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Minutes of the Monetary Policy Meeting of the Reserve Bank Board
Melbourne - 1 April 2014
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Glenn Stevens (Chairman and Governor), Philip Lowe (Deputy Governor), John Akehurst, Roger Corbett AO,John Edwards, Kathryn Fagg, Martin Parkinson PSM (Secretary to the Treasury), Heather Ridout AO,Catherine Tanna
Guy Debelle (Assistant Governor, Financial Markets), Christopher Kent (Assistant Governor, Economic), Jonathan Kearns (Head, Economic Analysis Department), Anthony Dickman (Secretary),Peter Stebbing (Deputy Secretary)
International Economic Conditions
Recent indicators for the global economy suggested that activity in Australia's major trading partners in the early part of 2014 had expanded at around its average pace. Similarly, the growth in world trade volumes over recent months had been at, or even a little above, the average growth of the past few years.
In China, data for the first few months of 2014 had suggested a continuation of the easing in economic growth that had started in the latter part of 2013. While this moderation was evident across a range of indicators, members noted that the data for the early months of the year were difficult to interpret given the Chinese New Year holiday. In March, China's national legislature set the target for GDP growth in 2014 at 7.5 per cent, unchanged from 2013. Members noted that the authorities' concerns about credit growth might constrain stimulus measures in the event that some support for growth was needed. The targets for inflation and money growth in China were also unchanged for 2014.
Recent data for the United States were consistent with further moderate growth in the economy, even though adverse winter weather conditions had had a noticeable temporary effect on activity in the March quarter in at least some parts of the country. Indications were that consumption and business investment had continued to rise in recent months, and the increase in payrolls employment in February was close to the average pace over 2013.
In Japan, domestic demand growth had remained strong, with activity picking up prior to the consumption tax increase at the beginning of April. Inflation had fallen back slightly as the effects of higher energy prices following the depreciation of the yen had begun to diminish. There had been small increases in base wages offered by some large companies in recent negotiations, the first increases for some time. In the rest of east Asia, growth had continued at around the average of the past decade, while economic conditions in India remained subdued. In the euro area, GDP grew modestly in the December quarter, the third consecutive quarter of positive growth, and more recent indicators pointed to a further expansion in the March quarter.
Global commodity prices had declined since the previous Board meeting. The spot price for iron ore had been volatile over recent weeks, while steel prices in China had declined and spot prices for coking and thermal coal were well below current contract levels. The fall in the price of steel in China over recent weeks was consistent with a softening in demand. At the same time, the supply of steel appeared to have been constrained by a tightening in credit conditions reflecting the Chinese authorities' concerns about pollution. Base metals prices had also declined, though rural commodity prices were a little higher.
Domestic Economic Conditions
Members began their discussion of the domestic economy with the labour market, which remained weak despite a strong rise in employment in February and an upward revision to employment in January. The unemployment rate had remained at 6 per cent in February and the participation rate had picked up. The ABS had cautioned that part of the change in employment and participation in the month had been attributable to larger-than-usual sampling variability. Members noted that, while the February data may have overstated the improvement in the labour market, it was also possible that the earlier data had overstated the weakness. Meanwhile, a range of indicators of labour demand suggested a modest improvement in prospects for employment, although the unemployment rate was still expected to edge higher for a time.
The national accounts, which had been released the day after the March Board meeting, reported that average earnings growth over the year to the December quarter 2013 had remained subdued. With measured growth in labour productivity around the average rate of the past two decades, nominal unit labour costs were unchanged over 2013.
Members recalled that the national accounts reported that GDP rose by 0.8 per cent in the December quarter and by 2.8 per cent over the year, which was a little stronger than had been expected. In the quarter, there had been further strong growth of resource exports, while growth in consumption and dwelling investment picked up a little and business investment declined. Public demand had made a surprisingly strong contribution to growth, but planned fiscal consolidation at state and federal levels was likely to weigh on public demand for some time.
Members observed that more recent economic indicators had generally been positive. Retail sales had increased by 1.2 per cent in January, continuing the pick-up in momentum that began in mid 2013. The Bank's liaison with firms suggested that, more recently, retail sales growth may have eased from this strong rate. Motor vehicle sales declined further in February, as had measures of consumer confidence over recent months, but the latter were still around their long-run averages.
Housing market conditions remained strong, with housing prices rising in March to be 10½ per cent higher over the year on a nationwide basis. Members noted that dwelling investment had increased moderately in the December quarter, with a pick-up in renovation activity, and that the high level of dwelling approvals in recent months foreshadowed a strong expansion in dwelling investment.
Data on business conditions released during the month had been somewhat mixed. Business investment fell in the December quarter, driven by a large decline in machinery and equipment investment and falls in engineering and non-residential building construction. While much of the decline appeared to have been driven by mining investment, non-mining business investment was also estimated to have declined in the quarter. More recently, non-residential building approvals had increased in January and, in trend terms, were at their highest level since 2008, with increases evident across a range of categories, including the office, industrial and ‘other commercial’ sectors. Some survey measures of business conditions had declined in the month, but most measures were around, or a bit above, average levels and also above levels recorded in mid 2013. Business surveys and information from the Bank's liaison suggested that businesses were still somewhat reluctant to commit to major investments, although the growth of business debt had picked up a little.
Members discussed the industry composition of output, investment and employment growth over the past two decades. They noted that employment growth had been spread across many industries, although the industries with the largest contributions to employment growth – particularly service industries – had not been the same industries with the largest contributions to growth of output and investment. Members noted that future employment growth was likely to continue to be concentrated in service industries. Data from the ABS capital expenditure survey indicated that a number of non-mining industries were expecting to increase their investment spending a little in the following financial year.
Members observed that financial markets had been relatively quiet over March. The main focus had been the timing of policy tightening by the US Federal Reserve and uncertainty about the economic outlook in China.
The Federal Reserve further reduced its monthly rate of asset purchases at its March meeting by US$10 billion, as expected. At the same time, the Fed had revised its forward guidance framework, removing any reference to unemployment thresholds and instead indicating that policy rates were anticipated to remain unchanged for a ‘considerable time’ after the likely end of asset purchases later this year, although Fed officials also increased slightly their expectations for the future path of the policy rate. The market consequently brought forward its expectation of the first rate rise to the middle of 2015.
Members noted that government bond yields in the major markets of the United States, Germany and Japan were little changed over the month, while those in euro area periphery countries continued to decline significantly, with yields on government bonds in Spain and Italy falling to around their lowest levels since late 2005. Government bond yields in emerging markets had generally declined, with movements in yields dependent on perceptions about prospects for individual economies.
In Australia, longer-term government bond yields were little changed over the past month, with some rise at shorter maturities. Members also noted that the Australian Office of Financial Management had issued $7 billion of a new April 2026 bond – the largest on record – with very strong demand from both domestic and overseas investors. The latest data on ownership of Australian debt showed that foreign holdings of Commonwealth Government Securities were around two-thirds of the total, compared with around one-third for state government debt.
Credit markets were generally quiet over the month with corporate bond issuance in developed markets continuing at a similar pace to that in recent years, although issuance in emerging markets had declined over the past year, mainly reflecting less issuance by Chinese non-financial corporations. Credit risk in the Chinese corporate bond market had received more attention from investors and commentators over the past month after authorities allowed the first default in the onshore Chinese market to occur. In Australia, corporate bond spreads remained around their lowest levels since 2007/08 and issuance continued to be easily absorbed by the market, including issuance by lower-rated corporations and at longer maturities.
Global equity markets were little changed over the month, and the Australian equity market moved broadly in line with developments elsewhere. The experience across emerging markets was mixed, with Russia showing a large fall over the past month; however, equity markets in several other emerging market economies had recovered some of the losses that had occurred over the previous year.
Members observed that the major currencies had changed little since the previous Board meeting. The renminbi depreciated by 1 per cent against the US dollar, and the People's Bank of China had widened the daily trading band for the exchange rate from ±1 per cent to ±2 per cent in order to encourage greater two-way movement in the exchange rate. The Russian rouble had appreciated over the month as the Russian central bank continued to intervene on a relatively large scale in the foreign exchange market.
The Australian dollar had appreciated, partly in response to domestic economic data, and it was now close to the level in November 2013, although on a trade-weighted basis the exchange rate was still about 12 per cent below its peak a year earlier. Members noted that the New Zealand dollar was currently at levels equivalent to historical peaks against the Australian dollar, following the tightening of monetary policy by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
Members completed their discussion of financial markets by noting that money market rates in Australia continued to imply that the cash rate was expected to remain unchanged over the remainder of the year.
Considerations for Monetary Policy
Overall, growth in Australia's major trading partners looked to have remained around average in the early months of 2014, although there were signs that growth in China had eased. Domestically, growth over 2013 had been below trend pace. Members noted that while falling mining investment and weak public demand were set to constrain growth for some time, there were early promising signs in other parts of the economy. In particular, a strong pick-up in dwelling investment was in prospect and there was some evidence that consumer demand had strengthened a little. Indicators for exports remained strong, while those for business conditions were generally higher than they had been in 2013. However, many businesses appeared to be waiting for an increase in current demand to occur before they were willing to increase investment spending.
Information on wages pointed to moderate growth, which was expected to help contain domestic inflationary pressures. While there had been some tentative evidence of a slight improvement in a number of labour market indicators, conditions would need to improve further before the unemployment rate could be expected to decline.
At recent meetings, the Board had judged that it was prudent to leave the cash rate unchanged and members noted that the cash rate could remain at its current level for some time if the economy was to evolve broadly as expected. Developments over the past month had not changed that assessment. There had been further signs that low interest rates were supporting domestic activity. Members noted that the exchange rate remained high by historical standards. Despite commodity prices falling further over the past month, the exchange rate had appreciated a little further. While the decline in the exchange rate from its highs a year earlier would assist in achieving balanced growth in the economy, this would be less so than previously expected given the rise in the exchange rate over the past few months.
On the basis of this assessment, the Board's judgement was that monetary policy was appropriately configured to foster sustainable growth in demand and inflation outcomes consistent with the 2–3 per cent inflation target. The Board would continue to monitor developments in the economy, with members noting that, on present indications, the most prudent course was likely to be a period of stability in interest rates.
The Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent.
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General Dynamics Proposes PIRANHA 5 for the Close Combat Vehicle Program
Posted on 2011-08-29
LONDON, Ontario, Canada – General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada announced today that it will offer the PIRANHA 5 vehicle fitted with Rheinmetall’s LANCE 30mm Modular Turret System for the Government of Canada’s Close Combat Vehicle (CCV) Program. The goal of the CCV program is to deliver a well-protected armoured vehicle with very high tactical mobility, able to deliver an infantry section in close combat, while operating in intimate support of main battle tanks. In response, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is leading an all-Canadian team that leverages the best of the Canadian defence industry to deliver and support a vehicle that will meet those stringent requirements.
The PIRANHA 5 CCV is the latest evolution of the proven PIRANHA family of wheeled combat vehicles, incorporating the newest lethality, mobility, protection and communications technologies. It provides the best of both worlds, combining track-like performance with the strategic mobility of a wheeled platform. Advanced suspension technology allows the PIRANHA 5 CCV to go anywhere a medium-weight tracked vehicle can go with significantly lower fuel, maintenance and lifecycle costs.
Danny Deep, vice president of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, stated, 'With the PIRANHA 5 CCV, Canadian soldiers will control the battlefield and fight, manoeuvre and communicate with agility and precise lethality. And they will do it in a vehicle that achieves the deployability and lifecycle cost benefits enjoyed by the rest of Canada’s wheeled combat vehicle fleet.'
Deep further stated, 'With 35 years of experience in delivering and supporting vehicles that meet or exceed the requirements of the Canadian Army, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is committed to delivering to the Canadian soldier the best tools for the job and the best protection that we can give them. We know that our vehicles carry the soldiers we depend on to fight for the freedoms we cherish.'
General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has assembled a powerful Canadian team for this program. General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada will be the prime contractor for the CCV program and will manufacture and assemble the PIRANHA 5 chassis at its facility in London, Ontario. Rheinmetall’s LANCE 30mm turret technology will be transferred to its Rheinmetall Canada facility in Saint-Jean-sur Richelieu, Quebec, for full turret production. Armatec Survivability Canada of Dorchester, Ontario, will augment the PIRANHA 5’s inherent protection with a survivability suite of advanced composite materials and the latest technology in energy-absorbing troop and crew seating, all designed and tested to meet rigorous blast, IED and kinetic-energy threats. The remainder of the team will be drawn from a supplier base of over 400 Canadian companies. This combined production effort offers a world-class vehicle built in Canada, by Canadians, to protect Canadians.
General Dynamics Land Systems, the Canadian company’s parent corporation, is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). For information about General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada, please visit www.gdlscanada.com.
More information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com


