This. For one thing, weapon retention begins by assuring ones handgun remains in the holster until one chooses to draw it. If an officers weapon is out of the holster and he's fighting for it he's already all but lost. I don't get the idea of dropping the mag. In a fight if I'm able to do that why wouldn't I just pull the trigger and shoot the BG?
Yes. But they consult with instructors and other experts.
And then ignore them!
This is how we got the ridiculous new standard for LEO qualification in Wisconsin.
Back in October 4 instructors told me they were tapped by DOJ T&S to chime in on a new, statewide standard. They said most opposed being so concerned about the 75 feet qualifications as most police shootings happen at 5 yards or less. But a bunch of chiefs wanted it so that's why it's there.
Years ago there was a trooper on dash cam who was overcome by several thugs on a vehicle stop. He was dragged into the woods and killed with his own revolver. While still on cam the officer had his hand on his gun but they had overpowered him. Had he been able to disable his gun he might have only suffered a beating, as one Florida Keys trooper who survived because the attackers could not get her weapon.
I am not sure why the mag disconnect was required by the military, but it was a requirement for Spanish, and South American military contracts. The Smith 39 was also designed for the military, and had a mag safety to meet the standards.
In the age before the miracle holster with a dozen retention devices officers were killed often with their own weapons. ISP adopted the 39 before most departments went to semi auto handguns. They indeed did train that dropping the magazine may save their life during an attempt to take an officers gun.
I worked on a university campus, and a hospital, most of the time an officer is surrounded by people, and is an idiot if they think that the answer to every problem is to shoot. I had one situation were I was justified to shoot on the fifth floor of Memorial hospital, and did not. It would have been reckless to shoot with at least a half a dozen people behind the suspect. Instead he got his head slammed into the wall until I could disarm him. I was not in the mental ward yet, just outside the elevators, it was hospital policy to either enter the ward without a firearm, or disable the firearm by unloading. Or removing the magazine of my 39.
When breaking up bar fights my gun was unloaded, my concealed bug was not. Getting overpowered in a bar fight is just to easy to happen, as it did with a fellow off duty officer. Luckily he ignored the rules and was unarmed, as the attackers tried to search him for his gun, he only suffered a beating which he fully recovered from.
Depending on the environment an officer works in a mag safety is a very useful tool to stay alive. While officers have been shot with their own guns, I have never heard of an officer needing his gun to fire without a magazine. Weighing what has happened, and what has not, I think the answer is above the ego of some. Common sense over bravado is a wise policy.


Summer is barely over, but given the myriad of highly publicized ransomware attacks that have taken place this year alone, it’s probably pretty likely business leaders everywhere are desperately trying to ensure that no ransomware attackers can get into their systems. And while it’s great that more organizations are starting to take cybersecurity more seriously, if you are placing all your emphasis on defending against outside threats you’re ignoring the very important question: what happens if attackers do make it inside? Then what? You may think that if hackers make it into your system it’s already too late, but that is far from the truth. Between gaining access and executing the ransomware, there is a middle phase to the attack in which attackers move around networks, gain access to administrative credentials, and locate the data they are going to encrypt and/or steal. Attackers can spend months moving throughout a network before actually launching the attack. Defending the middle is therefore essential to protect against suffering a ransomware attack.
In fact, according to a recent report by Coveware, it may be a lot more important to focus on defending the middle than just trying to keep the bad guys out. After analyzing data from multiple ransomware attacks, Coveware discovered that while attackers use a variety of means to gain access to a victim’s system, what the hackers do once they are inside is always the same. “As our data shows, 100% of the cases where we were able to collect triage observations found privilege escalation and lateral movement tactics employed.” And the tactics used in the middle phases are actually pretty limited. Once inside, if only one of the attacker’s tactics fails, it becomes a lot more difficult to pull off the attack. According to Coveware, “inhibiting a threat actor from escalating privilege or moving laterally is equally if not more important than preventing initial [entry].”
Because the tactics used to move around a victim’s network are pretty limited, that also means just a few protective measures could be the thing that stops the hackers from launching their ransomware. Here are 3 things businesses can do right now to defend the middle:
Multi-Factor Authentication For Domain Controller
A system’s domain controller is the part of your network that allows or denies access requests to your network. It’s essentially the seat of your access controls. That means if hackers gain access to your domain controller they can give themselves access to pretty much anything they want. To prevent this, it’s essential to set up multi-factor authentication for your domain controller. What’s more, it’s vital to use a mobile authentication code-based MFA rather than on hard MFA tokens. According to Coveware, “100% of ransomware attack victims LACK true multi-factor authentication for the domain administrator accounts.” So setting up MFA for your domain controller could be the thing that saves you from a ransomware attack.
Disable the Command Line
The command line is a back-end tool that allows IT administrators to build scripts that run automatically and perform complex tasks on a system’s network. It’s also an essential part of how ransomware attackers make changes to your system and move around your network. Coveware found that ransomware hackers rely heavily on the use of command lines to automate various parts of the ransomware attack. Disabling command line and scripting capabilities means hackers can’t rely on automatic processes to carry out their attack, making their efforts that much more time-consuming and costly.
Imagine taking everything you have and putting it in a single locked room. If someone breaks in, everything you have is now gone. That’s exactly like what having an unsegmented network is like. In order to make things harder for the bad guys and keep your data as safe as possible, it’s essential to separate different parts of your network from each other. That way, even if an attacker gains access to one part of your network, they aren’t able to get anywhere else.
In the past few years, new approaches to cybersecurity such as defense-in-depth and cyber resilience are becoming increasingly popular among cyber experts. In essence, both of these approaches argue that just protecting your systems from the outside is not enough. It’s vital to not just hope no one breaches your defenses, but that you have protections and plans in place for when someone does make it inside. Defending the middle is one strategy for taking on a defense-in-depth approach to cybersecurity, and it could be the thing that stands between you and a full-blown ransomware attack.


text:
On 21 November 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) delivered its judgment on Z. A and Others v Russia, a case concerning the confinement of four men in the transit zone of the Sheremetyevo airport, Moscow. The court found the confinement a violation of Article 3 and 5 (1) ECHR.
The men detained were Iraqi, Palestinian, Somalian and Syrian nationals who had arrived in Russia under different circumstances. Upon their respective arrivals, the applicants were refused entry at the Russian border, their passports were seized and they were subsequently detained in the airport transit zone while their asylum applications were assessed. The applicants complained they had been detained unlawfully and that the material conditions were degrading and humiliating.
The Court noted that the Russian authorities failed to acknowledge that they were responsible for the applications, leaving the applicants in a state of “legal limbo”. The detention had been prolonged by significant delays lasting between five months and one year and nine months because of the inaction of the Russian authorities. The Court observed that the deprivation of liberty in the transit zone was significant: the restricted liberty was involuntary; the area was under permanent control; and there existed no practical possibility for the men to leave the area of detention. In concluding, the Court held that the detention was unlawful and violated the Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
While detained, the applicants were forced to sleep on a mattress on the floor in a permanently lit room with restricted access to health care, legal services and other facilities. The Court noted that such “appalling material conditions” violated Article 3 ECHR and were unsuitable for long term detention.
Photo: (CC) Lux Tonnerre, August 2015

domain: law


text:
According to Health.com, the number one New Year’s Resolution year in and year out is to lose weight. This is no easy feat, especially after a long holiday season of eating delicious, but not so healthy foods. Molly Ward, Whitney Young Health’s Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator is guest blogging to give you the right tips to not only keep your resolution, but turn this goal into a new healthy lifestyle.
1. Stay Away from Fad Diets
Don’t fall prey to fad diets and sham weight-loss products. Conflicting claims, testimonials and hype by so-called “experts” can confuse even the most informed consumers.
The bottom line is: If a diet or product or plan sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There are no foods or pills that can magically melt the pounds away. Steer clear of any plan or products that make the following claims:
Rapid Weight Loss
Slow, steady weight loss is more likely to last than dramatic weight changes. Healthy plans aim for a loss of no more than 2 pounds per week. If you lose weight quickly, you’ll lose muscle, bone and water. You will also be more likely to regain the pounds quickly.
Quantities and Limitations
Ditch diets that allow unlimited quantities of any food, such as grapefruit and cabbage soup. It’s boring to eat the same thing over and over and hard to stick with monotonous plans. Avoid any diet that eliminates or severely restricts entire food groups, such as carbohydrates. Even if you take a multivitamin, you’ll still miss some essential nutrients.
Specific Food Combinations
Eating the “wrong” combinations of food doesn’t cause them to turn to fat immediately, as some plans claim.
Life is already complicated enough. Limiting food choices or following rigid meal plans can be an overwhelming, unrealistic task. With any new diet, always ask yourself: “Can I eat this way for the rest of my life?” If the answer is no, the plan is not for you.
No Need to Exercise
Regular physical activity is essential for good health and healthy weight management, there is not getting around this fact. The key to success is to find physical activities that you enjoy and then aim for 30 to 60 minutes of activity on most days of the week.
The “not-so-secret” secret to reaching your health and wellness goals is eating healthfully and moving more. See the next section for some ideas.
2. Smart Resolution ideas
- Eat 3 meals a day, starting with breakfast, and model them after the MyPlate on www.choosemyplate.gov.
- Eat a variety of fruits and veggies every day
- Tip: don’t let your blender take your stomach’s job
- Reduce your sugar intake
- Incorporate more prebiotics and probiotics into your diet
- Prebiotics- non-digestible food components that are linked to promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut (bananas, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, soybeans, and whole-wheat breads)
- Probiotics- active cultures that help change or repopulate intestinal bacteria to balance gut flora (yogurts, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and tempeh)
- Practice mindful eating
- Eat slower, take time to taste and appreciate what you are eating
- Chew each mouthful at least 10 times
- Put utensil down between bites
- Sip water between bites
- Eat without distraction
- Pause mid-way through meals and ask yourself, “Am I full?”, stop when the answer is yes.
- Make time for meal prep
- Eat out less
- Stock your kitchen with fewer empty calorie foods
- Empty calories: foods that provide loads of calories from sugar and fat but little vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein
- Drink more water
- The average adult needs 64-80oz if water daily
- Get at least 7-8hrs of sleep every night
- Exercise 30 minutes at least 5 days a week
3. Get the Help from Professionals
If you want to maintain or get to a healthy weight, build muscle and lose fat, the best path is a lifelong combination of eating smarter and moving more. For a personalized plan tailored to your lifestyle and food preferences, consult a registered dietitian with expertise in weight management. An RD can help you find a realistic, flexible eating style that helps you feel and be your best, just ask your doctor for a referral.
Steps to get connected with a RD
- Talk with your provider and get a referral
- Talk with your insurance, understand what is covered
- Connect with in-network RD
Questions about seeing Molly Ward RD at WYH? Please feel free to call (518)591-4493 with questions.

