in-one software for residential HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other home service professionals and commercial contractor businesses, was named to the 2019 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in America.
ServiceTitan was recognized by Inc. for the third year in a row, with 903% growth over three years.
"The amount of talent we have at ServiceTitan is what has made this type of long-term growth possible," said Ara Mahdessian, CEO and co-founder of ServiceTitan. "Ultimately, our customers are the reason we do what we do, and I'm very grateful to have a team that's focused on helping them grow their businesses along with our own."
ServiceTitan's placement on the Inc. 500 list is the latest of several significant achievements for the company. In July, ServiceTitan was named to the Los Angeles Business Journal's 2019 Best Places to Work Awards list, and also acquired CUC Software, a home service SaaS platform with a large customer base in Canada. In addition, ServiceTitan has recently launched two new products: ServiceTitan Marketing Pro and ServiceTitan Phones Pro. Along with ServiceTitan's Pricebook Pro, these products create a triad of ServiceTitan Pro Products designed to reduce friction for business owners at every phase of the customer journey so they can boost efficiency, win more business, and drive customer loyalty.
"We realized early on we have an opportunity to do more than just build a great company," Mahdessian said. "At ServiceTitan, we have the opportunity to change lives. Not just for our customers, but also for our team members. We all see the potential in what we're doing, and we've all worked together to make this achievement possible."
For more information about Inc. 500 and to see the full Inc. 5000 list, visit https://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About ServiceTitan
ServiceTitan is a software company built to accelerate the home service and commercial contractor industry. ServiceTitan's end-to-end software suite includes CRM, intelligent dispatch, custom reporting, marketing automation, a mobile solution for field techs, and accounting integrations with Sage Intacct and QuickBooks. ServiceTitan raised the largest venture round of a SaaS company in the history of Southern California ($165 million Series D) led by Index Ventures, with participation from Dragoneer and T. Rowe Price and existing investors Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and ICONIQ Capital. ServiceTitan brings a fully operational modern SaaS infrastructure to an industry traditionally underserved by software, making direct and positive impact on the lives of thousands of entrepreneurs and their extended teams. For more information about ServiceTitan, visit https://servicetitan.com/.
ServiceTitan Ranked No. 14 in Forbes 2019 Cloud 100 List (Apr 08, 2020)
No. 1 management software platform for home service and commercial contractors named one of the leading cloud-based companies for second year in a row
LOS ANGELES – Sept. 17, 2019 – ServiceTitan, the world's leading all-in-one software and operating system for residential and commercial service and replacement contractors, was named to the prestigious Forbes and Bessemer Venture Partners list of the top 100 cloud computing companies in 2019.
"When we first started ServiceTitan, industry-specific software options for contractors and tradespeople were practically non-existent," said Ara Mahdessian, CEO and co-founder of ServiceTitan. "Our amazing team has helped change that for thousands of hard-working tradespeople, and we've been fortunate enough to prove first-hand the potential of the home and commercial services industry to become a meaningful field for software development. The honor of being named to this exclusive list showcases how far we've come and how much we've already accomplished for our customers, but we also recognize the large amount of work we still have to do as we look ahead to the next chapter of ServiceTitan."
As part of the rigorous selection process for the Forbes 2019 Cloud 100, Bessemer Venture Partners received submissions from hundreds of cloud startups. The Cloud 100 Judging Panel, made up of public cloud company CEOs, reviewed the data to select, score, and rank the top 100 private cloud companies from all over the world. The evaluation process involved ranking companies across four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people & culture (15%).
ServiceTitan's recognition as a top 100 private cloud company comes on the heels of several other 2019 awards, including a spot on Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and Los Angeles Business Journal's annual Best Places to Work list, and a third consecutive Inc. 500 placement.
ServiceTitan continues to invest heavily in building new services that help its customers more efficiently operate and profitably grow their businesses. This year, the company launched three revolutionary new ServiceTitan Pro offerings, ServiceTitan Pricebook Pro, ServiceTitan Phones Pro and ServiceTitan Marketing Pro, all designed to help home and commercial services businesses reach new levels of efficiency and win more business. In addition, ServiceTitan maintains its East Coast presence in Atlanta and recently opened a third location and technology hub in Armenia.
ServiceTitan's co-founders, Ara Mahdessian and Vahe Kuzoyan, both Armenian immigrants, watched their tradesmen fathers struggle to find a management software that worked for their businesses. In response, they founded ServiceTitan, which has now become the industry standard in SaaS technology.
"For four years now, we have ranked the best and brightest emerging companies in the cloud sector," said Alex Konrad, Forbes editor of The Cloud 100. "With so many businesses growing fast in the cloud, from cybersecurity and marketing to data analytics and storage, it's harder than ever to make the Cloud 100 list – but with more elite company if you do. Congratulations to each of the 2019 Cloud 100 honorees and the 20 Rising Stars honorees poised to join their ranks!"
For more information about ServiceTitan, visit https://www.servicetitan.com/.
For more information about the Forbes Cloud 100 List or to see the full rankings, visitwww.forbes.com/cloud100.
Service Experts Selects ServiceTitan as Software Provider to Drive Enhanced Customer Experience (Apr 08, 2020)
World's leading all-in-one software for residential HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other home service businesses to provide Service Experts with business management software and field operations tools
LOS ANGELES – June 18, 2019 – Service Experts, one of North America's leading home services companies and provider of furnaces, air conditioners, other HVAC rental products and plumbing services, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with home service software provider ServiceTitan.
ServiceTitan, the world's leading all-in-one software provider for home service businesses, offers robust end-to-end solutions from in-office tools for dispatching, call booking and marketing automation to mobile field solutions that equip team members with best-in-class tools that enable enhanced customer experiences.
"Service Experts is committed to providing our customers with five-star service every time we book an appointment, visit a home for service, or install a new piece of equipment," said Ian McKeen, President and COO of Service Experts. "By partnering with ServiceTitan, we're ensuring our team members have the best possible software tools to help deliver an enhanced service experience to our valued customers across the continent."
Service Experts operates in 95 locations across North America, and is staffed with highly qualified and NATE-certified licensed service technicians and equipment installers. Founded in 1996, Service Experts provides a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all service work and product installations.
