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Municipal, Singapore, Asia, Ultrafiltration, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Tanks
Hyflux poised for global diversification says chief
Anticipated growth in the global desalination market is expected to help diversify revenue from Asia to the Middle East and African markets for Singapore water company, Hyflux, according to its chief executive Olivia Lum.
Ahmad takes charge of inge sales for Asia/Pacific
Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane specialist inge GmbH has taken the decision to appoint a dedicated representative to reinforce its local presence in the Asia-Pacific region and boost its regional activities.
Hyflux first half revenue 90% municipal
Singapore, desalination group, Hyflux, generated more than 90% of its revenue for the six months to 30 June 2015 in municipal markets with almost a half of its sales in its home market and more than a third in China according to its first half 2015 report. Group profit after tax and minority interests was S$31.6 million (US$ 22.6 million) for the period.
Hyflux sees Dahej desalination funding 'within year'
Hyflux has extended the time it foresees for financial closure on its Dahej seawater desalination plant in India to "within this year".
Tuaspring SWRO desalination plant opens in Singapore
Singapore's second large seawater desalination plant was officially opened on 18 September 2013 by the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong.
Suez and Middle East plants top 2018 Global Water Awards
Suez has scooped the Desalination Company of the Year Award, and Middle East facilities topped the desal plant categories at this year's Global Water Awards from Global Water Intelligence (GWI).
Hyflux sells half-share of Singapore membrane R&D firm
Singapore's Hyflux Ltd announced on 11 March 2014 that it had agreed with Marmon Water (Singapore) Pte Ltd (MWS) to sell to MWS its entire 50% equity interest in Hyflux Marmon Development Pte Ltd (HMD), a company devoted to membrane/media filtration research.
Xylem bags Singapore UV deal
Water technology specialist, Xylem, has won a US$ 500,000 contract to supply a major municipal water reclamation facility with ultraviolet (UV) disinfection solutions.
Toray to supply membranes for Tuaspring desalination plant
Toray of Japan has won the order to supply reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements to the Tuaspring Desalination Plant in Singapore.
First IDA Young Leaders tour completed
The International Desalination Association (IDA) Young Leaders Program (YLP) recently concluded its first global Educational Tour, reaching out to more than 2,000 potential future desalters in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the USA.
ABS turbocompressors selected for Jurong MBR plant
Aeration for the membrane bioreactor (MBR) and the biological treatment tanks at Jurong Water Reclamation Plant, Singapore's largest MBR plant, is to be provided by ABS Turbocompressors HST.
November deadline for Singapore papers
Papers have been invited for the Water Convention held as part of the Singapore International Water Week, 4-8 July 2011.
Pentair X-Flow wins UF order for Ghallilah desalination
Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes and skids are to be supplied to the 15 MIGD (68,000 m³/d) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant at Ghallilah, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, by Pentair X-Flow.
German firm opens Singapore centre for R&D and UF
Mann+Hummel Singapore, worldwide headquarters of the water business division of the German filtration specialist, on 29 June 2012 opened a new centre and ultrafiltration cartridge production line.
Hyflux given loan for membranes and high‑pressure pumps
Singapore's Hyflux Ltd announced on 14 June 2012 that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hydrochem (S) Pte Ltd, has agreed a US$ 14.4 million loan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for the purchase of key components for the Tuaspring Desalination Plant in Singapore.
Most-read: our top 20 stories of 2018
The year 2018 was dominated by big project tenders in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. Water. desalination + reuse rounds up the top stories from our industry.
Hyflux preferred for 318,500 m³/d Singapore desalination plant
PUB, Singapore's national water agency, has selected locally based Hyflux Ltd as the preferred bidder for the country's second and largest seawater desalination plant.
Mann+Hummel buys into membrane-maker Microdyn-Nadir
Industrial filtration group Mann+Hummel announced on 8 May 2014 that it had taken a 50% stake of the German‑based company Microdyn‑Nadir.
Singapore to tender S$5 billion of water and waste works
Singapore's PUB and National Environment Agency (NEA) are to tender more than S$5 billion ($3.7 billion) of works covering civil, mechanical and electrical engineering for Tuas Nexus, an integrated wastewater and waste treatment facility.
Hyflux forecasts end to Middle East desalination doldrums
Following its recent landing of its first major Middle Eastern municipal water contract in five years, Singapore water treatment firm Hyflux said it anticipated demand in the region to accelerate.
Hyflux may build two large desalination plants in Libya
Hyflux Ltd of Singapore and General Desalination Company (GDC) of Libya signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on 24 June 2009 giving Hyflux the rights to work with GDC to jointly invest into and develop two reverse-osmosis desalination plants in Libya.
Reynolds to lead CH2M Hill in MENA and India
Chartered engineer Neil Reynolds has been appointed regional managing director for CH2M Hill's operations in Middle East/North Africa (MENA) and India.
Hyflux wins Saudi deal for Yanbu
Desalination specialist, Hyflux, has won a US$ 48 million contract to build a containerised desalination system for Saudi Arabia.
Acciona Agua wins E200 million Al Kohbar desal contract
Acciona Agua has won a Euro 200 million ($232 million) contract to design and build Al Khobar desalination plant on Saudi Arabia's east coast.
DuPont opens membrane factory in Saudi Arabia
DuPont Water Solutions has opened a new membrane manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia.
Doosan Babcock wins maintenance and support deal at giant Taweelah plant
Energy engineering company, Doosan Babcock, has won a contract with Taweelah Asia Power Company (Tapco) to provide essential maintenance and technical support services for Tapco's desalination plant in Abu Dhabi.
Energy Recovery wins deals totalling US$ 10.3 million in Asia and Middle East
Pressure energy technology specialist, Energy Recovery, has won US$ 10.3 million in project awards to install its PX Pressure Exchanger technology in desalination plants in Asia and the Middle East.
Environnement in global revamp
Suez Environnement has merged its Degrémont subsidiary into its international operating division under a major restructuring of the group's operations outside of Europe that will create five new regional businesses.
GDF Suez bags Lahmeyer
GDF Suez' consultancy arm, Tractebel Engineering, has bought Germany-based water and energy consultancy Lahmeyer International from financial investment firm Capiton.
Grundfos bags US$ 1.1 million grant for wastewater treatment research
Singapore has awarded pump and water technologies company, Grundfos, a S$1.4 million (US$ 1.1 million) grant to develop a wastewater filtration technology which the company says can "significantly reduce" capital investment and operational costs for wastewater treatment.
SWCC procures three floating desalination units
Saudi Arabia's Saline Water Conversion Corporation has procured three desalination units to provide floating capacity of 150,000 m3/d of drinking water over 20 years.
Go-ahead for 113,500 m³/d Orange County GWRS expansion
Orange County's world-renowned membrane-based Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) in California is to be expanded by another 30 MGD (113,500 m³/d) following approval by the board of the Orange County Water District (OCWD) on 30 March 2011.
KMS hires Subramanian to develop Southeast Asia markets
US membrane manufacturer Koch Membrane Systems (KMS) has hired Ravichandran Subramanian as regional commercial manager for Southeast Asia.
US ceramic membrane company expands to Singapore
Ceramic filter-maker LiqTech International Inc of Nevada, USA, announced on 17 January 2012 the opening of an expansion office in Singapore.
FEDCO moves Singapore office to PUB's WaterHub
Following its continued growth in Asia, Michigan-based Fluid Equipment Development Company (FEDCO) has relocated its Singapore office to the WaterHub location of PUB, the national water agency.
Commercialization moves nearer for memsys MD system
In what memsys CEO, Götz Lange, calls "a clear step towards commercialization of the company's membrane distillation (MD) technology", the Germany/Singapore based company has announced the formation of a Business Development Unit.
PUB and Mitsubishi join to test water recycling technology
Singapore's national water agency, PUB. has contracted Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation to build a demonstration-scale plant to test energy saving technologies that may be deployed at the proposed Tuas Water Reclamation Plant (WRP).
United Envirotech to acquire Singapore membrane-maker
Singapore's United Envirotech Ltd (UEL) is to acquire its own membrane manufacturing capability by spending S$ 293.4 million (US$ 231 million) on a 100% stake in Memstar Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Memstar Technology Ltd, also of Singapore, plus certain assets.
JGC and Hyflux to collaborate on water and desalination projects
Hydrocarbon engineering company JGC Corporation of Japan and NewSpring Utility Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based membrane technology company Hyflux Ltd, signed a joint venture agreement on 22 December 2009 to develop greenfield water projects including desalination in China.
Singapore signals more water co-operation with the Dutch
The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) and PUB, the national water agency of Singapore, signed a letter of intent on 22 October 2009 to boost collaborations undertaken by businesses and research institutions in the fields of science, technology and innovations in Singapore's water sector.
Changi wastewater reuse plant goes commercial
Stage 1 of the Sembcorp Changi NEWater Plant (SCNP) in Singapore has started commercial operations, according to a 26 August 2009 announcement from Black & Veatch, who provided full design engineering for the wastewater reuse plant along with construction support and commissioning services.
West Basin district dedicates desalination demo facility
California's West Basin Municipal Water District is nearing completion of its new desalination demonstration facility, following formal dedication of the plant on 12 November 2010.
New Singapore center will develop desalination/reuse solutions
GE and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are investing US$ 100 million in the Singapore Water Technology Center, which will seek new solutions for low-energy seawater desalination, water reclamation and more efficient water reuse.
Acciona to build Sembcorp's Fujairah 1 expansion
Singapore's Sembcorp Industries has signed a 20‑year water purchase agreement with the Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Company (ADWEC) which will enable it to expand its Fujairah 1 Independent Water & Power Plant (IWPP) by 30 MIGD (136,000 m³/d).
Singapore tenders 318,500 m³/d SWRO desalination plant
A tender for a 70 MIGD (318,500 m³/d) desalination plant to be built at Tuas, Singapore, was launched on 30 June 2010 by the country's national water agency, PUB.
Ceramic MBR demonstration project agreed in Singapore
A ceramic membrane bioreactor (MBR) demonstration plant is to be built at Singapore's Jurong Water Reclamation Plant following the signing of an agreement between the country's water agency, PUB, and Meiden Singapore (MSL), a subsidiary of Meidensha of Japan.
IDA and PUB to cooperate on water training/education
The International Desalination Association (IDA) and PUB, Singapore's national water agency, signed an agreement on 2 July 2012 to explore opportunities for mutual cooperation in promising areas of training and education regarding water.
Water reuse: a growing market of opportunity and challenge
Survey findings suggest a market with the technical expertise, innovative ideas, and will to service customers' water needs, while a lack of money, reluctance to take chances on new technology, and instances of poor governance present challenges.
Ceramic MBR + UASB water reuse plant opens in Singapore
Singapore's first ceramic membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant coupled with an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) was opened on 7 March 2014 to treat and recycle industrial used water.
Hitachi and Hyflux in Indian desalination agreement
A co-developer agreement for a seawater desalination project in Gujarat state, India, was announced on 22 March 2012 by a consortium of Hitachi Ltd and Itochu Corporation of Japan with Hyflux Ltd of Singapore.
Ex-Adelaide desalination chief joins Singapore's Hyflux
Milind Kumar, formerly project director of the Adelaide Desalination Plant for South Australia Water, has been appointed to a senior position in Singapore group Hyflux Ltd.
