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Alicia Neal sofa, 2019-03-09 01:12:27.The very first matter to look at when browsing through distinct living room furniture couches is exactly what area the couch is moving into. Pay careful attention to the various environment within the space which the couches will be living and select from there. Ensuring that you place the ideal couch in the ideal area is critical since it's going to be the centerpiece of your area and draw the maximum eyes out of visitors and guest.
Allie Sharp Living Room, 2019-03-14 02:52:11.The fireplace is an often neglected region of several living rooms, which is a shame since it can be such a beautiful focal point if managed correctly. Installing a fresh fireplace mantel - possibly purchasing one for your first time or replacing a current one - doesn't require as much work as you believe. In case you've got a fireplace mantel, substituting it with something a bit different may have a significant effect on your living space. A wood fireplace mantel is simple to install so that you do not need to employ a contractor. Fireplace mantels are great areas to exhibit items of significance for you and your household like heirlooms and family photos.
Robert Frederick Living Room, 2019-03-14 02:52:33.Afterwards, Add curtains on your windows. All these must be long enough to hang an inch or 2 from the ground. These curtain drapes ought to have a checker pattern also. And if not, it ought to have a solid good color using symmetrical patterns.
Claudia Guy Living Room, 2019-03-13 03:52:38.Sparse ranges of greenery Either fake or real will boost the"out on the shore" sense of the living space. Should you choose a few plants which might vary in size and set them in some strategic areas, they'll do a fantastic job of incorporating a little green into your summer living area. If you are thumb is no more green in the is the forefinger, then select plants that need little care or select plants that are fake. Like their actual counterparts, imitation plants and trees can be found nearly everywhere. Be looking and catch one or two which will truly improve your living space.
Jenny Adkins Living Room, 2019-03-11 01:45:39.On picking the layouts to your living room places that are black are you experiencing the difficulty? If so let us offer you easy and useful solution.
Jenny Adkins sofa, 2019-03-09 01:12:06.The couch sets are best for TV lounge, bedrooms as well as drawing rooms. A few of them may also be bought in sets of 2 small sofas with a single big couch. It is also possible to get a number of them together with tables and tables.
Lula Gill sofa, 2019-03-12 02:15:28.Such furniture is definitely very tasteful and trendy. Be it a couch or a chair, it is going to earn a high fashion statement for our flat. But, keeping such furniture is quite hard. Now, having slipcovers to our furniture is a really convenient choice. Primarily it's simple to keep furniture with slipcovers and second, it offers a fresh makeover into our furniture.
Sara Cooley Living Room, 2019-03-13 03:52:48.A living room isn't merely a place where you entertain your guests it's the location where you'd sometimes sit , relax, and consider things. That means you should special focus on the colour scheme, the scale, the shapes and patterns of the living area. Below are a few suggestions and ideas for decorating it.
Alissa Santana Living Room, 2019-03-11 01:44:56.Based on where and when these houses were constructed, they can be made from brick, stone, shingles or clapboard. Because there wasn't any air conditioning farmhouses had porches and household chores and farm were undertaken there. The porch roof provided shelter from rain and sunlight enabled the cool breezes to flow through and make those summers plump.
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Something was missing. Hmmmm. What could it be? Where’s my tritium front sight? The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 came with many nice features. A pleasing hydrogen isotope glow in the foreground was not one of them. Not that I am prejudiced against serrated front ramps, but I need the green.
There is presently only one option for low- and no-light front sights for the S&W Bodyguard 380, XS Sight System’s Tritium Express Set. They come in Big Dot and a smaller Standard Dot. I chose the latter. The biggun just comes off as disproportionate on this weapon.
I had once installed a set of XS Big Dot Express Sights on my Glock 27. Hated ’em. I did not like the huge dot and very shallow “V” rear sight. In my hands, they were not as precise as any of the three-dots with which I was familiar. This was borne out by my sh#*tty range scores with the Big Dot. Whap! Back on with the TruGlo’s. Ahhhh, better.
For the Smith & Wesson 380, I thought the Standard Dot would pair well with the traditional rear sight and not the XS one. Eliminating the shallow XS rear sight would solve my own accuracy issues. I like the Standard Dot front sight on my M&P 340 revolver. Old eyesight sucks, but the tritium vial and round white outline make this sight a standout.
The XS sights are slightly taller than the existing ones on the Bodyguard. Mounting an XS Standard Dot on top of the slide in conjunction with the stock Smith rear sight might have caused a point of impact conflict. After some measuring I deduced the difference would be negligible. Besides, I could always put on the XS rear if it wasn’t.
The BG rear sight is nicely shaped and is serrated on the back for good visibility. The rear sight channel matched the diameter of the XS front dot. As a bonus, the S&W sight looks great compared to the blocky XS one. And the XS rear has a painted white line, not a trit vial in this version.
Admission: I did not want to mar the finish on my slide with a vise, hammer, and punch in the garage. I have a gunsmith guy and I used him. Don’t judge me. For the paltry price and ten-minute wait, it was well worth it. I walked out of the LGS happy. The XS kit contained a plastic punch that went unused.
Having taken only the slide to the gunsmith, my next stop was to head home, reassemble the Bodyguard 380, and check the sight picture against the integral laser. I had set the red light to co-witness the iron sights precisely at 15 yards. Thankfully, all still lined up when the parts were mated. A trip to the range confirmed that the sights worked accurately.
To me, a laser is a bonus and not a necessity, however, a tritium front sight is a must-have in a defensive handgun. Visible sight acquisition in all lighting situations can help you…solve the problem. XS’s Standard Dot is functional and looks proper on the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380.
I now feel my Bodyguard Experience is complete. I’ve only popped for a spare mag, a couple of holsters, and the XS Express set, which has an MSRP of $90.00. This sight upgrade was required and makes me grin every time I see the tritium.


text:
Woody Johnson defends Sanchez, plans to keep Tebow
One thing that has become clear five games into the Tebow experiment is that there’s no way the Jets can keep both Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez in 2013.
Well, that’s clear to everyone but owner Woody Johnson.
Appearing Wednesday morning on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Johnson defended Sanchez’s performance -- while also saying that Tebow will be a Jet for the balance of his rookie contract.
As to Sanchez, Johnson offered some excuses. “He had some open receivers,” Johnson said. “He had some dropped balls. He had some tipped passes.”
Johnson attributed the tipped passes to Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. “We should have done a better job of accounting for him, and keeping an I Spy on him wherever he is,” Johnson said. “Essentially don’t throw in that area or throw extremely high. He’s six-six, and he can jump 30 inches, so he’s probably like 15 feet by the time you add it all up.” (Coach Rex Ryan surely appreciates Johnson’s input into offensive game planning.)
Johnson said there’s no wavering on whether Mark Sanchez is still the starter.
“Never is a long, long time period,” Johnson was asked as to whether the Jets ever will flip the switch from Sanchez to Tebow. “We see -- I see the same things in Mark Sanchez as that I saw when I first met him. He’s still a young quarterback. This is a very, very -- probably the most difficult position athletically and mentally that there is in all of sports. Because you look out there, everybody’s trying to deceive you and the other guys [are] trying to get at you.”
Johnson then addressed the question of whether he’s simply saying those things to boost Sanchez’s confidence.
“It’s not bolstering his confidence,” Johnson said. “It’s really -- we think he’s that good. He really is that good. I wouldn’t look at the numbers too seriously. . . because a quarterback’s job ultimately is to win games. And Mark Sanchez has proven that he can do that. Like he pulled out a game a few weeks ago, at the last couple of minutes when we played Miami. That was an ugly games in many respects, but he pulled it out.”
On Tebow, there likewise was no wavering. “Are we gonna keep Tebow?” Johnson said. “Absolutely. He’ll be with us three years, and I think he’s gonna be a real valuable asset in helping us win games.”
And then one of the hosts asked Johnson if he knows whether Tebow is still a virgin.
And then we had to make sure that we were watching CNBC and not ESPN.