domain: food


text:
Global and International Funds
Investors seeking world investments can choose between global and international funds. What's the difference?
Have A Question About This Topic?
Living trusts are popular, but their appropriateness will depend upon your individual needs and objectives.
If you’re thinking of leasing a new car, then you shouldn’t forget about gap insurance.
A bucket plan can help you be better prepared for a comfortable retirement.

domain: economics


Dr. Iswor Bajracharya
eliable data is a must to assess the natural resources. There are large number of potential locations where we can harvest wind energy to generate electricity. However, we lack the reliable wind velocity data. In order to bridge this gap, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology has initiated Wind Energy Program under the Faculty of Technology in order to assess the wind power potential of Nepal.
As of now, Wind Energy Laboratory of NAST has already erected three towers at Dang (30 m) , Pyuthan (30 m) and Kavre (50 m) to measure the wind velocity including other meteorological parameters like solar radiation, temperature, humidity and pressure. The tower at BataseDanda in Kavre district has been commissioned recently. We are now organizing the collected data. Later these data will be used for mapping the wind power potential of Nepal.
Following are our future plan in our program:
- To establish a Wind tunnel experimental laboratory in NAST premises
- Design of wind turbine blade
- Research on hybrid wind-rickshaw
1. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhungel
2. Dr. IsworBajracharya
3. Er. Manoj Kumar Shah


