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Side Effects of Being Overweight
There are many side effects of being overweight. Unfortunately, some side effects can very dangerous and can also be fatal due to being overweight. Obesity now kills more people than car crashes and Alzheimer’s disease combined.
Obesity in the United States is a massive health issue leading to numerous diseases and increased risk of some types of cancer, coronary artery disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and a huge rise in economic costs.
In the United States, two out of every three American men are considered to be either overweight or obese, and rates for women are much higher. Medical expenses in America are through the roof due to obesity, approximately an additional $148 billion annually and expected to go up by around $1.2 billion per year.
And these are just a few side effects of being overweight, there are plenty more, unfortunately.
Am I Overweight?
A lot of people have the same question – Am I Overweight?
According to the statistics above, chances are favorable that you may be overweight? The best way to find out if you fall into this category is to work out your BMI. BMI is short for ‘Body Mass Index’. To find out your body mass index, you can use a totally free BMI calculator just by typing ‘BMI Calculator’ into Google. The BMI calculator takes your mass (weight) and height and calculates your BMI and puts you into a category. This is the most simple method to check where your weight average is.
What Can I Do About Being Overweight?
OK, so now you have most likely checked out your body mass index with a BMI calculator and have results that you are not happy with and think that it’s a load of garbage, or it’s too late to start now? If that is the case, don’t be shocked as most of the world population is with you, but congratulations on actually checking out what your BMI actually is. Most people are self-conscious, scared or worried about what they will see from the calculations.
There is a heap of ways to lose weight these days and they aren’t the typical boring ways of popping a diet pill daily, eating lettuce and carrots only for every meal or even eating those horrid weight loss biscuits that swell in your stomach to make you feel full all day.
There are effective weight loss programs that suit the less active type of people, some want to lose weight doing physical exercise to build there cardio and lose weight through their hard work and sweat and also yoga. Yoga has been very popular for years and is proving to also be a great way to lose weight. More on Yoga here.
Weight Loss Programs For Active People
For active people looking for weight loss programs, there are plenty providing you don’t mind working out some and enjoy a bit of physical activity to get a lean belly, if not check out the section below this one.
So below are the programs recommended for active people.
The Fat Decimator System
This system peels back the veil on weight loss by dispelling the myths and showing you the science behind how the body works and how to work in harmony with your body’s natural fat-burning abilities to rapidly, safely and permanently shed unsightly and unhealthy pounds.
The Fat Decimator System has proven to be a successful weight loss and fitness program. People call the fat decimator book their fitness bible, as they have had so much success with it.
Along with The Fat Decimator PDF book, they have a heap of bonus material including.
- The Fastest Weight Loss – Week Action Plan
- The Powerful Sex Foods and Stimulants Report
- 100 Great tasting Green Smoothie Weight Loss Recipes
- 3 Minute Belly Shrinker Video Series
- 1 Month Free Private Coaching
If fitness is your method of losing weight while gaining some muscle, this product would be for you. It is a very affordable program and they also offer a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee.
You can read our full review on The Fat Decimator System HERE to see if it’s for you, we have also put a link in the review for a $20 discount.
The 3 Week Diet
The 3 Week Diet is also a great weight loss program for the active type of people.
This program also goes through the science of losing and gaining weight and the writer of this program has an outstanding knowledge of dieting, working out and making sure that you are in the right frame of mind.
The 3 Week Diet consists of dieting, workouts, getting motivated and having the right mindset to power through to outstanding results.
The 3 Week Diet program comes in 4 parts :
- Introduction Manual
- Diet Manual
- Workout Manual
- Mindset & Motivational Manual
The 3 Week Diet is a foolproof diet that claims you can lose up to 21 pounds within 3 weeks.
For an in-depth review on The 3 Week Diet, check it out HERE
Once again we have found a great discount link for $20 off the price, so make sure you check out our review link.
The Fat Burning Fingerprint
The Fat Burning Fingerprint is known for its remarkable results.
There’s nothing out there like the Fat-Burning Fingerprint that takes into account your specific “metabolic type” to show you exactly how to drastically burn more belly fat every single day.
Over 21,000 people have already taken the challenge and started transforming their lives with this fast and easy fat-burning solution which has only been available for a short time online.
It can easily help you melt away up to 13 pounds in the next 10 days even if you don’t exercise!!
Lies such as avoiding fatty foods like bacon, cheese, and butter when that’s the exact OPPOSITE of what you should be doing!
Check out a full review on ‘The Fat Burning Fingerprint’ HERE
Weight Loss Programs For The Less Active People
Yes, there are weight loss programs for less active people. The Red Tea Detox is exactly that! If you struggle to do the physical effort, don’t find the time or just not interested in doing the hard sweating physical work to lose weight, there is a program that is guaranteed for you to lose weight. They even offer a 60-day money-back guarantee! How good it that? It sounds like my kind of weight loss program due to my busy lifestyle and schedule.
The Red Tea Detox
The Red Tea Detox is a brand-new cleansing program that detoxifies the body and sheds pounds quickly and safely. It allows almost anyone to lose 14lbs in just a matter of weeks.
Based on more than a decade of research spanning over 500 medical studies as well as almost three years of real-world testing, this program has the results – and the science – to back it up.
The Red Tea Detox has been an extremely popular weight loss program and is getting more popular as each day goes by. Make sure you check out our review on The Red Tea Detox HERE
So What Now?
Do you have the side effects of being overweight? If so, don’t be ashamed as many are in your shoes. If you are considering to start losing weight, check out some of the above programs as they are the most popular we have come across with a money-back guarantee.
The decision is up to you whether you want to do the hard yards or easy way to diet. Everyone is different and also the results may vary from person to person.
If you want to check out more reviews, head to our front page as it has the links to all our reviews on the bottom of the page HERE

domain: medical


Ahmed Butt, born November 18, 1975 in Lahore, Pakistan, is a professional
Ahmed Butt, originally a boy from next door is now a heart throb of
millions. He posseses a face that can launch millions of products. Ahmed
Butt always had a passion for modelling and he decided to go to Khawar
Riaz, Pakistan's leading Fashion Photographer. Khawar Riaz decided to
take Ahmed Butt under his wing and groomed him.
Ahmed had done some modeling before but nothing had been big enough
to get him noticed. Kawar gave Ahmed a new identity in the fashion world.
A proof of that is when Ahmed bagged the 2003 Lux Style Award for best
model of the year. Ahmed has recently also done some work at an international
level. He has worked with fashion photographers in France, Italy, and
Ahmed Butt is now currently married to pop star Humaira Arshad. The
two met during the shoot of Humaira's Video "Dholna" ( Lover
). Ever since Ahmed was officialy launched in the fashion world in 1999,
he has been a big hit. He has worked for Fashion Designers such as HSY,
Meeras, Deepak Parwani, Ammir Adnan, as well as working for top class
Photographers such as Khawar Riaz, Deevees, Kashi Butt, and many more.
Among his other acheivements are his latest movie "Salakhien"
(Jail Bars), TV Sitcom " Beauty Parlour", Short TV Series
"Lalkaar" (Cry of Rage), and "Fauji" (Soldier).
Ahmed has also been in a number of videos like Dholna (Lover) and Patang
Celebrity photos courtesy of Getty Images, WireImage, Tetu Magazine, Icon Magazine,
Attitude Magazine, DNA Magazine,
Paparazo, Terra's The Boy,
Lion's Gate Films, New Line Cinema, Twentieth Century Fox,


The work is a meditation on stillness, that challenges metropolis-dwelling audiences to abandon their schedules and immerse themselves in a unique, more peaceful world. “The aim is for individuals to recover our public spaces, and to offer cultural occasions free of cost” for those who can’t afford the equivalent of 3.50 dollars to go to the flicks, not to mention 50 dollars for a concert by the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sounds, songs and music could make life extremely joyful and might have a huge effect on our mood. It is not difficult to compose easy songs or melodies (tunes). All it takes is experimenting with the sounds that an instrument makes. Someone could make up a bit that tells a story, or just find a nice tune and take into consideration ways it can be changed each time it’s repeated. Classical music is normally performed in concert halls, but typically large festivals are organized by which it’s performed exterior, in a field or stadium, like pop festivals.
Category Archives: Lifestyle: Fashion, Music, Art & Entertainment
This allowed decrease-earnings folks, who would by no means be able to afford an opera or symphony concert ticket to hear this music. It also meant that folks could hear music from totally different elements of the country, and even completely different parts of the world, even when they may not afford to journey to those places.
In addition to downtown artwork galleries, Vancouver has no shortage of performing and visual arts. With a robust Hawaiian cultural presence, it’s only pure that we’ve one of the most outstanding Polynesian festivals on the mainland.
Dance or drill groups perform for varsity games and group capabilities, and so they take part in dance and drill group competitions. Their routines showcase their ensemble approach, spirit, and enthusiasm for the crowds. Training for dance and drill team requires athleticism and artistry. Dance and drill teams started as a Texas phenomenon that has unfold across the United States and all over the world.