domain: news


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Many hurdles stand in way of Prince George's hospital deal
An ambitious plan
- Ben Fischer
It was easy to get caught up in the excitement Thursday at the Prince George's County administration building, where Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and a wide range of VIPs took a victory lap for their new plan to fix health care in Prince George's County.
But when it comes to the eight-page memorandum of understanding signed by the county, the state, Dimensions Healthcare System, the University System of Maryland and the University of Maryland Medical System, there's much less than meets the eye.
All parties expressed supreme confidence in their long-term plan, which calls for a nearly $600 million capital investment to replace Prince George's Hospital Center and to renovate Laurel Regional Hospital and the Bowie Health Campus. But it's really more of a plan to make a plan.
And it's a long, long, long, long way from being done.
You shouldn't expect a firm commitment to proceed on the new hospital before next spring, when a more detailed financial analysis is completed. Any party could back out at that time. The university medical system believes it can make money (or at least not lose money) on a new hospital, but CEO Robert Chrencik said that's a "high-level analysis" that needs more work.
Even if they do all agree to move forward, both state and county lawmakers would have to approve new taxpayer-backed debt to raise the $600 million — no sure thing, considering this project would be for the benefit of a very particular region of the state. (In 2008, a deal collapsed at the last minute when political rifts emerged.)
Also, Prince George's County would have to agree to terms to transfer the property to Dimensions (right now, Dimensions leases the hospital land from the county). Also, Dimensions needs to continue on its recent path of cutting costs and building cash reserves. It also has to find a way to retire $200 million in debt and unfunded pension liabilities.
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Media Matters for America
The right loves to rant against the "liberal-media elite," but there's one key media sector where the conservative id reigns supreme: talk radio.
Talk radio helped energize Scott Brown's Senate campaign. Will it doom the Democrats in 2010?
| February 05, 2010
More Newsmax fun: Beware a "Reichstag moment"
That warning comes courtesy of an "exclusive interview" with Glenn Beck. You can find it in the October issue, pictured above, but it's already getting...
| September 30, 2009
New Yorker too soft on Savage?
This week's New Yorker includes a profile, written by Kelefa Sanneh, of right-wing-radio star Michael Savage. It's a great read--but is it too easy on...
| July 30, 2009
Conservatives scoffed in April when the Department of Homeland Security warned that the United States could face another wave of homegrown attacks.
The murder of Dr. George Tiller
| June 05, 2009
Severin: not a border-enforcement martyr
When I blogged last week on anti-Mexican hatemonger Jay Severin’s recent, ill-explained suspension f...
| May 06, 2009
Rush Limbaugh, pink cheeked and increasingly porcine, has emerged as the de-facto head of the Republican Party.
Limbaugh's a celebrity, not a political player
| March 04, 2009
Toxic talk: Hating Obama
During and just after the 2008 presidential campaign, the antipathy of right-wing pundits toward Barack Obama reached remarkable, often repugnant depths.
Repugnant anti-Obama hate speech has dissipated for the moment. How likely is it to raise its ugly head again?
| January 19, 2009
We've got a bigger problem now
I got my first Dead Kennedys T-shirt in 1985 and have been a Michael Savage listener for years.
Letters to the Boston Editor: June 13, 2008
BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS
| June 11, 2008
Why ‘fairness’ fails
Anyone who has ever sampled the auditory sewer that is right-wing talk radio can understand the impulse to reinstate the so-called “fairness doctrine.”
The excesses of right-wing talk radio have sparked a move to re-impose an equal-time doctrine. It’s a bad idea.
| July 25, 2007
Bush the Elder reduces GOP stoicism to sob story
Hillary Clinton has to studiously avoid being seen as weak, lest she fall prey to a gender-based double standard, thereby quickly losing her shot at the White House.
Boys don’t cry
MARY ANN SORRENTINO
| December 20, 2006
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text:
According to court documents, Linden Center For Nursing and Rehabilitation failed to protect a resident from contracting coronavirus.
He suffered “excruciating pain and agony, including fear of imminent death,” according to these documents.
In a separate action, a Manhattan woman accused Northern Manhattan Rehabilitation Center of medical malpractice and gross negligence.
Specifically, the facility “failed to take the proper steps to protect the residents and/or patients at their facilities from the COVID-19 virus,” although some employees were “infected with and contracted COVID-19 while caring for patients.”
The actions demand unspecified damages.
COVID-19 and Nursing Homes
Some combination of understaffing, poor equipment, and poor communication causes many of the coronavirus cases in New York nursing homes.
As many as 90 percent of nursing homes are dangerously understaffed. Most nursing home employees work long hours for little pay.
In this environment, high turnover rates are practically inevitable. This turnover feeds training and communication problems, as outlined below.
Additionally, many understaffed nursing homes use under-qualified employees. For example, the facility might ask patient care technicians to perform tasks that licensed vocational nurses should perform.
PCTs are able professionals, but they do not have the same training or experience as an LVN.
Understaffing also contributes to general nursing home negligence. The fewer staff members there are, the more conditions go unnoticed.
As for equipment, nursing homes are usually last on the list in terms of PPE, coronavirus tests, and other medical supplies.
Moreover, many of these facilities were unprepared for emergencies, like the COVID-19 outbreak.
Finally, many nursing homes have been slow to report coronavirus cases to public health officials and family members.
Since no one knows there is an issue, the problem gets worse.
It is uncertain whether nursing homeowners are behind this lack of communication. Frequently, owners downplay health emergencies so they can continue to attract patients.
What’s the Difference Between an Assisted Living Facility and a Nursing Home, and Why Does It Matter?
Assisted living facilities serve individuals who can live independently but need some supervision or some help with daily activities.
These facilities do not require CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) licenses.
Nursing homes provide a higher degree of medical care. Additionally, unlike assisted living facilities, nursing homes employ medical professionals and require CMS licenses.
The difference between the two matters, especially in COVID-19-related matters. Sixteen states, including New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island, have granted immunity to nursing homes in these matters.
Similar healthcare immunity is available to New York nursing homes, but not to assisted living centers.
Immunity does not apply if there is evidence of intentional misconduct or gross negligence. Arguably, if coronavirus kills a resident, someone was probably grossly negligent.
In non-coronavirus nursing home negligence matters, the standard of care for assisted living centers is sometimes lower than the standard of care for nursing homes, especially in medical negligence situations.
Non-COVID Nursing Home Neglect
Understaffing was an issue before the coronavirus outbreak. Facility understaffing contributes greatly to nursing home neglect instances such as:
- Malnutrition: As people age, their senses degrade. Frequently, food no longer smells, looks, or tastes good. As a result, many older people do not get adequate nourishment. Long-term care facilities should employ registered dieticians or other professionals to ensure that residents eat, but many times, there are no such workers.
- Bedsores: Pressure ulcers are not a problem if the person turns over in bed about once every four hours. But many nursing home residents are too weak or too medicated to turn themselves over. And, many of these facilities do not commit enough resources to patient rounds, especially during weekends, holidays, and other low-census periods.
- Falls: Nursing home patients often wander aimlessly. When they do so, they are not aware of signs like “Construction Zone Keep Out.” And, in understaffed environments, there is no one on duty to watch residents and make sure they do not wander into danger.
There is a difference between nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect.
Abuse is intentional, and neglect is unintentional. Regardless of intent, or lack thereof, nursing home owners are usually still liable for resident injuries, as outlined below.
Your Legal Options
Nursing home neglect cases are usually complex. Several different legal theories are available. Selecting the wrong one could delay the case in court. Additionally, out-of-state conglomerates typically own nursing homes.
Bedsores often involve medical negligence.
Stage I bedsores are not serious at all. But Stages II and IV bedsores are potentially life-threatening. If the nursing home employee could not tell the difference between the different stages, medical negligence might apply.
Falls are usually premises liability matters. In New York, nursing homeowners usually have a duty of reasonable care to protect residents from fall injuries.
Additionally, a New York personal injury attorney must prove the owner knew about the fall hazard. This evidence can be direct or circumstantial.
60 percent of nursing home residents fall every year.
These falls cause both physical and emotional injuries. In addition to sustaining broken bones and other such wounds, many residents are so fearful of a repeat fall that they become prisoners in their own rooms.
Malnutrition usually involves ordinary negligence, or a lack of care.
Specifically, these cases often involve the standard of care in nursing homes. If a facility was below the standard of care, the facility was probably negligent.
Damages in a nursing home abuse claim usually include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Nursing home neglect victims might be entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in New York, contact Napoli Shkolnik PLLC. We handle nursing home neglect cases on a nationwide basis.