text:
South African savanna grasslands are often characterised by indigestible tufted grass species whereas lawn grasses are far more desirable in terms of herbivore sustenance. We aimed to investigate the role of nutrients and/or the disturbance (grazing, trampling) by herbivores on the formation of grazing lawns. We conducted a series of common garden experiments to test the effect of nutrients on interspecific competition between a typical lawn-forming grass species (Cynodon dactylon) and a species that is frequently found outside grazing lawns (Hyparrhenia hirta), and tested for the effect of herbivore disturbance in the form of trampling and clipping. We also performed a vegetation and herbivore survey to apply experimentally derived insights to field observations. Our results showed that interspecific competition was not affected by soil nutrient concentrations. C. dactylon did show much more resilience to disturbance than H. hirta, presumably due to the regenerative capacity of its rhizomes. Results from the field survey were in line with these findings, describing a correlation between herbivore pressure and C. dactylon abundance. We conclude that herbivore disturbance, and not soil nutrients, provide C. dactylon with a competitive advantage over H. hirta, due to vegetative regeneration from its rhizomes. This provides evidence for the importance of concentrated, high herbivore densities for the creation and maintenance of grazing lawns.
Citation: Zwerts JA, Prins HHT, Bomhoff D, Verhagen I, Swart JM, de Boer WF (2015) Competition between a Lawn-Forming Cynodon dactylon and a Tufted Grass Species Hyparrhenia hirta on a South-African Dystrophic Savanna. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0140789. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140789
Editor: Harald Auge, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, GERMANY
Received: March 27, 2014; Accepted: September 30, 2015; Published: October 28, 2015
Copyright: © 2015 Zwerts et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Data Availability: All relevant data are included within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Funding: The authors have no support or funding to report.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Grazing lawns consist of grass species which by means of continuous cropping remain in a highly productive state, resulting in the availability of nutritious, low fibre regrowth [1,2]. Increasing the abundance of these productive and nutritious species may increase the intake rate of herbivores . Grazing lawns are an important feature of the landscape both in the temperate zone [4,5] and in tropical savannas [6–8]. The lawn-forming grasses, as for example Cynodon dactylon, generally have a low stem content and dense biomass (i.e., much mass per volume of sward ) and are preferred over other grass species by selective grazers [10,11]. Contrasting are the tufted grasses, as for instance Hyparrhenia hirta. These perennial grasses, are less desirable due to their high stem content that lowers forage intake for grazers and consequently limits the nutrient intake that is derived per unit effort [3,9].
Although grazing lawns are important for herbivores and for savanna functioning  it is not very clear how lawn-forming grasses are able to outcompete tufted grasses at specific sites. Soil fertility has been proposed as an important ecological factor in shaping grass assemblages , but it is still unknown if competition for soil nutrients alone can lead to transitions from tall grass communities to short grass communities or vice versa [13,14]. When nutrients are limiting, a species can outcompete other species in the uptake of N or P, resulting in asymmetric resource competition by monopolizing these nutrients for plant growth, maintenance or seed production [15,16]. This species will then become dominant as it harvests more light and outgrows its competitors . So, lawn-forming grasses might be out-shaded by tufted grasses due to their larger stature, if grazing does not limit the growth of these longer tufted grasses [13,14]. Raising nutrient levels, or changing grazing or disturbance levels is expected to shift species dominance towards these lawn-forming grasses. It has been shown that grazing lawns can be established by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization [12,18], thereby releasing low competitive species from competition. However, when grazers are excluded from plots with additional nutrients, tufted grasses again became dominant [19,20,21]. Lawn grasses show compensatory growth in response to grazing in contrast with the grazing-sensitive tufted grasses . Hence, additional nutrients in combination with grazing (or mowing) treatments might be able to trigger the desired changes, but only when a sufficiently high grazing pressure follows the fertilization [12,18,19].
Lawn and tufted grasses thus have different mechanisms to cope with herbivory. Tufted grasses are relatively unattractive for herbivores (due to their high stem content), whereas lawn grasses have developed mechanisms to facilitate persistence and regrowth under constant defoliation [22,23]. The latter has the ability to form rhizomes (belowground) and stolons (aboveground) which are lateral shoots that can be formed from the same axillary bud that also forms orthotropic shoots. These plant parts have been ascribed storage [24,25] and forage functions [26,27], enable the species to colonize new patches  and have furthermore been associated with resilience to disturbance [11,24]. Resilience is realised through the regenerative capacity of these plant parts, which contribute to regrowth under heavy disturbance. However, it has been shown that when trampled on, stolons suffer just as much damage as other aboveground biomass and then subsequently take one whole year to grow back to their previous state . They are therefore not considered to play a large role in resilience to disturbance by herbivores. Underground plant parts like rhizomes are less affected by grazers and are more likely to play an important part in plant survival under heavy grazing .
Contrary results pointing to the isolated importance of different driving mechanisms for lawn formation, i.e. nutrients, herbivory and competition remain unclear about the respective strengths and relations of these drivers to one another [13,14,21,22]. This study aims to provide clarity on the importance of each of these drivers for lawn formation by studying them both combined and in isolation of each other, as well as by having a closer look at plant specific features such as stolons and rhizomes and the role they play herein. To investigate what the competitive advantages are of a lawn-forming grass species compared to a tufted grass species, we conducted common garden experiments and a field study to examine the effects of nutrients and herbivore impact on the interspecific competition between C. dactylon (a lawn grass species) and H. hirta (a tufted grass species), two widely distributed African grass species . We hypothesized that under a combination of increased herbivore impact in the form of trampling and grazing, and with increasing Nitrogen (N) and/or Phosphorus (P) fertilization, the cover of the lawn grass C. dactylon in a sward increases to the detriment of the tufted grass H. hirta.
Material and Methods
The study was conducted in the Welgevonden private game reserve (24°10’S; 27°45’E to 24°25’S; 27°56’E), South Africa with a subtropical climate and a mean annual rainfall of 620 mm. The area has been subject to grazing lawn related research for a number of years, of which the original 2007 research design consisted of 45 plots of 100mx100m of nitrogen, phosphorus or no fertilization in combination with mowing treatments once, twice or three times a year. Each combination of treatments has 5 replicates, that are spread out over the reserve.
We performed a common garden experiment in March—June 2012. The soil used was gathered from nearby each replicate and was then crushed, mixed, and sieved to homogenize the soil for the experimental set-up. Similar-sized individual grass plants (C. dactylon and H. hirta) were gathered in the field and were then planted in 9 l soil bags (35cm high, soil surface: 260cm2). After transplanting, the plants had a 14-day period to get well-established before the experimental treatments started. During the establishment period, a shade net covered the common garden plot and all plants were cut down to 5 cm in height to minimize heat stress and dehydration. Watering was done manually on a daily basis to ensure that soils were kept constantly at field capacity, which was assessed visually and manually. The plot was inaccessible to herbivores and termite damage was prevented by regular relocation of the soil bags.
For all the experiments it was noted when a plant died, which was defined as the absence of any green aboveground grass tissue. After a period of seven weeks, the treatments of experiment 1 and 2 were terminated and the grasses were harvested and cleared of sand by submerging them in water. All rhizomes were harvested after the experiment and inspected for shoot development. Plants were separated in above and belowground plant parts which were dried at 70°C for 48 h after which the dry weight was measured. The role of a difference in seed banks between the two species was not investigated in this study.
Interactions and feedback of mowing, fertilization and herbivory
Competition under N and P Fertilization.
Experiment 1 had a 2-factor fully randomized design consisting of 4 fertilization treatments and a control (Nitrogen: N, and Phosphorus: P; both treatments either intense: ++, or less intense: +; Table 1), using commercially available fertilizer. Each bag contained 6 individual plants that were planted in a circle; either as monoculture swards (C. dactylon or H. hirta) or as mixed swards with alternating species. Each combination of a fertilization treatment and species composition, was replicated 10 times, totalling 150 bags. In order to improve nutrient availability for plant uptake, the soil pH (originally pH 3.8–4.3) was increased with 6.6g lime (Allgro Agricultural Lime, Ca 176g/kg). Bags were moved randomly each day over the experimental area, to avoid site effects. Per bag, one averaged sized individual was selected per species to measure the number of leaves, length of longest leaf and the number of culms every 2nd week. After the experiment was terminated, the aboveground biomass of all plants was clipped, dried and weighed, and available N and P content in the soil was measured (S1 Table).
Herbivore Disturbance and Rhizome Function.
To investigate the tolerance to herbivore impact of the two grass species and to assess whether rhizomes play a role herein, we carried out a second experiment, which had a 2-factor fully randomized design with the factor ‘reserve-organ’ consisting of three levels and the factor ‘treatment by simulated trampling and grazing’ with two levels; each unique treatment combination was replicated nine times. The levels of the factor reserve-organ were C. dactylon in its normal condition with rhizomes, C. dactylon from which the rhizomes were manually removed, and H. hirta. The treatment simulated trampling and grazing consisted of with or without trampling and clipping every 2nd day, a highly intense treatment to mimic herbivore disturbance as a very stressful condition with clear effects on plant survival. Grazing was simulated by clipping , i.e., all aboveground material was clipped at a height of 5 cm, including the control at the initiation of the experiment to equalize the starting position of all plants. Trampling was simulated by repeatedly dropping a 10 kg wooden log, with a wildebeest hoof-shaped carving at the bottom, from a height of 50 cm. By imitating a herbivore’s stepping in a standardized way, this technique mimics the mechanical damage a herbivore imposes on the sward and the effect of soil compaction by the subsequent pressure of its body mass in a repeatable manner.
To investigate the function of rhizomes for C. dactylon an intact root system was required. Therefore whole sods of grass instead of single shoots were taken out of the field to a depth of 20 cm. C. dactylon plants are all interconnected in a sod via stolons and/or rhizomes, whereas the individual H. hirta plants are all independent tufts. For C. dactylon this meant that a whole sod of interconnected shoots with a diameter of 20 cm was transferred, whereas for H. hirta one similar sized tuft was used for the experiments.
This experiment had two different levels for the C. dactylon sods: one had its root system entirely intact, whereas the other had the majority of its connecting rhizomes removed while the rest of the sod structure remained intact. This last procedure was done by shaking the bulk part of the sand off the roots, by gently bouncing the entire sod on a flat surface and repeatedly removing the loose sand. After this, the majority of the rhizomes were cut off from below with a long pair of scissors. Even though only half of the C. dactylon sods were subject to this treatment, all sods were cleared of their soil prior to being replanted, in order to standardize all treatments.
Every 2nd week the number of leaves and the number of resprouts were counted, but not the height and the length of the longest leaf because clipping treatments were applied so that these variables would not be good indicators of growth.
The third experiment was a growth experiment to assess the regenerative capacity of rhizomes of C. dactylon that are disconnected from any aboveground material. This experiment was designed to give insight in to what extent rhizomes are dependent on remaining aboveground material for their survival and regeneration, thus measuring the resilience of C. dactylon (unmatched by tufted grasses because they do not have rhizomes). A hundred pieces of rhizome with a length of 20 cm and similar thickness (5–10 mm) were buried 10 cm underground and grown for a period of ten weeks. This was done in five separate 21 l soil bags with a soil surface of 450 cm2. Every 2nd week the number of resprouts were counted.
Bags from all three experiments were placed randomly in the experimental area, and were moved frequently around to avoid site-effects.
A vegetation survey in existing experimental plots with grazing lawns was carried out in combination with a survey of the herbivore dung density to study the effects of mowing and fertilization on herbivore visitation and grass composition. The vegetation survey was done from March until June 2012. For the survey, fifteen 100x100 m plots, which were distributed over 5 sites, all mown twice (mowed in December and February at about 5 cm grass height) and either fertilized with N, or P or not fertilized, were sampled. Nitrogen was applied with 250 kg N/ha using LAN (Limestone ammonium nitrate; 28% nitrogen). The phosphate was given as 125kg P/ha superphosphate (10.5% phosphate). Fertilization was done at the end of January. Next to these fifteen plots, five additional plots of 100mx100m (one per site) were set out in the matrix vegetation. These plots were not fertilized and not mown, set out on the same plains on locations at comparable elevation and slope but at a distance of 100 m from the nearest plot to minimize spill-over effects . Each plot was walked through eight times at evenly spaced transects 12.5 m apart from one another. On each transect there were eight points of measurement, also evenly spaced and separated from one another by a distance of 12.5 m. This spatial layout allowed for distinguishing between edges and central areas since these areas are likely to be differentially affected by herbivores as animals might concentrate in central areas of mown plots (pers. obs.) where they apparently can maintain an overview of the surrounding areas so that chances of predator detection are increased . A difference in herbivore pressure between edge and central areas is, however, only to be expected when the area that surrounds the plot is covered with high enough vegetation to obstruct the overview of herbivores. Therefore a distinction was made between plots with high (> 1m) surrounding vegetation and low (< 1 m) surrounding vegetation. Sampling was done by the point interception method [33,34], with a square frame of 0.5x0.5 m with 25 pins in a grid at equally spaced points, to record the species composition, or if no vegetation was present, bare soil.
Surveying the density of herbivore pressure was done using faecal sampling for Burchell’s Zebra (Equus burchellii) and Blue wildebeest (Connochaetus taurinus), the dominant grazers at Welgevonden. No distinction was made between the droppings of the separate species and herbivore density was expressed as droppings per sample point. The counts were performed at the same sampling points as for the vegetation survey, where the number of droppings in a circle with a 5 m radius was recorded. Recordings were done twice over a three week interval, using the accumulated dropping densities as dependent variable which partly corrects for day-to-day differences in visitation rates. Droppings were not removed between the recordings. This was compensated for by omitting old droppings during the second count after visually establishing the decay speed over a three week period beforehand.
Soil nutrient data were used from previous research conducted in Welgevonden (October 2011—January 2012), where anion exchange resin bags were used to assess the available N (NH4 and NO3) and P (PO4) content in the soil at 10cm depth in the experimental 100x100m plots. The resin bags consisted of 3g of resin which was placed in nylon bags. Four resin bags were placed in each 100x100m plot; one in each corner and 15m from the edge of the plot. In total 15 plots (5 N-fertilized, 5 P-fertilized, 5 non-fertilized) received resin bags, resulting in a total of 60 samples. The bags were retrieved after 8 weeks, washed to remove the soil and dried at 25°C. N and P mineralization was determined by an extraction method with potassium chloride (KCl) and analyzed in a colorimeter . The soil nutrient data together with the cover data of the species C. dactylon and H. hirta and the bare soil was used to determine if there was a correlation between nutrient availability in the soil and cover.
Statistics were computed with IBM SPSS 20.0. Tests were always full factorial with a backward elimination of variables that were not significant (p>0.05).
Competition under N and P Fertilization.
Number of leaves and culms, length of longest leaf and aboveground biomass were determined during the experiment to assess the effect of competition and nutrients on plant growth and morphology. The changes of these factors between the first and last measurements as well as the proportional changes of both leaves and culms (calculated by dividing final and initial quantities), were calculated, followed by a log-transformation to obtain a normal distribution. A full factorial ANCOVA model was used to test for the effect of ‘competition’, ‘fertilization’ and their interaction on the species performance, with the natural logarithm of the total dry weight per plant as covariate. As pots were moved randomly over the experimental area each day to avoid site effects, we did not include a random block effect in the analysis. A Sidak post-hoc test was used to distinguish the homogenous subsets.
Performance under Herbivore Disturbance.
H. hirta was not considered in statistical tests due to high mortality rate. To test for the effect of herbivory, reserve organ and their interaction on the number of leaves for C. dactylon, the first measurement of the number of leaves was used as a reference point to which the subsequent measurements were related to show the proportional increase or decrease of the number of leaves. Over these proportional changes a two-way ANCOVA was carried out after a square root-transformation was conducted to attain a normal distribution, with ‘time’ as covariate to study the reaction time of these proportional changes. The number of resprouts followed a Poisson distribution, and a Poisson regression was used to test treatment effects on the number of resprouts. Differences in biomass after termination of the experiment were analysed with a two-way ANOVA for which the aboveground biomass required a square root-transformation and belowground biomass data required a ln-transformation to obtain normally distributed residuals.
For the increase of aboveground shoots (y) over time (t) an inverse regression was used (y = β0+β1/t) to take the non-linearity of the data into account.
Vegetation Cover, Herbivore Pressure and Nutrients.
A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) with a nested design was used to test for the effect of surrounding vegetation height, position within the plot, treatment (moved/not fertilized, mowed/P-fertilization, mowed/N-fertilization), and dung densities on C. dactylon, and H. hirta. A similar nested GLM was carried out to explain differences in dung densities. A Spearman rank correlation coefficient  was calculated to test for the correlation between mean percentage cover per species in the fifteen 100mx100m plots and the mean concentrations of the available N and P content in the soil in these fifteen plots, because data deviated from a normal distribution even after an arcsine-transformation.
Competition under N and P Fertilization
