Information Theory and Applications II [electronic resource] : 4th Canadian Workshop Lac Delage, Québec, Canada, May 28–30, 1995 Selected Papers / edited by Jean-Yves Chouinard, Paul Fortier, T. Aaron Gulliver.Material type: TextLanguage: English Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science: 1133Publisher: Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1996Description: XII, 312 p. online resourceContent type: text Media type: computer Carrier type: online resourceISBN: 9783540706472Subject(s): Computer science | Data encryption (Computer science) | Coding theory | Computer software | Combinatorics | Telecommunication | Computer Science | Coding and Information Theory | Data Encryption | Algorithm Analysis and Problem Complexity | Combinatorics | Communications Engineering, NetworksAdditional physical formats: Printed edition:: No titleDDC classification: 003.54 LOC classification: QA268Online resources: Click here to access online
The algebraic structure of codes invariant under a permutation -- A method for combining algebraic geometric Goppa codes -- Some best rate 1/p quasi-cyclic codes over GF(5) -- Information leakage of a randomly selected boolean function -- On the use of periodic timebase companding in the scrambling of stationary processes -- A novel approach to spread spectrum communication using Linear Periodic Time-Varying filters -- On random-like codes -- An alternative approach to the design of interleavers for block “turbo” codes -- Improved VLSI design for decoding concatenated codes comprising an irreducible cyclic code and a Reed-Solomon Code -- Non-minimal trellises for linear block codes -- Trellis complexity of linear block codes via atomic codewords -- Error correction for channels with substitutions, insertions, and deletions -- Reduced complexity soft-output maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation of 4-ary CPM signals transmitted over Rayleigh flat-fading channels -- A novel receiver structure for MPSK in the presence of rapidly changing phase -- Comparison of MFSK variants for a hybrid DS/FH-CDMA system in Rayleigh fading -- Finite-field wavelet transforms -- Choice of wavelets for image compression -- Information in Markov random fields and image redundancy -- Coding of image data via correlation filters for invariant pattern recognition: Some practical results -- Improving myoelectric signal classifier generalization by preprocessing with exploratory projections -- Chinese character recognition via orthogonal moments.
This book constitutes the refereed postworkshop proceedings of the Fourth Canadian Workshop on Information Theory, held in Lac Delage, Quebec, in May 1995. The book contains 18 revised full papers selected from 30 workshop presentations; also included are three invited contributions. The book is divided into sections on algebraic coding, cryptography and secure communications, decoding methods and techniques, coding and modulation for fading channels, and signal processing and pattern recognition.


text:
T is in Gainesville doing an orthopedic surgical rotation. Instead of feeling lonely while he is away, I have decided to take this opportunity to experiment with some new recipes. He will eat anything; however, I am using this time to experiment with things that I have been wanting to try. Little snacks, light salads, a new soup. Things that I want to eat, but he would probably say, 'Hey! Where's my starch?'
Here is a little sneak peak of what is on the menu for the week... just for me.
Easy Ranch Dip and Carrots
Roasted Chickpeas... two flavors
Arugula and Shrimp Salad
Homemade dried strawberries
Creamy mushroom soup...no dairy
Chicken Chinese Cashew Lettuce wraps
My goal while he is away is to try 2 new recipes a week. And, to blog about them. I honestly feel like it take quite a bit of effort to create a blog post with pictures, recipes, directions, etc. But, for some reason, I truly enjoy doing it. So, here is goes... a week of recipes... for me.

domain: hobby


text:
I am interested in most areas of philosophy, and also a few areas of science. Apart from papers, I have made online summaries and some (very primitive) video games. My website contains some material I found from modernist journals, including " A Tale from the Grave" and "The Later Life of Theseus."
University of Manchester
Department of Philosophy
Manchester, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
|Philosophy of Anthropology|


text:
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over a Cheque for an amount of INR 14,83,67,977.00 equivalent to NRs. 23,73,88,762.68 (to Secretary, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Karki at Singha Durbar Kathmandu.
According to a press release issued by Indian Embassy, the amount has been released towards 25% of tendered cost (including 10% mobilization advance) of the two contracted road stretches namely Maisthan-Gaushalabazaar-Samsi Road and Birendrabazaar-Yadukuha-Mahinathpur Road being implemented under Postal Highway Project in Nepal with Government of India’s grant assistance worth NRs. 8000 million.
Earlier, on January 30, 2017, an amount of NRs. 24,97,10,698.17 was released for the Project towards 25% of tendered cost of four contracted road stretches namely Birendrabazaar-Mahinathpur, Janakpur-Yadukuwa road, Manmat-Kalaiya-Matiarwa (0-15 km road) and Manmat-Kalaiya-Matiarwa (15-26.660 km road).
So far, construction of two roads of Hulaki Rajmarg (i) Dhangadhi-Bhajaniya-Satti road & (ii) Lamki-Tikapur-Khakraula road have been completed with Government of India’s grant assistance worth NRs 1020 million which were inaugurated on 19 January 2017 at Dhangadhi.

domain: news


Are you looking for the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro WiFi Flash file? We’ve provided the flash file for Mi Pad 5 Pro WiFi, and you can download it and flash it using the Xiaomi flash tool.
If your device is experiencing boot loops, hanging issues, or functions not working correctly after updating, you can use flashing stock firmware to fix them. These problems can be fixed by flashing the stock firmware.
We have all versions of Stock/Fastboot Rom download links. We also discussed how to flash fastboot ROM from your computer without errors.
Mi Pad 5 Pro WiFi (official Firmware)
Download the file below with a direct download link and read all the flashing instructions before flashing your phone. If you run a flash tool on your PC, you will be asked to log in as the device needs login credentials. If you don’t have to just contact me on the Facebook page or give me a letter. It’s operation paid provided.
Device Name: Mi Pad 5 Pro
Type: Full ROM
ROM Size: up to 5.6GB
SoC: QCOM SD765
OS: Android 11
Firmware Version: V18.104.22.168.RKYCNXM
How to Flash MiPad 5 Pro WiFi
Download Mi Pad 5 Pro WiFi Flash File
1- Connect your phone to the computer using a USB cable and then unplug the battery.
2- Connect the battery to short test point
3- Port of Qualcomm HS USB QLoader 9008 port is available under Device Manager
4- Download and run MI Flash Tools
5- Save the Flash File to your Desktop.
6- Assign the Folder path.
7- Click on the refresh button and then tap the Flash button