Homework #1: Benchmark Description
This benchmark is an interface to the remote control of an AIWA shelf stereo system. This is implemented as a series of approximately twenty forms that are navigated through a combination of tabs, menus, and selection lists. Only two of these forms have complex interface elements such as scrollable lists. The remaining forms are simple, containing only buttons, pull-down menus, and other common interface elements. This makes the benchmark possible even though there are a large number of forms.
This benchmark tests the form capabilities of toolkits in a variety of different form factors. The intent is to implement the form interface in three different form factors: PC (Visual Basic and Amulet), handheld (Palm), and cell. phone (UIML rendering to WAP).
This benchmark is also conducting a test of UIML's ability to render acceptable interfaces. In the event that UIML is not capable of generating acceptable WML/WMLScript, WML/WMLScript will be used directly.
Handling the back-end logic of the stereo is a major issue for this benchmark. Since a stereo will not be controlled, the interface logic must pretend that it is sending information and receiving feedback. I will implement this as an external C++ object that is linked into each implementation. In other words, a stereo proxy. This will be linked through an ATL DLL in the Visual Basic and PocketPC cases, and directly in the Amulet case. The code will also be linked to the WAP/WML implementation, through UIML's mechanism for interfacing with external program code.
The external object will simulate the complete functionality of the stereo. Ideally the proxy stereo object would be replaceable by an object that could actually send and receive feedback from the stereo. This means that the interfaces generated for each of these benchmarks should be able to control every function of the existing stereo, assuming one could be connected. This extra work is worthwhile because it should help give me some insights on how to integrate the front-end (UI) with the back-end (device commands) of the personal universal controller project.
The proxy stereo will assume the following initial state:
Detailed Interface Specification
The stereo has five major modes, representing each of the five playback inputs. Two of these inputs are ports on the back of the unit which accept audio from an external source. The remaining three inputs come from playback units that are integrated into the device. They are (click for detail):
A recording feature is also implemented for all of these input types. The interface for each of the input types and their recording feature is briefly described below.
In addition to each of the input types, screens will be created for four global setup screens. These screens are titled (click for example):
3-Disc CD Player
The CD player has three modes (click for example):
2-Deck Tape Player
The tape player has only a single minor mode (click for example).
The AM/FM tuner has only one minor mode (click for example). The tuner also supports preset radio stations, which are displayed in a pull-down menu and will not be saved from session to session.
As mentioned above, these are the toolkits that I will use to implement this interface:
View my PowerPoint presentation slides.
Jeffrey Nichols Last modified: Sun Feb 4 03:36:50 EST 2001


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Today’s ruling by a federal appeals court reviving a legal challenge to the No Child Left Behind Act is unquestionably a major victory for the National Education Association and a coalition of school districts.
The NEA’s suit on behalf of itself, some of its state affiliates, and nine school districts in Michigan, Texas, and Vermont had been languishing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit for more than two years after a federal district judge in Detroit had dismissed the suit in 2005.
But now a majority on a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit court says that the “unfunded mandates provision” of the No Child Left Behind law essentially means what it says: That the federal government cannot require a state or a school district “to spend funds or incur any costs not paid for under this act.”
“NCLB, by its terms, fails to provide clear notice of the states’ obligation to incur additional costs to comply with the act’s requirements,” says the opinion by U.S. Circuit Judge R. Guy Cole Jr.
The big question now is, what does this ruling mean in practical terms for states and school districts? The 6th Circuit court was vague on that, returning the case to the district court for further proceedings. The Bush administration would seem likely to appeal the ruling to the full 6th Circuit court or directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. I haven’t seen any comment from the administration yet.
In a lengthy interview I just had with Robert H. Chanin, the general counsel of the NEA and the architect of the lawsuit, he indicated that he believes the union got exactly what it had asked for, and that in his view school districts will not have to spend money for obligations under NCLB that aren’t funded by the federal government.
UPDATE at 5 p.m. ET: In an e-mailed statement responding to the ruling, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings says the federal government is exploring all its legal options.
“This decision could undermine efforts to improve the education of our nation’s children, in particular those students most in need,” Spellings said. “No Child Left Behind is not an unfunded mandate but rather a compact between the states and the federal government, which asks that in exchange for federal dollars, results be demonstrated.”
A version of this news article first appeared in The School Law Blog.

domain: law


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Fall Paisley Floral Art - "Autumn Mehndi" iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max Tough Case
Dual Layer Protection artisan Apple iPhone XI case by Da Vinci Case
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THE PROCESS:These high quality artistic iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max Tough Cases are made one at a time using a heat transfer process that embeds the artwork into the plastic making them very durable and scratch resistant. Each case is unique and it is normal to have slight variations in color or image placement. This case is produced and shipped from the USA.
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domain: design


text:
ALAN VEGA & REVOLUTIONARY CORPS OF TEENAGE JESUS Righteous Lite
Alan Vega (Suicide) and Stephen Lironi (Altered Images) released an iconic album in 1999 as Revolutionary Corps of Teenage Jesus.
“Righteous Lite is even more prescient today than it was over 20 years ago, Alan’s lyrics foresaw where society seems to be now, with corporate government utilising mass media to control the mass market and populace. Stephen’s production and music echo the analogue vibrations of the debut Suicide album, and in tandem with Alan’s primal scream, create an album that works as a raw conceptual piece.This is the first time that Righteous Lite has been released on vinyl, on a deluxe gatefold sleeve featuring new artwork (with cover art by Alan
1 in stock

