Press release Rambiz 4000
The Contract for the construction and delivery of the ship was signed on 29th January 2015. The design was drawn up in-house in cooperation with Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam, part of Royal IHC on the basis of the extensive experience that Scaldis has accumulated hoisting heavy objects in challenging offshore conditions. Delivery is scheduled for spring 2017 in Europe. The vessel will be built under full responsibility and coordination of Royal IHC in Qidong and finished in Xiamen, both of which are located in the People’s Republic of China.
The ship is ordered to further support and expand the services, including the installation of offshore infrastructures and decommissioning-deconstruction activities for the oil and gas industry as well as the installation of offshore wind farms. The ship can also be used for any type of marine related heavy lifting work in challenging situations, such as the construction of bridge components and clearing subsea obstacles.
The provision of a helipad in combination with accommodation for 78 people means Scaldis is capable of providing a varied range of additional services.
A few specific characteristics make this new crane ship unique in its field. It has two Huisman cranes each with a lifting capacity of 2,000 tons, based on a design by Vuyk. The ship also has extra carrying capacity of 3,000 tons. The cranes can be moved by 25 m on the ship. This allows the deck to be used to transport and then relocate cargo at a later stage.
The ship and the cranes are an integrated design which allows the maximum load to be hoisted in significant wave heights of up to 1.5 m. In these circumstances, the freeboard is not less than 3 m anywhere on the vessel. In standby or transport modes, significant wave height can be as much as 7.0 m.
It is also worth noting that the maximum load can be lifted in water depths of around 5.0 m.
The four azimuth thrusters and the DP2 system allow installation work to be conducted in deeper water without the use of anchors. This guarantees flexibility and efficiency and also means that work can be carried out in zones where many pipelines and cables already lie on the bed, for example. The crane ship is also equipped with 4 main working anchors and winches and 4 secondary devices.
The powerful and rapid ballast system can follow the hoisting operation exactly, allowing jobs to be completed quickly and continuously.
The ship will be equipped with a so-called 'moonpool' for the purposes of operating a separate ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) for inspecting and supervising installation work on the seabed. Finally, the presence of heavy fenders allows containers to be loaded/unloaded at sea.
- Provisional name: Rambiz 4000
- Type: Self-propelled crane ship
- Principal: SCALDIS Salvage & Marine Contractors N.V.
- Shipyard: Royal IHC
- Length: 108.00 m
- Beam: 50.90 m
- Depth: 8.00 m
- Draught: 4.90 m
- Speed: 7 knots
- Hoisting capacity: 4.000 Ton
- Total installed capacity: 10,450 kW
- Accommodation: 78 people
- Special feature: DP2
Scaldis is an offshore marine contractor specializing in offshore transportation and installation works. Scaldis’ core expertise is in marine heavy lifting, although it supports many other marine related projects with its vessels.
- In general, the types of activities can be categorized as follows:
- Civil construction works
- Oil and Gas projects
- Renewables/environmental works
- Decommissioning / deconstruction works
- Heavy lifting in salvage-related works
One of the strengths of Scaldis is its aptitude for working closely with its clients from an early stage in their projects in order to develop the most efficient and effective methodology for the project.
Scaldis holds accreditation to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISM standards.
The Belgian dredging, hydraulic engineering and environmental group DEME has earned itself a prominent position in the world market in a few highly specialist and complex hydraulic disciplines. Having its core-business in dredging operations and land reclamation, the group diversified into hydraulic projects at sea, services to oil and gas companies, the installation of offshore wind farms, environmental activities such as soil remediation and sediment recycling, and revalidation of brownfields and wreck clearance. Its multi-disciplinary know-how and experience, project synergies, and integrated business structure have allowed DEME to grow into a global solutions provider. The group owns one of the most modern, high-tech, and versatile fleets for dredging and hydraulic engineering activities. DEME employs 4,500 people. In 2013 the Group realised a turnover of EUR 2.53 billion.
About Jan De Nul Group
People and global expertise. These are the corner stones of Jan De Nul Group’s success. Thanks to its skilled employees and the world’s most modern fleet, Jan De Nul Group is a leading expert in dredging and marine construction activities, as well as in specialized services for the offshore industry of oil, gas and renewable energy. These core marine activities are further enhanced by Jan De Nul Group’s in-house civil and environmental capabilities offering clients a complete package solution.
Our professional and innovative solutions are trusted across the industry. Whether it concerns the construction of the new locks in the Panama Canal or a new port complex in Western Australia, together with our customers, we build for further economic development.
Over the past century Herbosch-Kiere, part of the Eiffage group, has played an important role on marine, harbour and river construction projects in Europe. Herbosch-Kiere is also specialised in heavy lifting over water, marine salvages and dredging works and work principally on projects within a marine environment utilising in-house vessels and plant. Its in-house capability and design expertise enables Herbosch-Kiere to offer bespoke temporary and permanent work solutions. The focus lies on projects which have a high degree of technical difficulty or logistical problems where the marine experienced engineers provide the client with safe innovative and economic solutions. Herbosch-Kiere continues to invest in marine plant to supplement the existing fleet of lifting and floating equipment to ensure to have the right resources to carry out specialist work. Its workshop in the Port of Antwerp, one of the biggest ports of Europe, provides Herbosch-Kiere the opportunity to offer a global marine service.
The shareholders of the Antwerp-based specialist in marine heavy lift operations, Scaldis Salvage & Marine Contractors NV, have ordered an extremely powerful, self-propelled DP2 crane ship from Royal IHC. The vessel will be operated by Scaldis.


text:
There have been 11 accidents and five close calls involving aircraft in Tauranga over the past three years, new figures show.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures released to the Bay of Plenty Times show there were three accidents in 2010, five in 2011, three in 2012 and none so far this year.
There were 286 accidents throughout the country during the same period.
The CAA information also showed five close calls in Tauranga airspace between January 1, 2010 and July 1, 2013 which all involved light aircraft nothing bigger than a Cessna 152. One of the occurrences involved two Robinson R44 helicopters.
There have been 96 close encounters between aircraft above New Zealand during the same period. On average - Tauranga air traffic control processes about 200 aircraft movements each day.
A near miss was defined as a critical event that saw the distance between aircraft fall to less than three nautical miles horizontally or 1000ft vertically and required avoiding action to be taken by one or both aircraft.
Sunair owner and pilot Dan Power said he was not surprised or concerned by the statistics.
"It's not unlike having a near miss in your car. It can be life threatening or it can be nothing."
Passengers should not be alarmed as close calls were extremely uncommon, he said.
"We do some 3000 departures a year and one of our aeroplanes is involved [in a near miss] about once every five years," he said. "The best advice is that they need to get things in perspective. We've been in operation in air transport for 30 years and we've never had a serious accident."
Island Air pilot Dane Bendall said Tauranga airport was busy by regional airport standards.
"This is a high density training area. We've got one flight school here and an aero club. In the training environment [accidents and near misses] are bound to happen."
In October 2012, two men narrowly escaped when their gyrocopter lost power shortly after takeoff and crashed into Tauranga Harbour. Another two men were lucky to survive when their gyrocopter crashed into the sea off Matakana Island in June last year and in January a home-built plane crashed after hitting an elevated landing light on the Tauranga airport runway.
There were also four loss of separation occurrences in the city's airspace during the same period. Nationally, there were 181 such incidents reported.
CAA communications manager Mike Richards said loss of separation did not mean imminent danger but was a technical term used when any controlled flights were separated by less than the approved minimum distances.
The distances varied based on circumstances.
"Although the terms sound quite dramatic, they are really all about alerts or early warning systems and these alerts allow aircraft to navigate within quite generous, safe distances of each other," he said.
There were also 12 aborted takeoffs over the same time period, one of which occurred this year.
October 24, 2012: Two men escaped after their gyrocopter crashed into Tauranga Harbour.
June 17, 2012: Two men survived when their gyrocopter crashed into the sea off Matakana Island.
January 18, 2012: A home-built plane crashed at Tauranga Airport after hitting an elevated landing light as it landed. The pilot was not injured.
December, 20, 2011: A plane crashed off the runway on Motiti Island and crashed. The two occupants were not injured.
February 14, 2011: A man escaped uninjured when his motor-glider flipped during take-off at Tauranga Airport.
September 17, 2010: Jeffery Arthur Bryant died when his microlight crashed at the eastern end of the Tauranga Airport runway soon after takeoff.
April 28, 2010: A student pilot bounced his Cessna 152 on landing at Tauranga Airport causing the nose wheel to collapse.