Pentair to buy CPT division from Norit
Pentair Inc is to acquire the Netherlands-based Clean Process Technologies (CPT) division of Norit Holding BV in the second quarter of this year for € 503 million (US$ 705 million), plus net debt at closing.
H2O Innovation lands three water/wastewater contracts
H2O Innovation Inc announced on 14 January 2014 recent contracts totalling Can$ 6.5 million (UA$ 5.93 million) in Western Canada's energy sector.
Multi-technology GE upgrade for Russian refinery treatment
Membrane bioreactor (MBR), electrodialysis reversal (EDR) and reverse osmosis (RO) technology will all feature in a major upgrade for the wastewater treatment at one of Russia's biggest oil refineries.
Singapore picks builder for new water reclaim plant
Singapore's water agency, the Public Utilities Board (PUB), has selected a consortium led by Bejing Enterprises Water Group and United Engineers as the preferred bidder for the Changi II plant under PUB's Newater marque.
Singapore setting for Desalitech pilot plant
A 200 m³/d pilot reverse-osmosis (RO) water treatment unit is to be set up in Singapore by Desalitech Ltd under a contract from a client who has yet to be named.
Grundfos reforms in bid to double Asia Pacific revenues
Danish pump manufacturer, Grundfos, has unveiled an organisational restructure in its Asia Pacific operations where it is looking to "double revenues over the next five years." The reshuffle will "improve customer service, enhance organisational efficiency, and drive the next phase of growth in the Asia Pacific."
Darco signs its first DBOO in Vietnam for four water plants
Darco Water Technologies of Singapore, and InfraCo Asia Development are to partner on a design, build, own, operate (DBOO) project covering four municipal water treatment plants in Vietnam.
Hyflux exits contract with SWCC amid company reorganisation
Hyflux has quit a contract with Saudi Arabia's Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) for three seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants, amid moves to restructure the company.
Five newcomers voted onto IDA board
Five new faces were elected directly to the board of the International Desalination Association (IDA) for 2013‑15.
IDA unveils new board of directors
The International Desalination Association (IDA) has named its new board of directors for 2017 to 2019.
Singapore acquisition to lead Hitachi RO desalination push
The Japanese Hitachi Group is to strengthen the structure of its reverse-osmosis (RO) system manufacture with the objective of expanding its seawater desalination and reclaimed-water system business.
Malaysia's Malakoff eyes desalination in global advance
Malaysian power and water engineering firm, Malakoff Corporation, is looking to expand its operation and maintenance (O&M) arm, Teknik Janakuasa, beyond its home market with an emphasis that includes desalination.
Hyflux and JBIC in collaboration agreement
Singapore water treatment and desalination firm Hyflux has entered into an agreement with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation for global collaboration on water projects.
Makhzoumi elected IDA president for 2009-11
The International Desalination Association (IDA) announced on 12 November 2009 that Imad Makhzoumi had been elected its new president for 2009-2011.
Private players are reshaping desalination says report
Private water companies are "reshaping global desalination" with nine of the top ten capacity additions in 2015 coming from private sector players according to market researcher Bluefield Research.
New Grundfos director seeks to double Asia Pacific revenue
Pump manufacturer, Grundfos, has charged newly appointed Asia Pacific regional managing director Okay Barutçu with doubling the company's revenue in the region.
Singapore pledges S$200 million for water research
Singapore's National Research Foundation is pledging S$200 million ($148 million) for the water industry through its research, innovation and enterprise (RIE) 2020 plan.
Norit to supply UF membranes for Singapore waterworks
Norit Asia Pacific is to supply of X-Flow XIGA™ ultrafiltration (UF) membranes to the Lower Seletar Waterworks project in Singapore to be constructed by Sembawang Engineers & Constructors.
The Long Read: Do we have the technology for potable water reuse?
Water reuse for drinking purposes is racing up the agenda in the US and elsewhere. Work to draw up new rules for potable reuse is advancing in states including California and Arizona, as well as in Canada and the European Union. Technologies are being piloted, and plants permitted.
Desalination plant's nitrate removal has hidden benefits
A water district in California has found a novel way to remove multiple contaminants from groundwater currently feeding a desalination plant without creating waste that requires costly treatment and disposal.
Construction completed on Australia's largest recycled water project
Wastewater reuse is a hot topic in Australia, with the "toilet-to-tap" label being trotted out on many occasions. In the state of Queensland, it has a lot more relevance because, as well as a brand new desalination plant at Gold Coast, the state now has a giant new municipal water reuse scheme. This article discusses completion of the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project, the southern hemisphere's largest recycled water project, and provides a technical overview of the international award-winning Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant. Producing up to 232,000 m /d of water, the WCRWP is the largest in the southern hemisphere and the third largest in the world. It provides purified recycled water, a climate- and rainfall-resilient source of pure water, to three power stations located in South East Queensland. In the future, the project will supply water to industry and potentially agricultural users, and, should the region's drinking water supplies fall below 40%, the Wivenhoe Dam. The project includes a network of more than 200 km of large-diameter underground pipes, three advanced water treatment plants, nine storage tanks and 12 pumping stations. It also provides significant environmental benefits by removing up to 50% of nutrients that would previously have been released to waterways feeding environmentally sensitive Moreton Bay. This article appeared in the May/June issue of D&WR magazine.
Wastewater leads membrane chemicals charge
Growth in the global membrane chemical market to 2020, will be led by the wastewater sector according to market analyst Future Market Insights (FMI). And desalination was expected to witness the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4% in the global membrane chemicals market between 2014 and 2020.
Hager + Elsaesser wins southeast Asia deals topping US$ 20 million
The southeast Asia arm of German water treatment firm, Hager + Elsaesser (H+E), has won contracts worth more than US$ 20 million in recent months.
The Long Read: The changing EPC landscape
There is a big shift going on in the water sector, and it's exemplified by the Suez-GE deal. While the focus of services offered by engineers has always ebbed and flowed along a spectrum of consultancy, design work, systems integration, and delivery, nowadays customers' decision-making processes are pushing at the boundaries of these traditional project service offerings.
STW finishes brine concentrator project at Horizon, Texas
Water management firm, STW Resources, has completed a US$ 2.2 million contract for the design, engineering and construction of a reverse osmosis (RO) concentrator for the Texas city, Horizon.
Asia and industrials to counter desalination decline
Declining drought in new desalination markets has weakened growth but a long-term counter from expansion in Asia and elsewhere creates a positive outlook for 10,000m³-plus plants according to a recent forecast by market researcher, Bluefield.
STW and Sunstone join to market zero discharge technology
Water management firm, STW Water Process and Technologies, has expanded its role in its exclusive agreement with Sunstone Water Group to commercialize Sunstone's patented wastewater effluent treatment technology to provide direct potable reuse (DPR) in municipal markets.
Singapore company wins UF reuse plant in UAE
Boustead Singapore's subsidiary Salcon has won an AED 55 million (US$ 5.6 million) contract to design, engineer and construct a new ultrafiltration wastewater reuse plant.
Sulzer to acquire JWC Environmental
Sulzer is to acquire JWC Environmental, a leading supplier of municipal and industrial wastewater equipment.
IDA announces death of InDA founder
The International Desalination Association (IDA) has reported the death of India's "water man" and founder of the Indian Desalination Association (InDA) Dr CH Krishnamurthy Rao.
Desalination tops user growth in membrane chemicals
The global market for membrane chemicals was worth US$ 1,013.8 million in 2013 and is expected to show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% to 2020 according to a report by market researcher, Future Market Insights. And desalination was expected to witness the highest end use sector growth of 11.4% between 2014 and 2020.
UN urges desalination industry to improve on brine
The United Nations has called on the desalination industry to clean up its act on brine as the number of desalination plants worldwide continues to climb.
Seven bidders line up for Abu Dhabi mega-project
Abu Dhabi Department of Energy has unveiled the seven consortia bidding for Taweela desalination plant mega-project, with the lowest price coming from ACWA Power at $0.49 per cube.
Jebel Ali project is a new direction for DEWA and Besix
The $237 million contract awarded by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) for a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant represents a big step for the client, and for Besix Concessions & Assets, which won the work in partnership with Acciona Agua.
OPWP signs ACWA Power, Veolia and Dhofar Development for Salalah project
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) has signed ACWA Power Saudi Arabia, Veolia Middle East, and Dhofar International Development and Investment, on a build, own and operate contract for Salalah Water Desalination Plant.
EOI request is out on Jubail phase 3 desal mega-project
Saudi Arabia's Water and Electricity Co has requested expressions of interest on Jubail phase 3, an integrated water and power project to include 1.17 million m3/d of desalination.
ACWA Group hires new chief to drive Middle East growth
ACWA Group has appointed Fadey Kassim as chief officer of sales and strategy to drive growth in the Middle East, particularly in the municipal and industrial water reuse segment.
West Basin demonstrating desalination intake and outfall technologies
One of the first seawater desalination demonstration facilities to employ ocean-protection technology at the source of intake and discharge has begun construction in Southern California, USA.
PWT signs three new overseas distributors
Three new distributors in Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa have been signed up by Professional Water Technologies (PWT), the business unit of Canada's H2O Innovation Inc.
Hydranautics to collaborate with Singapore's Memstar
Membrane manufacturer Nitto Denko/Hydranautics has agreed business collaboration with Memstar Technology Ltd, the Singapore-based manufacturer of high-performance hollow-fiber membranes.
Singapore desalination pressure-vessel contract for ROPV
Pressure-vessel producer ROPV announced on 12 September 2011 that Hyflux had awarded the company a contract to supply pressure vessels to the Tuaspring Desalination Plant, Singapore's second and largest seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant.
November deadline for Singapore convention abstracts
A deadline of 15 November 2011 has been set for the receipt of abstracts for the Water Convention at the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) in July 2012.
Desalination and reuse in Water Leaders' Blue Paper
Key ideas from the Water Leaders Summit at this year's Singapore International Water Week have been captured in the latest Water Week 2011 publications, Blue Paper and Solutions.
DWEER ERDs chosen for Singapore desalination plant
Singapore's new 318,200 m³/d Tuaspring seawater desalination plant will use DWEER™ devices to recover energy from the high-pressure brine stream of the reverse-osmosis process.
Singapore Week 2012 to be launched at IDA Perth Congress
The Singapore International Water Week in 2012 is to be launched at the World Congress of the International Desalination Association (IDA) in Perth on 5 September 2011.
MBR plant at heart of United Environtech contract in China
A 50,000 m³/d membrane-based wastewater treatment plant is to be built in Jiangsu Province, China, by United Envirotech of Singapore under a contract worth RMB 220 million (US$ 34.5 million).
IDA scholarships for PhD students in US and Singapore
The International Desalination Association (IDA) has awarded its Channabasappa Memorial Scholarship for 2011 to Errol M Glenn of the USA and Sim Siang Tze Victor of Singapore.
Warehouse fire delays Magtaa desalination by nine months
Completion of the 500,000 m³/d Magtaa desalination plant in western Algeria will be delayed by nine months after a fire destroyed the contractor's onsite warehouse on 28 July 2011.
Municipal OR Singapore OR Asia OR Ultrafiltration OR Middle East OR Saudi Arabia OR Tanks