text: Dr. Johanan Rand, M.D. is a Bioidentical Hormone Specialist practicing Healthy Aging from West Orange, New Jersey. Dr. Dov Rand has been a professional specialist in integrated medicine and has his own bioidentical hormone replacement practice. Dr. Rand is president of the Healthy Aging Medical Center from Wester Orange, New Jersey. He is very dedicated to giving patients the care that they might need. You can follow Dr. Johanan Rand on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and at https://www.newjerseybioidenticalhormonedoctors.com/new-jersey-bioidentical/healthy-aging-medical-centers/. He is very prone to creating original and custom care plans for each individual’s health. If someone needs a different plan than another person, Dr. Rand is more than willing to accommodate them and their needs. He offers Physical Therapy and getting his patients in shape so that they are living healthy. If you are in need of Physical Therapy after an injury, then Dr. Rand’s services may help you with this situation too. You can schedule your own appointment with Dr. Rand or follow him on (Twitter) at @Dr_Johanan_Rand for more information about his medical therapies and professional practice office. He is known in the public for being affiliated with Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, New Jersey. Dr. Rand earned his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine through performing his Residency work. He has also studied at St Barnabas Medical Center on Internship and at Howard University College of Medicine Medical School. He has earned his New Jersey State Medical License in 1992 and practices still today. He is well known for Physical Medicine and Rehab as a physician in the state of New Jersey. He has an extensive educational training background in medicine and has completed a lot throughout his career as a doctor. Dr. Johanan Rand, M.D. hopes to educate patients on how to eat healthy and give them nutritional supplements if needed to help improve metabolism and can act as anti-inflammatory medicines.

domain: medical


text:
'Even by my standards this is pretty gross': Erin Molan reveals her very unique pregnancy cravings as she reaches the end of her second trimester
She's the Channel Nine star who's expecting her first child with fiancé Sean Ogilvy in June.
And, as she enters the second trimester of her pregnancy, Erin Molan has revealed she is having unique food cravings.
In an Instagram Story shared on Wednesday, the 35-year-old showed off an open sandwich made up of 'onion, tuna, beetroot and mayonnaise' which she lamented: 'Even by standards this is pretty gross (sic).'
'Even by my standards this is pretty gross': Erin Molan revealed her very unique pregnancy cravings to Instagram on Wednesday, as she reaches the end of her second trimester
Not that gross by ANY standard! Erin's pregnancy cravings include open sandwiches made from common ingredients
On Sunday, Erin revealed that she does not expect to take a great deal of maternity leave, and will return to work, 'very quickly.'
The Footy Show host told The Sunday Telegraph: 'I think I will be able to go back very quickly because I'll be able to be a full-time mum at home; I can do my prep from there, and then be able to go into work for a few hours at night.'
Furthermore, the Channel Nine journalist revealed she intends to have a nanny accompany her to the Nine News studios for her 6pm sports bulletin shift.
In spite of Erin's ambitious post-baby plans she confessed other mothers may not concur with her school of thought.
Committed: Erin revealed that she does not expect to take a great deal of maternity leave, and will return to work, 'very quickly'
'I'm well aware that other mothers reading this will probably say, 'OK, you have absolutely no idea' she revealed to The Sunday Telegraph.
Her post pregnancy revelation comes after she suffered a health scare last month.
Erin was rushed to Sydney's North Shore Hospital after she fainted at work and hit her head.
Tests at the hospital revealed that she had a low blood sugar count which had caused her to collapse.
Parents-to-be! The blonde beauty is expecting her first child with fiancé Sean Ogilvy in June
At the time, the blonde beauty admitted that her own well-being was the last thing on her mind.
'I couldn't care less about myself,' she said. 'But I was worried I might have hurt my baby when I fell.'
She added that fiancé Sean was very much the concerned father-to-be, flocking to be by Erin's side.
'Sean was also really scared,' Erin said, adding: 'He came straight to the hospital.'
Aside from the impending arrival, 2018 is shaping up to be a mammoth year for Erin who has roles on The Footy Show, 20 to 1, Nine News and 2GB radio.
Busy bee: Aside from the impending arrival, 2018 is shaping up to be a mammoth year for Erin who has roles on The Footy Show, 20 to 1, Nine News and 2GB radio
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domain: news


text:
Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal chaired a meeting to review the proposed Punjab Skill Policy 2021-26 at TEVTA (Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority) secretariat, here on Tuesday.
TEVTA Chairman Ali Salman Siddique gave a detailed briefing on the first proposed skill policy.
The provincial minister said that the government was introducing the first skill policy, and he had constituted a committee, headed by Secretary Industries and Commerce Department to finalise the policy in consultation with the stakeholders within a week.
Mian Aslam added, “Technical education has now gained special importance all over the world. So we will have to take steps to attract people to it.”—APP