domain: news


text:
[Jul 26, 2013, 09:29 am ET] - Share - Viewing Comments
Activision Blizzard announces
a buyback of its stock from French parent
Vivendi for a price tag of $5.83 billion, simultaneously announcing another
$2.34 billion in stock is being picked up by a group of investors led by
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and Co-Chairman Brian Kelly, who are committing $100
million of their own pocket change to the kitty. This comes shortly after
that Vivendi was
planning on raiding Activision's cash stockpile to pay down some of its own
debt. The company will now be publically owned, with a 12% interest remaining with Vivendi.
Following the completion of the transaction, Activision
Blizzard will be an independent company with the majority of its shares owned by
the public. The Company will be led by Bobby Kotick as Chief Executive Officer
and Brian Kelly as Chairman. Vivendi will no longer be the majority shareholder,
but will retain a stake of 83 million shares or approximately 12%. ASAC II
LP—the investor group which, in addition to Kotick and Kelly, includes Davis
Advisors, Leonard Green & Partners, L.P., Tencent, as well as one of the largest
global institutional investors—will own a stake of approximately 24.9%.
Activision Blizzard expects that its new outstanding share count and capital
structure (which will include approximately $1.4 billion of net debt) will
result in expected pro forma 2013 earnings-per-share (EPS) accretion of between
18% and 29% on a GAAP basis and between 23% and 33% on a non-GAAP basis.
Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, said, “These transactions together
represent a tremendous opportunity for Activision Blizzard and all its
shareholders, including Vivendi. We should emerge even stronger—an independent
company with a best-in-class franchise portfolio and the focus and flexibility
to drive long-term shareholder value and expand our leadership position as one
of the world’s most important entertainment companies. The transactions
announced today will allow us to take advantage of attractive financing markets
while still retaining more than $3 billion cash on hand to preserve financial
Mr. Kotick continued, “Our successful combination with Blizzard Entertainment
five years ago brought together some of the best creative and business talent in
the industry and some of the most beloved entertainment franchises in the world,
including Call of Duty® and World of Warcraft®. Since that time, we have
generated over $5.4 billion in operating cash flow and returned more than $4
billion of that to shareholders via buybacks and dividends. We are grateful for
Vivendi’s partnership through this period, and we look forward to their
Enter the details of the comment
you'd like to post in the boxes below and click the button at
the bottom of the form.
||Re: Activision Blizzard Buys Back Stock
||Jul 26, 2013, 20:01
ViRGE wrote on Jul 26, 2013, 11:59:
Jivaro wrote on Jul 26, 2013, 11:52:I believe you're correct. At first glance it looks like this blocks Vivendi's plan to raid the Activision wallet before it ever happened.
eRe4s3r wrote on Jul 26, 2013, 11:19:
But they get to keep their new billion $ debt.. haha... pwned by Vivendi in all ways possible....
I am sorry, I don't follow your logic. Can you explain that one to me? Vivendi can't raid them for money, now or in the future. New investors bought the stock. Those investors own that. They aren't in debt to themselves. Yes Vivendi gets the cash infusion of selling that stock, but I am not sure I follow how Acti-Blizz has absorbed any debt. Maybe I am missing something.
Well, one would hope that Vivendi is able to get out of debt with almost 6B in cash!?


text:
Kim Kardashian has been through a lot in the last year so, of course, she’s going to look a bit stressed. However, it seems that this stress is starting to show up on her body. Kim is extra skinny and even has a few natural wrinkles showing.
Kim Kardashian’s look changes
It’s unlike Kim to have a single imperfection on her while out and about. However, it seems that this is slowly changing. According to The Sun, in some recent photos, it’s clear Kim’s body is starting to age.
In newly released photos, Kim is wearing a black plunge top with her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. She is looking at her phone where it is obvious she has some mouth wrinkles forming on her face.
Not only that, but it seems she could also be dealing with some rapid weight loss which is causing some sagging skin on her arms. Even fans have noticed and taken to Reddit to discuss the ever changing Kim K.
- “She has zero muscle tone anywhere on her body. All that gym content is completely fake.”
- “Her skin is like hanging off her bones”
- “I think she has loose skin from the rapid weight loss”
- “That and you can only pull skin tight with plastic surgery a limited amount of times. She’s gonna have to get fillers for her sagging skin but that would make her look filled out and not emaciated. I bet she sets a trend for sagging skin being in style. 😂”
Kim Kardashian spotted yesterday in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. pic.twitter.com/ELdB7ez2Op
— Kimberlina (@KNKWupdates) August 15, 2022
Is her look aging her?
This actually isn’t the first comment on Kim’s older appearance this week. Perhaps, her age is actually catching up with her. Fans think that another culprit could be her bleach blonde hair. Normal, Kim goes for a natural black. However, lately, she’s been wearing it bright blonde with dark roots.
One person took to Reddit to share their thoughts.
“i think kim is beautiful, but this hair is just not it. i guess she’s feeling it – so more power to her – but the girlfriend in me is telling her STOP! you look so much better as a brunette!” Of course, others joined in agreeing.
- “Was just thinking this! The blonde ages her. Her dark hair is beautiful!!”
- “I think the blonde combined with how thin she is right now is aging her !”
- “Yeah, I’m surprised she’s kept the look so long because it’s not working.”
What do you think of Kim Kardashian’s appearance? Do you think she looks good or is she starting to age? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Come back to TV Shows Ace for more on the whole Kardashian family!
- ‘Out Of Touch’ Kim Kardashian Uses Grocery Bag As Purse - December 3, 2023
- Theresa Nist Gets Engaged In Michelle Young’s Gown? - December 3, 2023
- ‘Golden Bachelor’ April Kirkwood Makes ‘Bachelor’ Appearance? - December 3, 2023

domain: celebrity


text:
A refined, modern take on a classic farmhouse
design, this mango wood dining table showcases sharp angles, slanted support beams, and a coarse, richly figured grain. Boasting seven feet in width, it seats up to eight comfortably.
This modern dining features sleek rectangular lines table
will complement most any dining space. The four corner legs, angled just slightly outward, make a bold new statement on a classic design. The wood surfaces have a high-performance catalyzed top coat ...
Inspired by the classic lines and Georgian aesthetic
of master furniture designer Duncan Phyfe, this dining table is an heirloom-quality piece. Crafted with mahogany-finished beech wood and elegant brass claw-foot details, it brings character and timeless spirit to a formal ...

domain: artistic


- Jon Jones graces the cover of the newest UFC video game... Read more »
- Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao headlines UFC 169 alongsi... Read more »
- Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen set as coaches in TUF ... Read more »
- UFC 166 results: Velasquez stops Cigano in 5 rounds Read more »
- JDS: Trilogy will not end the Velasquez - dos Santos ri... Read more »
- UFC cuts Palhares following controversial submission wi... Read more »
- UFC Fight Night 29 recap: a night of upsets Read more »
Everybody's counting on me losing," Griggs (8-1) told MMA Fighting. "That's great. I'm the underdog. They've blown Bobby Lashley up into this huge, unbeatable superstar. He's very big, very strong, he's going to be explosive. But I think he's been blown up into a little more than he is just yet."
Chad Griggs comes back with an upcoming fight with Lashley. Golden boy of Strikeforce as of the moment. He was actually into telling everyone that he is a one heap of a contender but easily beatable due to size and experience.
You don’t have to spell it out loud for Chad Griggs. He knows well the MMA fans and Strikeforce officials. He perpetually knows why he was offered the fight with Bobby Lashley at August 21 Strikeforce event in Houston.
“Everybody’s counting on me losing,” Griggs (8-1) told MMA Fighting. “That’s great. I’m the underdog. They’ve blown Bobby Lashley up into this huge, unbeatable superstar. He’s very big, very strong, he’s going to be explosive. But I think he’s been blown up into a little more than he is just yet.”Read the rest of the article »
When fans think that St. Pierre has it all, he thinks otherwise. Will St. Pierre still find a reason to stay after he snatch the best pound-for-pound title to Silva?
The industry of Mixed Martial Arts is considering George St. Pierre as the best pound-for-pound fighter. His fans thinks that he already wiped out his division against top contenders. But at the age of 29, St. Pierre thinks that he’s not there yet. He still has one more goal to achieve, so it’s better if he’ll stick around for a while.Read the rest of the article »
MMA Fighting Events
- No events to show
Written on November 11, 2013
Written on November 09, 2013
Written on November 08, 2013
Written on November 07, 2013
Written on November 06, 2013


On this page/Sur cette page... (hide)
National Information and Communications Infrastructure (NICI) is a country by country planning process for ICT and ICT policy development. The African Information Society Initiative of UNECA coordinates information about NICI continent-wide.
NICI is described as follows on the NICI site:
A further description from the NICI site: "AISI states that although African countries are equally placed to take advantage of ICTs to facilitate their socio-economic development process, they cannot hope to move their industrially weak, subsistence economies unless they develop and implement comprehensive integrated ICT-led socio-economic development policies, strategies and plans. The NICIs are sets of steps to be undertaken by government to harness ICTs for development and to implement AISI. These steps include:
"Although at different levels of development stages, about thirty-seven African countries are engaged in developing national ICT policies and strategies. Out of these, about twenty-one countries have already completed the process of developing their ICT plans and strategies and are now in the process of mobilising funds for the implementation of various ICT programs and projects." (this is copied with minor edits from the page at http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/about_national_information_and_c.htm which may not have had a recent update)
Please see the country profile on this wiki that interests you, under 2.3 Policy / Politique, or use the links to the NICI site, below.
You may also use "backlinks" in the column at the left to see what country pages have other mention of NICI plans.
AISI has also outlined other local and regional plans as follows:


text:
|Methylation sensitivity||The enzyme cleaves only C5-methylated DNA.|
Does not cleave DNA sequence G(4mC)G(4mC).
|Origin||Glacial ice bacterium GL29|
|Storage conditions||10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5); 200 mM NaCl; 0.1 mM EDTA; 7 mM 2-mercaptoethanol; 0,05% Triton X-100, 0.1 mg/ml BSA, 50% glycerol; Store at -20°C.|
|Assayed on||Double-stranded oligonucleotide|
5’ GGTATTC G (5mC) G (5mC)TGTACTTTCCC 3’
3' CCATAAG(5mC) G (5mC) G ACATGAAAGGG 5'
|Non-specific activity||No nonspecific activity was detected after incubation of 1 μg of pHspAI DNA (DriI digest) with 8 unit of GlaI for 16 hours at 30°C. The pHspAI plasmid carries a gene for HspAI DNA-methyltransferase, which modifies DNA forming 5'-G(5mC)GC-3'/3'-CG(5mC)G-5'.|
No detectable degradation of a double-stranded labeled oligonucleotide was observed after incubation with 8 unit of restriction endonuclease GlaI for 3 hours at 30°C.
|Optimum temperature||30 oC|
|Unit||One unit is defined as the amount of enzyme required to cleave 1 pmol of the double-stranded oligonucleotide of the above indicated structure in 1 hour at 30°C in a total reaction volume of 20 μl.|
|Inactivation 20 minutes||65oC|
|Optimum SE-buffer||SE-buffer GlaI (10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8,5 at 25°C); 5 mM MgCl2; 10 mM NaCl; 1 mM 2-mercaptoethanol.)|