Featured Photo by Larry Rincon
Story by Larry Rincon
Numerous events have been part of the the LGBT+ College Conference at Middle Tennessee State University with the overarching goal of “All Identities Pulling Together.” On Thursday afternoon, Allie Sultan, assistant chair of the media arts program, hosted the LGBT+ Film Fest.
Six films and three web series episodes were shown depicting different stories and
aspects of issues related to the LGBTQ+ community. Some of them were artistic stories starring queer characters.
The first film shown was directed by independent, freelance filmmaker, Nick Girard. His film
“The Queen — a short film about transformation” follows a drag queen in Portland, Oregon and
the process of preparing for a drag show.
The actual dialogue of the film, however, goes beyond just addressing drag life. Jordan, the
subject of the film, commentates on the way queer people are treated as well as the
misconceptions that they come up with about people who do drag.
Three different episodes of a web series called “F to 7th” were shown following the main
character, Ingrid, in different situations. One audience member, Beverly Mangan, enjoyed the
three episodes for their comedy and found that what they depicted was fun and enjoyable.
“They depicted a comfortably awkward perspective of what it is to be a member of
the LGBT+ community,” Mangan said.
The second short film shown was titled “Shuttlecock,” directed by Tommy Gillard. What starts off
as badminton games meant to raise money for charity slowly spirals into a man’s obsession with
another member when his masculinity comes into question.
There was not much about queer representation at face value, but there are some queer undertones especially when the judgment of force and technique gets brought up. It was different from the rest of the films shown; It explored considering societal views on masculinity versus flamboyance and femininity.
The shortest short film, “Break Free — Ruby Rose,” was directed by Phillip Lopez. It didn’t have dialogue, so the story was told through the music and the visuals. The film follows an individual breaking into the way they feel most comfortable.
The journey of cutting off hair, changing wardrobes and aligning the mind and body is exemplified in the short five minutes. There’s a lot to read into the film about gender roles and
identities that deviate from what is considered the norm.
The short film that I could connect the most to was “Still Me” by Jay Beckerleg and Sam Jelley. It
centered around a non-binary individual named Bailey who grew frustrated and felt invalidated
after coming out to their peers. It isn’t until they meet a student named Zach that they finally find
a place where they are accepted for themselves.
As someone who has lived through that exact story, I felt a strong personal connection to this
story. Another member of the audience, Faith Ziegler, stated that she hoped to see more stories explored in the future film fests with asexual protagonists or even pansexual protagonists.
The second to last film shown was visually one of the most beautiful. “Escaping the Fragile
Planet: Boy Meets Boy at the End of the World” by Thanasis Tsimpinis was a surreal experience
of the way humans connect with each other at the end of the world.
The cinematography was perhaps the best out of all the films because of the vibrancy of the
colors and the dream-like haze it gave off. The story was also bitter-sweet, and the ending was
ambiguous leaving it up to the viewers to decide whether or not the characters died.
The very last film shown lasted almost half an hour, but the story “Tsuyako” portrayed was
impactful and meaningful. Tsuyako follows a Japanese factory worker and mother named
Tsuyako in postwar Japan as she struggles to choose between her responsibilities tied to her
family or her freedom and love. The story unfortunately had a sad ending with Tsuyako choosing
her duties over the life she wanted, but it comes full circle as Tsuyako’s granddaughter visits
Yoshie, the woman Tsuyako loved.
Sultan is friends with the director Mitsuyo Miyazaki, also known as Hikari, and let the
audience know that the story of Tsuyako was based on Hikari’s own grandmother. She
discovered her grandmother was lesbian and created this short film as a way to complete her
At the end of the film fest, MT Lambda surprised Sultan. They awarded her for her contributions towards the organization and everything else she has contributed to amplify queer voices.
Audience member, Sarah Abuqudaira, summed up the festival perfectly. She stated,” [The films]
transcend the ideas they show and portray them in a way that anyone can enjoy. Some films
were catered towards younger audiences and some were catered towards adult audiences. They were very diverse with many emotions, representations, and they represented different
If anyone missed this year’s LGBT+ College Conference, you should consider attending in the
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email firstname.lastname@example.org. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.


text:
Our last post of charts was probably our all-timer for calls.
Probably/mostly because the posting around here has been less than haphazard for a good long while.
Some of you were worried that I had gone out and got me a job.
Like somebody's gonna hire me.
Anyway ..... we continue.
As always clicking the image will mostly take you to the source article from which it was taken.
On that military gear coming to a county near you thing .....
I'll post it again despite it being just a post or two below mostly because I think it matters.
One outcome is predictable.
The above was taken from an economist piece that concludes, "This is not because they are trigger-happy but because they are nervous. The citizens they encounter have perhaps 300m guns between them, so a cop never knows whether the hand in a suspect’s pocket is gripping a Glock.
I don't disagree.
The ignored issue here is the fact that the citizenry is equally nervous, as the following is the image that Cops are aggressively projecting to the American people on a daily basis.
Why the facemasks?
Here are two other reasonable questions.
The Economist also doesn't care much to consider this next issue.
I'm not relying much on the Economist's numbers on "Death by Police Shootings" for perfect accuracy as I wish there was better sourcing.
As an aside, I frequently come away from The Economist with that same thought ... but I digress.
I mostly believe it though because of this.
If you go through all the numbers in the linked pieces above, they don't always add up real well as these charts come from different years and sources, but the message holds regardless of the details.
Compared to any other country in the world, we put an extraordinary number of people in prison relative to our population.
Your intuition is correct however as high incarceration rates have led to a reduction in crime ..... at least on the outside.
I linked all of the charts below to the same University of Chicago research paper which offers it's own batch of charts as I thought it was the best thing out there.
Lying Al Sharpton among others will tell you that America's criminal justice system is racist because Black and Hispanic People are significantly more likely to run afoul of the law than are White People.
He is absolutely right about that second part.
Maybe not so much there on that first part.
The following statistics are taken from the 2005 edition of The Color of Crime by Jared Taylor.
Apologies for making you read, but I found the following summary to be significantly better than any five charts I could assemble.
Click anywhere below to link up to the entire work.
Race, Crime, and Justice in America — Second, Expanded Edition, 2005
Police and the justice system are not biased against minorities.
Blacks are seven times more likely than people of other races to commit murder, and eight times more likely to commit robbery.
When blacks commit crimes of violence, they are nearly three times more likely than non-blacks to use a gun, and more than twice as likely to use a knife.
Hispanics commit violent crimes at roughly three times the white rate, and Asians commit violent crimes at about one quarter the white rate.
The single best indicator of violent crime levels in an area is the percentage of the population that is black and Hispanic.
Of the nearly 770,000 violent interracial crimes committed every year involving blacks and whites, blacks commit 85 percent and whites commit 15 percent.
Blacks commit more violent crime against whites than against blacks. Forty-five percent of their victims are white, 43 percent are black, and 10 percent are Hispanic. When whites commit violent crime, only three percent of their victims are black.
Blacks are an estimated 39 times more likely to commit a violent crime against a white than vice versa, and 136 times more likely to commit robbery.
Blacks are 2.25 times more likely to commit officially-designated hate crimes against whites than vice versa.
Only 10 percent of youth gang members are white.
Hispanics are 19 times more likely than whites to be members of youth gangs. Blacks are 15 times more likely, and Asians are nine times more likely.
Between 1980 and 2003 the US incarceration rate more than tripled, from 139 to 482 per 100,000, and the number of prisoners increased from 320,000 to 1.39 million.
Blacks are seven times more likely to be in prison than whites. Hispanics are three times more likely.
If you want our opinion ..... even if you don't ..... issues having to do with incarceration rates, exploding prison population, prison safety and busted budgets at every level of government can all be traced to one pervasive public policy mistake.
THE WAR ON DRUGS
That was 1997, I would guess it's not much different now, but I dunno.
I'd love to do more, but I was just informed that I gotta clean the basement for a party.
As an aside ...
That's all for today.

domain: law


text:
The Garinja Files
The year 2020.
Coronavirus has struck the world. People are dying. The fate of
the world hangs in the balance. The world has changed. But for
the people living underground things are not much different. One
thing becomes apparent: The hopeless have nothing to hope for.
But they also have nothing to lose.
Letter to Jack
If you want to understand manhood, the male sexuality, women’s perspective on men, then you must read Letter to Jack.
Letter to Jil
If you want to understand womanhood, the female sexuality, men’s perspective on women, then you must read Letter to Jil.
The Genesis Project
How old is the universe? In what dimension is God? How will the world end? What is dark energy? What are blackholes? Find out!
This is a book for MEN (male and female!). It contains the principles of the 6th protocol. Find out!
Apparently the world's most famous beggar holds the answer to the principle of vision. Find out!
The principle of image holds the key to economic prosperity and political dominion. Find out!
Perhaps you're seeking for your purpose in life. There must be a reason why you picked up this book. Find out!
How do you convert problems into ideas? How do you make a commercial success of ideas? Find out!
On Destiny II - Supernatural Influences
Defines destiny and explores how to get to ones destiny.
It is an exploration of the goings on in the head of a young entrepreneur - a business development Twitter novel!