domain: economics


text:
Voyages in Print: English Narratives of Travel to America 1576-1624
Mary C. Fuller (Author)
Out of Stock. Usually despatches within 2 weeks.
DescriptionThe decades leading up to England's first permanent American colony saw not only territorial and commercial expansion but also the emergence of a vast and heterogeneous literature. In the multiple relations of writing to discovery over these decades, these texts played a role more powerful than that of simple recording. They needed to establish certain realities against a background of scepticism - the possibility of discovery, the lands discovered, the intentions and experiences of the discoverers - and they also had to find ways of theorizing their enterprise. Yet conceiving of the American enterprise positively or even survivably proved surprisingly difficult; the voyage narratives evolved almost from the outset as a genre concerned with recuperating failure - as noble, strategic, even as a form of success. Reception of these texts from the Victorian era on has often accepted their claims of heroism and mastery; through a careful re-reading, Mary Fuller argues for a more complicated, less glorious history.
Cambridge University Press
31 May 2007
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domain: history


text:
This 30 day challenge is the essential guide to meal prep for beginners everything you need to know about meal prep starting with the fact that its much easier and more delicious than you think well set you up for easier nights faster mornings and healthier meals all month. Start by marking meal prep the complete meal prep cookbook for beginners your essential guide to losing weight and saving time delicious simple and healthy meals to prep and go your essential guide to losing weight and saving time delicious simple and healthy meals to prep and go low carb meal prep by. Meal prep the essential beginners guide quick and easy meal prepping for weight loss and clean eating if you want to learn how to create healthy delicious meals for yourself then you are on the right place to know learn all the things about meal prep. Meal prepping 101 for beginners september 21 2015 rachel parsons how you choose to store your meals can make or break your meal prepping efforts so go ahead and get started with your favorite meals you can pick up meal prep havens containers here. How do i meal prep for obvious reasons planning is key when it comes to meal prepping beginners meal prep guide how do i meal prep for obvious reasons planning is key when it comes to meal prepping keeping things organized will make for the quickest and easiest prep ill prep meals for t f but because the majority of the prep
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domain: food


text:
Limnological Role of Aquatic Macrophytes and Their Relationship to Reservoir Management
Reservoir biologists often consider aquatic macrophytes an undesirable form of primary production. Techniques for controlling macrophytes have limited effectiveness. A consideration of recent research indicates that a balance between phytoplankton and macrophyte production is desirable in most reservoirs. Methods for eliminating especially troublesome macrophytes and encouraging more desirable species should be developed. Many macrophytes produce large standing crops and are intricately involved in aquatic food webs. The nutritive value of different species varies considerably. Therefore, a distinction should be made between the quality and quantity of production. The quality of food is often more important than its energy content when aquatic food webs are considered. Macrophyte communities often accumulate large quantities of inorganic nutrients early in the growing season and thereby compete with phytoplankton for nutrients. Phosphorus concentrations are apparently very important in regulating macrophyte growth. The phosphorus cycle of the littoral zone is considered in detail. In shallow, macrophyte-infested reservoirs, a considerable proportion of the phosphorus is cycled through pathways in which vascular plants are involved. In nutrient polluted reservoirs, certain macrophyte species could be cultivated in specified areas to deny space and nutrients to nuisance species. Macrophytes could be harvested to reduce nutrient levels. The macrophyte flora of tropical reservoirs represents an important source of fodder or leaf protein that could be exploited for food.

domain: literature


DA: No evidence of crime involving tea party officials in locked courthouse
Published: June 20,2014
Tags: Chris McDaniel, Connie Cochran, constable, courthouse, crime, election, Election Commission, GOP, Hinds County Board of Supervisors, Hinds County Courthouse, Janis Lane, Jon C. Lewis, law, law enforcement, political campaign, politician, Politics, primary, republican, Rob Chambers, Robert Smith, Scott Brewster, Senate, Tea Party, Thad Cochran
JACKSON — In a letter to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, District Attorney Robert Smith repeated what he has said before: he found no evidence that a crime was committed when three tea party members became locked inside the courthouse on June 3 election night.
The report delivered to supervisors yesterday included a cover letter, a copy of a written statement from county Constable Jon C. Lewis and a copy of a sheriff’s department incident report.
Smith said Lewis had indirect contact with tea party members from Hattiesburg, whom McDaniel’s campaign identified as Janis Lane, Scott Brewster and Rob Chambers, dispatching them to the Hinds County courthouse because there was no one from the tea party movement to monitor the election process there.
Smith said Lewis “explained that the tea party members gained access through the west side door of the courthouse where it was known by some that this door did not work properly and that one could access entry into the courthouse.”
Smith said Lewis did not open the door for the three. Lewis said he only told the tea party members to go to the courthouse. He claimed he never opened any doors.
A staffer for state Sen. Chris McDaniel’s U.S. Senate campaign and two other McDaniel supporters were locked inside the county courthouse the night of the June 3 primary election night. McDaniel, incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran and a third candidate were vying for the Republican Party nomination. Cochran and McDaniel are in a June 24 runoff.
Brewster, Lane and Chambers were found inside the courthouse. They reportedly entered sometime shortly after 2 a.m. and, after realizing they were locked in, called for help.
Brewster is McDaniel’s campaign coalition coordinator, Lane is president of the board of the Central Mississippi Tea Party and Chambers is a consultant with the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission.
“There is no evidence of a crime being committed for the following reasons: no witnesses to testify that a crime had been committed; no video recording although the courthouse is equipped with video surveillance, including the west side of the door in question; Election Commissioner Connie Cochran has given statements that no tampering occurred because the office and vault was locked before she left the office of the Election Commission,” Smith said in the report.
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NORFOLK – It can happen at any time…a disaster forcing a local hospital out of its comfort zone and into action.
Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk held a disaster plan simulation on Thursday. The exercise tested the hospital on what they would do with a sudden influx of patients that had been evacuated from a disaster in another city.
Organizers say the exercise reflected new protocols put in place that require hospitals to include law enforcement, emergency managers and anyone else that would be involved in a disaster scenario.
“We’ve been pretty close to that in the past, so it wasn’t a big stretch for us,” said Faith Regional safety manager Mark Sears. “It helps us work with the other partners in our community. They learn to work with us and we get to know each other.”
Faith Regional officials say the exercise will inform how they handle major events in the future.
“We’ll work on those things throughout the year, to get those things better,” Sears said. “Then next year, when we do our next exercise, we’ll incorporate those things to see if we’ve made any improvements.”
Thursday’s exercise gave Faith Regional the opportunity to try out their new patient tracking system that they devised following the Pilger twin tornadoes in 2014.


text:
The morning suns had barely risen and yet Lourdes' unit, the 2nd Calvary, was already knee deep into action. She could hear the thunder of explosions in the distance blanket their targets, the roar of their impact getting louder and louder, as the ground quaked beneath their feet. They had long called it Imperial Thunder, because if one was lucky to survive the force of the explosion, the clap of its thunderous blast would deafen any witness for hours.
The once pink and orange sky darkened into now a gray mist as it began to rain soot and debris upon the unit. Whatever luscious colors the landscape possessed, the Empire had turned it into nothing but different shades of grey. The continuing rain sent foreign particulates that began to clog the filtration systems within their helmets, making the simplest gesture of breathing a task that was trained as a Stormtrooper.
They could barely see a foot in front of them, let alone breathe, yet they persisted as they always did. Such was the mission. In the end, it was just another day for the 2nd. Tomorrow would bring the same. It was a continuous loop of them surviving and walking out of Hell itself to do it again.
8 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin)
Lourdes would awake with a startle, just as she did many times before. It was the same dream, if one would call it that, of her and the 2nd running into action only to do it again and again. Sometimes she believed she could still smell the stench linger in her nostrils as her mind forced her to relive what she had tried to run away from - life.
The Galactic Concordance had been signed, ending the war between the Empire and the Republic. The Empire had fallen and news spread like an untamed wildfire. The Republic forged a new path in the galaxy, and where its reach had not yet visited, revolts arose against remnants of the Empire. The Imperial Army had no command structure or force to fight back. Where once their armor provided protection in battle, it now served as a target. They were soldiers fighting for a cause, but there was no war to fight no more. She had heard many were taken into custody by the Republic. Some had gone underground, while others ran into the far reaches of the galaxy.
The 2nd had never ran away from anything, but once the tide was turned against anything Imperial, they knew what had to be done. They agreed to split as a unit, hiding their presence onto different planets while taking up different lives to better assimilate with the natives.
Lourdes would sometimes want to scream as she ended up on Tyegin. She was no longer a pilot or a soldier, now she was a farmer barely surviving as technology passed her daily, tempting her ability to lash at her consciousness. She would rub her eyes with her hands, taking a small pause and noticing the life she had chosen for herself. Lourdes would rise to her feet, her back straight as her spirit reawakened once more. She may not been a soldier anymore, but she was trained to survive. And survive she would, for she was part of the 2nd.