"We're proud to work with a great brand like Service Experts to improve their customer-centric operation and enhance the employee experience for their technicians and field service staff," said Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of ServiceTitan. "With more than 700 dedicated employees and growing, ServiceTitan is committed to our mission of improving business operations for our partners while helping every home services employee deliver great customer service supported by our software solutions and tools."
About Service Experts
Service Experts Heating and Air Conditioning was founded in 1996 on the basis of providing customers with the best heating and cooling services in the industry. Since its inception, Service Experts has been dedicated to community, providing the top of the line HVAC products and services across North America. Visit https://www.serviceexperts.com/ or call Service Experts at 866-397-3787 now to schedule an HVAC repair service, routine maintenance or to request a free new system estimate.
ServiceTitan is a software company built to accelerate the $400B home service sector. ServiceTitan's end-to-end software suite includes CRM, intelligent dispatch, custom reporting, marketing automation, a mobile solution for field techs, and accounting integrations with Sage Intacct and QuickBooks. ServiceTitan raised the largest venture round of a SaaS company in the history of Southern California ($165 million Series D) led by Index Ventures, with participation from Dragoneer and T. Rowe Price and existing investors Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and ICONIQ Capital. ServiceTitan brings a fully operational modern SaaS infrastructure to an industry traditionally underserved by software, making direct and positive impact on the lives of thousands of entrepreneurs and their extended teams. For more information about ServiceTitan, visit https://servicetitan.com/.
ServiceTitan Launches New Pro Products to Help Home Services Businesses Reach New Levels of Efficiency and Win More Business (Apr 08, 2020)
Home services management software provider announces new ServiceTitan Marketing Pro, ServiceTitan Phones Pro products at Pantheon User Conference.
LOS ANGELES – July 17, 2019 – ServiceTitan, the world's leading all-in-one software for home service businesses, unveiled two new products yesterday with the release of ServiceTitan Marketing Pro and ServiceTitan Phones Pro at its annual user conference, Pantheon.
ServiceTitan Marketing Pro and ServiceTitan Phones Pro are two new add-on products that ServiceTitan believes will take home services businesses to the next level. ServiceTitan Marketing Pro helps businesses on ServiceTitan leverage all of the homeowner and customer information they have inside of ServiceTitan so they can deliver hyper-targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. ServiceTitan Phones Pro helps businesses on ServiceTitan reimagine the entire phones and call booking experience so they can boost service efficiency and optimize every single customer interaction.
"Our customers have been able to deliver amazing homeowner experiences and grow their businesses with ServiceTitan, but many have the desire to reach even greater heights, and driving customer loyalty through frictionless, hyper-personalized interactions will help them get there," said Vahe Kuzoyan, president and co-founder of ServiceTitan. "Our Pro products help them do just that, by empowering home services businesses to run their business like a pro at every part of the customer lifecycle, from phone call to payment."
ServiceTitan Marketing Pro has pre-built, curated email content that has been tested by industry experts so that end-to-end email campaigns can be built out and automated in just minutes. Real ROI is tracked at every phase of the homeowner lifecycle and includes revenue attribution and email performance. With its Audience Builder feature, ServiceTitan Marketing Pro can triangulate around any customer information in ServiceTitan -- like unsold estimates, aging equipment, and expiring memberships -- and deliver automated, hyper-targeted emails to homeowners. Email, call and job performance data are combined to present a complete marketing campaign performance. "Each Marketing Pro campaign that we've done has generated at least 10 times more revenue than the money we spent on marketing," said Tom Howard, president of Lee's Air and an early adopter of ServiceTItan Marketing Pro.
ServiceTitan Phones Pro brings the entire phones and booking experience right into ServiceTitan, without the need for separate, disconnected tools. The seamlessly integrated phones experience boosts CSR efficiency by eliminating the need for clicking any call bubbles or reclassifying calls. Other features such as advanced reporting, real-time transcription and sentiment analysis allow users to have greater insight on homeowner needs.
ServiceTItan Marketing Pro and ServiceTitan Phones Pro together create the ultimate digital toolbelt to minimize friction at every step of the customer journey. By replacing the traditional phone experience, ServiceTitan Phones Pro eliminates the need for landlines with embedded VoIP technology, allowing for real-time coaching tools and actionable alerts to greatly reduce customer hold times and increase booked jobs. "Phones Pro saved us from bolting together multiple separate products and gave us an integrated system which has increased efficiency across the board," said Steve Stewart of Southern Comfort Mechanical, an early adopter of ServiceTitan Phones Pro.
"With these new Pro products, you really don't need to be a digital marketer to market like a Pro, and you don't need a separate phone system to book jobs like a Pro," Kuzoyan said.
To learn more about ServiceTitan's latest Pro products as well as its core platform, visit: www.servicetitan.com/marketingpro and www.servicetitan.com/phonespro.
ServiceTitan Partners with Financeit to Offer Integrated Financing for Canadian Customers (Apr 08, 2020)
No. 1 home service business management software teams up with No. 1 Canadian home services lending platform to provide integrated, mobile-friendly financing options for customers.
LOS ANGELES – April 24, 2019 – ServiceTitan, the world's leading all-in-one software for home service businesses, has partnered with Financeit, one of North America's fastest growing point-of-sale payment plan providers, to give Canadian home service contractors the ability to offer immediate, integrated financing options to homeowners.
"Alleviating home renovation debt and accelerating the home improvement business is an important focus for Financeit," said Michael Garrity, founder and CEO of Financeit. "Through this partnership, we're providing ServiceTitan's Canadian customers an integrated and efficient way to finance any project quickly and hassle free, beneficial to both homeowners and contractors."
Financeit's integrated platform aims to accelerate the decision-making process, especially when it comes to home improvement projects. The platform offers homeowners the opportunity to explore a premium option with a trusted and reliable point-of-sale lending platform.
ServiceTitan customers can more successfully pitch upgrades and higher-end models, eliminate tedious manual paperwork and allow homeowners to immediately see all payment details, and complete projects more quickly and efficiently.
"We've been getting requests from our Canadian customers about building financing for this market ever since we were able to offer a similar integration here in the U.S.," said Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of ServiceTitan. "The success of integrated financing state-side has been phenomenal. We've seen that contractors who use integrated financing grow their average ticket by 13% while growing gross revenue by 21%. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have for our Canadian contractors and their bottom line."
Financeit's integrated platform is immediately available to current ServiceTitan and Financeit customers. To get setup, email financing@servicetitan.com.