domain: health


National Professional Social Work Month
March is National Professional Social Work Month
VA Recognizes National Professional Social Work Month in March
Odds are you’ve heard of social work, but what you may not know is how diverse and far-reaching the social work profession within VA truly is. Professional social workers are embedded within most VA departments, including primary care, the emergency department, mental health, rehabilitation units, community living centers, Vet Centers and more. In fact, VA is the largest employer of social workers in the nation, totaling more than 18,000 strong.
During March, VA proudly celebrates National Professional Social Work Month. This year’s theme encompasses the heart of what social workers do -- Social Work Breaks Barriers. -- This theme is reflected in VA social worker’s core mission to help Veterans, their families and caregivers thrive by working to resolve social, economic, environmental and health-related challenges.
Social workers break barriers throughout VA
Social workers are professionals with graduate degrees and professional licensure is overseen by each individual state licensing board. Beyond graduate education, many social workers have additional training related to their specific roles and before licensure, they are required to practice under the supervision of a licensed professional social worker who reviews and discusses the challenges and opportunities of the work frequently.
Social workers within VA may provide counseling through mental health services and break barriers by connecting with a Veteran and helping them work through trauma experienced during their military service. That same social worker might connect with a female Veteran who opens up about not seeking women’s health services because she experienced military sexual trauma and then to break that barrier, they reach out to the women’s health clinic social worker and create a warm handoff so this Veteran can receive much-needed care.
Social workers not only work in the VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices and beyond but they also work in VA Vet Centers, which are embedded in our communities to offer more easily accessible mental health support to Veterans, service members, including National Guard and Reserve components and their families. The social workers there also break barriers by using Mobile Vet Centers (MVC) to provide outreach to eligible individuals in communities that are distant from existing services and in emergencies.
Speaking of emergency situations, social workers are also involved in VA’s Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System (DEMPS) Program for deployment of clinical and non-clinical staff to an emergency or disaster. Social workers functioning in DEMPS break barriers, such as they did in 2022, by deploying to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center to assist in getting homeless Veterans on the path to permanent housing.
Whether arranging service member benefit payments, connecting homeless Veterans with housing resources or counseling Veterans with injuries or trauma, VA social workers impact millions of Veterans’ lives.
Connect with VA social workers
If you or someone you know would like to talk to a VA social worker to help break barriers, contact your facility Social Work Leader.
Hear from VA social workers
To learn more about VA social work careers, visit www.socialwork.va.gov/VA_Employment.asp or hear from VA social workers using the YouTube links below:
- VA Careers – HUD-VASH Social Work
- VA Careers – Social Work
- VA Careers – Social Work Intern
- VA Careers – Social Work Service Education and Training Coordinator
There is a Social Work leader in every VA health care system to help you get the care you need. The Social Work leader will connect you to the VA employee who can assist., contact your local VA Healthcare System Social Work Leader.


text: Complete the look of your Veteran flag case with this hardwood pedestal. It features your choice of a 2" etched color medallion such as the Great Seal of the United States, Navy, Air Force, marine Corps, Coast Guard, Fire Department, Elks and many other specialty medallions. You can instead choose to have a 2 1/2" service specific brass medallion if you wish. Also included is a black on brass engraving plate. (Engraving additional).

domain: artistic


Sony has unveiled the pricing and availability of its new A8F Bravia OLED TVs, and new X900F and X850F 4K TVs.
The A8F OLED TVs feature a one-slate design, which makes them easy to mount on a wall.
The A8F OLED TVs will also support Dolby Vision via a firmware update to be delivered later this year.
The X850F series features a 4K HDR processor, which together with 4K X-Reality PRO up-converts SD and HD content to near-4K HDR quality.
The TVs are available for presale at major retailers.
XBR-A8F 4K HDR UHD
- XBR-55XA8F 55-inch 4K HDR – $2,799.99
- XBR-65XA8F 65-inch 4K HDR – $3,799.99
X850F and X900F 4K HDR UHD
- XBR-49X900F 49-inch 4K HDR – $1,099.99
- XBR-85X850F 85-inch 4K HDR – $4,499.99
- XBR-85X900F 85-inch 4K HDR – $5,299.99


text:
he novelty of the awkwardly named toys-to-life genre has well and truly passed. When Skylanders first appeared four years ago, the idea of unlocking characters and levels by placing toys on a “portal” peripheral was fresh and interesting. Now we’re on the fifth instalment and Activision has Disney Infinity, Nintendo Amiibos and Lego Dimensions to compete with. The emphasis now is on finding new gimmicks to keep things fresh.
This year the theme is racing and with that a new line of air, land and sea vehicles have been added to the Skylanders ecosystem. This not only brings driving missions and a new racing mode but finally adds proper articulated toys along with the static collectable figurines. Kids can play with the cars even when they’re not on the console.
The plot is the same old nonsense: series nemesis Kaos has another plan to invade the Skylands, this time using a new weapon that swallows the sky itself. From here, it’s a colourful action adventure with a tethered two-player co-operative scheme allowing you to play with a friend either online or locally. The challenge is never particularly complex, but this remains part of the charm. Waves of fantastical enemies are encountered through each level, and dispatching them requires the strategic combination of ranged and melee attacks.
The environments themselves really come to life this year. They’ve always looked good, but now bristle with hidden areas, treasures and bonuses. Visual tricks hide secret areas for all but the most inquisitive on their first play, giving rise to multiple passes before everything is discovered.
Familiar on-foot platform brawling is punctuated by the impressive driving sequences. The starter pack includes Hot Streak, one of the cars that grants access to the land sections. To access the air and sea zones you need to purchase more vehicles (£14.99 each). Additionally some sections are tied to a particular elemental type meaning that to access all of the areas you will need to purchase nine variants.
The three types of vehicular zones are impressive and distinct. They each offer specific abilities relating to the environment – including diving underwater to find hidden paths in the sea sections and barrel rolling to safety in the airborne zones. The land areas are most enjoyable, combining Mario Kart style races along with open arena boss battles. This could feel like a gimmick, but Skylanders Superchargers expertly works this year’s toy furrow with deep customisation and upgrades.
The vehicles also have a paired Skylander driver. Use them together and you get a special supercharged enhancement. Tricking out each vehicle with their stat-enhancing modifications grows into a compelling part of the experience. In co-operative mode this really comes to life with one player driving and the other looking after weapons, reminiscent of the often overlooked Mario Kart Double Dash. For parents and children, this works fabulously with both players needing to coordinate efforts to succeed.
Throughout the game, Skylanders offers new features and ideas, perhaps conscious that it needs to go the extra mile with strong commercial competition from Lego Dimensions and Disney Infinity this year. Beyond the on-foot and driving novelty, other gameplay mechanics are tweaked to keep things fresh. Whether this is adjusting gravity or adding the ability to shrink or grow characters, there is a sense of fun and freedom to the whole game.
There is also a stand alone online kart racer mode with single races, time trials and boss challenges. This is available in all versions of the game, although it forms the meat of the Wii and 3DS experiences as they don’t include the main adventure. Additional packs can also be purchased to unlock more boss battles and circuits.
The racing is breakneck paced with the usual range of power-ups and upgrades. Here though you are using vehicles that have been modified as part of the campaign game so a back and forth develops between the two modes. On Wii, Wii U and 3DS the starter pack includes a novel Nintendo crossover. This collaboration brings Bowser and Donkey Kong into the Skylanders universe complete with their own figurines and related vehicles.
It all adds up to a wide-ranging package – and quite a hefty financial outlay if you get sucked in to collecting too many characters. Sure, you can complete the game with just the Starter Pack, as well as using all your old characters. You can even opt to reuse your old Portal via the downloadable version of the game, keeping costs down. But if you’re the parent of a Skylanders completist, this is not going to be cheap.
Superchargers is, though, the most fully featured Skylanders offering to date. The combination of new modes, online play and backwards compatibility is unparalleled in this sector. It seems competition really is a good thing.
Activision; Wii/Wii U/PS4 (version tested)/PS3/Xbox 360/Xbox One; £55;
Pegi rating: 7+

domain: entertainment


text:
A new start-up wants to become the keeper of some of your family's most private information, from medical records to intimate details about your children. It's called CareZone, and it's creating a super private cloud designed to help families easily share important information with loved ones and caretakers who need it.
The company was founded in 2010 by Jonathan Schwartz. He's a familiar name to the business world as he was the CEO of Fortune 100 company Sun Microsystems and oversaw its sale to Oracle in 2010 for $7.4 billion.
With CareZone, the mission is simple: Help moms and families organize private information. The website and mobile app (available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play) gives users a secure online space to store and share information privately, like emergency contact numbers, Social Security numbers, important insurance documents, doctor's appointments, directions on administering medications to loved ones, etc.
The company also offers productivity tools such as journaling, to-do lists, calendars, data storage and broadcast—a feature that enables users to record and send messages in real time to up 100 contacts simultaneously.
Carezone "is totally private and secure, but you can also share it with family members, like your spouse and siblings, or with helpers like babysitters. You're totally in charge," Schwartz said.
One hurdle is getting people to trust CareZone's security. With news of large companies getting hacked, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo to name a few, people may be cautious about putting personal information in the cloud. However, Schwartz said, "At the end of the day, the planet banks online at this point, the planet communicates online. Hospitals are online. So there is a level of trust that you have to assume you're going to be able to establish with people you're trying to sell to."
Currently, all of its services are free. Starting in 2014, the company plans to roll out enhanced features for a fee. "We're entirely focused on audience building at this point—getting every mom/family/parent on Earth to discover and use us," Schwartz told CNBC.
And since there is no advertising on the site, users don't have to worry about being bombarded by unwanted ads or their information being sold to third parties.
"We're not going to be data mining," Schwartz said. "We're not going to be open to selling the information that you're storing with us ... because at the end of the day our customers are our users, and that parallelism gives I think a level of security and comfort to our users."
The potential market for CareZone is huge. In the U.S. alone, more than 300,000 babies are born every month, and nearly 66 million or 29 percent of the adult U.S, population care for someone sick, disabled or aged.
With such a huge market opportunity, CareZone faces lots of competition. Companies like AboutOne, Cozi and MotherKnows are just a few to offer similar services. But Schwartz said he isn't worried. "We're free. ...Families never have to worry about being stuck with a $5 a month charge to access their own data, or fear hitting a limit on how much data they can enter, or how many people they want to share with. [And] we're ad free."
Schwartz would not disclose the number of CareZone users but said they are in over 80 countries and he's happy with the growth. Since 2010 the company has raised $13 million dollars with investments from himself, New Enterprise Associates and Catamount Ventures.
By CNBC's Erin Barry and Joanna Weinstein


