The us department of agriculture said in a statement that the government of india has agreed to allow imports of us pork and pork products. The move comes after India and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last year to boost trade between the two countries. India’s second-largest trading partner after China.
Table of Contents
Is it OK for a Hindu to eat pork?
India’s most widely practiced religions all have their own traditions. Hindu texts often praise vegetarianism, and Hindus may also avoid eating beef because cows are considered sacred. Muslim teachings, on the other hand, prohibit the consumption of meat. U.S., the practice of eating meat is more widespread than in most other countries.
According to the Pew Research Center more than two-thirds of Americans (68%) they eat meat at least once a week;
- Compared with less than one-third (31%) of people in other developed countries
- The netherlands
- The united kingdom
In addition, nearly half (48%) report that they have eaten meat in the past month, up from about a quarter (26%) a decade ago.
Why do Hindu not eat pork?
Some hindus do not eat meat because it hurts other life forms. Hindu traditions consider vegetarianism to be a form of purification of the body and mind. A vegetarian is one who abstains from meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, honey, and other animal products.
Vegans are those who do not eat any animal product, including eggs and honey. The word “vegan” is derived from the Latin word vegetare, which means “to abstain from.” In other words, a vegan is someone who doesn’t eat meat or fish.
Who eats pork in India?
Pork is eaten in many states of India, but not in most Indian cuisine, as it is popular in Northeast India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is also used as a flavoring agent in a number of Indian dishes, such as curries, dosa and dal. It is used in many Indian desserts, including chutneys, puddings, and sweets.
What religions dont eat pork?
The avoidance of pork products is one of the most distinctive food practices in both judaism and islam. Judaism, the prohibition is a way of showing Jewish identity and belonging to the Jewish people, while in Islam, it is a means of protecting the sanctity of Islam’s holy places.
In both religions, pork is considered unclean and is forbidden to eat. For example, kosher meat can be eaten, as can meat from animals that have been slaughtered according to Jewish law, such as pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens.
Did Lord Krishna eat meat?
Pramod madhwaraj, udupi district in-charge minister, said on saturday that valmiki, rama and krishna were non-vegetarians. He said that they were not vegetarians, but they did not eat meat. The minister, who is also the president of the Hindu Mahasabha, said that he was not against eating meat but that it should be done in moderation.
“I do not think it is a sin to eat beef. But if you are a vegetarian, you should eat only fruits and vegetables,” he told reporters. The minister said he had been asked to inaugurate the festival by the district administration and that the celebrations would continue till the end of this month.
What happens if a Hindu eats beef?
If people in the family are found to have eaten beef, they could be thrown out of the house. “It is a very sensitive issue and it is not something that is easy to talk about. It is an issue that needs to be dealt with in a sensitive manner,” .
What foods do Indians not eat?
Hindus may not eat beef because the cow is considered a sacred animal. Hindus will eat eggs, some will not, and some will refuse onion or garlic, so it’s best to consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet.


- Place of Use Continent - North America, Country - Canada
- Category Communication artifacts
- Sub-category Personal symbol
- Department Arms and Technology
- Museum CWM
- Earliest 1918/01/31
- Latest 1920/12/31
- Inscription (obverse/avers): HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR SIDNEY JAMES LUCK; E.C.P.; 27 (reverse/verso): W
- Materials Bronze
- Service Component Canadian Expeditionary Force
- Person / Institution Subject, Luck, Private Sydney James
- Measurements Thickness 0.5 cm, Outside Diameter 12.0 cm
- Caption Medals Project- Luck, Sydney James
Sydney (sometimes recorded as Sidney) James Luck was born in Henley-on-Thames, England, on 9 May 1889. He was the third of John and Annie Luck’s six children. His father was a baker and grocer.
A student, Luck enlisted in the 4th Overseas Universities Company in Montréal, Quebec, on 15 September 1915. His younger brother, Lewis Edward Luck, had enlisted a year before. After initial training in Canada, Luck and his unit embarked from Halifax, Nova Scotia, aboard SS Lapland on 21 November 1915. The ship arrived in Plymouth, England, on 4 December 1915.
The 4th Overseas Universities Company was used as a reinforcement company by the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). As a result, after receiving some training with the 11th Battalion in England, Luck was transferred to the PPCLI on 24 March 1916 and joined the unit in France two days later.Two months after joining the PPCLI, Luck was wounded in the right ankle. The wound was serious enough for him to be evacuated to England for medical treatment at Filsham Park Hospital, St Leonards-on Sea, East Sussex. After two months’ treatment, Luck was discharged from the hospital. He then spent another two months regaining his strength and skills at the Canadian bases in Kent. Luck finally rejoined the PPCLI in the field on 29 September 1916. Luck was once again hospitalized on 8 January 1917. This time, he was said to have been suffering from myalgia (muscle pain) in his legs and insomnia. He returned to duty 14 days later.
On 9 April 1917, Luck was wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Evacuated from the field, he died of his wounds at 10:30 p.m. at No. 22 Casualty Clearing Station in Bruay, France. Although the PPCLI had suffered relatively few casualties (estimated between 35 and 40 in the war diary) while taking its objectives, it was to suffer another 175 between 3 p.m. on 9 April and 2 a.m. on 10 April due to heavy German shelling as the battalion worked to consolidate its hold on the newly captured positions. It is not known whether Luck was wounded during the PPCLI’s advance or by subsequent German shelling.
Sydney James Luck is buried in Bruay Communal Cemetery Extension, Bruay-la-Buissière, France.


You wake up in the morning, your knees are stiff and your lower back aches. Sound familiar?
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. It is one of the most pervasive diseases in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control. Arthritis is characterized by pain and inflammation located particularly in the joints throughout the body. More than 10 million Americans have knee osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.
Although osteoarthritis cannot be cured, there are ways to improve your overall health, fitness, and wellbeing by managing the pain associated with it.
Exercise is one of the most important lifestyle changes a person can make to aid in coping with the pain of osteoarthritis. Patients who regularly exercise will have improved mood, improved circulation, healing, and energy.
According to Jessica Black, N.D., a naturopathic physician based in both Portland and McMinnville, Oregon, exercise reduces pain by increasing the body’s repairing abilities. Depending on the severity of osteoarthritis, some individuals may need specific exercise therapy with a qualified physical therapist to learn what types of exercise will help them most.
Here are some tips for easing pain associated with osteoarthritis using alternative therapies:
Change your diet to avoid inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, tomatoes, and potatoes. Include healthy fats such as cold-water fish and fish oils high in omega-3 fatty acids. Spicy foods—such as peppers—also have anti-inflammatory properties. Thoroughly chewing your foods can also help with digestion issues as well.
Eating regular small meals, avoiding sugar, eating more protein, and consuming less simple carbohydrates can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Maintaining balanced blood sugar helps to facilitate proper circulation and appropriate healing mechanisms in the body.
Some herbal anti-inflammatory nutritional supplements may help ease pain, such as turmeric and ginger. Some anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical medications can be harmful to the stomach, and in addition, have shown some negative consequences in heart disease. You should, however, seek your doctor’s advice when taking supplements to avoid any complications with medication or to prevent an allergic reaction.
Regular exercise can prevent stiffness in the joints, as well as stimulate circulation and healing. Low-impact aerobic exercise, such as walking, using an elliptical machine, riding a bike, swimming, or water aerobics are softest on the joints while providing maximum health benefits. Other forms of exercise, such as Tai Chi or yoga, can help.
Besides promoting circulation and healing, exercise promotes weight loss, which is highly beneficial for people with osteoarthritis. For people with severe osteoarthritis, physical therapy may first be needed before you start an exercise routine.
Besides those listed above, these therapies may be beneficial for treating pain associated with osteoarthritis:
- Acupuncture (or massage) can increase the body’s natural healing circulation.
- Assistance devices (canes or a brace) may help take the pressure off the joint thereby relieving pain.
- A castor oil pack is an old-fashioned remedy to relieve swelling or inflammation, and it can be made at home in a compress to relieve joint inflammation. Castor oil is available at most health food stores.
- Over-the-counter pain reliever creams, such as arnica, may help.
- A lukewarm bath with lavender oil or Epsom salt.
- A cold pack after exercise can help prevent inflammation


Surprises in Mind
Many people — in and out of school — find mathematics frustrating, difficult, even impossible. This documentary uncovers a surprise: Mathematical creativity — expressed in art, architecture and music and valued by industry — is built into the brain and can flourish under the right conditions. A remarkable 12-year study following students from first grade through high school demonstrates the brain’s surprising natural abilities for learning math. The study, led by Professor Carolyn Maher of Rutgers University, brought results that are corroborated by new research from leading cognitive psychologists. Discover ways to unlock this natural human gift for mathematics in classrooms, workplaces and homes.
1. Surprises in Mind — A video documentary on learning mathematics for K-8 teachers and administrators.
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October 6 – Family Literacy Event, Towner, ND.
October 21-23 – NDCEL Conference, Bismarck, ND.