ServiceTitan customers who are not yet Financeit customers can apply to become an approved Financeit merchant here: https://www.financeit.io/servicetitan/.
About Financeit
Financeit is a market-leading point-of-sale financing provider servicing the home improvement, vehicle and retail industries. In 2017, the closing of an investment round by Goldman Sachs and the acquisition of Centah Inc. - a market-leading technology platform and call centre infrastructure - assisted in the increase of Financeit's overall offering in the marketplace and continues to allow the company to provide merchants with an end-to-end solution to increase sales. Since launching in 2011 the platform has attracted over 7,000 merchant partners and processed over C$3.6 billion in loan applications. The company was recently awarded the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, recognizing the world's top fintech businesses.
For more information about Financeit, contact Remy Delima, A&C, at 416.966.4321 or remy@acteam.ca.
ServiceTitan Desktop & Mobile
Today's field services, redefined. See why 50,000+ of America's top contractors prefer ServiceTitan.... More Info Less Info
With ServiceTitan's field service scheduling software, your home and commercial service business can plan for today, tomorrow, and beyond with agility and confidence. Homeowners can book your services with just a few clicks, streamlining the customer service experience and keeping your CAC down. In addition, real-time campaign statistics, phone number tracking, and heat maps make sure you're putting your ad dollars where they matter most.
When the phone rings, it's critical that your CSRs are ready to convert. The ServiceTitan phone integration enables your team to book more jobs while providing a highly polished customer experience. The ServiceTitan dispatch board helps today's home and commercial service companies optimize technician tracking—so everyone stays on time. And, of course, you can't grow your business without understanding what works and what doesn't. ServiceTitan's reporting tools provide robust analytics to help bring your business to the next level.
A new generation of customers has arrived. They use Uber. Netflix. Amazon. They may even tweet about you. It's time you offered the kind of on-demand features these customers expect. ServiceTitan Mobile was developed to turn the tablet into your techs' favorite tool. Upload your own forms and pricebooks, dazzle customers, and help your team secure better sales. With ServiceTitan, you can stop waiting days, even weeks for customers to receive financing. In the ServiceTitan Mobile app, customers can apply to GreenSky® on the spot—and instantly receive approval.
ServiceTitan Pricebook Pro
ServiceTitan Pricebook Pro is the only integrated, flat-rate solution that simplifies pricebook management, saves time, and finally provides peace of mind to owners looking to protect their margins and get the most out of every job.... More Info Less Info
Outdated pricebooks can cause bookkeeping errors, complicate the sales process, and waste man hours. With ServiceTitan Pricebook Pro, you receive ongoing updates to pricing, marketing descriptions and images, adjustments to sold hours, and even upgrades and recommendations.
Not every tech is a great salesperson—and cluttered, disorganized pricebooks don't make things any easier on them. Help technicians make the right choices with a focused pricebook that includes upgrades and recommendations to organically maximize ticket sizes.
Today's customers are accustomed to making purchases with a click, a tap, a swipe. What is your business doing to help emulate that same kind of online shopping experience? With Pricebook Pro, it's easy to let homeowners browse vivid product images and descriptions and deliver clean, professional estimates on every job to boost convenience and increase average your ticket size.
ServiceTitan Marketing Pro
Designed exclusively for ServiceTitan, Marketing Pro gives you the tools to market like a pro. Reach customers through advanced targeting and start booking and closing more jobs.... More Info Less Info
Say goodbye to mass emails with personalized, relevant, and timely messages. Create audiences based on customer information that you already have in ServiceTitan—like unsold estimates, aging equipment, and memberships that are expiring. This information automatically updates in real-time so you can truly 'set and forget' your email campaigns!
You can drive significantly more revenue with hyper targeted campaigns that allow for email marketing that resonates with your customers, equating to higher open rates and more calls rolling in. The sky's the limit. The more targeted audiences and campaigns, the bigger ROI you can expect!
Go beyond just knowing which emails are being opened. With ServiceTitan Marketing Pro, you can see exactly which emails are driving revenue to your business. Track real ROI with both email performance and revenue attribution.
ServiceTitan Phones Pro
Bring your phones into ServiceTitan and finally provide a frictionless intake experience that enhances customer service, CSR performance, and conversion rates all at once.... More Info Less Info
ServiceTitan Phones Pro is a modern, cloud-based phone offering that is fully integrated with ServiceTitan and designed to improve your customer-facing team's performance, drive higher booking rates, grow revenue and improve efficiency.
Calls are automatically connected to each and every job. Spend less time reclassifying abandoned calls and wrapping up job bookings, and more time providing exceptional customer service. Plus, with a seamlessly connected phone system, now you can have even more confidence about the integrity of your booking rates.
Never miss an opportunity to save deals or close a sale. Whether in the office or on the go, you can take your calls anywhere. Customer sentiment analysis and real-time call transcription can help you prioritize customers that may need assistance and identify future training opportunities for your CSRs.
With real-time reporting and actionable alerts, you have full visibility into each call so you can understand how your CSRs are performing and improve call handling. Minimize customer hold times and uncover insights that will offer new ways to meet your customers' needs.


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Development and Psychopathology (1)
Public Health Nutrition (1)
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (1)
Cambridge Studies on Child and Adolescent Health (1)
Early maturation and substance use across adolescence and young adulthood: A longitudinal study of Finnish twins
Jeanne E. Savage, Richard J. Rose, Lea Pulkkinen, Karri Silventoinen, Tellervo Korhonen, Jaakko Kaprio, Nathan Gillespie, Danielle M. Dick
Journal: Development and Psychopathology / Volume 30 / Issue 1 / February 2018
Early maturation, indexed by pubertal development (PD), has been associated with earlier initiation and greater frequency of adolescent substance use, but this relationship may be biased by confounding factors and effects that change across development. Using a population-based Finnish twin sample (N = 3,632 individuals), we conducted twin modeling and multilevel structural equation modeling of the relationship between PD and substance use at ages 12–22. Shared environmental factors contributed to early PD and heavier substance use for females. Biological father absence was associated with early PD for boys but not girls, and did not account for the relationship between PD and substance use. The association between early PD and heavier substance use was partially due to between-family confounds, although early PD appeared to qualitatively alter long-term trajectories for some substances (nicotine), but not others (alcohol). Mediation by peer and parental factors did not explain this relationship within families. However, higher peer substance use and lower parental monitoring were themselves associated with heavier substance use, strengthening the existing evidence for these factors as targets for prevention/intervention efforts. Early maturation was not supported as a robust determinant of alcohol use trajectories in adolescence and young adulthood, but may require longer term follow-up. Subtle effects of early PD on nicotine and illicit drug use trajectories throughout adolescence and adulthood merit further investigation.