domain: literature


MLB Season Upon Us
- By John Antonik
- April 02, 2012 04:32 PM
Five former West Virginia University baseball players saw action in spring training games this year and one, pitcher David Carpenter, looks to stick with the big club when major league baseball opens regular season play later this week.
Carpenter, who made 34 relief appearances last year as a rookie for the Houston Astros, looks to lock up a roster spot in the Astros bullpen this year. In nine spring training appearances, Carpenter posted a 5.40 earned run average with six strikeouts and one walk in 8.1 innings of work.
Carpenter, a former college catcher at WVU, posted a 1-3 record with a 2.93 earned run average as a rookie in 2011.
Jedd Gyorko, rated the fifth-best prospect in the San Diego Padres organization, appeared in 22 spring training games for the Padres as a non-roster invitee before being sent down to minor league camp last week. Gyorko hit .302 with two doubles, a home run and nine RBI in 43 at bats this spring. The Morgantown native is expected to start the season at Double-A San Antonio.
Likely joining Gyorko in San Antonio is WVU teammate Vince Belnome, who made five spring training appearances with the Padres this spring and collected two hits. Last year, Belnome hit .333 in 75 games at San Antonio and was named a Double-A All-Star by Baseball America. Belnome, a second baseman, and third baseman Gyorko should make up half of San Antonio’s infield this summer.
Tyler Kuhn made 23 appearances at Triple-A Charlotte last year after tearing it up at Double-A Birmingham where he hit .341 and was named an organizational all-star by MiLB.com. Kuhn appeared in nine spring training games for the Chicago White Sox this spring before being optioned to minor league camp.
And Grant Buckner, who starred for the Mountaineers last spring, had a solid rookie season at Single-A Bristol where he hit .311 in 61 games in 2011. Buckner played in one spring training game for the White Sox before being sent down to minor league camp. He is expected to play in High-A this spring.
Tobias Streich, a former Mountaineer catcher, is still active in pro baseball in the Minnesota Twins organization playing at Single-A Beloit in the Midwest League last season.
April 14 is the first day a player optioned during spring training can be recalled.
The regular season begins Wednesday night when St. Louis faces the Miami Marlins, while the remainder of the teams will get underway Thursday afternoon.


text:
Pac Bell rerouting callers
Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, November 14, 1995
Pacific Bell Tuesday opened a $40 million network operations center in Sacramento, which will route and monitor millions of phone calls a day throughout Northern and Central California.
The 119,000-square-foot facility is equipped with surveillance systems to anticipate and correct potential network problems from the Tehachapis to the Oregon border. Another surveillance center will open in San Diego in the coming months.
Pac Bell spokesman Dave Miller also said the consolidation would eliminate about 250 jobs. However, 490 jobs will be relocated to Sacramento and San Diego, he said, and the company expects the majority of workers to relocate.
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The two sites represent a consolidation of Pac Bell's 27 network centers, which are located across Northern and Southern California and route more than 300 million calls a day.
Last fall, the San Francisco-based regional telephone company said it planned to combine its network operations centers into four sites to cut costs and prepare for increasing competition in the telecommunications industry.
However, the company decided to further winnow the number of locations to just two. Plans for centers in San Francisco and Los Angeles were scrapped.
Miller said the company ultimately would have reduced the number of centers to two even if it had kept the San Francisco and Los Angeles centers in its immediate plans.
"This is one of the most prominent re-engineerings in our company," said Dave Miller.
He also noted that the consolidation would improve customer service because phone connection problems would be solved with fewer intermediate steps.<