domain: chemistry


text:
On Tuesday, Beirut-based couturier Rami Kadi presented his Spring 2019 Couture collection at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris in the presence of editors, buyers, insiders, and brand loyalists including Fajer Fahad, Araya Hargate, Camila Coelho, and Olivia Palermo. Although the Lebanese designer has presented his collections during Paris Couture Week for the past couple of seasons, this Spring 2019 show marked the first time he showcases in a runway format.
“The shapes are sharp, the beads are strong, the women are daring, everybody’s free!” exclaimed Kadi to Vogue.me ahead of the show, which he reveals was inspired by Burning Man, a community-oriented festival that takes place in Black Rock Desert, Nevada once a year and celebrates free-spirited, boundary-pushing sartorial expression. However, in lieu of tutus, goggles, and fuzzy leg-warmers, Kadi churned out a more grown-up, wearable take on festival fashion that was more seaside suite than playa.
Opening the “Burning Man”-inspired show was Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha, who floated down the runway wearing a rainbow, sequin-striped, fringed party dress. The look was elevated with a pair of embellished pumps created by Poise Design‘s Emma Boutros, who collaborated with the designer on the footwear that the models marched down the runway with. The opening look paved the way for an eccentric lineup of evening gowns in varying silhouettes and hemlines, fully-embellished leggings, asymmetric silk jackets worn over sequined jumpsuits, holographic wide trousers, draped silk gowns, and partial-sleeved lurex blazers with sharp shoulders. For a dazzling touch, Kadi embroidered tiny, laser-cut plexi glass and crystal grains into materials like tweed and silk. Some of the models marched down the runway wearing extravagant headpieces dreamed up by Brazil-based headdress designer Atelier Bruna Abreu, further adding to the overall “haute boho” vibe of the collection.


text: Find the average cost of an emergency room (ER / ED) visit at each Florida hospital in 2017. State average ER visit cost (charge) was $6136 (about $55 Billion for nearly 9 million ED visits). North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville had the highest average charge in FL at a whopping $15,136 per ER visit in 2017. Only 1 hospital (Regional General Hospital Williston) had an average charge of $1000 or less. Volume of patients shown here. The highest volume Emergency Department was Lakeland Regional Medical Center, with nearly 170,000 visits. Its average price was $6457. Complexity and seriousness of the visit vary from hospital to hospital. Easy to use tool, but not diagnosis-specific. From FloridaHealthFinder.gov. Check our listing for Hospital Compare to see their most recent star ratings and performance on emergency care.

domain: health


text:
Scientists at a London college believe they have found a cure for motion sickness.
The cause of motion sickness is still a mystery but scientists believe it is to do with confusing messages received by our brains from both our ears and eyes when we are moving.
Three in ten people experience serious motion sickness symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and cold sweats when travelling on a boat, train or car.
Research from Imperial College London, published in Neurology, shows that a mild electrical current applied to the scalp can dampen responses in an area of the brain that is responsible for motion signals.
The research was led by Dr Qadeer Arshad from the Department of Medicine at the university. He believes the device can be developed into a device available for consumers within the next five to ten years.


Published at Wednesday, April 04th 2018. by Minoru Naomi in Toilet Seat.
Jean-Jacques L’Henaff vice president of design at American Standard continues to push for simpler surfaces that make the toilet easier to clean. Rather than the exposed trapways on traditional toilets (think of that tube-like protrusion below the bowl) newer models have smooth-surface skirts that leave fewer lines and seams and expressions to clean and also hide some of the working parts of the toilet. “We want you to see as little as possible” L’Henaff says.
For some American Standard models surface technology is fired directly into the chinaware to help resist dirt buildup and make the toilet easier to clean. The company also has cleaning systems built into toilets such as the ActiClean. A button independent of the flush releases a cleaning solution into the tank. “These are innovations to make a consumer’s life easier” Walsh says. “Nobody wants to worry about a dirty toilet”.
The flush of water in most toilets comes from 30 to 60 holes beneath the rim of the bowl. Often this area can build up with grunginess from waste and minerals left behind by the trickle of water. In new designs from Toto the multihole method is replaced with a Tornado flush which consists of two jets that spin the water at high speed to remove grime.
Guy says the amperage needed for a smart toilet is very low and having an electrician run an outlet near the toilet is pretty straightforward and easy. In the worst case scenario you can install a wire along the wall with a casing over it. He does warn that the all-inclusive smart toilet models require power to flush the toilet. So if the power goes out your toilet won’t work.
The other roadblock is outlets. Smart toilets need electricity and most bathrooms don’t come with an outlet near the toilet. “The single biggest angst that consumers have about smart toilets is ‘How am I going to plug this in?’” Strang says. Toto encourages builders and homeowners to put outlets near toilets when building a home or remodeling a home even if you’re not installing a smart toilet now. You or a future homebuyer might want to have a smart toilet someday. And the cost is relatively inexpensive if you’re already renovating.
Any content, trademark’s, or other material that might be found on the ozbarphx website that is not ozbarphx’s property remains the copyright of its respective owner/s. In no way does ozbarphx claim ownership or responsibility for such items, and you should seek legal consent for any use of such materials from its owner.
Copyright © 2019 ozbarphx. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Business Management Staff
Business Management or Major in Finance
*Applicant must be in Qatar(Local Hire Only)
*Only Female (Philippines)
Salary: 3000-3500 QR
Transportation – Company Provided
Accommodation – Company Provided
collating, preparing, and interpreting reports, budgets, accounts, commentaries, and financial statements
Prepare tax documents
Compile and analyze financial statements
Major in Finance or related field.
Must have at least 1-2 years of experience.

domain: finance


text:
Top Tours & Activities in Montreal
What People Are Saying About Montreal
The Montreal Bus Tour was fabulous ... the driver was very knowledgeable and an unabashed Montreal supporter. His commentary made the 3 1/2 hours pass by too quickly.
Tour was great! Driver knew his city very well and was very interesting. Kids loved riding up on top and we enjoyed the ride a lot. Would do it again! Thank you!
We enjoyed the walking tour of old Montreal with guide Pierre, who was pleasant, knowledgeable and a good speaker. The small group size (6) made it easy to move through crowded areas and encouraged a friendly camaraderie. Two hours seemed the right amount of time for an overview of the east and west old Monreal area, including a visit to a patisserie with a master pastry chef and an aerial view of the what area.
The tour guides were very friendly and informative. This was a great way to tour the city and get the historical background
Each guide had information that was insightful and full of information and facts

domain: travel


Today IPv6 Launches, What you need to know
Whenever a device or user connects to the Internet, an IP addresses is assigned to the device. This may be a temporary IP address that may get changed with every connection, or a static IP address that never changes. The Internet has now come into a situation where there are more requests for IP addresses than available addresses. This leads to a situation where growth on the Internet is slowed down because of that fact.
The current IPv4 address space is good for 4.3 billion IP addresses, a large number but not nearly large enough. Consider this: there are more smartphones alone available in the world than IP addresses available. And smartphones are not the only devices that people make use of to connect to the Internet. They have desktop PCs, laptops, printers, gaming systems and maybe even refrigerators that can also connect to the Internet. Plus, there is the business side of things, with servers and networks that also need IP addresses.
Basically, the world has run out of IP addresses, and that's why the new standard IPv6 is being launched today. Being launched does not mean that it will be switched on, and the other will be switched off. Internet Service Providers, websites and network hardware manufacturers are merely enabling IPv6 for their products permanently on that day.It will run in parallel with IPv4 for some time.
For the majority of Internet users, nothing changes at all today. You will still be able to connect to the Internet as usual, and access websites and services like before. Depending on the devices and operating systems used, some users may even need to upgrade their hardware or software in the future before they become IPv6 compatible.Â For now though, thanks to IPv4 and IPv6 running in parallel, Internet connectivity should not be any different from yesterday, or a year ago.
If you are interested in your system's IPv6 compatibility, you can run this little test in a web browser of your choice to find out more about it.
The transition from IPv4 to an exclusive use of IPv6 will take years. Some experts estimate the transition time to be ten years or more before IPv4 will be retired for good. The best way to find out more about how IPv6 will affect you is to contact your Internet Service Provider.Advertisement
This morning I also read an article about this IPv6 launch on a Dutch site. Apparently there are only 66 ISPs world wide offering IPv6.
I understood that also your modem/router should be technically ready for this new IPv6. So yeah for sure, it will take some years before I will notice the difference.
I’m aware this is a blog and not a forum, still I’d appreciate a word on the following topic :
Microsoft TCP/IP version 6
I’m running XP SP3 and there is a connection protocol available called ‘Microsoft TCP/IP version 6’. Is this related to our concern of IPv6, should I install it ?
No connection problem. Just wondering if I should install this protocol or not.
I do not think it is necessary to install the protocol right now, as most services and websites will support both protocols for the foreseeable time.
OK. Thanks Martin. Persons as myself who ignore the basics of Internet connection protocols are destabilized by major changes likes IPv4 -> IPv6.
Anyway, as long as the connection is on, all answers are as well. Problem is when no connection !
Your ISP will probably inform you once the change becomes necessary.
I have IPV6 disabled. I use openvpn and I was getting DNS leakage even with all my static IP addresses enabled (IPV4 and IPV6). Until this issue is resolved I’m sticking with IPV4 only.
I’ve disabled ipv6 on all of my devices too. It won’t be needed for decades if not longer IMO especially here in the US.
I read an article a couple years back labeling ipv6 one of the most overrated techs in history thanks to NAT.