domain: artistic


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Conceived and designed the experiments: VG DEB EC. Performed the experiments: VG DEB JDS. Analyzed the data: VG DEB KD TA-S EC. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: VG DEB KD TA-S RGU EC. Wrote the paper: VG DEB KD EC. Performed the majority of experiments and analyses and assisted in drafting the manuscript: VG. Performed the immunohistochemistry experiments, analyzed them and assisted in drafting the manuscript: DEB. Assisted VG in performing many of the experiments and participated in drafting the manuscript: JDS. Was responsible for all statistical analyses and their interpretations and also assisted in drafting the manuscript: KD. Provided all the pathological information and reviewed the final draft for accuracy: TA-S. Assisted in providing the fresh surgical material as well as designing many aspects of the study and the manuscript draft: RGU. Was responsible for the study coordination, as well as the design and interpretation of all results and revision of the drafted manuscript: EC. Read and approved the final manuscript: VG DEB JDS KD TA-S RGU EC.
The role that stromal renal cell carcinoma (RCC) plays in support of tumor progression is unclear. Here we sought to determine the predictive value on patient survival of several markers of stromal activation and the feasibility of a fibroblast-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) based three-dimensional (3D) culture stemming from clinical specimens to recapitulate stromal behavior in vitro. The clinical relevance of selected stromal markers was assessed using a well annotated tumor microarray where stromal-marker levels of expression were evaluated and compared to patient outcomes. Also, an in vitro 3D system derived from fibroblasts harvested from patient matched normal kidney, primary RCC and metastatic tumors was employed to evaluate levels and localizations of known stromal markers such as the actin binding proteins palladin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin and its spliced form EDA. Results suggested that RCCs exhibiting high levels of stromal palladin correlate with a poor prognosis, as demonstrated by overall survival time. Conversely, cases of RCCs where stroma presents low levels of palladin expression indicate increased survival times and, hence, better outcomes. Fibroblast-derived 3D cultures, which facilitate the categorization of stromal RCCs into discrete progressive stromal stages, also show increased levels of expression and stress fiber localization of α-SMA and palladin, as well as topographical organization of fibronectin and its splice variant EDA. These observations are concordant with expression levels of these markers in vivo. The study proposes that palladin constitutes a useful marker of poor prognosis in non-metastatic RCCs, while in vitro 3D cultures accurately represent the specific patient's tumor-associated stromal compartment. Our observations support the belief that stromal palladin assessments have clinical relevance thus validating the use of these 3D cultures to study both progressive RCC-associated stroma and stroma-dependent mechanisms affecting tumorigenesis. The clinical value of assessing RCC stromal activation merits further study.
In the United States, about 58,240 new renal cancers and 13,040 related deaths took place during 2010 . Metastasis to distant sites, especially lung, bone, brain and liver, account for the majority of the morbidity associated with Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) . Because surgery and available targeted therapies have limited impact on survival in patients with advanced RCC, it is believed that alternative approaches, such as targeting the primary and/or secondary tumor microenvironment, could improve clinical outcomes. A characteristic of renal cancers is that it contains a fibrous-like stromal reaction that directly intercalates with the cancerous epithelia . It is well accepted that tumor-associated stroma, including activated or desmoplastic stromal fibroblasts known as tumor- or cancer-associated fibroblasts and their self derived extracellular matrix (ECM), play a major role in cancer development, progression, invasion and metastasis , , . In order to test if kidney stroma and its tumor-activated (or tumor-associated) ECM play pivotal roles in renal tumorigenesis, we screened a cohort of RCC and normal histological human kidney samples and determined the clinical significance of scoring stromal activation -where increased collagen as well as myofibroblastic features were positively identified- for prognostic purposes. Prompted by results stemming from this screen, a small sample of human fibroblasts were harvested from fresh surgical tissues obtained from primary renal tumors, patient-paired normal adjacent kidney tissue, and from metastatic sites. We used a fibroblast-derived ECM based three-dimensional (3D) system of high physiological relevance, which effectively mimics the in vivo stroma onset of various epithelial tumors , , , to stage the stroma into discrete and well characterized levels of activation or stromal progression as a novel means to classify RCC and compared it with the established RCC staging (e.g., TMN classification) systems. The Fuhrman Classification system used to evaluated RCC progression using TMN classification has been regarded as an imperfect system that does not always predict the clinical outcome for individuals at risk . Furthermore, despite the successful identification of selected epithelial marker proteins that characterize the stages of epithelial transformation , none of these has been shown to serve as useful prospective markers. We have previously demonstrated that in vitro stromal sorting can be accomplished by assessing several aspects of cell-derived 3D cultures such as ECM organization and expression of known tumor-stroma markers such as alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) , , . To better assess RCC-associated stromal progression, here we investigate additional stromal markers which were simultaneously assessed in vivo using the same original samples: Palladin, an early myofibroblast differentiation marker localized to fibroblastic stress fibers ; EDA, a spliced form of fibronectin, upregulated during renal tumor stromal activation ; and uPARAP/Endo180, also upregulated in the activated tumor microenvironment  and tentatively associated to ECM (e.g., collagen I) degradation , facilitating tumor invasion and metastasis .
In order to determine the clinical relevance of α-SMA, palladin, uPARAP/Endo 180 and EDA in RCCs, and hence their possible usefulness as prospective markers, we analyzed their levels of expression in the stroma of 53 normal and RCC surgical samples that constituted a tumor microarray (TMA) described in Table 1. First, we tested whether our TMA was representative of known human RCC occurrences by analyzing links between node positive or metastatic RCC instances and survival rates. Univariate analyses using CART revealed that survival time was significantly decreased in node positive compared to node negative (p-value =0.004, Figure 1A) and metastatic vs. non-metastatic cases (p-value =0.001, Figure 1B). Next, immunohistological scored evaluations consisting of 0, 0.5, 1, or 2 values were assigned to each sample by a blinded pathologist who was instructed to only score stromal levels of expression for each of the assorted markers (see examples for palladin in Figure 1e). The correlation between immunohistological staining and clinical parameters such as presence of local or distant metastases and survival was analyzed. Among all the markers tested, the expression of palladin in stromal fibroblasts showed the strongest correlation with overall survival. Patients whose stromal palladin staining scores were at or below 0.75 showed a significantly higher survival than those with a higher level (p-value =0.014, Figure 1c). Importantly, the same correlation was observed in the subpopulation of patients that did not present metastatic onsets at the time of their surgical procedure. Figure 1d shows how using multivariable CART analysis non-metastatic patients whose palladin levels were 0.75 or below were found to have significantly improved survival compared to those with higher palladin levels (>0.75) (p-value=0.022). Only 8% of bona fide metastatic patients (M1) were found to be alive at 60 months while 40% of non-metastatic patients with a palladin level exceeding 0.75 and 80% of non-metastatic patients with a palladin level at or below 0.75 were found to survive 60 months. These results indicate that non-metastatic patients with lower stromal palladin levels (≤0.75) survive the longest compared to other groups. Correlation between α-SMA and palladin levels was observed to be 0.58 (95% CI (0.36, 0.73) suggesting a similar stromal distribution for these two markers. Although α-SMA stromal expression levels presented a similar distribution to the one observed for palladin, the background expression of this marker observed in fibroblasts associated with normal kidneys was rather elevated and thus only resulted in a marginal statistical relationship between α-SMA expression and survival. Interestingly, comparison of the stromal expression levels of these markers in the stroma component of normal and tumor samples suggested an increase of expression in the tumor-associated stroma of all markers tested. The results for the expression of these markers in the stroma from tumor (T) vs. normal (N) based on the Mann-Whitney test were: significant for palladin (p-value=0.016; median=0.75 in T and 0.375 in N), marginally significant for α-SMA (p-value =0.078; median=0.75 in T and 0.5 in N), significant for EDA (p-value=0.010; median=0.625 in T and 0.125 in N) and relatively unchanged for stroma control pan-collagen (p-value=0.364; median=0.50 in T and 0.50 in N). No additional correlations were observed.
Fresh surgical samples from six selected RCC cases (Table 2 and Table S1) which rendered a total of 59 primary and immortalized fibroblastic cell lines were used for the in vitro portion of the study (see Materials and Methods for details regarding these cells). These fibroblasts were used to obtain 3D cultures in vitro using a previously published system shown to accurately mimic in vivo physiological behaviors of normal and tumor-associated fibroblastic cells , , . In order to assess the levels of expression of the various stromal markers and to uncover the conditions needed to achieve in vivo-like phenotypes, Western Blot analyses were conducted using classic 2D compared to 3D cultures on the above-mentioned 59 cell lines. Quantitative analyses were conducted by measuring the marker's optical densities obtained from all cells. Figure 2A depicts an example of a typical experiment, while the graphs in Figure 2 show the compiled results where each plotted dot corresponds to a single cell line. When comparing the 3D levels of expression of all four markers to the corresponding 2D samples, we observed statistically significant fold differences in α-SMA and palladin (ranging from 2 to 20 folds) in fibroblasts associated with normal, tumor or metastatic tissues (Table S2). In contrast, uPARAP and EDA-fibronectin ratios were only significant in samples corresponding to the primary tumors but not to the normal (non-tumorigenic) or metastatic tissues (Table S2). Therefore, we concluded that fibroblastic α-SMA and palladin levels of expression in vitro are 3D matrix-dependent, suggesting that an in vivo-like relevance could be implied to the self-derived 3D microenvironmental substrates.
Since the 3D expression levels of all four markers were distributed with significantly scattered variations (Figures 2B-2E), we tested whether these could have stemmed from the original tumor-stages of the selected RCC cases. For this, the expression levels of the four markers were plotted for all in vitro 3D samples sorted by the corresponding original RCC stages as listed in Table 2. Figure 3 shows a clear tendency indicating that levels of expression of α-SMA and palladin (but not always uPARAP and EDA) stemming from the lower stage I case were modest when compared to the levels observed in 3D cultures from fibroblasts of higher tumor stages (Table S3). Nevertheless, the levels of α-SMA, palladin and uPARAP were distributed with larger variations of expression compared with the more even distribution of EDA expression. Cases showing higher α-SMA and/or palladin did not always correspond to the ones showing higher uPARAP or EDA (Figures 3E-3H). Moreover, within each RCC case, uPARAP and EDA expressions were not significantly changed when cultures of fibroblasts from normal kidney tissue were compared to tumor-derived ones. Interestingly, it seemed that each marker presented different patterns and that none of them truly correlated with the tumor stages (I, III or IV) or types (histological sarcomatoid (circles) or clear cell) of the original samples. Results suggest that stromal progression, although influenced by tumorigenesis, could progress at rates that are independent from their associated epithelial components as observed above in stromal palladin using TMAs.
In order to test whether measured expression levels of stromal markers in 3D cultures correlate to their subcellular localization and architecture, we conducted indirect immunofluorescence as in a previous publication . We assessed the topographical features of cellular fibronectin fibers or of its splice variant EDA looking at activated or tumor associated parallel-organized signature fiber patterns, as opposed to the mesh-like and disorganized patterns formed by these fibers in the cultures from fibrobalsts derived from normal (i.e., non-activated) stage , , , . Hence, localized stress fiber and homogenous patterns of α-SMA and palladin characterize the activated (or tumor-associated) stromal stage, while heterogeneous and cytosolic patterns are consistent with the non-activated stromal stages , , , . Figure 4 shows representative images of four identified stromal stages regarded as i) ‘normal’ or non-activated, ii) ‘primed,’ iii) ‘primed/activated’ or intermediate and iv) ‘activated’ or tumor-associated. Analyses revealed that the pattern ascribed to activated stromal stages did not always correspond to the advanced tumor stages, suggesting that the progression of the stroma may be a somewhat independent feature from the well established designated tumor stage similar to the case of stromal palladin in vivo using the TMAs. Nevertheless, the clear correlation between the immunofluorescent analyses of 3D stromal cultures to their corresponding Western Blots with regard to α-SMA and palladin levels supported the conclusion that stages assessed by indirect immunofluorescence may be predicted by the corresponding Western Blot results.
In order to validate the in vitro sorting of 3D cultures into progressive stromal stages, paraffin embedded tissue sections corresponding to the cases used in the in vitro analyses were immunostained for α-SMA, palladin, uPARAP, and EDA-fibronectin. The expression levels of these markers in the tumor-associated stroma were assessed using a blinded scoring approach (as done for the TMAs). Representative results are shown in Figure 5A, while observed expression level values are plotted in Figure 5B and listed in Table S4. Stroma of normal kidney tissue presented only low expression or no expression levels of these markers. Immunohistochemistry analyses utilizing uPARAP and EDA were not specific enough and therefore were inconclusive for these analyses. Notably, results observed for α-SMA and palladin in vitro showed expression levels and localization patterns that corresponded to their in vivo counterparts (compare results in Figure 5 to results in Figures 3 and and44).
Several studies, including some looking at renal cancers, point to stromal components as key players in inducing tumorigenesis and in the acquisition of invasive behaviors , , , , , , , . Hence, investigators have suggested that analysis of the tumor stroma may render meaningful prognostic data , , , , , . In this context, targeting tumor-associated stroma may hamper its induced permissiveness towards epithelial cell transformation and/or invasion and, consequently, increase the efficacy of chemo- and radiotherapies . It is well established that tumor activated fibroblast express myofibroblastic markers, such as α-SMA , palladin  uPARAP/Endo180  and EDA-fibronectin . As the role of these stromal markers in RCC progression is currently unknown, we investigated the association between the expression of these markers and RCC prognosis.
In a recent collaborative work, we demonstrated that increased expression of stromal palladin can be found in fibroblasts associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and other neoplasias such as lung, skin, breast and kidney . Therefore, and as previously suggested , one could speculate that palladin expression may alter some key stromal properties that induce or increase tumorigenesis. To this end after analyzing our TMA data, we concluded that stromal expression of palladin correlated with the survival of RCC patients; higher levels of stromal predicted lower overall survival times. Hence, palladin may constitute an independent marker for prognosis. Strikingly, the predictive value of this stromal marker was highly significant in patients who had not developed metastasis suggesting that it could constitute a high risk marker in this patient population. Another stromal marker whose expression correlated with stromal activation, α-SMA, showed a rather high background staining in the stroma associated to normal kidney tissue resulting in less impressive differences with the stroma associated with tumors. In addition, the reduced number of samples for which survival data are available decreased the statistical significance between the mean staining score between these two populations. In this context, palladin seemed to be a stronger predictor of survival than α-SMA since the correlation showed by comparing palladin staining in stroma associated with normal or tumoral tissue remained statistically significant in spite of the few samples whose survival data were not available.
