What are the pros and cons of getting rid of plastic bags?
Note from Editor Amelia Robinson: In a letter to the editor published on September 15, the reader Michael Federer voiced its objections to Giant Eagle’s plan to phase out single-use plastic bags and charge customers 5 cents for each paper bag.
We asked for your opinion. Below is a selection of responses.
“Climate change deniers twist the facts”
Michael Federer’s “greenback” response to Giant Eagle ending the use of plastic bags would be humorous if it weren’t so misinformed.
Climate change deniers twist facts and science all over the place in order to maintain their practical way of life, rather than switching to renewable materials and energy.
Letters:Ditching plastic bags will help Giant Eagle overcome customers one penny at a time
When companies like Giant Eagle come together to become more responsible environmental partners, our community must not only embrace them, but also follow in their footsteps in big and small ways to reuse and recycle everything we can. Families can use fabric bags for groceries, at the beach, to carry holiday gifts, or to shop at any store.
After:Editorial: Don’t waste, recycle more to save landfill space
It’s easy to overshadow the most sensible ways to reduce harmful emissions and save the Earth for our grandchildren. Instead, let’s be open-minded rather than cynical and find other ways to say yes to these solutions before it’s too late.
Barb Seckler, Christopher Columbus
The “wicked” reusable bags
The idea of phasing out plastic bags has drawbacks:
- Environment: How many trees will it take to “help” the Giant Eagle turn green?
- Cost: Groceries are a necessity. Bringing them home is a necessity. Five cents per paper bag to take them home – yuck! I am older. I need my grocery bags lightly packed to carry my stuff home.
- Sanitation: Some reusable bags will be unpleasant after multiple uses, then placed in shopping carts and on the shelves where we pack our food. Sounds like salmonella, E. coli, or another pandemic to come.
By the way, last year Giant Eagle baggers weren’t allowed to touch reusable bags. Adding the paper bag fee will encourage the bags to be used again and again.
Giant Eagle, please keep the choice of “paper or plastic?”
Joan Buffington, Hilliard
Share your thoughts:How to Submit a Letter to the Editor for The Columbus Dispatch
We don’t need plastic bags
My God, reader Michael Federer is upset that Giant Eagle is getting rid of plastic bags.
Good for the giant eagle.
After:Opinion: Kroger, America’s largest supermarket chain, bids farewell to the plastic shopping bag
Aldi never had bags. If you want one, you pay for it.
I don’t use plastic bags because I respect what they do to the environment. I have bins, which I acquired by donating to various organizations, such as Partners, WOSU.
After:Letters: Learning the right way to recycle brings us closer to a safer environment
I’ve noticed that people who pack their groceries tend to put one item in each bag and walk out with 20 bags.
Jan Ryan, Reynoldsburg
I support the phasing out of plastic bags.
Michael A. Bugosh, New Albany


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Cookie to go #packaging design. I love the handle. This would be great for donuts or cupcakes too!
Buy All These Creative Household Gadgets!
IKEA #Packaging #Design Inspirations, who wouldn't want to receive this #packaging promo? PD
Flvrs Brand Identity
Reloaded (Student Project)
21st century mix tape Too cool!!
Individually packaged tea bags. I wish I knew who to credit for this design!!!
Butcher's by Kei Meguro at Coroflot.com. @Sarah Reynolds @Cynthia Pomerleau (The Packaging Girl) How did we miss this one on our #meat #packaging pinathon PD
Incorporate the bold type of your brand identity in take away packaging to make it easily identifiable from a distance.

domain: artistic


IS Accessories - Articulated hoist
Metal framework articulated in two points to be installed on the raceway on forming machines on blank side for handling loads. Handling is carried out by a pneumatic hoist with remote control through pushbutton panel.
CAPACITY: 125/250 kg
AIR PRESSURE: 6 bars
AIR CONNECTION: G 3/8
MOTOR POWER: 0,4 KW


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While most parents/teachers/care givers in general discourage kids from coloring anywhere but the paper, I'm the one painting on my kids. Yesterday after painting some 'snowflakes' (coffee filters), I decided to set up a little tat shop of my own. ;)
Okay, so I'm not the greatest artist. But, according to Lynneth, I'm now officially the coolest mom EVER. I'll take it. ;)
Even the hubby had to join in on the fun.
My arm, per request of the kids -
The one I hope to, in some caliber, actually make permanent one day...
What are some things you find as a parent you go against the 'norm' for with your kids?


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L/S from a hill of the city of Fez in Morocco and mountains behind; a man in traditional white robes and red fez hat walks along in foreground; L/S of the gateway to the city; market stalls are seen in foreground, people milling about. M/S showing a corner section of the ornate gate, carved and patterned...more
Dynamo, Moscow, beats Cardiff City 10-1 in the international team football match.
Fireworks at White City.
York City football team are seen in training at their home ground.
Football match where Huddersfield beat York City 2 to 1.
Birmingham thrash Coventry in football.
An item showing a meeting of the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association. White City, London.
Mass bands parade at White City stadium, London.
Men walking down street wearing dark suits and bowler hats.

domain: geography


Boniface Cheembe defends Zambian opposition parties
Southern African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Dispute (SACCORD) Executive Director Boniface Chembe has dispelled assertions from the opposition that he has taken a partisan stance in nodding to Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kangaja’s decree to nab armed people.
Early this week Police IG Kanganja made a pronouncement that any one carrying lethal weapons in public will be arrested as a way of deterring political cadres from engaging into violence ahead of the general elections slated for 11th August, 2016.
Speaking in a live telephone interview on Pan African Radio ‘Let’s Find Out’ Programme today anchored by Goodface Mulala and Isaac Nsoneka, Mr.Chembe said those insinuating that SACCORD is not being impartial in the manner it has come out to welcome the announcement Inspector General Kanganja to cage individuals or groups carrying dangerous weapons.
The SACCORD boss believes that the Police decree will help to bring sanity in the political arena as the nation votes on 11th August,2016.


2005 Toronto Gay Pride Parade
One of North America's largest celebrations of gay culture took over downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Michael Leshner -- one-half of Canada's first officially married gay couple -- reminisced a bit as he walked in the parade.
"You know, when we met 24 years ago ... we started the second Pride. There were like 12 people there," he said, with horns and sirens blaring in the background.
Just recently I had a chance to sit down with Natasha Garda, Co-Chair, and Leon Mar, Media Coordinator of Pride Toronto. Pride Week is the fun and fabulous arts and culture festival that happens in the last week of June each year in Toronto. Pride Week celebrates our diverse sexual and gender identities, histories, cultures, families, friends and lives and has become one of Toronto's biggest festivals and yearly entertainment events.