Samsung is one of the highly anticipated smartphones and its new model Samsung Galaxy A9 has been scheduled today for launch. It is a most important launch of today for Samsung because Galaxy A9 is the first smartphone of the worlds with a quad rear camera setup.
Samsung will host the live stream of the event and can be watched through Samsung Bharat Newsroom or Samsung India Newsroom from 12:30 pm IST. This launch of Samsung Galaxy A9 in India will be hosting in Gurugram on November 20.
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Price of Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) in India
According to the sources, the price of Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) will be around Rs.35,000. On the official website of Samsung, the price tag of Samsung Galaxy A9 is Rs. 39,000, a previous report has claimed. This smartphone is also available on Flipkart. The smartphone will be exclusive to Flipkart (e-commerce platform in India) because it has created a landing page for Galaxy A9.
Globally its price starts at GBP 549 (around 44,700) and EUR 599 (around Rs. 48,800). Price details of the smartphone in India are yet to be revealed. Moreover, it comes in Caviar Black, Lemonade Blue, and Bubblegum Pink color variants.
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Specification of Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)
Samsung Galaxy A9 comes with a display of 6.30 inch and resolution of 1080×2220 pixels. It is an inbuilt memory of 128GB internal storage and that can be expanded via a microSD card up to 512GB.
It comes with 6GB of RAM and powered by octa-core processor (4×2.2GHz + 4×1.8GHz). The cameras concerned with Galaxy A9 (2018) packs 24-megapixel (f/1.7) primary camera and a 10-megapixel (f/2.4) secondary on the rear and a 24-megapixel front camera.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) weighs 183.00 grams and measures of 162.50 x 77.00 x 7.80 (height x width x thickness). It is powered by a battery of 3800mAh.
Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) is a dual Nano SIM acceptable phone. Its connectivity option includes GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, NFC, 3G and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include the Fingerprint sensor, Face unlock, Proximity sensor, Compass/ Magnetometer, Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, and Gyroscope.
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The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved changes to Arrowbrook Centre, a proposed mixed-use development that was approved in 2005 for more than two million square feet of development.
The company behind the massive development, which is located near the future Innovation Center Metro Station, received the county’s blessing yesterday (April 14) to convert previously planned high-rise residential buildings into single-family homes and mid-rise apartment units.
The changes, which are restricted to a 3.4-acre section of the 54-acre site, reduce the residential component of the site from 480 to 392 units.
Describing the development as “first-class,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said Arrowbrook Centre would help create a “sense of community in that area.”
“This is a very straightforward case,” he added.
The county also approved the developer’s plan to build a 32-unit multi-family building and 10 single-family houses. A 50-space parking garage for the apartment building and 27 parking spaces for the single-family houses, in addition to garage parking, were also approved.
The developer also plans to incorporate an asphalt trail that was suggested in the Herndon Metrorail Stations Access Management Study to connect to the future Innovation Center Metro Station.
John McGranaham, the applicant’s representative, noted that the developer is committed to completing the trail once easements and appropriate approvals are granted.
“It’s an important trail to have open when the Innovation Station opens shortly,” McGranaham said.
A plan that will guide the redevelopment of 94 acres of 25 privately owned properties near the Herndon Metrorail Station is expected to go before the Herndon Planning Commission early…
Goodwill is opening a donation center near its current location in Herndon (courtesy Goodwill) Goodwill is launching a new express donation site in the Herndon area. The drop-off site is…
Boaters and geese can be seen in the distance on Lake Accotink (staff photo by Angela Woolsey) The best path forward for saving Lake Accotink might to let it shrink,…
A vehicle passes 1676 International, an office building in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey) Justice HS Student Dies From Drug Overdose — “Officials notified the community of the fatal…


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Being a parent is one of the most rewarding aspects of life, and learning the basic skills to do it well will make it even more so. Use this article to get some good common sense advice to help make the role of child-rearing easier and more enjoyable.
Observe the same bedtime routine every night. Routines during bedtime will help your child mentally prepare for sleeping. If his routine includes changing clothes and brushing his teeth, he’ll know he’s getting ready for bed as soon as he puts on his pajamas. Once you child knows what to expect in a bedtime routine, there will be less resistance to going to bed.
Children always want just one more thing, but as a parent you need to learn how to say no to them. While there is no harm in offering the occasional reward, you must do it on your own terms as a parent. It is crucial that parents always show, through words or actions, that they are the ones in control, not children, and to accomplish this in a positive, loving way.
As a parent, understand that not every child wants to be surrounded by people. Some children can be shy and withdrawn, and that is normal behavior for them. Pay attention to whether your child becomes extremely withdrawn. If the behavior begins to appear strange, take your child to the doctor for a consultation.
You need to teach your child a hand signal that means he is behaving incorrectly. This is a simple way to letting your child know that what they’re doing is wrong, so they have a chance to adjust their behavior before a punishment is forthcoming.
As your child socializes with his friends more, he might pick up some inappropriate language from his friends. If your child uses a word that is not appropriate, ensure they know that it is not okay. Take him away from his friends and correct the inappropriate language. This will show him that you are serious and that you respect him enough to not correct him around his friends.
If you have a youngster that is having a difficult time with cutting teeth, invest a couple of dollars into a mesh teether and place cold carrots, apple slices or other crunchy fruits and veggies in it. Other things can also provide relief, but children generally prefer chewing on something that has some taste. As he does this, he will feel better regarding his teeth.
After adopting a child, be prepared for answering questions eventually. It’s natural for adopted children to wonder about their biological families, and they may pepper you with questions down the road. Avoid lying to them when it comes to the truth about their birth family, as it can cause them to feel resentful toward you if the truth comes out.
You should spend your time encouraging your child’s good behaviors rather than emphasizing his bad ones. When children are always being told what not to do, they may feel as though their freedom is being taken away. Tell your kids what they can do, instead of what they cannot do!
Knowledge is essential to a good raising a child style. You will gain more knowledge as you read about bringing up a child and as you gain more experience. It is always helpful to listen to the advice of people that have been where you are now, and gaining from their success. With that in mind, keep reading for more ideas.