No effect of competition or fertilization was found on the aboveground biomass of H. hirta, but there was as small competition x fertilization interaction effect on the biomass of C. dactylon (R2adj = 0.177, F4,90 = 3.583, p = 0.009; Table 2), with a lower amount of biomass of C. dactylon when growing in a mixed sward under P fertilization.
The response in the number of leaves differed between the species (Table 2, S2 Table). For C. dactylon under nitrogen treatment the number of leaves was lower in the monoculture whereas under phosphorus fertilization the number of leaves was higher in the monoculture (interaction; R2adj = 0.098, F9.86 = 2.099, p = 0.038). H. hirta showed an increased number of leaves in the mixed sward regardless of the type of fertilization (R2adj = 0.062, F1,82 = 4.372, p = 0.040).
For C. dactylon, the length of the longest leaf increased under low nitrogen fertilization in the mixed sward (interaction; R2adj = 0.063, F4,86 = 2.747, p = 0.033). For the length of the longest leaf of H. hirta, no significant model was found.
For C. dactylon, the number of culms was higher in a mixed sward under nitrogen fertilization, as well as for the monoculture under low phosphorus fertilization (interaction; R2adj = 0.104, F9,86 = 2.340, p = 0.021). For the number of culms of H. hirta, no significant model was found.
Performance under Herbivore Disturbance.
Clipping and trampling had a negative effect on survival and the number of leaves of both species. C. dactylon with rhizomes was affected less than when rhizomes were missing and H. hirta was affected the most: all replicates of both C. dactylon groups survived whereas for H. hirta nearly all replicates died by the end of the experiment, with serious declines in survival rates starting after 6 weeks (Table 3).
The mean proportional increase of the number of leaves relative to the first measurement showed a clear decline in the number of leaves for the clipped and trampled plants of H. hirta (Fig 1). Due to the large number of mortalities for H. hirta (and hence absence of data over the entire period), this species was not taken into consideration when analysing how the treatments influenced the number of leaves, the number of resprouts and the biomass.
Proportional change in the mean number (±95% CL) of leaves relative to first measurement (%) over eight weeks’ time. From left to right the graphs show C. dactylon with rhizomes intact (A and D), C. dactylon with rhizomes removed (B and E) and H. hirta (C and F), with the top row displaying the control plants and the bottom row displaying the clipped and trampled plants.
For C. dactylon, the group with rhizomes had a higher number of leaves when being trampled and grazed than when rhizomes were missing (two-way ANCOVA, R2adj = 0.54, interaction; F1,103 = 7.781, p = 0.006; Fig 1). The group without rhizomes and regardless of being treated had a lower number of leaves than when there were rhizomes present (F1,103 = 11.527, p = 0.001), the number of leaves for trampled and grazed groups regardless of having rhizomes was lower than for the untreated groups (F1,103 = 82.224, p<0.001) and all plants increased the number of leaves over time (F1,103 = 34.447, p<0.001).
The number of resprouts was higher for C. dactylon with rhizomes than for the plants where rhizomes were missing (Poisson regression, Wald Chi-Square = 34.730, df = 1, p<0.001; Fig 2) and all plants increased the number of resprouts over time (Wald Chi-Square = 11.117, df = 1, p = 0.001). There was no interaction between the presence of rhizomes and time on the number of resprouts (interaction effect: Wald Chi-Square = 0.045, df = 1, p = 0.832).
Mean number (±95% CL) of emerging shoots or resprouts for C. dactylon with rhizomes (left) and C. dactylon without rhizomes (right) after six weeks of treatments (dark hatched bars) and after eight weeks of treatments (light hatched bars).
Clipping and trampling reduced the aboveground biomass (two-way ANOVA, R2adj = 0.87, F1,32 = 205.892, p<0.001), but this was larger when rhizomes were missing (interaction; F1,32 = 24.179, p<0.001; Fig 3A). The presence of rhizomes for C. dactylon did not have an effect on belowground biomass (two-way ANOVA; F1,33 = 0.230, p = 0.635; Fig 3B), but was lower for the grasses that received clipping and trampling (R2adj = 0.28; F1,34 = 14.767, p = 0.001). There was no interaction effect of with/without rhizomes x clipping and trampling (F1,32 = 1.317, p = 0.260).
Over the ten weeks after planting the 100 unconnected, 20 cm long, rhizomes, a steady increase of the number of aboveground shoots was recorded over time (inverse regression; F1,23 = 37.790, p<0.001; Fig 4; R2 = 0.62 against R2 = 0.50 for the linear regression), and a large part of the surface of the soil bags became covered with new C. dactylon shoots. When the experiment was terminated and the rhizomes were taken out of the soil and examined for signs of growth, 52% of all the rhizomes showed at least one developing shoot. Some rhizomes had up to eight growth points.
Vegetation Cover, Herbivore Density and Nutrients.
The C. dactylon cover was larger on experimental plots than in the matrix vegetation (respectively 39% and 23% cover; t-test, t = 2.422, df = 58, p<0.02), and mean dung densities were also higher on experimental plots (8.3 and 1.2 dung deposits per sampling point; t-test, t = 4.699, df = 58, p<0.001). However, H.hirta had a similar cover in experimental plots and in the matrix vegetation (both 12%; p>0.05).
Among experimental plots, C. dactylon cover was not affected by centre or edge location, but was higher on plots with low surrounding vegetation (nested GLM, Wald = 54.055, p<0.001; Fig 5, S3 Table), slightly higher in plots that were fertilized with nitrogen (Wald Χ24 = 9.772, p = 0.044), and increased with increasing dung density (Wald Χ21 = 154.127, p<0.001; Fig 6A).
C. dactylon (±95% CL) (A), H. hirta cover (±95% CL) (B), and mean dung density (±95% CL) (C) on plots with high and plots with low surrounding vegetation. Dark hatched columns represent central areas and light hatched columns represent edge areas of the 100mx100m plots.
Relationships between mean dung counts and cover (%) of C. dactylon (A) and H. hirta (B).
For H. hirta also no effect was found of edge or centre location, and also not of fertilization and mowing treatments, but cover increased in plots surrounded by high vegetation compared to plots surrounded by low vegetation (Wald Χ21 = 290.301, p<0.001; Fig 5), and cover decreased with increasing dung density (Wald Χ21 = 11.904, p = 0.001; Fig 6B).
ADung densities were not affected by high or low surrounding vegetation, but were higher in plots fertilized with nitrogen (Wald Χ21 = 29.128, p<0.001), higher in central areas compared to edge areas (Wald Χ26 = 57.306, p<0.001), and increased with C. dactylon cover and decreased with H. hirta cover (Wald Χ21 = 77.324, p = 0.001; Wald Χ21 = 27.455, p = 0.001).
For neither grass species and bare soil a significant correlation was found between the available nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and the cover (Table 4).
Studying the performance of Cynodon dactylon (a lawn grass species) and Hyparrhenia hirta (a tufted grass species), our results support the hypothesis that lawn formation and its persistence can be induced by sufficient herbivore disturbance. We did not find evidence for the hypothesis that C. dactylon is favoured by only Nitrogen (N) and/or Phosphorus (P) fertilization. We suggest that the regenerative power of the rhizomes of C. dactylon underlie this species’ ability to survive under heavy disturbance, i.e. the regenerative ability of C. dactylon under grazer disturbance enables the species to quickly colonize empty patches of less resilient tufted grasses, facilitating the formation of Cynodon-dominated lawns. The tolerance of high grazing levels, and the capacity to regenerate quickly from rhizomes and stolons, probably partly explains why C. dactylon is such a successful invasive species in other parts of the world .
Fertilization treatments did not result in large competitive advantages of either the lawn-forming C. dactylon or the tufted grass H. hirta, indicating that competition for nutrients does not directly seem to result in short-term shifts between the two species under the used watering schemes. Small differences in leaf sizes and number of leaves were observed especially for C. dactylon, but aboveground biomass of H. hirta did not react to fertilization or competition, and the lower biomass values of C. dactylon under P fertilization cannot explain the dominance of Cynodon spp. in many grazing lawns [9–11]. Relationships were also absent between the cover of the lawn-forming C. dactylon or the tufted grass H. hirta, and the concentrations of available nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil (Table 4), suggesting that nutrients are not the crucial factor in grazing lawn perpetuation. However, water stress could have changed the balance between the two species and interact with nutrients availability and affect species competition , and the indirect effect of fertilization through attracting herbivores might be an important indirect factor (see below). However, upon subjecting both species to a combination of heavy trampling and clipping treatments, C. dactylon displayed a higher resilience than H. hirta (Fig 1D–1F). The role of rhizomes herein was significant, as the C. dactylon replicates with their rhizomes intact withstood the trampling and clipping treatments significantly better than the C. dactylon from which the rhizomes where removed (Fig 1D and 1E). Non-trampled and non-clipped control groups for both of these C. dactylon groups showed healthy growth, indicating that the removal of rhizomes did not affect the grasses (Fig 1A–1C). The C. dactylon group without rhizomes withstood the clipping and trampling treatments better than H. hirta, where there were no rhizomes to make this difference (Fig 1E and 1F). Yet, although nearly all the rhizomes were removed from these experimental plants, there was always a small remainder that could not be removed without disrupting the root system too severely. The removal of the rhizomes should therefore rather be regarded as a vast reduction in the number of rhizomes than as a complete removal, explaining the higher grazing tolerance for the C. dactylon without rhizomes compared to that of H. hirta. Fernandez  showed that also under field conditions the high regenerative capacity of C. dactylon rhizomes gives the species a competitive advantage, although this will also depend on the level of disturbance, the prevalence of C. dactylon in the sward, and the species composition.
We found strong support that the regenerating shoots from rhizomes provide a continuous supply of new green biomass to keep up the photosynthetic machinery, resulting in survival at times of heavy disturbance. C. dactylon groups with their rhizomes intact had more regrown shoots than C. dactylon without rhizomes (Fig 2), correlating strongly with the way these different groups withstood the trampling and grazing treatments. The capacity of rhizomes to form resprouts in the regeneration experiment further underlined this finding (Fig 4). Pieces of rhizomes (20 cm) showed a regenerative capacity of 52%, implying that even when all the grasses in a specific area were to lose their aboveground biomass by some major disturbance, more than half of the below-ground residing rhizomes would be able to regenerate at least once.
Since the plots were mown twice a year, the grasses on the plots were shorter than the grasses that surrounded the plots. According to the notion of ‘the landscape of fear’ , this influenced herbivore distribution, concentrating herbivores in the central areas of the treatment plots where they seem to experience increased visibility as compared to when they would be residing in the edges of these plots. Herbivore pressure was indeed higher in the central areas of the plots as compared to that in the edges, as shown by the dung distribution (Fig 5B). Furthermore, we found that herbivore density was correlated with C. dactylon abundance (Fig 6). This is consistent with the hypothesis that C. dactylon provides herbivores with a higher food intake than when foraging on H. hirta and also points into the direction of a mechanism where higher herbivore densities, a source of fertilization and disturbance, provide C. dactylon with a competitive advantage above H. hirta by suppressing this latter species and thereby reducing competition for C. dactylon. However, further increasing the grazing level could eliminate the herbaceous layer entirely and/or trigger bush encroachment [39,40].
The studies that showed grazing lawns can be established with mowing treatments [8,19] and/or nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization regimes  may have given the impression that mowing or fertilization alone can effectuate such a change due to the specific growth responses of the grasses in question. However, our results show that it is more likely that those treatments merely increased the attractiveness of patches of grass for herbivores, as mowing does by providing fresh regrowth and fertilization does by providing more nutritious leaves. The herbivores that concentrated on specific places, then effectuated the desired changes, being the actual driving force for grazing lawn development, i.e. a source of both nutrients (dung, urine), and disturbance (defoliation through grazing and trampling). It is this combination of fertilization and disturbance under which C. dactylon is able to outcompete H.hirta, trigerring the grazing lawn formation. Moreover, nutrients may also exert an effect by enhancing growth rates, which under circumstances favourable to C. dactylon boost the competitive advantage by accelerating the increasing dominance of the species. Taken together, nutrients may thus serve as both an attractant and a catalyser, which is also confirmed in previous research when fertilized plots showed a more rapid lawn formation . Apart from nutrients and mowing other concentrating mechanisms could be installed such as water points and areas protected from predation .
In our study, we demonstrated that C. dactylon is affected much less by disturbance than H. hirta. Even though C. dactylon is not more robust to the direct damage of disturbance, it seems that the regenerative capacity of its rhizomes enables the species to persist after complete removal of its aboveground biomass. Additionally, the effect of nutrients on interspecific competition proved to be small. Even though the effect of disturbance on competition was not studied directly, these conclusions give a strong indication that C. dactylon benefits from disturbance by reducing competition from another, less resilient species, H. hirta.
We thank the staff of Welgevonden Private Game Reserve for permission and facilitation of our work in the reserve. We furthermore thank Anzelle van Wyk and Anouk Fens for assistance during fieldwork.
Conceived and designed the experiments: HP JS WdB JZ DB. Performed the experiments: JZ DB IV. Analyzed the data: JZ DB IV WdB. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JZ HP DB IV JS WdB. Wrote the paper: JZ HP DB IV JS WdB.
- 1. Verweij RJT, Verrelst J, Loth PE, Heitkonig IMA, Brunsting AMH (2006) Grazing lawns contribute to the subsistence of mesoherbivores on dystrophic savannas. Oikos 114: 108–116.
- 2. Georgiadis NJ, McNaughton SJ (1990) Elemental and fiber contents of savanna grasses—variation with grazing, soil type, season and species. J Appl Ecol 27: 623–634.
- 3. Drescher M, Heitkonig IMA, Raats JG, Prins HHT (2006) The role of grass stems as structural foraging deterrents and their effects on the foraging behaviour of cattle. Appl Anim Behav Sci101: 10–26.
- 4. Whicker AD, Detling JK (1988) Ecological consequences of prairie dog disturbances. Bioscience 38: 778–785.
- 5. Knapp AK, Blair JM, Briggs JM, Collins SL, Hartnett DC, Johnson LC, et al. (1999) The keystone role of bison in north American tallgrass prairie—Bison increase habitat heterogeneity and alter a broad array of plant, community, and ecosystem processes. Bioscience 49: 39–50.
- 6. McNaughton SJ (1984) Grazing lawns—animals in herds, plant form, and coevolution. Am Nat 124: 863–886.
- 7. Grant CC, Scholes MC (2006) The importance of nutrient hot-spots in the conservation and management of large wild mammalian herbivores in semi-arid savannas. Biol Conserv 130: 426–437.
- 8. Archibald S, Bond WJ, Stock WD, Fairbanks DHK (2005) Shaping the landscape: Fire-grazer interactions in an African savanna. Ecol Appl 15: 96–109.
- 9. Stobbs TH (1973) The effect of plant structure on the intake of tropical pastures. II. Differences in sward structure, nutritive value, and bite size of animals grazing Setaria anceps and Chloris gayana at various stages of growth. Aust J Agric Res 24: 821–829.
- 10. Kraaij T, Novellie PA (2010) Habitat selection by large herbivores in relation to fire at the Bontebok National Park (1974–2009): the effects of management changes. Afr J Range For Sci 27: 21–27.
- 11. Georgiadis NJ, McNaughton SJ (1988) Interactions between grazers and a cyanogenic grass, Cynodon plectostachyus. Oikos 51: 343–350.
- 12. Cromsigt JPGM, Olff H (2008) Dynamics of grazing lawn formation: an experimental test of the role of scale-dependent processes. Oikos 117: 1444–1452.
- 13. Fynn R, Morris C, Kirkman K (2005) Plant strategies and trait trade‐offs influence trends in competitive ability along gradients of soil fertility and disturbance. J Ecol 93: 384–394.
- 14. Archibald S (2008) African grazing lawns—How fire, rainfall, and grazer numbers interact to affect grass community states. J Wildlife Manage 72: 492–501.
- 15. Freckleton R, Watkinson A (2001) Asymmetric competition between plant species. Funct Ecol 15: 615–623.
- 16. Connolly J, Wayne P (1996) Asymmetric competition between plant species. Oecologia 108: 311–320.
- 17. Wedin D, Tilman D (1993) Competition among grasses along a nitrogen gradient—Initial conditions and mechanisms of competition. Ecol Monogr 63: 199–229.
- 18. McIvor JG, McIntyre S, Saeli I, Hodgkinson JJ (2005) Patch dynamics in grazed subtropical native pastures in south-east Queensland. Austral Ecol 30: 445–464.
- 19. Person BT, Herzog MP, Ruess RW, Sedinger JS, Anthony RM, Babcock CA (2003) Feedback dynamics of grazing lawns: coupling vegetation change with animal growth. Oecologia 135: 583–592. pmid:12684865
- 20. McNaughton SJ (1983) Serengeti grassland ecology—the role of composite environmental factors and contingency in community organization. Ecol Monogr 53: 291–320.
- 21. Amiaud B, Touzard B, Bonis A, Bouzille JB (2008) After grazing exclusion, is there any modification of strategy for two guerrilla species: Elymus repens (L.) Gould and Agrostis stolonifera (L.)? Plant Ecol 197: 107–117.
- 22. Augustine DJ, McNaughton SJ (1998) Ungulate effects on the functional species composition of plant communities: Herbivore selectivity and plant tolerance. J Wildlife Manage 62: 1165–1183.
- 23. O'Connor TG (1994) Composition and population responses of an African savanna grassland to rainfall and grazing. J Appl Ecol 31: 155–171.
- 24. Dong M, De Kroon H (1994) Plasticity in morphology and biomass allocation in Cynodon dactylon, a grass species forming stolons and rhizomes. Oikos 70: 99–106.
- 25. Suzuki JI, Stuefer J (1999) On the ecological and evolutionary significance of storage in clonal plants. Plant Spec Biol 14: 11–17.
- 26. De Kroon H, Schieving F (1991) Resource-allocation patterns as a function of clonal morphology—A general model applied to a foraging clonal plant. J Ecol 79: 519–530.
- 27. Sutherland WJ, Stillman RA (1988) The foraging tactics of plants. Oikos 52: 239–244.
- 28. Cluzeau D, Binet F, Vertes F, Simon JC, Riviere JM, Trehen P (1992) Effects of intensive cattle trampling on soil-plant-earthworms system in two grassland types. Soil Biol Biochem 24: 1661–1665.
- 29. Holm L, Pancho JV, Herberger JP, Plucknett DL (1979) A geographical atlas of world weeds. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 391 p.
- 30. Kohler F, Gillet F, Gobat JM, Buttler A (2004) Seasonal vegetation changes in mountain pastures due to simulated effects of cattle grazing. J Veg Sci 15: 143–150.
- 31. Ball JP, Danell K, Sunesson P (2000) Response of a herbivore community to increased food quality and quantity: an experiment with nitrogen fertilizer in a boreal forest. J Appl Ecol 37: 247–255.
- 32. Laundre JW, Hernandez L, Ripple WF (2010) The landscape of fear: ecological implications of being afraid. Open Ecol J 3: 1–7.
- 33. Goodall DW (1952) Some considerations in the use of point quadrats for the analysis of vegetation. Aust J Sci Res Series B 5: 1–41.
- 34. Floyd DA, Anderson JE (1987) A comparison of three methods for estimating plant cover. J Ecol 75: 221–228.
- 35. Binkley D, Matson P (1983) Ion exchange resin bag method for assessing forest soil nitrogen availability. Soil Sci Soc Am J 47: 1050–1052.
- 36. Field A (2009) Discovering statistics using SPSS. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. 822 p.
- 37. Fernandez ON (2003) Establishment of Cynodon dactylon from stolon and rhizome fragments. Weed Res 43: 130–138.
- 38. Van Der Waal C, De Kroon H, de Boer WF, Heitkönig IMA, Skidmore AK, de Knegt HJ, et al. (2009) Water and nutrients alter herbaceous competitive effects on tree seedlings in a semi-arid savanna. J Ecol 97: 430–439.
- 39. Tessema ZK, de Boer WF, Baars RMT, Prins HHT (2011) Changes in soil nutrients, vegetation structure and herbaceous biomass in response to grazing in a semi-arid savanna of Ethiopia. J Arid Environ 75: 662–670.
- 40. Ward D (2005) Do we understand the causes of bush encroachment in African savannas? Afr J Range For Sci 22: 101–105.