Description: With indigo-blue plumage, a bright green head cap, yellow cheek patch and long tail, the indigo macaw is quite a spectacular bird. It lives in the forests and scrub of Brazil. It has an extremely small population in the wild and a very restricted range. Threats to this species include habitat loss and collection for the illegal pet trade.
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
USFWS Status: Endangered
Major Threats: Habitat loss and collection for the illegal pet trade
Habitat: Deep canyons and dry plateaus
Location: Northeast Brazil
Diet: Mainly licuri palm nuts; also other nuts, seeds, fruits and berries


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MSPO results for SpetsTechnoExport – the new agreements and technology unveiled
SFTE SpetsTechnoExport and Artem Holding Company signed an agreement with the Polish company WB Electronics on the further development of a bilateral consortium formed in 2016.
Ukrainian "Fantom" successfully performed proof firing with RS-80 missiles.
"Ukroboronprom" tested the combat module with a new type of armament to be installed on domestic armoured vehicles
Foreign contracts are the source of investments in defense enterprises - Pavlo Barbul
As of today Ukrainian defense companies have an opportunity to attract investments only by concluding contracts with foreign companies, or to work with them in the form of joint activity.
Indonesian Marines has started using Ukrainian BTR-4M
Marine battalion of Indonesian Marine Corps has began officially using of five Ukrainian BTR-4M, which were delivered by "SpetsTechnoExport" in January this year. This was announced by director of "SpetsTechnoExport" Pavlo Barbul.
"SpetsTeсhnoExport" starts cooperation in defense industry with Philippines
The parties discussed the potential of cooperation between the countries, particularly in the field of shipbuilding, production of air defense means, UAV's, radar equipment and weapon systems.
"SpetsTechnoExport" and MKEK will cooperate under munitions production program
SE “SpetsTeсhnoExport” and SJSHC “Artem” will cooperate with the Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Company (MKEK – Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu) under the ammunition production program.
“SpetsTechnoExport” presented the last modification of “Fantom” to Turkish partners
“SpetsTechnoExport" presented the last modification of unmanned tactical multipurpose vehicle “Fantom” at the international exhibition of defence industry IDEF-2017
Export and import of military and dual-purpose products and services
We help our partners from over 30 countries to protect their independence and sovereignty, maintain peace and stability, defend the borders of their countries. Security and peace are priority of our business. "SpetsTechnoExport" provides its partners with comprehensive solutions, ensuring production and supply of state-of-the-art products and technologies for military, special and dual use.
Investing in Research and Development of new technologies
We understand the needs of our partners, therefore we improve the existing developments and create the future technologies. We promote the development of scientific research in Ukraine in order to create products based on advanced technologies. Our investments today will help our partners enhance security tomorrow.
Development of military-technical cooperation and promotion of Ukrainian production
Ukraine is one of the few countries in the world that possesses technological knowledge and a full cycle of production of almost all types of military, special and dual-purpose products. To enhance this potential, we are attracting advanced technologies and production capacities, implementing joint projects with our partners to develop and manufacture modern equipment on mutually beneficial terms.


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Superstar Actor, Adekola Tijani popularly known as Kamilu Kompo with the motive not to let his fans down once again have commenced the making of another blockbuster cultural movie titled “Oosa Loyo” (diety in Oyo).
The new movie ”Oosa Loyo” is directed by Adebayo Tijani and featured favourite actors you’ll like to see on your TV screen including Adekola Tijani, Odunlade Adekola, Olaniyi Afonja Sanyeri, Olu Olowoogemo Arijan, Murphy Afolabi, Peju Ogunmola Kunle Afod, Afeez Eniola, Eniola Ajao, Baba Olofa Ina, Iya Nasimoh, Esther Kalejaye, Tafa Oloyede, Shade Olona, and Many other people on set.
Adekola Tijani who expressed this particular project as a special one on the Third Day of the making also revealed his experience in the film industry and what he has imputed so far he started the entertainment mission.
He noted that he’s a native of Oyo town, he said”I am a native of Oyo town and live in Lagos State.
We thank God I started this work in 1992, Acting is What I do. I trained under my boss Prince Seyi Adeoye for three years in Oyo town between 1992 – 1995.
In 1995 I and my second, Olaniyi Afonja popularly known as Sanyeri moved to Lagos, when we got to lagos we realized that we are not strong enough, we joined the theatre group of Alh. Akeem Alimi known as Ajala Jalingo.
Not too long we left for Lagos, our boss in Oyo town, Prince Seyi Adeoye died and we went back to Oyo to pay him the funeral and last respect.
In 1995, we started fully with Alh. Akeem Alimi known as Ajala Jalingo, I did my first production titled “Owo n Wami” after using three years with him.
We organized a caucus which Muyiwa Ademola was the leader, we members includes myself, Olaniyi Afonja Sanyeri, Ibrahim Chatta, Adebayo Tijani, Ewa Kalejaye, and others named “Great Entertainment”.
I did my first production titled Owo n’wami in 2004, In 2005 I produced Kootu Olohun, In 2006 I did Aye atunnida, In 2009 I did Kamilu Kompo, I also did Adigun Relu Oyinbo, I did Omo Malaysia, I and Sanyeri co handled and produced Muniru ati Ambali, we’ve done many films, 2011 I did Eda Lon sare, I also did a film titled Zombie”He narrated.
Kamilu Kompo further assure all fans never to let them down in any future production.”I plead to you to please assist your son, Adekola Tijani and patronize me when this film is finally out, I promise you that you will enjoy this particular production titled “Oosa Loyo” and i will never be arrogant to you.