The expression of markers suggestive of stromal activation could serve as indicators of tumor-stromal interactions , a largely understudied aspect of RCC. Palladin plays important roles in actin organization, sarcomere integrity, and cytoskeleton architecture. Palladin has also been associated with stimulation of cell motility and increased matrix stiffness, both characteristics attributed to tumor-associated activated stroma . To address changes associated with the RCC stroma, we developed a novel renal fibroblast derived 3D culture system that, similar to other systems , , , , effectively mimics many aspects of the in vivo stromal microenvironments. We used fibroblasts harvested from five late RCC stage cases with matching non-activated (i.e., normal), primary and metastatic tumors and one localized early stage case as a control. We observed that self-derived 3D cultures recapitulate the original (i.e., in vivo) expression levels of the four selected markers. Moreover, 3D matrix-induced α-SMA and palladin in vitro levels greatly correlated with the stromal activation of fibroblasts (myofibroblasts). On the other hand, uPARAP and EDA-fibronectin expressions appeared to be regulated independently of 3D ECMs suggesting that perhaps their expression depends on additional parameters such as tissue type or cellular location. Previous reports from our laboratory indicated that, in order to achieve in vivo-like stromal expression patterns, culturing cells onto fibroblast-derived matrices or as un-extracted 3D cultures, is often necessary , . By the use of these 3D cultures, we demonstrated that levels of stromal markers α-SMA, palladin and, to some extent, uPARAP are consistently and significantly increased compared to those of all harvested from normal kidney tissues, reflecting their usefulness as surrogates of in vivo specimens. On the other hand, the fibronectin spliced form EDA did not show significant variations.
In spite of the clear differences in the levels of expression of α-SMA and palladin observed when comparing 3D cultures produced by tumor-derived vs. normal kidney-derived fibroblasts, relatively high distributions among samples were also observed. To this end, it has been suggested that myofibroblastic activation occurs in progressive phases  and that perhaps tumor-associated stroma can also be sorted into various progressive stages , . In an effort to determine whether incorporating stromal features into an enhanced staging scheme could be used for RCCs, we investigated whether stroma progression accompanies or rather develops at an independent pace from tumor staging. We questioned if our 3D culturing system effectively mimics the original in vivo stromal features. Individual analysis of RCC cases indicated that levels of stromal markers do not necessarily always correlate with the original stages of the tumors. Nevertheless, RCC cases showing the greatest expression levels of both α-SMA and palladin indeed correlated with the most activated 3D cultures sorted using our published methods , , . Interestingly, the same cases sorted as ‘activated’ presented in vivo characteristics of activated stroma such as increased levels of stromal markers palladin and α-SMA indicating that our 3D system indeed mimics in vivo stromal characteristics.
Our results suggest that the rate of stroma transformation does not correlate with the tumor stage assigned by the evaluation of the tumor cells proposing the possibility that the assessment of stroma progression may complement tumor stage as a clinical prognostic variable in RCC. Moreover, we believe that we have identified stromal palladin as an early risk factor predictor for RCCs.
All human tissues used in this study were acquired after approval of the Fox Chase Cancer Center's Institutional Review Board. All samples were decoded to avoid the possibility of patient identification. It is important to note that a written informed consent form, where patients agree to have samples taken for research purposes, was obtained in all the cases.
Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) was obtained from Mediatech Inc. (Manasas, VA) and fetal bovine serum (FBS) from Hyclone (South Logan, UT). Mouse anti-α-SMA and rabbit anti-fibronectin were from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO). Mouse anti-EDA fibronectin was obtained from Abcam (Cambridge, MA) and rabbit anti-palladin (for immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry) from Proteintech group (Chicago, IL). Monoclonal mouse anti-palladin (used in Western Blots) was a gift from Dr. C. Otey from the University of North Carolina , , and mouse anti-uPARAP was a gift from Drs. T. Bugge (NIDCR/NIH, Bethesda, Maryland) and L. Engelholm (Copenhagen Biocenter, Denmark) . Rabbit anti-Vimentin was from Biovision (Mountain View, CA), mouse anti-pan-keratin from Abcam (Cambridge, MA) and mouse anti-GAPDH from Millipore. Goat anti-mouse IRDye 700 and anti-rabbit IRDye 800 were from LI-COR Biosciences (Lincoln, NE). Anti-mouse Rhodamine red and anti-rabbit Cy5, donkey F(ab')2 fragments were from Jackson Laboratories (West Grove, PA). Plasmids 12245 (pLOX-TERT-iresTK) and 12240 (pLOX-CWBmi1) were from Addgene (Cambridge, MA, USA). FuGENE 6 Transfection Reagents were from Roche Diagnostic (Indianapolis, IN, USA).
53 RCCs samples were collected by the Tumor Bank and Bio-specimen Repository Facilities at Fox Chase Cancer Center following IRB approval. Among the 53 RCC cases, 47 constituted malignant tumor samples while 7 represented normal tissues used as controls. Amid the 47 tumor cases, 62% of the cases were clear cell carcinomas. A detailed description of the cohort is presented in Table 1.
Immunohistochemistry of paraffin-embedded samples was performed using rabbit anti-palladin (1100) or mouse anti-α-SMA (1100) as primary antibodies. An avidin biotin-peroxide kit (Vectastain Elite; Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA), together with chromogen 3′,3′-diaminobenzidine, was used following manufacturer's instructions. Negative controls consisted of treated samples incubated using iso-matched non-specific primary antibodies and normal rabbit or mouse pre-immune sera. All sections were counterstained with hematoxylin and mounted for inspection.
The score for the intensity of staining in the immunohistochemistry was performed by a ‘blinded’ pathologist using semiquantitative measurements. The assigned intensities consisted of four categories; 0, 0.5, 1, and 2. Absence of staining was assigned with the lowest value (0) and the strongest set of intensities was assigned the highest (2). The correlation between immunohistological staining and clinical parameters such as presence of local or distant metastases, and survival was analyzed by a biostatistician (see below).
Fresh surgical tissue samples from partial nephrectomies conducted at the Fox Chase Cancer Center were delivered with the assistance of the Protocols Laboratory and Biosample Repository Facility following protocols approved by the Institutional Review Board. Twenty-two primary RCCs, 18 normal (non-tumorigenic) kidney samples and 5 secondary tumors (positive lymph nodes) were obtained (Table S1). Tissue samples were rinsed in cold PBS containing 100 U/ml penicillin and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. Samples were minced and subjected to overnight digestive dissociation using 0.2% collagenase at 37°C. Note that samples that were big enough were divided in two separate harvesting samples at this point. The resultant mixture was centrifuged at 200 g for 4 min. Supernatants were passed through 100 µm cell strainer (BD Bioscience) before plating. The fibroblasts-enriched fraction was cultured for up to 6 passages in DMEM containing 15% FBS, 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 µg/ml streptomycin and 2 mM L-glutamine at 37°C using a humidified atmosphere and 5% CO2. The resultant lines were regarded as primary cell lines which served as parental for the immortalization ones (see below). Homogeneity was confirmed by direct microscopic observations, and cells were designated as fibroblastic after confirmation of mesenchymal marker vimentin expression, as well as absence of epithelial marker keratin expression. WI38 and MCF7 cells were used as fibroblastic positive and negative controls, respectively (Table S1).
Seventy-two primary fibroblastic human kidney cell lines were obtained from the 22 RCC cases listed in Table S1. The fibroblastic nature and the level of homogeneity of all cells were assessed as stated above. Vimentin-positive keratin-negative lines were kept as primary lines and also served as parental lines for immortalization by transfection using lipofectamine (Roche, Indianapolis, IN, USA) with plasmids 12245 (pLOX-TERT-iresTK) and 12240 (pLOX-CWBmi1) and incubated in OPTI-MEM (GIBCO) reduced serum according to the manufacturers' instructions . On average, two immortalized cell lines were obtained for each selected parental primary one. Successful transfections were confirmed by Western Blotting assessing high Bmi1  and low p16 expressions. Six representative cases were selected (Table 2 and Table S1). The selected cells spanned a total of 59 lines from which 17 were primary (parental) cells and 42 corresponded to immortalized sets. Five of the 6 selected included fibroblasts derived from paired samples of normal (non-tumorigenic) kidney tissue, as well as matched adjacent primary and secondary (e.g., positive lymph nodes or adrenal gland) tumors. The sixth case, which included cells harvested only from normal kidney and adjacent primary tumor, corresponded to a low grade, low stage (T1b, grade 2) clear cell RCC used as a control. Four of the six selected cases were histologically assessed as clear cell carcinomas, while two were identified as papillary with sarcomatoid in RCC features. In all, the selected cases contained two stage III and three stage IV representatives while one was deemed low nuclear grade and (grade 2) at stage I (Table 2). Experiments were performed twice using both immortalized and primary lines.
Protocol was as previously described , . Briefly, 250,000 cells/ml were plated on gelatin-coated dishes or cover-slips and maintained in a state of confluence for 6-8 days. The gelatin served to stabilize the fibronectin matrices derived by cells cultured onto this pre-coated surface. This way the cell-derived matrices build in a multilayer fashion resulting in stable structures which could withstand the intrinsic forces applied by the cells during 3D matrix production in the layers. Cells were supplemented every 48 hours with 50 µg/ml L-ascorbic acid (this also helps to stabilize matrix production so cells can continue building up). The resultant “unextracted ECM based 3D cultures” were either lysed for Western Blot analyses or processed for indirect immunofluorescence. Controls consisted of matched sample cultures grown overnight under classic 2D conditions.
Cells were lysed and samples were resolved by SDS-PAGE and transferred as previously described , . Blots were incubated with a combination of primary antibodies against α-SMA (11000), palladin (11000), EDA-fibronectin (11000), uPARAP (11000) and GAPDH (12000) or Vimentin (11000) and pan-Keratin (11000). IRDye 700 goat anti-mouse and IRDye 800 goat anti-rabbit (110,000, LI-COR) were used as secondary antibodies and blots were scanned using the Odyssey Infrared Imaging System (LI-COR) following the Odyssey User Guide's (version 2.1) instructions for membranes. Optical densities were obtained using the Odyssey 2.1.12 software with median background subtraction and 3 points selected border width. Ratios showing relative levels of expression with regards to GAPDH were calculated and plotted using Prism 5 software (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA).
Samples were labeled according to standard para-formaldehyde/triton procedures , , . Briefly, samples were incubated at room temperature with either rabbit anti-human fibronectin (1100) and mouse anti-α-SMA (1100) or mouse anti-EDA-fibronectin (1100) and rabbit anti-palladin (1100). Samples were rinsed and incubated with secondary anti-rabbit Cy5 and anti-mouse Rhodamine Red conjugated donkey F(ab')2 fragments (1100) together with SYBR Green nuclear stain (150,000, Invitrogen) for 30 minutes at room temperature. Samples were rinsed and then mounted using Invitrogen's Prolong gold anti-fading reagent (Carlsbad, CA, USA).
Samples were scanned using an Ultraview spinning-disc confocal head (Perkin-Elmer Life Sciences, Boston, MA) mounted on a Nikon TE-2000U microscope (Optical Apparatus Co., Ardmore, PA). Images, corresponding to simultaneous 488 nm, 568 nm, and 647 nm wavelengths, were captured using sequential Z-slices corresponding to 0.5 µm. Reconstituted projections were obtained by applying a maximum reconstruction function onto the acquired Z-planes using MetaMorph Offline 7.0r1 imaging analysis software (Molecular Devices, Downingtown, PA).
Statistical analyses for Western blot and for normal vs. tumor immunohistochemistry were performed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test calculated by the Instat statistical software (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA). Regarding the tumor micro array, in order to identify clinical variables related to patient survival, we performed univariate and multivariable analyses by constructing decision trees using the Classification and Regression Trees (CART) methodology. The following clinical variables were considered as predictors of survival time – levels of the markers α-sma, palladin, fibronectin EDA and collagen I, as well as T stage, N stage, M stage and pathological stage. We utilized the unified CART framework that embeds recursive binary partitioning into the theory of permutation tests . Significance testing procedures were applied to determine whether no significant association between any of the clinical variables and the response could be stated or whether the recursion would need to stop. We utilized the open-source R package PARTY (www.r-project.org) in our computations . Due to the nature of our analyses, no correction for multiple testing was employed, and a Type I error of 5% was used to test each hypothesis.
RCC cases and their paired/harvested cell lines. List spanning the 22 RCCs cases, tumor types, nomenclatures and collaborative (pathological and clinical) stages and grades used in this study. Also listed are the types of tissues from where fibroblasts were isolated (e.g., normal kidney as well as primary and secondary (lymph node or adrenal gland) tumors). K, stands for keratin while V stands for vimentin. Harvested cells were sorted by their morphological features as spread, intermediate or spindled. ND stands for not determined. * indicate samples selected for the rest of the study while a, b and c in the stage column are used to distinguish between the two stage III and three stage IV samples among the six selected.
Medians and statistical P values for measured Optical Densities. Median calculated optical densities normalized to GAPDH values are shown in A, while B-E correspond to the P values obtained using Mann-Whitney test. Relative P value significances were designated as extremely***, very**, or significant*. The tissue sources from where fibroblasts were harvested are marked as N for normal kidney, P for primary RCC and S for secondary (metastatic) RCC. 2D and 3D correspond to two-dimensional and three-dimensional cultures, respectively.
Calculated medians, fold differences and statistical P values for 3D cultures sorted using the original RCC's stages. Median calculated optical densities normalized to GAPDH values are shown in A, while B-E correspond to the indicated median fold differences and corresponding P values obtained using the Mann-Whitney test. Relative P value significances were designated as extremely***, very**, or significant*. Roman numbers (I, III and IV) correspond to the original collaborative tumor stages from where fibroblasts were harvested. The tissue sources rendering the fibroblasts used in the study are marked as N for normal kidney, P for primary RCC and S for secondary (metastatic) RCC.
Expression levels of in vivo stroma markers α-SMA and palladin analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Table listing collaborative stages where * corresponds to samples used for in vitro analyses while a, b and c serve to differentiate among the cases as in Table 1. Types of tissues used are depicted as normal, as well as primary or secondary for tumors. Blinded assessment of immunohistochemistry expression levels using -, -/+, +, ++ and +++ as scoring method. The blinded individual explained the observed stroma (as opposed to epithelial) positive staining of all samples under “Description of stromal expression.”
We thank Dr. A. Klein-Szanto for assistance with histopathology, Mrs. D. Kister and M. Collins for assertive data management, Mrs. E. Ragan for proofreading, S. Goldston and Dr. J. Franco-Barraza for discussions, and Drs. A. Klein-Szanto and G. Hudes for critical comments. We also thank Drs. C. Otey (UNC, Chapel Hill North Carolina), T. Bugge (NIDCR/NIH, Bethesda, Maryland) and L. Engelholm (Copenhagen Biocenter, Denmark) for providing the anti-palladin and anti uPARAP antibodies. This study used the following FCCC facilities: Biosample Repository, Histopathology, Cell Culture, Glass-Washing and Talbot Research Library.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Funding: The Keystone Program in Personalized Kidney Cancer Therapy at Fox Chase Cancer Center (Institutional Funds) to EC, VG, TAS and RGU, an American Urological Association Foundation Research Scholar Program Award to VG (http://www.urologyhealth.org/research/grantprograms.cfm), as well as NCI/NIH CA113451 to EC and CA06927 to all authors. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.


An Earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 Mw with a depth of 10 Km that occurred in the Central Sulawesi province on Sept. 28, 2018, at 18:02 (WITA) triggered a Tsunami with a height of up to 5 meters and Liquefactions in Palu City. Based on the results of radon gas monitoring at Tadulako station, which is ~71 Km from the earthquake epicenter shows before the earthquake occurred indicating an increase concentration radon gas since August 13 2018 until the maximum increase which was quite significant when the earthquake occurred. Monitoring of the water level at the radon borehole also showed a drastic decrease and increase within two days, precisely on August 20, 2018. Ground water temperature data show that there has been a slow decline since July 20, 2018 and began to rise again after the earthquake occurred. At the Palolo station, which has a distance of 107 Km from the earthquake epicenter, there was no anomaly of gas radon concentrations, water level and ground water temperature. Based on these results, monitoring of radon gas concentration is very promising to be carried out in active fault areas that are scattered throughout to improve the Earthquake precursor results.
This research can provide information on how promising monitoring of radon gas concentrations, geotemperature and water levels in monitor fault activity a few days before an earthquake occurs.


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These are the colors we chose for the wedding Mom. that plum purple, lilac and grey
plum purple and warm grey wedding colours
Deep purple place cards, wedding planned by La Fete with photos by Melissa…
deep purple bridesmaid dress wtih pink white and purple bouquet
dark purple wedding color inspiration and wedding invitations- ADD TEAL
Plum boutonnière with sparkle
Winter weddings may seem chilly, but this bright white and deep purple wedding will put you in the mood for spring!