domain: agronomy


text:
Lazio10th in Italian Serie A
The latest updates and analysis from matchday five of the 2023-24 Champions League season, with Milan facing Dortmund and PSG taking on Newcastle.
Two late goals by Lazio captain Ciro Immobile earned them a 2-0 home win over bottom side Celtic in Champions League Group E on Tuesday, ending Celtic's European hopes.
Lazio and AS Roma played out a 0-0 draw in Serie A on Sunday as both sides missed opportunities in a heated derby clash.
A first-half goal by Ciro Immobile handed Lazio a 1-0 home win over Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday to move Maurizio Sarri's side up to second in Group E.
The latest updates and analysis from matchday 4 of the 2023-24 Champions League season, with Newcastle visiting Dortmund and Milan facing PSG.
A last-gasp penalty by Ciro Immobile gave Lazio a 1-0 home win over Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico on Monday, denying Vincenzo Italiano's side a spot in the Serie A top four.
Feyenoord beat visitors Lazio 3-1 on Wednesday thanks to a double from Mexico's Santiago Gimenez and a strike from Ramiz Zerrouki to move top of Champions League Group E.
First-half goals by Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto earned Lazio a comfortable 2-0 win at Sassuolo on Saturday, securing Maurizio Sarri's side their first back-to-back Serie A wins in the campaign.
Three months into the 2023-24 European season, which teams are approaching crisis mode and how can they turn their season around?
Lazio beat Atalanta 3-2 with a late goal from Matias Vecino after the visitors had fought their way back from 2-0 down at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Sunday.
Serie A Table

domain: news


text:
© Medeshi News
Sourced news about the Horn of Africa and beyond
Pontus Marine LTD- Leader of fishing industry in Somaliland
May 15, 2019
Somali villager travels to US to confront army chief he says tried to kill him
Farhan Warfaa to give emotional testimony in Virginia courtroom in case that shines light on brutal 21-year reign of Siad Barre.
Click here to read the article