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Volkswagen XL Sport Concept Car Stuns at Paris Motor Show
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher Welcome Baby
William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy to Star in New Volkswagen e-Golf Commercial
iPhone 6c is possible as iPhone 5c Sales Surge
Jeff Goldblum Stars in funny GE Link Ad
Omar Epps Talks "Juice"
Did Omar Epps Hook Up With Halle Berry?
Omar Epps Interview Omar Epps Resurrection star Live! With Kelly and Michael
See all Omar Epps videos
I4U Daily Email Digest
I4U NEWS on Facebook
I4U NEWS on Twitter
I4U NEWS on Google+

domain: news


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Refugee advocates have called for the Australian government to bring all refugees and asylum seekers still in Papua New Guinea home amid the spiralling coronavirus outbreak there.
- Six refugees and asylum seekers in PNG have tested positive to coronavirus
- Refugee advocates say Australia has a duty of care to them
- The Australian government provides asylum seekers and refugees in PNG with assistance including housing and medical care
Ninety refugees and 40 asylum seekers remain in PNG's capital Port Moresby under the Australian government's Regional Resettlement Arrangement following the closure of the Manus Island detention centre in 2019.
Australia's closest neighbour is in the grip of a worsening COVID-19 crisis, with more than 1,400 active cases.
Six refugees and asylum seekers have tested positive to coronavirus in the past two weeks.
One of the refugees, who asked to remain anonymous, said he tested positive about two weeks ago after seeking medical assistance for stomach pain and he had been isolating in his accommodation since.
The refugee, who has been waiting for two years to find out whether he can be resettled in the US, says five others have also tested positive in that time.
While he was receiving daily visits from health workers in full PPE, the infection control procedures and protocols at the medical centre where the refugees were given treatment were inadequate, he said.
He said he was worried about spreading the virus and being unfairly blamed by the local people.
"It is it scary because [people in PNG] they don't know about refugees, they don't know how long we have been here," he said.
"The scary in part is they blame expats for bringing COVID here."
Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the other five who had tested positive were in isolation in a hotel.
Mr Rintoul said Australia could provide enough vaccine for the entire PNG population.
"But the Australian government has a particular duty of care to the refugees they have kept for eight years and are still keeping in Papua New Guinea,” Mr Rintoul said.
He said the remaining refugees and asylum seekers were being kept in hotels around Port Moresby.
A statement from PNG's chief migration officer, Stanis Hulahau, said the Australian government had arranged a private hospital to carry out testing on all 130 men, and 58 tests were done last week.
Mr Hulahau said those who tested positive would be relocated to a separate accommodation site for isolation and recovery.
He said "non-refugees" were under the immigration department's supervision while refugees were managed by an external contractor while awaiting resettlement.
“The COVID-19 test on refugees and non-refugees does not indicate that they are the main transmitters. However, it teaches us a lesson to get tested and protect our loved-ones from the virus," he said.
Barri Phatarfod, from Doctors 4 Refugees, said the Australian government should take responsibility for all the refugees and asylum seekers and bring them back to Australia.
She said they were clearly under Australia's care.
"These are people that we have put there and, no matter how much fancy wording we can do with it saying whose responsibility they are, the fact is that their housing is paid for by Australia. Their health care is paid for, their food, the security, everything is all paid for by Australia," Dr Phatarfod said.
"[PNG is] an impoverished country, with highly stressed, stretched resources, our nearest neighbour, and we can't be adding problems onto them just to push a political agenda," she added.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison today announced Australia would send 8,000 doses from its COVID-19 vaccine supply to PNG next week and it was asking AstraZeneca and European authorities to divert another 1 million doses to the country.
The Department of Home Affairs said the government was supporting PNG to deliver health care to transferees by contracting specialist health services.
"The Pacific International Hospital is equipped to manage COVID-19 cases," it said in a statement.
"Service providers have reinforced COVID-19 hygiene and etiquette protocols and masks and other supplies have been issued to the cohort," it added.