- 1 What is the difference between a regional airport and a International Airport?
- 2 How do regional airports work?
- 3 What is considered a regional flight?
- 4 How many regional airports are there in the UK?
- 5 What are the two types of airports?
- 6 Which is No 1 airport in world?
- 7 What is the difference between a domestic flight and a regional flight?
- 8 How many regional airports are there in the US?
- 9 How do small airports make money?
- 10 Which regional airline is the best?
- 11 How much do regional airlines pay?
- 12 What is the largest regional airline?
- 13 Which is the biggest airport in UK?
- 14 Which is the longest runway in UK?
- 15 What is the smallest airport in the UK?
What is the difference between a regional airport and a International Airport?
In the USA, the difference between a regional and international airport has to do with the presence of a Customs and Border Patrol facility. Runway length has nothing to do with it.
How do regional airports work?
Regional Airports are Economic Generators
– Regional airports provide freight transportation to markets throughout the U.S. and around the world for locally produced goods. – Regional airports provide access to the local market for goods imported from around the country and around the world.
What is considered a regional flight?
Regional flights could be any flights that are within a day’s drive, or 12 to 15 hours, of the originating airport. This would, by default, limit the area to a certain defined geographic region.
How many regional airports are there in the UK?
There are over 40 airports around the UK, some of which top the list of the busiest airports in Europe. The map below shows a list of all major UK domestic and international airports.
What are the two types of airports?
There are two types of airports—towered and nontowered. These types can be further subdivided to: Civil Airports—airports that are open to the general public.
Which is No 1 airport in world?
1. Singapore Changi Airport. Singapore Changi Airport once again earned the top prize again this year as the world’s best airport for the eighth consecutive year.
What is the difference between a domestic flight and a regional flight?
Domestic flights stay strictly within a country’s borders. Regional flights stay within a country’s region which usually centers on a hub, like Chicago in the USA or Toronto in Canada. Regional airlines generally have smaller capacity aircraft and fly to smaller cities and bring passengers to main hubs.
How many regional airports are there in the US?
While this shows that the better growth in 2017 was reported at regional facilities in the US, the collective of some 516 airports accounted for just 19% of all seats from the nation last year. Despite the low market share, their portion of all seats in the US increased by 0.3% when compared to 2016.
How do small airports make money?
Airport Revenue by Source: The majority of airport revenue, about 56 percent, is from aeronautical means, such as terminal, landing and passenger fees paid by airlines. Top sources of these revenues include retail concessions, car parking, property and real estate, advertising, car rentals and more.
Which regional airline is the best?
World’s Best Regional Airlines 2019
- Bangkok Airways.
- Cathay Dragon.
- jetBlue Airways.
- Aegean Airlines.
- Azul Airlines.
- Azerbaijan Airlines.
- Alaska Airlines.
How much do regional airlines pay?
A regional airline pilots in the U.S. typically starts out making an hourly rate of $20 – $50 per hour, or about $20,000-$40,000 per year, depending on the airline, type of aircraft, and the pilot’s experience level.
What is the largest regional airline?
U.S. regional airlines
- SkyWest’s operating revenue. 2.1bn USD.
- SkyWest’s passenger traffic. 21.26m.
- Operating revenue of Envoy Air. 1.38bn USD.
- Envoy Air’s revenue passenger miles. 7.5bn.
- Number of passengers carried by Mesa Airlines. 15m.
- Mesa Airlines‘ available seat miles. 10.9bn.
- Operating revenue of PSA Airlines. 813.8m USD.
Which is the biggest airport in UK?
London Heathrow, which handles over 80 million international passengers annually, is the largest airport in the UK.
Which is the longest runway in UK?
Campbeltown is situated 3 miles to the west of the airport and can be easily accessed with a taxi or hire car. The airport runway, at 3,049 m, is the longest in Europe and RAF Machrihanish hosted UK military and NATO base operations here until 1997.
What is the smallest airport in the UK?
5 Of UK’s Smallest And Largest Airports
- Durham Tees Valley Airport. Located way up North near Darlington, the biggest city in County Durham, this used to be an RAF field.
- Stornoway Airport. Do you know what’s cooler than north England?
- St Mary’s Airport, Isles of Scilly.
- Alderney airport.
- Land’s End Airport.
- London Luton.
- London Stansted Airport.
- Manchester Airport.


Nobody wants to have to look at their child and see the telltale signs of sickness. During the winter months, all kinds of viruses and illnesses float around freely, just waiting for the next carrier to pick it up and pass it on. There are some sure fire ways to help prevent and protect your child throughout the year from coming down with the most common illnesses that plague society. Read further to find tips and ideas on how to protect your child from sneezes, sniffles, and stuffiness.
Vitamins can become your immune systems best friend. A daily does of a children’s vitamin containing specifically Zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6 can ward off most common ailments that could leave your child feeling under the weather.
The most important mineral that your body will need is Zinc. Zinc helps your body to produce white blood cells, which are needed to fight off illness. Making sure that your child reaches a recommended dose of Zinc (3 mg for children ages 7 months to 3 years, and 5 mg for children ages 4 to 8 years) will help their body to efficiently battle off viruses and illnesses. Beware giving your child too much Zinc, for it can interfere with the production of copper and iron levels in the body, which are needed for other vital functions in your child’s immune system. It can also weaken the function of the immune system. Make sure that your child stays within the recommended dose of Zinc for the best performance. Zinc can be found in poultry, milk, beef, eggs, yogurts, and seafood.
Vitamin C is an excellent source for repairing your body’s immune system and helping it to efficiently battle off any illnesses that you might get. This vitamin is the easiest to obtain, for the maximum dose needed for efficiency is a mere cup or orange juice. It can also be found in many different vegetables, including broccoli.
Getting enough Vitamin B6 is as easy as aiming to obtain all of your daily dose of Zinc, for the foods which contain B6 most generally contain Zinc. Vitamin B6 helps your immune system to produce antibodies, which are vital to helping your immune system fight off infections and viruses.
One of the most obvious ways to prevent diseases is to make sure that your child is properly immunized with your health care professional. Keeping on schedule and making sure that your child gets every recommended dose for their age will help them to better battle the most common ailments that we have immunizations for in the 21st century. Not only can immunizing your child be good for their health, the more people who get vaccinated for a certain ailment will decrease the likelihood of a widespread outbreak. Talk to your physician about which immunizations your child still needs to be safe.
Omega 3 fats
Feed your child a diet rich in Omega 3 fats. These healthy fats will boost the immune system by increasing the amount of macrophages that your body produces, which are white cells that kill bacteria in the body. Foods that contain the recommended daily dose of Omega 3 fats (3 oz.) are most commonly seafoods. If your child doesn’t like seafood, you can offer them a fish oil pill.
Not only should your child eat foods rich in good things for your body, but they should also balance their diet with good forms of bacteria. Acidophilus and lactobacillus are the two healthy types of bacteria that you should try to incorporate into your child’s diet to help stave off viruses. These two bacterias are considered to be probiotics, and can stimulate your child’s intestinal system so that it is ready to actively ward off bad bacteria. Probiotic capsules are one source that your child can get these bacteria from. Most commonly, they are found in yogurts.
When your body is working with a fully hydrated system, it is easier for it to work efficiently to cleanse and detox your body when bacteria are introduced. Along with regular drinks, your child can get some of their hydration from eating fruits and vegetables.
Stay away from sweets
Make sure to stay away from sweets and artificial sweeteners. When your body is introduced to too much sweets and sweeteners, it doesn’t work as efficiently at fighting off germs and viruses. Steer away from an abundance of soda and candies. Better alternatives includes fruits, vegetables, and 100% fruit juices.
Eat three balanced meals a day, plus three snacks to ward off virus and infection. When our body skips these vital meals, our immune system drops drastically while we try to tend to other areas that may not be as nourished as they could be. If our immune system is busy working overtime to try to make up for calories and nutrients lost, it can’t focus on actively trying to rid germs and viruses.
Along with all of the other immune boosting tips mentioned here, the key to maintaining healthiness lies within lessening your exposure to germs. Constant hand washing, and sanitizing, can lessen a person’s chance of getting a virus or disease more than a person who skips this critical step. If your child is exposed to other children on a common basis, make sure to instill in them proper hand washing techniques, and allow them to carry their own bottle of hand sanitizer.
Obviously, your child will most certainly come down sick at some point despite constant preventative measures. Check with your health professional to see what can be done for your child when they are ill, and make sure to follow all medicinal regimens for them that are prescribed. Don’t medicate your child without a doctor’s permission to use an OTC remedy. Making your health care professional your number one source for advice can greatly decrease the amount of sick time that you child may experience.