domain: geography


How to: Fix WD External Hard Drive Showing as 0 Bytes
This post analyzes why WD external hard drive shows as 0 bytes and demonstrates effective fixes for the issue. Read it and fix your hard drive right now!
“Hello, I have a 1TB WD Passport external hard drive. Now, it seems that there is a problem with it. After I connect it into my PC that running Windows 10 OS，I cannot open it and it shows as 0 bytes of capacity, free and used space. What should I do to fix the WD external hard drive?” Thanks.
When WD external hard drive reports 0 bytes in capacity, it means that it can’t be recognized properly by your OS. And some reasons are listed as follows:
▪ Virus infection
▪ File system corruption
▪ Bad sector
▪ Power failure
Having realize what can account for WD external hard drive showing zero bytes, let’s get into how to settle out the issue.
Warning: For data safety, it’s recommended to retrieve all necessary data saved on the WD external hard drive and back up the data in advance.
If your WD external hard drive works always normally but suddenly says 0 bytes after you have connected it to an unsafe PC, virus infection could be the reason. At this time, you can run anti-virus software, like Windows Defender, to scan and remove viruses on your hard drive. If the anti-virus software hasn’t been updated for a long time, it’s advised to update it before running it.
Sometimes, if data on WD external hard drive is hidden, 0 bytes issue might occur. At this point, you can show hidden files using CMD.
Step 1. Press “Windows + “R” simultaneously, input “cmd” and press “Enter” to Run CMD as administrator.
Step 2. Type “attrib -h -r -s /s /d F:\*.*”(replace F: with the drive letter of your WD external hard drive partition) at the command prompt and press “Enter”.
If the files haven’t been hidden, you can check whether the problem is it is related to file system errors or bad sectors. In such a case, you can use CHKDSK.exe tool. Here are the detailed steps:
Step 1. Press “Windows + “R” simultaneously, input “cmd” and press Enter to run CMD as administrator.
Step 2. Type“chkdsk g: /f /r /x” and press “Enter” key.
▪ “g” is the drive letter of the partition on the WD external hard drive that you want to check and fix.
▪ “f”: tells CHKDSK to fix any errors it finds.
▪ “r”: tells it to locate the bad sectors on the drive and recover readable information
▪ “x”: forces the drive to dismount before the process starts.
Or you can run Windows built-in tool, Hardware, and Devices Troubleshooter to repair your WD hard drive.
Step 1. Press “Windows” + “R”, input “control”, and click “OK”.
Step 2. Type “troubleshooting” in the search box and hit Enter.
Step 3. Click “View all” and click “Hardware and Devices”. And then you can follow the prompts.
Corrupted MBR can cause disk showing 0 bytes as well. If so, you can rebuild MBR using an MBR repair tool, AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. Click the following button to download the freeware and check out the steps.
Step 1. Install and run the software. Right-click the WD external hard drive and choose “Rebuild MBR.”
Step 2. Choose the type based on the current OS and click “OK”.
Step 3. Click “Apply” and “Proceed” to execute the operation.
▪ This software can work with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, XP, and Vista; and it offers many other functions, such as check bad sector and wipe hard drive.
▪ To fix damaged MBR in Windows Server 2019/2016/2012/2008/2003, you can use AOMEI Partition Assistant Server.
If all the above fixes cannot fix showing 0 bytes issue, you can reformat WD external hard drive. What you should pay attention to is that this operation will erase all data on the partition. You can complete format using Disk Management easily. However, there are chances that you failed to format the external hard drive. If so, you can use Diskpart to force format it.
PS.: If your external hard drive is writ-protected, remove write protection from it at first.
Step 1. Press “Windows” + “R”, input “diskpart” and press Enter to run Diskpart utility.
Step 2. Run commands as follows:
▪ list disk
▪ select disk n ("n" refers to the disk number of the external hard drive)
▪ clean (This command will erase all data on the selected external hard drive)
▪ create partition primary
▪ format fs=ntfs quick
To view external hard drive partition in Windows Explorer, you can assign a drive letter to the partition.
All aforementioned methods about how to fix 0 bytes on WD external hard drive can be used for external hard drive belonging to other brands, like Samsung and Seagate.
It’s not rare to encounter hard drive issues, like showing 0 bytes, no media, etc. Although you can repair your disk using various methods, it can be unpleasant and time-consuming to retrieve your wanted data saved on the hard drive. Therefore, it’s important to back up your external hard drive in advance.


text:
The long awaited Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institute of Health (NIH) paper has finally been published. The paper was published today in one of the world’s most eminent scientific journals, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS.) The abstract of the FDA/NIH study can be found here: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/08/16/1006901107.abstract?sid=0caef811-3af1-40e8-80db-269182b6307c
The entire 6 page FDA/NIH study in PDF form can be found here: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/08/16/1006901107.full.pdf
The FDA/NIH study authors found a Murine Leukemia Virus-like Virus in the blood of 32 out of 37 (86.5%) CFS patients. This contrasted the Murine Leukemia Virus-like Virus being found in the blood of 3 out of 44 (6.8%) of healthy controls.
Eight CFS patients who were gag-positive in this study (based on blood that was banked 15 years ago) were retested with blood drawn from 15 years later (drawn in 2010.) Seven out of the eight CFS patients remained gag-positive. The one patient who had now returned a negative gag result still hadn’t recovered from their CFS.
The FDA/NIH study results have not only confirmed but extended the results of the Lombardi-Mikovits paper published in October 2009. This 2009 paper found XMRV in the blood of 68 out of 101 (67%) CFS patients. This was in comparison to just 8 out of 218 (3.7%) healthy controls being XMRV positive.
XMRV vs MLV
The Lombardi-Mikovits paper in 2009 detected XMRV while the FDA/NIH paper detected MLV. XMRV is the initialism for Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus- related Virus. MLV is the initialism for Murine Leukemia Virus. Mikovits, Lo and Alter seem to have unanimously confirmed that both studies found the same retrovirus (Alter and Lo are two of the FDA/NIH study authors.) This retrovirus is a human retrovirus that is a member of the Gammaretrovirus family. There are a family of these Gammaretroviruses that are Murine Leukemia Virus-related Viruses and this is what both studies have detected.
The FDA/NIH study detected four slightly different types of these MLVs. This is similar to the other infectious retroviruses, HIV and HTLV which have several variants. The FDA/NIH study shows that there is a genetic diversity among MLVs infecting humans. Seven out of eight gag-positive CFS patients tested in the FDA/NIH study had their MLV mutate during the 15 year period in which their blood was drawn on the separate occasions. Since the WPI’s October 2009 study, the WPI have found more than one strain of MLV and this supports the FDA/NIH study results.
The FDA/NIH study authors wrote that “In contrast to the reported findings of near-genetic identity of all XMRVs, we identified a genetically diverse group of MLV-related viruses. The gag and env sequences from CFS patients were more closely related to those of polytropic mouse endogenous retroviruses than to those of XMRVs and were even less closely related to those of ecotropic MLVs.” ‘Polytropic’ forms of MLV can infect mice cells and non-mice species cells. ‘Xenotropic’ forms of MLV can’t infect mice cells anymore but can infect non-mice species cells. This supports the notion that the Lombardi-Mikovits paper and the FDA/NIH paper found the same retrovirus. The FDA/NIH study not just confirmed but also improved upon the Lombardi-Mikovits study by determining that the retrovirus studied can infect mice cells. The XMRV versus MLV confusion in this situation only centres around the semantics and nomenclature of retroviruses, not the science.
Prior to the FDA/NIH study being released, there was a lack of clarity concerning the nomenclature of the retrovirus the Lombardi-Mikovits and FDA/NIH studies found. This suggests that the proposed renaming of XMRV to HGRV may have stemmed from the FDA/NIH study result. Dr Alter has commented that a superior name (to XMRV) for the retrovirus is Murine Leukemia Virus- related Virus.
CFS Cohort Used
The majority of the CFS patients used in the FDA/NIH study were from the New England area. None of these CFS patients were related and almost none had regular social contact. Dr. Anthony Komaroff (a CFS physician) supplied the CFS patients. The patients were deemed to be CFS patients based on many laboratory tests, a patient questionnaire, a physical examination and the patients fulfilling specific CFS criteria. This specific CFS criteria was the 1988 CDC criteria for CFS. There was a lack of diversity of CFS criteria in the mid 1990s (when the patients were diagnosed as CFS patients.) The 1988 CDC criteria, also known as the Holmes criteria, differed majorly from the current CDC CFS criteria. The 1988 CDC criteria excluded psychiatric diagnoses and required the presence of eight secondary symptoms for the patient to be diagnosed with CFS. This contrasts the current CDC criteria which does not exclude psychiatric diagnoses and requires just four secondary symptoms for the patient to be classified as having CFS.
Criticisms of the FDA/NIH Study
The FDA/NIH study only tested a small number of CFS patients and healthy controls and hence the exact MLV positive percentages may not be entirely accurate. The study found 3 out of 44 healthy controls to have a MLV which equates to 6.8%. If one of the healthy controls that was MLV positive was not included in the study by chance, the MLV positive percentage would be reduced to 4.5%. If one of the healthy controls that was MLV negative was by chance replaced with a MLV positive healthy control, the MLV positive percentage would change to 11.4%. This variation of between 4.5%-11.4% MLV positive based on just one person in the study having a different result highlights the lack of precision that underscores the 6.8% healthy control MLV positive figure.
The FDA/NIH study utilised blood from CFS patients that was drawn 15 years ago. A greater number of CFS patients in may 2010 be MLV positive due to the infectious nature of MLVs. This means that more CFS patients are likely to be MLV positive now due to catching a MLV after already having CFS. For instance if I already have CFS (from a non-MLV source) and am MLV negative, then I have 15 years to be infected with MLV to change the MLV CFS prevalence. In other words, a small minority of CFS patients will be MLV positive but not have MLV as a cause of their CFS. This figure will most likely be very small if not negligible.
The FDA/NIH study used blood from healthy controls that was from blood donors. This blood was collected between the years 2003 and 2006. If MLVs are infecting the population at a rapid rate then the true prevalence of MLV in the healthy population may differ from 6.8% in the year 2010. The 6.8% figure may have been more accurate between the years 2003 and 2006.
The FDA/NIH paper mentions that “Future studies should adhere to consensus case definitions such as that developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.)” This is a very careless comment by the FDA/NIH study authors. The current CDC CFS criteria are much less restrictive in diagnosing CFS than the criteria used in the FDA/NIH study. The CDC is notorious for using flawed CFS definitions as well as controversial and heterogeneous CFS criteria. Leonard Jason has published a study showing that 38% of those with a major depressive disorder were misclassified as having CFS based on the new CDC CFS criteria. Jason’s study concludes that, “This study suggests that the Reeves et al. (2005) empirical case definition has broadened the criteria such that some individuals with a purely psychiatric illness will be inappropriately diagnosed as having CFS.” Jason’s study can be found here: http://www.co-cure.org/Jason-7.pdf
Several studies that have aimed to detect XMRV have failed to do so. The question now arises as to what retrovirological techniques are required to detect MLVs. I have written in detail elsewhere on this blog about some of the flawed techniques and non-representative cohorts the XMRV negative studies have used. I mentioned some of the flawed techniques here: https://livingwithchronicfatiguesyndrome.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/xmrv-publications-by-fdanih-and-cdc-both-on-hold/
The negative studies have used the molecular synthetic clone of XMRV, which is VP62. VP62 is a very specific sequence that fails to detect XMRV or MLV variants. The FDA/NIH paper has emphasized that MLVs are genetically variant. This means that a natural isolate is required to detect MLVs as this accommodates detecting the variants of MLVs.
Prior to the release of the FDA/NIH study, Dr Katz claimed that the Lombardi- Mikovits study was evenly poised on a pair of scales with the negative XMRV studies. He then stipulated that if the FDA/NIH study confirmed the Lombardi- Mikovits paper, it would be analogous to placing an elephant on the Lombardi-Mikovits side of the scales. As the FDA/NIH study has now confirmed the Lombardi-Mikovits study, the scientific paradigm scales are now heavily favouring a high MLV- CFS correlation.
How Does This Relate to the Future of CFS?
Despite a correlation between CFS and MLVs, causation has yet to be proven. It is currently premature to claim the scientific paradigm that MLVs cause CFS. Fulfilling Koch’s Postulate and determining if MLVs are causative of CFS is the next step scientifically. At the very least, it looks as if MLVs are a biomarker of CFS. The MLV-CFS studies also support the 2500 plus published journal articles that show that CFS is purely an organic disease. The psychosomatic proponents of CFS have had the last nail inserted into their psychological model of CFS. From “negative illness beliefs” alone it is impossible to be infected with an infectious human retrovirus that is not ubiquitous.
Dr Mikovits gives her thoughts on the FDA/NIH paper in a video found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZEwQUg7o6I&feature=channel&forumid=331851
Annette Whittemore congratulates the FDA/NIH study authors here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne7if7FKJFg&feature=channel
CFS Central has an excellent article about the FDA/NIH study including quotes from the study authors. This article can be found here: http://www.cfscentral.com/2010/08/fdanihharvard-xmrv-study-same-thing.html
The Wall Street Journal provides an overview of the situation here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703846604575447744076968322.html
Today not only marks an historic day for the CFS community but also a victorious day for the scientific process. After being held back by government officials, the FDA/NIH paper has been published. The scientific paper has shown that the large majority of CFS patients have an infectious retrovirus that belongs to the Murine Leukemia Virus class. I’d like to finish with a quote from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, “I mean—hell, I been surprised how sane you guys all are. As near as I can tell you’re not any crazier than the average asshole on the street.”