The past few months have been busy for Prova’s Drayson Racing Technologies (DRT) team. Since the B12/69EV’s historic track debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2012, DRT’s electric racing car has been in great demand. Over 220,000 people have seen the car on show at seven diverse and exciting events across the UK over the summer months. In addition, 1.5 billion people have been exposed to the B12 in the media since its launch or followed it on twitter @DraysonRacing.
Following the B12/69EV ‘world first’ run up the hill at Goodwood FoS, the car was in good company as it represented the cutting edge of British motorsport at Chelsea AutoLegends in the show’s inaugural Techno Park area. The B12 was centre stage alongside the Marussia F1 Team 2012 car and a full scale model of fellow record-breaker, the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car.
A few days later, it was the turn of the technology within the B12 to be the main focus when the car and team headed to the 2012 Low Carbon Vehicle show at Millbrook, which once again attracted the cream of the automotive industry to discuss the future of sustainable transport. A quick journey west saw the car head to the Cheltenham Sustainable Expo to promote its role in advancing alternative technologies into the motorsport arena. The fledgling event is campaigning to hold an EV road-race event in 2014, demonstrating low carbon technology directly to the consumer.
At the beginning of October, the B12 was a star attraction at the opening of the new Millers Oils research and development facility. The car was there to showcase the forward-thinking projects the British lubricant firm is currently supporting. Finally, the B12 attracted an enthusiastic crowd at the recent Energy Solutions Expo at Olympia. The car was invited to play a part in the stand for voltage optimisation specialist, i-Volt, where it was widely applauded as one of the stars of the show.
The B12 schedule continues to be busy moving forward, with the team just completing a batch of testing with more planned over the next few months.
While the car has been busy attending events, Lord Drayson and the DRT engineers have also been working hard fulfilling their role as scientific advisor to the new Formula E Championship, following FIA recent confirmation of the 2014 series. Indeed, DRT’s role has seen the team co-ordinating relationships with international bodies such as the UN and the European Union, as well as promoting the series to the global scientific community.
The team has been working alongside Alejandro Agag and his team to ensure that the first year of the Formula E Championship gives the series the springboard that it deserves. News that the first race of the series will be held in Rio de Janerio has been announced and other landmark cities are looking at joining the party shortly. Things could not have got off to a better start and the world’s media continue to look on with interest.


The Compact Rayleigh Autonomous Lidar (CORAL)
CORAL is a mobile middle atmosphere lidar system developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the German Aerospace Center [1
]. CORAL is designed to measure atmospheric temperature from 15 to 90 km altitude with high temporal and vertical resolution. The temperature data are used to study atmospheric gravity waves which show up as perturbations in temperature profiles. Atmospheric gravity waves play an important role in the dynamic coupling of the atmosphere. CORAL is situated in the lee of the Andes right within the gravity wave hotspot at the southern tip of South America (53.79 S, 67.75 W
). It was transferred to EARG station
close to the airport of Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
, in November 2017. Before, it took measurements at Sodankylä in the north of Finland (67.37 N, 26.62 E, Sep 2015 - April 2016), and in the Bavarian Forest in southern Germany (48.84 N, 13.67 E, May 2016 - Sep 2016).
Left: CORAL team including Alejandro de La Torre, Jose Luis Hormaechea, Dominique Pautet, Bernd Kaifler and Robert Reichert. Right: CORAL laser beam during SouthTRAC in the southern sky (by Sonja Gisinger).
The CORAL lidar conducts atmospheric observations autonomously, i.e. no operator is required to supervise the lidar and its computer system on-site or remotely. CORAL uses an extensive set of sensors to assess environmental conditions. Based on these data, the computer system makes the decision whether lidar operation is feasible. At the same time, engineering data is used to check the health of the lidar instrument. If all parameters are within predefined limits, the computer system starts the lidar automatically after sunset and continues taking data until sunrise.
First light of CORAL at Rio Grande in November 2017. The temperature profile to the left shows the warm stratopause at 50 km and the cold mesopause at 80 km. The instrument can be fully controlled remotely (right).
CORAL is a powerful Rayleigh backscatter lidar. A diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm wavelength and 100 Hz pulse repetition frequency with 14 W power is used for emission. The beam is expanded to 12 mm, resulting in 180 microrad beam divergence. A piezo-actuated mirror is used to control beam pointing. The telescope comprises a 630 mm diameter f/2.45 parabolic mirror with a spot size of 70 mm and a superstructure made of carbon fibers and aluminum which supports an optical fiber in the focal point. The effective field of view is approximately 360 microrad. In the receiver the beam is collimated after exiting the fiber. It is split into four beams, each directed to low-noise detectors operated in single photon counting mode. Interference filters block background light. A mechanical chopper located immediately behind the fiber end blocks the intense light originating from the lower atmosphere below 12 km altitude and prevents saturation of the detectors.
The lidar system is housed in an 8-foot steel container with two custom compartments accessible by doors. One compartment is home to the electronics, the other houses the telescope. Two smaller hatches in the left wall and in the back act as opening for the cooling system. A hinged hatch of 80 cm times 80 cm is located in the roof above the telescope. Two optical domes in the roof of the electronics compartment allow for installation of passive optical instruments. A cloud monitoring allsky camera is installed in the right-hand dome. The second dome is used by an Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM) built and operated by Utah State University. CORAL can handle temperature differences of 50 K from outside to the thermally controlled electronics compartment. A UPS is installed, and in case of a power outage, the lidar shuts down automatically. A dedicated instrument description of CORAL is in preparation for the journal Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. Information on our institute's website
, poster presented at an ARISE-2 workshop
Two talks explaining how we use lidar soundings of the middle atmosphere can be found here
. Atmospheric density, temperature and temperature perturbations used to deduce gravity waves are available between 15-90 km altitude at resolutions down to 1 km and 10 min. In the lower stratosphere, also soundings of aerosol layers are available. CORAL also detects noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric clouds in Rio Grande. From Sodankylä, also soundings of polar stratospheric clouds are available. Our allsky and side-viewing cameras also detect aurora and noctilucent clouds. Housekeeping data of the container include temperature, rain and wind at the ground. Some housekeeping data, webcam images, instrument status and ECMWF forecasts are available in real-time here.
If you are interested in scientific use of the data, please contact Bernd Kaifler (bernd.kaifler at dlr.de). We make all our data available to the scientific community. Browse through our CORAL measurement calendar
. A subset of the data is archived on the HALO database
. A complete list of scientific publications using CORAL data is here
Noctilucent or polar mesospheric clouds
Noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric clouds are thin ice clouds at 83 km altitude, at the edge of space. They occur when it is coldest in the upper mesosphere, which happens in summer conditions, and they are used to deduce temperature and motions on a number of scales. They can be seen by eye, so if you are in Patagonia in December-February, watch the southern horizon during twilight for bright, silvery clouds. If you see or have seen or photographed them in the past, let us know
. CORAL has detected few noctilucent clouds above Rio Grande during all seasons, and results will be published in 2021. CORAL has also observed noctilucent clouds in the past in the northern hemisphere, see an article on our institute's website
, an article in the German magazine "Sterne und Weltraum"
, and two talks at an International Workshop on Layered Phenomena in the Mesopause Region
and an ARISE-2 workshop
Backscatter from noctilucent clouds in January 2018 and 2021.
CORAL was developed at the German Aerospace Center. We were supported in a postdoctoral project
by the Helmholtz assosciation. We have been part of and received partial funding by the ARISE-2
Horizon 2020 project of the European Union, an infrastructure project comprising mainly infrasound stations around the globe. CORAL was part of the GW-LCYCLE2 campaign
during its stay in Sodankylä, Finland, and contributed to the SouthTRAC campaign
by long-term measurements, see also two posts on the SouthTRAC blog here


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Drug boss Arnoldo “La Minsa” Rueda-Medina pleaded guilty on Monday to narcotics distribution and money laundering in connection with his leadership role in the La Familia Michoacán Mexican drug cartel, the DEA announced.
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Five alleged members of a San Diego-based drug trafficking cell were arrested Wednesday and hit with various drug charges. Among the group is 41-year-old Jaime Ivan Mendez-Maciel, the cell’s leader, who operated a series of drug stash houses in San Diego and coordinated the importation and distribution of hundreds of pounds of …Continue
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Agents busted two California men in Essex County, New Jersey with more than 140 kilograms of narcotics in their possession. 33-year-old Abraham Castro, of San Diego, California, and 42-year-old Hector Leonel Lucas-Ramos, of National City, California, are charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to…Continue
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It’s a drug case that has all the ingredients of a James Bond movie. An alleged international drug lord known as the Sultan was arrested at his London home on Friday, following investigations by the National Crime Agency and US Drug Enforcement Administration (…Continue
Added by Gangsters Inc. on August 26, 2017 at 2:18pm — No Comments
Rene Cruz-Vargas, a member of the drug trafficking organization allegedly led by 47-year-old Mexican national Joel Ibarra-Torres, was sentenced to 27 months in prison on Tuesday for his role in distributing cocaine in Doña Ana County. 41-year-old Cruz-Vargas will be deported after completing his prison…Continue
Added by Gangsters Inc. on August 16, 2017 at 2:00pm — No Comments
One of the leaders of the Hazard street gang – a Mexican Mafia-controlled criminal enterprise that has been responsible for criminal activity in and around the Ramona Gardens housing complex in Boyle Heights for decades – was sentenced on today to 15 years in prison for his conviction on federal racketeering and…Continue
Added by Gangsters Inc. on August 7, 2017 at 11:30pm — No Comments
On September 26, 2006, American justice was finally served in a Miami court when two gangsters, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, and his brother Miguel, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The plea, which came after months of intense negotiations with several U.S. agencies, marked the end of the…Continue
Added by Gangsters Inc. on August 6, 2017 at 10:18am — No Comments
The king is dead, long live the king. With Colombia’s most wanted drug lord Pablo Escobar lying dead on a rooftop, the cocaine business and its many players continue without skipping a beat. The downfall of …Continue
Added by Gangsters Inc. on August 4, 2017 at 8:30pm — No Comments