Reginald "Fieldy/Reggie" Arvizuis the bass guitar player for the band Korn. Fieldy also has worked on some other projects.
Let's take a look at some of the gear and equipment that has been seen in Fieldy's Korn bass rig.


July Sunday afternoon air traffic conjestion. Hasbrouck Heights is in the background.
Since 1998, local officials have been pressing for early-hour airport closure.
Should Teterboro Airport be closed at midnight?
FYI: Westchester Airport closes between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.


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GAM appoints director for its institutional business in Australia
GAM Investments today announced the appointment of Alison Wallis as Director – Institutional Business. Alison is based in Sydney and will report to Alex Zaika, Managing Director for Australia.
In this new role, Alison will be responsible for business development and servicing the institutional market in Australia. Her appointment will further enhance GAM's local support and deepen relationships with Australian clients.
Her appointment follows growing interest from Australian superannuation funds in GAM's differentiated product offering, including its GAM Systematic alternative risk premia and insurance linked securities offerings, which continue to see positive net flows.
Alison joins GAM from Brookvine, where she spent six years as Director, servicing institutional investors. She was formerly a client manager at Deutsche Bank, where she managed strategic relationships with clients and prospects for the firm's fixed income and equity products. Alison began her career at Morningstar, initially on the graduate training programme, before becoming an analyst on the fund research team, where she covered all asset classes.
She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California and a master's degree in international business and commerce in quantitative finance from the University of Sydney. She also holds the Chartered Alternative Investments Analyst (CAIA) designation.
Alex Zaika, Managing Director for Australia, said: "Alison has an excellent reputation in the Australian market and brings a wealth of knowledge across asset classes. She will be a valuable addition to our team as we continue to expand our local offering for Australian clients and provide them with differentiated investment solutions."
GAM Media Relations:
London: +44 (0) 207 393 86 99
Visit us at: www.gam.com
Follow us on: Twitter and LinkedIn
About GAM
GAM is a leading independent, pure-play asset manager. The company provides active investment solutions and products for institutions, financial intermediaries and private investors. The core investment business is complemented by private labelling services, which include management company and other support services to thirdparty asset managers. GAM employs around 900 people in 14 countries with investment centres in London, Cambridge, Zurich, Hong Kong, New York, Milan and Lugano. The investment managers are supported by an extensive global distribution network.
Headquartered in Zurich, GAM is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and is a component of the Swiss Market Index Mid (SMIM) with the symbol 'GAM'. The Group has AuM of CHF 137.4 billion (USD 138.0 billion) as at 31 March 2019, excluding ARBF-related AuM of CHF 1.35 billion in liquidation.
The information in this document is given for information purposes only and does not qualify as investment advice. Opinions and assessments contained in this document may change and reflect the point of view of GAM in the current economic environment. No liability shall be accepted for the accuracy and completeness of the information. Past performance is no indicator for the current or future development.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home / OBW MAGAZINE / Beauty Being...
The Skin Microbiome: a new way of thinking
Preserving your Posture: Wellness Tips
FUROSHIKI: The Conscious Consumers Way of Gift Wrapping
Beauty Being Kind on Earth Day
The "green things growing" whisper me
Of many an earth-old mystery.
–Eben Eugene Rexford
Earth Day 2020 marks its 50th anniversary and we wanted to think about how to be good to the planet and the conscious beauty choices we can make to help.
The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, with the goal of raising awareness about our role in protecting our natural world. On this date, 20 million Americans ventured outdoors and protested in favour of a more eco-conscious society.
It's hard to believe today, but at the time, many people were not aware of some serious environmental issues, from air pollution to toxic dumps to pesticides to loss of wilderness.
In general, we can celebrate Earth Day by appreciating and respecting the natural world. Here are some ideas to inspire you before we go into our favourite choice of beauty brands:
Go native. Plants thrive best when they're natural to your area. See these 10 tips for an eco-friendly garden.
Invite bees to your garden. These are the bees that pollinate your plants for more flowers and food. Perhaps add a native bee house to your backyard.
Start an organic vegetable garden. Here are tips on organic seed-starting, to get you started.
Conserve water. See these tips for watering wisely in the garden and tips on how to create your own rain garden.
Cut back on plastic consumption and recycle plastics where possible. See this Plastics Recycling Chart.
Learn how to reuse in the kitchen, reuse in the home and re-purpose everyday household items.
Beauty Brands We Love
Earth Day has a history of uniting people around the world to solve the major problems facing our planet. No matter where you stand on climate change which is the biggest threat to humanity, according to the UN, we need to unite to do more to change our habits. A great step towards a positive impact on the planet can be revitalizing your beauty habits. This is getting easier thanks to conscious brands putting sustainably sourced ingredients and environmentally packaging first.
Earth Day comes around every April 22, but we should all be thinking about making conscious choices all year round. So, here are 10 beauty brands that we think will improve your skin whilst being good to our world:
codexbeauty.com
Packaging is made from PE, a polyethylene, which means it's made from renewable resources (sugar cane, not fossil oil). Costing up to four times more than regular packaging, it's 100% recyclable, and reduces Codex's carbon footprint anywhere between 50-80%. The cardboard used for any boxes is sustainably sourced, and thus costs twice as much to produce. The active ingredients are sustainably sourced to make for a highly effective product range.
aetherbeautyco.com
This is makeup with crystal charged pigment: infused with Diamond, Amber, Sapphire, Topaz, Amethyst and Tourmaline to illuminate the skin with their light-reflective properties. Formulated with organic coconut oil and organic shea butter to create an uber smooth buttery texture for one swipe application. Infused with organic rose hip oil and organic moringa oil which provides radiant looking, glowing skin and is rich in vitamin C. The palettes are sustainably packaged: with removal of eyeshadow pans and elastic (reuse it as a hair tie!). The paper palettes are fully recyclable - a first in the industry.
soinvogue.com
Makeup Brush brand So Eco positions themselves as the face of responsible beauty. Cruelty-free and vegan-friendly, So Eco brushes are created using responsibly sourced Bamboo and packaging is made using sustainable materials. Delivering a flawless finish with every application, expect a high-quality experience that also protects wildlife.
captainblankenship.com
Beachy waves are just a spritz away with this texturizing and moisturizing hair spray. It contains Atlantic sea salt for texture, organic aloe vera for moisture and light hold, organic sea kelp extract with vitamins and minerals to nourish the hair and scalp, and geranium and palmarosa organic essential oils for a beachy rose scent. Even better, Captain Blankenship is part of 1% For The Planet, meaning they donate 1% of all profits.
evolvebeauty.co.uk
A driving force behind organic beauty, Laura Rudoe traveled as far as the Amazon to look for superfoods for her skin-care line, Evolve Beauty, which is coming stateside in May. "I saw the [real] benefits you could bring to a community if you are working with them sustainably," she says of her time spent traveling the globe, scooping up nourishing oils like baobab which, when infused with natural sugar extracts and water, acts as a gentle, soap-free cleanser. With a hint of rose and vanilla, it smells as good as it feels—and looks every bit of it, too. Packaged in recyclable materials sourced locally in the U.K., and hand-bottled in Hertfordshire, England, the eight-product skin-care line includes both staples like hyaluronic serum and rarities such as rainforest rescue blemish serum, which includes willow bark, acai, and copaiba—all-natural sources that boost complexion with out the risk of irritation. Proving you don't have to sacrifice efficacy for ethics.
circumferencenyc.com
This line of natural skin care out of New York has masterfully combined powerhouse products with guilt-free practices. Each botanical found in the serum, hydration mask, and balancing oil, the latter of which includes the antioxidant-rich sacha inchi oil, which was harvested on a farm in the coastal region of Peru, is cold-pressed, unrefined, and never diluted—an act that ensures both efficacy and environmental sustainability. And, if an ingredient can't be traced back to its roots, it doesn't make the cut: "It is not just about what goes in the bottle," says founder Chris Kim, who launched Circumference with his wife Jina this month. "It is a question of how [the product] is raised, extracted, and processed, down to where the plant is from indigenously, so to make sure we are not sourcing ingredients that are in a shortage from a global standpoint." Pair that with its chic, recyclable glass bottles, and you have a minimalist's dream come true.
lolibeauty.com
Why can't we reinvent beauty?" asks Tina Hedges of Loli, a skin-care line that boasts a food-grade, fair-trade, organic, and ethical policy. With naturally grown ingredients hand-sourced from the farm and sea, the brand offers a wide range of bases (a plum elixir for your hair and face made of repurposed kernels from a farm in France) and raw oils (antioxidant-rich grape seed, collagen-boosting red maca root) for you to mix and muddle based on your skin's needs for the day. Think of it as a whole food delivery service but for your face: With all the right ingredients and recipes at your fingertips, your skin will never go hungry again. To add to these credentials, the packaging is designed to break down into compost in 180 days, and with each purchase, a donation will be made to organizations committed to ending human trafficking.
eskerbeauty.com
Vegan, plant-based, and made with organic ingredients, Esker's concentrated aromatic extracts are made in the U.S. but sourced from flowers, fruits, seeds, and more found all over the world. "Our frankincense comes from Oman, Africa where they have these really cool trees with families that have tended to the land for generations, distilling resin into oil," says founder Shannon Davenport of the ingredient found in her restorative oil, which is also made of antioxidant-rich carrot seed and organic ylang-ylang flower. The colour coded recyclable packaging is clever and a rainbow of pastel hues marks each ingredient for even the most label-averse eyes. The hidden gem is a packet of pollinator-friendly wildflower seeds which are good for the bees, the plants and the planet.
meowmeowtweet.com
The shampoo bar was made for your hair, but you can use it on your entire body—you'll want to spread the lovely floral fragrance around. Hemp seed oil and coconut milk deliver hydration and nourishment. Since it's bottle-free, it has a much smaller carbon footprint than your typical shampoo. And, it goes for a good cause, since Meow Meow Tweet supports many organizations with ongoing monthly donations, which have included Earthjustice, The Ocean Cleanup and Farm Sanctuary, to name a few.
typeadeodorant.com
This non-toxic must-have is both aluminum-free and cruelty-free. But what elevates it from others is its sweat-activated technology that prevents B.O. even after workouts. Other reasons to love it: You can apply it without getting your hands messy thanks to the squeeze-tube applicator. And the lightweight creamy texture feels good and applies evenly, but won't stain your clothes. It comes in four fresh but not-too-overwhelming scents — The Visionary, The Minimalist, The Dreamer and The Achiever. The model's go-to seems to be The Dreamer which is a light white floral aroma with hints of ylang ylang and jasmine.
Small Beauty Habit Changes
Here are a few eco-conscious ways to get started:
Look for organic products: If a product is listed as organic then it means it conforms to several environmental standards and is made from organically farmed ingredients.
Buy in bulk: If you know you love a certain shampoo, then why not buy one big bottle instead of several smaller ones? It will use less plastic and probably save you some pennies in the long run too.
Skip the chemicals: Look at the ingredients of your beauty products and see how many words you can pronounce! Using products with ingredients that you recognise rather than complicated chemicals probably means they're more natural and less harmful to the environment.
Protect the animals: If you can, try to avoid products that are tested on animals.
Coconut oil: Ethically sourced coconut oil can replace so many parts of your beauty regime. It can be used as a moisturiser, a cleanser, a hair mask and you can even cook with it! If you're looking to make your beauty routine more natural, then coconut oil is a great place to start. You can check out a coconut oil guide here.
You can participate by using the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE.
You can follow @earthdaynetwork's social media channels for each day's challenge
Earth Challenge 2020, a joint initiative from the Earth Day Network,