domain: literature


text:
While many baby boomers are putting off retirement until their late 60s, millennials have slowly emerged as the largest demographic in the American workforce. Due to this reality, older professionals are finding themselves being hired, managed and working with people much younger than they are.
This generational gap is bound to cause friction in the workplace, and companies need to take measures to ensure that all their employees are getting along and collaborating effectively, regardless of age.
Below are a few things companies can do to address age gaps in their workforce.
Start a Mentorship Program
Professionally speaking, baby boomers and millennials can learn a lot from each other. Millennials can learn precious insight from decades of experience in a particular field. Boomers, on the other hand, can learn new methods or tools to solve a problem.
Developing a cross-generational mentorship program can add significant value to your company by allowing the different generations learn new skills from each other. Furthermore, those in the program are more likely to walk away from it with greater mutual respect, admiration and understanding.
Regular Technology Training
One of the biggest sources of friction between millennials and baby boomers in the workplace has to do with technology. Older workers may be hesitant to learn new skills so close to retirement, while millennials might grow impatient with co-workers who are reluctant to keep up-to-date with the latest software and operating systems.
As the employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that all your workers are on a level playing field when it comes to the technology they use on the job. Make it as easy as possible for the boomers in your workforce to stay current. Tailor technology training sessions in a way that avoids embarrassment for anyone and maximizes knowledge retention.
Emphasize Positive Culture
If your employees are not enthusiastic about the company they work for and the job they do, then the stage is set for clashes between people with differing backgrounds. In order to avoid age-based conflicts, or any kind of conflict for that matter, your company should work diligently to build a positive sense of community within your organization. Team-building exercises and social events allow your team members the opportunity to share their personal background and develop mutual respect for each other – which feeds into a positive workplace culture.
Being transparent with your employees can also add to a positive workplace culture. By giving your team periodic status updates, you are sending them the message that they are all working toward the same goals.
At Thompson Technologies, we have access to talented workers from every generation. If your company is currently looking for an infusion of experience or recent college grads, please contact us today to learn about our custom staffing solutions.

domain: sociology


text:
EU Tightens Rules on Savings Taxation
Austria and Luxembourg have agreed to back EU plans to increase transparency in tax reporting at a summit in Brussels, Thursday.
The two countries had delayed endorsing EU reforms on the tax savings directive since 2008. The law requires all EU member states to exchange information on their citizens' accounts abroad, in order to easier find hidden funds and collect taxes on interest income.
The updated directive is set to be adopted next Monday, before it is transposed into national law over the next two years, the EUobserver reports.
"This is indispensable for enabling the member states to better clamp down on tax fraud and tax evasion," said European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in a statement following the adoption of the agreement.
The amendments to the savings tax directive are intended to prevent its circumvention, reflecting changes to savings products and developments in investor behavior.
Under current rules, member states do not exchange data on interest earned from financial products linked to investment funds, pensions, trusts or foundations.
- » Bulgaria Advises Travellers to Carry Enough Cash During Greece's Bank Holiday
- » Greece's Banking Restrictions 'Not to Affect Bulgaria'
- » Bulgarians Working Abroad Sent Home Remittances Totaling USD 1.72 B in 2014
- » Bulgarian Parliament Approves Lifting of Bank Secrecy at Second Reading
- » S&P warns of Possible Downgrades in SEE over Greek Crisis
- » Austrian Bank Hypo Noe Gruppe Opens Office in Sofia

domain: finance


text:
In my last post I mentioned my youth lit reads. I also plucked some adult lit to mix things up a bit. Here's what stood out.
Patti mentioned it during the ALA Youth Media Awards chat and said she put it down because she knew it would be too sad. Patti, I think you should reconsider!
I loved it. It takes place over 12 days surrounding Hurricane
Katrina and the lives of a 15 year old teen and her brothers who live in a Mississippi swamp. We know the devastation of Katrina and that just added to the tension. Forget food - get out! Esch
and Skeetah are a sister/brother team that will stay with me for a long
time. Check this one out. I read it in a day.
An excellent choice for a 2012 Alex Award Winner. *below for a slight spoiler that could be the Patti deal-breaker.
NYT review with a copy of the (excellent) title poem included.
*P.S. re: Gordon Korman's excellent YA novel about the animal on the cover. But it's

domain: artistic


text:
Ajay Devgn (Photograph Credit: Instagram)
Ajay Devgn turned 51 immediately. The actor doesn’t look a day over 30. Does he? He’s so match and fab, that he can provide the millennial actors a run for his or her cash. The actor celebrated his birthday together with his household, with none grand celebration, for the apparent cause of the COVID-19 lockdown. However his followers made positive he felt particular they usually flooded his social media feeds with needs for his prosperity and well being. And a few simply raved about how good-looking he’s. On Ajay Devgn’s Birthday, Let Us Revisit 5 Iconic Dialogues That Made Us Whistle In The Theater (See Pics).
Ajay, who can’t precisely be termed as social media savvy, took discover of the tweets and has now responded. The actor took to his social media to put up a video of his speaking caricature. He thanked the followers and suggested everybody to remain secure by staying at residence. We hope his followers are listening. Additionally, we hope that whereas he’s at it, Aja may as effectively additionally put up a couple of photos of how he spent his 51st birthday. Ajay Devgn Birthday Particular: 11 Underrated Movies of the Tanhaji Star to Watch Whereas in Coronavirus Lockdown.
Test Out Ajay Devgn’s Tweet For His Followers Right here:
I personally thank every & everybody of you for making my birthday particular. Keep secure. pic.twitter.com/DtOcNrLcCQ
— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) April 2, 2020
On the work entrance, Ajay has his plate full, even on the age of 51. He shall be subsequent seen within the patriotic movie, Bhuj: The Delight Of India. He will even be producing and starring in Thank God, a comedy with Rakul Preet Singh and Sidharth Malhotra, directed by Indra Kumar. The film was speculated to go on flooring on April 10, nevertheless it will not be potential now for apparent causes. Ajay will even be seen in Maidaan, a sports activities drama.
He has additionally been roped in for particular roles in SS Rajamouli’s Roudram Ranam Rudhiram. He will even reprise his Singham position within the upcoming movie of Rohit Shetty’s cop-universe, Sooryavanshi, every time it’s rescheduled. Ajay can be producing movies like Chhalaang, The Large Bull, and Tribhanga – which is able to star his spouse, Kajol.