§ 142.23. Requirements.
(a) Recipients required to report. A recipient shall submit a Monthly Reporting Form if the budget group contains a person who meets one or more of the following:
(1) Has earned income except the following:
(i) A full-time or part-time student who is employed part-time.
(ii) A dependent child whose sole earnings are from a program carried out under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), the act of October 13, 1982 (Pub. L. No. 97-300, 96 Stat. 1322), irrespective of student status.
(2) Has income deemed available to the recipient, as provided under Chapter 183 (relating to income) from an individual with earned income living in the common residence.
(3) Is designated by the Department to participate in monthly reporting based on Quality Control findings or other objective criteria applied Statewide.
(4) Meets one of the requirements indicated in paragraph (1), (2) or (3), but who does not receive cash assistance due to one or more of the following:
(i) Prohibition on payments of less than $10 as specified in § 225.24(b) (relating to procedures).
(ii) Application of the recoupment provision as specified in § 255.4 (relating to procedures).
(iii) Enforcement of suspension status as specified in § 183.105 (relating to increases in income).
(b) Special assistance. When requested, the CAO shall make provision for special assistance in completing and filing monthly reports to assistance units in which one of the following occurs:
(1) The adult members are either mentally or physically handicapped.
(2) The adult members are non-English speaking or otherwise lacking in reading and writing skills so that they cannot complete and file the required reports.
(c) Information provided to recipients required to submit monthly reports. A recipient who is required to submit monthly reports shall be provided with the following:
(1) An explanation of the purpose of monthly reporting.
(2) An explanation of the reason why the recipient is required to report monthly.
(3) A copy of the Monthly Reporting Form and an explanation of how to complete and file it.
(4) An explanation of what the recipient shall verify when he submits a monthly report and how it shall be verified.
(5) Instructions regarding whom the recipient may call at the CAO to ask questions or to obtain help in completing the monthly report.
(d) Timely Monthly Reporting Form. The Monthly Reporting Form shall be submitted to the CAO on a timely basis. A Monthly Reporting Form is considered timely if it is received in the CAO by the due date indicated on the form.
(e) Complete Monthly Reporting Form. A Monthly Reporting Form is considered complete if all of the questions are answered, the form is dated after the end of the reporting period, the person who is the payment name has signed the form and the required verification is attached.
(f) Submission of a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form. When the recipient submits a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form, eligibility and the amount of the assistance payment are determined based on information provided on the form. If the recipient is ineligible, assistance is terminated or suspended as set forth in § 183.105 and subsections (k) and (l).
(g) Failure to submit a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form. If the recipient fails to submit a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form, assistance is suspended and a Late/Incomplete Notice, as set forth in § 133.4 (relating to procedures), is sent to the recipient in time to be received by the regular payment date. The CAO may contact the recipient to clarify information contained on the Monthly Reporting Form.
(1) If the CAO receives a complete Late/Incomplete Notice or complete Monthly Reporting Form by the Extended Due Date indicated on the Late/Incomplete Notice, eligibility and the amount of the assistance payment are determined based on information provided on the form. If the recipient is eligible, assistance is reinstated. If the recipient is ineligible, assistance is terminated or suspended, as set forth in § 183.105 and subsections (k) and (l).
(2) If the recipient fails to submit a complete Late/Incomplete Notice or complete Monthly Reporting Form by the extended due date, the assistance case is terminated.
(i) If good cause, as defined in subsection (i), does not exist for failure to submit a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form, the client who is still in need shall reapply. At reapplication, the client shall complete the Monthly Reporting Form which the client failed to submit or complete entirely when assistance was terminated. If the client is eligible, the application is processed under § 125.24(a)(c) (relating to procedures).
(ii) If good cause, as defined in subsection (i), exists for failure to submit a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form and the recipient continues to be eligible, the case is reinstated if suspended or reopened if closed for the payment month in accordance with procedures on reinstatement or reopening.
(1) When the recipient submits an untimely complete Monthly Reporting Form or a complete Late/Incomplete Notice by the extended due date, eligibility is determined based on the information provided on the form. If the recipient is determined eligible, assistance is reinstated; however, the assistance payment may be late.
(2) When the recipient submits an untimely complete Monthly Reporting Form, a timely Monthly Reporting Form which is incomplete with respect to earnings, or a complete Late/Incomplete Notice by the Extended Due Date the earned income disregard, deductions and dependent care expenses are not allowed for the payment month affected if the recipient cannot show good cause, as defined in subsection (i) for the untimeliness or incompleteness.
(i) Good cause for failure to submit a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form or Late/Incomplete Notice. Good cause exists in situations when the circumstances causing the failure are beyond the control of the recipient, making it impossible for the recipient to comply with the monthly reporting requirements.
(1) Good cause includes, but is not limited to, the following situations: serious illness, accident, death or postal delay. If, in subsequent months, a recipient continues to claim good cause for failure to submit a timely and complete Monthly Reporting Form for reasons set forth in this paragraph, the claim shall be reevaluated each month.
(2) Good cause also includes the following situations: illiteracy, language problem or physical or mental handicap.
(i) If good cause is established for any of the reasons listed in this paragraph, the CAO worker provides assistance or makes a referral to a community resource. The worker shall document the referral in the case record.
(ii) A claim of good cause as set forth in this paragraph is reevaluated if the community resource to which the referral was made is no longer available. If good cause continues to exist, apply the requirements as set forth in subparagraph (i).
(3) A finding of good cause shall be approved by the supervisor, and documented in accordance with Departmental procedures.
(4) If good cause for an incomplete or late Monthly Reporting Form is established within 30 days from the date of notice on the Late/Incomplete Notice, benefits are reinstated if suspended or reopened if closed.
(j) Notification of change in benefits. The recipient is notified with a confirming notice of a change in eligibility or the amount of the assistance payment, if the change is the result of information reported on the Monthly Reporting Form or the Late/Incomplete Notice.
(k) Temporary ineligibility. If the recipient is ineligible for 1 month due to a periodic increase in income, or due to other circumstances, assistance is reinstated the following month as set forth in § 183.105 without a new application, if the client has complied with Monthly Reporting requirements and continues to be eligible, MA benefits continue during the period of temporary ineligibility.
(l) Termination of benefits. Benefits are terminated if the information provided on the Monthly Reporting Form or Late/Incomplete Notice indicates ineligibility which is expected to last for more than 1 month or for failure to comply with the monthly reporting requirements. A new application shall be completed if program benefits are terminated as a result of ineligibility or noncompliance, as set forth in this subsection.
(m) Appeal and fair hearings. A recipient subject to the Monthly Reporting requirements is entitled to the appeal and fair hearing process as set forth in Chapter 275 (relating to appeal and fair hearing and administrative disqualification hearings).
The provisions of this § 142.23 amended under section 403(b) of the Public Welfare Code (62 P. S. § 403(b)).
The provisions of this § 142.23 adopted April 8, 1983, effective April 9, 1983, 13 Pa.B. 1259; amended August 31, 1984, effective August 30, 1984, 14 Pa.B. 3159; amended August 26, 1988, effective November 1, 1988, 18 Pa.B. 3921; amended October 14, 1994, effective October 15, 1994, and apply retroactively to April 1, 1992, 24 Pa.B. 5229. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (175208), (130431) to (130432) and (165927).
This section cited in 55 Pa. Code § 125.24 (relating to procedures); 55 Pa. Code § 141.21 (relating to policy); and 55 Pa. Code § 229.24 (relating to procedures).
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.