domain: geography


U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
NOTE: The policies, guidelines, terms, and conditions stated in this announcement may differ from those used by the NIH. Where this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) provides specific written guidance that may differ from the general guidance provided in the grant application form, please follow the instructions given in this FOA.
The FDA does not follow the NIH Page Limitation Guidelines or the Enhanced Peer Review Scoring Criteria. Applicants are encouraged to consult with FDA Agency Contacts for additional information regarding page limits and the FDA Peer Review Process.
Office of Regulatory Affairs
Funding Opportunity Title
Building an Integrated Laboratory System to Advance the Safety of Food and Animal Feed (U18)
U18 Research Demonstration Cooperative Agreements
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number
Companion Funding Opportunity
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)
Funding Opportunity Purpose
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is issued to announce the availability of a cooperative agreement to be awarded under a Limited Competition.
The goal of this FDA/ORA Cooperative Agreement Program is to facilitate long-term improvements to the national food and animal feed safety system by strengthening multi-disciplinary laboratory collaboration and equivalency. The advancement of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 laboratory accreditation for food and animal feed regulatory laboratories is a foundational component of building an integrated laboratory system for the advancement of public health. In addition, the provision of funding will establish a formal platform to build an integrated laboratory community consisting of State and local food regulatory laboratories and regulatory program managers. The laboratory community will advance the sharing, equivalency, and acceptability of laboratory results in support of public health goals. Effective leveraging of resources and harmonization of efforts will require collaboration with relevant initiatives, including those of federal partners, national initiatives and associations, State, and local partners.
June 6, 2012
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)
June 6, 2012
Letter of Intent Due Date
June 15, 2012
Application Due Date(s)
July 16, 2012, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
AIDS Application Due Date(s)
Scientific Merit Review
Standard dates apply
Advisory Council Review
Standard dates apply
Earliest Start Date(s)
September 1, 2012
July 17, 2012
Due Dates for E.O. 12372
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the HHS Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), Division of Federal-State Relations (DFSR) is announcing the availability of a cooperative agreement to be awarded under a Limited Competition. FDA can guarantee one year of funding with the possibility of up to four years of additional, non-competitive support, dependent on performance and continued availability of federal funds.
The national associations /organizations eligible to apply for funding under this cooperative agreement must be a national association/organization that represents State and local laboratories that conduct food and/or animal feed testing on behalf of State and local regulatory programs.
This cooperative agreement will help prepare food and feed regulatory testing laboratories seeking to achieve, maintain, and enhance ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation by providing adult education and training programs. Laboratory accreditation attests to the competency and technical capability of a laboratory to perform specific tasks. The results generated are defensible to a recognized standard that is independent of lab personnel or other changes. In addition, accreditation supports the traceability of technical results generated by a laboratory. In the event of a large-scale terrorist activity or other large-scale events affecting food or feed products, regulatory authorities can use laboratory test results from accredited laboratories to respond at once and enforce regulatory compliance to protect the safety of the food supply.
State and local laboratories play a critical role in the identification, containment, and prevention of foodborne illness. FDA is committed to assisting these laboratories in achieving, maintaining, and expanding the scope of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation for State and local regulatory laboratories in order to build an integrated national food safety system. This cooperative agreement will also result in the establishment of an integrated laboratory community consisting of State and local food and animal feed regulatory laboratories. The laboratory community will advance the sharing, equivalency and acceptability of laboratory results in support of public and animal health goals. Effective leveraging of resources and harmonization of efforts will require extensive collaboration with relevant initiatives, including those of federal partners, national initiatives, associations/organizations, and State and local partners. Therefore, eligible organizations must represent food and animal feed regulatory laboratories that conduct testing on behalf of State and local regulatory programs.
The outcome of the work provided under this cooperative agreement would be as follows:
1. Design, development, documentation, delivery, management, and implementation of support programs for ISO/IEC 17025:2005 to advance State laboratory coordination for protecting public health and the safety of the food supply.
2. Identification, pilot testing, and the national implementation of policies and procedures necessary to establish equivalency between Federal, State, and local food and feed testing laboratories. These policies and procedures should cover sample collection, shipment, analysis, storage, retention, and other relevant areas to advance the acceptability of laboratory results for regulatory action and advancing public health.
3. Establishment of nationally accepted models for the rapid sharing and acceptance of laboratory data for FDA and partnering regulatory agencies to pursue regulatory action and advance public and animal health.
4. Facilitate the implementation of a national framework for a unified laboratory response to emerging food or animal feed safety emergencies or other issues of public health significance.
5. Providing forums, including national and international meetings, to improve communication and collaboration between Federal, State, and local food and animal feed testing laboratories and their associated regulatory and public health programs to identify opportunities and strategies for advancing public and animal health through laboratory testing.
6. Provide educational opportunities, resources, tools, and mentoring for laboratories seeking to achieve, maintain, and enhancing the scope of their accreditation.
7. Forming national consensus with Federal and State regulatory officials on models for the acceptance of laboratory data and building a community for the coordination of laboratory resources in response to emerging food and animal feed issues of public and animal health significance.
8. Develop an integrated approach with associations representing State manufactured food and animal feed regulatory programs to assist food and animal testing laboratories to achieve, maintain, and enhance the scope of laboratory accreditation and achieve conformance with applicable program standards as established by the Secretary (such as the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS)).
9. Advance the efforts of FDA to achieve the goals of FSMA related to laboratory analysis and building an integrated food safety system, including the rapid shipment of clinical isolates related to foodborne illness to public health laboratories for submission to PulseNet.
The association/organization will provide through this cooperative agreement the following:
a. Identify, develop and deliver training programs, in coordination with FDA, International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI), and other training entities, that will assist State regulatory laboratories to achieve, maintain, and enhance ISO/IEC 17025:2005 laboratory accreditation. Both individual laboratory and broad-based training needs should be considered and met by the grantee.
Training programs developed will be pre-reviewed and approved by FDA prior to delivery. FDA will periodically assess the trainer s performance by reviewing the course assessments and evaluations completed by students (individual and aggregated data).
Methods of delivery for training: Webinars/teleconferences /workshops /on-site technical sessions / face-to-face meetings/information sharing through web based resources
The training program should cover as a minimum the follow topics:
1. Laboratory Management System Requirements: Contracts, Contract Review, Subcontracting, Document Control, Purchasing services and supplies, Control of non-conforming testing work, Improvement, Corrective action, Preventive Action, and Control of Records
2. ISO/IEC 17025 Technical Requirements Training: Personnel, Accommodation and Environmental Conditions ,Test Methods and method Validation, Control of Data, Equipment, Measurement of traceability for testing laboratories, Sampling, Assuring the quality of test results, and Reporting results.
3. Writing a quality manual, procedures, and policies
4. Selecting an accreditation body.
5. Defining the scope of accreditation
6. Selecting and enrolling in Proficiency Test Programs
7. Developing laboratory training programs on ISO/IEC 17025 (Initial and ongoing)
8. Food/feed sample collection methodologies.
9. Types of sample collection procedures.
10. Strategies for writing a sampling collection plan, statistical methods.
11. Sample handling: Procedures to monitor sample work flow from sample receiving to report test results including transportation, receipt, handling, protection, storage retention and/or disposal.
12. Developing steps for an accreditation action plan and timeline plan execution for achieving, enhancing, and/or expanding the scope of accreditation for laboratories
b. Establish a network and community consisting of food and animal feed regulatory laboratory managers, in coordination with their associated regulatory program managers, in the identification and implementation of a framework for a unified response based on the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS), guidelines published by the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR), and other standards recognized by the Secretary. The community should be actively engaged through a variety of platforms, including web-based resource and information sharing tools, face-to-face meetings, virtual meetings, and other innovative approaches.
c. Identify food, animal feed, and laboratory subject matters experts (SMEs) to identify the criteria to establish laboratory and sample analysis equivalency for FDA and partnering regulatory agencies acceptable for regulatory action and others efforts to protect public and animal health. These SMEs should also advance the role of the laboratory during a foodborne outbreak investigation and establish recommendations for decreasing response times during investigations. A web-based, easily searchable SME registry should be established and maintained with updates/data verification occurring on a quarterly basis.
d. Develop working groups to share accreditation documents, such as Standard Operating Procedures and documents required for accreditation, lessons learned, strategies, best practices, and other resources for laboratories to achieve, maintain, and enhance laboratory accreditation. An on-line searchable document repository will be maintained on a website available to all interested food regulatory and public health laboratories and FDA and shared as broadly as possible.
e. Establish pilot programs for national implementation that enhance the sharing and acceptance of laboratory data for regulatory action by FDA and partnering regulatory agencies. Once adopted nationally, these programs should result in decreased response times during investigations and enhance public health protection.
f. Provide forums, including IT systems, face-to-face meetings, and virtual meetings, for improving communication and collaboration between Federal, State, and local food and feed regulatory laboratories in addition to public health and clinical laboratories.
g. Strengthen the community between FDA, State, and local laboratories that contribute to investigating foodborne illness by building upon existing committee and information sharing infrastructure.
h. Identify primary challenges and recommend solutions for the implementation of pilot projects for the rapid shipment of clinical isolates related to foodborne illness to public health laboratories for submission to PulseNet and strengthening partnerships with clinical laboratories to improve the sharing of samples and information.
i. Provide guidelines on proficiency testing programs, quality laboratory practices, interpretation of recognized accreditation standards (e.g., ISO 17025), and other resources to advance the accreditation of State and local food, feed, public health, and other laboratories that provide analytical support during foodborne illness investigations.
j. Assist FDA in meeting the laboratory related components of FSMA and building an integrated national food safety system.
The research strategy submitted should include specific project milestones and metrics for each objective proposed by the applicant.
Food Safety Modernization Act
FSMA, signed into law on January 4, 2011, provides FDA with tools to better protect public health by strengthening the food safety system. It enables FDA to focus on preventing food safety problems rather than reacting to problems after they occur. It also provides FDA with new enforcement authorities designed to achieve higher rates of compliance with prevention- and risk-based food safety standards and to better respond to and contain problems when they do occur. These include authorities such as mandatory recall, expanded administrative detention, suspension of facility registration, enhanced product tracing abilities, and additional recordkeeping requirements for high-risk foods. FSMA also gives FDA important new tools to hold imported foods to the same standards as domestic foods.
FSMA directs FDA to build an integrated national food safety system in partnership with state and local authorities, explicitly recognizing that all food safety agencies need to work together in an integrated way to achieve national public health goals. FSMA identifies some key priorities in working with partners in areas, such as: reliance on federal, state, and local agencies for inspections; improving foodborne illness surveillance; and leveraging and enhancing State and Local food safety and defense capacities.
Food Protection Plan 2007
In May 2007, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt and Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, charged FDA with developing a comprehensive and integrated FDA Food Protection Plan to keep the nation's food supply safe from both unintentional and deliberate contamination. Driven by science and modern information technology, the Plan aims to identify potential hazards and counter them before they can do harm. A cornerstone of this forward-thinking effort is an increased focus on prevention.
The Food Protection Plan lays out new goals specific to protecting the food supply and responding to incidents in a rapid and coordinated manner. FDA’s integrated approach, within the Food Protection Plan, encompasses three core elements: prevention, intervention and response.
The prevention element means promoting increased corporate responsibility so that food problems do not occur in the first place. By comprehensively reviewing food supply vulnerabilities and developing and implementing risk reduction measures with industry and other stakeholders, we can best address critical weaknesses.
The intervention element focuses on risk-based inspections, sampling, and surveillance at high risk points in the food supply chain. These interventions must verify that the preventive measures are in fact being implemented, and done so correctly.
The response element bolsters FDA's emergency response efforts by allowing for increased speed and efficiency. They also include the idea of better communication with other federal, state, and local government agencies and industry during and after emergencies. Whether contamination is unintentional or deliberate, there is a need to respond quickly and to communicate clearly with consumers and other stakeholders. The communication should emphasize identifying products of concern as well as assuring the public of what is safe to consume.
Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007
Under FDAAA, FDA will work with the states to develop food borne illness rapid response teams. Section 1004 of FDAAA states: Secretary shall work to coordinate the function of federal and state food safety programs.
SEC. 1004. STATE AND FEDERAL COOPERATION.
(a) IN GENERAL The Secretary shall work with the States in undertaking activities and programs that assist in improving the safety of food, including fresh and processed produce, so that State food safety programs and activities conducted by the Secretary function in a coordinated and cost-effective manner. With the assistance
provided under subsection (b), the Secretary shall encourage States to
(1) establish, continue, or strengthen State food safety programs, especially with respect to the regulation of retail commercial food establishments; and
(2) establish procedures and requirements for ensuring that processed produce under the jurisdiction of State food safety programs is not unsafe for human consumption.
Import Safety Action Plan
Federal-State Rapid Response
Recommendation 12 Maximize Federal-State Collaboration
The roles of and the resources used by the federal government and the states in import safety are complementary. States possess legislative authority and resources to respond to unsafe imported products within their jurisdiction. The federal government can take steps to interdict unsafe imported goods at ports-of-entry. Should an unsafe product enter domestic commerce, federal departments and agencies often work with state authorities to track it down, seize it, notify the public if it has already been purchased by consumers and impose appropriate penalties on domestic entities who violate U.S. law. Also, both the federal government and states may have access to information relevant to protecting consumers that the other does not possess. For example, federal departments and agencies may have relevant information about the foreign source of the imported product and about the importer. This information can help state officials track down an unsafe imported product within their jurisdiction. On the other hand, state officials may identify an unsafe imported product during transport or at the point-of-sale, if the product does get into the country, and can tip off federal officials to prevent future shipments from entering domestic commerce.
Several federal departments and agencies already collaborate closely with state authorities to protect consumers. For example, FDA has contracts and cooperative agreements with state governments to share information, conduct joint inspections and collaborate on laboratory analyses. Greater mutual leveraging of state and federal resources can further enhance consumer protection.
12.1 Consider cooperative agreements between the federal inspection agencies and their state counterparts for greater information-sharing. Such cooperative agreements would not infringe on the statutory authorities of federal or state regulators and would encourage a coordinated effort that would result in a more rapid and effective response. Establishing clear procedures and points-of-contact for information sharing and joint enforcement efforts can further enhance the effectiveness of federal-state actions to limit exposure and potential harm to consumers if an unsafe imported product makes it into domestic commerce.
The food safety regulatory system in the United States is a tiered system that involves Federal, State, Local and Tribal governments. FDA is responsible for ensuring that all foods moving in interstate commerce, except those under United States Department of Agriculture jurisdiction, are safe, wholesome, and labeled properly.
State agencies conduct inspection and regulatory activities that help ensure that safe food is produced, processed, or sold within their jurisdictions. Many State agencies also conduct food plant inspections under contract with the FDA. These inspections are performed under the States' laws and authorities or the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) or both. To maximize the use of resources among the FDA and the State governments, particularly when their jurisdictions overlap, their inspection programs should be equivalent in effect.