Total and Trimester-Specific Gestational Weight Gain and Offspring Birth and Early Childhood Weight: A Prospective Cohort Study on Monozygotic Twin Mothers and Their Offspring
Elina Scheers Andersson, Karri Silventoinen, Per Tynelius, Ellen A. Nohr, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Finn Rasmussen
Gestational weight gain (GWG) has in numerous studies been associated with offspring birth weight (BW) and childhood weight. However, these associations might be explained by genetic confounding as offspring inherit their mother's genetic potential to gain weight. Furthermore, little is known about whether particular periods of pregnancy could influence offspring body weight differently. We therefore aimed to explore total and trimester-specific effects of GWG in monozygotic (MZ) twin mother-pairs on their offspring's BW, weight at 1 year and body mass index (BMI) at 5 and 10 years. MZ twin mothers born 1962–1975 were identified in national Swedish registers, and data on exposure and outcome variables was collected from medical records. We analyzed associations within and between twin pairs. We had complete data on the mothers' GWG and offspring BW for 82 pairs. The results indicated that total, and possibly also second and third trimester GWG were associated with offspring BW within the twin pairs in the fully adjusted model (β = 0.08 z-score units, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.17; β = 1.32 z-score units, 95% CI: -0.29, 2.95; and β = 1.02 z-score units, 95% CI: -0.50, 2.54, respectively). Our findings, although statistically weak, suggested no associations between GWG and offspring weight or BMI during infancy or childhood. Our study suggests that total, and possibly also second and third trimester, GWG are associated with offspring BW when taking shared genetic and environmental factors within twin pairs into account. Larger family-based studies with long follow-up are needed to confirm our findings.
Body Mass Index and Depressive Symptoms: Testing for Adverse and Protective Associations in Two Twin Cohort Studies
Markus Jokela, Venla Berg, Karri Silventoinen, G. David Batty, Archana Singh-Manoux, Jaakko Kaprio, George Davey Smith, Mika Kivimäki
Studies have suggested both adverse and protective associations of obesity with depressive symptoms. We examined the contribution of environmental and heritable factors in this association. Participants were same-sex twin pairs from two population-based twin cohort studies, the Older Finnish Twin Cohort (n = 8,215; mean age = 44.1) and the US Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS; n = 1,105; mean age = 45.1). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Depressive symptoms were assessed using Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI; Finnish Twin Cohort), and by negative and positive affect scales (MIDUS). In the Finnish Twin Cohort, higher BMI was associated with higher depressive symptoms in monozygotic (MZ) twins (B = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.0, 3.0) and dizygotic (DZ) twins (B = 1.17, 0.5, 1.9) with BMI >22. This association was observed in within-pair analysis in DZ twins (B = 1.47, CI = 0.4, 2.6) but not in within-pair analysis of MZ twins (B = 0.03, CI = -1.9, 2.0). Consistent with the latter result, a bivariate genetic model indicated that the association between higher BMI and higher depressive symptoms was largely mediated by genetic factors. The results of twin-pair analysis and bivariate genetic model were replicated in the MIDUS sample. These findings suggest an association between obesity and higher depressive symptoms, which is largely explained by shared heritable biological mechanisms.
Twin's Birth-Order Differences in Height and Body Mass Index From Birth to Old Age: A Pooled Study of 26 Twin Cohorts Participating in the CODATwins Project
Yoshie Yokoyama, Aline Jelenkovic, Reijo Sund, Joohon Sung, John L. Hopper, Syuichi Ooki, Kauko Heikkilä, Sari Aaltonen, Adam D. Tarnoki, David L. Tarnoki, Gonneke Willemsen, Meike Bartels, Toos C. E. M. van Beijsterveldt, Kimberly J. Saudino, Tessa L. Cutler, Tracy L. Nelson, Keith E. Whitfield, Jane Wardle, Clare H. Llewellyn, Abigail Fisher, Mingguang He, Xiaohu Ding, Morten Bjerregaard-Andersen, Henning Beck-Nielsen, Morten Sodemann, Yun-Mi Song, Sarah Yang, Kayoung Lee, Hoe-Uk Jeong, Ariel Knafo-Noam, David Mankuta, Lior Abramson, S. Alexandra Burt, Kelly L. Klump, Juan R. Ordoñana, Juan F. Sánchez-Romera, Lucia Colodro-Conde, Jennifer R. Harris, Ingunn Brandt, Thomas Sevenius Nilsen, Jeffrey M. Craig, Richard Saffery, Fuling Ji, Feng Ning, Zengchang Pang, Lise Dubois, Michel Boivin, Mara Brendgen, Ginette Dionne, Frank Vitaro, Nicholas G. Martin, Sarah E. Medland, Grant W. Montgomery, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Nancy L. Pedersen, Anna K. Dahl Aslan, Per Tynelius, Claire M. A. Haworth, Robert Plomin, Esther Rebato, Richard J. Rose, Jack H. Goldberg, Finn Rasmussen, Yoon-Mi Hur, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Dorret I. Boomsma, Jaakko Kaprio, Karri Silventoinen
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 19 / Issue 2 / April 2016
We analyzed birth order differences in means and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins from infancy to old age. The data were derived from the international CODATwins database. The total number of height and BMI measures from 0.5 to 79.5 years of age was 397,466. As expected, first-born twins had greater birth weight than second-born twins. With respect to height, first-born twins were slightly taller than second-born twins in childhood. After adjusting the results for birth weight, the birth order differences decreased and were no longer statistically significant. First-born twins had greater BMI than the second-born twins over childhood and adolescence. After adjusting the results for birth weight, birth order was still associated with BMI until 12 years of age. No interaction effect between birth order and zygosity was found. Only limited evidence was found that birth order influenced variances of height or BMI. The results were similar among boys and girls and also in MZ and DZ twins. Overall, the differences in height and BMI between first- and second-born twins were modest even in early childhood, while adjustment for birth weight reduced the birth order differences but did not remove them for BMI.