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Impact of carotid atherosclerosis detection on physician and patient behavior in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective, observational, multicenter study
BMC Cardiovascular Disorders volume 16, Article number: 220 (2016)
This study compared carotid ultrasound (CUS) and traditional risk calculations in determining cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and investigated whether awareness of CVD affects patient and/or physician behavior.
In this prospective, observational, multicenter study, 797 participants with type 2 diabetes were assessed using CUS, the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Risk Engine (UKPDSRE) calculator, and the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) algorithm. Health-related behaviors and physician treatments were compared at baseline and at 6 months after assessment.
According to CUS, 43.5 % of the participants were at high risk (compared to 10.6 % and 4.3 % using the UKPDSRE and FRS approaches, respectively). Interestingly, 31.5 % of the patients with low risk scores according to the UKPDSRE calculator and 35.8 % of the patients with low risk scores according to the FRS algorithm were found to be at high risk according to CUS. The proportion of patients who achieved target LDL-C levels significantly increased after CUS. Moreover, increased awareness of atherosclerosis through CUS findings significantly altered physician treatment patterns and patient health-related behaviors.
Carotid atherosclerosis was detected in more than 30 % of all participants with low or intermediate risk stratification scores. Improved awareness of atherosclerosis through CUS findings had a positive impact on both patient and physician behavior, resulting in improved CV risk management.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), making early diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis extremely important . However, most patients with diabetes with subclinical atherosclerosis are asymptomatic . In addition, the prevalence of silent myocardial ischemia (MI) is much higher in patients with diabetes compared to the general population . Thus, in order to provide optimal medical therapy to prevent future cardiac events, identification of patients who are at high risk for CVD is of prime importance. The current guidelines on CVD prevention recommend targeted management of CV risk factors after assessment using one of the many available methods, even in asymptomatic patients.
Cardiovascular disease risk analysis can be performed using well-known risk-stratification approaches, including the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) algorithm  and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Risk Engine (UKPDSRE) calculator . The results of the FRS and UKPDSRE approaches, which include traditional CV risk factors, generally correlate with coronary heart disease risk . However, a substantial number of people with low (<10 %) to intermediate (10–20 %) FRS scores go on to develop atherosclerosis . Previous reports have also demonstrated that the UKPDSRE lacks adequate sensitivity and specificity for detection of subclinical atherosclerosis . Therefore, additional tools are needed to improve CV risk assessment.
Recent investigations have shown that noninvasive techniques, such as carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), presence of plaque, coronary artery calcium score (CACS), ankle-brachial index (ABI), and aortic pulse wave velocity may accurately detect subclinical atherosclerosis that is associated with the development of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases . These studies have shown that imaging modalities are the best method for detecting the presence and extent of atherosclerosis. As such, it is important to conduct imaging studies in all patients regardless of the presence of traditional CV risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus, in order to comprehensively identify patients who are at risk for developing CVD. We chose to focus our study on CIMT because CUS is feasible in all individuals, dose not involve exposure to radiation, and is relatively inexpensive. When using imaging studies, a CACS >0, stenosis >50th percentile, or the presence of plaque are considered to be positive findings. These findings suggest a high risk of developing CVD according to the guidelines from the Screening for Heart Attack Prevention and Education (SHAPE), published by the Association for Eradication of Heart Attack (AEHA) .
However, the outcomes of this guideline have not yet been compared to those of the traditional guideline. Therefore, we analyzed the prevalences of abnormal carotid ultrasound (CUS) findings and compared them to traditional risk stratification results obtained using the FRS and UKPDSRE approaches.
Although physicians provide comprehensive treatment for diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, patient drug compliance is critical for optimal outcomes. If a physician assesses CVD risk and uses these results to educate the patient about ways to prevent CVD, the patient may implement lifestyle modifications or improve his/her drug compliance. However, no studies have yet investigated the effect of assessing subclinical atherosclerosis on patient behavior, or whether awareness of subclinical atherosclerosis alters physician treatment patterns.
Here we explored how two distinct assessment methods varied in their estimation of CV risk, a non-invasive imaging test (CUS) and traditional risk calculators (UKPDSRE, FRS). We also examined how awareness of being at high risk for CVD affected physician treatment patterns as well as patient behavior with respect to risk management. Our hypothesis was that receiving an explanation of CUS results, along with proper education about mitigating risk factors, would have a favorable effect on patient behavior and physician treatment plans.
This prospective, observational, multicenter study included 797 patients with type 2 DM aged >40 years who had never undergone a carotid ultrasound examination. Participants were recruited from 24 hospitals in Korea. We excluded patients who had previously undergone carotid artery ultrasound, or who had a history of coronary artery disease, symptomatic congestive heart failure, coronary revascularization, cerebrovascular disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or documented peripheral vascular disease (e.g. peripheral artery disease, abdominal aneurysm, or carotid artery stenosis). The investigation protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of each institution involved in the study. After obtaining informed written consent, the height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) (weight/height2, kg/m2) of each patient were measured. Blood pressure was measured using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. All patients were interviewed prior to CUS examination. Questionnaires were administered using one-on-one interviews and self-reporting techniques to collect data on smoking; alcohol use; stress; dietary habits; physical activity; past history of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atrial fibrillation; medication compliance; and family history of CVD. The validated Korean version  of Morsky’s self-reported questionnaire  was used to assess medication compliance. Levels of fasting plasma glucose, HbA1C, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C); current medications; and the microalbumin-to-creatinine ratio within the past 1 month were collected by reviewing patient medical records.
All subjects were assessed by CUS. Carotid intimal-media thickness (IMT) was measured with the patient in the supine position. A high-resolution B-mode ultrasound machine with a 7.5-MHz transducer was used on the bilateral segments of the carotid arteries. The carotid IMT was measured on the posterior far wall of the left carotid artery. At least 4 measurements were taken, each about 1 cm proximal to the bifurcation. Positive criteria for carotid atherosclerosis were defined as ≥1 mm of intima medial thickness or the presence of plaque.
Although CUS was performed separately in the 24 different hospitals, each used a standardized protocol recommended by the Mannheim carotid IMT consensus report . In addition, to adjust for potential intercenter variations due to different sonographers, every hospital used Intimascope software (Media Cross Co, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) for measurement. This software performs automated IMT measurements based on an algorithm that delineates the lumen-intima and media adventitial interfaces .
Patients were stratified by risk using the UKPDSRE and FRS assessments. A total of 622 patients provided all required information to be assessed by the UKPDSRE calculator and 648 patients provided sufficient information to be assessed by the FRS algorithm. A total of 622 patients were assessed by CUS, UKPDSRE, and FRS. The UKPDS calculator classified subjects into low (<15 %), intermediate (15–30 %), or high (>30 %) 10-year risk levels for CVD based on age, sex, duration of diabetes, smoking, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL, ethnicity, and HbA1C . The FRS algorithm categorized subjects into low (<10 %), intermediate (10–19 %), or high (≤20 %) 10-year risk levels for symptomatic CVD according to age, sex, lipid levels, blood pressure, smoking, and presence of diabetes .
Blood samples were collected six months after carotid IMT assessment to measure levels of TC, HDL-C, TG, and LDL-C. Patients were also re-examined for changes in responses to interview questions, physician prescriptions, and patient behaviors.
All statistical analyses were completed using SAS (version 9.2, USA). All data are presented as means ± standard deviations (SDs) or as numbers (percentages). To compare clinical characteristics between the two groups, an independent t-test was used for continuous variables and a chi-squared test was used for categorical variables. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between carotid IMT and CVD risk factors. A paired t-test was used to measure changes in patient behavior before and after they were informed about their subclinical carotid atherosclerosis risk. Differences with a p-level <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Baseline characteristics of the subjects with type 2 DM
Table 1 summarizes the clinical and laboratory measurements of the subjects with type 2 DM included in this study. The mean patient age was 60 years and the mean BMI was 25.1 ± 3.1 kg/m2. Half of the subjects had a >10-year duration since diagnosis with type 2 DM. According to patient questionnaires, the most frequent co-morbidities were hypertension (50.69 %) and dyslipidemia (37.5 %) (not shown in Table 1). Examination of medical records revealed that antihypertensive drugs, statins, and antiplatelet agents were prescribed to 43.3 %, 42.3 %, and 41.2 % of all patients, respectively. Approximately 20 % of the patients were current smokers. The mean HbA1C level was 60 ± 18.6 mmol/mol. The mean LDL-C level was 2.57 ± 0.86 mmol/L.
Estimated cardiovascular risk of the subjects
In total, 42.9 % of the subjects with diabetes had a positive finding for atherosclerosis according to carotid US (Table 1). Of the 622 patients assessed using the UKPDS calculator, 43.6 % were positive for atherosclerosis according to carotid US. The UKPDS risk calculator determined that 343 (55.2 %) patients were at low risk for CVD, 213 (34.2 %) patients were at intermediate risk for CVD, and 66 (10.6 %) patients were at high risk for CVD. The FRS algorithm determined that 425 (65.6 %) patients were at low risk for CVD, 195 (30.1 %) patients were at intermediate risk for CVD, and 28 (4.3 %) patients were at high risk for CVD (Table 1). The 10-year risk of CVD was higher in the UKPDS high-risk group compared to the FRS high-risk group (10.6 % vs. 4.3 %, p < 0.0001).
We also calculated the UKPDS and FRS cutoff points for the prediction of positive CUS (IMT > 1 mm). The UKPDS cutoff was 14.52 (sensitivity 66.38 %, specificity 61.99 %) and the FRS cutoff was 14 (sensitivity 72.75 %, specificity 46.62 %).
There was a significant correlation between CV risk score and carotid IMT. The correlation coefficient between UKPDS score and mean IMT was 0.295 (p < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between FRS score and mean IMT was 0.227 (p < 0.001).
We next investigated whether the UKPDSRE or FRS calculator is a superior predictor of positive CUS. The area under the UKPDSRE ROC curve was 0.677 (95 % CI, 0.635, 0.719), while the area under the FRS ROC curve was 0.629 (95 % CI, 0.584, 0.672); this difference was significant (P = 0.001). Therefore, the UKPDSRE calculator was better at predicting positive CUS than the FRS algorithm.
Patient clinical characteristics according to positive carotid ultrasound findings
Patients with positive carotid ultrasound findings were significantly older (63.5 ± 9.0 vs. 57.9 ± 9.2 years), had a longer duration of diabetes (9.0 ± 7.6 vs. 7.4 ± 6.7 years), used more antihypertensive medication (50.0 vs. 38.2 %) and antiplatelet agents (46.2 vs. 37.4 %), and had higher log hs-CRP levels (−1.4 ± 1.7 vs. −1.0 ± 1.8 mg/L) compared to subjects with negative carotid US findings (Table 1). Furthermore, the UKPDSRE and FRS scores were higher in subjects with positive carotid IMT findings. In addition, the percentages of high risk patients as classified by the UKPDSRE and FRS systems were higher for subjects with positive carotid IMT findings compared to subjects with negative findings (18.8 vs. 4.3 % and 7.8 vs. 1.7 %, respectively) (Table 1).
Multiple logistic regression analysis was next performed to investigate the associations between CV risk factors and abnormal carotid US findings after adjusting for age and sex. Carotid IMT was positively correlated with LDL-C level. There was a trend towards a positive association between ex- and current smokers and positive carotid IMT findings. No significant associations were noted between positive CUS findings and BP, BMI, DM duration, HbA1C, UKPDSRE score, or FRS score (Table 2).
Prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis according to risk stratification scores
According to the UKPDS risk engine, the prevalences of positive carotid US findings were 31.5 % in the low-risk group, 52.6 % in the intermediate-risk group, and 77.3 % in the high-risk group. According to the FRS algorithm, the prevalences of abnormal carotid US findings were 35.8 % in the low-risk group, 54.9 % in the intermediate-risk group, and 78.6 % in the high-risk group (Fig. 1). Overall, about one-third of the patients in both low-risk groups had a positive finding according to carotid US. On the other hand, only about 20 % of the patients in both high-risk groups had a negative finding according to carotid US (Fig. 1).
Factors contributing to the discrepancy between UKPDS risk engine stratification and carotid US findings
In total, 39.9 % of subjects with a positive CUS finding were classified as low-risk according to the UKPDSRE calculator (Table 1). To identify the factors that were associated with abnormal CUS findings in patients assessed by the UKPDSRE calculator, we compared the clinical parameters of patients with negative versus positive CUS findings in each risk-stratified group. In the low-risk group, patients with positive CUS findings were significantly older and had a significantly lower waist circumference, lower diastolic BP, a higher prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia, and a higher prevalence of antihypertensive medication use compared to subjects with negative CUS findings. In the intermediate-risk group, positive CUS findings were associated with increased age, female sex, and higher hs-CRP levels compared to subjects with negative CUS findings. In the high-risk group, no significant associations were observed between any parameter and positive CUS findings between the two groups (Additional file 1: Table S1). This finding may be due to the relatively small number of subjects in the high-risk group.
Changes in treatment patterns after CUS measurements