In June 2000, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report of FDA's oversight of State contracts. In this report, the OIG recommended that FDA take steps to promote "equivalency among Federal and State food safety standards, inspection programs, and enforcement practices." In response to their findings, FDA developed the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) that identifies the elements and best practices of a high-quality regulatory program.
The MFRPS are comprised of ten standards that establish requirements for the critical elements of a regulatory program designed to protect the public from food borne illness and injury. These elements include the program's regulatory foundation, staff training, inspection, quality assurance, food defense preparedness and response, food borne illness and incident investigation, enforcement, education and outreach, resource management, laboratory resources, and program assessment. Specifically, Standard 10 of the MFRPS requires the State program to have access to a laboratory that is capable of analyzing a variety of samples, including food, environmental, and clinical. The State program must utilize laboratories that have a current A2LA accreditation or that have quality assurance programs that incorporate the management and technical requirements found in ISO/IEC 17025:2005.
Cooperative Agreement: A support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after award, FDA scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities.
Application Types Allowed
The OER Glossary and the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types.
Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards
The number of awards is contingent upon FDA appropriations, and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.
FDA intends to fund one award, corresponding to a total of $1,500,000, for fiscal year 2012. Future year amounts will depend on annual appropriations and performance.
Application budgets are limited to $1,500,000 per year (including direct and indirect costs), but need to reflect actual needs of the proposed project.
Award Project Period
The total project period for an application requesting support may not exceed five years.
FDA grants policies as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
The association/organization must be a non-profit national association/organization that represents State and local laboratories that conduct food and/or animal feed testing on behalf of State and local regulatory programs.
Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations
as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply
for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following
All Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))
must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA
Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA
Commons account of the applicant organization.
All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at least 4-6 weeks prior to the application due date.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal
Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an
application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic
groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply
for FDA support.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
Only one application per institution (normally identified by having a unique DUNS number) is allowed.
FDA will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. FDA will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed.
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
The letter of intent should be emailed to:
Grants Management Specialist
Food and Drug Administration
Office of Acquisition Support and Grants
The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, mandatory and optional. Please note that some components marked optional in the application package are required for submission of applications for this FOA. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate optional components.
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and must be followed, with the following exceptions or additional requirement:
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed.
Resource Sharing Plan
Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modification:
Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.
Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov, the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, HHS’s electronic system for grants administration.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All FDA awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
This award may only be used for activities associated with achieving the goals and objectives of the cooperative agreement and work proposed by the grantee. Work proposed under this cooperative agreement may not be duplicated or funded by other cooperative agreements, contracts, or other funding mechanisms. Projects proposed under these cooperative agreements and the funding provided must remain distinct and separate from other projects and funding sources. The grantee must be able to account separately for fund expenditures, including employee salaries, wages, and benefits, received through contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and other funding received by the grantee and these cooperative agreements.
Strong collaboration between the grantee and associations representing State food and animal feed regulatory officials will be required. Therefore, the grantee is required to subaward a minimum of 25% of the funds received under this award to at least two different associations in order to meet the goals of the cooperative agreement. One association must represent State manufactured food regulatory officials and the other association must represent State animal feed regulatory officials.
2. Accounting services
3. Supplies for meetings related to the award
4. Travel and per diem to attend travel for training and attending meetings related to the grant.
5. Printing, shipping, and mailing
6. Web site server, software, hosting, development and integration, computers and other hardware
7. Pass through of funds to other national associations/organizations representing food and animal feed regulatory programs and laboratories. FDA must be provided with a copy of the third party agreement showing involvement and transfer of funds to other associations.
8. Development and publishing of policy and/or procedures, manuals, journal articles, and other publications.
1. Facilities and work covered under current contracts, cooperative agreements/grants, partnership funds, and other sources cannot be counted towards the fulfillment of the cooperative agreement and must remain distinct and separate from the cooperative agreement. The grantee must be able to account separately for fund expenditures other sources of FDA funding and these cooperative agreements.
2. Vehicle purchases are not permitted.
3. Cooperative agreement funds may not be utilized for new building construction. Remodeling of existing facilities may be allowed, with prior approval, provided that remodeling costs do not exceed 10% of the grant award amount.
Funding Plan: Years 2 - 5 of funding for noncompetitive continuation of support will depend on performance, program progress, and the availability of Federal funds.
Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF 424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to FDA.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
See more tips for avoiding common errors.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Office of Acquisition and Grants (OAGS) and responsiveness by the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA). Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
In order to expedite review, applicants are requested to notify the Project Officer by email at firstname.lastname@example.org when the application has been submitted. Please include the FOA number and title, PD/PI name, and title of the application.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115, with the following modifications:
Acceptable post submission materials include:
Revised budget pages
Letters of support or collaboration resulting from a change in senior/key personnel due to the hiring, replacement, or loss of an investigator.
News of an article accepted for publication (a copy of the article should not be sent).
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the FDA mission, all applications submitted to the FDA are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the FDA peer review system.
1. The rationale and design to meet the goals of the cooperative agreement (total weight = 20%)
2. Demonstration of experience in effective communication and collaboration with Federal, State, and local partners and other appropriate organizations to implement the goals of the cooperative agreement (total weight = 20%)
3. Demonstration of capability to facilitate the incorporation and sustainability of project developed capabilities into the national food and feed regulatory and public health systems (total weight = 20%)
4. Demonstration of competence in implementing effective adult education training programs (total weight = 20%)
5. Demonstration of advanced experience and competence with the managerial and technical requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 laboratory accreditation to achieve, maintain, and expand the scope of accreditation (total weight = 20%)
Note: Only the criteria and scoring described above will be used for scoring during the review of applications for this announcement. Reviewers may consider the additional criteria described under "Overall Impact" (below) as they relate to the criteria described above, but separate scores will not be give for the items described below.
Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the above review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.
Budget and Period of Support
Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research.
Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s), in accordance with FDA peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Review assignments will be shown in the eRA Commons.
As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:
Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.
Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be provided a copy of his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via email.
Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
If the application is under consideration for funding, FDA
will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as
described in the HHS Grants
A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.
Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.
Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to the DUNS, CCR Registration, and Transparency Act requirements as noted on the Award Conditions and Information for HHS Grants website.
All FDA grant and cooperative agreement awards include the HHS Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the HHS Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of HHS Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of HHS Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for HHS Grants.
Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award
All FDA awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement. The grantee is required to subaward a minimum of 25% of the funds received under this award to at least two different associations in order to meet the goals of the cooperative agreement. One association must represent State manufactured food regulatory officials and the other association must represent State animal feed regulatory officials. Prior approval of the subawards by FDA is required.
This award may only be used for activities associated with achieving the goals and objectives of this cooperative agreement. Work proposed under this cooperative agreement may not be duplicated or funded by other cooperative agreements, contracts, or other funding mechanisms. Projects proposed under these cooperative agreements and the funding provided must remain distinct and separate from other projects and funding sources. The grantee must be able to account separately for fund expenditures, including employee salaries, wages, and benefits, received through contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and other funding received by the grantee and these cooperative agreements.
When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) annually and financial statements as required in the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable FDA grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the HHS Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.
An annual Financial Status Report (FSR) (SF-269) must be sent to FDA's grants management officer within 90 days of the budget period end date of each twelve month cooperative agreement. Failure to file the annual FSR in a timely fashion will be grounds for suspension or termination of the cooperative agreement.
For continuing cooperative agreements, mid year reports and an annual program progress report are also required. For such cooperative agreements, the Non-Competing Continuation Progress Report (PHS-2590) will be considered the program progress report for the fourth quarter of the budget period.
Mid-year progress reports must contain the elements below as applicable to their proposal and award, but are not limited to, the following:
a. Development and delivery of training programs that assist State regulatory laboratories to achieve, maintain, and enhance ISO/IEC 17025:2005 laboratory accreditation. A summary of the training programs, including training agenda, materials, and method of delivery, statistics for the participation in the training programs and the results of training assessments and evaluations by attendees should be included.
b. Establishment of a network and community of food and animal feed regulatory program managers and laboratory managers in the identification and implementation of a framework for a unified response based on the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS), guidelines published by the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR), and other standards recognized by the Secretary. Specific information requested includes the membership, means and frequency of communication, and accomplishments.
c. Identifying food, animal feed, and laboratory subject matters experts (SMEs) to identify the criteria to establish laboratory and sample analysis equivalency for FDA and partnering regulatory agencies acceptable for regulatory action and others efforts to protect public health. The establishment and maintenance of an easily searchable SME web-based registry, including an overview of the functionality of the registry and use by laboratories.
d. Overview of the progress of the working groups, including activities related to sharing lessons learned, strategies, best practices, and other resources for laboratories to achieve, maintain, and enhance laboratory accreditation, membership, and meetings held. Resources should be shared using an on-line searchable document repository. Specific information requested includes an overview of the document repository and frequency of use.
e. Establishment of pilot programs for national implementation that enhance the sharing and acceptance of laboratory data for regulatory action by FDA and partnering regulatory agencies. Specific information should include the pilot programs developed, findings of the pilot program, participants, and recommendations for broader-scale implementation.
f. Progress and achievements of forums, including face-to-face and virtual meetings, for improving communication and collaboration between Federal, State, and local officials at the program level, food and feed regulatory testing laboratories, and public health laboratories. Specific information requested includes the attendees, means and frequency of communication, and accomplishments.
g. Impact of strengthening the community between FDA, State, and local food and feed regulatory laboratories by building upon existing committee and information sharing infrastructure.
h. Identification of primary challenges, solutions, and pilot projects that may be implemented nationally for the rapid shipment of clinical isolates related to foodborne illness to public health laboratories for submission to PulseNet and strengthening partnerships with clinical laboratories to improve the sharing of samples and information.
i. Summary of guidelines on proficiency testing programs, quality laboratory practices, interpretation of recognized accreditation standards (e.g., ISO 17025), and other resources developed to advance the accreditation of State and local food, feed, public health, and other laboratories that provide analytical support during foodborne illness investigations.
j. Assistance provided to FDA in meeting the laboratory related components of FSMA and building an integrated national food safety system.
k. Success in meeting the project milestones and metrics established in the grantee application and identified in conjunction with the FDA.
The recipient must file a final program progress report, and FSR, within 90 days after the end date of the project period as noted on the notice of the cooperative agreement award.
A final progress report, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the HHS Grants Policy Statement. The final program progress report must provide full written documentation of the project, and summaries of accomplishments and goals, as described in the cooperative agreement application. The documentation must be in a form and contain sufficient detail.
The program project officer will monitor the recipient periodically. The monitoring may be in the form of telephone conversations, e-mails, or written correspondence between the project officer/grants management officer and the principal investigator. Periodic site visits with officials of the recipient organization may also occur. There may be other regular meetings with recipients to assist in fulfilling the requirements of the cooperative agreement.
We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.
GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and
process, finding HHS grant resources)
eRA Commons Help Desk (Questions regarding eRA Commons
registration, tracking application status, post submission issues)
Phone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Food & Drug Administration, Office of Regulatory Affairs
Grants Management Specialist
Food and Drug Administration
Office of Acquisition Support and Grants
Recently issued trans-HHS policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by HHS is provided in the HHS Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the HHS Guide for Grants and Contracts.
Awards are made under the authorization of Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92.
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and Human Services (HHS)
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HMRC Delays are a "Reasonable Excuse"
By Gabelle LLP
It was refreshing to see the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed the appeal in the case of John Crangle v HMRC  UKFTT 0157 (TC) and took a ‘common-sense’ approach to the appeal against a late filing surcharge and interest totalling £86.38.
The taxpayer, John Crangle, submitted his tax return for the year ended 5 April 2013 electronically on 20 December 2013, requesting that the tax due of £1,442.02 (being £1,440 capital gains tax and £2.02 income tax) was collected by an adjustment to his PAYE coding.
As Mr Crangle was expecting the tax due to be adjusted in his PAYE coding for 2014/15, no payment was made on the due date of 31 January. After 30 days HMRC considered that a late payment penalty of 5% of all remaining tax unpaid was due in accordance with para 3(2) sch 56 FA 2009. There was some confusion as to when this penalty notice was issued but the amount was £71.
Mr Crangle requested clarification regarding the issue of the penalty and the interest that had accrued since 1 February. After being confused by HMRC’s response Mr Crangle engaged an agent on 3 June to assist. The agent was told by HMRC that there was not enough PAYE income to collect the tax through an adjustment to the PAYE coding notice. Mr Crangle paid the outstanding tax on 10 June.
The FTT noted that Mr Crangle’s ‘actions were those of a reasonably diligent man wishing to comply with his tax obligations. He therefore has established a reasonable excuse for the late payment of the tax due’.
It is reassuring to read that the FTT asserted that HMRC should have notified Mr Crangle before the due date of 31 January 2014 that they would not be collecting the tax by adjusting his PAYE tax code. The UK tax system is very complex and it is clear that Mr Crangle, as an unrepresented taxpayer, was disadvantaged by his lack of understanding. While ignorance is not an excuse, it is refreshing to see that the FTT recognised Mr Crangle had acted reasonably.
The case demonstrates that tribunals will take a common sense approach to the interpretation of reasonable excuse based on the facts and not be confined to HMRC definitions.
Finally, HMRC had the opportunity to consider whether there were any special circumstances in this case which would allow them to reduce the penalty – but seemingly failed to do so. This would have seemed a more practical, appropriate and commercial solution, as highlighted by the FTT decision.
Published May 2015