Heritability of Gestational Weight Gain – A Swedish Register-Based Twin Study
Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a complex trait involving intrauterine environmental, maternal environmental, and genetic factors. However, the extent to which these factors contribute to the total variation in GWG is unclear. We therefore examined the genetic and environmental influences on the variation in GWG in the first and second pregnancy in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin mother-pairs. Further, we explored if any co-variance existed between factors influencing the variation in GWG of the mothers' first and second pregnancies. By using Swedish nationwide record-linkage data, we identified 694 twin mother-pairs with complete data on their first pregnancy and 465 twin mother-pairs with complete data on their second pregnancy during 1982–2010. For a subanalysis, 143 twin mother-pairs had complete data on two consecutive pregnancies during the study period. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the contribution of genetic, shared, and unique environmental factors to the variation in GWG. A bivariate Cholesky decomposition model was used for the subanalysis. We found that genetic factors explained 43% (95% CI: 36–51%) of the variation in GWG in the first pregnancy and 26% (95% CI: 16–36%) in the second pregnancy. The remaining variance was explained by unique environmental factors. Both overlapping and distinct genetic and unique environmental factors influenced GWG in the first and the second pregnancy. This study showed that GWG has a moderate heritability, suggesting that a large part of the variation in the trait can be explained by unique environmental factors.
Association Between Physical and Motor Development in Childhood: A Longitudinal Study of Japanese Twins
Karri Silventoinen, Janne Pitkäniemi, Antti Latvala, Jaakko Kaprio, Yoshie Yokoyama
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 17 / Issue 3 / June 2014
Length and weight in infancy are associated with neurodevelopment, but less is known about growth in other anthropometric measures. In this study we analyzed how the development in length, weight, head circumference, and chest circumference over infancy is associated with motor development in early childhood, using a twin study design. Information on physical development over infancy and the age at achievement of eight developmental milestones over early childhood was collected for 370 Japanese twin pairs. Linear mixed models were used to analyze how physical development is associated with motor development between individual twins, as well as within twin pairs, adjusting the results for shared maternal and postnatal environmental factors. Delayed motor development was associated with smaller body size over infancy, and we also found some suggestive evidence that it was associated with catch-up growth as well. When studying the associations within twin pairs discordant for motor development, similar associations were found. However, chest circumference showed the most robust association within discordant twin pairs. Smaller body size and rapid catch-up growth are associated with delayed motor development. When studying these associations within twin pairs and thus adjusting the results for gestational age as well as many other maternal and postnatal environmental factors, chest circumference showed the most robust association. Chest circumference, rarely used in developed countries, can offer additional information on prenatal conditions relevant for further motor development not achieved by more traditional anthropometric measures.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Study of Chinese Twin Children and Adolescents
Fuling Ji, Feng Ning, Haiping Duan, Jaakko Kaprio, Dongfeng Zhang, Dong Zhang, Shaojie Wang, Qing Qiao, Jianping Sun, Jiwei Liang, Zengchang Pang, Karri Silventoinen
We evaluated the genetic and environmental contributions to metabolic cardiovascular risk factors and their mutual associations. Eight metabolic factors (body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and serum uric acid) were measured in 508 twin pairs aged 8–17 years from the Qingdao Twin Registry, China. Linear structural equation models were used to estimate the heritability of these traits, as well as the genetic and environmental correlations between them. Among boys, body mass index and uric acid showed consistently high heritability (0.49–0.81), whereas other traits showed moderate to high common environmental variance (0.37–0.73) in children (8–12 years) and adolescents (13–17 years) except total cholesterol. For girls, moderate to high heritability (0.39–0.75) were obtained for six metabolic traits in children, while only two traits showed high heritability and others mostly medium to large common environmental variance in adolescents. Genetic correlations between the traits were strong in both boys and girls in children (r g = 0.64–0.99 between body mass index and diastolic blood pressure; r g = 0.71–1.00 between body mass index and waist circumference), but decreased for adolescent girls (r g = 0.51 between body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio; r g = 0.55 between body mass index and uric acid; r g = 0.61 between body mass index and systolic blood pressure). The effect of genetic factors on most metabolic traits decreased from childhood to adolescence. Both common genetic and specific environmental factors influence the mutual associations among most of the metabolic traits.
Development of Body Mass Index of Japanese Triplets From Birth Until the Onset of Puberty
Yoshie Yokoyama, Janne Pitkäniemi, Jaakko Kaprio, Karri Silventoinen
We aimed to analyze the characteristics of development of relative weight in Japanese triplets from birth until 12 years of age. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire sent to mothers of triplets asking for information recorded in medical records. Altogether we had information on 1,061 triplet children of 354 mothers born between 1978 and 2006. For these births, data on triplets' height and weight growth, gestational age, sex, parity, and maternal age at delivery were obtained from records in the maternal and child health handbooks and records from the schools where children receive health check-ups. In addition, information on maternal height and weight was obtained. Triplets have a lower ponderal index at birth and lower body mass index (BMI) compared with the general population until 12 years of age, except for the period during 1 and 3 years of age. Moreover, birth weight had the strongest contribution to BMI of triplets until 6 years of age. After 9 years of age, maternal BMI was a significant factor affecting BMI of triplets.
Height, Age at First Birth, and Lifetime Reproductive Success: A Prospective Cohort Study of Finnish Male and Female Twins
Karri Silventoinen, Samuli Helle, Jessica Nisén, Pekka Martikainen, Jaakko Kaprio
The associations between height and reproductive success in humans have attracted long-time scientific interest, but in addition to rather mixed previous results, little is still known about the background mechanisms of these associations. We analyzed the association of adult height with age at first birth and lifetime reproductive success using a twin study design that is able to optimally take into account family background and estimate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors. Information on live births as of June 2009 for 7,830 Finnish twins born 1950–1957 was extracted from the national population register. We found evidence for non-linear associations in men, as men in the third sex-specific height quintile had the highest probability of having one to two children, or three or more children at individual level analyses, and also to have any children when analyzing twin pairs discordant for height. Furthermore, the probability of having a spouse was highest in the third height category in men. Short stature was associated with earlier age at first birth in females, explained by correlated genetic factors, but not with lifetime number of children or having a spouse. Our results suggest that average stature may give some advantage for reproduction in males. In females, genetic factors explained the association between short stature and young age at first birth, which may suggest the role of hormonal factors.