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WA Road Safety Research and Evaluation Program
The Road Safety Research and Evaluation Program includes:
- Proactive and planned, through engagement with our locally based road safety research centre: Curtin-Monash Accident Research Centre (C-MARC).
- Responsive to emerging issue and need, through engagement with additional research institutions and experts.
- Ongoing, through memberships with other research agencies.
The Road Safety Research and Evaluation Program is informed by the Road Safety Research Review Committee (RSRRC), Chaired by the Commission’s Assistant Director Strategy and Policy. The RSRRC is a sub-committee to the Road Safety Council with representation from across government and community.
The RSRRC role is to provide strategic road safety advice from across the respective agencies in relation to future research. This enables the Commission to ensure that future research:
- Aligns to whole of government priorities and thereby, is responsive to the current road safety issues and emerging trends relevant to WA.
- Increases the road safety research base within WA.
- Avoids duplication of research within WA.
- Represents return on investment for WA.
Road Safety Research Review Committee members
Road Safety Commission
Melissa Watts has 25 years experience working for the Government developing social and public policy, as well as strategy. Melissa is currently the Assistant Director Strategy at the Road Safety Commission in WA. She is responsible for strategy and policy development, data intelligence gathering and analysis for road trauma and the road safety research and evaluation program. Melissa and her team will coordinate the development of the state’s next Road Safety Strategy on behalf of the Road Safety Council to follow on from Towards Zero. To that effect, the Road Safety Research Program that Melissa manages is integral to inform the future of road safety outcomes in Western Australia.
Road Safety Commission
Morgan Elderfield is the Road Safety Commission’s substantive Principal Policy Officer and provides operational support to the Road Safety Research and Evaluation Program as well as the Commission’s approach to road safety policy development, implementation and evaluation. Morgan has experience across the WA public and community sectors and is passionate about research. Morgan has a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Wollongong. In 2018, Morgan completed a Master of Law, Policy and Government from the University of Western Australia. As part of her Masters, Morgan completed a qualitative research project into fatigue management within the WA commercial vehicle industry. This led Morgan to forge strong working relationships with key stakeholders throughout WA, Australia and within the United States of America, to which she continues to cherish and foster. From October 2018, Morgan will be on 12 months leave from the Commission, embarking upon an opportunity in the United States of America.
Road Safety Commission
Emma is an acting Senior Policy Officer with a passion for road safety. She has particular interests in Indigenous road safety, alcohol interlocks, safe riding gear and child car restraints. Emma is one of the Commission representatives on the Vulnerable Road Users Advisory Group.
Emma has a background in research, with a Ph.D. in medieval legal history from the University of Western Australia. Her qualifications include a Diploma in Adult Education from Griffith University and a B.A. with honours in English and History from the University of Western Australia.
Emma is committed to working collegially with Road Safety Council agencies to improve road safety in Western Australia.
Main Roads Dept
Hayley Lajszczakis the Road Safety Research and Evaluation Manager at Main Road Western Australia, supporting the organisation in undertaking research that translates to road design, policy and operational improvements in road user safety. Hayley is an economist and program manager with over 10 years combined experience in investment planning for large roads infrastructure projects and strategic innovation and research.
Road user representative
Jill Darby is a passionate public heath advocate for a safer and better community. She holds positions as RAC Councillor; Club Board member with oversight of the RAC Mobility agenda; Deputy Road User member on the Road Safety Council and member of the Research Review Committee. She is a Public Health Lecturer in the School of Medical and Health Science at Edith Cowan University with strategy, leadership and research experiences including education, health promotion, workplace wellness and safety. She has worked across all levels of Government and NGO agencies contributing to the development of the current Towards Zero Road Safety Strategy 2008-2020. She is qualified with graduate studies in Education; Health Science; Masters in Public Health; Bachelor of Science and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Scott joined the WA Police in 1986 and served in a variety of local policing and specialist detectives’ roles across the Metropolitan area. His operational leadership roles include the position of Director of the State Intelligence Division before he was appointed District Officer of the South Metro Police District and Central Metro Police District. In addition to operational roles, Scott undertook the role of Principal of the WA Police Academy in 2013 and in 2015 acted as the Director of Human Resources for WA Police. In December 2016, Scott was appointed to the role of Commander of the State Traffic Command, responsible for traffic enforcement activities across the state. This role requires coordination of policing effort across a diverse road network with a variety of enforcement options, including breath and drug buses, speed cameras and highly visible car and motorcycle patrols. He completed the Monash University Accident Research Centre Leadership in Road Safety Management Program in 2017.
Mal Shervill has been working at WALGA since February 2011 as the Policy Officer Road Safety. Mal has worked extensively with Local Governments on a variety of road safety related matters including speed and speed enforcement. Mal was involved in the implementation of the Local Government Speed Enforcement Program implemented in October 2012 based on research conducted by C-MARC. The Program provides Local Governments with a formal process to supply vehicle travel speed data for local roads where speeding is identified as a problem to the WA Police Force to inform road policing strategies.
Department of Health
Dr Teresa Ballestas is the Principal Medical Advisor, Public and Aboriginal Health Division, Department of Health.
Dr Ballestas has experience in the health sector both as a public health practitioner and a clinician.
Department of Education
Matt has over 15 years experience in an education context, creating success for all students, both nationally and internationally through teaching, learning area coordination, curriculum and resource development, including the delivery of student support programs to government and non-government schools. Matt is a member of the State Government’s primary strategy for drug and road safety education for young people School Drug Education Road Aware (SDERA) Management Committee. SDERA works with schools and the wider community to provide prevention education aimed at keeping young people safer.
Department of Transport


text:
Meet the Team
The pre-requisite for all Drama Queens actors is that they are innovative and gifted teachers.
Only 12, from over 500 applicants. have succeeded in meeting that standard.
As working actors we do occasionally come and go. But we are a very tight knit, communicative unit. We recognise that continuity and the high quality experience for pupils is key to our success.
I am the founder of Drama Queens. Mother of two, (my greatest productions!) actor and writer. Keeping my beady eyes on proceedings at all times!
Joe is not only a star of the West End and Broadway, but a teaching star of utter brilliance. He specialises in theatrical fun! Whether you’re 3 or 83, in his lessons and parties a good time is absolutely guaranteed!
Harry’s special skills include writing and directing. He could direct traffic and make it look great! You want to be in his shows!
Jonty is our Prince Charming, a triple threat! He can act, sing and dance and that’s just on his scooter!
Phoebe is our dancing queen! Whether it’s dubbing, dabbing, the one step, the two step or the cha cha cha Phoebe is Strictly the go to girl!
Becky is the proverbial fairy princess, creating magic wherever she goes! She’s also a speech and language specialist, and a trained actor with a superb singing voice!
Miss Musical Theatre, a true Mary Poppins with our youngest pupils. Our Irish twinkling star!
Fancy a fight? She’s your woman!
Rachel specialises in physical theatre, teaching stage combat for us
Talitha can do anything! She’s an actor and a published poet. She motivates and inspires the children at every turn.

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Gold prices moved higher on Tuesday, as the dollar weakened despite rising US yields. The EUR/USD whipsawed higher, despite a mixed ZEW survey which showed that future conditions are expected to get better. The CNBC Fed survey for March shows weaker global growth pointing to tariffs as the impetus for the drop in GDP. Slower growth should weigh on the US dollar and pave the way for higher gold prices.
Gold futures are trading higher on Tuesday, but since the initial surge to the upside, the market has been rangebound. The price action is mirroring the movement in the U.S. Dollar against a basket of currencies. A slight rise in U.S. Treasury yields is also capping gains as well as increased demand for risky assets.
Low volume is contributing to the tight intraday trading range with most of the major players ahead of the Fed interest rate and monetary policy announcements on Wednesday. Traders expect the Fed to remain dovish based on rising expectations of an interest rate cut amid persistent concerns about economic growth in the United States.
At 18:46 GMT, April Comex gold is trading $1307.00, up $5.50 or +0.42%.
Daily Swing Chart Technical Analysis
The main trend is down according to the daily swing chart. However, momentum is trending higher. A trade through $1349.80 will change the main trend to up, while a move through $1280.80 will signal a resumption of the downtrend.
The minor trend is up. This move shifted momentum to the upside. A trade through $1292.50 will change the minor trend to down. This will also shift momentum to the downside.
The main range is $1209.30 to $1349.80. Its retracement zone at $1279.60 to $1263.00 is the primary downside target and support.
The intermediate range is $1349.80 to $1280.80. Its retracement zone at $1315.30 to $1323.40 is the primary upside target and resistance. Trader reaction to this zone will determine the direction of the gold market this week.
The short-term range is $1280.80 to $1311.60. Its 50% level or pivot at $1296.20 has been providing support the past two weeks. Currently, the market is trading on the strong side of this pivot, giving it a slight upside bias.
Daily Swing Chart Technical Forecast
Gold has been trading sideways the past five sessions because it is being trapped by a pair of 50% levels at $1296.20 and $1315.30. Furthermore, traders need a catalyst to encourage them to commit to either side of the market.
That catalyst is the U.S. Federal Reserve economic projections. A dovish Fed is likely to trigger the start of a breakout to the upside on a move over $1315.30. Look for a spike to the downside if the Fed is more hawkish than expected and $1296.20 fails as support.
This article was originally posted on FX Empire