text:
I have just completed six tops from one pattern. The pattern was developed from an armscye princess sloper I had fitted earlier in the year. I have made several tops from this sloper and am working on more. Fitting is one of the most time consuming, arduous and challenging aspects of sewing for most home sewing enthusiasts. My mantra is fit once, change the style. A top becomes a T shirt or a jacket by changing the ease. It becomes a vest by increasing the armscye slightly or a sleeveless top by decreasing the armscye so the under arm side seam covers the bra. The style changes to a drape front, a wrap, a cowl neck or ruffled blouse with a few modifications to the neckline and center front.
The teal blue top was made into a cowl neckline by extending the center front neckline above the shoulder seam about 6 inches. It was cut on the fold and the additional fabric drops down inside the front at center front. This fabric is a rayon jersey from Fabric.com
A big ruffled colar was grafted from an Ana Sui Vogue pattern an added to the gray charmeuse. I use this rule for ruffles...The diameter of the inside circle or circles must equal distance of the neckline where the ruffle will be attached. I raised the neckline 3/4 " on the v neck of the vest and added some additional ease since the charmeuse does not like to be too fitted on me. This top has six or eight seams if I add a center back seam. An eight of an inch ads 1 1/2" to 2" in total circumference. The gray charmeuse is from Cleaner Depot in Norcross, Georgia.
The blue drape front was done earlier in the summer and the photo shows that I just used my hip rule to add to a nice curve to the center front seam from about waist high up to just above the shoulder seam level. This fabric was 45" wide so the drape was just below the waist. This fabric is an Expo purchase from Vogue Fabrics.
The multi animal print drape front was done the same way except the fabric was about 58" wide. I used the same hip rule as it give a nice curve but the drape was wider as I used the full width of the fabric. I placed the center front piece near the fold and cut to near the edge of the fabric. The fabric is a Joann from their "as seen in Vogue Pattern Magazine collection." It is a poly sheer and I loved the print but it behaved badly. I tried a baby hem but I did not like the outcome and I ended up doing a hand rolled hem. I am looking for a silk chiffon animal print to try this again.
The black/red is ITY jersey knit purchased from Anne St Claire at Needlenook Fabrics. She did a bra program in Columbus Georgia recently and I had to have this fabric. Anne also had a nice selection of fold over elastic which I used to finish the neckline. I also found at the store there an eyelet punch and bundles of great ribbons and threads to use for embellishments. This fabric has pretty much 100% stretch in both directions. This required that I interface the neckline with fusible tricot and measured the placement of the holes from center front using my french curve for even placement. I wove the red ribbon through the holes and tied it at center front. I found that this is very stretchy and unstable while sewing. The armscye and sleeves relaxed after being stitched to give some puckering. The fusible tricot worked really well on the neckline so I fused 1inch bias strips of the fusible tricot to the armscye from notch to notch and also the sleeve cap. This gave enough stability for the armscy to remain stable and the sleeve caps to ease nicely. The fabic is also somewhat see through so it requires a lining or an appropriate undergarment. I am making a matching bra to go with my top. Anne sells her knits in two yard kits with the matching thread which is enough to make the top and enough scraps for the bra.
I have found that the last several items that I have sewn have been from fabric purchased right before I used it....hmmmm About that stash.