domain: psychology


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Novelist and more.
Raquel is sleeping. While she sleeps she travels on another plane. Dreamtime, Heaven, the slumbering world, whatever it is called, is as real to her as the awakened world. She finds her studies as a Warrior needs education. Education of a martial variety…
The Archangel Michael struck Raquel’s hastily uplifted shield, the blow so powerful she flew backwards, losing the concentration holding her spiritual armor and weapons, waiting to crash into either the General or the wall behind him.
Neither occurred. Landing many feet away, both the wall and General were gone, the hallway now spread into infinity.
“Concentrate, warrior,” the General’s voice echoed from everywhere.
Jerking her attention back to the Archangel who leapt in the air to spear her to the floor with his blade in both hands, she rolled several times to her left just as the impact shattered the floor.
Rolling into a forward bow stance facing him after freeing his blade, advancing again, she ran to give herself some room.
Saddled feet shook the floor as she willed her armor into being again. An explosive clash of sword against armor tossed her yards down the hall with the assembled entities cheering encouragement. She lost concentration again as she fell, banging her head to the floor, stunned momentarily.
His earth shaking steps approached. Pushing herself up, shaking clarity back into her mind, she thought of a better weapon. She sat down creating a rocket propelled grenade launcher firing it at the approaching Angel. The explosion rocking the halls as the grenade hit him in the chest.
When the smoke cleared, he remained standing, his fiery red hair blowing in the breeze, his eyes aflame, he smiled, saluting her with his sword.
Then he attacked as if untouched.
Scrambling to her feet, she willed a full-bodied shield to brace between her and his assault. Michael slashed once with the blade, now burning, destroying the barrier advancing on the backpedaling warrior.
“Wait, wait!! Is this to the death?” she cried.
“To a warrior, every battle is to the death,” the General answered.
She feinted to her left, and then ran to her right around his gigantic legs. She turned her armor into modern warfare gear solidifying around her. She spun, squatting, created an M-16 and opening fire; she didn’t know modern weaponry so the M-16 was the closest weapon she knew.
Michael stumbled to a halt dodging, twisting, and deflecting with his sword, deflecting the unending barrage, nothing seemed to hurt him.
Transforming the M-16 into another rocket launcher she saw in a movie once, opening fire again. Michael slowed but not deterred. Dropping the launcher, pulling phosphorous hand grenades from a bandolier around her shoulder, tossing each, the effect only slowing him down; he moved with a determined stride.
“Screw it! Let’s go Sci-fi!” she yelled, her uniform turning into an imagined space suit.
As a space trooper from a video game, her weapon fired a plasma beam, forcing him to deflect with his fiery blade. The rifle turned into a giant double-barreled shotgun spitting globules of corrosive emerald acid covering him in a soapy bubble, which didn’t stop his advancing. She continued her retreat changing from one high tech imaginary weapon to another but only postponing his advance.
Nothing I do stops him, it only slows him down, she thought.
She created a small robot squad attacking him from every side but, with a smooth motion, he dispatched without a thought.
“This is getting me nowhere!” she yelled, dropping all her spiritual weapons and gear.
The Archangel paused for a second before he advanced again reducing his size.
She pulled out Sparky and her butterfly knife, “Alright, you want me, come get me!” she screamed running forward.
The Archangel stopped as she screamed, jumping at him with her knife aimed at his chest as Sparky zapped toward his head.
She thought her wrist broke as he casual slapped her blade away making her spin in midair and freeing Sparky, which clattered away. She feel to the ground, rising holding her hurt wrist.
“Oh, we’re not done!” she screamed turning into a berserker.
He remained immobile as she wrapped her legs around his human sized waist and with her uninjured hand began to strangle him, slamming her forehead into his.
The Warrior Angel’s body felt like marble, she realized too late her actions were futile even as her vision swam, blood pouring down from her forehead. Michael slid his free arm between his waist and her belly casually tossing her away.
The wind jettisoned from her lungs as she landed but she fought to stand as her, the raising fiery sword coming toward her.
“No matter what I do, I can’t defeat you! You’re an Archangel! What’s the point?” she screamed.
The multitude cheered for her, for no surrender, keeping up the good fight, to never quit, fighting on to the death.
She shakily stood as he prepared to give her the coup de grace.
She addressed the multitudes, “Well, if you really wanted me to win, you could help me!”
Instantly a wall of blades, shields, and assorted weapons surrounded her. Their bearers held defensive stances toward Michael, hands and bodies interposing themselves between her and the Archangel, the mighty being glanced at the infinite entities interfering in their battle.
Then he smiled.
He lowered his sword, the fire disappearing, motioning the army to make a path between himself and the wounded woman. The brigade of warriors parted as he came forward, kneeling and bowing at her feet.
Warriors held her up as she stared down at the kneeling, divine being.
“What just happened? Did Michael give up?” she whispered.
“Indeed. You won, little warrior,” The General appeared beside her touching and healing her.
He motioned for the multitudes to remove themselves from the field of battle. Michael remained where he was, slowly standing bereft of sword, smiling in pride at the little human before him.
“Whoa, I don’t get it? How did I win? They stopped him, not me. I lost.”
“My child, do you really think the warrior multitudes present here could actually defeat the Archangel Michael?”
Michael leisurely grew to gargantuan dimensions with stretching wings spreading outward from horizon to horizon. With a slight wing shrug, the multitude staggered from the wind caused by that casual motion. He gradually faded from sight.
“You see, only the most Holy one could defeat his creation. You won because you did what a Warrior does when nothing else works or is overrun. You called for aid. You asked and it was given,” he smiled.
She nodded, “One of Robert’s rules.”
“Correct. However, remember to not abuse the privilege, for Warriors, it is a last resort. They should be able to take the fight to their combatants and hold their own.”
“So in other words don’t be a wimp, take your lumps,” she said.
“Astutely put. We know what is in store for you, we have great faith.”
He handed her knife and Sparky, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. I’ve heard many times, in dreams that weren’t dreams, but messages from you. What’s in store for me?”
He became grim, “Many things, many things, small one. That is why we wished you to change your name to a fictitious name long ago. Names hold power, to be used for or against you. You are not yet ready to know what is in store. When the time comes, as they must, you will know. You will understand. For now, know you are among the favored.”
“Well, that’s a comforting thought,” she grinned.
“So are you ready for your next lesson?”
“You mean that wasn’t it?”
“As I said, in dreamtime, you can live a life in a matter of minutes in real time. It is still early; you could learn a few more things tonight.”
He motioned behind her. Two men appeared, a Mongolian warrior carrying a war axe, the other: a caveman with a blunt club. A woman came forward, lithe, but rippled with toned muscles wearing a form fitting workout suit.
“Let us see how you take on a group your equals.”
She returned the assessing woman’s gaze.
She pointed at her, “You I’m taking out first.”
The General crossed his arms, “Now that was a curious statement, why are you picking her first?”
“No weapons and she’s a woman. The most deadly of any species is typically the female. So she’s going down first.”
The woman smirked, “Try it…if you can.”
She looked at the General “So these guys talk?”
“These are the human aspects of the Warriors, so yes; the Divine hierarchy does not require speech. Oh, I should say: BEGIN!”
Without hesitation, the two females charged at each other as the males wisely held back.
To be continued…


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BJP-JD(U) alliance issue: Sushil Kumar Modi to meet Nitish Kumar
Patna: In an endeavour to convince the Janata Dal (United) not to break its 17-year-old alliance with the saffron outfit, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi will be meeting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here on Saturday.
Modi is Bihar`s Deputy Chief Minister. The BJP co-governs Bihar along with the Janata Dal (United).
Nitish Kumar, who returned from a tour to Patna on Friday, made it clear that there is a strain in the ties between the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP, and said that the current situation of the coalition is very difficult.
"And we have to now decide on what to do in this difficult situation. Talks are going on from almost all quarters. On one hand, they are saying that the alliance should continue for its very old. On the other hand, the situation is such... there are difficulties," said Kumar.
"Dua dete hai jeene ki, dawa karte hai marne ki (You wish me a long life, but offer medicines that will poison me)," he added.
Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav had earlier conceded that the crisis has been stoked by the BJP`s recent decision to choose Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to head its election campaign.
JD (U) has 118 MLAs in 243-member Bihar assembly and needs the support of only four more MLAs to reach the magic figure.
There are 91 MLAS from BJP, 21 from RJD and one each from LJP and CPI in the state Assembly.
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Ring Templates Various Sizes
This design contains ring templates sizes from 4 to 13.5, including half sizes. The rings can be cut from any thickness material. The thicker your material, the wider your rings will be.
Cut and leave as is after printing, or sand the material to round the edges and make smooth. Layer materials, add shapes, engrave designs or text...the possibilities are endless!
Depending on usage, keep in mind the thinner the material the more susceptible it becomes to breakage. Although it is not the only method, to reinforce material such as wood, we do recommend a common method of applying a finish of CA glue.


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Views exchanged on cooperation opportunities between Uvurkhangai aimag and AustraliaSociety
Uvurkhangai /MONTSAME/. On September 23, Governor of Uvurkhangai aimag A.Ishdorj held a meeting with First Secretary at the Embassy of Australia in Mongolia David Preston.
During the meeting, the Australian Embassy’s First Secretary introduced the opportunity for local students and youth to be involved in the scholarship program implemented by the Government of Australia. Despite the restrictions that have been put in place due to the current pandemic situation, he noted the possibility for local youth to make their own contributions to the country’s development by being involved in the scholarship program.
The sides also exchanged views on cooperation for livestock health, commodity production and its quality, pasture management, and tourism. As the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and Australia will be marked next year, the suggestion to implement works on agriculture will be put forth when planning various works to be carried out in the framework of marking the diplomatic anniversary, said Mr. David Preston.