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Grand Stand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has launched a new neonatology program that has been in the works for about a year. The hospital is working to recruit two permanent, local neonatologists. Until those positions can be filled, neonatologists from other counties in South Carolina are working at the hospital, making Grand Stand Medical Center the only hospital in Horry County to have a neonatologist either in the hospital or on-call at all times.
Dr. Art Shepard, the Sheridan neonatologist who worked on staff at the hospital during the first week of the new program, told local ABC News affiliate WPDE that the hospital delivers about 1,000 babies a year, and that 8-10 percent of all babies need specialty neonatal care. “If babies need respiratory support or prolonged tube feeding, for example, because they're early those babies would ordinarily have to go to [a NICU in] Charleston or Florence, and so that's about a hundred babies a year that have to leave just for those reasons," Shepard said. Because Grand Strand has a level II nursery and not a NICU, he explained, some seriously ill babies will still need to be transported to either the Florence or Charleston NICUs.
"We can take care of babies as young as 32 weeks gestational, so about 8 weeks early, we can take babies that are as small as 1500 grams at birth, which is about 3 1/2 pounds, and we can maintain babies on mechanical ventilation for as long as 24 hours,” he continued. “If babies are smaller than that, less mature than that, or require more respiratory therapy than that, they still need to go to the regional perinatal center."
Both Shepard and OB/GYN Dr. Tracey Golden are excited that more babies will be able to be treated locally, near their mothers and families. "We are looking forward to the opportunity to keep those babies here. Keeping babies and moms together is so important. It's important to facilitate breast feeding, we want to encourage that. And keeping families together is the best way to get a family off to a healthy start," Shepard said. Golden added, "It's priceless, because unfortunately the NICUS are at least an hour and a half to two hours from this local region, and for many families that means they're taken away from their other children or their support network."
Emerald Rabon, who has a high-risk, complicated pregnancy, is comforted by the availability of a neonatologist at the hospital. “I'm going to be delivering really early, and she's going to be super small and not as developed, so that's even more scary," she told WPDE. After meeting with Dr. Shepard, she was reassured to learn that even if her baby girl arrives weeks early, there’s a good change she will be able to remain in Myrtle Beach. "You think of a pregnancy and the baby just pops out and they're doing great and mine is going to be hooked up to machine and tubes going in and out of her. It's scary," she said.

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text:
Kareena Smith, leader of the underground telepaths of Earth, waged a secret war against the Tel Group and her government as long as she could remember. Until Tel captured her, her second in command, and one of their own, a defector. After months of captivity and several failed escape attempts, the three women are rescued by a group of Delroi warriors. There’s a price on her head and nothing left f...
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Londonderry, NH (PRWEB) May 15, 2013
Scientific Management Techniques will be delivering skill assessment machines and assessment protocol training for all sixteen technical colleges in Wisconsin this summer. The equipment and training is partially funded by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment Training Administration's Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant program.
These unique programs have a proven history of improving both employment and industrial productivity across a wide variety of manufacturing platforms. The assessment machines are used globally in the hiring process and to identify specific training needs of the industrial workforce. “The assessment machines are powerful productivity tools” states Stephen Berry, President of SMT. “The program objective is to solve the manufacturing skills shortage. The assessment program has many uses in industry; our manufacturing clients assess candidates to identify and measure the skills of potential employees. Identifying skills prior to hire is the single most effective way to ensure a quality hire and drive performance. Many clients also assess their incumbent workforce and design targeted training based on the assessment data. Delivering training based on the assessment data is exceptionally effective as you take manpower out of production only for the specific identified skills training required. The mechanical skills assessment machine, the Standard Timing Model, also identifies mechanical instinct and aptitude. Our clients use this capability when they staff apprentice programs where candidates have had no manufacturing skills training to date. Each technical college in Wisconsin will have all of these capabilities.”
“Our state's manufacturers look to the Wisconsin Technical College System to train the highly-skilled, productive workforce that drive our economy,” said Dean Stewart, dean of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College's Corporate Training and Economic Development. "By using SMT’s hands-on skill assessment machines to focus training on the specific needs of the manufacturing industry and our students, Wisconsin's technical colleges are continuing efforts to close the state's workforce skills gap."
SMT has been delivering manufacturing skill assessments since 1970. Many of the most respected manufacturing organizations in the world use the assessment program to drive profitability by increasing the skill level of their workforce. “Our typical industrial client is a large Fortune 500 type global manufacturer” continues Berry, “When a school deploys the assessment and training program they are delivering the same program for manufacturers of all sizes in each market. We are excited to have the opportunity to work with each technical college in Wisconsin. Collectively, the effect will be to increase the skill level of the industrial workforce statewide.”
About Scientific Management Techniques, Inc:
Scientific Management Techniques is the global leader in industrial skills assessments and industrial skills training. SMT’s manufacturing skill solutions are currently deployed in thirty-one countries. The skills training curriculum trains to the critical skills required to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot an industrial facility. Their hands-on manufacturing skills assessment machines and assessment protocols are used in the hiring process to identify and measure industrial skills; Mechanical, Electrical, PLC, and CNC skills. Many organizations assess their incumbent workforce and deliver targeted training based on the assessment data. http://www.Scientific- Management.Com.
Contact: Mr. Stephen Berry, SMT President, Sberry(at)Scientific-Management(dot)com, 603-421-0222