Socio-economic disparities in the consumption of vegetables, fruit and energy-dense foods: the role of motive priorities
Hanna Konttinen, Sirpa Sarlio-Lähteenkorva, Karri Silventoinen, Satu Männistö, Ari Haukkala
Journal: Public Health Nutrition / Volume 16 / Issue 5 / May 2013
A low socio-economic status (SES) is related to less healthy dietary habits, but the reasons for this remain unclear. We examined whether the absolute or relative importance of various food choice motives contributed to SES disparities in vegetable/fruit and energy-dense food intake.
We analysed cross-sectional data from the FINRISK Study 2007 by means of structural equation modelling and used a shortened version of the Food Choice Questionnaire to assess the absolute importance of health, pleasure, convenience, price, familiarity and ethicality motives. We calculated the relative importance of each motive by dividing the participant's rating of it by his/her mean score on all motives. Dietary intake was measured with an FFQ.
A population-based survey in Finland.
Men (n 1691) and women (n 2059) aged 25–64 years.
Higher education and income were related to a greater vegetable/fruit intake (β = 0·12, P < 0·001), while education was associated negatively with the consumption of energy-dense foods (β = −0·09, P < 0·001). Socio-economically disadvantaged individuals considered price and/or familiarity more important in their food choices in both absolute and relative terms. A higher income was related to a greater relative importance of health considerations. Relative motives were more strongly associated with vegetable/fruit and energy-dense food consumption than absolute motives and the relative importance of price, familiarity and health partly mediated the effects of the SES indicators on the consumption of these food items.
Individual priorities in food choice motives, rather than the absolute importance of single motives, play a role in producing SES disparities in diet.
Weight Growth of Triplet Infants From Birth to Twelve Years of Age
We analyzed the characteristics associated with the growth in weight of Japanese triplets from birth to 12 years of age. The study included 376 mothers and their 1,128 triplet children, who were born between 1978 and 2006. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire sent to the mothers asking for information recorded in medical records. For these births, data on triplets' weight growth, gestational age, sex, parity, maternal age at delivery, maternal height, and maternal body mass index were obtained from records in the Maternal and Child Health Handbooks and records in the school where children receive health check-ups. The weight deficit of the triplets compared to the general population of Japan remained between 10% and 17% until 12 years of age. Moreover, at 12 years of age, the differences of weight between the general population and triplets were approximately –4.75 kg for boys and –6.00 kg for girls. Very low birth weight had the strongest contribution to body weight until 8 years of age. After 8 years of age, maternal body mass index was a significant factor affecting the weight of triplets until 12 years of age.
Shorter Adult Stature Increases the Impact of Risk Factors for Cognitive Impairment: A Comparison of Two Nordic Twin Cohorts
Venla S. Laitala, Jacob Hjelmborg, Markku Koskenvuo, Ismo Räihä, Juha O. Rinne, Kaare Christensen, Jaakko Kaprio, Karri Silventoinen
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 14 / Issue 6 / December 2011
We analyzed the association between mean height and old age cognition in two Nordic twin cohorts with different childhood living conditions. The cognitive performance of 4720 twin individuals from Denmark (mean age 81.6 years, SD = 4.59) and Finland (mean age 74.4 years, SD = 5.26) was measured using validated cognitive screens. Taller height was associated with better cognitive performance in Finland (β-estimates 0.18 SD/10cm, p value < .001, for men and 0.13 SD, p = .008, for women), but this association was not significant in Denmark (β-estimates 0.0093 SD, p value = .16, for men and 0.0075 SD, p value = .016, for women) when adjusted for age and education/social class. Among Finnish participants higher variability of cognitive performance within shorter height quintiles was observed. Analysis using gene-environment interaction models showed that environmental factors exerted a greater impact on cognitive performance in shorter participants, whereas in taller participants' it was explained mainly by genetic factors. Our results suggest that shorter participants with childhood adversity are more vulnerable to environmental risk factors for cognitive impairment.
Height Growth of Triplets from Birth to 12 Years of Age in Japan
Yoshie Yokoyama, Masako Sugimoto, Janne Pitkäniemi, Jaakko Kaprio, Karri Silventoinen
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 14 / Issue 5 / 01 October 2011
Print publication: 01 October 2011
We analyzed the characteristics associated with the growth in height of Japanese triplets from birth to 12 years of age. The study included 376 mothers and their 1,128 triplet children, who were born between 1978 and 2006. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire sent to the mothers asking for information recorded in medical records. For these births, data on triplets' length and height growth, gestational age, sex, parity, maternal age at delivery, and maternal height were obtained from records in the Maternal and Child Health Handbooks and records in the school which children receive health check-ups. The height deficit of the triplets compared to the general population of Japan remained between 2% and 5% until 12 years of age. Moreover, at 12 years of age, the differences of height between the general population and triplets were approximately -3.6 cm for male and -4.4 cm for female. Maternal height showed the strongest contribution to height of triplets from 6 to 12 years of age. In conclusion, triplets remain shorter than singletons until 12 years of age.
Motor Development of Triplets: A Japanese Prospective Cohort Study
Yoshie Yokoyama, Masako Sugimoto, Yu Miyake, Jun Sono, Kenge Mizukami, Jaakko Kaprio, Karri Silventoinen
We analyzed whether motor development in early life is different between singletons and triplets in Japan. The motor development was reported by mothers by postal questionnaire for 1,121 triplet children and in regular health check-ups for 13,906 singleton children. Children who were suspected of having neurological abnormality or disability were excluded from the analysis. The ages of milestone achievements were significantly higher in triplets for each outcome compared to singletons. Further, after adjustment for gestational age, birthweight, and birth length, the differences were significant for maintaining head, sitting alone and standing holding on. In children with birthweight of 2 kg or more, the ages of milestone achievements were significantly higher in triplets for each outcome compared to singletons, except walking holding on. Moreover, after adjustment for the confounding factors, the differences were significant for sitting alone and walking independently. On the contrary, singletons attained motor development facilitating crawling, walking holding on, and walking independently slower than triplets among those children with birthweight of 2 kg or less after adjustment for gestational age. In conclusion, triplets are overall at higher risk for the delay of gross motor milestones as compared to singletons independently of birth-related factors. In contrast, among children with a birthweight of less than 2 kg, singletons showed slower motor development than triplets after adjusting for gestational age. There is an obvious need to apply developmental standards that consider at least both multiple birth status (singleton, twin or triplet) and birthweight.