The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, , at sacred-texts.com
When [His Augustness Kamu-yamato-ihare-biko] made his progress, and reached the great cave of Osaka, 1 earth-spiders 2 with tails, [namely] eighty bravoes, 3 were in the cave awaiting him. So then the august son of the Heavenly Deity commanded that a banquet be bestowed on the eighty bravoes. Thereupon he set eighty butlers, one for each of the eighty bravoes, and girded each of them with a sword, and instructed the butlers, saying:  "When ye hear me sing, cut [them down] simultaneously." So the Song by which he made clear to them to set about smiting the earth-spiders said:
Having thus sung, they drew their swords, and simultaneously smote them to death.
173:1 p. 174 The etymology of this name is not clear, but readers will of course not confound it with that of the modern town of Ohosaka (Ozaka). The character rendered "cave," , signifies simply "apartment;" but the traditional reading is muro, which means a cave or pit dug in the earth. That the latter is the idea which the author wishes to convey becomes clear by comparison with a greater number of passages in the older literature. For a more particular discussion of this subject see Mr. Milne's paper entitled "Notes on Stone Implements from Otaru and Hakodate," published in Vol. VIII, part I of these "Transactions," p. 76 et seq., where a number of passages relative to the "earth-spiders" are likewise brought together.
173:2 Tsuchi-gumo, generally written , but here semi-phonetically . There is little doubt that by this well-known name, which has given rise to much conjecture, a race of cave-dwelling savages or a class of cave-dwelling robbers is intended. Motowori supposes that their name had its origin in a comparison of their habits with those of the spider. But it were surely more rational to regard it as a corruption of tsuchi-gomori, "earth-hiders," a designation as obvious as it is appropriate. The "Chronicles" describe one tribe of them as "being short in stature, and having long arms and legs like pigmies." For a further discussion of the subject see Motowori's Commentary, Vol. XIX, pp. 30-31, the "Perpetual Commentary on the Chronicles of Japan," Vol. VIII, p. 35, the "Tou-ya," Vol. XX, s.v. kumo and the "Examination of Difficult Words," Vol. 1I, pp. 55 et seq.
173:3 p. 175 The original term is takeru ( ), which might also be rendered "bandit," or "robber chief."
174:4 The import of this poem is too clear to stand in need of explanation. The word mitsumitsushi, here rendered "augustly powerful" in accordance with Moribe's view, is understood by Motowori to mean "perfectly full," in allusion to the fully or perfectly round eyes of the deity Kume, to whose name he supposes there to be a reference. Mabuchi, on the other hand, explains the word to signify "young and flourishing." But Moribe's view both of this and of the import of kume as "warriors "seems so greatly preferable to any other, that the translator has not hesitated to follow him (conf. Sect. XXXIV, Note 7). The "children of the warriors" are of course the warriors themselves. With regard to the signification of the two kinds of swords here mentioned it has, however, been thought best to adhere to the usual view, and Note 10 to Sect. XXXIV should be referred to.


Hepatitis A virus (HAV) particles are environmentally hardy organisms that can be transmitted by contaminated food, water, environmental surfaces (e.g., contaminated table tops, cooking utensils) and through direct or indirect person-to-person contact. Although HAV cannot grow in the environment, they are considered to be extremely stable under a wide range of environmental conditions, including freezing, heat, chemicals, and desiccation. Concentrations of disinfectants commonly used against pathogenic bacteria are not considered effective against these viruses.
There are six HAV genotypes (I-VI), as determined by RNA sequence analysis at the VP1-2A junction of the virus genome. Genotypes I, II, and III contain strains associated with human infections, with the majority of human strains grouped within genotypes I and III. Genotypes I-III have been further divided into sub-genotypes A and B for each genotype. Most non-human primate strains are grouped within genotypes IV, V, and VI. Despite the identification of multiple genotypes/strains, this is the only known serotype for HAV. Humans and several species of non-human primates are the only known natural hosts for HAV.
HAV is classified with the enterovirus group of the Picornaviridae family, genus Hepatovirus, and is comprised of single positive-stranded RNA genome of approximately 7.5 kilobases. This RNA molecule is protected from the environment by a protein capsid (“shell”) comprised of multiple copies of three or four proteins. HAV is a non-enveloped (i.e., no lipid-containing envelope), hydrophobic virus 22 to 30 nm in size, with icosahedral symmetry with 20 sides.
• Mortality: The overall death rate among people with hepatitis A (that is, liver involvement; the term “hepatitis A” is used to refer to the disease, not to the virus) is approximately 2.4%. Increased age (over 50 years old) slightly increases the death rate. Overall, hepatitis A accounts for < 0.001% of all foodborne-associated deaths. Although fulminant (severe, rapidly progressing) disease is rare, the mortality rate is much higher, at 70% to 80%, as noted in the Illness / complications section, below.
• Infective Dose: The infective dose of HAV is presumed to be low (10 to 100 viral particles), although the exact dose is unknown. The viral particles are excreted in the feces of ill people (symptomatic and asymptomatic) at high densities (106 to 108/gm) and have been demonstrated to be excreted at these levels for up to 36 days post-infection.
• Onset: In symptomatic patients, mean incubation phase is 30 days (range 15 to 50 days).
• Illness / complications: HAV infections can be asymptomatic or symptomatic. Infections usually are asymptomatic in children younger than age 6 and symptomatic in older children and adults. When disease does occur, it is usually mild and recovery is complete within 1 to 2 weeks, although it may last up to several months, in which case it is also generally self-limiting. HAV infection is not considered to be chronic; however, a prolonged or relapsing disease lasting up to 6 months in 10-15% of patients has been reported. Patients feel chronically tired during convalescence, and their inability to work can cause financial loss. An atypical, and rare, clinical outcome of acute HAV infection is fulminant hepatitis or fulminant hepatic disease, which occurs in less than 1% to 1.5% of cases. This more severe outcome of acute HAV infection and illness involves massive hepatic necrosis, with acute liver failure, and has a high case-fatality rate (70% to 80%). The reasons for progression to acute, severe, or fulminant hepatitis remain unclear; however, it is known that patients with an underlying chronic liver disease are at particularly high risk for fulminant disease or liver failure. Factors that may play a role in severe hepatic disease progression include the nature of the host response (e.g., genetic, immunologic, or physiologic), the viral pathogen (e.g., strain virulence), and/or viral dosage (e.g., viral inoculums, patient viral load, or levels of viral replication). A hepatitis A vaccine is available.
• Symptoms: Symptoms associated with HAV infection include fever, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, myalgia, hepatitis, and, often, jaundice. Jaundice generally occurs 5 to 7 days after onset of gastrointestinal symptoms; however, in 15% of reported jaundice cases, the jaundice was not preceded by gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Duration: Typically 1 to 2 weeks, although prolonged or relapsing cases may continue for up to 6 months in a minority of patients.
• Route of entry: HAV may cause infection through various routes. The route of entry for the foodborne infection is oral.
• Pathway: The exact mechanism of HAV pathogenesis is not fully understood. The route of entry for foodborne HAV typically is the gastrointestinal tract. From the intestinal tract, the virus is transported to the liver via the blood, where hepatocytes generally are thought to be the site of viral replication. The virus is thought to be excreted by the hepatocytes and transported to the intestinal tract via bile. However, some studies suggest that initial replication may occur in crypt cells of the small intestine.
An estimated 1,566 cases of hepatitis A from consumption of contaminated food occur annually in the United States. This constitutes a small portion (1% to 1.5%) of the total number of patients infected with HAV. Overall, hepatitis A accounts for < 0.001% of all foodborne-associated hospitalizations in the U.S. Hepatitis A from any cause (i.e., not just the foodborne illness) has a worldwide distribution occurring in both epidemic and sporadic fashion. In the U.S., from 1980 through 2001, an average of 25,000 cases of hepatitis A was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) annually. However, correcting for under-reporting and asymptomatic infections, CDC estimates that an average of 263,000 HAV infections, from all causes, occurred annually in the U.S. during this period.
Until 1995, the overall incidence of HAV infection in the U.S. was cyclic, with nationwide increases occurring every 10 to 15 years (Figure 1). Since 1995, the estimated overall number of reported HAV infections in the U.S. has been declining. This significant decrease (with the most significant decrease occurring in children) appears to coincide with the vaccination program, for children and adolescents 2 to 12 years old that began in the U.S. in 1996.
Incidence of Acute, Symptomatic Hepatitis A – United States, 1980-2008
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed May 2011.
HAV is excreted in feces of infected people and can produce clinical disease when susceptible people consume contaminated water or foods. Cold cuts and sandwiches, fruits and fruit juices, milk and milk products, vegetables, salads, shellfish, and iced drinks are commonly implicated in outbreaks. Water, shellfish, and salads are the most frequent sources. Contamination of foods by infected workers in food-processing plants and restaurants also is common.
In the U.S., the estimated transmission rate of this virus by person-to person contact was 22%. Of that, 8% was associated with day-care settings, 5% with international travel, 5% with illegal injectable drug use, and 4% with consumption of common-source contaminated food or water. The transmission routes for 65% of cases are unknown. Low income, low education level, crowding, and lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are associated with increased rates of HAV infection.
Clinical diagnosis of an HAV infection can be achieved by performing the appropriate analytical tests on serum or stool specimens. HAV diagnosis is generally performed by immunoglobulin (Ig) anti-hepatitis A antibody tests, IgM or IgG, in which an increase in virus-specific serum antibody titers is indicative of a recent HAV infection. One notable limitation for these antibody- based tests is that they cannot readily distinguish a recent HAV infection from increased antibody titer due to immunization, which can lead to elevated IgG and/or IgM being elicited against HAV. In addition to antibody testing, which also includes the use of immunoelectron microscopy, the use of molecular tests premised on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) can also be utilized. Commercial kits are available to assist in HAV diagnosis.
6. Target Populations
All people are considered susceptible to HAV infection. Immunity can be developed by exposure and/or immunization that elicit an immune response that confers long-term immunity. In the U.S., the percentage of adults with immunity increases with age (10% for those 18 to 19 years of age to 65% for those over 50 years old). The increased number of susceptible people allows common-source epidemics to evolve rapidly.
7. Food Analysis
Methods have been developed to detect HAV in the food commodities most often implicated in HAV-associated illnesses; most notably, produce and shellfish. The manner in which the food is analyzed is dependent on the presumed location of contamination. For example, produce methods generally use a method to wash the viruses from the surface, whereas shellfish methods extract the virus from the digestive tract. Following extraction, the viruses are concentrated to suitable levels, so that detection via RT-PCR can be performed. These methods currently used by specialized regulatory laboratories to analyze suspected food for HAV are undergoing rigorous validation to verify that they are suitable for routine analysis.
8. Examples of Outbreaks
Hepatitis A is endemic throughout much of the world. Major national epidemics occurred in 1954, 1961, and 1971. Foods continue to be implicated in HAV outbreaks, which continue to occur in the U.S. following consumption of contaminated produce and shellfish. The most notable recent HAV outbreaks, in the U.S., that were associated with foods include:
• 1987 – Louisville, Kentucky- lettuce (imported)
• 1998 – Ohio- green onions (Mexico/California)
• 2000 – Kentucky and Florida- green onions (from Mexico) or tomatoes (California)
• 2003 – Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania – green onions (Mexico)
• 2005 – Tennessee, Alabama – oysters (Louisiana) Case Example: In August 2005, at least 10 clusters of hepatitis A illness, totaling 39 people, occurred in four states among restaurant patrons who ate oysters. Epidemiologic data indicated that oysters were the source of the outbreak. Trace-back information showed that the implicated oysters were harvested from a specific Gulf Coast shellfish-growing area. A voluntary recall of oysters was initiated in September. HAV was detected in multiple 25-gm portions in one of two recalled samples, indicating that as many as 1 of every 15 oysters from this source was contaminated (Shieh, 2007). Other examples include:
- CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Hepatitis A Virus Provides a list of CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports relating to this organism.
- NIH/PubMed: Hepatitis A Virus Provides a list of research abstracts contained in the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE database for this organism.
- Agricola: Hepatitis A Virus Provides a list of research abstracts contained in the National Agricultural Library database.
9. Other Resources
• Shieh YC, Khudyakov YE, Xia G, Ganova-Raeva LM, Khambaty FM, Wood JW, Veazey JE, Motes ML, Glatzer MB, Bialek SR, and Fiore AE. 2007. Molecular confirmation of oysters as the vector for hepatitis A in a 2005 multistate outbreak. J. Food Prot. 70:145-150.
• HAV Definition and MeSH headings from the National Library of Medicine
- Carl’s Jr. Hepatitis A Outbreak – Washington
- Chi-Chi’s Hepatitis A Outbreak – Pennsylvania
- Chipotle Grill Hepatitis A Outbreak – California
- D’Angelo’s Deli Hepatitis A Outbreak – Massachusetts
- Friendly’s Hepatitis A Exposure – Massachusetts
- Houlihan’s Hepatitis A Exposure – Illinois
- Maple Lawn Dairy Hepatitis A Outbreak – New York
- McDonald’s Hepatitis A Outbreak – Washington
- McDonald’s Hepatitis A Outbreak – Illinois
- Quizno’s Hepatitis A Exposure – Massachusetts
- Soleil Produce Hepatitis A Outbreak – California
- Subway Hepatitis A Outbreak – Washington
- Taco Bell Hepatitis A Outbreak – Florida