text:
District Constables Graduate from Training Programme
Published:Tuesday | August 11, 2015 | 11:22 AMKeisha Hill
Law enforcement across the island continues to be bolstered following the recent graduation of 10 district constables from a programme currently being administered by the Guardsman Group in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF)....
EU Heads Urges NGOs to Increase Sustainability
Published:Wednesday | July 22, 2015 | 5:54 PMKeisha Hill
leaders and managers from more than 80 diverse organisations recently attended a one-day capacity-building seminar on the importance of NGOs, under the theme, 'Essential Strategies and Tools for NGO Sustainability in 2015 and Beyond', in Kingston,...
Nestlé grants customers' wishes - Security officer among those surprised
Published:Friday | July 24, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
Being a staple in consumers' homes, Nestlé recently presented one of its customers, Nathalie Singleton, with items she wished for in the Nestlé As You Wish Promotion.For Singleton, a single mother of two children who works as a security officer with...
The Alpha Institute ... Providing a solid foundation for young boys
Published:Monday | July 27, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
The Alpha Institute is not just about education or providing skills training, its overall objective is to enable a social development thrust to help the boys in its care mature adequately and face their future.The school has more than 120 boys...
GSAT, CSEC students top EduFocal Excellence Awards
Twenty students who performed creditably in their recent Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations by using the EduFocal website were recently recognised for their outstanding efforts....
Acupuncture Helps Fertility Issues
Published:Saturday | July 18, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
The traditional Chinese method of healing known as acupuncture has been used successfully to enhance fertility and reduce painful and irregular menstruation. Offering an effective, time-tested approach, it is used alongside conventional reproductive...
JUMP gives youth a voice
Published:Thursday | July 23, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
Run Free is a community arts project that uses the aesthetics and philosophies of Parkour (a style of free-running), along with physical theatre, dialogue and music to capture the stories of young men living in Parade Gardens, Kingston. Creating a...
RuJohn Foundation Partners with Wisynco For Youths
Published:Monday | July 6, 2015 | 4:47 PMKeisha Hill
The RuJohn Foundation, in partnership with Wisynco, recently brought to Jamaica more than 30 entertainment and entrepreneurship personalities to facilitate more than 300 youths from across the island in the annual RuJohn Foundation Celebrity Sports...
Purina Pushes Proper Pet Care
Published:Tuesday | July 21, 2015 | 3:48 PMKeisha Hill
Whatever your pet's unique needs are and depending on your budget, Purina's range of pet foods gives them the nutrition they need to be their absolute best.With Purina's goal of providing pet owners with tailored nutrition for pets, local...
No More Pain - Acupuncture to the Rescue!
Dealing with the effects of discomfort, pain and injury can significantly affect your life both in and out of work, limiting what you do and how you interact with others. Therefore, preventing and managing discomfort, pain and injury makes good...
Determined to Succeed For Mom
Published:Tuesday | July 14, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
Tenneice Brown, one of the recipients of the VMBS Future Plan 'Head Start' Scholarship, is determined to realise her dream to make her mom Marcia Lewis proud.Brown is from a single-parent family and her daily sustenance was often from the meagre...
VMBS provides much-needed boost to youth groups
Victoria Mutual Building Society recently made three corporate donations to the St Andrew Settlement, Fletcher's Land Police Youth Club and the Alumni House at the University of the West Indies, Mona.St Andrew Settlement received a computer, which...
Queer creativity comes to the fore
Published:Thursday | July 9, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
In a city where artistic freedom and tolerance prevail to the solidity on offer to artists, the arts has been quietly making waves in Northern Ireland. However, much more can be done to support the movement and effect real change. What comes to the...
GraceKennedy Connects Birthright Interns To Their Roots
Published:Wednesday | July 8, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
After a six-year hiatus, the GraceKennedy (GK) Group has relaunched its Jamaican Birthright Programme, welcoming four interns from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) to the island for the opportunity to reconnect with their...
Massive Fire on Lyndhurst Road Leaves 15 Homeless
Published:Thursday | July 9, 2015 | 3:50 PMKeisha Hill
Despite fire crews' best efforts, a seven-bedroom dwelling house on Lyndhurst Road was reduced to rubble yesterday afternoon after a massive fire consumed all of the property. The inferno that began around 1:06 p.m. and threatened to destroy...
National Water Commission urging Jamaicans to conserve on water
Published:Friday | July 3, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
As severe drought continues to affect the island and with a very dim forecast for potential rainfall, the National Water Commission (NWC) is yet again imploring Jamaicans to conserve on the precious commodity.The NWC, through a prohibition order to...
Shawna Ashman inspired to paint
Published:Thursday | June 25, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
It is important to keep in mind that artists tend to enjoy their work. That sense of satisfaction is presumably why they keep chiselling away at it, even in a tough labour market. Jamaica's economic prospects for artists seem particularly bleak,...
NWC owed billions by customers
THE NATIONAL Water Commission (NWC) is reporting that more than 100,000 of its customers in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) have been delinquent in settling their arrears with the company, resulting in added debt of up to $18.2 billion dollars...
Grace Canning's Junior Engineer Soars to Success
Published:Wednesday | June 10, 2015 | 2:38 PMKeisha Hill
Chantelle Grant, junior engineer at Grace Food Processors Canning Division, one of the guest speakers at this year's launch of the GraceKennedy Education 5K Walk/Run 2015, applauded the Grace and Staff Foundation for the patience and diligence they...
Rosetta Steer - Championing the Cause for Houshold Workers in Jamaica
Published:Tuesday | June 16, 2015 | 1:46 PMKeisha Hill
Historically, the work done by domestic helpers has been considered lowly, and these nannies, housekeepers, caregivers and cleaners have been excluded from the protection of almost all major labour legislation.However, for Rosetta Steer, this year's...
A moving tale of a father's love
Published:Thursday | June 18, 2015 | 2:30 PMKeisha Hill
While almost any man can father a child, there is so much more to being a father in a child's life. A father's love is just as important to a child's development as a mother's, and sometimes more so, suggests a series of reviews published between...
Peacebe reinforces good values
Published:Thursday | June 4, 2015 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
The values and attitudes we live by affect how we relate to other people and to all our activities in the environment, and so is a major influence on our prospects for achieving a sustainable future. Values are qualities that students should develop...
It's Officially Open: Hi-Lo Barbican Unveils New Store
Published:Monday | June 8, 2015 | 2:59 PMKeisha Hill
In exclusive red-carpet style, the melodious tones of singer extraordinaire Gem Myers and musical renditions from saxophonist Kemroy Bonefield, Hi-Lo Food Stores, a division of GK Foods and Services Limited, unveiled the new look of its Barbican...
Jacks Hill watch - NEPA vows to get tough on developers
The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is vowing to get tougher on persons wanting to build in the upscale Jacks Hill community in St Andrew.According to NEPA, persons wanting to build on Jacks Hill will now have to meet stricter...
HE ROLE of Muslim women in the Islamic world is one that is prone to much discussion and assumptions. In most cases, the discussion is more often than not a negative one. The most common perceptions are of women living under the oppressive...