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OBJECTIVE: Primary adrenal insufficiency [Addison's disease (AD)] is rare, and systematic studies are few, mostly conducted on small patient samples. We aimed to determine the clinical, immunological, and genetic features of a national registry-based cohort. DESIGN: Patients with AD identified through a nationwide search of diagnosis registries were invited to participate in a survey of clinical features, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), autoantibody assays, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II typing. RESULTS: Of 664 registered patients, 64% participated in the study. The prevalence of autoimmune or idiopathic AD in Norway was 144 per million, and the incidence was 0.44 per 100,000 per year (1993-2007). Familial disease was reported by 10% and autoimmune comorbidity by 66%. Thyroid disease was most common (47%), followed by type 1 diabetes (12%), vitiligo (11%), vitamin B12 deficiency (10%), and premature ovarian insufficiency (6.6% of women). The mean daily treatment for AD was 40.5 mg cortisone acetate and 0.1 mg fludrocortisone. The mean Short Form 36 vitality scores were significantly diminished from the norm (51 vs. 60), especially among those with diabetes. Concomitant thyroid autoimmunity did not lower scores. Anti-21-hydroxylase antibodies were found in 86%. Particularly strong susceptibility for AD was found for the DR3-DQ2/ DRB1*0404-DQ8 genotype (odds ratio, 32; P = 4 x 10(-17)), which predicted early onset. CONCLUSIONS: AD is almost exclusively autoimmune, with high autoimmune comorbidity. Both anti-21-hydroxylase antibodies and HLA class II can be clinically relevant predictors of AD. HRQoL is reduced, especially among diabetes patients, whereas thyroid disease did not have an impact on HRQoL. Treatment modalities that improve HRQoL are needed.
OBJECTIVES: Low testosterone levels in men have been associated with cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis and lately also an increased risk of both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. As arterial CVDs and venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been shown to share common risk factors, the purpose of the present study was to determine the impact of endogenous sex hormone levels on the incidence of VTE in a cohort of men. DESIGN: A prospective, population-based study. METHODS: Sex hormone measurements were available in 1350 men, aged 50-84, participating in the Tromsø study in 1994-1995. First, lifetime VTE-events during the follow-up were registered up to September 1 2007. RESULTS: There were 63 incident VTE-events (4.5 per 1000 person-years) during a mean of 10.4 years of follow-up. Age was significantly associated with increased risk of VTE; men 70 years or older had a 2.5-fold higher risk of VTE (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.19-5.12), compared with those between 50 and 60 years of age. In age-adjusted analyses, endogenous sex hormones levels were not associated with risk of VTE; for each s.d. increase, hazards ratios (95% CI) were 1.06 (0.83-1.35) for total testosterone, 1.02 (0.79-1.33) for free testosterone, and 1.27 (0.94-1.71) for ln-estradiol. In dichotomized analyses comparing men in the lowest total and free testosterone quartile with men in the higher quartiles, hypoandrogenemia was not associated with risk of VTE. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study of middle-aged and older men, endogenous sex hormone levels were not associated with 10-year risk of VTE.
OBJECTIVE: To study the relationships between endogenous testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and serum lipids in non-fasting men. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in 1274 men without known cardiovascular disease who participated in a population-based study, the 1994/1995 Tromsø study. Anthropometric characteristics were measured and questionnaires regarding lifestyle and medical history were completed. Non-fasting blood samples were drawn between 08.00 and 16.00h, and total testosterone, SHBG, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were analyzed. RESULTS: In stratified analyses based on sampling time, a linear increase in serum TG levels was found in men with total testosterone levels below the 50th percentile during the day (p for trend=0.004). In contrast, serum triglycerides did not change during the day in men with testosterone levels above the 50th percentile. In regression analyses, total testosterone and SHBG were inversely and independently associated with TG (p1.8) had significantly lower levels of total testosterone and SHBG (p=0.004 and p
Testosterone levels decrease with age. The mechanisms responsible for the age-related decrease in testosterone concentration are still being debated, and probably involve all three levels of the hypothalamo-pituitary-testicular axis. Luteinizing hormone (LH) concentration is often measured in combination with testosterone, but its value is questionable when considering the testosterone levels of older men. The objective of the present study was to examine the associations of endogenous gonadotropin and testosterone levels both in a cross-sectional cohort of 3447 men participating in the fifth Tromsø study and longitudinally in a cohort of 1352 men participating in both the fourth and the fifth Tromsø study. Total testosterone, LH, follicle-stimulating hormone and sex hormone-binding globulin levels were measured with immunoassay while free testosterone levels were calculated. Total testosterone and LH were independently and positively associated in the cross-sectional analyses (p
There are receptors for parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in the brain, and there are clinical and experimental data indicating that PTH and vitamin D may affect cerebral function. In the present study 21 subjects who both in the 5th Tromsø study and at a follow-up examination fulfilled criteria for secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) without renal failure (serum calcium 6.4 pmol/L, and normal serum creatinine) and 63 control subjects were compared with tests for cognitive and emotional function. Those in the SHPT group had significantly impaired performance in 3 of 14 cognitive tests (Digit span forward, Stroop test part 1 and 2, and Word association test (FAS)) as compared with the controls, and also had a significantly higher depression score at the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (items 1-13). In a multiple linear regression model, a high serum PTH level was significantly associated with low performance at the Digit span forward, Stroop test part 1 and 2, and Digit Symbol tests. A low level of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was significantly associated with a high depression score. In conclusion, a deranged calcium metabolism appears to be associated with impaired function in several tests of neuropsychological function.
CONTEXT: Primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) is a rare autoimmune disease. Until recently, life expectancy in Addison's disease patients was considered normal. OBJECTIVE: To determine the mortality rate in Addison's disease patients. DESIGN AND METHODS: i) Patients registered with Addison's disease in Norway during 1943-2005 were identified through search in hospital diagnosis registries. Scrutiny of the medical records provided diagnostic accuracy and age at diagnosis. ii) The patients who had died were identified from the National Directory of Residents. iii) Background mortality data were obtained from Statistics Norway, and standard mortality rate (SMR) calculated. iv) Death diagnoses were obtained from the Norwegian Death Cause Registry. RESULTS: Totally 811 patients with Addison's disease were identified, of whom 147 were deceased. Overall SMR was 1.15 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.96-1.35), similar in females (1.18 (0.92-1.44)) and males (1.10 (0.80-1.39)). Patients diagnosed before the age of 40 had significantly elevated SMR at 1.50 (95% CI 1.09-2.01), most pronounced in males (2.03 (1.19-2.86)). Acute adrenal failure was a major cause of death; infection and sudden death were more common than in the general population. The mean ages at death for females (75.7 years) and males (64.8 years) were 3.2 and 11.2 years less than the estimated life expectancy. CONCLUSION: Addison's disease is still a potentially lethal condition, with excess mortality in acute adrenal failure, infection, and sudden death in patients diagnosed at young age. Otherwise, the prognosis is excellent for patients with Addison's disease.
Men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have reduced endogenous testosterone levels. Little is known, however, about the relationship between pulmonary function and endogenous testosterone levels in a general population. In the present study we have examined the cross-sectional associations between sex hormones measured by immunoassay and pulmonary function assessed with spirometry and oxygen saturation in 2,197 men participating in the fifth Tromsø study. The data were analyzed by univariate correlations, multiple linear regression analyses and analyses of variance and covariance. Total and free testosterone were positively and independently associated with forced vitality capacity, FVC (% of predicted) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second, FEV(1 )(% predicted) (P = 0.033 and P = 0.002, respectively), and men with severe pulmonary obstruction (FEV(1) % of predicted