domain: sociology


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Non-Parenchymal Cell Biology
Article first published online: 15 OCT 2013
Copyright © 2013 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
Special Issue: The 64th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases: The Liver Meeting 2013
Volume 58, Issue S1, pages 455A–459A, October 2013
How to Cite
(2013), Non-Parenchymal Cell Biology. Hepatology, 58: 455A–459A. doi: 10.1002/hep.26847
- Issue published online: 1 OCT 2013
- Article first published online: 15 OCT 2013
Human amniotic epithelial cell and conditioned media has both anti-fibrotic and pro-regenerative effects on fibrotic liver disease
Alexander Hodge1, 2, Dinushka Lourensz1, 2, Jorge Tchongue1, 2, George Yeoh3, Rebecca Lim4, William Sievert1, 2; 1Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Monash Medical Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 2Centre for Inflammatory Disease, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 3Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, Perth, WA, Australia; 4The Ritchie Centre for Translational Research, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Recovery from cirrhosis requires extra-cellular matrix degradation plus hepatocyte regeneration. Decreased hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and expression of matrix degrading enzymes by both macrophages (MP) and HSC create a fibrolytic environment. Hepatocyte regeneration by liver progenitor cells (LPC) requires interactions among LPC, HSC and MP. We have shown that cell therapy with human amniotic epithelial cells (hAEC) ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in a murine model (1)by decreasing HSC activation and inducing MPderived matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). This study investigated whether factors secreted by hAEC contained in conditioned media (CM) (i) reduce hepatic fibrosis in vivo, (ii) exert an anti-fibrotic effect on HSC and MP and (iii) promote LPC proliferation. Methods: Mice given carbon tetrachloride for 12 weeks (wk) were administered intravenous hAEC CM for the last 4 wk of the model. To compare CM to cell therapy, hAEC were injected at 8 wk. Liver fibrosis area was determined by Sirius red staining. The effect of hAEC CM in vitro was explored using human HSC (LX2 cells) and murine bone marrow derived MP exposed to CM for 24 or 48 hour, or mouse LPC (BMOL cell line) given CM given for 4 or 8 days. Differentiation media was applied to LPC as a positive control. MMP9, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin and cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) gene expression was assessed by RT-PCR. Intracellular collagen was determined by 3H-proIine incorporation. Ly6Chi MP were identified by FACS. Proliferation with determined by Brd-U incorporation. Results: Hepatic fibrosis area was significantly reduced in CM treated animals, equivalent to hAEC cell therapy. hAEC CM treatment reduced MP and HSC numbers but LPC persisted showing that the anti-inflammatory effect of hAEC CM did not impair LPC proliferation. Treatment of HSC by CM resulted in significant reduction in collagen production and increased MMP9 expression. CM treated MP showed a significant reduction in Ly6Chi expression and increase in MMP9 expression. CM treated LPC demonstrated increased proliferation and expression of albumin and AFP but not CK-19.Conclusions: hAEC CM therapy significantly reduced liver fibrosis in vivo and induced a fibrolytic phenotype in HSC and MP. hAEC CM treatment of LPC resulted in proliferation and differentiation down the hepatocyte lineage while markers of cholangiocyte regeneration remained unchanged. hAEC-based therapy appears promising for patients with chronic liver disease. 1.Human Amniotic Epithelial Cell Transplantation Induces Markers of Alternative Macrophage Activation and Reduces Established Hepatic Fibrosis. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7: e38631
William Sievert - Speaking and Teaching: Gilead Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche, Gilead Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche, Gilead Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche, Gilead Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche
The following people have nothing to disclose: Alexander Hodge, Dinushka Lourensz, Jorge Tchongue, George Yeoh, Rebecca Lim
A Specific and Facile Method for Isolating Murine Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells using a CD32B Monoclonal Antibody
Barbara Donofrio, Takhar Kasumov, srinivasan Dasarathy, Arthur J. McCullough; Gastroenterology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Background: Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) comprise 20% of all liver cells and are now recognized to be both a target and mediator of injury in a number of liver diseases. Despite their emerging importance, current methods of LSEC isolation (centrificugal elutriation or percoll adherence) are cumbersome, produce variable yields and have limited utility as a practical laboratory method. The proposed technique is based on the differential staining characteristics between CD31 (a marker of all endothelial cells) and CD32B (a marker specific for LSEC). Aim: To develop an isolation method for LSEC that would reliably obtain high yield with a specificity and reproducibility that would be easily available for wide spread use. Methods: We used an immunomagnetic method with the monoclonal antibodies: Rat Anti-Mouse F4/80 and Rat Anti-Mouse Fc gamma RIIB/CD32B. Non-Parenchymal cells were obtained by 0.05% Collagenase liver digestion and a 17% OptiPrep (iodixanol) density gradient. Cells were then subjected to Rat Anti-Mouse F4/80-conjugated Dynabeads to remove Kupffer cells and blood Monocytes. The remaining cells were subjected to magnetic bead cell isolation using Rat Anti-Mouse Fc gamma RIIB/CD32B. The attached LSEC were released from the beads with a specific decoupling buffer. Cells were then plated on a fibronectin matrix. Ninety percent of bead isolated cells were recovered with an average yield of 5.5 x10exp6 ±2 LSEC per mouse liver. Both mouse liver tissue and CD32B isolated cells were stained with immune labeled LSEC markers; CD31, CD32B and StabiIin-2 (Stab-2). Isotype controls were run for CD31, CD32B and a blocking peptide control was run for Stab-2.Results: All three markers stained positive in both mouse liver tissue and CD32B isolated cells. A co-stain with CD32B and Stab-2 showed co-localization in isolated LSEC and in liver tissue in a sinusoidal distribution. The CD32B isolated cells also showed typical LSEC fenestrae and sieve plates on scanning electron microscopy. Importantly, 99% of the isolated cells took up formaldehyde-treated serum albumin and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), which are functions and markers specific for LSEC. Conclusion: This straight forward isolation method allows for the culture of LSEC with high purity and reproducibility with a potential for more wide spread use than currently available methods.
The following people have nothing to disclose: Barbara Donofrio, Takhar Kasumov, Srinivasan Dasarathy, Arthur J. McCullough
hepatic progenitors is crucial for liver regeneration and contributes to the regression of liver fibrosis. Methods: The oval-cell
Role of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate in Bone MarrowDerived Monocyte/Macrophages Motility in Chronic Liver Injury in Mice
Le Yang, Zhen Han, Yuanyuan Zhang, Liying Li; Department of Cell Biology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Background/Aims: sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) system has been implicated in the pathological process of liver injury in multiple models. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of S1P on bone marrow-derived monocyte/macrophages (BMM) migration in mouse models of chronic liver injury, and identify the signaling pathway underlying this process. Methods: Expression of S1P receptors type 1-3 (S1PR1-3) in BMM was characterized by immunofluorescent staining, real-time RTPCR and Western blot analysis. Cell migration was determined in Boyden chambers by using the selective S1PR1-3 agonist/antagonists or specific siRNAs. Moreover, PTX and LY-294002 were used to define the roles for Gi/o and PI3K pathways in S1P-induced BMM migration, respectively. In vivo, mice were lethally irradiated and received bone marrow transplants from enhanced green fluorescent protein transgenic mice. Bile duct ligation (BDL) was used to induce liver fibrosis with the administration of S1PR2 antagonist, JTE-013 or S1PR3 antagonist, CAY-10444.Liver tissue was examined by immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometric analysis to identify BMM, and was collected for real-time RT-PCR, H&E and Sirius red staining to evaluate the degree of inflammation and fibrosis after chronic liver injury. Results: S1PR1, S1PR2 and S1PR3 were all expressed in BMM. S1P exerted a powerful migratory action on BMM, and the pro-migratory effects were markedly blocked by S1PR2/3 antagonists or correspondent siRNAs. Furthermore, PTX and LY-294002 prevented the S1P-induced BMM migration, and Rac1 activation by S1P was inhibited by JTE-013 or CAY-10444.In vivo, JTE-013 or CAY-10444 significantly reduced BMM recruitment in BDL-induced liver injury in mice, as the proportion of BMM decreased markedly compared with that without JTE-013 or CAY-10444 treatment. In addition, JTE-013 or CAY-10444 administration attenuated BDL-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Conclusion: S1P/S1PR2/3 system mediates BMM motility by PTX-PI3K-Rac1 signaling pathway, which provides new compelling information on the role of S1P in liver injury and opens new perspectives for the pharmacological treatment of hepatic fibrosis.
The following people have nothing to disclose: Le Yang, Zhen Han, Yuanyuan Zhang, Liying Li
EGF, an Antagonist Cytokine, Reverts and Blocks TGFβ1-Induced Myofibroblast Phenotype and Dysfunction of Hepatic Oval Cells mainly through EGFR-Dependent ERK1/2 Phosphorylation
Ping Wang, Min Cong, Tianhui Liu, Hong Ma, Jidong Jia, Hong You; Liver Resear Cencer, Capital Medical University, Bejing, China
Background: Hepatic progenitors possess proliferation and differentiation capacity to replenish damaged liver in cases of chronic liver disease or acute necrosis. Yet, through exposure to the fibrogenic cytokine, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), these cells may undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition to express extracellular matrix, thereby enhancing the progression of liver fibrosis and even initiating hepatocellular carcinoma. How to revert and block TGF-β1-induced transition of hepatic progenitors is crucial for liver regeneration and contributes to the regression of liver fibrosis. Methods: The oval-cell culture medium was used to reverse the myofibroblast phenotype in 16-day TGF-β1-pretreated rat hepatic oval cells. The specific component responsible for reverting was figured out in the oval-cell culture medium, and the specific component was further used to blockTGF-β1-induced transition. Signaling array and western blot was carried out to find out the signal molecules in charge of reversing and blocking TGF-β1-induced transition. Results: In the presence of TGF-β1 for 16 days, rat hepatic oval cells obtained myofibroblast phenotypes with onehundred times increase of a-smooth muscle actin to control cells, along with losing their proliferation capacity and differentiation potential. First, removing TGF-β1 and adding oval-cell culture medium reversed TGF-β1-induced myofibroblast phenotype and the alteration of hepatic progenitor cell functions to the level of control oval cells. Second, detailed analysis of the components in oval-cell culture medium, including fetal bovine serum, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and stem cell factor, showed that EGF was the cytokine reversed TGF-β1-induced phenotype transition and rescued the proliferation capacity and differentiation potential. Third, if EGF and TGF-β1 were co-administrated to the culture, EGF dose-dependently suppressed TGF-β1-induced phenotype transition and the alteration of hepatic progenitor cell functions, with 1ng/ml EGF totally blocking the transition induced by 1ng/ml TGF-β1.More importantly, using a specific inhibitor for eGf receptor (EGFR), 4-(3'-chloroanilino)−6, 7dimethoxyquinazoline (Tyrphostin AG1478), we not only confirmed the reversing and blocking effects of EGF on TGF-β1, but also found that EGF-regulated suppression and reversal was mediated mainly by EGFR-dependent phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2.Conclusion: EGF is the cytokine reversing and blocking TGF-β1-induced phenotype transition and dysfunction of hepatic progenitors, revealing the plasticity of hepatic progenitors and shedding light on the regression of liver fibrosis.
Jidong Jia - Consulting: BMS, GSK, MSD, Novartis, Roche
The following people have nothing to disclose: Ping Wang, Min Cong, Tianhui Liu, Hong Ma, Hong You
Postnatal Vegfr2 ablation in mice results in hepatic microvascular changes including decreased arteries, sinusoidal endothelial degeneration, infarcts, hepatic vein remodeling, and nodular regenerative hyperplasia