domain: agronomy


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TIPHealth® is dedicated to Improving Treatment and Medication Adherence in America
PATIENT ENGAGEMENT–The New Call to Action for Clinicians
Marilyn Standifer Shreve is a clinical pharmacist who led California’s efforts to become the first state to implement policies and regulations that authorize electronic transmission of prescriptions (e-prescribing).
Over the last ten years, there has been much discussion within the healthcare industry about patient-centered care or improving the experience of patients. However, in a 21st Century healthcare system, there is a need to move from patient experience and satisfaction to patient engagement and health outcomes. How do you engage and motivate patients to take an active role in managing their treatment regimens; improving their medication-taking behavior (medication adherence); and, adopting healthy lifestyles? Today’s Call to Action for clinicians is to employ technology to expand their voice, reach and patient engagement care beyond the walls of traditional practice settings. The following four goals can be achieved through technology-assisted patient engagement strategies that:Improve treatment and medication adherence (patient health outcomes);
- Improve treatment and medication adherence (patient health outcomes)
- Reach large diverse patient populations and achieve better health outcomes;
- Improve patient engagement through tailored communications; and,
- Lower health care costs.
The following Patient Engagement Best Practices Resource Document was compiled by the Patient-centered Comparative Effectiveness Research Center in collaboration with Brigham Research Institute as a guide to the patient engagement process within patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). Let us know if this resource guide is of value to you as begin to create measurable patient engagement programs.
PATIENT-CENTERED COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH CENTER Patient Engagement Best Practices Resource Document
This document was compiled by the Patient-centered Comparative Effectiveness Research Center (PCERC) as a guide to the patient engagement process within patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). For more information on engaging patients in the research process, please contact PCERC.
Who are the stakeholders in healthcare?
Stakeholders are individuals that are involved in or affected by something. In healthcare, the stakeholders include patients, patient family members /caregivers, clinicians, healthcare providers, policy makers, etc.
… While this document will focus primarily on engaging patients and their caregivers in the research process, many of the concepts described are applicable for engaging other healthcare stakeholders in the research process. If you have questions about the inclusion of other stakeholders in your project, please contact PCERC for more information.
What is patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR)?
PCOR is research that evaluates the outcomes of healthcare practices and seeks to help patients and their caregivers to be more involved in their healthcare and to make more informed decisions about their health outcomes. The goal of PCOR is to provide evidence on the decisions made by all healthcare stakeholders.
PCOR also takes into account the preferences, values, and experiences of individual patients or groups of patients and looks to address questions such as: “Will this treatment improve the quality of my life? Given my lifestyle and preferences, which options are best for me? How will the implications of a particular therapy affect my family?”
What is patient engagement in research?
In the past, medical research has focused on health questions that were important to research and physicians while soliciting little input from patients and their caregivers (family members, friends that take care of them, etc.). However, more recently it has become clear that the health questions and outcomes that are most important to the academic community are not always those that are most important to patients and their caregivers. For this reason, meaningful patient engagement in the research process has been embraced and even required (depending on the project) for funding through institutions such as the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Patient-engagement in research, in this context, is the “interactive, bi-directional exchange between stakeholders and researchers” in the research process in order to focus on the health questions and outcomes that are most important to patients and to improve the quality and relevancy of research. (Curtis, et al. 2012).
Why is Patient Engagement important?
Within traditional biomedical research, patients are typically research subjects. Within PCOR, it is important that researchers view patients as active and respected partners in the research process.
“Compelling reasons, both practical and ethical, support engaging patients in healthcare research. Patients are the ultimate user of healthcare research findings and the most important stakeholder” (Garces, et al. 2012). Involving patients and other stakeholders in the research process has many benefits. Patients and stakeholders bring an important perspective to the research team and can benefit research projects by:
- Articulating the outcomes that are most important to them
- Providing insight on patient decision making
- Bringing valuable “expertise” (i.e. personal experience with a condition) that researchers and physicians do not have
- Providing helpful input on language and cultural issues to make dissemination campaigns more effective
Additionally, collaborating with patients can lead to:
- Improved patient outcomes (by focusing on outcomes that are more meaningful to patients)
- Improved mutual trust
- Increased transparency and credibility of research
- Increased accountability of research organizations
- Increased patient satisfaction
- Reciprocal understanding (between researchers and patients/stakeholders)
- Improved subject recruitment and retention
- Improved study design (designs that are more consistent with meaningful patient outcomes, more culturally sensitive, )
- More relevant and applicable research findings
- More effective dissemination of research findings
- Greater and more rapid uptake and implementation of findings
- Patients having the opportunity to be involved in decisions that may impact their health/well being or that of future patients
“Pre-engagement” and the importance of starting early
One of the most important (but often overlooked) principles of the patient engagement is that it is essential to start early. Researchers cannot achieve truly meaningful and productive engagement if they wait until the last minute. Engaging patients requires getting to know the patient partners in the project, building trust, and allowing the patients to help shape the project from the very beginning. Waiting too long will negatively impact the project and it will be apparent to grant reviewers that the engagement is rushed and forced. Further, research indicates that “pre-engagement” is especially important when working with underrepresented populations.
If possible, pursue “pre-engagement” in earliest planning stages of your project. This entails building relationships with patients through focus groups or community groups related to population of interest for your study. “‘Pre-engagement’ of stakeholders builds trust and motivates meaningful engagement. Prior to implementing a PCOR study, investigators should utilize a period of ‘pre-engagement’ when recruiting research participants and partners. This allows time to assure that both partnering institutions and PCOR participants comprehend the study and have sufficient time to have their questions answered and concerns addressed. In addition, research participants often wish to discuss participation with family and friends; pre-engagement allows the potential PCOR participant to make an informed decision and feel comfortable participating so that those who choose to participate are better equipped and motivated to make meaningful contributions to PCOR. This “pre-engagement” may also apply to other phases of PCOR research involving patient engagement, such as partnering to identify and frame the research question or to disseminate findings” (University of Marylnd, 2012).
Both PCORI and the AHRQ stress that the importance of continuous patient and stakeholder engagement. This means that patient engagement at nearly step of the research process will enhance PCOR and lead to more patient-centered research. It is very clear in the literature on this subject, that engagement within one or two parts of the research process is not sufficient. Rather, researchers need to include patient and stakeholder input at every relevant stage of their research project.
“PCOR starts from the vantage point of individuals facing health decisions. Every step of the design, conduct, analysis, and dissemination of PCOR should be directed towards informing health decisions that affect outcomes that are meaningful to a specific group of patients. From the earliest phases of defining a research topic and formulating a study question; then identifying a study population and choosing interventions, comparators, and outcomes to measure; through the conduct of a study and analysis of results; and ultimately to the dissemination of research findings into clinical practice, researchers should ensure PCOR results accurately and effectively inform health decisions important to patients. This requires patient engagement throughout the research process” (Berg, et al. 2012).
How can patients be involved in my research project?
Patients and stakeholders should be involved in many different stages of PCOR. Below are some examples of how patients can help shape research projects. It is important to determine the points of engagement early on in the planning process of your projects, so that you can recruit patient partners that have the appropriate skills and expertise.
- Topic selection
- Formulating a study question
- Determining consent procedures
- Identifying study population
- Identifying and choosing interventions/outcomes that are important to the population of interest (e.g. survival, function, symptoms, health-related quality of life, )
- Defining characteristics of study participants, interventions, outcomes
- Study design
- Agenda setting
- Monitoring study conduct and progress
- Data collection (through patient administered interviews)
- Data analysis
- Interpretation of findings
- Designing/suggesting plans for dissemination and implementation activities
- Actual dissemination of research results (e.g. presentations, social media, )
- Implementing results in practice (e.g. helping to develop decision aid tools, clinical practice guidelines, )
Methods for fostering engagement
Listed below are a few of the many methods of engaging patients. However, feel free to be creative and tailor the engagement to your particular project.
- In-person meetings
- Focus groups
- Patient and family advisory councils
- Individual patient interviews
- Phone calls/mobile messaging
- Skype conversations
- Email communication
Identifying outcomes that people in the population of interest care about and notice
In order for PCOR to be beneficial and meaningful to the people making specific health decisions, research proposals need to identify the outcomes that are important to individuals in the population of interest (e.g., survival, symptoms, health-related quality of life). Input from patients is necessary for accurately identifying these outcomes of interest.
In research proposals, these outcomes need to be defined clearly and evidence that supports the selection of these outcomes needs to be provided. This evidence should support “the selection of outcomes as meeting the criteria of ‘clinically meaningful,’ ‘patient-centered,’ and ‘relevant to decision-makers,’ such as patient and decision-maker input from meetings or surveys or published literature relevant to the question of interest. Select outcomes based on input directly elicited from patient informants, persons representative of the population of interest, either in previous studies or in the proposed research” (Berg, et al. 2012).
Things to think about when identifying patients
- Selecting the “right” patients very much depends on the goals of the project.
- Researchers should think about where the patients are with their condition/health issue. A patient that has recently developed a condition will likely have a very different perspective than a patient that has had it for years.
- Patients that were recently diagnosed, dealing with a very difficult condition, or at a particularly intense stage of treatment may not be able to collaborate on a project.
- Research proposals need to describe a clear plan to ensure the representativeness of participants. Patient partners/participants should be representative of the patient population facing the health decision of interest.
Qualities to look for in patient partners
- They should have personal experience with the condition/health issue in question and the range of treatment options
- If they do not have personal experience with the condition/health issue in question, they should be knowledgeable about it and the range of treatment options
- They should be similar to the population/community that the study results are intended to affect
- They need to be objective and not let their personal experiences affect their representation of other patients
- They cannot have conflicts of interested that prevent them from participating in the research process—financial (i.e. they cannot receive an honorarium) or other (i.e. advocacy group responsibilities). Researchers should ask about any such conflicts of interest prior to
- It is beneficial if they are comfortable speaking and sharing their opinions/views in a group setting (if on focus groups)
- It is beneficial if they are comfortable interacting with other patients
Practical advice for recruiting patients
- Based on the requirements, expectations, and roles of the project, researchers should develop a description of the experience needed
- Outline the training requirements, expected roles, and expectations for the patients prior to patient recruitment. It is then important to clearly share this information with patients and to also highlight the roles that patients will not play in the research
- The process used to select and recruit patients should be balanced and inclusive in terms of ethnicity, age, gender, condition burden, and socioeconomic
- The purpose of the research study, the objectives for patient participation, and patient compensation should also be clearly outlined
- Provide patient representatives with a clear timeline and a breakdown of the anticipated time commitment for each stage of the project
- The timeline for patients receiving compensation is also very important. Partners Healthcare can be very slow in processing the patient honorariums and researchers have indicated in the past that some patients became angry and placed frustrated phone calls to the PIs when they had not received compensation several weeks after the project ended. Clarify this timeline with patients before they join the
- It is very important that potential patients understand what the research is about. Go over the goals of the project several times with each
- Patients should be informed that the recruitment is bi-directional and they should be encouraged to think about it carefully and ask questions so that they can make an informed
- Researchers should partner with several patients (more than one or two) on their project to ensure that there is sufficient representation of the patient
- Use a range of settings, techniques to recruit
Strategies for identifying and recruiting appropriate patient representatives
Strategies for recruiting patient partners/participants should vary depending on the project. Below are some of the avenues for identify patient partners/participants (including individuals from hard-to-reach populations)
- Hospital/university academic departments
- Disease specific social networks
- Patient groups (e.g. advocacy groups, disease societies, )
- Claims data
- Medical registries
- Local clinics and hospitals
- Community centers
- Community housing centers
- Community organizations (e.g. Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Veterans Affairs, )
- Community meetings
- Health Fairs
- Local spots (e.g. churches/youth ministries, schools, libraries, recreation centers, soup kitchen/food pantries, transitional housing, hair dressers, barber shops, grocery stores, )
- Community outreach through employers, community organizations,
- Email via list serves
- Emergency rooms/Urgent care
- Bulletin boards (e.g. grocery stores, Community centers, )
- Billboards (especially those near hospitals/health centers)
- Community papers
- Press releases to radio, newspaper, newsletters
- Social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)
Recruiting patients, partners/partcipants
- Have something to draw them to you (i.e. food) and open up a conversation
- Work with cultural groups similar to the patients
- Use appropriate language
- Re-assure them that their personal information will not be shared
- Be clear and straight to the point when telling them about the study (the project, the expectations, )
- Have incentives
- Ensure that the consent form is written using language that is understandable to them
- Avoid long consent forms, go over forms with them in person
- Make sure they understand the research project and expectations. Ask open ended questions or have them explain it back to you (Teach-Back method)
Additional BWH resources for identification, recruitment, and engagement of patients
In addition to the avenues for identifying and recruiting patients that are provided above, BWH has additional resources to help you identify and recruit patient partners for your PCOR research project.
The BWH Bretholtz Center for Patients and Families is a comprehensive resource center that provides support and information to BWH patients and families while they receive care at the hospital. In addition, the Center works with numerous Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) at BWH and has helped connect numerous PCOR researchers with patient partners. If you are interested in working with this Center or creating/attending a PFAC, please contact Maureen Fagan, the Executive Director for the Center.