domain: entertainment


text:
MANCHESTER, England — You know it’s going well for Manchester City when John Stones, who hadn’t scored a Premier League goal for nearly six years, pops up with two in one game.
Stones’ last league goal came for Everton against Manchester United in April 2015, but two against Crystal Palace helped City to a 4-0 win and lifted Pep Guardiola’s side up to second in the table.
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– ESPN+ viewer’s guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more
It was the second good result for City on Sunday after Liverpool and Manchester United played out a goalless draw at Anfield earlier in the day. Approaching the halfway point of the season, five points separate the top six but even in a congested race, City are now the bookmakers’ favourites to win a third title in four years. It is not without foundation.
Stones has scored three times in his last four games over all competitions but it’s his form in front of his own goal that has helped put City in contention. Since winning back his place in November, Stones has started 11 games during which City have conceded just once. With Ruben Dias he has formed the meanest defence in the league having shipped 13 goals in 17 games, four fewer than Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham and 11 fewer than leaders Manchester United.
Stones walked off at full-time wearing a wide smile but he will also be pleased that his efforts next to Dias prevented Palace from registering a single shot on target. City are now unbeaten in 15 — having won eight in a row — and have conceded just three goals in nearly 23 hours of football.
In a season during which City have found goals hard to come by, Guardiola will be pleased to see his team find the net four times but this still isn’t the ruthless, dead-eyed, title-winning Manchester City of 2017-18 or 2018-19, and their strength, at the moment, is at the other end.
“We didn’t concede, we were so stable, it is an important victory,” said Guardiola. “We try to play the same way we have in the last few seasons and in the back four we don’t make mistakes. Last year we made a lot.
“Last year was the worst — before we were always solid behind, it is just individual quality. Ruben [Dias] has helped a lot. If there is one player I am more than pleased that everything is going well, it’s John Stones. He is playing because he deserves it.”
It is a remarkable turnaround for Stones who appeared to be on his way out in the summer. Contract talks shelved and the arrival of Dias and Nathan Ake looked to signal the end of Guardiola’s patience with a player who had never really lived up to the expectation of his £47 million move from Everton in 2016. But injury-free and enjoying a more settled life away from football, Guardiola says the 26-year-old is in the best form of his…
Read More:Stones, City’s revamped defence the lifeblood of their title charge


text:
Phoenix, Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market has received a rating of AAA in the 2021 MSCI ESG Ratings assessment. The AAA rating represents the highest on the scale and signifies a company leading its industry in managing the most significant environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities.
It also marks major improvements since Sprouts’ BBB rating last year on the MSCI ESG assessment.
“Over the last two years, we’ve further refined our sustainability focus by partnering with third-party ESG advisors and conducting materiality assessments to understand the issues most important to our stakeholders,” said Brandon Lombardi, chief legal officer and head of ESG. “At Sprouts, we’re proud of the positive impact our business has on the environment, our team members and the communities we serve.”
Sprouts’ 2020-21 ESG highlights include:
- Committed to sourcing 100 percent RSPO certified palm oil for Our Brands product portfolio;
- Expanded sourcing of less carbon intensive products such as local, plant-based and organic;
- Continued focus on food safety within our stores and supply chain;
- Expanded board oversight of ESG initiatives; and
- Opened produce distribution centers in Aurora and Orlando to drive network efficiencies reducing transportation emissions and support fresh, local and organic assortment.
MSCI ESG Research provides MSCI ESG Ratings on global public and a few private companies on a scale of AAA (leader) to CCC (laggard), according to exposure to industry-specific ESG risks and the ability to manage those risks relative to peers. Learn more about MSCI ESG ratings here.
Sprouts employs approximately 35,000 team members and operates more than 360 stores in 23 states nationwide. To learn more about Sprouts, visit about.sprouts.com.


text:
As expected, the majority of the SEC East cruised to wins over mid-major opponents in Week Two.
In the week’s marquee game, Georgia defeated Notre Dame 20-19, as the Bulldogs’ stingy linebacker corps allowed just 55 rushing yards. True freshman quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 141 yards in a serviceable first collegiate start. Georgia took advantage of two Notre Dame fumbles to take charge in the non-conference matchup.
South Carolina crushed Missouri to kick off divisional play. Missouri was hurt by too many dropped passes, but still outgained the Gamecocks in a 31-13 loss. South Carolina intercepted two passes, and budding star Deebo Samuel scored two touchdowns via a kickoff return and a 25-yard rush.
Tennessee began their 42-7 win over Indiana State with a kickoff return for a touchdown. The scoring kept coming for the Volunteers, who led at halftime by 28. Running backs John Kelly and Carlin Fils-aime complemented each other well, with Kelly shouldering the brunt of the workload and Fils-aime adding speed and two touchdowns on three carries.
Kentucky needed to score 17 unanswered points late to emerge victorious over Eastern Kentucky 27-16. The Wildcats’ defense tightened up in the second half and had two takeaways to keep the game close. Running back Benny Snell ran for three yards before halftime, but added another 100 in the last two quarters to lead the offensive comeback.
Vanderbilt rolled to a 42-0 shutout of Alabama A&M, the Commodores’ first shutout since 2012. Kyle Shurmur set a new school record for completion percentage after he completed 83.3 percent of his passes. Vanderbilt’s special teams blocked a punt and deflected another in a dominant game.
Florida’s home game against Northern Colorado was cancelled due to statewide evacuations for Hurricane Irma.
Georgia established themselves as the clear leader in the SEC East, but the Bulldogs have yet to play a conference game. Tennessee and Vanderbilt dominated their FCS opponents. Both teams, along with Florida, could pose a threat to Georgia as divisional play ramps up.
Looking ahead to Week Three, Tennessee visits Florida in a matchup that could establish either team as Georgia’s main challenger in the East. In the other divisional game, Kentucky plays South Carolina in what should be a defensive battle. Vanderbilt faces Kansas State’s powerful downhill rushing attack. Missouri hopes to rebound against Purdue after a disappointing start to the season. Georgia hosts Samford as a final warm-up before conference play.

domain: sports


text:
A new website has been launched, dedicated to helping refugees and asylum seekers in Leeds source various services more easily.
Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network (LASSN) helps asylum seekers and refugees in the city to learn English, make friends and connections with people, and people who are destitute to find somewhere to stay.
LASSN have set up an online directory of services as their contribution to Refugee Week 2016.
The website called Helpinleeds.com gathers details of 175 different places that asylum seekers and refugees can find help in Leeds, from food and shelter to legal advice and advocacy.
Jon Beech, director of LASSN, said: “Finding your feet in a new town, in a new country, is pretty bewildering.
“Helpinleeds.com is a unique resource, bringing together the names, numbers, opening times and maps that are vital to people finding the help they require.
“We used to print a paper version, but that went out of date the minute we published it.
“We can put this electronic version in everyone’s pocket, on everyone’s phone - and services groups can update their own entries - so it should always be completely up-to-date.
“It’s translated into all the main languages used by asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds and it’s searchable by topic or by location.
“Making it work well with cheap smartphones was essential.”
For more, visit lassn.org.uk or helpinleeds.com.


text:
Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably the most highly anticipated game release of 2018, and if you want a little extra help while playing through the game yourself, you’ll be pleased to know that Rockstar and Piggyback are releasing a strategy guide book for the game.
Published by Piggyback, the guide will have two versions: regular and the collector’s edition. The content provided in both books are identical, of course, but the collector’s edition will be hardcover, be printed on higher quality paper, and also comes with a cool art gallery that won’t be present in the regular. If you’re a huge fan of the series, and want only the best, the collector’s edition will probably be the way to go.
‘Your essential companion to the furthest corners of the deepest and most detailed Rockstar world yet, the Red Dead Redemption 2 Complete Official Guide is packed with information about every aspect of Rockstar Games’ epic tale of outlaw life in America’s unforgiving heartland.’
The book is now available for pre-order on Rockstar’s website.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is set to be released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on Oct. 26.


text:
Less than a week after returning from the disabled list Indians backup catcher Lou Marson is back on the DL, this time with a shoulder injury.
Cleveland recalled Yan Gomes from Triple-A to again take Marson’s spot on the roster. Gomes homered twice in six games when Marson was out with a neck injury previously.
Manager Terry Francona told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com that the shoulder problems date back to spring training and not being able to throw while sidelined with the neck injury was an issue.
Marson injured his neck in a homeplate collision.
OXON HILL, MD — Bill King has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
King, one of the iconic voices of Bay Area sports, was known for his handlebar mustache and his signature “Holy Toledo!” exclamation. King broadcast A’s games for 25 seasons, from 1981 through 2005. He likewise broadcast Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors games and got his start as an announcer for the Giants in the late 1950s after they moved to San Francisco.
King passed away in October 2005. With the Frick Award, however, he has now been immortalized among baseball broadcasters.
The Rockies have signed free agent outfielder/infielder Ian Desmond for five years and $70 million.
Desmond, 31, played his first season as a full-time outfielder with the Rangers in 2016. Before that he was the Nationals shortstop. He’ll almost certainly be an outfielder in Colorado, or else will play first base, as the Rockies have Trevor Story at short. Desmond hit .285/.335/.446 with 22 home runs, 86 RBI, 107 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases in 677 plate appearances, though he was much, much better in the first half than the second half.
The Rangers had placed a qualifying offer on him which he rejected, so the Rockies will have to give up their first round pick in the 2017 draft, which is 11th overall. That’s the highest pick a team can surrender under the qualifying offer system, as the first ten picks in the draft are protected.


text:
Pick your poison..art, theater or science and then pick your party. There is something for everyone on Saturday.
The New Britain Museum of American Art will host its signature fundraising gala, "The ART Party of the Year."
The gala at the New Britain museum includes dining and dancing amid masterpieces, and auctions featuring an array of fine art, antiques, decorative objects, one-of-a-kind experiences, exciting vacations, and more. The black-tie event supports the heart of the Museum's mission: to educate and engage thousands of visitors each year. Go to http://www.nbmaa.org for information.
At Hartford Stage, "The Party in the Paint Shop" is back! The creative, colorful and exciting party at the Hartford Stage paint shop in Hartford will pay a special tribute to outgoing Artistic Director Michael Wilson, and acknowledge the artists, staff, board members, and achievements of Hartford Stage. A cocktail reception and dinner will be provided courtesy of Max Catering. There will be an open bar, silent and live auctions featuring one-of-a kind items, dancing to the rockin' sounds of the Glamour Girls. For information, contact Kristen Mauro, Events Manager, at firstname.lastname@example.org or (860) 520-7241.
Or if science is your thing, join The Children's Museum for its 15th annual gala fundraiser "A Child's World" at Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield.
The festivities supporting the 83-year-old nonprofit institution include specialty cocktails and delicious food geared toward helping guests tap into their "inner child." Fun science demonstrations, silent and live auctions, the popular wine wall, and a "meet & greet" with the museum's wildlife sanctuary animals are also planned.
Celebrity hosts will be Laurie Perez and Jim Altman of Fox CT.
For more information, please call Robin DeBerry at 860.231.2830 x23.