A contract is a promise or an agreement between two or more persons or organizations to do or to refrain from doing a particular thing in exchange for something of value. The Breach of this Agreement, promise or contract is recognized by law and provision for remedies of such breach exists in law. The contract can be written in formal or informal words or it can be even oral depending on the nature and subject matter of the contract.
The Terms of the Contract – who, what, where, when, and how of the agreement – define the binding promises of each party to the contract.
A contract normally is completed in there steps- the first being the offer of the contract, which means offering some one to do something in exchange of money or anything of value. The second step is other party’s acceptance of the contract, i.e. undersigning of the agreement by the other party/parties after understanding of each terms and acceptance. The last and final step is the performance of the contract that is to deliver the actual product/service in exchange of something of value.
Words, gestures, or actions can signal an offer to enter into a contract and an acceptance. If you are forced to make an offer (“your money or life”) it is not a valid offer. Similarly if you are tricked into accepting, it will not be deemed acceptance of the terms offered. To have a binding obligation on both sides, both sides must approve and accept the terms and conditions of the offer. Offers remain open until: (1) accepted, (2) rejected, (3) retracted prior to acceptance, (4) countered, or (5) expired by their own terms.
In case of rejection of an offer a new contract can be put on the table (called a “counter-offer”). A counter-offer is a new set of terms and conditions given in response to the original offer. A counter offer may vary from the original offer in just one word, clause or multiple provision of the entire contract.
You can take back or change the contract before the other party has agreed and undersigned the contract. This is termed as retraction. On the other hand, changing your mind after you have signed or agreed precludes retraction. Absent compelling reasons for not holding up to your end of the bargain, you will be a party to a contract.
The there different types of Acceptance of Contract recognized by the Court of Law are:
The law clearly defines the key elements of a binding contract and those key elements are:
Competent Parties – For a valid contract, each party must have the capacity to enter into it. Capacity may be seen in terms of legal capacity, mental capacity, age, etc. Agreeing to perform an illegal or illicit act is not consideration and the contract is void. A drugged or mentally impaired person does not hold the capacity to enter into any contract.
Minors (e.g., usually those under eighteen) cannot, generally, enter into a binding contract without parental consent, unless it is for the necessities of life, such as food, clothing, or for student loan contracts.
Consideration – A contract is always based on mutual exchange. One must give something of value in exchange to the other party in agreement with you. The value or the compensation is mostly expressed in terms of money, however it can be anything even property.
Mutual Assent – Both the parties must be clear in all the clauses of the agreement and there should not be any element of doubt before signing the contract. Meeting of the minds sometimes can be expressed by words spoken or gestures made or can be inferred from the surrounding circumstances. There is no mutual assent: (1) one side is obviously joking or bragging, (2) there is no actual agreement (i.e., the farmer who is selling a gelding and the buyer thinks the horse is a brood mare), or (3) both sides have made a material mistake as to the terms or details of the contract.
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The Nineteenth century strategist Carl von Clausewitz argued that ‘the fundamental nature of war is immutable. The characteristics or form of war typical in any particular age might change, but the essential nature of war could not. This distinction carries significant weight and holds considerable merit. As the course of international history and relations progresses, technological advancements, changes in operational and tactical strategy, and different international makeups have altered the way wars are conducted and the way in which they are fought. The underlying causes of and reasons for war, however, have remained the same throughout history, thereby affirming Clausewitz’s assertions.
Since the beginning of the ‘Westphalian’ era of international relations, warfare has experienced a number of periods of differing techniques, technologies, and strategies. The analyst William Lind described these periods as the ‘four generations’ of warfare. The ‘first generation’ of warfare is defined broadly as one of muskets and line and column tactics. Battles were formal and the battlefield orderly, with competing armies facing each other in open fields and firing in rank. Many of the distinguishing factors of the idea of the ‘military’, such as uniforms, ranks, and saluting, are products of this generation. Beginning in the middle of the 19th century, however, the introduction of rifled muskets, magazine-based ammunition and rapid-fire weapons made the application of lines and columns obsolete and, eventually, suicidal. The ‘second generation’ of warfare was one which applied mass firepower, most of which involved indirect artillery fire, and a defensive-based mentality. The First World War, with its intricate trench systems and static, defensive-based fronts, exemplified the second generation. The introduction of tanks, aircraft, and armored vehicles, intended to break the stalemate of the western front, brought about the ‘third generation’ of warfare. This generation was based on speed, surprise, initiative and decentralization of command. The Second World War was fought during this generation, and the German ‘Blitzkrieg’ doctrine of swift attacks, individual initiative, and encirclements was the prime example of the application of the ideas of this generation. The ‘fourth generation’ of warfare, which the modern world is transitioning into, is one where the state loses monopoly over war. Lind argues that state militaries find themselves fighting non-state opponents, such as Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, or the FARC, more often than one another in this generation of warfare. Furthermore, victory on the battlefield in this generation does not carry the same operational weight as it did in those prior, and rather victory can be determined by destroying the opponent’s political or societal will to fight as opposed to defeating his armies on the field.
Other forms of warfare have remained constant throughout these generations. The prime example of this is asymmetrical warfare, where one side faces an overpowering, better equipped, and/or more technologically advanced foe by engaging in guerrilla warfare. Tactics for this form of warfare include ambushing opponents, surprise raids, sabotage, and targeted killings. Although asymmetrical warfare has been a sustained component of warfare through the ages (while conventional warfare has changed considerably in technique and operational strategy), the technologies utilized in asymmetrical warfare have changed in powerful ways. Modern guerrillas utilize weaponry such as IEDS (improvised explosive devises) to destroy armored vehicles and portable anti-aircraft weapons to down helicopters and fighter aircraft. The fact that these weapons are often easy to acquire, cheap to make, yet devastating in effect presents a large challenge to the conventional force they are used against. Additionally, fighters in an asymmetrical war can, and do, now utilize elements of modern society against their foe. For example, Al-Qaeda used commercial aircraft to attack the World Trade Centers in New York on 9/11. Organizations or fighters can utilize the internet to spread their ideology, recruit to their cause (oftentimes within their foe’s country), spread information on weapon-building and utilization, and even hack or disrupt important electronic services with devastating effect.
The characteristics and forms of war have thus changed through the ages, as evidenced by the various ‘generations’ of war and military strategy and the consistent improvement and changes in technology. While these facets of war have changed, however, the underlying causes of and reasons for war have not. Clausewitz argued that war was the ‘continuation of politics by other means’. He further contended that war ‘is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will’. By these assertions he meant that war was a tool used by the state to both further act on it positions in international politics and to force the opponent to bend and submit to those positions. By defeating an enemy, a state can impose its will, whatever that will may be, upon it, and therefore further its position in the international arena. This definition of war, which explains its ‘essential nature’, has remained steady throughout the history of war and conflict since the beginning of the Westphalian era.
This definition of the nature of war is backed empirically by the examples provided in major wars that have occurred since the treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The War of the Spanish Succession and War of the Austrian Succession in the early 18th century were fought by its participants with the intention of instilling a specific monarch (and thus ruling family) over another. The victors of these wars accomplished their will by putting their choice of monarch on the throne, and thus furthered their political position in an international environment where ruling families controlled great amounts of international clout and power. The Seven Year’s war was a conflict over colonial territory, a major source of power, prestige, and wealth during the 18th century, and saw the alliance under the United Kingdom gain considerable swaths of French territory in the Americas. Through this victory, British international power was increased, and thus its political clout too increased. The American Revolution saw the United States attempting to create a separate political entity from the United Kingdom, and the war was thus an extension of political and domestic disputes between the colonists and their mother country. The American victory saw the U.K. bend to the will of the American people and granted them sovereignty. The Napoleonic Wars saw an emergent France attempting to spread ‘liberal’ ideology and increase its empire, and thus its political position on the world stage. The ultimate defeat of France made her concede to the Coalition’s will of returning to a pre-Napoleonic Europe, both ideologically and in borders. The American Civil War saw the extension of domestic disputes and politics into military conflict, with the Confederacy attempting to succeed from the Union over the issues of state rights and slavery, along with others. Again, the Union’s victory coincided with the enforcing of their will for the return to a united nation. The First World War and Second World War saw the attempt of Imperial and Nazi Germany to form larger and more powerful ’empires’ and thus be dominant political powers, and the victory of the Allies in both wars saw their will for the dismantlement of these empires (and, they hoped, the destruction of the German war machine) enacted. The American wars in Korea and Vietnam were extensions of its political goal of containing the spread of communism, and the ultimate failure of the US in Vietnam enabled the Communists to gain political control of the country. Finally, American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq saw its will for the toppling of the Taliban and Hussein regimes complete, and these were in turn due to the extension of the American ‘neo-con’ political viewpoint that the establishment of democracies in the Middle-East would stabilize the region and counter the threat of terrorism. Even non-state actors, such as Al-Qaeda, hold political motivations when conducting war with its foes. For example, they sought the removal of American troops from the Middle East and the extension of Islamist principles into Middle Eastern politics and societies. By attacking the United State and attempting to demoralize and terrorize its populace, it was simply attempting to enact this political will. Therefore, even while the world transitions into this ‘fourth generation’ of warfare against non-state actors, the underlying nature of war still remains the same. While this list of wars is not nearly comprehensive for the period of time between the modern era and 1648, the general trends shown in this list exemplify Clausewitz’s assertion that the nature of war is immutable despite changing characteristics of war. In each case, the participants were acting with a political reason and position in mind, and the victors enacted their will on the loser to further or accomplish that position.
Clausewitz asserted that the fundamental nature of war was immutable, despite the changing characteristics of war. While technologies, strategies, and even participants in wars change with the times, the underlying nature of war, where one state attempts to enforce its will upon another in order to accomplish its political goals, does not. Major wars throughout different eras of history, which all experienced different tactics, strategies, technologies, and applications of war, shared this fundamental facet. In each case, despite the different application of war, the fact that the victor enacted its will upon the loser and that the belligerents used war as an extension of its political agenda remains the same. Because of this, Clausewitz’s assertions are affirmed.