The BWH Center for Community Health and Health Equity (CCHHE) is committed to “advancing systems of care, research, and community programs that elevate the health status of the communities [they] serve”. These neighboring communities include Mission Hill, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, and Dorchester. The CCHHE has partnered with these communities to address real life issues including health disparities, access to care for vulnerable populations, and health awareness. The CCHHE has numerous relationships within the local community and BWH researchers can work with this Center to more effectively engage these communities and the hard- to-reach subpopulations within them. If you are interested in working with the CCHHE’s community partners to engage local patients, please email Wanda McClain, the CCHHE’s Executive Director.
Engaging patients from hard-to-reach communities
One of the most important, yet challenging requirements of PCOR is engaging patients from hard-to-reach communities within the research process. These patients include individuals “historically underrepresented in health care research such as those with multiple disease conditions, low literacy, low socioeconomic status, or poor health care access, as well as racial and ethnic minority groups and people living in rural areas” (Berg, et al. 2012). Due to barriers such as distance and socioeconomic status, this population does not typically participate in research. However, in order to effectively incorporate the values, beliefs, opinions, and health outcomes of these groups, it is very important to engage patients from these communities in the PCOR research process. “With greater involvement of patients from all walks of life, results would be more applicable to the entire spectrum of Americans and results would be implemented more rapidly across healthcare delivery systems” (University of Maryland, 2012).
Advice for Engaging Hard-to-Reach Patients
- Partner with individuals, associations, and groups that already have a network within these communities
- Go where they are located. Meet in places where people
- Utilize media (flyers, billboards, advertising in public transportation, social media, radio, TV, )
- Pre-engage to build relationships within these communities and then maintain these relationships after the project is over. Also, make a significant effort to give back to these
- Use plain language (the terms “research” and “outcomes” are unfamiliar to many patients in these communities)
- Think about how questions to these patient partners/participants is phrased
- Be flexible
- Multiple literature reviews indicated that patients may become frustrated if asked repeated questions
- Understand that some patients in these communities do now feel comfortable disclosing medical information openly
- Understand that trust is extremely important to these patients
- Be very clear about the expectations and goals of the project. Make sure the patients being recruited fully understand both of these.
- Clearly address how you will identify, select, recruit, and retain these patients in your proposal
How to support and train patient representatives
- All patients and researchers should receive adequate training for participation in a patient-centered research project
- Patient training should be tailored for the particular role that they will have and take into account their level of knowledge/experience. They should also be trained for research participation in general as this may be a foreign concept for them
- Provide both technical training as well as interpersonal, communication, and teamwork training for patients
- The term “research” often has negative connotations, especially in hard-to-reach populations. Provide education on what exactly is meant by “research”.
- Case studies can be effect if used in the training process
- Training materials should be written for a lay audience and not be too long in order to not overwhelm patients
- Researchers should be trained on the different roles of patients in the research process as well as how to effectively engage patients
Example Training Material
- Online Course: Understanding evidence-based healthcare: a foundation for action
- New Standards for Plain Language Summaries
- Provide no-strings-attached compensation (an honorarium, gift card, etc.) and/or support for travel to remove financial barriers for patients
- Think about things such as food, travel, parking, childcare,
- Include an adequate budget for necessary support of these activities in the research proposal
- Foster equality by ensuring that compensation rates for patients and researchers are comparable
- There is no recommended “rate” for compensation in patient-centered studies. This should vary based on the time commitments, amount of responsibility, length of the project,
- Past PCOR projects that we are aware of have varied compensation rates/methods from $50/$100 gifts cards to several hundred dollar honorariums to hourly rates of $25-$50.
- Provide materials for patients well in advance of any activity
Dissemination and Implementation
- If possible, patients should play an active role in the dissemination process
- For each patient partner/participant, the dissemination method should be personalized based on the patient’s characteristics and
- Avoid technical jargon when disseminating to lay audiences
- Provide clear guidance on patient roles and responsibilities within the group and provide additional dissemination training for patients
- Implement your dissemination plan in a timely manner once the research concludes
- Follow up with patient partners/participants in a research project and their communities/organizations with updates after the study is complete. This will promote meaningful participation in future
- If possible and appropriate, provide a celebration at the completion of the study
- For more information on dissemination of research results, please see the PCERC Research Dissemination Resource Document
Evaluating the engagement process as well as the dissemination process is extremely important within PCOR projects. The evaluation process should capture both the researchers and patient partners/participants perspectives and should be made available in order to benefit future PCOR projects.
Principles for effective patient engagement
“The existence of trust is key to motivating partners and communities to participate and to enrolling patients in PCOR. Building trust is not a step in the patient engagement process, but rather an overarching paradigm that needs to be ubiquitous throughout PCOR efforts” (University of Maryland, 2012). In order to build trust, researchers must:
- Speak the same language (i.e. use “lay” language)
- Be flexible
- Be genuine and consistent
- Remember that “research” is an emotionally charged word
- Be honest. You may have to overcome patients’ mistrust of researchers. If you say you are going to do something, follow
- Start early with “pre-engagement”. Trust cannot be built overnight. Integrate yourself into existing community networks. Trust is one of the key factors in the decision of whether or not to participate in the research process for individuals from hard-to-reach groups
- Be culturally sensitive
- Be non-judgmental and treat everyone the same
- Occasionally call and check on participates
- Listen to people, understand that sometimes participants are just looking for someone to talk to
Effective communication is necessary for creating a constructive environment and eliciting patient perspectives. Strategies for productive communication with patients include:
- Communicate early and often
- Communicate in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner
- Keep questions simple and straightforward
- Have a single contact person on the research team
- Ask questions in a non-judgmental manner
- Actively listen to patient responses. Read body language and think about non-verbal ways to build trust
- View patient partners/participants a people not patients in order to remove the stigma that having a condition/illness may bring
- Show the utmost respect for every member of the research team at all times. Never talk down to any members of the
- Provide constructive feedback to affirm that research partners/participants are contributing to the project
- Encourage patients to share their opinions and provide adequate time for them to participate
- Build relationships with patient partners/participants by providing opportunities to meet outside of schedule activities
Fostering a sense of equality is essential for effective PCOR as it helps patients feel that they are equal contributors to the project. Some strategies for promoting such equality are:
- Eliminating degrees from nametags
- Using first names for all researchers and patients rather than “Dr…”
- Offering equal compensation to all participants (patients and researchers)
- Creating opportunities for researchers to connect outside of the research setting
- Using plain language for descriptions of key concepts, the research project, and when recording summaries of calls or meetings involving patient representatives
- Create transparent processes
- Provide clear rules for engagement within group settings
- Establish formal processes for voting
- Establish clear processes for resolving conflict
Important considerations when engaging patients in PCOR
- To effectively engage patients, you must start early and engage them frequently
- Select patients that are representative of the patient population that you are studying
- It is important to ensure that the patients truly understand what the research project is about
- Clarify the roles, relationships, workload, and incentives at the beginning of the
- Trust is crucial when engaging patients. Work hard to build trust between the researchers and patient
- It is important to give back to the participants in your research project (e.g. follow up and provide the results of the study and, if possible, go into the community that you worked with to disseminate this information)
- It is important to respect patient privacy
- It is important to be culturally sensitive
- It is important to ensure that you budget adequate resources for the training (for both patients and researches), facilitation, and support of the engagement. Include these efforts in the research
- There is no “one size fits all” method when you are engaging patients
- Be conscious of the burden (time and effort) that the engagement puts on patients, their caregivers, and the research team. Ensure that what you ask of patients is
- Always think about both the patients and their caregivers. What is important to the patients may be different that what is important to their
- Researchers must respect the patient partners, treat them as equal members of the team, and value their opinions
- Do your research before engaging patients and learn from the experiences of past researchers. There are many articles and case studies on meaningful patient engagement
Barriers to effective patient engagement
- Time constraints for researchers due to starting too late
- Time constraints for patients due to projects being too burdensome on patients (e.g. too many meetings, other time commitments)
- It is recommended that activities be scheduled outside of normal of normal work hours to reduce the effect that the research project has on patients other responsibilities
- Researcher bias in indentifying and selecting patient partners
- Not having sufficient expertise
- Tokenistic engagement focused on “checking off a box” rather than meaningfully engaging the patients
- Lack of funding for effective engagement
- Insufficient incentive for patient partners/participants (i.e. no compensation/too little compensation)
- Unclear expectations for patients
- Perceived inequality between patient and researcher participants
- Poor communication
- Patient lack of knowledge/experience in subject area
Challenges you may encounter within patient engagement
Despite the advantages of patient engagement, there are challenges to engaging patients. It is important to think about the challenges that you may encounter in your particular project, so that you can overcome these obstacles.
- Patient engagement is likely to increase the cost and time of your
- As engaging patients in the research process is fairly new, the best practices are likely to continue to evolve as more research on this subject is
- Some patients do not want to be engaged despite the approach that you
- Some patients may be angry toward and distrustful of healthcare providers
Patient engagement checklist
- Did I start the patient-engagement process very early on?
- Have I effectively engaged individuals that are representative of the population of interest, including those from hard-to-reach communities?
- Have I engaged multiple patient partners at various points of the research process?
- Am I requesting adequate resources to support the engagement process (i.e. recruiting, training, facilitating communication, )?
- Am I providing support and compensation to the patient engaged in my project to enable them to be active partners in research?
- Am I utilizing the skills/networks of my patients for the dissemination of my research results?
- Did I seek out patient engagement expertise to help me with the process?
- Did I conduct exit interviews with my patient partners to solicit what they found to be helpful/unhelpful, ?
- Is my project transparent?
- Did I evaluate my engagement?
Patient engagement expertise
For those that are new to the patient-engagement process, PCERC can provide additional advice on patient-engagement before you start your project, help facilitate the identification of patient partners, and provide guidance throughout your project. Further, we can connect your research team to patient-engagement experts at BWH who may be interested in providing either one-time consulting or joining your project as a patient-engagement advisor. Please email PCERC for more information.
Additional advice for writing your research proposal
- Be sure that your proposal identifies all relevant populations whose health decisions will be potentially affected by your
- Recruitment should involve individuals’ representative of the full spectrum of the populations of
- Ensure that the description of your approach and plan (process, method, and outcomes) for patient engagement is clear.
- Clearly explain the selection process for the engaged patients, what the engagement process looked like, how feedback was obtained, and what impact this had on the patients you worked
- Fully describe how participants are identified, selected, recruited, enrolled, and retained in the study to address/reduce potential impact of selection bias (Berg, et al. 2012)
- If applicable, describe how participants from hard-to-reach or unique populations identified, selected, recruited, enrolled, and retained
- Fully describe what you have done to maximize adherence to agreed-on enrollment practices (Berg, et al. 2012)
- Clearly describe your methods used to ensure unbiased data collection from patient partners/participants
- Describe how you will adhere to agreed upon enrollment practices
- If the patients with the condition of interest are the best source of information, use patient-reported outcomes
- Authorship credit needs to be given to all individuals closely involved in the process (despite their background)
Appendix A: References
- Curtis, Pam, MS, Samantha Slaughter-Mason, MPH, Aasta Thielke, MPH, Cathy Gordon, MPH, and Catherine Pettinari, PhD. PCORI Expert Interviews Projects. Rep. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, n.d. 30 Aug. 2013. http://pcori.org/assets/pdfs/Expert%20Interviews%20Part%201.pdf, http://pcori.org/assets/pdfs/Expert%20Interviews%20Part%202.pdf, http://pcori.org/assets/pdfs/Expert%20Interviews%20Part%203.pdf, http://pcori.org/assets/pdfs/e- Expert%20Interviews%20Part%204.pdf
- Garces, Juan Pablo D., Gabriela J. Prutsky Lopez, Zhen Wang, Tariq A. Elraiyah, Mahammed Nabhan, Jaun Brito Campana…M. H. Murad. 1 Eliciting Patient Perspective in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: A Meta Narrative Systematic Review. Rep. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, 2012. Web. 30 Aug. 2013. http://pcori.org/assets/Eliciting-Patient-Perspective-in-Patient-Centered-Outcomes-Research-A-Meta-Narrative- Systematic-Review1.pdf
- Bonoff, Amy, et al. Supporting Patient and Consumer Involvement in Patient Centered Outcomes Research. 2011. MS. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Community Forum, Washington C. http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/tasks/sites/ehc/assets/File/Consumer-Involvement-in-Patient-Centered- Outcomes-Research.pdf
- Berg, Alfred, David Flum, Sherine Gabriel, and Sharon-Lise Normand. Draft Methodology Report: “Our Questions, Our Decisions: Standards for Patient-centered Outcomes Research” Ed. Mark Helfand. Patient- Centered Outcomes Research Institute, 23 July 2012. Web. 22 May 2013. http://pcori.org/assets/MethodologyReport-Comment.pdf
- 1 Workshop on Incorporating the Patient Perspective into Patient-Centered Outcomes Research. 7 Mar. Hosted by the Patient-Centeredness Work Group of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Methodology Committee. Baltimore, MD. http://pcori.org/assets/Workshop-on-Incorporating-the-Patient-
- Workshop on Incorporating the Patient Perspective into Patient-Centered Outcomes Research. 7 Mar. Hosted by the Patient-Centeredness Work Group of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Methodology Committee. Baltimore, MD. http://pcori.org/assets/Workshop-on-Incorporating-the-Patient- Perspective-into-PCOR1.pdf
- Integrating Patients’ Voices in Study Design Elemen Ts with a Focus on Hard-to-reach Populations. University of Maryland, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013. http://pcori.org/assets/pdfs/Integrating%20Patients%20Voices.pdf
- Deverka PA, Lavallee DM, Desai PJ, et al. Stakeholder Participation in Comparative Effectiveness Research: Defining a Framework for Effective Engagement. Journal of Comparative Effective Research.In
- Mullins, C. Daniel, PhD, Abdulla M. Abdulhalim, BSPharm, and Danielle C. Lavallee, PhD. “Continuous Patient Engagement in Comparative Effectiveness Research.” The Journal of the American Medical Association 15 (2012): 1587-588. Web. 29 Aug. 2013. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1148160