Twin Study of Heritability of Eating Bread in Danish and Finnish Men and Women
Ann L. Hasselbalch, Karri Silventoinen, Kaisu Keskitalo, Kirsi H. Pietiläinen, Aila Rissanen, Berit L. Heitmann, Kirsten O. Kyvik, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Jaakko Kaprio
Bread is an elementary part of the western diet, and especially rye bread is regarded as an important source of fibre. We investigated the heritability of eating bread in terms of choice of white and rye bread and use-frequency of bread in female and male twins in Denmark and Finland. The study cohorts included 575 Danish (age range 18–67 years) and 2009 Finnish (age range 22–27 years) adult twin pairs. Self-reported frequency of eating bread was obtained by food frequency questionnaires. Univariate models based on linear structural equations for twin data were used to estimate the relative magnitude of the additive genetic, shared environmental and individual environmental effects on bread eating frequency and choice of bread. The analysis of bread intake frequency demonstrated moderate heritability ranging from 37–40% in the Finnish cohort and 23–26% in the Danish cohort. The genetic influence on intake of white bread was moderate (24–31%), while the genetic influence on intake of rye bread was higher in men (41–45%) than in women (24–33%). Environmental influences shared by the twins were not significant. Consumption of bread as well as choice of bread is influenced by genetic predisposition. Environmental factors shared by the co-twins (e.g., childhood environment) seem to have no significant effects on bread consumption and preference in adulthood.
Growth Charts of Length and Height from Birth to Six Years of Age in Japanese Triplets
Yoshie Yokoyama, Masako Sugimoto, Karri Silventoinen, Janne Pitkäniemi, Jaakko Kaprio
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 12 / Issue 3 / 01 June 2009
We analyzed the characteristics associated with the growth in length and height of Japanese triplets from birth to 6 years of age and present the growth charts for them. The study included 354 mothers and their 1,061 triplet children, who were born between 1978 and 2006. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire sent to the mothers asking for information recorded in medical records. For these births, data on triplets' length and height growth, gestational age, sex, parity, and maternal age at delivery were obtained from records in the Maternal and Child Health Handbooks, which is provided by the authorities after a report of pregnancy. Birth length showed the strongest contribution to height of triplets from 1 to 6 years of age. In addition, birthweight was also a significant contributing factor to height from 1 to 3 years of age. Compared to the 50th percentile of the growth standard for the general population of Japan, the length and height deficit of the triplets was approximately 15% at birth (male, –7.0 cm; female, –7.0 cm), decreased within the first year of age, and fluctuated between 2 and 5% until 6 years of age (male, –3.7 cm; female, –3.3 cm). In conclusion, triplets have lower birth length and subsequent height than singletons. In spite of the catch-up growth during the first year of life, they are behind singletons even in mid-childhood. This study provides height growth curves for triplets.
Weight Growth Charts from Birth to 6 Years of Age in Japanese Triplets
Yoshie Yokoyama, Masako Sugimoto, Karri Silventoinen, Jaakko Kaprio
Journal: Twin Research and Human Genetics / Volume 11 / Issue 6 / 01 December 2008
We analyzed the characteristics of weight growth and present the weight growth charts from birth to 6 years of age in Japanese triplets. The study included 366 mothers and their 1098 triplet children, who were born between 1978 and 2006. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire sent to the mothers asking for information recorded in medical records. For these births, data on triplets' weight growth, gestational age, sex, parity, and maternal age at delivery were obtained from records in the Maternal and Child Health Handbooks, which is provided by the authorities after a report of pregnancy. Birthweight proved to be the strongest contribution on weight of triplets from 1 to 6 years of age. In addition, gestational age was also a significant contributing factor to weight from birth to 6 years of age. Moreover, males had a higher weight from birth to 6 years of age than females. Compared to the 50th percentile of the growth standard for the general population of Japan, the weight deficit of the triplets was more than 40% at birth (male, –1.28 kg; female, –1.28 kg), decreased within the first 1 year of age, and fluctuated between 4% and 9% until 6 years of age (male, –1.82 kg; female, –1.78 kg). In conclusion, triplets have lower birth weight than singletons and in spite of the rapid catch-up growth during first year of life they are behind singletons even in mid-childhood. This study provides growth curves for use in triplets.


text:
Q: How to get an array with one dimension in python ? I need to have each numpy file from a folder like an array with 1 dimension; This is my code:
path ='E:\\t'
traces= os.listdir(path)
print("tempTracesHW_Creation=", tempTracesHW)
for i in range(len(traces)):
   HW = tempHW[i]
   for trace in os.listdir(path):
       file_array= np.load(os.path.join(path, trace))
       print file_array
       tempTracesHW[HW].append(file_array)

The result of file_array is:
file_array= [[-0.0006447  -0.00094265 -0.0012406  ..., -0.02096185 -0.0210646
  -0.02114679]]

But what I want is:
file_array= [-0.0006447  -0.00094265 -0.0012406  ..., -0.02096185 -0.0210646
  -0.02114679]

I would be very grateful if you could help me please?

A: The numpy load function loads the file and return the array.
The file_array is two dimensional because your input to numpy.load is two dimensional.
Check the trace file, you need to make it one-dimensional array.
For example:
example = numpy.save("example",numpy.array([1,2,3]))

result = numpy.load("example.npy")

print result

[1,2,3]

See if this helps.
More of the code snippet would have help understanding your problem.(About the Trace file)

A: You can use flatten to turn this (1, x) array into a (x, ) array. flatten can be used differently, but in this case, it will do what you're looking for.
>>> import numpy as np
>>> a = np.array([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]])
>>> a
array([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]])
>>> a.shape
(1, 5)
>>> a.flatten()
array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
>>> a.flatten().shape
(5,)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The least expensive home sold in Maricopa from Feb. 16 to March 15 was worth $272,000 in 2005 but this year was listed at just $25,000 after extensive fire and smoke damage. Listed as lender-owned, it was sold as-is, sight unseen, for $56,000. Room designations and uses were set aside for this sale.