Regional: Greater Mekong Subregion: Preparing the Corridor Towns Development Project
The project preparatory TA is required to establish the basis for the proposed investments and capacity development activities. It is designed to facilitate the transformation of the GMS transport corridors into fully fledged economic corridors through priority infrastructure investments and capacity building support in selected corridor towns (including border towns).
Southeast Asia Department
Request for information
- Technical Assistance
- Water and other urban infrastructure and services
|Project Name||Greater Mekong Subregion: Preparing the Corridor Towns Development Project|
|Country / Economy||Regional
|Project Type / Modality of Assistance||Technical Assistance
|Source of Funding / Amount||
|Strategic Agendas||Inclusive economic growth
|Drivers of Change||Gender Equity and Mainstreaming
|Sector / Subsector||
Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Other urban services - Urban policy, institutional and capacity development - Urban solid waste management - Urban water supply
|Gender Equity and Mainstreaming||Effective gender mainstreaming|
|Description||The project preparatory TA is required to establish the basis for the proposed investments and capacity development activities. It is designed to facilitate the transformation of the GMS transport corridors into fully fledged economic corridors through priority infrastructure investments and capacity building support in selected corridor towns (including border towns).|
|Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy||The regional cooperation strategy and program (RCSP) for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) (2010-2012) aims to help achieve the GMS vision of a prosperous, integrated, and harmonious subregion through the pursuit of four strategic pillars, namely: (i) strengthening connectivity and facilitating cross-border movement and tourism; (ii) integrating national markets to promote economic efficiency and private sector development; (iii) addressing health and other social, economic, and capacity building issues; and (iv) managing the environment and shared natural resources to help ensure sustainable development and conservation of natural resources. The proposed assistance is consistent with the strategic pillars of the current RCSP, specifically with regards to improving health and poverty levels, and mitigating environmental degradation. Poverty in the GMS is still substantial 9% in Vietnam, 27% in Laos PDR, and 34% in Cambodia. The project will contribute to the implementation of ADB's Country Strategies and Programs (CSPs) in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and ADB's Strategy 2020 (2008) for regional cooperation and integration, and to accelerate Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic integration which covers five areas: (i) develop investment projects, including infrastructure to support transport networks, trade logistics, and modernization of agriculture; (ii) enhance support for community-based ecotourism development; (iii) hasten implementation of projects that advance the environment management and climate change agenda; (v) strengthen relationships with local governments and the private sector; and (vi) intensify capacity development.|
|Impact||Corridor towns have adequate urban infrastructure and services.|
|Description of Outcome||Agreed design of the resulting project.|
|Progress Toward Outcome|
|Description of Project Outputs||
1. Strategic local economic development plans formulated.
2. Priority infrastructure investments in urban environmental infrastructure and economic infrastructure prepared.
3. Institutional capacity development plans prepared.
|Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues)|
|Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects|
|Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation|
|During Project Design|
|During Project Implementation||Final Reports submitted and presented to all stakeholders in each country.|
|Consulting Services||The TA for the preparation of the GMS CTDP will require about 130 person-months of consulting services, consisting of 30 person-months of international services and 100 person-months of national services, with the following expertise: international: urban management specialist, finance and procurement specialist, social safeguards and resettlement specialist, environmental safeguards specialist, capacity development specialist; national: water and sanitation engineers, social preparation and community development specialists, town planners, flood control adn drainage engineers, institutional development and procurement specialist, financial analysts, environmental specialists, resettlement speicalist, solid waste specialits, geographic information specialists. Consulting firms will be engaged using quality- and cost-based selection method with a quality cost ratio of 80:20.|
|Responsible ADB Officer||Frauendorfer, Rudolf|
|Responsible ADB Department||Southeast Asia Department|
|Responsible ADB Division||Urban Development and Water Division, SERD|
Asian Development Bank
6 ADB Avenue,
Mandaluyong City 1550, Philippines
|Concept Clearance||03 Aug 2009|
|Fact Finding||24 Aug 2009 to 07 Sep 2009|
|Approval||12 Nov 2010|
|Last Review Mission||-|
|PDS Creation Date||18 Aug 2009|
|Last PDS Update||04 Dec 2013|
|Approval||Signing Date||Effectivity Date||Closing|
|12 Nov 2010||18 Mar 2011||18 Mar 2011||31 Aug 2011||30 Jun 2014||30 Jun 2014|
|Financing Plan/TA Utilization||Cumulative Disbursements|
|2,000,000.00||900,000.00||300,000.00||0.00||0.00||0.00||3,200,000.00||17 Jun 2022||2,805,857.94|
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.
The Accountability Mechanism provides a forum where people adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects can voice and seek solutions to their problems and report alleged noncompliance of ADB's operational policies and procedures.
In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of, or reference to, a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
|Title||Document Type||Document Date|
|Greater Mekong Subregion Corridor Towns Development Project: Moc Bai Water Supply Improvements Environmental Management Plan||Environmental Management Plans||Sep 2016|
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
None currently available.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.
Requests for information may also be directed to the InfoUnit.
No tenders for this project were found.
No contracts awarded for this project were found
None currently available.


text:
- Eurovision winners 1987-1992.
- Bertrand James (La Battue)(below) explains their music and The Little Joys.
- D3LTA , his philosophy, his music and “Hot Gun”
- John Carr updates on his latest track “Love On the Rocks”.
- Plus music from Mae Muller, Kris Kristofferson, The Swingles,Roerdon Love, The Wolfe Brothers, John Coinman, Wild Youth, Elly O’Keefe, Tony Christie, Everly Brothers,Rag n’Bone Man, Bruce Guynn,The Korgis.
Yourhitsdigital.com Sunday 19th March 2023 at midnight!!

domain: entertainment


text:
Monday, February 24, 2014 - 09:58
For nearly 50 years, the swine teaching farm at Iowa State University has been helping students learn about pork production. The primary goal of the farm is to educate students about current pork production operations, and this includes student workers at the farm.
Monday, February 24, 2014 - 09:41
Finding the Iowa State University swine expert you need is easier with the online listing provided by Iowa Pork Industry Center. The 21-page booklet features names, photos and contact information for more than 80 faculty and staff members with swine- and/or pork-related work responsibilities.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 - 10:37
A special value added agriculture Annie’s Project course is coming to Ames in March. The course covers five areas of agricultural risk: financial, human resources, legal, marketing and production.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 - 10:26
Annie's Project helped Nicole Jonas write a business plan and add value to her farm business. The classes "made me realize things I needed to be doing or be doing better on Red Granite Farm and helped me focus on it as a real business,” Jonas said.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 - 09:42
A one-day swine production seminar sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University of Minnesota Extension, Hubbard Feeds and Elanco will be Thursday, March 13 in Okoboji.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014 - 09:49
Horse owners and enthusiasts now have an online option for learning horse management through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach's Master Equine Manager Program, a comprehensive educational experience that teaches the science of horse management.
Friday, February 14, 2014 - 15:11
The 2014 Lauren Christian Pork Chop Open 18-hole best ball tournament is set for Wednesday, June 25 at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames.
Thursday, February 13, 2014 - 08:28
Concern over health issues in cattle that consume ergot-contaminated grain motivated Iowa Beef Center staff at Iowa State University to investigate potential issues around ergot contamination. They share what they have found.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 17:04
Veterinarians and others in Iowa’s pork industry have the opportunity to become Pork Quality Assurance Plus® 2.0 Advisors at an April 24 session offered by Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - 16:55
The 2014 Iowa State University Animal Industry Report is now available online. This report features a variety of animal industry-related research done at Iowa State that was supported by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station.

domain: news


text:
Would an interior designer make my home look like a furniture showroom or too formal? That is often a huge fear! And rightfully so. The answer to the question is – “that depends“. Some designers will, in fact, make your home look too much like a furniture showroom. Why? Perhaps because it’s easier to buy […]
Category: Interior design fees
7 effective ways keep interior design fees low, a few of them will surprise you!
Everyone would like to keep interior design fees low, and it is possible with these 7 tips! People often ask how much design services will cost, and how to keep the interior design fees low. The total will depend a great deal on you, the homeowner, and it’s not at all based on what you’d […]
How to hire a good Interior designer, consider these tips before you search through designer web sites.
An interior designer’s web site can give you a real sense of their expertise. Here are some tips to consider: 1) Does their web site and blog show a few pretty rooms (from the client with a big budget)? Or does it show what they can accomplish when existing items are difficult? 2) Are they willing to provide a list as referrals? Do they have excellent recommendations […]


text:
Don’t think dirt is beautiful? You don’t know Deb Gangwish. She has a thing for soil and openly espoused her infatuation recently in an interview on National Public Radio (NPR). And Del Ficke, another Nebraska farmer, understands her crush completely.
Gangwish, who serves on the National Corn Growers Association Freedom to Operate Action Team, is part of a growing legion of farmers at the forefront of a swelling soil health movement. And this movement is turning the historic soil management “evolution” into more of a “revolution” because of the momentum and accelerated change.
“For years, talk of "healthy soil" was mostly limited to organic farmers and others on the fringes of mainstream American agriculture. No more. Articles about soil health fill major farm publications. It's the subject of several recent books. Big food companies are on board, and some of them are discussing a new eco-label for food, alongside "organic" and "fair trade," that would reward farmers for adopting practices that build healthy soil — what many are calling "regenerative agriculture." Dan Charles - NPR
Farmers have been discussing, adopting and tweaking agronomic practices that are better for the soil for decades but more in the context of saving soil from wind and water erosion rather than how to keep soil “healthy.” Keeping soil in the field became a growing priority in the 1990s which spawned many ways to farm under the heading of conservation tillage and no-till.
But today, the quest for healthy soil is saving the soil and a whole lot more. Farmers are developing techniques that capture carbon, cut the need for adding as much fertilizer, and literally build new, more productive soil.
Efforts are being aided by the Soil Health Partnership and NCGA. SHP is leading and facilitating efforts to identify, test and measure management practices to improve soil health to assist in assessing the economic and environmental benefits to farmers’ operations.
U.S. Corn farmers are committed to continuous improvement in the production of corn, a versatile crop providing abundant high-quality food, feed, renewable energy, biobased products, and ecosystem services.
Corn ethanol is critical for a sustainable, clean energy future.
A Commitment to the Future

domain: agronomy