Vera Eremina1,Ian R. Wanless2, Marna Lunyova1, M. Hirashima3, Jordan J. Feld5, Susan Quaggin6,1; 1Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Pathology, QEII HSC, Halifax, NS, Canada; 3Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan; 4Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; 5Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 6Nephrology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Agents that block VEGF signaling are used clinically to reduce injurious angiogenic events. However, these drugs are associated with microvascular degeneration, especially in the kidney (Eremina 2008). Hepatic abnormalities have been described but not in detail. Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH), defined histologically by nodules of hepatocytes separated by regions of atrophy with minimal fibrosis, is caused by microvascular obstruction, especially of portal veins (PV) (Wanless 1980). NRH, in the absence of PV obstruction has been described in an animal model with knockout of Notch1 which is involved in VEGF expression (Dill 2012). Another mouse model with disruption of RBP-J in the VEGF pathway was associated with veno-occlusive disease (Wang 2009). Here we describe the development of hepatic microvascular degenerative changes, including NRH, in mice following postnatal deletion of the major VEGF signaling receptor, Flk1/Kdr/Vegfr2.Methods. VEGFR2 knock-out mice were bred, as described (Eremina 2008 and Sison 2010). 20 mutant and 20 controls were sacrificed at 12 weeks of age. Formalin-fixed liver was cut and stained with H&E and glutamine synthetase. Electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) was performed on liver of 4 mutants and 3 controls. Morphometric analysis was performed on 4 mutant and 4 control livers; the number and dimensions of veins and arteries were recorded. Results. Mutant mice all had grossly nodular livers, associated with marked ascites in 50%. Light microscopy demonstrated hepatic micro-infarcts, zone 3 hepatocellular atrophy, and NRH. EM showed degenerative changes in sinusoidal endothelium with large gaps in place of fenestrated sieve plates. Morphometry demonstrated PV were normal in size and number. In contrast, HVs <2000 µm2 were increased 2.2 fold in number (p<0.01) with total cross-sectional area increased 2.0 fold (p<0.002), while larger HVs were unchanged. Recognizable arteries <10 µm diameter were decreased in number (52% of control, p<0.01) while larger arteries were normal. Conclusions. Normal hepatic microvasculature is dependent on intact VEGF signaling. In this model of VEGFR2 deficiency, we believe decreased development of arteries leads to sluggish sinusoidal flow with secondary infarcts, injury and remodeling of hepatic veins, and focal atrophy leading to the pattern of NRH. NRH in human liver occurs in 4 distinct patterns, explained by congestion and arterialization in various anatomic distributions and severity (Wanless 2013, unpublished observation). This mouse model demonstrates a unique pattern we call NRH-5.The microvascular changes in human liver after drugs affecting VEGF require further study.
Jordan J. Feld - Advisory Committees or Review Panels: Roche, Merck, Vertex, Gilead, Abbott, Tibotec, Theravance, Achillion; Speaking and Teaching: Merck, Roche, Abbott
The following people have nothing to disclose: Vera Eremina, Ian R. Wanless, Marina Lunyova, M. Hirashima, Susan Quaggin
Focal Nodular Hyperplasia is a response to artery-toportal vein shunt causing arterialization and congestive injury that explains the map-like pattern of glutamine synthetase
Ian R. Wanless1, Akiko Takayama2; 1 Pathology, QEII HSC, Halifax, NS, Canada; 2Division of Gastroenterology, Takayama Hospital, Imabari, Japan
Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a benign hepatocellular nodule that typically occurs in a normal liver and shows a central scar containing large vessels surrounded by multiple component nodules. Other elements include capillarized (arterialized) sinusoids, ductular reaction, cholestatic features, and absence of portal vein and duct. Glutamine synthetase (GS) expression shows a diagnostic map-like pattern (BioulacSage 2008). The pathogenesis of FNH and these multiple features have not been explained. In this study we review 30 resected FNH lesions, focusing on the mechanisms of these features. Hepatocellular GS expression develops when liver tissue is perfused by hypervascular tumor invading the portal vein in peritumoral hyperplasia (PTH) (Arnason 2013) and lost in congested and fibrotic states, apparently when endothelial-hepatocyte contact is lost (Fleming 2013). Methods. All resected liver specimens containing FNH at VGH from 2005-2013 (N=30) were stained with H&E, trichrome, CD34, CK7, and glutamine synthetase. Results. The large central vessels are portal veins modified by arterial ingrowth, with fibromuscular thickening and prominent internal elastic lamina, occasionally with residual organized portal vein thrombus. Sinusoidal endothelial cells are CD34+ with two patterns: faint diffuse staining with large lumina (PV pattern), and intense staining with small calibre lumina (arterial pattern). When the latter was seen there was often actin staining of the zone 1 subendothelial space. Congestive features were seen in central fibrous regions, portal zones, and in zone 3.Duct loss was seen in congested portal tracts. Component nodules have a variable appearance allowing classification into early and late forms. GS is diffuse with zone 1 to zone 3 expression in early nodules that have the PV pattern of CD34.GS is absent in zone 1 when the nodule becomes arterialized (arterial pattern of CD34). Thus, the maplike pattern of GS develops as zone 1 hepatocytes become GS negative. Further evolution occurs when congestive features become prominent in zone 3 followed by fibrosis. Discussion. We propose that FNH is a response to the formation of an arterio-portal shunt occurring in previously normal liver, usually as a result of local portal vein thrombosis. Thus, by definition, FNH is a region of arterialized liver and is useful to indicate how various tissue components respond to arterial flow. Diffuse GS expression occurs early, as seen in PTH, and becomes map-like after arterialization. Other features, including duct loss and central fibrosis occur when the outflow tract becomes narrowed with fibrosis and congestion becomes severe.
The following people have nothing to disclose: Ian R. Wanless, Akiko Takayama
Levistilide A inhibits liver fibrosis and angiogenesis
Zhimin Zhao1, Ye Tan1, Tao Guo1, Chenghai Liu1 , 2
1Institute of Liver Disease, ShuGuang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, of Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 201203, China;,Shanghai, China; 2E-Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Internal Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China;, Shanghai, China
Background and Aim: Levistilide A (the molecular weight is 380.48 and the formula is C24H28O4) is derived from Angelica Sinensis which has action of protecting liver injury in our previous works. In this study, we investigated its effects on liver fibrosis and angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Liver fibrosis was induced by hypodermic injection of CCl4 for 6 weeks in rats, and treated with 3 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg of Levistilide A from the 4th week of CCI4 intoxication to the end of experiment. Liver inflammation and fibrosis were observed by H&E and Sirius red staining, liver microvasculature was examined by synchrotron radiation X-ray two-dimensional imaging. Sinusoidal fenestration was detected by scanning electron microscope. SK-HEP-1 cells, a hepatic endothelial cell line, was hypoxia-induced by CoCl2. Cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay. vWF expression was examined by immunofluorescent staining. The levels of NO and NOS were observed by fluorescence probe. Tube formation assay and transgenic Zebrafish model were also performed. Results: Levistilide A attenuated liver inflammation and fibrosis in CCl4 rats. It could reduce hepatic microvessel texture and improve sinusoidal capillarization in vivo. It also could inhibit tube formation and the formation of functional vessels in transgenic zebrafish. It could protect SK-HEP-1 cells from the hypoxia injury, and decrease vWF protein expression but promote N〇 production in vitro. Conclusion: Levistilide A had potent effects against liver fibrosis and angiogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Keywords: Levistilide A; fibrosis; angiogenesis
Effects of Levistilide A on Liver fibrosis and angiogenesis. (A) Sirius red staining. (B) Synchrotron radiation 2-d imaging. (C) Scanning electron microscope. (D) Transgenic Zebrafish. (E) The structure of Levistilide A.
The following people have nothing to disclose: Zhimin Zhao, Ye Tan, Tao Guo, Chenghai Liu
The Portal Inflammatory Infiltrate and Ductular Niche in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Victoria L. Gadd1, Richard Skoien1, Kevin Fagan1, Katharine Irvine1, Elizabeth E. Powell1 , 2 Andrew D. Clouston1
1Centre for Liver Disease Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; 2Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Introduction: Progressive non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterised by portal fibrosis, which is associated with a ductular reaction (DR). Growing evidence implicates portal inflammation as a key predictor of histological progression of NAFLD. We hypothesise that the manifestation of portal fibrosis and a pro-fibrogenic DR is driven by cross-talk between diverse infiltrating immune cells. Although numerous cytokines and multiple individual cell types have been implicated in NAFLD pathogenesis, the composition of the portal and periductal inflammatory infiltrate has not been systematically investigated. Methods: Liver biopsy sections from 32 NAFLD patients were immunostained for keratin-7 to highlight the DR, and costained for markers of candidate cellular components of the portal inflammatory infiltrate, including CD3, CD8, CD20, CD68, neutrophil elastase (NE), IL-17 and MMP-9. Fresh-frozen liver biopsy samples were available from 23 NAFLD patients for analysis of Collagen-1A and inflammatory gene expression (TGFβ, IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, IFN-۷，IL-4 and IL-10). Results: Inflammatory cells within the portal tracts were more numerous than centrilobular regions. The portal inflammatory compartment was comprised of a mix of inflammatory cells, including T cells, B cells, macrophages and neutrophils. Significant portal infiltration was not observed until the presence of progressive NASH (fibrosis stage 2-4) (all P<0.05) with the exception of macrophage numbers, which increased with the appearance of simple steatosis (P<0.01)as well as progressive NASH (P<0.001) when compared with non-diseased control livers. Portal inflammatory cells were present in the peri-ductular inflammatory niche and cell numbers correlated with increasing grade of DR (all P<0.05) and stage of fibrosis (all P<0.001). Collagen-1A mRNA was elevated in patients with simple steatosis and highest in progressive NASH (P<0.001). TNFα, IL-1 p and IL-6 were highly expressed with progressive NASH (P<0.05) whereas TGFβ, IFN-۷, IL-4 and IL-10 showed no association with disease state and progression. Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1 p occurred before significant portal inflammatory infiltration (P<0.05). Functional markers highlighted IL-17 production by a subset of neutrophils and MMP-9 by a subset of portal and lobular macrophages. Conclusion: Cell phenotypes and subsequent signalling are greatly influenced by their microenvironments. A modified hepatic inflammatory environment likely influences resident inflammatory cell phenotypes, and may promote a profibrogenic DR and further infiltration of inflamed portal tracts.
The following people have nothing to disclose: Victoria L. Gadd, Richard Skoien, Kevin Fagan, Katharine Irvine, Elizabeth E. Powell, Andrew D. Clouston
Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells (LSECs) in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) demonstrate compensatory transcriptional changes
Rachel McMahan1, Silvia Giugiiano1, Cara Porsche1, Lucy GoldenMason1, Hugo R. Rosen1 , 2
1Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO; 2Integmted Program in Immunology, University of Colorado & National Jewish Hospital, Denver, CO
Background: NAFLD is a prevalent problem throughout the Western world. LSECs have been shown to play important roles in liver injury and repair but their role in the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of NAFLD remains undefined. Here we evaluated the effects of steatosis on LSEC expression of genes involved in inflammation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and cell adhesion in a murine model of NAFLD and an immortalized human LSEC line. Methods: To evaluate gene expression changes in LSEC during NAFLD C56BL/6 mice were fed a western diet (21% anhydrous milkfat (butterfat), 34% sucrose, and a total of 0.2% cholesterol) or regular chow for 3 months. LSECs (CD45negCD31 +) were purified on a FACSAria cell sorter followed by RNA isolation. The Mouse Endothelial Cell Biology RT2 Profiler PCR Array (SA Biosciences) was used to evaluate gene expression changes in LSEC from lean or obese mice. The immortalized human-liver endothelial cell line TMNK1 was incubated with oliec acid (0.66mM) and palmitic acid (0.33mM) for 24 hours followed by RNA isolation and quantitative PCR. Results: Using PCR array technology we identified distinct gene expression profiles in LSECs from mice with NAFLD. Gene pathway analysis in LSECs from mice fed a high fat or low fat diet showed a number of differentially expressed genes including those involved in apoptosis (12), angiogenesis (20), cell adhesion (13) and inflammation (16). Interestingly, feeding a high fat diet led to an increase in the expression of anti-inflammatory molecules, including the chemokine CX3CL1 (Fraktaline), in LSECs. The high fat diet also led to a decrease in proinflammatory chemokines including CXCL2 (Mip-2) and CCL2 (MCP-1). In vitro incubation of the human LSEC line, TMNK-1, with palmitic acid and oliec acid also led to a significant increase in the expression of CXC3CL1 and a corresponding decrease in CCL2. Conclusions: LSECs isolated from steatotic livers demonstrated a shift towards a pro-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory phenotype. These pathways may represent a compensatory mechanism to reverse the liver damage associated with NAFLD.
The following people have nothing to disclose: Rachel McMahan, Silvia Giugliano, Cara Porsche, Lucy Golden-Mason, Hugo R. Rosen