text:
Chris Enloe
Nick Sandmann's lawyer reveals CNN is next target for lawsuit — the amount is staggering
Justice is coming
John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images
First, it was the Washington Post. Now, attorneys for Nick Sandmann — the 16-year-old Covington Catholic High School student unfairly targeted by the mainstream media in January — say CNN is the next target for a defamation lawsuit.
What are the details?
In an interview with Mark Levin that will air on Fox News Sunday, lawyer L. Lin Wood characterized CNN's coverage of the Covington controversy in general, and on Sandmann in particular, as "more vicious in its direct attacks on Nicholas than the Washington Post."
"Now you say you've seen the tape, if you took the time to look at the full context of what happened that day, Nicholas Sandmann did absolutely nothing wrong. He was as I've said to others, he was the only adult in the room," Wood explained. "But you have a situation where CNN couldn't resist the idea that here's a guy with a young boy, that make America great again cap on. So they go after him."
"They were vicious. It was false. CNN will be sued next week and the dollar figure in the CNN case may be higher than it was in the Washington Post," Wood added.
When asked when the suit will be filed, Wood said Monday, March 11.
"Monday is the present plan," Wood said. "I've got some young smart lawyers that are working hard as we speak. Double checking and listen when we file complaints, we've investigated it because we want to get it right. Maybe CNN can learn from that."
What is the dollar amount planned?
In the lawsuit against the Washington Post, Sandmann's lawyers sued for $50 million in "reputational damages" and $200 million in punitive damages. Wood told Levin the total against CNN will likely be much higher than the $250 million total against the Washington Post.
"I expect because of the way they went after Nicholas so viciously that the claim for his reputational damage will be higher than it was against the Washington Post," Wood said.
"I would think the punitive damage award against CNN that we'll seek will be at least the same $200 million as it was against the Washington Post. But the compensatory damage to Nicholas's reputation, that number I expect will be higher," he explained.


text:
#include "paddle/fluid/operators/conv_op.h"

#include <memory>
#include <string>
#include <vector>

#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_CUDA
#include "paddle/fluid/operators/conv_cudnn_op_cache.h"
#include "paddle/fluid/platform/cudnn_helper.h"
#endif
#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_MKLDNN
#include "paddle/fluid/platform/mkldnn_helper.h"
#endif

namespace paddle {
namespace operators {

void ConvOp::InferShape(framework::InferShapeContext* ctx) const {
  PADDLE_ENFORCE(ctx->HasInput("Input"),
                 "Input(Input) of ConvOp should not be null.");
  PADDLE_ENFORCE(ctx->HasInput("Filter"),
                 "Input(Filter) of ConvOp should not be null.");
  PADDLE_ENFORCE(ctx->HasOutput("Output"),
                 "Output(Output) of ConvOp should not be null.");

  auto in_dims = ctx->GetInputDim("Input");
  auto filter_dims = ctx->GetInputDim("Filter");

  std::vector<int> strides = ctx->Attrs().Get<std::vector<int>>("strides");
  std::vector<int> paddings = ctx->Attrs().Get<std::vector<int>>("paddings");
  int groups = ctx->Attrs().Get<int>("groups");
  std::vector<int> dilations = ctx->Attrs().Get<std::vector<int>>("dilations");

  PADDLE_ENFORCE(in_dims.size() == 4 || in_dims.size() == 5,
                 "Conv intput should be 4-D or 5-D tensor, get %u",
                 in_dims.size());

  PADDLE_ENFORCE_EQ(
      in_dims.size(), filter_dims.size(),
      "Conv input dimension and filter dimension should be the same.");
  PADDLE_ENFORCE(
      in_dims.size() - strides.size() == 2U,
      "Conv input dimension and strides dimension should be consistent.");
  PADDLE_ENFORCE_EQ(
      paddings.size(), strides.size(),
      "Conv paddings dimension and Conv strides dimension should be the same.");

  PADDLE_ENFORCE_EQ(in_dims[1], filter_dims[1] * groups,
                    "The number of input channels should be equal to filter "
                    "channels * groups.");
  PADDLE_ENFORCE_EQ(
      filter_dims[0] % groups, 0,
      "The number of output channels should be divided by groups.");

  std::vector<int64_t> output_shape({in_dims[0], filter_dims[0]});
  for (size_t i = 0; i < strides.size(); ++i) {
    output_shape.push_back(ConvOutputSize(in_dims[i + 2], filter_dims[i + 2],
                                          dilations[i], paddings[i],
                                          strides[i]));
  }
  ctx->SetOutputDim("Output", framework::make_ddim(output_shape));
  ctx->ShareLoD("Input", "Output");
}

framework::OpKernelType ConvOp::GetExpectedKernelType(
    const framework::ExecutionContext& ctx) const {
  int customized_type_value =
      framework::OpKernelType::kDefaultCustomizedTypeValue;
  framework::LibraryType library{framework::LibraryType::kPlain};
  // TODO(pzelazko-intel): enable MKLDNN layout when it's ready
  auto input_data_type = ctx.Input<Tensor>("Input")->type();
  std::string data_format = ctx.Attr<std::string>("data_format");
  framework::DataLayout layout = framework::StringToDataLayout(data_format);

#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_CUDA
  if (platform::CanCUDNNBeUsed(ctx)) {
    library = framework::LibraryType::kCUDNN;
  }
#endif
#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_MKLDNN
  if (library == framework::LibraryType::kPlain &&
      platform::CanMKLDNNBeUsed(ctx)) {
    library = framework::LibraryType::kMKLDNN;
    layout = framework::DataLayout::kMKLDNN;
    customized_type_value =
        (input_data_type == framework::DataTypeTrait<int8_t>::DataType ||
         input_data_type == framework::DataTypeTrait<uint8_t>::DataType)
            ? kConvMKLDNNINT8
            : kConvMKLDNNFP32;
  }
#endif

  if (input_data_type != framework::proto::VarType::INT8 &&
      input_data_type != framework::proto::VarType::UINT8) {
    auto filter_data_type = ctx.Input<Tensor>("Filter")->type();
    PADDLE_ENFORCE_EQ(input_data_type, filter_data_type,
                      "input and filter data type should be consistent");
  }
  if (input_data_type == framework::proto::VarType::FP16) {
    PADDLE_ENFORCE_EQ(library, framework::LibraryType::kCUDNN,
                      "float16 can only be used when CUDNN is used");
  }

  auto type = framework::OpKernelType(input_data_type, ctx.GetPlace(), layout,
                                      library, customized_type_value);
#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_CUDA
  std::vector<framework::KernelConfig>& configs = kernel_configs_map_[type];
  // TODO(dangqingqing): Currently conv_fusion_op use cudnn but sets use_cudnn
  // to false. It should be fixed and then here should only create if library
  // is kCUDNN.
  if (configs.empty()) {
    std::shared_ptr<framework::AlgorithmsCache<cudnnConvolutionFwdAlgo_t>> p(
        new framework::AlgorithmsCache<cudnnConvolutionFwdAlgo_t>());
    configs.push_back(p);
  }
#endif
  return type;
}

void Conv2DOpMaker::Make() {
  AddAttr<bool>("is_test",
                "(bool, default false) Set to true for inference only, false "
                "for training. Some layers may run faster when this is true.")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddInput(
      "Input",
      "(Tensor) The input tensor of convolution operator. "
      "The format of input tensor is NCHW, where N is batch size, C is the "
      "number of channels, H is the height of the feature, "
      "and W is the width of the feature.");
  AddInput("Filter",
           "(Tensor) The filter tensor of convolution operator. "
           "The format of the filter tensor is MCHW, where M is the number of "
           "output image channels, C is the number of input image channels, "
           "H is the height of the filter, and W is the width of the filter. "
           "If the groups attribute is greater than 1, C equals the number of "
           "input image channels divided by the groups.");
  AddInput("Bias",
           "(Tensor) Bias to be added to each output of filter application."
           "The format of output tensor is X (one-dimensional) of size equal"
           "to the number of output channels. Only used with MKL-DNN.")
      .AsDispensable();
  AddInput("ResidualData",
           "(Tensor) Tensor with residual data "
           "to which convolution output will be added."
           "Used with fuse_residual_connection fusion.")
      .AsDispensable();
  AddOutput("Output",
            "(Tensor) The output tensor of convolution operator. "
            "The format of output tensor is also NCHW.");
  AddAttr<std::vector<int>>("strides",
                            "(vector<int> default:{1, 1}), the "
                            "strides(h_stride, w_stride) of "
                            "convolution operator.")
      .SetDefault({1, 1});
  AddAttr<std::vector<int>>("paddings",
                            "(vector<int> default:{0, 0}), the "
                            "paddings(h_pad, w_pad) of "
                            "convolution operator.")
      .SetDefault({0, 0});
  AddAttr<int>(
      "groups",
      "(int default:1), the groups number of the convolution operator. "
      "According to grouped convolution in Alex Krizhevsky's Deep CNN paper: "
      "when group=2, the first half of the filters is only connected to the "
      "first half of the input channels, while the second half of the filters "
      "is only connected to the second half of the input channels.")
      .SetDefault(1);
  AddAttr<std::vector<int>>("dilations",
                            "(vector<int> default:{1, 1}), the "
                            "dilations(h_dilation, w_dilation) of "
                            "convolution operator.")
      .SetDefault({1, 1});
  AddAttr<bool>(
      "use_cudnn",
      "(bool, default false) Only used in cudnn kernel, need install cudnn")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("fuse_relu_before_depthwise_conv",
                "(bool, default false) Only used in cuda depthwise kernel")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("use_mkldnn",
                "(bool, default false) Only used in mkldnn kernel")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("use_quantizer",
                "(bool, default false) "
                "Set to true for operators that should be quantized and use "
                "int8 kernel. "
                "Only used on CPU.")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("fuse_relu", "(bool, default false) Only used in mkldnn kernel")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("fuse_residual_connection",
                "(bool, default false) Only used in mkldnn kernel. Used "
                "whenever convolution output is as an input to residual "
                "connection.")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<float>("Scale_in",
                 "Scale_in to be used for int8 input data."
                 "Only used with MKL-DNN INT8.")
      .SetDefault(1.0f);
  AddAttr<float>("Scale_out",
                 "Scale_out to be used for int8 output data."
                 "Only used with MKL-DNN INT8.")
      .SetDefault(1.0f);
  AddAttr<float>("Scale_in_eltwise",
                 "Scale_in_eltwise to be used for int8 eltwise input data."
                 "Only used with MKL-DNN INT8.")
      .SetDefault(1.0f);
  AddAttr<std::vector<float>>("Scale_weights",
                              "Scale_weights to be used for int8 weights data."
                              "Only used with MKL-DNN INT8.")
      .SetDefault({1.0f});
  AddAttr<bool>("force_fp32_output",
                "(bool, default false) Force INT8 kernel output FP32, only "
                "used in MKL-DNN INT8")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<std::string>(
      "data_format",
      "(string, default NCHW) Only used in "
      "An optional string from: \"NHWC\", \"NCHW\". "
      "Defaults to \"NHWC\". Specify the data format of the output data, "
      "the input will be transformed automatically. ")
      .SetDefault("AnyLayout");
  // TODO(dzhwinter): need to registered layout transform function
  AddAttr<int>("workspace_size_MB",
               "Only used in cudnn kernel. Need set use_cudnn to true."
               "workspace size for cudnn, in MB, "
               "workspace is a section of GPU memory which will be "
               "allocated/freed each time the operator runs, larger "
               "workspace size can increase performance but also requires "
               "better hardware. This size should be chosen carefully.")
      .SetDefault(4096);
  AddAttr<bool>("exhaustive_search",
                "(bool, default false) cuDNN has many algorithm to calculation "
                "convolution, whether enable exhaustive search "
                "for cuDNN convolution or not, defalut is False.")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddComment(R"DOC(
Convolution Operator.