Changes in physician prescriptions were investigated at 6 months after the initial CUS measurements. Awareness of high-risk CUS findings significantly altered physician treatment patterns (p = 0.011) for managing major CV risk factors. In addition, significant increases in the addition and dosages of anti-hypertensive drugs (p = 0.013) and antiplatelet agents (p = 0.003) were observed in patients with positive CUS findings (Table 3).
The percentage of subjects who achieved the target LDL-C goal (<2.59 mmol/L) was significantly higher 6 months after CUS examination in patients with negative CUS findings and also in patients with positive CUS findings (Table 3). Abnormal CUS findings affected physician behavior regardless of patient risk level according to the UKPDSRE calculator. A significant change in treatment patterns for antihypertensive drug use (7.0 vs. 14.6 %) was observed in patients with positive CUS findings who were identified as low-risk according to the UKPDS calculator. A significant change in treatment patterns for antiplatelet agent use (0 vs. 22.0 %) was also observed in patients with positive CUS findings who were identified as high-risk according to the UKPDSRE calculator (Additional file 1: Table S2).
Changes in patient behavior after education based on carotid US results
Interviews were performed 6 months after patients were informed of their carotid US results. Overall, patients who were informed of their CUS results exhibited significant changes in their health-related behaviors. For example, the rates of smoking cessation and dietary changes (p < 0.005 each) were both increased at the 6-month follow-up visit. Moreover, the percentage of patients who had quit smoking had significantly increased and the amount of soup intake had reduced significantly at six months after the CUS examination (Fig. 2). This finding suggests that the patients tried to reduce their salt intake by decreasing their soup consumption.
Our results suggest that CUS can identify CVD-vulnerable patients out of the population of patients with type 2 DM with low-risk or intermediate-risk stratification scores. In addition, improved awareness of CVD risk based on carotid IMT results can improve CV risk management by increasing the prevention efforts of both physicians and patients.
According to CUS, 271 (43.5 %) patients were at high risk for CVD. In contrast, only 66 (10.6 %) and 28 (4.3 %) patients were at high risk for CVD according to the UKPDSRE calculator and the FRS algorithm, respectively. We also found that more high-risk patients were identified using the UKPDSRE calculator compared to the FRS algorithm (10.6 vs. 4.5 %, p < 0.0001). This finding was not surprising, since the UKPDS risk engine was developed especially for use with patients with diabetes . As such, this method has a higher prognostic value for coronary heart disease in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes . Also, the UKPDSRE calculator provided the highest odds ratios for predicting carotid atherosclerosis in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes compared to the FRS and the SCORE methods . However, the prevalences of positive CUS findings were very similar in the low-risk (31.5 % vs. 35.8 %), intermediate-risk (52.6 % vs. 54.9 %), and high-risk (77.3 % vs. 78.6 %) groups for both the UKPDS risk engine and the FRS algorithm, respectively (Fig. 1).
The FRS and UKPDSRE approaches, both of which include traditional CV risk factors, have been validated for predicting CV risk in Asian populations [15–17]. Although the results of these approaches are generally correlated with subclinical atherosclerosis, the majority of CVD events occur in patients with low or intermediate risk of CVD . To our surprise, one-third of the low-risk patients according to both the UKPDSRE and FRS classifications had a positive CUS finding. Of the patients classified as low-risk based on their UKPDSRE score, 39.9 % had a positive CUS finding. One previous study found that 32.8 % of all women and 40.5 % of all men with low (<10 %) to intermediate (10–20 %) risk of CVD according to the FRS algorithm had subclinical atherosclerosis . Analysis of factors related to atherosclerosis in the low-risk group indicated that positive CUS findings were significantly associated with older age, higher prevalences of hypertension and dyslipidemia, and a higher prevalence of antihypertensive medication history.
Carotid IMT and the presence of carotid plaque are important markers of subclinical atherosclerosis that can be used to predict cardiovascular morbidity. Many epidemiology studies, such as the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study  and the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS) , have demonstrated that age, male sex, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and postmenopausal status are independent correlates of carotid atherosclerosis. In particular, Chin et al.  showed that LDL-C levels in males and HDL-C levels in females were risk factors for IMT progression among patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We found that old age, diabetes duration, percentage of antihypertensive medication use, antiplatelet agent use, and log hs-CRP level were significantly higher in patients with positive CUS findings. After adjustment for age and sex, LDL-C was an independent correlate of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis. These data suggest that LDL-C should be managed to protect or delay the progression of atherosclerosis. Therefore, comprehensive management of CV risk factors and patient adherence to the treatment plan may prevent or delay the progression of atherosclerosis.
We also assessed how patient lifestyle and physician prescriptions changed after receiving the CUS results, as well as how knowing these results affected the achievement of target lipid and BP levels after 6 months. Among the patients with positive CUS findings, significant increases in the use or dosage of anti-hypertensive drugs and antiplatelet agents were observed compared to those in patients with negative CUS findings. We speculate that learning that a patient had subclinical atherosclerosis of the carotid artery may have encouraged physicians to more intensively manage patient risk factors for atherosclerosis. In addition, this intervention was associated with a significant improvement in the achievement of target LDL-C levels, even though a change in medication prescriptions related to hypercholesterolemia was not observed. This finding implies that medication compliance for lipid-lowering drugs might increase after patients receive their CUS findings, regardless of whether these findings are negative or positive. Hong et al.  reported that among asymptomatic patients with hypertension, atherosclerosis detection by CUS significantly increased the proportion of patients who achieved their target LDL-C levels compared to patients who received a negative CUS finding. However, we found that patient knowledge of CUS findings improved outcomes, regardless of whether the results were positive or negative. As such, we propose that CUS is a beneficial tool for increasing adherence to lipid-lowering drug regimens as part of CV risk management in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Patient behaviors also changed significantly after the patients received their CUS results. Specifically, patients who underwent CUS examination subsequently reduced smoking and salt intake (for the latter, by reducing soup consumption). We infer that since consumption of Korean soup or stew has been shown to be associated with high salt intake , patients made an effort to reduce their salt intake by decreasing their soup consumption. Thus, our data indicate that knowledge of carotid US results and subsequent explanation of the relevant CVD risks is a useful approach for enabling patients to achieve the recommended lifestyle modifications. Furthermore, CUS is a very helpful tool that enables patients to better understand their atherosclerosis status, particularly when CUS imaging results are employed. Our results thus indicate that explanation of CUS results assists patients with diabetes and their physicians to achieve patient therapeutic targets through behavior changes and medication plan alterations.
This study did have some limitations. First, the study period was only 6 months, which is a relatively short period of time for full evaluation of CVD event outcomes. Second, although our results indicated that awareness of CUS results may positively influence physician management of CV risk factors and patient behavior, correlation does not imply causality. Third, we did not evaluate the quality or area of the carotid plaques found by CUS. Several studies have shown that the quality of plaque and the plaque area are more strongly predictive of CV events than IMT [23, 24]. Fourth, we defined a positive CUS finding as an IMT ≥ 1 mm or the presence of plaque. We chose these criteria based on several large clinical studies (e.g. the ARIC study and studies performed in Finland) that compared the hazard ratios between CIMT ≥ 1 mm and < l mm [25–27]. Specifically, the ARIC study showed that the hazard ratio comparing extreme mean CIMT (≥1 mm) to not extreme CIMT (<1 mm) was 5.07 for women and 1.85 for men. Above 1 mm, the CV event rates were elevated . However, this cutoff point was derived from a non-Asian population. To more accurately predict CV risk in future studies, a more comprehensive investigation of the optimal CIMT cutoff point to predict CV risk in an Asian population would be beneficial. Finally, all subjects in the present study were Asian, and thus our findings may not be applicable to other populations.
Our data indicate that CUS screening is an effective method for identifying patients with subclinical atherosclerosis, even among patients considered to be low-risk according to the UKPDRES or FRS approach. In addition, educating patients with type 2 DM about their atherosclerosis risk as determined by their CUS results may result in improved management of CV risk factors.
Association for Eradication of Heart Attack
Body mass index
Framingham risk score
High-density lipoprotein cholesterol
Intima media thickness
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
Screening for heart attack prevention and education
United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Risk Engine
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Ahn HR, Shin MH, Yun WJ, Kim HY, Lee YH, Kweon SS, et al. Comparison of the Framingham Risk Score, UKPDS Risk Engine, and SCORE for Predicting Carotid Atherosclerosis and Peripheral Arterial Disease in Korean Type 2 Diabetic Patients. Korean J Fam Med. 2011;32:189–96.
Chia YC, Gray SY, Ching SM, Lim HM, Chinna K. Validation of the Framingham general cardiovascular risk score in a multiethnic Asian population : a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2015;19:e007324.
Tanaka S, Tanaka S, Iimuro S, Yamashita H, Katayama S, Akanuma Y, Yamada N, Araki A, Ito H, Sone H, Ohashi Y, Japan Diabetes Complication Study Group, Japanese Elderly Diabetes Intervention Trial Group. Predicting macro-and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes: the Japan Diabetes Complications Study/the Japanese Elderly Diabetes Intervention Trial risk engine. Diabetes Care. 2013;36:1193–9.
Heiss G, Sharrett AR, Barnes R, Chambless LE, Szklo M, Zlzola C. Carotid atherosclerosis measured by B-mode ultrasound in populations: associations with cardiovascular risk factors in the ARIC Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1991;134:250–6.
Wagenknecht LE, D’Agostino Jr R, Savage PJ, O’Leary DH, Saad MF, Haffner SM. Duration of diabetes and carotid wall thickness: the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS). Stroke. 1997;28:999–1005.
Chin SW, Hwang JK, Rhee SY, Chon S, Hwang YC, Oh SJ, et al. Risk Factors for Progression of Intima-Media Thickness of Carotid Arteries: A 2-Year Follow-up Study in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Metab J. 2013;37(5):48–54.
Hong SJ, Chang HJ, Song K, Hong GR, Park SW, Kang HJ, et al. Impact of atherosclerosis detection by carotid ultrasound on physician behavior and risk-factor management in asymptomatic hypertensive subjects. Clin Cardiol. 2014;37(2):91–6.
Kim YC, Koo HS, Kim S, Chin HJ. Estimation of daily salt intake through a 24-hour urine collection in Pohang, Korea. J Korean Med Sci. 2014;20(S2):S87–90.
Spence ID, Eliasziw M, Di Cicco M, Hackam DG, Galil R, Lohmann T. Carotid plaque area: a tool for targeting and evaluating vascular preventive therapy. Stroke. 2002;33:2916–22.
Johnsen SH, Mathiesen EB, Joakimsen O, Stensland E, Wilsgaard T, Løchen ML, et al. Carotid atherosclerosis is a stronger predictor of myocardial infarction in women than in men: a 6-year follow-up study of 6226 persons: the Tromsø Study. Stroke. 2007;38:2873–80.
Naqvi TZ, Lee MS. Carotid intima-media thickness and plaque in cardiovascular risk assessment. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2014;7(10):1025–38.
Chambless LE, Heiss G, Folsom AR, Rosamond W, Szklo M, Sharrett AR, Clegg LX. Association of coronary heart disease incidence with carotid arterial wall thickness and major risk factors: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, 1987–1993. Am J Epidemiol. 1997;46(6):483–94.
Salonen R, Salonen JT. Determinants of carotid intima-media thickness: a population-based ultrasonography study in eastern Finnish men. J Intern Med. 1991;229(3):225–31.
The authors wish to thank the following medical groups and diabetes education centers for their collaboration: Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Cheil General Hospital, Chung-Ang University Yong-San Hospital, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Myongji Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Sejong General Hospital, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Gang Nam Severance Hospital, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Bundang Cha Hospital, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Pusan National University Hospital, Kosin University Gospel Hospital, and Inje University Pusan Paik Hospital.
This study was funded by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Ltd. The funding source was involved in the study design, collection of data, or interpretation of results.
Availability of data and material
IKJ reviewed the data and wrote the manuscript. SGK, DHC, CHK, CSK, WYL, and KCW performed research and contributed to discussions. DMK reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Consent for publication
Ethical approval and consent to participate
All procedures involving human participants performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the relevant institutional and/or national research committees and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
This study has received ethical approval by institutional review board of each hospital : Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Cheil General Hospital, Chung-Ang University Yong-San Hospital, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Myongji Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Sejong General Hospital, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Gang Nam Severance Hospital, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Bundang Cha Hospital, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Pusan National University Hospital, Kosin University Gospel Hospital, and Inje University Pusan Paik Hospital.
Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.
Table S1. Clinical characteristics of subjects according to subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and UKPDS risk engine score. Table S2. Changes in treatment patterns after knowledge of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis results according to UKPDS risk engine score. (DOCX 33 kb)
About this article
Cite this article
Jeong, IK., Kim, SG., Cho, D.H. et al. Impact of carotid atherosclerosis detection on physician and patient behavior in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective, observational, multicenter study. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 16, 220 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-016-0401-5