domain: biology


How to Make Paper Towels To Save Money On Laundry paper towels are great to use on laundry as they absorb the water.
You don’t need to wash them as often and the amount you put into them is much less than washing your hands.
Here are the steps to making paper towels.
Step 1: Clean the kitchen cupboards.
You can do this by removing the cupboards, rinsing the toilet bowl and replacing it with a clean cupboard.
Alternatively, you can soak paper towels in a mixture of water, lemon juice and vinegar and use them as a sponge.
Step 2: Clean your clothes.
Wash your clothes as much as possible before putting them into the washing machine.
This will help them retain their luster.
Step 3: Put the towels in the washing.
Wash the towels and rinse them thoroughly with a mixture to remove any soap residue.
Place them in the machine, and turn the machine off and leave it on for about 15 minutes.
When the cycle is complete, you should see the paper towel towels being drawn into the machine.
Step 4: Use them to wash your hands .
After washing your clothes, put them in a washing machine and turn it on.
The water will run down the side of the machine and make it easier for the paper towels and soap to soak up the water in the bowl.
If the paper washes up in the cupboard and you don’t have any soap left, you’ll have to buy soap.
You may also have to throw away the paper and use a scrubber.
The scrubber is an excellent way to clean up the paper.
Step 5: Throw away the towels.
They are a waste.
You might find it a bit frustrating to throw out the paper that has been soaking in the water, but there’s nothing worse than leaving a paper towel sitting in the dishwasher for two days.
So, throw the paper off the washing line and you’ll save money and energy.


Posted: Sat Jan 07 2012 12:50 pm Post subject: Franco Belge Coal/Wood Boiler (Millerstown, PA) $650
Franco Belge 92 Series Wood/Coal Boiler. Will burn wood or coal which is loaded through the top of the boiler. Nut coal is recommended and/or logs up to 16 inches in length. A thermostat, sensing system water temperature, controls the primary air flow rate. Primary air is introduced at the bottom of the heat exchanger. Fixed secondary air outlets at the top of the fire box introduce a constant supply of additional air to assure complete combustion of the flue gasses.
The heat exchanger is made of boiler plate steel with a large surface area assuring efficient heat transfer. A large door at the top of the boiler facilitates cleaning. Individual cast iron grates are easily removable.
Equipped with a Grundfos circulator and a Honeywell thermostat.
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X Factor judge
Louis Walsh made a rather embarrassing faux pas on Saturday night's show, telling Misha B 'If
Berry Gordy were alive, he'd absolutely sign you' despite the 82-year-old being very much alive.
Amelia Lily, Misha B,
Marcus Collins and Little Mix battled it out in tonight's X Factor semi-final, working the Motown theme and the awesomely titled Song To Get You To The Final theme. Catch up with all the action here...
Can any compilation ever claim to be the 'ultimate' Motown souvenir? Berry Gordy's legendary 'house of hits' has probably inspired more tie-in anthologies than any label, especially as Motown marks its 50th anniversary.