text:
'Justine is a fighter': Victim of terrifying Whitsundays shark attack returns to work
Ms Barwick was then confused as to why her legs were not working.
The 46-year-old was then flown to a Mackay hospital where she was fighting for life after suffering leg and torso injuries.
Ms Barwick was the first of several shark attack victims that followed, including 12-year-old Hannah Papps, who was bitten less than 24 hours after her in the same harbour.
A Victorian doctor lost his life two months later when he was fatally mauled by a shark in the Whitsundays.
Ms Barwick told The Advocate News she had not seen anything in the water to cause concern before the attack.
«And I'd jumped, dived into the water there literally thousands of times before,» she said.
Justine Barwick (top right) and Hannah Papps were both attacked by sharks after Whitsunday Island attacks. Three baited drum lines were rolled out in response. Credit:Fairfax Media/Supplied
Ms Barwick said she found it difficult to describe what happened next but the shark immediately «slammed» into her.
«I was really scared. I think it was a fight-or-flight moment because I just swam straight back to the boat and I got out of the water and my friend was still in the water,» she said.
«That makes me a little bit sad that I knew that there was a shark in the water and my survival instinct was so strong that I got out first.»
Five months on, Ms Barwick has returned to her role as operations manager at Family Based Care Tasmania.
She continued to receive regular physiotherapy as part of her rehabilitation but was left with lifelong disabilities as a result of the shark bite.
Family Based Care Tasmania chief executive Douglass Doherty said he was glad the team could assist Ms Barwick during her recovery but could vividly recall hearing her story.
«It's difficult. We all assume the friends are going to be with us for the rest of lives but when this sort of tragedy strikes, it makes us realise how fragile human life is and that we really should take the time to appreciate them,» he said.
«Justine is a very strong person and a fighter.»
Mr Doherty said there was a gap in the business while Ms Barwick was away from work.
«It's with great relief that I welcome Justine back to work, her knowledge and expertise is tremendous,» he said.
Ms Barwick said she was overwhelmed by the community support received for her family and her workplace during her recovery.
She said she was «incredibly lucky to be alive» and hoped to return to as normal a life as possible.
-with Lachlan Bennett
Jocelyn Garcia is a journalist at the Brisbane Times, covering breaking news.
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Our cameo collection was inspired by fond memories of our designer rummaging around in her Great Aunt Aggie's jewellery box. This beautiful work-of-art in miniature is typically carved in relief from some fine material such as stone, shell, ivory or mother of pearl. It was the ultimate accessory for Victorian gentlewomen, preferably one found on the travels through Italy, carved from lava depicting some mysterious woman with a long thin neck, piled up hair and wearing jewellery. Our little cameo, carved from shell, has been cast in solid steling silver 925 and used to adorn stud earrings, drop earrings, necklaces of varying chain lengths, bangles, rings and cufflinks. The range is offered in a mix of 18ct yellow gold, rose-gold and black rhodium vermeil to suit your look. The Cameo collection is part of I Love a Lassie's range of designer silver jewellery from Scotland.


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Quantock Education Trust
C/O Haygrove School, Durleigh Road, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 7HW
Email: kcanham@quantockedtrust.co.uk
Website: www.quantockedtrust.co.uk
Founded in 2016 by the Headteacher and governors of Haygrove School, the Quantock Education Trust (QET), formerly known as the Haygrove Academy Trust, comprises a cross-phase group of closely located schools: Spaxton C of E Primary, Stogursey C of E Primary and Haygrove School.
The two primary schools were given the approval from the Regional Schools' Commissioner to become academies to join the QET in 2018. Both have now converted, although the three schools have been working in collaboration for several years. We are working closely with several other schools who have shown interest in joining our Trust, as well as a range of schools with which we have formed links through our Teaching School status.
The geographical proximity is an important factor in the Trust rationale, but it is even more important that each school has committed to share a common vision and ambition to improve the life opportunities of all the children and young people in the community. What binds us all is a strong sense of collective and moral responsibility for the education of all children between the ages of 2 and 16, seeking to increase opportunities for learning and enrichment especially but not exclusively for those growing up in a rural community. All member schools must commit to protect the religious character of its schools as well as the individual ethos and diversity of each school community.
Integral to the development of the Trust is the importance of building capacity, sharing best practice and promoting excellence in teaching and learning from the very start of the academic journey through to the age of 16. We are passionate about developing the whole-child, through a high quality curriculum and programme of character education that will enable each child to develop into a well-rounded and good citizen with a lifelong passion for learning and ambition to succeed.
We believe that at the heart of school improvement there is a need for a strong culture in which relationships are key to effective and productive collaboration. We are hugely ambitious for all learners across our Trust, regardless of background or ability. We are also keen to support the sustainability of our small local schools, ensuring equity of access to opportunities, curricular and non-curricular, particularly for those children and families who live in remote areas.
As a multi-academy trust, we are committed to the development of talent and personal growth through an engaging and innovative approach to career planning through leadership pathways and an enriching offer of opportunities for Continuous Professional Development, including working in other Trust schools. Our Teaching School status is central to this aspect of our vision.
For more information please visit our website www.quantockedtrust.co.uk


In Whiteside County, Fulton's City Council is trying to put a cap on gaming.
"Video gaming in Fulton is pretty good, without it I don't think there'd be a tavern open in this town," says Fulton business owner, Denny Ottens.
The Illinois gaming board says gamblers wagered more than $18-million at Fulton's six gaming location in the first 11-months of 2018 – that means thousands of dollars for local businesses. But, should more people be able to cash in?
"Our mayor has made the point that per capita we have more machines per citizen than anyone in Western Illinois," says Randy Boonstra, Fulton City Administrator.
Illinois allows two different types of video gaming: terminals in restaurants or bars and parlors dedicated to just video gaming. But, you need a liquor license for either operation.
"Right now, we control the video gaming by not having any liquor licenses available," Boonstra says.
But one business woman wants a license so she can put a gaming parlor in the strip ball at the busy corner of Route 136 and 84.
Kathy Kingery says her request was made almost a year and a half ago. In the meantime, a restaurant got the license instead.
But, it's become a question for several cities: how much is too much?
The city will have a meeting on Monday, January 14th to decide whether to grant Kingery a special request for a liquor license. They may also grant a few other liquor licenses to potential business owners as well.