The convolution operation calculates the output based on the input, filter
and strides, paddings, dilations, groups parameters. The size of each dimension of the
parameters is checked in the infer-shape.
Input(Input) and Output(Output) are in NCHW format. Where N is batch
size, C is the number of channels, H is the height of the feature, and W is
the width of the feature.
Filters(Input) is MCHW format. Where M is the number of output image channels, C is
the number of input image channels, H is the height of the filter, and W
is the width of the filter.
Parameters(strides, paddings, dilations) are two elements. These two elements represent
height and width, respectively.
The input(X) size and output(Out) size may be different.

Example:
  Input:
       Input shape: $(N, C_{in}, H_{in}, W_{in})$
       Filter shape: $(C_{out}, C_{in}, H_f, W_f)$
  Output:
       Output shape: $(N, C_{out}, H_{out}, W_{out})$
  Where
$$
       H_{out}= \frac{(H_{in} + 2 * paddings[0] - (dilations[0] * (H_f - 1) + 1))}{strides[0]}+ 1 \\
       W_{out}= \frac{(W_{in} + 2 * paddings[1] - (dilations[1] * (W_f - 1) + 1))}{strides[1]}+ 1
$$
)DOC");
  Apply();
}

void Conv3DOpMaker::Make() {
  AddAttr<bool>("is_test",
                "(bool, default false) Set to true for inference only, false "
                "for training. Some layers may run faster when this is true.")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddInput(
      "Input",
      "(Tensor) The input tensor of convolution operator. "
      "The format of input tensor is NCDHW. Where N is batch size, C is the "
      "number of channels, D is the depth of the feature, H is the height of "
      "the feature, "
      "and W is the width of the feature.");
  AddInput("Filter",
           "(Tensor) The filter tensor of convolution operator. "
           "The format of the filter tensor is MCDHW, where M is the number of "
           "output image channels, C is the number of input image channels, "
           "D is the depth of the filter, H is the height of the filter, and W "
           "is the width of the filter."
           "If the groups attribute is greater than 1, C equals the number of "
           "input image channels divided by the groups.");
  AddInput("ResidualData",
           "(Tensor) Tensor with residual data "
           "to which convolution output will be added."
           "Used with fuse_residual_connection fusion.")
      .AsDispensable();
  AddOutput("Output",
            "(Tensor) The output tensor of convolution operator."
            "The format of output tensor is also NCDHW.");
  AddAttr<std::vector<int>>("strides",
                            "(vector<int>, default:{1, 1, 1}), the "
                            "strides(d_stride, h_stride, w_stride) of "
                            "convolution operator.")
      .SetDefault({1, 1, 1});
  AddAttr<std::vector<int>>("paddings",
                            "(vector<int>, default:{0, 0, 0}), the "
                            "paddings(d_pad, h_pad, w_pad) of convolution "
                            "operator.")
      .SetDefault({0, 0, 0});
  AddAttr<int>(
      "groups",
      "(int default:1), the groups number of the convolution operator. "
      "According to grouped convolution in Alex Krizhevsky's Deep CNN paper: "
      "when group=2, the first half of the filters is only connected to the "
      "first half of the input channels, while the second half of the filters "
      "is only connected to the second half of the input channels.")
      .SetDefault(1);
  AddAttr<std::vector<int>>("dilations",
                            "(vector<int> default:{1, 1, 1}), the "
                            "dilations(d_dilation, h_dilation, w_dilation) of "
                            "convolution operator.")
      .SetDefault({1, 1, 1});
  AddAttr<bool>(
      "use_cudnn",
      "(bool, default false) Only used in cudnn kernel, need install cudnn")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("use_mkldnn",
                "(bool, default false) Only used in mkldnn kernel")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("fuse_relu", "(bool, default false) Only used in mkldnn kernel")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<bool>("fuse_residual_connection",
                "(bool, default false) Only used in mkldnn kernel. Used "
                "whenever convolution output is as an input to residual "
                "connection.")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddAttr<std::string>(
      "data_format",
      "(string, default NCHW) Only used in "
      "An optional string from: \"NHWC\", \"NCHW\". "
      "Defaults to \"NHWC\". Specify the data format of the output data, "
      "the input will be transformed automatically. ")
      .SetDefault("AnyLayout");
  AddAttr<bool>("force_fp32_output",
                "(bool, default false) Only used in mkldnn INT8 kernel")
      .SetDefault(false);
  // TODO(dzhwinter): need to registered layout transform function
  AddAttr<int>("workspace_size_MB",
               "Only used in cudnn kernel. workspace size for cudnn, in MB, "
               "workspace is a section of GPU memory which will be "
               "allocated/freed each time the operator runs, larger "
               "workspace size can increase performance but also requires "
               "better hardware. This size should be chosen carefully.")
      .SetDefault(4096);
  AddAttr<bool>("exhaustive_search",
                "(bool, default false) cuDNN has many algorithm to calculation "
                "convolution, whether enable exhaustive search "
                "for cuDNN convolution or not, defalut is False.")
      .SetDefault(false);
  AddComment(R"DOC(
Convolution3D Operator.

The convolution operation calculates the output based on the input, filter
and strides, paddings, dilations, groups parameters. The size of each dimension of the
parameters is checked in the infer-shape.
Input(Input) and output(Output) are in NCDHW format, where N is batch
size, C is the number of channels,D is the depth of the feature, H is the height of
the feature, and W is the width of the feature.
Filters(Input) is MCDHW format, where M is the number of output image channels,
C is the number of input image channels, D is the depth of the filter,
H is the height of the filter, and W is the width of the filter.
Parameters(strides, paddings, dilations) are three elements. These three elements
represent depth, height and width, respectively.
The input(X) size and output(Out) size may be different.

Example:
  Input:
       Input shape: $(N, C_{in}, D_{in}, H_{in}, W_{in})$
       Filter shape: $(C_{out}, C_{in}, D_f, H_f, W_f)$
  Output:
       Output shape: $(N, C_{out}, D_{out}, H_{out}, W_{out})$
  Where
  $$
       D_{out}= \frac{(D_{in} + 2 * paddings[0] - (dilations[0] * (D_f - 1) + 1))}{ strides[0]}+ 1 \\
       H_{out}= \frac{(H_{in} + 2 * paddings[1] - (dilations[1] * (H_f - 1) + 1))}{ strides[1]}+ 1 \\
       W_{out}= \frac{(W_{in} + 2 * paddings[2] - (dilations[2] * (W_f - 1) + 1))}{ strides[2]}+ 1
  $$
)DOC");
  Apply();
}

void ConvOpGrad::InferShape(framework::InferShapeContext* ctx) const {
  auto in_dims = ctx->GetInputDim("Input");
  auto filter_dims = ctx->GetInputDim("Filter");
  if (ctx->HasOutput(framework::GradVarName("Input"))) {
    ctx->SetOutputDim(framework::GradVarName("Input"), in_dims);
  }
  if (ctx->HasOutput(framework::GradVarName("Filter"))) {
    ctx->SetOutputDim(framework::GradVarName("Filter"), filter_dims);
  }
}

framework::OpKernelType ConvOpGrad::GetExpectedKernelType(
    const framework::ExecutionContext& ctx) const {
  int customized_type_value =
      framework::OpKernelType::kDefaultCustomizedTypeValue;
  framework::LibraryType library_{framework::LibraryType::kPlain};
  // TODO(pzelazko-intel): enable MKLDNN layout when it's ready
  std::string data_format = ctx.Attr<std::string>("data_format");
  framework::DataLayout layout_ = framework::StringToDataLayout(data_format);