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text:
Apart from helping combat the effects of climate change, bamboo can also help increase the country’s forest cover, disclosed Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.
Bamboo, touted as the planet Earth’s tallest grass, has great potentials to pull the country off its environmental woes, especially as a strategic tool for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“Bamboo has been proven to adapt well to the changing climatic conditions of the world and has made significant contributions to mitigate the causes and effects of climate change,” said Cimatu in his message during the recently held 1st ASEAN Bamboo Congress at the Iloilo Convention Center, Megaworld Blvd., Iloilo City.
The plan to increase bamboo plantations and make Panay Island the Bamboo Capital of the Philippines in manufacturing engineered bamboo will ease the pressure on the country’s forests, Cimatu said. He further disclosed that engineered bamboos are as sturdy as the lumber products.
Among the South East Asian nations, the Philippines ranked lowest in terms of forest cover, with an estimated 7,014,155.71 hectares or 23.38 percent of its official total land area of 30 million hectares.
“Bamboo reduces the need for timber resources, enhances carbon sequestration, biodiversity preservation and low-cost rehabilitation of degraded lands. We envision producing engineered bamboo products as a substitute for actual lumber requirement of our country, instead of cutting trees from our forests,” he said.
Through this, Cimatu said, it will slowly increase the forest cover of the Philippines for the next several years or decades.
“We have already conducted surveys as to the available areas which are potential for bamboo plantations in the region. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 6 has also allotted a budget of Php 10 million for this year to implement the plan,” said Regional Executive Director Francisco E. Milla, Jr.
The 2019 Php 10-M budget targets to prioritize the planting of bamboos under the Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP) implemented by the DENR. The budget includes the expenditures for establishing three nurseries for priority provinces, namely: Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Capiz; production of 100,000 bamboo seedlings; and capacity building for priority stakeholders and DENR personnel.
The bamboo industry has been considered a “sunset industry” or a business that still exists but is not gaining well as before. With the government’s plan to revive it, that would have to change soon. (DENR-6)


text:
Smart Regions talks to the virologist coordinating a European project that is collating the data of COVID-19 patients.
A European project called I-Move-Covid-19 has been set up to coordinate and test the case data of patients that have contracted COVID-19. Financed by EU funds, it brings together 22, mostly public bodies, from 11 European countries. The idea is to collate as much information as possible in order to get a better understanding of the virus and how to beat it.
Virologist Francisco Pozo is in charge of the team coordinating the project at the Carlos III Institute in Madrid. The Institute is a centre of excellence in microbiology and is testing all the collected coronavirus samples. It will also seek to make sure that all the participating countries use the same methodology.
"International collaboration in a project like 'I-Move-Covid-19' means that all countries unify their criteria, meet, talk about the virus and have the same goal and the same end," explains Pozo.
"It will adapt to humans and gradually lose its lethality"
He adds: "I believe the virus is in the process of adapting to its new host, which is the human being. It will adapt to humans and gradually lose its lethality. I am one of those who think that a second wave will come in the winter period, in autumn, or winter, but it will come much softer, much more adapted to the humans.
Professionally it's a challenge
Pozo concludes by saying: "Always, when there's a new virus, it's as if the virus is challenging you. You don't know anything about the new virus and you have to get to know it little by little, so professionally it's a challenge. We all know about cases close to home, the death of a partner's father, something that is touching us deeply."


From delivering food to your door to serving coffee to removing canker sores, robots can already perform a number of impressive tasks.
But now a robot has made it onto the golf course that can navigate itself to a ball and even sink a putt.
Thanks to a 3D camera, the amazing robot named Golfi can find golf balls and turn himself into the right place before making a shot.
The camera uses an algorithm to detect hard-coded objects, scan the area and find the ball.
Golfi (pictured) was developed by the University of Paderborn in Germany. The robot can find a ball on the green and even sink a putt
How does the Golfi robot work?
A new robot called Golfi has been developed by doctoral students at the University of Paderborn in Germany.
Although it was developed to demonstrate the power of the hybrid robot design, it gets 70 percent of the shots it needs.
It works with a 3D camera that scans and photographs the green.
The weight of the ball and the resistance of the turf are then analyzed, which is then fed into a physics-based model.
This then works through 3,000 random shots from different positions to figure out how hard to hit the ball and in which direction.
Once spotted, it takes a snapshot, which is then sent to a model to stimulate 3,000 random shots from different positions and starting points, reports the IEEE Spectrum.
This information is used to train a neural network that can accurately predict how hard to hit the ball and in which direction.
The robot takes data from the camera into account, describing the rolling resistance on the turf and the weight of the ball.
He then lines up his putter with the ball in position and hits.
Golfi, which works by minimizing the number of “time-consuming interactions” required, was developed by PhD student Annika Junker of the University of Paderborn in Germany.
Despite its excellent putting abilities, it wasn’t designed to knock pros like Tiger Woods off the golf course, but to show how powerful hybrid robotic designs can be by combining physics-based models with machine learning.
At the IEEE International Conference on Robotic Computing in Naples in December, she explained her robot creation: “It’s like professional golfers often practice their shots on a green the day before a game.”
When testing, Golfi occasionally ran over the ball, but when he didn’t, he was able to sink up to 70 percent of putts on a flat, two-square-meter indoor green.
While Golfi would occasionally drive over the ball, when he wasn’t doing so he could sink more than 60 percent of putts on a flat, 2 square meter indoor green
Ms Junker added: “We are trying to combine data-driven and physics-based methods and we have been looking for a beautiful example that everyone can easily understand.
“For us it’s just a toy, but we hope to see some benefits of our approach for industrial applications.”
After looking at the robot, Noel Rousseau, a golf coach with a PhD in motor learning, told IEEE Spectrum, “What’s most impressive to me is that the golf robot is able to find the ball, see the hole, and… moving yourself into position for an accurate jab.’
Co-creator of the robot Niklas Fittkau added: “You can also apply this to other problems where you know quite a bit about the system and could model parts of it to get data, but you can’t model everything.”
This isn’t the first robot to play golf.
The LDRIC robot hit a hole-in-one from a considerable distance at a golf course on Arizona’s TPC Scottsdale course in the US in 2016.
LDRIC (which stands for Launch Directional Robot Intelligent Circuitry) is widely used in the golf industry to test new technology and to be able to swing a club perfectly.
It also has the ability to replicate the average golfer’s swing mistakes, like dreaded hooks and slices, allowing club manufacturers to design more forgiving curbs.
However, Golfi is the first golf robot that doesn’t need a human to line up the ball in front of it and program it for the right swing.
The world’s ‘most advanced’ humanoid robot, Ameca, says in a ‘stunning’ new video it will have working legs in less than a YEAR
Your robot will see you now! The NHS’s self-driving ‘helper bot’ called Milton is being used as part of a new study into transporting medicines around hospitals
The café will open in Dubai next year with a ‘supermodel’ ROBOT cashier who can serve drinks and chat with customers