domain: medical


robotics level 4
Robotics Level 4 or R4 is a course combining robotics and space industry; learners are invited to apply the knowledge and skills acquired on robots to solve space missions like launching a rocket, power satellites and establishing the communication between earth and space. This is a recommended course to all learners since it highlights a unique industry helping and assisting us in our everyday life, providing security, communication, orientation, entertainment and more. Join and explore new frontiers with The Little Engineer. Prerequisite for this course: Robotics Level 1 and Robotics Level 2.


Back to work
Dear Editor:While Mayor Klanderud was preparing to change the guard and pass the gavel to incoming Mayor Mick Ireland, assistant city manager Steve Barwick, assistant city manager Bentley Henderson, city engineer Tricia Aragon and recycle center project manager Tyler Christoff were carrying the torch to keep certain community projects moving forward without interruption.Thank you Steve, Bentley, Tricia and Tyler for listening to the community and adding eight hours of public input into the design phase of the recycle center improvements and expansion of the skateboard park contract.The approval of the contract by Aspen’s newly elected Mayor Ireland and council members J.E. DeVilbiss, Jack Johnson, Dwayne Romero and Steve Skadron was one of the quickest approvals I have ever lobbied for.With community involvement from the beginning, I anticipate overwhelming support for the projects before it reaches P&Z and city council for approval. As soon as the staff has a schedule, the public will be notified. Hopefully those critics of mine blaming me for the mess at the current recycle center will make the time to attend the meetings to help with solutions. It’s all about teamwork!Toni KronbergAspen
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Weaknesses: No stock fixed cog
Wheels could be lighter
Brakes are not the best
I have put a few hundred miles on this bike and am satisfied overall. Recently, I installed a fixed cog on the flip-flop hub with the same gear ratio. There were two things that I thought I would change immediately but have since reconsidered. The handlebars are strangely bowed out and the tires are fairly wide. I have gotten used to the handlebars over a matter or weeks and I rarely need to inflate the tires for cruising around town because they hold so much air. There are mounting points for a rear wheel fender.
Or will I look like a complete tool carrying around a firebird red Electromatic? I mean, it's intimidatingjust looking at that thing, and then you realize that big, hollow bodied Gretsch guitars are used by guys like Chet Atkins, Brian Setzer, Duane Eddy, etc, etc...
I mean sure it's the cheapie, ... Read More »