#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_CUDA
  if (platform::CanCUDNNBeUsed(ctx)) {
    library_ = framework::LibraryType::kCUDNN;
  }
#endif
#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_MKLDNN
  if (library_ == framework::LibraryType::kPlain &&
      platform::CanMKLDNNBeUsed(ctx)) {
    library_ = framework::LibraryType::kMKLDNN;
    layout_ = framework::DataLayout::kMKLDNN;
    customized_type_value = kConvMKLDNNFP32;
  }
#endif

  auto type = framework::OpKernelType(ctx.Input<Tensor>("Input")->type(),
                                      ctx.GetPlace(), layout_, library_,
                                      customized_type_value);
#ifdef PADDLE_WITH_CUDA
  if (library_ == framework::LibraryType::kCUDNN) {
    std::vector<framework::KernelConfig>& configs = kernel_configs_map_[type];
    if (configs.empty()) {
      std::shared_ptr<framework::AlgorithmsCache<cudnnConvolutionBwdDataAlgo_t>>
          p(new framework::AlgorithmsCache<cudnnConvolutionBwdDataAlgo_t>());
      configs.push_back(p);

      std::shared_ptr<
          framework::AlgorithmsCache<cudnnConvolutionBwdFilterAlgo_t>>
          p2(new framework::AlgorithmsCache<cudnnConvolutionBwdFilterAlgo_t>());
      configs.push_back(p2);
    }
  }
#endif
  return type;
}

class Conv2DGradMaker : public framework::SingleGradOpDescMaker {
 public:
  using framework::SingleGradOpDescMaker::SingleGradOpDescMaker;

  std::unique_ptr<framework::OpDesc> Apply() const override {
    auto* op = new framework::OpDesc();
    op->SetType(this->ForwardOpType() + "_grad");
    op->SetInput("Input", Input("Input"));
    op->SetInput("Filter", Input("Filter"));
    op->SetInput("Bias", Input("Bias"));
    op->SetInput(framework::GradVarName("Output"), OutputGrad("Output"));

    op->SetOutput(framework::GradVarName("Input"), InputGrad("Input"));
    op->SetOutput(framework::GradVarName("Filter"), InputGrad("Filter"));
    op->SetOutput(framework::GradVarName("Bias"), InputGrad("Bias"));
    op->SetAttrMap(Attrs());

    return std::unique_ptr<framework::OpDesc>(op);
  }
};

class Conv3DGradMaker : public framework::SingleGradOpDescMaker {
 public:
  using framework::SingleGradOpDescMaker::SingleGradOpDescMaker;

  std::unique_ptr<framework::OpDesc> Apply() const override {
    auto* op = new framework::OpDesc();
    op->SetType(this->ForwardOpType() + "_grad");
    op->SetInput("Input", Input("Input"));
    op->SetInput("Filter", Input("Filter"));
    op->SetInput(framework::GradVarName("Output"), OutputGrad("Output"));

    op->SetOutput(framework::GradVarName("Input"), InputGrad("Input"));
    op->SetOutput(framework::GradVarName("Filter"), InputGrad("Filter"));

    if (ForwardOp().Inputs().count("ResidualData") != 0) {
      op->SetInput("ResidualData", Input("ResidualData"));
    }

    op->SetAttrMap(Attrs());

    return std::unique_ptr<framework::OpDesc>(op);
  }
};

}  // namespace operators
}  // namespace paddle

namespace ops = paddle::operators;
REGISTER_OPERATOR(conv2d, ops::ConvOp, ops::Conv2DOpMaker,
                  ops::ConvOpInferVarType, ops::Conv2DGradMaker);
REGISTER_OPERATOR(conv2d_grad, ops::ConvOpGrad);

// depthwise convolution op
REGISTER_OPERATOR(depthwise_conv2d, ops::ConvOp, ops::Conv2DOpMaker,
                  ops::ConvOpInferVarType, ops::Conv2DGradMaker);
REGISTER_OPERATOR(depthwise_conv2d_grad, ops::ConvOpGrad);

REGISTER_OPERATOR(conv3d, ops::ConvOp, ops::Conv3DOpMaker,
                  ops::ConvOpInferVarType, ops::Conv3DGradMaker);
REGISTER_OPERATOR(conv3d_grad, ops::ConvOpGrad);

// depthwise conv kernel
// TODO(xingzhaolong): neon kernel for mobile
REGISTER_OP_CPU_KERNEL(
    depthwise_conv2d,
    ops::GemmConvKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, float>,
    ops::GemmConvKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, double>);

REGISTER_OP_CPU_KERNEL(
    depthwise_conv2d_grad,
    ops::GemmConvGradKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, float>,
    ops::GemmConvGradKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, double>);

REGISTER_OP_CPU_KERNEL(
    conv2d, ops::GemmConvKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, float>,
    ops::GemmConvKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, double>);
REGISTER_OP_CPU_KERNEL(
    conv2d_grad,
    ops::GemmConvGradKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, float>,
    ops::GemmConvGradKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, double>);

REGISTER_OP_CPU_KERNEL(
    conv3d, ops::GemmConvKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, float>,
    ops::GemmConvKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, double>);
REGISTER_OP_CPU_KERNEL(
    conv3d_grad,
    ops::GemmConvGradKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, float>,
    ops::GemmConvGradKernel<paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext, double>);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
# 1139: UK Children's Charity condemns government policy on power lines
From Sarah Dacre:
Authorised for mass circulation to all relevant web sites and media contacts.
GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO PROTECT YOUNG LIVES, SAYS LEADING CHILDREN"™S CANCER CHARITY
LONDON: CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is the charity leading the campaign for a ban on building homes and schools near high voltage overhead power lines. Today the charity has condemned the Government for failing to act on recommendations and advice from leading scientists, professionals and MPs in their call for action to protect children from the potentially harmful effects of living close to high voltage overhead power lines.
A building moratorium on new homes and schools close to high voltage overhead power lines was identified as the "best available option" for obtaining a significant reduction in exposure to extremely low frequency EMFs by SAGE, the Government"™s own Stakeholder Advisory Group, in its report published in April 2007. Following that announcement, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) called on the Government to legislate to restrict the building of new homes and schools next to existing power lines.
The Government will not introduce the ban, instead relying on lesser recommendations such as working with the HPA to deliver public messages and supporting the optimal phasing of overhead power lines, which the charity says will do nothing to reduce public exposure to EMF.
Chairman of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA, Eddie O"™Gorman, lost two of his children to cancer. He believes that the death of his son from leukaemia may have been associated with the electricity substation in their back garden and said: "Until more research is carried out we expected the Government to follow the precautionary principle by either banning building, or at the very least issuing formal guidance. An association has been found between childhood leukaemia and living close to high voltage overhead power lines and we need a clear message from Government that they will protect our children. Today"™s announcement is an attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet."
Caroline Hampden-White from CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA said: "It has taken the Government two and a half years (since the SAGE report was issued) to decide to do nothing to reduce public exposure to EMF. As science evidence continues to emerge in this arena the time for precautionary action to protect children is now".
The Government has been under increasing pressure to act following the publication of the Draper Report in 2005, which reported that children with a birth address within 200m of a high voltage overhead power line had a 70% greater risk of developing leukaemia.
In July 2007, a Cross-Party Inquiry of senior backbench MPs recommended that Government introduce a building moratorium within at least 60 metres of existing high voltage overhead power lines.
For more information, or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson from CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA, please call
Tina Price on 01258 861221 or 07966 239092
Copies of the DRAPER Report and SAGE Report can be downloaded at http://www.leukaemia.org/what-we-do/campaigning/151
Government response to the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (ELF EMFs) (SAGE) recommendations: http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_107123.pdf
CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is the UK"™s leading charity dedicated to fighting Britain"™s biggest childhood cancer. We fund research into the causes, treatment and prevention of childhood leukaemia and campaign on issues of relevance.
Leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer, accounting for one third of all cases. There are approximately 500 new cases of childhood leukaemia each year, out of which around 100 children will die. The remainder go through several years of gruelling treatment. The incidence of childhood leukaemia increased steadily throughout the last century – most markedly in the under fives "" and we don"™t know why.
SAGE is the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (ELF EMF). It was formed in 2004 following a recommendation from the HPA for Government to consider the need for precautionary measures to reduce public exposure to EMF.
The SAGE Report was drawn up for Government by a group of 40 stakeholders, including scientists, representatives from the energy industry, campaigners and government officials. The SAGE process is funded equally by the energy industry, Department of Health and the charity CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.
BACKGROUND TIMETABLE OF EVENTS:
The World Health Organisation"™s International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO IARC) defined Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields (ELF EMF) as "˜possibly carcinogenic to humans"™ and they were classified as a 2b carcinogen.
The National Radiological Protection Board recommended that the Government should "˜consider the need for further precautionary measures in respect of exposure of people to EMF"™.
The Stakeholder Advisory Group on EMF (SAGE) was established. SAGE is funded equally by the Department of Health, the energy industry and CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.
The Draper Report published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal). The largest single study of childhood cancer and power lines, conducted by the Oxford Childhood Cancer Research Group in collaboration with National Grid and funded by the Department of Health, it used the records of almost 30,000 children with cancer in England and Wales. The study reported that children with a birth address within 200m of high voltage power lines had a 70% higher risk of leukaemia compared with those living 600m or more away. A full copy of the report can be viewed at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint_abr/330/7503/1290.pdf
Responding to the Draper Report, CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA called for a moratorium on new homes being built near power lines and an Early Day Motion (EDM 403) in support of this was signed by 223 MPs, ranking it one of the top 40 most supported Motions in that Parliament.
Dr Howard Stoate MP chaired the first meeting of the Cross-Party Inquiry into Childhood Leukaemia and Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (ELF EMF). The secretariat of the Inquiry was supported and funded by CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.
The SAGE First Interim Assessment was published. It identified a building moratorium (on the building of new homes and schools within 60 metres of existing 275 kV and 400 kV power lines and the building of new power lines within the same distance of homes and schools) as "˜the best-available option for obtaining significant exposure reduction"™. For lower voltages "" 132 kV, 110kV and 66 kV lines, SAGE suggested 30 metres would be the appropriate distance for such a moratorium. The SAGE Report can be viewed at http://www.rkpartnership.co.uk/sage/
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) called on the Government to legislate to restrict the building of new homes and schools next to existing power lines.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Environmental Health Criteria Monograph on Extremely Low Frequency Fields (No.328) was published, and concluded that "˜provided that the health, social and economic benefits of electric power are not compromised, implementing very low-cost precautionary procedures to reduce exposure [to ELF EMF] is reasonable and warranted."™
In answer to a parliamentary question, the Government stated that they had referred the SAGE Report to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for its advice.
The Cross-Party Inquiry into Childhood Leukaemia and Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (ELF EMF) publishes its report. The Inquiry MPs were: Michael Connarty MP, Dr. Ian Gibson MP, Sandra Gidley MP, Nick Hurd MP Dr. Howard Stoate (Chair).
The HPA issued a response to Government on both the SAGE Report and the Cross-Party Inquiry Report recommending that "˜the attention of local authority planning departments and the electricity companies be drawn to the evidence for a possible small increase in childhood leukaemia which may result from siting new buildings very close to power lines."™
Motion S3M-800, tabled by Keith Brown MSP, in the Scottish Parliament received cross-bench support from over 30 MSPs, which allowed it to stay on the list of Motions for the whole session.
Nick Hurd MP, Richard Benyon MP and Dr Brian Iddon MP tabled amendments to the Housing, Planning and Energy Bills respectively during the House of Commons stages of these Government Bills, calling for the introduction of precautionary measures to reduce EMF exposure from power lines. Baroness Finlay, Lord Best, Lord Jenkin of Roding and Lord Colwyn also raised these issues during the passage of these Bills through the House of Lords.
Tim Loughton MP
Nick Hurd MP, Lembit Öpik MP, Dr. Howard Stoate MP and Andrew Stunell MP put down parliamentary questions on EMF requesting further information and the Government"™s response both to SAGE and the Cross-Party Inquiry.
SAGE wrote three times to the Department of Health asking again for a substantive response.
Dr. Richard Simpson MSP raises the issue of childhood leukaemia in relation to the proposed Beauly to Denny power line.
Dan Rogerson MP pledged the support of the Liberal Democrats to CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA and called the Government"™s lack of response "a betrayal".
Tina Price