Performance testing is a necessary and beneficial tool in characterizing the material response of an elastomer over time. By subjecting rubber products to oxidative, thermal, and fluid exposure, among other environmental factors, products display their resistance to physical property deterioration as well as usage life. Adjustments to polymer structure, molecular weight, compounding ingredients, fillers, cure system, time and temperature directly affect elastomer properties and their response to environmental exposure.
When testing the effects fluid exposure on rubber compounds, specimens of vulcanized rubber are placed in fluids at known temperatures for specific time intervals, after which their physical properties are determined. Fluid performance tests commonly evaluate for changes in material volume—rubber components used in the automotive, oil and gas, aerospace and many industrial applications are exposed to liquids which can cause material volume swell and affect the overall performance and service life of a product.
Fluid resistance testing, also known as volume swell testing, measures the deterioration of the specimen as it relates to the change in volume of the liquid that it is exposed to. This is done by performing density measurements before and after immersion in test fluids. In addition to volume swell testing, stress-strain properties are evaluated post fluid test:
- Tensile strength: the maximum tensile stress applied in stretching a specimen to rupture
- Ultimate elongation: the elongation at which the rupture occurs in the application
- Hardness: the relative resistance of the surface of a rubber sample to indentation, also measured using a durometer
Figure 1: Volume Swell Die and Specimen
Figure 2: ASTM D 412 Cutting Die C & Dumbbell Specimen (Thickness Measuring Points 1-3)
Before beginning any testing, at least 24 hours must elapse between completion of the vulcanization of the samples and the start of each aging interval. Unless otherwise specified, the deterioration of rubber samples fluid aging are carried out in accordance to test method ASTM D 471. As mentioned earlier, fluid aging samples are tested for changes in material volume by taking density measurements before and after immersion in test fluids. Standard test specimens are die cut rectangles having dimensions of 1” by 2” by 0.08” with a small hole punched for the purpose of mounting in the testing apparatus, as seen in Figure 1.
Three standard dumbbell-shaped specimens are also prepared as described in ASTM Test Method D 412. When preparing dumbbell samples, each specimen’s hardness is measured and recorded as well as the median of the three thickness measurements used in calculating the cross sectional area. The cross sectional area is utilized when evaluating tensile strength and ultimate elongation of the dumbbell specimens post testing interval. The ASTM D-412 cutting die and dumbbell measuring points can be viewed in Figure 2.
Figure 3: Fluid Aging Hanging Apparatus & Heating Block
Once all premeasured properties are recorded, samples are placed in the aging apparatus accordingly. For fluid aging tests, a stainless steel wire with glass beads to separate the specimens is assembled. Samples are suspended 1” above the bottom of a large test tube containing 100 mL of testing fluid. The test tube, viewed in Figure 3, is then placed in a temperature controlled heating block and set to test operating temperature with an air-cooled reflux condenser attached. At the termination of fluid aging tests, both dumbbell and rectangular samples are removed from the aging apparatus, cooled immediately to room temperature in fresh testing fluid for 30 to 60 minutes before determination of physical properties post interval.
After the fluid aged rectangular specimens have cooled, dry and wet weights are measured using a digital scale. These values are then utilized in calculating density and volume swell measurements. Dumbbell specimen hardness is measured and recorded next, after which specimens are prepared for the tensometer by clamping the dumbbell between two wedge grips. The tensometer testing machine is calibrated and once the test begins, the upper crosshead stretches the dumbbell until failure occurs and the dumbbell breaks. Each sample is measured simultaneously with the median value reported for both tensile strength and ultimate elongation of the sample lot. The digital scale and MTS Tensometer used in post- testing can be viewed in Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 4: Dry/Wet Weight Digital Scale
Figure 5: MTS Tensometer Testing Machine
Calculations for volume swell of fluid aged tests are expressed as a percentage of volume change, which is calculated in equation 1:
- ∆V = change in volume (%)
- M1 = initial mass of specimen in air (g)
- M2 = initial mass of specimen in water (g)
- M3 = mass of specimen in air after immersion (g)
d = density of immersion liquid at standard laboratory room temperature (mg/m3)
Hardness changes after immersion interval are calculated in equation 2 below:
- ΔH = hardness change after immersion, units,
- Hi = original hardness before immersion, units
- Ho = hardness after immersion, units
Changes in stress-strain properties are expressed as a percentage of change for both tensile strength and ultimate elongation, which is calculated in equation 3 as follows:
- P = percentage change in property
- O = original value
- A = value after aging
When evaluating test results, fluid age reporting must include the following:
- Type of aging test
- Aging temperature, time and fluid used
- Data on vulcanization of the rubber i.e. duration and temperature, if known
- Dates of original and final determinations of physical properties
- Dimensions of test specimens
- All observed and recorded data on which calculations are based
An example of a testing worksheet can be viewed in Figures 6. Measurements taken must be validated and initialed by the lab technician performing each test.
Figure 6: Fluid Aging Worksheet