text:
|Year : 2020 | Volume
| Issue : 2 | Page : 92-96
A potential immunological diagnostic marker for acute myeloid leukemia: the expression of the immune checkpoint B and T lymphocyte attenuator
Sara M Radwan1, Nooran S Elleboudy PhD 2, Nermeen A Nabih3, Amal A El-kholy4, Amany M Kamal1
1 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
3 Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Hematology Division, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
4 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
|Date of Submission||23-Feb-2019|
|Date of Acceptance||15-Mar-2019|
|Date of Web Publication||29-Dec-2020|
Nooran S Elleboudy
Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, African Union Organization St. Abbassia, Cairo 11566
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
Introduction Provided the physiologic tumor suppressive role a healthy immune system has, diagnosis of cancer is sometimes also regarded as a diagnosis of an immune dysfunction. Immunoediting refers to the change of immune system response from tumor protection to tumor promotion, favoring the growth of poorly immunogenic clones that have the ability to evade the immune response. Among the mechanisms by which the tumor cells bypass the immune system is immune checkpoints. Which are immune inhibitory pathways responsible for self-tolerance and limiting self-tissue damage by controlling the magnitude and duration of the immune reaction.
Objective Studying the expression of the novel immune checkpoint BTLA in patients with AML and evaluate its clinicopathological and diagnostic significance.
Patients and methods We investigated the expression of BTLA gene in 60 AML cases and 15 healthy controls using RT-PCR.
Results The current study revealed that significant up regulation of BTLA mRNA expression in AML patients as in comparison with the control group (P=0.024).
Discussion These results provide a basis for the perception that BTLA upregulation is involved in inhibition of antitumor immunity and that high BTLA expression level can be made use of as a diagnostic marker in patients with AML.
Keywords: acute myeloid leukemia, B and T lymphocyte attenuator, cancer immunology, immune checkpoints, T cells
|How to cite this article:|
Radwan SM, Elleboudy NS, Nabih NA, El-kholy AA, Kamal AM. A potential immunological diagnostic marker for acute myeloid leukemia: the expression of the immune checkpoint B and T lymphocyte attenuator. Egypt J Haematol 2020;45:92-6
|How to cite this URL:|
Radwan SM, Elleboudy NS, Nabih NA, El-kholy AA, Kamal AM. A potential immunological diagnostic marker for acute myeloid leukemia: the expression of the immune checkpoint B and T lymphocyte attenuator. Egypt J Haematol [serial online] 2020 [cited 2022 Jun 27];45:92-6. Available from: http://www.ehj.eg.net/text.asp?2020/45/2/92/305397
| Introduction|| |
Immune response to cancer cells occurs in one of two ways, either as a reaction against tumor-specific or against tumor-associated antigens both are molecules expressed in a different way in cancer than normal cells .
Cancer immune response involves two major stages, namely, the priming and effector phases. During priming, the antigen-presenting cells (APCs) activate the T cells. The tumor antigens, which are tumor-specific antigens or tumor-associated antigens, which include molecules expressed in a different way in cancer than normal cells , are obtained from dying cancer cells. Danger signals including type I interferons, are produced and act as adjuvants to increase the immune response . During the effector phase, antigens together with danger signals cause the maturation of DCs. DCs produce three signals to induce effector T cells. 1. Via antigen presentation on MHC molecules on DCs to T cell receptors 2. Co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory molecules. 3. Production of a number of cytokines. The main effector cells for the destruction of tumor cells are cytotoxic T lymphocytes .
Tumors escape the immune system by various mechanisms resulting in immunoediting. The mechanisms interfering with antitumor immune responses fall into the following categories: (a) the first is the defective tumor antigen presentation, as tumor antigens may be present in different forms because of genetic instability or tumor mutation. Epitope-negative tumor cells may thus escape the immune response . (b) The second is tumor cell resistance. As the cancer pathologic process progresses, the tumor cells become more genomically unstable, which increases their immune resistance . (c) The third is absence of activating mechanisms owing to the absence of costimulatory molecules such as CD28 and CD80. Thus, tumor cell-induced apoptosis is minimal . (d) The fourth is activation of immune checkpoints. The activation of immune checkpoints expressed on activated T cells results in inhibition of T-cell activation when bound to specific ligands on tumor cells/APC, particularly against the cytotoxicity caused by antigen-specific T cells, thus suppressing antitumor immunity . Among the immune checkpoints, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 and programmed cell death protein 1 are commonly studied as a result of promising clinical applications of monoclonal antibodies against them . The binding of these inhibitory receptors results in a decrease in the protective role of antigen‐specific CD8+ T cells against tumor cells. Accordingly, in cancer a link has been established between the expression of co‐inhibitory receptors and the T-cells dysfunction, thus the blockage of these receptors has revealed clinical promise .
BTLA is another co-inhibitory molecule, having a negative regulatory effect on T-cell activation and is expressed on a variety of immune cells including B-cells, T-cells, and dendritic cells . BTLA interacts with herpesvirus entry mediator, a member of the necrosis factor receptor family. Its ligation with herpesvirus entry mediator causes suppression of T-cell development and dampened immune response, as well as reduced cytokine production, including inhibition of INF-γ, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 . Limited data are published concerning the biological role of BTLA expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of BTLA expression as well as its diagnostic value in AML patients since checkpoint inhibition is a promising therapeutic goal.
AML is a hematopoietic stem cell disorder pigeonholed by the expansion of undifferentiated myeloid progenitors. It is heterogeneous from the clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular points of view. Nearly 30% of cases carry frequent chromosomal abnormalities . Management of patients with AML takes into consideration the heterogeneity of the disease, as well as incorporation of several predictive factors such age, performance status, and recognition of cytogenetic risk factors . It is aggressive and devastating, showing primary response to chemotherapy but when not eradicated in the first attempt becomes progressively more resistant to treatment . The average 5-year survival rate for patients with AML is ∼27% .
| Patients and methods|| |
A total of 60 newly diagnosed patients with AML were recruited from the Internal Medicine Department, Clinical Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt. The diagnosis was based on the morphologic findings from Wright–Giemsa-stained smears prepared from bone marrow aspirates and immunophenotyping analyses of leukemic cells. Moreover, 15 healthy, age-matched and sex-matched volunteers were also involved in the study as the healthy control group. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Research, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, and was conducted consistent with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent were also signed.
Peripheral blood samples were collected prior to receiving any treatment and collected on vacutainer tube containing Na2 EDTA for determination of complete blood count and for total RNA purification.
Complete blood count determination
Complete blood count determination was carried out by Z2TM Coulter Counter (Coulter Electronics, Hialeah, Florida, USA).
RNA isolation and real-time quantitative PCR
The QIAamp RNA blood mini kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) was used for total RNA extraction from human whole blood according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Complementary DNA was synthesized using High-Capacity Complementary DNA Reverse Transcription kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California, USA) and stored at −20°C until use. Gene expression analysis was performed with the Rotor-Gene Q Real-Time PCR cycler (Qiagen) using standard thermal cycling conditions and Taqman assays specific for BTLA. GAPDH was the endogenous control used for normalization of data. The expression levels in unknown samples were normalized and analyzed by the 2-ΔΔCt method where ΔΔCt=(Cttarget gene−CtGAPDH) sample−(Cttarget gene−CtGAPDH) calibrator.
Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, YSA) and MedCalc, version 18.2.1 (MedCalc Software, Ostend, Belgium). Continuous numerical variables were presented as mean and SD, and intergroup differences were compared using the unpaired t test. Nonparametric data were shown in the form of as median and interquartile range, and between-group differences were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test. Correlation was estimated using the Spearman rank correlation. Two-sided P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was used to examine the diagnostic value of gene expression .
| Results|| |
Clinical data of the studied groups
Clinical data of the studied groups are presented in [Table 1].
B and T lymphocyte attenuator expression level and its diagnostic value in patients with acute myeloid leukemia
Patients with AML showed significantly upregulated BTLA expression in comparison with the healthy control group ([Table 1]). Patients’ age or gender did not have an effect on Its expression level. We further evaluated its diagnostic value using receiver-operating characteristic curves, where it showed moderate diagnostic value with area under the curve, diagnostic sensitivity, and specificity of 0.70 (95% confidence interval: 0.573–0.792, P=0.002), 51.7, and 100%, respectively, for a cutoff criterion of more than 1.537 ([Figure 1]).
|Figure 1 Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for evaluating the diagnostic value of BTLA expression. BTLA, B and T lymphocyte attenuator.|
Click here to view
Correlation coefficients between B and T lymphocyte attenuator expression levels and complete blood count parameters in patients with acute myeloid leukemia
A strong negative correlation was observed between BTLA expression and both hemoglobin (r=−0.620, P<0.001; [Figure 2]) and bone marrow blasts (r=−0.331, P=0.01; [Figure 3]) in patients with AML.
|Figure 2 Correlation of BTLA fold expression with hemoglobin (g%) in patients with AML (n=60). Each individual value is represented by a symbol (&z.squf;). r=Spearman’s rho. AML, acute myeloid leukemia; BTLA, B and T lymphocyte attenuator.|
Click here to view