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For our injection moulded cylinder brushes we produce a low cost, robust, and balanced tube. However, injection moulding tooling is expensive and only suitable for large production runs — contact us today to arrange this, and find out more about our injection moulding on the plastic division page.
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text:
TechKnowledge
Qatar Event
Techknowledge newsroom
Nahla wa Nahil™ Named SIIA Education Technology 2021 CODiE Award Finalist for Best Advanced Reading/Writing/Literature Instructional Solution.
Dubai, UAE (May 4, 2021): TechKnowledge is the leading specialized electronic information solutions provider in the Middle East, today announced that Nahla wa Nahil™, an Arabic Digital Reading Solution, was named a 2021 SIIA CODiE Award finalist in the Best Advanced Reading/Writing/Literature Instructional Solution category. CODiE Award finalists represent applications, products, and services from developers of educational software, digital content, online learning services and related technologies across the PreK-20 sector.
Nahla wa Nahil
Nahla wa Nahil was created by Arabic language teachers to ensure that K-8 students at all reading levels have access to the appropriate resources they need to improve their Arabic reading and comprehension skills. Providing the most advanced Arabic educational e-reading platform, N&N's unique game-based approach fosters student engagement and challenges them as they improve their levels of reading and comprehension. Usage tracking, student assessments and dashboards enable teachers to monitor student comprehension and progress, and tailor instruction to meet each student's individual needs.
"Im very excited that www.nahlawanahil.com has been recognized by SIIA as a 2021 CODIE Finalist, in the Best Advanced Reading/Writing/Literature Instructional Solution category. It was an idea that we had 6 years ago, to empower young learners with the digital learning tools to improve their Arabic language and reading skills and save the Arabic language, to reality.
I am equally proud of our team for their creativity, hard work, perseverance, and, more than anything else, teamwork, to build the leading #arabiclanguage learning and levelled reading platform for children around the world". says TechKnowledge CEO Mohamed Al Bagdadhi.
Acknowledged as the premier awards program for the software and information industries for over 35 years, the SIIA CODiE Awards are produced by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software, education, media, financial information and digital content industries. Nahla wa Nahil™ was honored as one of 152 finalists across the 42 education technology categories.
"The CODiE Awards recognize the most exciting and transformative products in Ed Tech," said Jeff Joseph, SIIA President. "This year, these leaders helped our nation respond to the historic pandemic, enabling learners, educators, administrators and parents to remain connected to each other and to critical educational resources via an array of innovative services and platforms. Congratulations to this year's finalists for demonstrating the vitality, resilience and importance of this important industry."
The SIIA CODiE Awards are the industry's only peer-recognized awards program. Educators and administrators serve as judges and conduct the first-round review of all education nominees. Their scores determine the SIIA CODiE Award finalists which accounts for 80% of the overall score. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Business Technology category winners will be announced during an online winner announcement celebration June 22, 2021.
Details about each finalist are listed at https://history.siia.net/codie/2021-Finalist
About TechKnowledge:
TechKnowledge is the leading eLearning solutions provider in the Middle East and North Africa. Techknowledge partners with globally recognized publishers, scientific societies and education technology companies; The company's mission is to ensure that students, schools, universities, healthcare, government and corporate have access to the most current and critical information at their fingertips in order to improve and advance learning, research and patient outcomes.
Al Manhal, a division of TechKnowledge; is the global leader in Arabic language e-learning solutions. Their solutions include Nahla wa Nahil™, an Arabic language digital literacy solution for pre-school and elementary school learners, as well as its full-text searchable databases of Arabic scholarly and scientific publication for universities and research centers.
Together, TechKnowledge and Al Manhal aim to drive better outcomes in education, research, and healthcare by providing next generation learning solutions to its customers.
About the SIIA CODiE™ Awards
The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technology's finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence. For more information, visit siia.net/CODiE.
About Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA)
SIIA is the only professional organization connecting more than 700 data, financial information, education technology, specialized content and publishing, and health technology companies. Our diverse members manage the global financial markets, develop software that solves today's challenges through technology, provide critical information that helps inform global businesses large and small, and innovate for better health care and personal wellness outcomes.
Ministry of Education Endorsed E-learning Platform Nahla wa Nahil Models a New Era of Arabic Learning
Nahla wa Nahil is an award winning, e-literacy platform designed by Arabic language experts to help K-8 students to enhance Arabic literacy in the most engaging and interactive manner. With its unique and scientific design, it is developed to extend a customized learning experience to primary children at home and at school based on their unique cognitive pace.
As digital transformation has created ripples across the education sector and into modern day classrooms, the Ministry of Education UAE has embarked on a strategic partnership with Nahla wa Nahil, a digital solution by TechKnowledge, for grades K-8 blended learning.
The objective behind this move was to deliver the effective and engaging learning solution, Nahla wa Nahil, to young minds while simultaneously igniting their passion for their native language.
As a result of the partnership, Nahla wa Nahil was made a compulsory resource for all public and private primary schools to enrich Arabic learning outcomes across the Emirates.
The development took place in early 2020, right before the global pandemic placed a dent on the smooth functioning of schools and educational institutions on account of its social distancing restrictions.
This timely move has been a game changer. It facilitated in transitioning primary Arabic learning across the country towards what can be called a new era of education – backed by custom learning experiences for every student and hard data on learning outcomes achieved.
In addition to supporting schools, the Nahla wa Nahil platform has provided a solid means to raise the overall bar in Arabic reading, comprehension, and excellence among primary learners. It has complemented the blended learning needs of present times, while offering an exciting mechanism for children to learn the Arabic language at their own academic capability.
The extensive leveled content on the app is carefully curated covering over 160 subject areas, thousands of stories, and hundreds of print-and-do activities to ensure interactive learning experiences. Students get the option to read, listen and record their own pronunciation in Arabic on the Web and app-based portal.
The Nahla wa Nahil platform empowers educators with an efficient mechanism to conduct assignments, assessments, and competitions, and keep track of the learning progress through detailed reports and statistics. Parents of students also get a chance to gain an understanding of their child's progress in Arabic language skills, backed by actual learning data – something that was not possible to this level of accuracy earlier.
Over the course of the past year, this partnership between the Ministry of Education UAE and Nahla wa Nahil, has brought substantial improvement in children's Arabic language skills. This fusion of technology is here to stay in the Arabic learning system, paving the path for the entire academic community.
TechKnowledge is the leading specialized electronic information solutions provider in the Middle East.
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Before advances in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) methods allowed for three-dimensional (3D) interrogation of myocardial strain, one-dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D) strain analysis was the standard. The aim of this study was to investigate the incremental value of CMR-based 3D strain and to test the hypothesis that 3D strain is superior to 1D or 2D strain analysis in the assessment of viability using a porcine model of infarction.
All animal studies complied with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and conformed to Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
MI was induced in twenty young farm pigs with weights from twenty five to thirty five kilograms. An Angioplasty balloon was inserted into the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and inflated to a location just distal to the second diagonal branch of the LAD. After One hundred and fifty minutes, the occlusion of the artery was terminated. All surviving animals progressed to heart failure and were monitored daily.
Images then were acquired at 11±6 days (baseline) pre-MI, and at 11±4 days (early) and 34±8 days (late) post-MI. In all animals, Cine, LGE (late gadolinium enhancement), and CMR tagging images (zHARP images) were all acquired. Harmonic phase analysis was performed to measure circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strains in myocardial segments, which were defined based on the transmurality of delayed enhancement. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression models of strain parameters were created and analyzed to compare the overall diagnostic accuracy of 3D strain analysis with 1D and 2D analyses in identifying the infarct and its adjacent regions from healthy myocardium.
Cine and LGE images were analyzed using QMass and MR software. LV epicardial and endocardial borders, excluding papillary muscles, were traced in end-diastolic and end-systolic cine short-axis images to measure global function. The semi-automated full-width-at-half-maximum method was employed to identify the infarct zone on LGE images. The cine and LGE images were analyzed prior to the strain analysis in a blinded manner. For each zHARP slice, the closest LGE slice was identified and mapped to its corresponding mid-diastolic zHARP image using an affine registration.
Figure 4A shows an example of an end-systolic zHARP image and its corresponding mid-diastolic LGE image in one animal at early post-MI. Directional and principal strains overlaid on the zHARP image and their temporal profile are shown in Figure 4B and 4C, respectively. Reduced magnitudes were observed in all strain indices in infarct segments versus adjacent and remote segments (Figure 4C, black arrows).
Out of the twenty animals, five died due to incessant ventricular fibrillation. Surviving animals all completed the imaging protocol. 3D strain differed significantly in infarct, adjacent, and remote segments (p < 0.05) at early and late post-MI. In univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses, circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strains were significant factors (p < 0.001) in differentiation of infarct and adjacent segments from baseline values. In identification of adjacent segments, receiver operating characteristic analysis using the 3D strain multivariate model demonstrated a significant improvement (p < 0.01) in overall diagnostic accuracy. Overall, 3D strain analysis showed a 96% diagnostic accuracy with 2D strain analysis showing an 81% diagnostic accuracy with 1D strain analysis left at 71% diagnostic accuracy.
3D strain analysis showed to be 15% more accurate than 2D strain analysis and 25% more accurate than 1D strain analysis when it came to diagnostic accuracy. Multivariate 3D strain analysis using CMR accurately differentiates infarct from normal myocardium and correlates with delayed enhancement. Furthermore, cumulative 3D strain is superior to 1D and 2D strain analyses for identification of infarct neighboring regions. Using this technique on human subjects will help determine the clinical value of 3D regional strain quantification.
We thank Evert-Jan Vonken, MD, PhD, and Michael Schär, PhD for kindly providing the technical expertise with CMR acquisitions, and Amr Youssef, MD for help with animal studies. This work was supported in part by NIH/NHLBI research grant R01HL47405.