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Thermo King and Frigoblock Discuss Future of Refrigerated Transport
9th September 2019
Making zero-emissions distribution a reality and meeting customers’ needs now and in the future to highlight the presentation at the Cold Chain Federation’s Conference
Thermo King and Frigoblock, transport solutions brands of Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, will discuss future of refrigerated transport and demonstrate the company’s commitment to the continuous advancement of transport climate control technologies and sustainable distribution.
Joe Grealy of Ingersoll Rand Transport Solutions will address policy makers, transporters, cold store operators and other industry practitioners during the conference organized by the Cold Chain Federation in Birmingham, UK, on September 12.
“As a global company, we have long considered it our responsibility to lead the industry and design and manufacture sustainable products for our customers. Products that not only meet current market requirements but future proof our customers operations for years ahead,” said Joe Grealy. “Improving the efficiencies and environmental footprint of our diesel-powered products, encouraging the use electric stand-by options, promoting cryogenic refrigeration technology, and developing hybrid and full-electric options that are combatting exhaust, CO2 and noise pollutions, we have proven to be an innovator of solutions that has always had its customers satisfaction at heart.”
Thermo King and Frigoblock are leaders in electrification in the transport climate control industry with the largest range of zero and low-emissions solutions in all segments of the market, including SLXi-Hybrid trailer unit, wide range of Frigoblock products for large trucks and the E-200 all electric units for small trucks and vans. In total, there are more than 25 Thermo King and Frigoblock electric products in the portfolio providing superior performance for its customers, and more than 20,000 trucks and trailers on the road with its electrified transport refrigeration units and the number is growing daily across many new markets.
“Environmentally-focused regulations, and the general perception and desire to ‘be green’ are currently initiating customers’ adoption of electrification but the long-term economics will drive substantial conversion across the industry. It is anticipated that rapid market adoption of electrical architectures will take place between 2020 and 2025, as total cost of ownership calculations turn positive and transporters adopt compliant systems before mandated by law,” said Joe Grealy.
Thermo King’s and Frigoblock’s product development is driven by Ingersoll Rand’s Climate Commitment, which is the company’s pledge to increase the energy efficiency and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) related to our operations and our products.
In 2014, as part of its global Climate Commitment, Ingersoll Rand committed to:
- 50 percent reduction in GHG refrigerant footprint of its products by 2020 and lower-GWP alternatives across its portfolio by 2030;
- $500 million investment in product-related research and development to fund long-term GHG reduction;
- 35 percent reduction in the greenhouse gas footprint of its own operations by 2020.
At the end of 2018, Ingersoll Rand has:
- Avoided 21 million metric tons of our customers’ CO2e, which is the equivalent of avoiding 3.7 coal-fired power plants
- Reduced our own operational emissions by 45 percent, which achieved our Climate Commitment for operations two years early
- Reduced energy intensity by 22 percent.
In May 2019, Ingersoll Rand announced its 2030 sustainability aspirations aligned to the time horizon of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. These commitments are designed to meet the challenge of climate change, provide world-class systems and service performance for buildings, homes, transportation and industrial customers, and improve the quality of life for the people and communities where it operates and serves. The company will continue momentum and create positive impact through three actions by 2030:
- Scale technology, innovation and sustainability strategies to enable more efficient customer solutions. This includes reducing the customer carbon footprint by one gigaton1 CO2e – equivalent to the annual emissions of Italy, France and the United Kingdom combined.
- Transform its supply chain and operations to have a restorative impact on the environment including achieving carbon neutral operations, zero waste to landfill and a 10% absolute reduction in energy consumption, and giving back more water than we use in water-stressed areas.
- Increase opportunity for all, strengthening economic mobility and bolstering the quality of life of our people and those in the communities where we operate and serve. This includes achieving gender parity in leadership roles and a workforce reflective of our community populations, maintaining livable market-competitive wages and progressive benefits; and broadening community access to well-being services including food/nutrition, housing and shelter, transportation, education and climate comfort. To learn more about Ingersoll Rand’s achievements against its 2020 commitments please see its recently released 2018 ESG Report. For more information about its 2030 sustainability aspirations, please go to ingersollrand.com/2030.

domain: economics


text:
A man was placed behind bars and charged with possession of an explosive device.
Officials confirmed on Saturday 40-year-old Jonathan White was being held in the Hardin County Jail.
Friday, authorities with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began investigating threats he reportedly made on social media.
When undercover agents met with him, they confirmed he gave them a pipe bomb.
White was arrested without incident and was being held on a $500,000 bond.

domain: law


text:
the lesser victims of sexual abuses are heard is eight times, in average, for diverse entities, when they are involved in actions at law.
They pass for the commissions of minors protection, for the policy, technician, psychologists, lawyers, judges.
Is the conclusion of a study elaborated by Catarina Ribeiro, investigator and forensic psychologist.
This "perversion" of the system results in the call "secondary victimization", compelling the child to feel again the abuse, with all the load of additional suffering that such repetition unchains, supports the psychologist. This, without counting on the number of times where it tells the facts to the family or to the teachers.
To avoid the huge repetition of exams, interrogatory and psychological tests is exactly one of the main express claims in a petition of a group of citizens, with eight thousand signatures, that finish to be sent to the President of the Republic.
The moral author of the petition, Clara Sottomayor - teatcher in the Law school of the Catholic University of Oporto and investigator in the domain of maltreatment the children - said to the DN that "this only happens because the system is not organized for the effective protection of the child". The jurist supports that the process would have to be lead, most possible, from an only certification, attended for technician to multidiscipline and recorded in video for future memory ". To remain current practical it "we are to generate a total unjustified suffering the children who already are suffering in excess". On the other hand, the master in Family law observes that the international experience indicates that the repetition of the certifications does not favor the approach to the truth, in the measure where the certifications tend to suffer a distortion for the effect from suggestion of successive questionnaires.
In the petition, people of the area of justice, medicine, psychology, culture, among others, appeal to the "establishment of social, administrative, legal measures and judicial that carry through the duty of protecção of the State in relation to the children trusted to the guard of institutions, as well as that they assure the respect for the special necessities of the child victim of sexual crimes, testify in criminal proceeding". Although not related, the case "Casa Pia" serves of inspiration to the petition. The signatories of the petition also appeal to the necessity of a psychological formation and legal specialized of the part of who works with the victims, magistrates, who has functions of direcção in institutions that receive children and of employees. Programs of sensitization and information to the population, nominated to the children, for prevention of the pedofilia, are also complained. The petition can be subscribed in
took from: http://dn.sapo.pt/2008/01/11/sociedade/criancas_abusadas_interrogadas_oito_.html
sexta-feira, 11 de janeiro de 2008
Postado por Fernando Moura às 12:00


On 25th May 1842 Christian Doppler presented his book “On the coloured light of binary stars” to the Royal Bohemian Society and was catapulted to world renown.
The Doppler effect and coloured stars
Physicists had already learned how to measure the frequency of light (as an electromagnetic oscillation) and had realised that red light had a lower frequency (from 390 THz, i.e. 390 followed by 12 zeros oscillation per second) than blue light (up to 770 THz).
The faster a star is travelling away from us, the more its light is shifted to lower frequencies, and thus towards the red. Light from certain elements undergoing this shift oscillates at a lower frequency than light from a stationary source, or light from closer stars such as our small yellow sun.
It is extremely helpful that some elements can only emit (or absorb) specific colours (frequencies of light). Investigating light using a glass prism reveals these “spectral lines”.
Turning to binary star systems, these usually consist of a smaller and a larger star orbiting a common centre of gravity. When their orbits line up precisely with the Earth, the larger star regularly blocks our view of the smaller one. At that moment, the maximum speed of both stars at the point of their greatest distance from each other, can be calculated very precisely using the Doppler shift effect. Although in Doppler’s time there was a lack of knowledge about the colours of different types of stars, he proposed a theory which would be very useful to astronomy, and which would only later be proved correct.
Astronomy today: the applications of the Doppler effect
Today the Doppler effect allows us to not only calculate the speed of the stars and galaxies in relation to us, but also to determine their distance, their speed of rotation, the ejection velocities of supernovae and much more. It has also made research into X-ray stars possible.
Modern astronomy would be inconceivable without Christian Doppler’s contributions.


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If you desire to improve your total wellness, simply add CBD in your daily routine.
CBD gummies are coming to be very popular amongst the individuals and also are the fun way of taking your CBD. Studies additionally show that CBD is efficient in treating various health conditions like sleep problems, heart illness, diabetes mellitus, frustrations, and also even signs connected to cancer cells treatment.
CBD gummies are just like regular gummies and the only difference is, these are infused with CBD. Researches reveal that CBD gummies are valuable in decreasing sleeping problems.
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Welcome to my world...
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Craft box Challenge 2
I took this from my crafty bits PILE
The images i had coloured in ages ago when i first got the stamps and hadn't done anything with them....
With this pile i made these, i've only added a couple of flowers/brads/gems to them
It's good trying to use up some of my old stuff, makes more room for new stuff, LOL
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domain: hobby


text:
§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2003,Official Report, column 351W, on Command Paper 5778, which parts of the Children Act 1989 are failing to be implemented effectively in his Department as set out in paragraph 2.22 of Command Paper 5778.
§ Mr. Miliband
Paragraph 2.22 of Command Paper 5778 neither states nor implies that the Children Act 1989 is not being implemented effectively. As the then Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Hilary Benn) noted in the answer that he gave on 29 April, the Children Act is a shared responsibility across Government, and our aim, as set out in the Command Paper, is to increase the range of family support provisions that can be made available through the Children Act, as part of our response to tackling anti-social behaviour.