domain: medical


News•March 15, 2015 7:30 PM ET•2,140 views
Noisem announces new album
Baltimore's Noisem have announced the release of their anticipated sophomore album, 'Blossoming Decay', on A389 Recordings. You can watch/hear a short trailer/previewing the new album here: Recorded by Kevin Bernsten (Developing Nations), mastered by Brad Boatright (Audiosiege), and with artwork by Billy Carnes, 'Blossoming Decay' is a nine song offering which picks up where Noisem's debut long player 'Agony Defined' (2013) left off. Consisting of all new material, 'Blossoming Decay' takes things into a darker, more frantic and aggressive musical direction while blurring the lines between death/thrash/grind and punk.
Lambgoat Comment Reacts: Caleb Shomo of Beartooth
Watch Caleb react to the world famous Lambgoat comments.
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Watch Sam react to the world famous Lambgoat comments.


What's the difference between the FOTRIC 326 and FLUKE TiS50 handheld infrared thermal cameras?
|FOTRIC 326 Thermal Camera||FLUKE TiS50 Thermal Camera|
Key Feature Differences
The top (1st) key difference between these two thermal cameras is the infrared detector resolution - Fotric 326 has 384x288 resolution compared to 220x165 resolution on the Fluke TiS50 (204% more pixels on Fotric 326, or 74,292 more pixels). It means the Fotric 326 will provide higher quality and larger radiometric images, and can reveal more details.
The second (2nd) key difference between Fotric 326 and Fluke TiS50 thermal camera is sensitivity (NETD). Fotric 326 has better thermal sensitivity and can detect a smaller temperature difference.
The third (3rd) key difference between Fotric 326 and Fluke TiS50 thermal camera is the support of the smartphone. Fotric 326 thermal camera supports smartphone as the operational screen display and data processing with a smartphone APP, Fotric LinkIR. While Fluke TiS50 supports connection with a smartphone via WiFi to stream the image. You can always upgrade the smartphone to upgrade the overall Fotric 326 thermal camera performance while nothing you can do to the Fluke TiS50 thermal camera.
The fourth (4th) key difference between Fotric 326 and Fluke TiS50 thermal camera is temperature measurement range. Fotric 326 thermal camera can measure up to 1,202F while Fluke TiS50 can only measure up to 842F. With a wider temperature range, Fotric 326 can be used for more applications.
The fifth (5th) key difference between Fotric 326 and Fluke TiS50 thermal camera is the frame. Fotric 326 thermal camera has a 30Hz frame rate while Fluke TiS50 has a 9Hz frame rate. Fotric 326 thermal camera has a much faster response when you turn the camera around to check different objects.
|Fotric 326||Fluke TiS50|
|IR Detector Size||384 x 288 Pixels||220 x 165 Pixels|
|Thermal Sensitivity||<0.06°C (60mK) NETD||<0.08°C (80mK) NETD|
|Temperature Range||-4°F to 1,202°F||-4°F to 842°F|
|Frame Rate||30 Hz||9 Hz|
|Field of View||28x21 Degrees||35.7x26.8 Degrees|
|Spatial Resolution (IFOV)||1.27 mrad||2.8 mrad|
|Screen Size||3.5 Inch / 5.5 Inch||3.5 Inch|
|IR/Overlay Fusion Image||Yes||Yes|
|Video Output||Yes. PAL/NTSC composite||Yes|
|Radiometric Video Recording||Yes on Smartphone||No|
|Moveable Spots||5 spots||2 spots|
|Moveable Boxes||5 boxes||1 box|
|Moveable Lines||1 line||No|
|Touch Screen Display||Yes, on Smartphone||No|
|Minimum Focus Distance||0.5 Ft (0.15m)||0.5 Ft (0.15m)|
|Accuracy||±2% or 2°C||±2% or 2°C|
|Battery Use Time||2.5 hours||4 hours|
|Battery Type||Standard Li-ion||Fluke's Li-ion|
|IR Digital Zoom||Yes, on Smartphone||No|
|Voice Annotation||Yes, 60 seconds||Yes|
|Calibration Included||Factory Calibration||Factory Calibration|
|Power Supply Voltage||120V/220V Universal||120V/220V Universal|
|Interfaces I/O||Micro USB||Wifi, USB|
|Storage||SD card 16GB, upgradable||Internal Memory 4GB|
|Product Weight||1.006 kg (2.2 lbs)||0.726 kg (1.6 lbs)|
Level and Span
* Fully-radiometric short thermal video stream refers that each frame of the video stream preserves the original temperature of each pixel.
Note: Information is collected from the internet and for reference only.