This item may be available in a different size, colour, scent, version or platform. Click below to be directed to product options:
Connect your DVI equipped device to an HDMI equipped HDTV or display; Fully compatible with all HDTV formats; Gold plated HDMI A Male to DVI 24+1 Male connector for optimal conductivity
Use this adapter cable to convert video signal from HDMI source devices such as Blu-ray player, computer, Apple TV, Roku streaming media player, Play Station PS 4 / 3, Xbox One / 330 or Nintendo Wii U to monitors with DVI input
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Backwards compatible with DVI-D and DVI-I signals, the cable can be used to connect your computer or DVI-equipped device to an HDMI-equipped HDTV or display
A professional grade cable for transferring high-bandwidth, uncompressed digital video
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) is a video-interface standard that provides quality transmissions on digital display devices such as flat-panel LCD computer displays and digital projectors. By connecting HDMI to DVI with this adapter cable, you get an impressively enhanced video experience on your compatible device. Other than not supporting audio, the HDMI to DVI adapter cable functions just like a high-speed HDMI cable, making it easy to enjoy serious gaming, home-theater entertainment, and more. Specification: Color: Black Cable Length: 3FT Connectors: HDMI Male to DVI Male Package Content: 1x 3ft HDMI to DVI M/M cable
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
This works perfectly for connect my Chromebox to my old monitor that does not have display or hdmi ports. Video is crystal clear. Cable is made of quality material.
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text:
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Need more proof that investors are getting too excited about the prospects for tech stocks? Look no further than the three leading Internet stocks out of China.
Sohu.com, which will report its third quarter earnings late Thursday evening, is up 414 percent year to date. Meanwhile, Netease.com and Sina, which will report their latest results next week, are up 425 percent and 487 percent.
On the surface, there is good reason for investor ebullience. At the market's low point in October 2002, all three stocks, which trade in the U.S. on the Nasdaq, were less than $2 a share, and investors worried the profitless companies wouldn't survive.
Now all three are profitable and they are, after all, catering to the largest market in the world, one where Internet penetration is relatively low and has seemingly endless room for growth.
Only two analysts follow the stocks but for what it's worth, they are predicting that third quarter revenues for Netease.com (NTES: Research, Estimates) will more than double from a year ago. Sohu.com (SOHU: Research, Estimates) and Sina (SINA: Research, Estimates) are expected to post revenue gains of 189 percent and 300 percent, respectively.
Runups are ridiculous
Still, aren't the runs in the stocks just a little much? "I have a hard time saying that a stock that has gone up 20-fold is still a buy," said Ethan McAfee, an Internet analyst with hedge fund firm Capital Crossover Partners, which has no position in any of the stocks.
One fund manager who owns all three stocks said he's been selling the shares in recent weeks. The manager, Steven Tuen, co-manager of the Kinetics Internet fund, said he will probably sell more given the huge moves they've made.
"The expectations are built up so high that anything less than perfection will cause the stocks to fall," said Tuen, who first bought the stocks about six months ago.
Earnings reports this week and next will almost certainly seem strong. But the market is already pricing in boffo growth.
More worrisome is that even though these three are invariably described as being Internet "portals" (a word that I thought was laid to rest after the dot-com crash...guess not), it's a stretch to call any of them the equivalent of a Chinese Yahoo!.
Cell phone companies could squeeze profits
While Yahoo! (YHOO: Research, Estimates) still gets the bulk of its sales from Internet advertising, which is beginning to boom again, Sina, Sohu.com and Netease.com derive most of their revenue from providing Chinese cell phone users with subscription content and services -- things like short messaging, ring tones and games.
|Recently in Tech Biz
That makes them different animals than U.S. Internet stocks.
And it should be a concern since it means that these three companies are dependent on the whims of the two major Chinese cell phone companies, China Unicom (CHU: Research, Estimates) and China Mobile (CHL: Research, Estimates).
Sina, Sohu.com and Netease.com share revenues with the carriers and the three are benefiting from explosive growth in the wireless market in China.
But once contracts are up, these companies might find it hard to get revenue-sharing agreements that are as agreeable. "The cell phone companies will have the power to renegotiate contracts and ask for more favorable terms," said McAfee.
Sohu's contract with China Unicom, for example, expires in March and various contracts with China Mobile expire between November and May, according to the company's latest quarterly filing with the SEC.
Tuen said that this is yet another reason he's selling. Plus, he doesn't think the individual investors that are continuing to buy the stock really understand what the long-term risks are.
"Short messaging services has been the driver of the growth for these companies and I'm not sure if the average investor realizes this," said Tuen. "They see an Internet company that recently turned profitable and that's been enough ammo to bid the stocks higher."
Stop the presses! Is it really possible that the pros may have gotten in these stocks early and are looking to cash out before things head south, with the average investor left holding the bag? That can't happen again, can it?
You bet it can.
Sign up to receive the Tech Biz column by e-mail.
Plus, see more tech commentary and get the latest tech news.


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An investor gestures as he monitors a screen displaying stock information in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 6, 2017. Faisal Al Nasser | Reuters Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange, the Tadawul, has officially completed its full inclusion on the MSCI emerging markets index. The second and final phase of its inclusion marks a continuation of efforts by the oil-rich kingdom to open up its financial In a move that surprised energy markets, Saudi Arabia decided to pump more oil and bring prices down, radically breaking negotiations within OPEC members and Russia over production quotas. The impact was immediately felt, with crude oil prices declining by up to 34% and leading several stock exchanges to a halt. He took the company public twice, first on Nasdaq making it the first company from the Arab world to do so, then on Dubai Financial market. Fadi is a serial entrepreneur. In his career, he was involved with founding, investing and launching tens of companies and non-profits, ranging from digital tech, hospitality, fitness & wellness to security.


North Carolina jumped to No. 7 in the U.S. ranking for new LEED certified buildings in 2013, up from No. 15 last year, according a report out this morning from the U.S. Green Building Council.
North Carolina had 133 new building projects approved for LEED certification in 2013, a list that included LEED Gold certification for UNC-Greensboro’s Quad Housing Project, Elon University's Colonnades Residence Hall, Randolph Community College's Continuing Education & Industrial Center and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering at Gateway University Research Park in Greensboro.
On a per capita basis, North Carolina had 1.8 square feet of new LEED certified space approved in 2013, or almost 17.2 million square feet.
“North Carolina has a strong base of dedicated individuals who are using LEED to transform its built infrastructure into high-performing spaces that promote the health of our planet and the people who use these buildings each and every day,” says Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC.
Ranked at No. 1 was Illinois with 171 projects, followed by Maryland and Virginia.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a voluntary program managed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide third-party verification of green buildings and sustainable building design. The rating system is considered the gold standard in green building.
In 2012, North Carolina ranked at No. 15 on the LEED list with 102 projects and 10.5 million square feet of new LEED-certified space.


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It's the Not-So-Haunted House that is oh-so-fun and where storybook characters come alive! Kids ages 2-12 are invited to dress in their most "boo-tiful" Halloween costumes and have a ghoulishly good time going on a spook-tacular scavenger hunt throughout The Magic House to find trick or treat locations, and seeing their favorite storybook characters.
While the Not-So-Haunted House won't be scary, The Magic House' Electro-Static Generator will make your hair stand on end!
The Not-So-Haunted House will be held Fridays through Sundays, Oct. 15-17, Oct. 22-24 and Oct. 29-31, 2021, during regular hours.
The Magic House hours are:
At The Magic House in Kirkwood. Included with admission, but registration is recommended.
More information: magichouse.org
Learn more about all Halloween activities at The Magic House, including Halloween Magic, Trick-or-Treat Town, the Pumpkin Party and more here.
Eye Thrive will provide free, on-site vision screenings, eye exams and prescription glasses to children ages 4 through 12th grade at these clinics held at St. Louis County Library locations.
The Magic House now offers a virtual art experience for children – multi-sensory Virtual Petite Picasso classes. Classes are taught live from the Art Studio at The Magic House, and a different art activity is featured each week.