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Bubbles Baby Hat
Pattern Type: Knit
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Sizes Included: Newborn - Toddler
Yarn Shown: Comfy Worsted Yarn
Needles/Hooks Suggested: Size 6 (4.0mm): DPNs (or circular for magic loop)
Fiber Type: Cotton & Blends
Weight: Worsted/Hvy Worsted
From the ruffled edge to the knotted bobbles, thisadorable baby cloche will be a wonderful additionto any baby girl?s wardrobe.
Please check here for the pattern errata.
To view this content please ensure that Adobe Flash Player version 10.0.0 or greater is installed.
Or you may use the classic version of the Kit Builder instead.
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Russian freelance graphic designer and photographer Katya Malakhova has designed a series of Modern Matryoshkas which combine items that at first seem contradictory.
above: Katya with her "Brain" matryoshka
Using imagery that one would think incompatible with the well-known Russian souvenir icon, Katya has turned medical organs, superheroes, Playmates and S&M Dominatrices into Nesting Dolls.
Her stylized Batman Matryoshka:
The Gene Mutation Russian Doll turns a Cheburashka into Mickey Mouse:
Corsets, lingerie and breasts decorate her Playmate Matryoshkas:
Swarovski Crystal Russian Nesting Dolls:
A special thanks to Collabcubed for bringing Katya's work to my attention.
See all of Katya's work at her website.
Russian Nesting dolls continue to inspire design in everything from housewares to furniture. Way back in 2008, I wrote a post about Matryoshka Madness and the glut of items honoring the traditional Russian dolls. Then again, in 2009, I followed it up with another Matryoshka related post. As I was getting preparing to publish yet a third, I came across this.
The Matreshka Light Chair by brothers Georgi and Peter Slokoski is a patented innovative product that combines functionality, comfort and whimsy. Inspired by the form of the emblematic Russian doll Matreshka (also referred to as Matryoshka, Babushka or Russian Nesting Dolls), the chair, made of fiberglass, was just introduced this month and will be available for pre-order in May.
The soft curves of the female body come to life in the form of fiberglass in two main colors – white and black:
Not only is the chair a unique shape, but, it's a functional lamp, too. The built-in LED RGB lighting in its upper part can be remotely controlled (and it fades in and out) and allows thousands of color combinations, including white for reading. The base allows endless 360° rotation in both directions.
The chair invites and embraces you, it enhances and dominates your emotions. Touching the chair is a discovery – you subside into a harmony of immaculately chosen materials, skillfully amplified by comfort and functionality.
Beginning next month (May 2011), you can pre-order the chair here
all images and info courtesy of Slokoski.com
Above: A set emulating blow-up dolls from the 250 Matryoshka exhibit in Belgium
I know, I know, you've seen the popular trend of these Russian Nesting Dolls on lots of blogs, but before you think you've seen them all, take a look. I defy you to find a larger collection than my own examples of Matryoshka Madness (especially since this post has been updated with part 2!)
Above: A traditional set of Russian Nesting Dolls
Russian nesting dolls have been an art form for centuries. No matter how you spell them, be it matryoshkas, matrioshka, matryoshkus or matreshkas, they seem to be making a big comeback in many forms. From the modern nod to technology by Russian design studio Art Lebedev to the $1200.00 custom series for a family of five, painted from a photo by illustrator Trisha Krauss.
above: Bit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte and terabyte take shape of Matryoshkas to make the right sequence in white, available from Art Lebedev
Above: Trisha Krauss will create a custom set based on a photo, available at Auto
In 2003, The Wurst Gallery had a fabulous exhibit of these nesting dolls painted by various contemporary and low brow artists, most (but not all) of which have since been sold. Here are the artists and their work from that show:
Above: The complete set by artist Trish Grantham
Another artist painted Matryoshka exhibit is the 2006 one from MAF (the Music Art Forum) in which 50 artists painted Matryoshka's which were auctioned off for charity.
here are a few of my favorites from that exhibit:
See all 50 sets here.
Several other contemporary artists have their own interpretations of the traditional Russian nesting dolls.
Take a look at some more of the Matryoshka Madness:
The Redspective online store often carries unique, one of kind, artist made nesting dolls but they sell out quickly. Now in stock are the following three sets:
Above: set by artist Roland Bruckner, 250,000 euros
Above: set by the Incubus Project, 250,000 euros
Above: set by artist Chin Chin, 250,000 euros
Above: One of my personal favorites by artist Marco Cibola
Above: the minimalist Pantone Matryoshkas by Yar Rassadin
Above: Three hand-painted sets by Russian artist Irina Troitskaya:
Artist Bryan Rawlings made a set of erotic life sized nesting dolls for Julian Murphy that are now the property of the Erotic Art Museum in Hollywood, California, where they are part of the permanent collection:
Above: Bryan Rawling's Erotic Matryoshka Sculptures
Even Swedish superstore Ikea sells a version; JUTANÄS by Maria Vinka
Above: Inspired by the Russian nesting dolls she collected as a child, Vinka wanted to create a modern, multi-ethnic version. Instead of identical nesting Russian dolls, she made a doll for each continent. A native Lapp, Vinka made the doll for Europe a Lapp as well. The dolls are made in Russia according to traditional methods, and each one is handpainted with a unique facial expression. Available at IKEA.
Russian Nesting Doll imagery is popping up everywhere on home decor from pillows by Thomas Paul to coin purses at Fred Flare.
Thomas Paul Pillows shown above from 2Modern
above pillows (which may no longer be available) from Urban Outfitters
The above Matroyshka cards are available at Poketo.
plates and coin purses from Fred Flare
Matryoshka shirts available here.
Both the Sterling silver 3D charm and 14k yellow gold charm available here.
Bedspread from Urban Outfitters
Even the Pupa cosmetics of Italy has a line called Puposka which is collection of make-up kits perfumes,and containers in white, red or blue that are Russian nesting dolls:
Need Matryoshkas that stick?
Buy the above vinyl wall stickers here.
or Buy the little stickers here.
And here are just a few of the wonderful Matryoshka items available on etsy (I'm sorry I can't show them all):
coasters: Chrome ID tag for zippers or keychains:
Car trash/litter bag: Matryoshka handbag:
Russian Doll adjustable ring: Decoupaged ring:
Matryoshka cupcake toppers: Baby Bib and Burp Cloth:
Lindt even makes Chocolate Matryoshkas:
But even better are Viktoria Richards Red Collection: three variations of chocolate nesting dolls.
Individually foil wrapped:
A single 4 inch solid chocolate doll:
and miniature boxed chocolate Martyoshkas:
buy them here.
Wanna make some yourself?
You can be creative with blank dolls found here:
Or, if you feel you're not that creative, for only $39.00, you can easily DIY these traditional looking Russian Nesting Dolls (if you can paint within the lines), that comes with paint and brush:
Now, if you're looking for traditional Russian nesting dolls in the form of animals, pop culture icons like the Simpsons nesting dolls or South Park nesting dolls (yes, they make them), celebrity nesting dolls like Elvis or Madonna, the following stores carry all these and more:
And some relevant links for you:
How Matryoshkas are made.
Buy Russian Doll Books, Movies, Calendars, Blank Sets and more here
Check out Matroyoshka Madness Part 2, with electronic gadgets and more.

domain: artistic