|Figure 3 Correlation of BTLA fold expression with BM blasts (%) in patients with AML (n=60). Each individual value is represented by a symbol (&z.squf;). r=Spearman’s rho. AML, acute myeloid leukemia; BM, bone marrow; BTLA, B and T lymphocyte attenuator.|
Click here to view
| Discussion|| |
A healthy immune system should have the ability to suppress tumor cells; however, tumor cells possess a number of mechanisms to escape immune surveillance, and among those mechanisms, one is immune checkpoints. There is a recent interest in the study of immune checkpoints because of their potential use in the diagnosis, prognosis, and as a potential treatment target for different cancers. Although considerable research is now available about immune checkpoints in solid tumors, research is still limited about their role in hematologic malignancies ,.
Side by side with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 and programmed cell death protein 1, novel immune checkpoint molecules on T cells are being discovered constantly, and BTLA is one of them. BTLA (CD272) is another inhibitory receptor member of CD28 superfamily. On the human chromosome, it is located in chromosome 3 in q13.2 and encodes a type I glycosylated transmembrane protein composed of 289-amino acid. BTLA was expressed on mature lymphocytes including B cells, T cells, DCs, as well as macrophages .
The findings in this study have shown that BTLA gene expression was significantly up-regulated in the studied sample of patients with AML in comparison with the studied healthy control group. It has also shown that this checkpoint is of moderate value in AML diagnosis. The upregulation of BTLA genes results in BTLA signaling into T cells through the phosphatase SHP-1, decreased T cell receptors signaling, as well as the mobilization of preformed CD40. Thus, BTLA overexpression deprives B cells from the T helper signals and it might be suggested that BTLA serves as a cell-extrinsic suppressor of B cell development ,,. Consequently, BTLA is regarded an important player in the immune editing process that helps in development and progression of cancer.
The 5-year survival rate of patients with AML treated with the current treatment modalities is only 27% ; thus, the search for new trends toward better survival is mandatory. In April 2019, Junshi Biosciences declared that the premier anti-BTLA mAb, TAB004/JS004, has received an approval for clinical trial by FDA [19-21].
Although the idea of exploiting the immune system to treat cancer dates back to the early days of immunology research, this idea was hampered by the false belief that tumor cells were only weakly immunogenic. Recently, this idea was modified when it was proven that the immune system does recognize cancer cells, yet tumor cells manage to evade immune surveillance. In the case of hematological malignancies, the deeper understanding of tumor immunology will enable a number of promising immunotherapies. The immunology of hematological tumors, not only AML, trails the discoveries in solid tumors. Nevertheless, research about immunotherapy treatments potentially applicable to AML is growing . Accordingly, it is considered of paramount importance to provide a more profound explanation of the immunology of AML to design, select, and optimize diagnostic tools and immunotherapies for this resistant malignancy.
The authors thank all the patients who participated in this study.
All authors shared equally in this study and approved the final version of the article to be submitted.
Financial support and sponsorship
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References|| |
Finn OJ. Cancer immunology. N Engl J Med
Galluzzi L, Buqué A, Kepp O, Zitvogel L, Kroemer G. Immunogenic cell death in cancer and infectious disease. Nat Rev Immunol
Kershaw M, Westwood J, Darcy P. Gene-engineered T cells for cancer therapy. Nat Rev Cancer
Houghton A, Guevara-Patin J. Immune recognition of self in immunity against cancer. J Clin Invest
Bruttel V, Wischhusen J. Cancer stem cell immunology: key to understanding tumorigenesis and tumor immune escape? Front Immunol
Torres L. Loss of the CD28 costimulatory molecules on the immune subsets of TCD4þ cells in prostate cancer elderly patients. J Clin Oncol
Schreiber R, Old L, Smyth M. Cancer immunoediting: integrating immunity’s roles in cancer suppression and promotion. Science
Pardoll D. The blockade of immune checkpoints in cancer immunotherapy. Nat Rev Cancer
Oguro S, Ino Y, Shimada K, Hatanaka Y, Matsuno Y, Esaki M et al.
Clinical significance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells focusing on BTLA and Cbl-b in patients with gallbladder cancer. Cancer Sci
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BTLA expression on Th1, Th2 and Th17 effector T-cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with active disease. Int J Mol Sci
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High expression of the inhibitory receptor BTLA in T-follicular helper cells and in B-cell small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Am J Clin Pathol
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Howard Hodgkin: Last Paintings is available for online reading from September 6 through October 5 as part of the From the Library series. Published on the occasion of his 2018 exhibition at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London, the catalogue celebrates Hodgkin’s final works, many of which had never been previously published. His brushstrokes, set against wooden supports, often continue beyond the picture plane and onto the frame, breaking from traditional confines. Embracing time as a compositional element, his work is testament to his immersion in the intangibility of thoughts, feelings, and fleeting private moments. A new essay by Paul Hills is included along with a biography by Antony Peattie and poem by Stevie Smith.
Howard Hodgkin: Last Paintings (New York: Gagosian, 2018)
Visions of the Self
Rembrandt and Now
Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 6:30–8:30pm
Kenwood House, London
In the interest of public health, this event has been postponed until further notice.
Gagosian is pleased to host a drinks reception to celebrate the release of Visions of the Self: Rembrandt and Now, published on the occasion of the recent eponymous exhibition at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London. Organized in partnership with English Heritage, the exhibition places Rembrandt’s masterpiece Self-Portrait with Two Circles (c. 1665) in dialogue with self-portraits by Francis Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lucian Freud, and Pablo Picasso, as well as leading contemporary artists such as Georg Baselitz, Glenn Brown, Urs Fischer, Damien Hirst, Howard Hodgkin, Giuseppe Penone, Richard Prince, Jenny Saville, Cindy Sherman, and Rudolf Stingel, among others. The catalogue includes an introduction by Wendy Monkhouse, senior curator at English Heritage, and a text by art historian David Freedberg. To attend the free event, RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.org. Space is limited.
Visions of the Self: Rembrandt and Now (London: Gagosian, 2020)
Visions of the Self: Rembrandt and Now
In partnership with English Heritage
Thursday, April 25, 2019, 6pm
Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London
Gagosian director and art historian Richard Calvocoressi will lead a tour of the exhibition Visions of the Self: Rembrandt and Now at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London. Calvocoressi will take a look at postwar and contemporary masters of self-representation, anchoring the conversation to an important Rembrandt masterpiece included in the exhibition, Self-Portrait with Two Circles (c. 1665). The event has reached capacity. To join the wait list, contact email@example.com.
Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait with Two Circles, c. 1665, English Heritage, The Iveagh Bequest (Kenwood, London). Photo: Historic England Photo Library
Layla and Majnun
November 13–17, 2018
Sadler’s Wells, London
In this inspired adaptation of Layla and Majnun, the ancient Persian narrative poem of star-crossed lovers, contemporary choreographer Mark Morris has collaborated with the late Howard Hodgkin, who designed the bold costumes and set, and the Silkroad Ensemble. To attend the event, purchase tickets at www.sadlerswells.com.
To learn more about the collaboration read the interview with Hodgkin by Nancy Dalva in the Summer 2017 issue of Gagosian Quarterly.
Artwork © Howard Hodgkin
Gregory Crewdson: An Eclipse of Moths
Gregory Crewdson discusses his new work with actor Cate Blanchett.
Gagosian Quarterly Fall 2020
The Fall 2020 issue of Gagosian Quarterly is now available.
Mary Weatherford: Train Yards
Mary Weatherford speaks to Laura Hoptman about her new paintings, the Train Yard series. Begun in 2016, this body of work evokes the sights and sounds of railroads and night skies. The series will be shown for the first time in late 2020, in an exhibition at Gagosian, London.
Filmmaker and author Miranda July joined Louise Bonnet on a video call to discuss life during lockdown, the luminosity of oil paint, and Bonnet’s forthcoming exhibition of new work. Longtime friends—and newly neighbors—the two reflect on their shared history and shared interests in the unconscious, vagueness, and the mixture of humor and pain.
“Things Fall Apart”: Ed Ruscha’s Swiped Words
Lisa Turvey examines the range of effects conveyed by the blurred phrases in recent drawings by the artist, detailing the ways these words in motion evoke the experience of the current moment.
A short story by Emma Cline, published here on the occasion of her new collection of stories entitled Daddy.
Theaster Gates: Black Image Corporation
As a prelude to his first-ever solo exhibition in New York, Theaster Gates discusses his prescient work with the photographic archive of Chicago’s Johnson Publishing Company and his formation of Black Image Corporation as a conceptual project. In conversation with Louise Neri, he expands on his strategies as artist and social innovator in his quest to redeem and renew the sacred power of Black images and Black space.
Jacquelynn Baas profiles Isabelle Waldberg, writing on the sculptor’s many friendships and the influence of her singular creations.
Suzanne Hudson speaks with Leah Levy, executive director of the Jay DeFeo Foundation, about the artist’s life and work.
Lockdown: Henri Matisse’s Domestic Interiors
John Elderfield reexamines Matisse’s Piano Lesson (1916) and Music Lesson (1917), considering the works’ depictions of domestic space during the tumult of World War I.
Building a Legacy
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation on COVID-19 Relief Funding
The Quarterly’s Alison McDonald speaks with Clifford Ross, Frederick J. Iseman, and Dr. Lise Motherwell, members of the board of directors of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and Elizabeth Smith, executive director, about the foundation’s decision to establish a multiyear initiative dedicated to providing $5 million in covid-19 relief for artists and arts professionals.
Bebe Miller and Cynthia Oliver
The legendary choreographers discuss their history together, the evolution of Cynthia Oliver’s boom!, imposed boundaries on “Black dance,” and the choreographies of the pandemic.