It happened to me once and I still remember it clearly. Years ago, when I worked at a zoo, I was eating lunch in a grassy field when I felt a gentle tapping on my shoulder. I turned around to find myself staring up at an elephant. Fear, wonder, and confusion all flashed through my mind before I came to my senses and got out of there.
This situation was so strange to me because here in North America we don’t really have megafauna (gigantic animals). Well, that’s not entirely true. There is one living species in North America classified as megafauna. Do you know what it is? The answer is at the bottom of this post.
We used to have plenty of megafauna here in North America, and recently too! 40,000 years ago, we had 15 species in North America that grew over 400kg. This includes:
- The mastodon and the woolly mammoth, two hairy relatives of the elephant.
- Megalonyx, a ground sloth, grew over 3 meters tall and weighed 1,000 kilograms; that’s heavier than two grand pianos!
- Camelops, a North American camel. Camels originated in the Americas and later travelled to Eurasia.
- The giant, short-faced bear, one of the largest mammalian carnivores that ever lived.
These creatures are now extinct. The majority died off in the last 11,000 years during a global event called the Quaternary Extinction. What happened to these magnificent creatures? Why did they all disappear?
Nobody is quite sure what caused this extinction event, but scientists have plenty of theories. Increased tool usage by human hunters, the end of the ice age (climate change) and a meteor impact all likely played a role, but we may never know how large of an impact each had.
Oh, and the last surviving North American megafauna: Alberta’s bison.


A warning to modern “progressives” to be careful what they wish for:
I’m thinking of an American president who demonized ethnic groups as enemies of the state, censored the press, imprisoned dissidents, bullied political opponents, spewed propaganda, often expressed contempt for the Constitution, approved warrantless searches and eavesdropping, and pursued his policies with a blind, religious certainty.
Oh, and I’m not thinking of George W. Bush, but another “W” – actually “WW”: Woodrow Wilson, the Democrat who served from 1913 to 1921.
President Wilson is mostly remembered today as the first modern liberal president, the first (and only) POTUS with a PhD, and the only political scientist to occupy the Oval Office. He was the champion of “self determination” and the author of the idealistic but doomed “Fourteen Points” – his vision of peace for Europe and his hope for a League of Nations. But the nature of his presidency has largely been forgotten.
That’s a shame, because Wilson’s two terms in office provide the clearest historical window into the soul of progressivism. Wilson’s racism, his ideological rigidity, and his antipathy toward the Constitution were all products of the progressive worldview. And since “progressivism” is suddenly in vogue – today’s leading Democrats proudly wear the label – it’s worth actually reviewing what progressivism was and what actually happened under the last full-throated progressive president.
The record should give sober pause to anyone who’s mesmerized by the progressive promise.
But they don’t even understand their own intellectual history.


April 2/NewsRx Health -- Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified a gene that plays a critical regulatory role in the process of converting dietary carbohydrates to fat. In a new study, they disabled this gene in mice, which consequently had lower levels of body fat than their normal counterparts, despite being fed the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet.
The authors of the study, published in the March 20 issue of the journal Cell, say the gene (DNA-PK) could potentially play a role in the prevention of obesity related to the over-consumption of high-carbohydrate foods, such as pasta, rice, soda and sugary snacks.
DNA-PK, DNA-dependent protein kinase, has already been the subject of much research because it helps repair breaks in the DNA. Suppression of DNA-PK has been used as a technique by researchers to enhance the ability of cancer treatments to kill tumor cells. Its role in fat synthesis, then, came as a surprise to the UC Berkeley researchers.
"It turns out that DNA-PK is critical to a metabolic process we have been trying to understand for 20 years," said Hei Sook Sul, a professor in UC Berkeley's Department of Nutritional Science & Toxicology and head of the research team behind these new findings. "For the first time, we have connected DNA-PK to the signaling pathway involved in the formation of fat from carbohydrates in the liver. Identifying this signaling pathway involving DNA-PK brings us one step forward in understanding obesity resulting from a diet high in carbohydrates, and could possibly serve as a potential pharmacological target for obesity prevention."
After a meal of pizza and soda, it is known that levels of blood glucose rise. That rise in blood glucose triggers the secretion of the hormone insulin, which helps different cells in the body use glucose for energy. Glucose in the liver that is not burned for energy turns into fatty acids, which then circulate to other parts of the body, primarily to fat tissue.
This conversion of excess glucose into fatty acids occurs in the liver, but the exact molecular pathway involved has not been fully understood until now. Researchers have known that insulin binds to receptors on the liver cells, which activates protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), the first molecule of the insulin-signaling pathway inside the liver cell. Sul's lab had previously shown that upstream stimulatory factor (USF) is needed to activate certain genes, such as fatty acid synthase (FAS), which converts glucose to fatty acids.
The link between PP1 and USF was still a mystery until Roger H. F. Wong, a UC Berkeley graduate student in comparative biochemistry in Sul's lab, finally connected the dots through proteomic sequencing. He found that DNA-PK, which is regulated by PP1, controls the activation of USF and the subsequent conversion of glucose to fatty acids.
"The missing link was DNA-PK," said Wong. "We determined that DNA-PK acts as a signaling molecule in the chain reaction that begins when insulin binds to receptors on liver cells. This helps explain why untreated type 1 diabetics, who cannot produce insulin, may experience significant weight loss. Without treatment, they basically have trouble making enough fat."
"This insulin-signaling pathway is also disrupted in type 2 diabetes, in which the body still produces insulin, but the cells become resistant to its effects," said Wong.
After identifying DNA-PK, the researchers put the gene to the test in mice fed a diet containing 70% carbohydrates but no fat. A typical lab mouse diet is made up of both fat and carbohydrates. Half the mice had the DNA-PK gene disabled, and the other half comprised a control group of normal mice.
"The DNA-PK disabled mice were leaner and had 40% less body fat compared with a control group of normal mice because of their deficiency in turning carbs into fat," said Wong. "The knockout mice were resistant to high carbohydrate-induced obesity and had lower plasma lipids, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. With all of these health benefits, this gene can serve as a potential pharmacological target for obesity prevention."
The researchers noted that although interest in low-carb diets persists, there are many sources of carbohydrates, including fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grain breads and pastas, that have important nutritional benefits.
"The best way to control your body weight is to eat a well-balanced diet and limit your caloric intake," said Wong. "We hope that this research will one day help people eat bread, pasta and rice and not worry about getting fat."
From the April 13, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition


|On January 12, 1965, a DC-3 transport plane took off from Whenuapai Airport, Auckland, on a flight to Kaitaia. As the twin-engine propeller plane flew over Kaipara Harbour, a broad estuary 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Auckland, the pilot, Captain Cathie, spotted an unusual gleam in the water below.
He was about 1/3 of the way across Kaipara Harbour, and he at first believed the object to be stranded grey-white whale in an estuary. As he veered his DC-3 for a closer look at the object, it became evident to him that he was observing a metallic structure of some sort.
Capt. Cathie noted that the object was perfectly streamlined and symmetrical in shape. It had no visible external control surfaces or protrusions, and appeared metallic with the suggestion of a cap, hatch, or dome on top. It was resting on the bottom of the estuary at a depth of no more than 30 feet of water. It was not shaped like a normal submarine, but was approximately 100 feet in length with an approximate diameter of 15 feet at its widest part.
After he filed his flight report, the Royal New Zealand Navy told Captain Cathie that it would have been impossible for any known model of submarine to have been in that particular area, due to the configuration of harbour and coastline.
More USO sightings:
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s a new and peculiar type of unidentified object, the ‘USO’ (unidentified submerged object) was sighted around the world - particularly by pilots and seafarers.
Around dawn on 28 July 1962, off Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, several crew members and the Captain of a fishing boat were unsettled by mysterious lights that appeared below the surface. They approached the strange glow as something surfaced, and as they came closer, the Captain observed through binoculars and was amazed to see what appeared to be several men now working on a submarine-like object. The sub had no markings whatsoever and was grey in colour. Protruding from the top of the object was a strange structure with a light on it, which the men appeared to be tampering with for a short time before retreating inside the object. The Captain stated, “We passed abeam about a quarter of mile, and I was certain it was a submarine.”
Suddenly, the unmarked object sped towards the fishing boat and then swept past at speed. At that time, the crew believed it may have been a Russian submarine, but this was never confirmed.