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Benefits of Composting
Benefits of Composting – Its Good for the Environment
Composting of waste (mostly garden waste and food waste) has grown rapidly in the last ten years, with the benefits of composting been seen by more than just gardeners. Nowadays the vast majority of households are collecting household rubbish, garden and other green waste separately for composting either in their own back yard or in municipal facilities.
Compost is nothing more than a collection of different organic matter, such as grass and hedge clippings, small twigs, leaves and organic kitchen waste that have gone through the process of decomposition in exactly the same way as mother nature has been doing for millions of years.
More and more people are going back to basics and realise the benefits of composting by growing their own vegetables at home. They realise that not only are they cheaper and fresher for them but its better for the environment as it enables them to get rid of their left over food and animal waste.
The whole concept of composting at home may seem daunting but it is very easy to do and once you get started then nature literally takes over, the hardest part is setting your compost pile up but once done you will soon see the benefits of composting at home.
Composting is in fact the ultimate in recycling as it provides you with healthy soil which will help you grow bigger and better crops to feed you and your family so composting is a good way to divert solid waste from landfills saving the environment.
The benefits of composting are huge as once your compost is established, it takes very little work and time, but its a slow process. Home composting can take up to 12 months for your scraps to turn into usable soil, so you will have to be patient.
The composting process involves four different components that are required to create a mixture that will deliver the sought after benefits of compost. The four main components are organic matter, correct moisture, sufficient oxygen and bacteria.
The key to a successful compost is the bacteria as It’s the bacteria, and other types of micro-organisms, that do the real work involved in the composting process. With the other needed elements in place, the bacteria can go to work breaking down the organic components into usable compost for any the organic garden.
Then you can see that the benefits of composting can be huge and limitless but when it comes to compost, there are two main types: Aerobic Compost and Anaerobic Compost.
Aerobic composting requires air, specifically oxygen, to complete the decomposition process. Air breathing aerobic bacteria are very efficient and once they get started break down the organic and waste matter very quickly. Turning over the compost with a pitchfork or shovel at least once or twice a week aerates the pile turning the fresher outside materials into the centre of the newly turned pile and vice-versa.
Given the right conditions its possible for them to complete the full composting process in less than 6-8 weeks. Furthermore, aerobic microbes don’t give off smelly gasses, which means that aerobic composting is a virtually odourless process.
Also the action of turning over the compost regularly to accelerate its decomposition process is called active composting. Just turning the pile will allow excess water to evaporate and will bring fresh air into the pile.
Of course for an aerobic compost heap there are a few rules to create an efficient compost heap or bin. To get the full benefits of composting materials it is better to alternate layers of different materials, called greens and browns to allow the different microbes and bugs a balanced diet. A mix of greens and browns is equally important in producing quick results so fill your compost heap, or composting bin with 1 part “Green” materials to about 30 parts of “Brown” materials.
If you layer a load of fresh grass cuttings on, the greens, it’s best to then follow that with some dry leaves, newspaper or cardboard, the browns. This way the compost heap doesn’t end up either too wet or too dry. If kept correctly, and looked after well you will have a fantastic home compost pile but an aerobic composting heap with too many browns would take a long time to decompose, while too many greens would end up with a smelly algae type mess.
Anaerobic composting basically consists of piling up a bunch of organic materials, covering it over with plastic, canvas or tarpaulin then leaving it to sit and rot. Anaerobic bacteria are slow and inefficient, which means that your compost pile will have to sit there for at least a year, maybe longer, before the materials at the very bottom are fully composted. Second of all, microbes that do the decaying in anaerobic composting produce methane and smelly gasses as a by-product.
Anaerobic Composting works best with nitrogen-rich materials as they are mainly wet. Ideally the compost should be slightly moist, like a damp sponge, in order to ensure bacterial decomposition.
An alternative approach is to bury it underground. This type of passive anaerobic composting, called pit composting, seals the solid feedstock waste from exposure to the air and oxygen by burying underground. This is the simplest way to compost, if you do not mind digging.
Wet Anaerobic Digester’s on the other hand use animal and poultry manures, slurries, effluent’s and green organic materials mixed with water. The water content of the liquid feedstock is very high at more than 80% of the volume. Wet Anaerobic Composting converts liquid organic waste into a rich source of renewable energy in the form of “Biogas” containing methane.
When it comes to improving the soil structure of your yard or gardens, there is no better way than amending your existing soil with organic matter. The benefits of composting not only provide you with a source of nutrients but it is also an excellent soil additive and conditioner as composting turns your waste into soil increasing the productivity and workability of any poor quality garden soil.
Also, by making the soil richer it helps plants grow which in turn helps the Earth in so many different ways from irrigation to food production. This is why aerobic compost is prized by gardeners and garden centres alike often referring to it as black gold.
With a little time and effort, you’ll have finished compost readily available from your compost heap or bin. This finished compost can be tilled into your garden soil or added to the topsoil around existing plants as a fertilizer. You’ll soon begin to see the results that compost has on a garden with bigger plants, more flowers, and larger harvests of vegetables. So what are you waiting for, start composting today as the benefits of composting will soon be seen in the garden.
To learn more about how “Aerobic Composting” works, to obtain more information about the various composting methods and materials available, or to explore the advantages and disadvantages of composting, then Click Here today to get your copy of one of the top “Composting Guides” today from Amazon and learn more about the different ways to produce good quality compost in your garden to save money and the environment.


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Teams were on red alert from the outset of the season that Manny Machado could be traded, and that heightened quickly when the Orioles proved far worse than anticipated.
There were never expectations about Bryce Harper, Machado’s upcoming partner in free agency hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Nationals, after all, were one of the Super Seven teams roundly projected to win 90-plus games and waltz to the playoffs. Six of those teams are honoring the forecast. The Dodgers, Cubs, Astros, Indians and Red Sox lead divisions, and the Yankees have the majors’ third-best record.
Washington, though, is one of just five NL teams below .500 at 50-51. After a 20-7 May, the Nats had gone 17-28. They are third in the NL East, seven back — 5 1/2 back in the wild card after Washington’s victory Wednesday. Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg had a caught-on-camera dugout conflict. Players questioned rookie manager Davey Martinez’s bullpen usage in a Washington Post story.
Is this the kind of team that should be selling its many walk-year players, notably its biggest star?
“My first response is [Harper] is part of the furniture, a superstar who we drafted, signed, developed and had blossom into a star with our uniform on,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said by phone. “Something extreme would have to happen for us to consider moving him.”
Rizzo said he would not engage “in the hypothetical” of what that “extreme” would be. But it is unlikely to occur between now and Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline. Even more losing would probably not move an ownership that loves Harper to trade him, or push the Nats to work up the gumption to deal a popular player who only got more so by winning the Home Run Derby last week in Nationals Park.
There also is the question for whom, and for how much? The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers and Astros do not have enough need to justify a big outlay, particularly with Harper hitting .216, albeit with 25 homers after a three-run shot Wednesday and an NL-high 80 walks.
The Indians need outfield help, but could they take on the $8 million-ish Harper has left plus give up the prospects? The Diamondbacks, Giants and Mariners lack prospect heft. The A’s have been known to make a huge splash when they are in contention. But even if they wanted to make that splash, Washington would probably need even more than the Dodgers gave up for Machado (five players with one huge prospect), even though Machado is having a better year and plays a more valuable position. Because the Nats are at least on the periphery of the race and because the backlash in D.C. would be so much worse than in Baltimore.
Rizzo said he would never discuss if he has taken calls or made calls about any player, including Harper. But it is difficult to envision the Nats dealing the most famous player in their Washington history, in part because the teams ahead of them in the NL East, the Phillies and Braves, are mostly inexperienced at contention.
“The fact that we are a veteran team that has been through this before helps,” Rizzo said. “We certainly are not underestimating the two young, talented teams in front of us. But there is a feeling in that clubhouse that we can win this division. We are back-to-back champs and have won four of the last six. We are the team to beat. We are the champs until someone knocks us off.”
Washington is 28-38 against teams .500 or better, including 9-13 vs. the Phils and Braves. They have 16 games left against that duo to try to make a charge, as they hope they are mainly beyond their season-long injury devastation. (Arguably no team has been more devastated by DL stays.)
Rizzo said they would like to add a starter and upgrade at catcher, though their main target, Miami’s J.T. Realmuto, probably is beyond their reach, and their secondary target, Tampa’s Wilson Ramos, is currently on the DL.
But Rizzo did not dismiss selling. Besides Harper, Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez, Matt Wieters, Ryan Madson, Kelvin Herrera, Shawn Kelley and Matt Adams are free agents. It is why so much was staked on this year, particularly because it could be the last one for Harper in Washington. It is why selling him or anyone else would be so difficult.