Yields on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds fell last week to about 1.5%, close to the lowest level on record. Banks use the U.S. government bond as a benchmark for pricing loans, and with some economists now saying that a recession is looming, the firms might choose to keep their money rather than lend it out.
Historical charts and fundamentals show stocks are risky right now.
It's becoming clear. The negative impact of the worsening trade war just may outweigh the positive impact of potentially two interest rate cuts.
Prices on consumer purchases, excluding food and energy, rise by 0.2% in July, leaving them up 1.6% over the past 12 months, unchanged from the June pace. Consumers increased their spending, even though growth slipped in personal income.
Here's a standard playbook for how to protect against a sell-off. Beware, there are risks and there are no free lunches.
Blackstone, the biggest private-equity firm, says one of its top executives, Bennett Goodman, would retire. Goodman founded GSO, which was bought by Blackstone in 2008 and became the nucleus of the private-equity firm's rapid expansion into the risky business of investing in loans of junk-grade companies.
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Along with a significant bibliography in the realm of corporate comics, Matt Wagner is the rare cartoonist who can claim credit for not one, but two long-running indie epics in his prolific career. These titles, Mage and Grendel, both debuted in the raucous '80s, when superhero revisionism and reinvention ruled the day. In both, Wagner distinguished his work by imbuing propulsive narratives with social awareness and moral ambiguity that hinted at a life lived beyond the panels and gutters of comics.
Wagner has revisited both Mage and Grendel throughout his career, but their presence on the racks has been marked by long stretches of absence. Wagner has taken a thoughtful tack in mapping their respective trajectories, adding to their respective canons only when he has something substantive to say. In this way, the properties have grown alongside Wagner. Both have largely managed to maintain their vitality because they are built on solid foundations; formally flexible in their telling, but rigidly adherent to their thematic concerns and also to their signifiers, as evidenced by details such as titling conventions and costume design.
By Wagner’s own account, Mage, an autobiographical re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, has now been completed; the story culminated in Mage: The Hero Denied, a 16-issue series published by Image from summer 2017 through early 2019. Following Mage’s conclusion, Wagner announced Grendel: Devil’s Odyssey, a surprising return to the Grendel canon, a continuity that he had not advanced forward since the publication of Devil Quest way back in 1995; more recent Grendel projects from Wagner had, instead, focused on retelling and elaborating upon the series' past.
If Mage was a riff on the hero’s journey in the vein of Joseph Campbell, Grendel arrives by way of Freud or Jung. Despite its sprawling, centuries-spanning scope, Grendel is a journey of the interior, a meditation on aggression as an animating force. "Grendel" is not a singular costumed character with a secret identity; rather, different people become Grendel across time. In the struck-through demon eyes of the Grendel mask, a visual motif Wagner has repeated endlessly across iterations of the costume design, he is presenting a manifestation of the collective psyche. Characters are pushed into embodying Grendel as the broken societies in which they dwell leave them desperate and vulnerable. The lesson that Wagner teaches us over and over is that what Grendel emboldens it ultimately destroys. Unchecked aggression is destructive, upsetting the natural order. In Devil’s Odyssey, he puts this at the forefront.
With each successive incarnation, Wagner has changed the rules without changing the game. If Grendel is a mantle taken up in the spirit of aggression, Wagner has posited over the course of each successive installment: what if the whole world was gripped by such aggression? The series of stories that constitute the Grendel canon was initially published from 1986 to 1990 by Comico in a 40-issue ongoing series in which Wagner focused on scripting. Told in six arcs, the series charted Grendel's rise to a global force over the course of centuries. Having followed an abortive three-issue series and a number of backups written and drawn by Wagner, the Comico run was later republished in arcs by Dark Horse, beginning in 2000 with the first arc, "The Devil's Legacy", re-colored by Jeremy Cox. Wagner recruited up-and-comers like Tim Sale and indie darlings like Bernie Mireault and John K. Snyder III for art duties, giving each iteration its own distinctive tone. New miniseries followed Comico's bankruptcy, and what started in 1982 as a character study of master criminal Hunter Rose’s attempt to transcend the mediocrity of the modern world had transformed by the mid-'90s into a meditation on ethics and duty under military dictatorship.
If Hunter Rose was the seed of the Grendel concept—the first character on whom Wagner bestowed the eponymous mantle—then Grendel-Prime, debuted in Grendel: War Child in 1992, embodies the concept in its fullest bloom. It makes sense that these two characters, which act as bookends of the canon, have been the ones Wagner has most revisited. They are also the characters for which Wagner has most often taken up art duties himself.
Grendel-Prime is the cyborg paladin built by and conscripted to the service of Orion Assante, a benevolent dictator and the first Grendel-Khan. Devil’s Odyssey finds Prime once again summoned to the service of a Khan, this time a distant heir to Assante’s bloodline. After centuries of misrule, the empire Orion built teeters on the verge of collapse with warring factions of Grendel clans vying for power and a greater share of dwindling resources. Over a century has passed since the events of the aforementioned Devil Quest, Prime’s last in-continuity adventure.
“If humankind is to survive, it must leave behind its thirst for conquest and war,” the Khan tells Prime before tasking him with the mission of finding a new Earth. The jaded paladin notes the irony of trying to reset the path of humanity by repeating the cycle of aggression on an interplanetary scale, but his sense of duty supersedes his misgivings. Thus, he embarks in one of the most phallic spaceships put to paper. He is accompanied by a sentient drone, Siggy, a disembodied head who flits and buzzes around him, supplying Prime with tactical counterpoints to his instinctual strategies, as well as expository patter.
In his introduction to the collection, Wagner frames Devil’s Odyssey as a riff on both Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and the early issues of Heavy Metal. Given the prompt, it’s easy to see the connections. Throughout the series, Prime tours potentially inhabitable worlds and makes contact with the species indigenous to them. Through Prime’s interactions, Wagner offers alternatives to the unchecked aggression of empire-making. The reader glimpses older societies more in sync with their material conditions and, thus, more sustainable. Wagner is not shy about portraying the sacrifice needed in these societies, but frames them as a more noble endeavor. Resources are shared and conserved. Here, Wagner lays bare the central conundrum of tasking an agent of empire with this mission. Time and again, Prime’s instincts toward aggression put him at odds with mission’s requirements of a diplomacy and a light touch, bringing to mind the cognitive bias known as the Law of the Instrument: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail.” The adage places Wagner’s story in well-trod territory, but he uses the incongruity to create compelling conflicts.
Swift comparisons notwithstanding, when it comes down to characterization Wagner casts Prime in a quixotic light. In previous outings—War Child, Devil Quest, and even the under-appreciated Batman/Grendel II from 1996—Prime was a model of focus and capability even amid mission creep and foiled plans. These qualities found expression as stoic optimism, which allowed Prime to achieve his objectives in the short term, even if they proved fruitless in the long term.
In Odyssey, that stoic optimism remains, but the path is open-ended, the goals murky. He is looking for an inhabitable planet, something which intelligence posits could exist, but doesn’t necessarily. Despite the unknowns, he can only bring his focus and capability as a warrior to bear because they are all he has, even though his mission of finding an inhabitable planet calls for a more socially adept stance.
For example, early on, Prime lands on a desert planet and makes initial contact with its indigenous inhabitants, who hold water and the means of obtaining it sacred. Seeking to circumvent niceties and prove the value in his alliance, Prime uses his outsize strength and handily removes one of the heavy and unwieldy aqua pods the indigenous use to hydrate. Failing to consider the cultural connotations of the gifting, Prime is blasted by the locals as a heretic for not adhering to the customs associated with the life-giving water. The larger story of Devil's Odyssey is told in fairly modular episodes like these. Each episode takes on an allegorical tone, imparting some insightful lesson meant to highlight the absurdity of human nature, but also the bravery in aspiring to ideals given the difficulty in living up to them.
Whether alone or in collaboration, stylized storytelling has always served Wagner well. Devil’s Odyssey finds Wagner at his most accessible, and that is largely due to his restraint. His straightforward, unpretentious cartooning stands in stark contrast to the Art Deco excesses of his work in the seminal Hunter Rose serial, Devil by the Deed (a backup feature in Mage: The Hero Discovered, 1985-86), or the more expressionistic passages of the grimdark Devil Quest. In the hands of a lesser storyteller, Devil’s Odyssey might read as fitful, but Wagner, who has always been at his best in a serial mode, weaves the component parts together masterfully. The colors for Devil’s Odyssey are provided by his son Brennan, whose bright palette and understated use of complimentary sheens and glows are where the comparisons to Heavy Metal are most apparent.
With all this said, Devil’s Odyssey is a product of its time, and less charitable readers may find Wagner’s indulgence in contemporary references off-putting, especially if a liberal perspective of the baby boomer variety does not align with their own views. Taken in the context of a sci-fi adventure serial, satire does not feel entirely out of place, even if his jabs are about as potent (and as subtle) as a Colbert monologue. Wagner isn’t shy about casting Prime as a boorish asshole, an avatar of the aggrieved conservatives who don’t have time for SJWs and their damn pronouns. And his depiction of Prime’s run-in with a toad-like analog of the freaking Cheeto Mussolini is so on-the-nose as to elicit groans. These sins feel forgivable, though, given the otherwise engaging story.
On its own, Devil’s Odyssey holds up remarkably well. As an entry in a larger canon, though, it feels confused. Tonally, the cynical irony of Devil’s Odyssey tracks with previous entries, but the dearth of references to past events puts it a little shy of proper coda territory. Perhaps, as Wagner reveals more about the present state of his creation, he will bridge the gap between past and future in a more cohesive way. Without revealing details as to the story’s conclusion, it ends on the promise of another trilogy. Still, reinvention has long been the through line to Grendel, and Devil’s Odyssey delivers in that regard.


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