Japan’s Candle Night
Japan’s Candle Night initiative simply suggests that people switch off their lights for two hours, from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. on the night of the summer solstice to enjoy some time by candlelight. On June 21, 2009, major facilities and businesses in Japan turned their lights off from 8 to 10 pm. This year’s summer solstice also marks the sixth anniversary of an event called Candle Night since it was started in 2003. The idea of holding Candle Night in Japan, where people turn off their lights and light candles in unison, was originally inspired by the Voluntary Blackout movement in Canada, launched in 2001.
During the summer of 2008, businesses and facilities all over Japan to turned out their lights during two events. One was Black Illumination 2008, held on June 21. The other was Lights-Down at the Star Festival on July 7. Between the two events, a total of 149,939 facilities joined the campaign, reducing the amount of electricity used by approximately 2,371,786.51 kilowatts. This translates into 925 tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the total daily emission of 64,000 households.
The event now spreads across the world. The Korean Environmental Women’s Network, a non-governmental organization in Korea, worked closely with Japanese Candle Night organizers to hold their own Candle Night. Events were also held in Taiwan, Australia, China (Shanghai), Mauritius, and many other countries. The Candle Night Committee now sends out newsletters in English to over 70 countries in its bid to connect activities and shared feelings in each country and around the world.
For more information, visit the Candle Night website.


by: Michael Creditfirm
Understanding the words used in the credit industry is the first step in understanding how your credit works. Here is a list of the most common industry terms. You may want to print these out and keep them for your records.
CDIA – Consumer Data Industry Association. The CDIA is an international trade association that represents consumer data companies including the nationwide consumer reporting agencies.
Consumer Report – Reports provided by consumer reporting agencies to lenders and other users. The FCRA defines a consumer report as “any written, oral, or other communication of any information by a consumer reporting agency bearing on a consumer’s credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living which is used or expected to be used or collected in whole or in part for the purpose of serving as a factor in establishing the consumer’s eligibility for (A) credit or insurance to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes; (B) employment purposes; or (C) any other purpose authorized under section 604 [of the FCRA].” The FCRA provides a limited number of exclusions to this definition.
Consumer Reporting Agency – The FCRA defines a consumer reporting agency (CRA) as “any person, which, for monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties, and which uses any means or facility of interstate commerce for the purpose of preparing or furnishing consumer reports.”
Credit File/Consumer File – The information about a consumer that is contained in the databases of credit reporting agencies. According to the FCRA, the term “file,” when used in connection with information on any consumer, means all of the information on that consumer recorded and retained by a consumer reporting agency regardless of how that information is stored.
Consumer File Disclosure – Information provided to a consumer when that consumer requests a copy of the information in his or her file at the NCRA.
Credit Report – Popular term for consumer reports used or purchased by lenders.
Credit Reporting Agency/Credit Bureau – Popular term for consumer reporting agencies in the business of providing consumer reports to lenders.
ECOA – Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
e-OSCAR – The Online Solution for Complete and Accurate Reporting. Web-based computer software system used by Equifax, TransUnion, Experian, and Innovis to communicate with furnishers about consumer disputes.
FCRA – Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Furnisher – Generally refers to an entity that provides information relating to its own transactions or experiences with consumers to one or more consumer reporting agencies for inclusion in consumer reports.
40 CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU, DECEMBER 2012
Inquiry – A request for a consumer report.
Metro 2® – The industry standard format for furnisher data contributions created in 1997 by the CDIA on behalf of Equifax, TransUnion, Experian, and Innovis.
NCRA – Nationwide consumer reporting agency. For the purpose of this paper, an NCRA means Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion.
Public Record – Generally, a record that a governmental body is required to maintain, and which must be accessible to scrutiny by the public. Definitions of public records can vary by federal, state, or local jurisdiction.
Reinvestigation – An investigation by a consumer reporting agency or a furnisher into the accuracy or completeness of information in a consumer’s credit file in response to a consumer dispute of such information.
Trade Line – Information furnished by a creditor to a consumer reporting agency that reflects the consumer’s account status and activity. Trade line information includes the name of companies where the applicant has accounts, dates accounts were opened, credit limits, types of accounts, balances owed and payment histories.
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by: Michael Creditfirm.
1. Your credit report is your resume
Consider your credit report as a positive reflection of how well you repay debt. A lot of people see credit, whether good, bad, or ugly, as something that happens to them. Your actions directly impact your credit report, and good credit is the result of properly managing your bills and finances. Credit is not something that just happens to you, you control your credit, and in turn how potential employers and lenders see you.
2. Your credit report is an asset
Your credit determines your creditworthiness when applying for loans. It determines your interest rates, down payment amounts, and whether a lender can trust you to pay back the amount you are borrowing. You should protect your credit the same way you would protect your child. Never sign anything until you completely understand all of the term and conditions. And do not risk your credit by co-signing for other peoples loans.
3. Build your credit Portfolio
a. Your credit file must be built thoughtfully, carefully and strategically, account by account. Make sure that you establish a good mix of credit via both installment and revolving loans, credit variance accounts for 10% of your credit score.
b. Do not close old inactive accounts, keep them open and keep them active so that the issuers do not close them. The older your accounts, the better. Length of history accounts for 15% of your credit score.
c. Keep your balances low in relation to your credit limits. A good rule of thumb is to keep your balances under 20% of your credit limits. Example: If you have a credit card with a $1,000 limit, keep your balance at $200 or less. Amounts Owed accounts for 30% of your credit score.
d. Limit yourself to applying for a maximum of one credit transaction every 6 months. New accounts will lower your average length of history and too many hard inquiries will tell creditors that you are hungry for credit and lower your credit scores.
4. Shop around and do your research
Shop around for the best available interest rates and terms. Do not settle for the first offer, haggle on everything from the price to the interest rate. Do your due diligence and read offers for credit thoroughly so that you are not blindsided. Take your time, do your research, and don’t be rushed into anything, even when pressured by a salesperson.
5. Good Credit is cheaper
Having bad credit can be very expensive. It’s very common to see people with bad credit paying twice as much as a person with good credit for a mortgage, auto loan, or credit cards. But, applying for credit doesn’t have to be a nerve wrecking experience. Buying a new house or car should be an exciting time, and it is if you have good credit. You can qualify for the best deals, the best rates, and the lowest monthly payments. Good credit dramatically improves your quality of life by decreasing your monthly expenses and increasing your borrowing potential.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up today and take the first step to Good Credit Now!
Lenders Still Want Great Credit Scores for Mortgages
These days, many consumers are likely finding it easier to obtain many types of credit, as lenders have significantly slackened requirements for most loans and credit cards. However, the qualifications to obtain a good mortgage rate remain stubbornly high across the country.
Even as credit conditions improve significantly nationwide and many financial institutions are once again broadening lending efforts, many are still being extremely tight with financing for mortgages, according to a report from the New York Times. In fact, even as subprime lending for credit cards opens up considerably, many consumers with low credit scores will find themselves extremely unlikely to even be considered for a home loan approval.
A recent study by the Federal Reserve Board indicated that consumers with a credit score of 620 willing to make a 10 percent down payment are now less likely to be approved for a mortgage than they were in 2006, the report said. Further, some were even reticent to extend financing to borrowers making a similar down payment when their credit rating was 720.
This is because most lenders are still extremely gun-shy about lending large sums of money to anyone but the most qualified borrowers, the report said. In many cases, those who are approved for a home loan will also pay far higher rates on the mortgage than those who have top-notch credit scores, even as the average interest rate has hovered below 4 percent for some time now.
“If you don’t have good credit, you’re not going to get that crazy low rate,” Deborah MacKenzie, the director of counseling at the Stamford, Conn., nonprofit the Housing Development Fund, told the newspaper.
Typically, the only way consumers can improve their credit ratings so that they can qualify for a home loan is by being smarter about managing their various lines of credit, including keeping credit card balances low and making all payments on time and in full. These are the two biggest factors comprised in a credit score. However, consumers can also be hurt by applying for too many new lines of credit within a short period of time, so avoiding this ahead of shopping around for a mortgage can be crucial to maintaining good credit health as well.
Credit Report Repair
If you have any questions about your credit report or would like to find out how Credit Firm can help you improve your credit history and increase your credit score please contact us.
The rate at which consumers fell behind on their home loans declined considerably in the first quarter of the year, and now stand at levels not seen in years.
The delinquency rate on home loans for properties of between one and four units fell to 7.4 percent of all outstanding loans in the first quarter of the year, down from 7.58 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and 8.32 percent in the same period last year, according to the latest statistics from the Mortgage Bankers Association. While declines are traditionally viewed in the first quarter of every year, the MBA’s data shows that the drops this year were more significant than traditional adjustments would have predicted, showing that the declines are real, rather than the result of seasonal norms.
“Newer delinquencies, loans one payment past due as of March 31, are down to the lowest level since the middle of 2007, indicating fewer new problems we will need to deal with in the future,” said Michael Fratantoni, the MBA’s vice president of research and economics. “The percentage of loans three payments or more past due, the loans that represent the backlog of problems that still need to be handled, is down to the lowest level since the end of 2008. Foreclosure starts are at their lowest level since the end of 2007.”
Delinquency fell for all types of mortgages except VA loans on a quarter-over-quarter basis, the report said. Prime fixed rate loan delinquency now stands at 4.07 percent, and late payments for prime adjustable-rate mortgages dropped to 9.05 percent, down from 9.22 percent in the fourth quarter. Further, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration also saw drops in delinquency, falling to 12 percent from 12.36 percent a quarter earlier. The rate of homes that were in foreclosure increased on a quarterly basis, however, rising to 4.39 percent.
As the economy continues to generally improve, consumers are finding themselves in a better position to pay off all their outstanding debts on time. Factors such as declining unemployment rates and rising salaries have contributed to Americans feeling better about their personal financial situations. Experts believe that these trends will likely continue for some time, meaning that the housing industry may continue to improve, encouraging more qualified buyers to enter the market.
In the last year or more, many consumers have made conscientious efforts to reduce their reliance on credit cards and increase the timeliness of their payments, leading instances of delinquency and default to slip to at or near all-time historic lows.
But lenders will likely see their net charge-off rates slip for one more quarter before expanding again by the end of the year, finishing 2012 with higher rates of defaulted accounts than they began with, according to the latest report from analysis firm Fitch Ratings, entitled “Credit Cards: Asset Quality Review.” At the end of the first quarter, the net charge-off rate observed by the nation’s seven largest credit card lenders stood at 4.02 percent, down from 4.2 percent at the end of 2011, and 6.39 percent in the first quarter of that year.
Further, charge-offs are well below the five-year average of 6.51 percent observed between 2007 and 2011, the report said. And because of trends in 30-day credit card delinquencies, which itself is well below the five-year average, it’s likely that the current charge-off rate will decline once again in the second quarter of this year.
However, the trend may soon reverse because consumers are once again feeling better about their finances in general, the report said. Portfolio contraction among major lenders more or less held steady in the first quarter of the year, and smaller card issuers actually saw more consumers opening new accounts.
As a consequence of this trend, which may also be the result of expanding credit standards that are allowing subprime borrowers to once again access lines of credit they were unable to tap just a year ago, it’s likely that defaults will begin expanding once again, trending back toward historical averages from the current levels. Many had long projected that there must be a logical point at which charge-offs bottomed out, and we could soon see that point.
Millions of accounts were written off by lenders as uncollectable during and immediately following the recent recession as card issuers tried to shield themselves from significant loan losses as a result of consumers who could no longer afford to pay their bills. However, the improving economy has emboldened most major lenders to once again extend credit to those who previously defaulted on their accounts.


dynamic RAMdynamic RAM
dynamic ram - Computer Definition
The most common type of computer memory and generally available today in the form of synchronous dynamic RAM chips (see SDRAM). Most all volatile memory is dynamic RAM because it uses only one transistor and one storage capacitor for each bit. It is denser and much less costly than "static RAM," its faster counterpart. Dynamic RAM Is a Total Loser Unlike non-volatile firmware chips (flash, ROM, EEPROM, etc.), which hold their contents when the power is turned off, both dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM) require constant power. The capacitors in a dynamic RAM chip are electrical storage tanks that do a poor job of holding a charge. They constantly leak, and the memory chip would lose its content were it not for the refresh circuitry that continuously re-energizes the capacitors approximately 15 times per second. In 1968, dynamic RAM was patented by IBM, and the first commercial chips came from Intel and Mostek in the early 1970s. See static RAM and memory types.


Bred replacement heifers that will calve in January and February need to continue to grow and maintain body condition. Ideally, two year old heifers should be in a body condition score “6” at the time that their first calf is born. The target of a body condition score “6” is a narrow, but very important target to hit. Reaching this target, allows the heifer the best opportunity to provide adequate colostrum to the baby, repair the reproductive tract, return to heat cycles, rebreed on time for next year, and continue normal body growth. Exceeding the target may result in excess fat in the birth canal and causing some increase in calving difficulty. From now until calving time, the heifers will need to be gaining about 1 pound per head per day, assuming that they are in good body condition coming out of summer.
Heifers will need supplemental protein, if the major source of forage in the diet is bermudagrass, native pasture, or grass hay. If the forage source is adequate in quantity and average in quality (6 - 9% crude protein), heifers will need about 2 pounds of a high protein (38 - 44% CP) supplement each day. This will probably need to be increased with higher quality hay (such as alfalfa) or additional energy feed (20% range cubes) as winter weather adds additional nutrient requirements. Soybean hulls or wheat mids may also be used to insure adequate energy intake of pregnant heifers.
Wheat pasture (if adequate rainfall produces growth) can be used as a supplement for pregnant replacement heifers. Using wheat pasture judiciously makes sense for pregnant heifers for two reasons. Pregnant heifers consuming full feed of wheat pasture will gain at about 3 pounds per head per day. If they are on the wheat too long the heifers can become very fat and cause calving difficulty. If wheat pasture is used for bred heifers, use it as a protein supplement by allowing the heifers access to the wheat pasture on at least alternate days. Some producers report that 1 day on wheat pasture and two days on native or bermuda will work better. This encourages the heifers to go rustle in the warm season pasture for the second day, rather than just stand by the gate waiting to be turned back in to the wheat. Whatever method is used to grow the pregnant replacement heifers, plan to have them in good body condition (BCS = 6) by calving so that they will grow into fully-developed productive cows. Body condition scores can be studied by downloading the Oklahoma State University Fact Sheet ANSI-3283 “Body Condition Scoring of Beef Cows”.


Language Can Stigmatize People with Mental Illness
Language can stigmatize people with mental illness, and I am quite sensitive to noticing all of the words that seem to counteract society’s movement toward removing stigma for people who live with mental illness. Do you ever cringe when you hear the word "crazy" or "psycho?" I do. I feel that we have come so far in many respects in shaping our stigmatizing language for the good of many groups such as the terms, "gay," "retarded" or "lame," so why are we still so stigmatizing with language when it comes to mental illness?
How Stigmatizing Language Can Affect People with Mental Illness
Language can be stigmatizing for people who live with mental illness, such as the word "crazy," which slips out of most of our mouths without any warning. It is the word that nearly everyone uses to describe something, whether it is their day, a party experience, an ex-partner, or even themselves. I do not consider this word to be at all empowering, as it contributes to the pervasive stigma of language that calls down people who live with a mental illness. I am someone that has been admitted to a psychiatric ward, and given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, so why would I want to say that I am crazy? Is that empowering?
How do we deal with mental illness stigma and our language? I am not bipolar, and yes, I have bipolar disorder. It makes me cringe when someone calls another person schizophrenic, instead of, rightfully, being less stigmatizing, and simply stating that the individual has schizophrenia. Is it really so difficult?
When did we stop saying references such as, “That situation is so gay, or my day was so retarded?” Granted some people still do, but it is not socially acceptable anymore, and neither should be words that stigmatize people with mental health issues. A parallel example is avoiding the use of the verb "commit" with suicide as this associates it with "crime" or "sin." Instead, use "died by suicide," or "took his own life." This is a widely accepted concept, so why is it so difficult for others?
Changing Stigmatizing Language
I personally feel I am degrading someone’s experience or abilities by using stigmatizing words, and I also feel that we can all make better use of the complex English language, instead of just relying on slang. Do we really need to call people nuts, cuckoo, or loony, when we think that they are perhaps being illogical, irrational, misleading, or confused? Or maybe they are nonsensical, absurd, ridiculous, or ludicrous?
There have been times where I have given a mental health presentation discussing this particular subject, and some people will follow up with a comment such as, “Wow, that was a crazy presentation,” when really they mean that is was outstanding or impacting. They soon follow up with an apology, as they realize they just did it again. I simply smile, and wonder, how much longer and harder do we have to work to make these changes in our everyday language?
Does it matter to you? Please comment and let me know what you think.
Paquette, A. (2015, July 27). Language Can Stigmatize People with Mental Illness, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2022, July 6 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/survivingmentalhealthstigma/2015/07/language-can-stigmatize-people-with-mental-illness
Author: Andrea Paquette
Being human is not always a sane experience. People use words in order to communicate. The meanings behind the words are subjective. Personally, I could care less what someone else calls me.
Hey Marcia. This blog was written a while ago by one of my former blog partners, but I’ve read over what she said to familiarize myself with what’s going on.
I think you bring up a fantastic point about language being subjective and I’m glad to hear it doesn’t bother you. I’m like you wherein this kind of language doesn’t bother me, but I know some others are still affected.
It’s important, I think, to recognize both sides of this conversation, so your bringing this up is perfect. Thanks for sharing your input about this topic!
I feel your point, I do. However, I live in Canada and when I saw a 1$ Store called the 'Loonie Bin," that was when I finally felt enough is enough. How far does it have to go and why does it even have to get to this point at all? I just feel it is time we stepped it up a little and become more respectful and thoughtful about our language.
In Canada it's even acceptable to call the Canadian dollar a "loonie" (because it has a picture of a loon on it). Should we take offense to that too?
I have bipolar disorder but I don't go around telling everyone in my circle of friends and family because I feel it's really none of their business.
That being said I don't usually take offence when someone calls me crazy or nuts. Of course It all depends on how it's said. I often say it's been a crazy day or this or that is driving me nuts. Personally I don't see anything wrong with it but that's just me
I get that some people are more sensitive than others but I also feel that sometimes we take political correctness a little too far...