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Curt Schilling vaulted himself back into relevance last week when he regaled us all with a tale of how he was encouraged to use performance enhancing drugs back in 2008 when he was out of action with a shoulder injury. Schilling told ESPN’s Colin Cowherd that a former Boston Red Sox employee suggested that he should use a banned substance to help him recover, to which the outspoken right-hander refused.
Now, Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston, citing unnamed sources, reports that Schilling’s claims are “completely baseless”. Edes’ report states that investigations by both MLB and the Red Sox, conducted “within a week” of the alleged incident, concluded that there was nothing to the three-time World Series champion’s claims. Schilling reported the incident to then Red Sox manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein, who took the neccesary steps under baseball’s joint drug agreement. The PED conversation, while not confirmed, is believed to have been with former Red Sox rehabilitation coordinator, Mike Reinold.
Schilling has disputed the report that his claims are untrue:
“It happened. I informed the club, and there were other players that heard the conversation, who I spoke with after,” Schilling told ESPNBoston.com in an email. “The club immediately informed MLB, and they launched an investigation in which all parties were interviewed. If someone’s saying it didn’t happen, I am not sure why, since the two people in the discussion are gone — I’m retired and the other person was fired last year, I think. But it doesn’t shock me that people would deny it was ‘an event,’ though I am unsure why.”
Curt Schilling says one thing, somebody else says something different… MLB has essentially shut the door on this one, so I’m not even sure what we’re bothering with here.
This is your weekly reminder that nobody self-aggrandizes like Curt Schilling. This Curt Schilling update is brought to you by scary, scary drugs.


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Ghana’s public debt stock remarkably shot up by ¢40.1 billion to ¢391.9 billion as of the end of March, 2022, the Summary of Economic and Financial Data by the Bank of Ghana has revealed.
The increase in the debt is due largely to exchange rate fluctuation and to some extent borrowings from the domestic market. In the first quarter of 2022, the cedi assumed a free fall to the dollar, but its depreciation was halted in April 2022, following monetary measures by the Bank of Ghana.
However, in relation to the Gross Domestic Product of the country, the debt was estimated at 78%. This is slightly lower than the 80% recorded in December 2021.
According to the figures, the debt inched up by ¢20.5 billion in January 2022 and subsequently ¢19.7 billion in February 2022.
In terms of the domestic debt, it went up by ¢8 billion in the first quarter of 2022 to ¢189.9 billion in March 2021. This is equivalent to 37.8% of GDP.
Also, the external component of the total public debt shot up to $28.4 billion (¢201.9 billion) in March 2022, from $28.1 billion in December 2021. From the figures, clearly one can deduce that there were no borrowings from the external front in the first quarter of this year.
The debt-to-GDP ratio of the external debt is however approximately 40.2% of GDP.
The cedi component shot up by ¢31.9 billion in the first three months of 2022, primarily due to the decline in the value of the cedi to dollar during the period.
On the other hand, the financial sector resolution bond went down to ¢14.6 billion in March 2022, from ¢14.9 billion recorded in December 2021. This is equivalent to 2.9% of GDP.
IMF forecasts Ghana’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 84.6% in 2022
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had in its April 2022 Fiscal Monitor predicted Ghana’s debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of 84.6% in 2022.
According to the Fund, the country’s total debt was estimated at 81.8% of GDP in 2021, higher than the 80.1%, approximately ¢351.8 billion quoted by the Bank of Ghana.
The Fund also said the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio will increase from 2022 to 88.4% in 2026, before falling to 87.4% in 2027.
But prior to that it will record relatively same debt-to-GDP ratio of 84% in 2022 and 2023, and later surge to 85% and 86% in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

domain: news


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plastic surgery plans read the
You might be well informed in regards to the positive facets of plastic cosmetic surgery. You could
have a favorite entertainment personality who may be already knowledgeable about cosmetic
surgery. It is actually a different reality, however, when it is you in the patient seat. There are
numerous things to think about, and also this article provides some good information you will
Anyone that is considering surgical treatment must research recovery periods to gain a
preliminary understanding of methods long they will need to rest post surgery. If you make sure
do you know what is linked to the surgery and precisely what is to come after, you will avoid many
inconveniences and interruptions with your schedule.
In order to get cosmetic surgery as a result of something other than the desire to look good, that
is called reconstructive surgery. Sometimes, you possibly will not wish to talk about your
procedure as plastic surgery, due to the stigma that goes along with it.
Have a discussion with all the surgeon and make sure to inquire about regarding their exposure to
previous procedures. Understand how familiar they can be with all the procedure you will be
having done, and get to discover both before and after photos of past patients. This preliminary
screening is not going to guarantee success, but it gives you a concept of how skilled the surgeon
Prior to making the particular appointment for having cosmetic plastic surgery, ensure you check
credentials. You must make sure you are comfortable with the hospital you're getting your
procedure in, along with with the doctor who will be performing your surgery. Figure out specifics
about the hospital's background with the procedure you're having done. Check if any complaints
have been filed and just how these folks were resolved.
Be aware of the variable nature of expenses associated with any cosmetic surgery. There are
sometimes hidden fees, for example anesthesia, whether your procedure is completed within a
hospital or maybe in the surgeon's office as well as other expenditures. Have a seat and talk
about simply how much it would cost, in all of the. Will not pay one thin dime until you know what
your out-of-pocket expenses will be.
Take a moment to research the facility where your aesthetic surgery is going to be performed.
These centers needs to be licensed, regular inspection records must be available and they also
should have records of their accreditation. Even surgical rooms in doctors' offices has to be
registered and susceptible to inspection. Make certain that the place where you will have surgical
procedures are current with the state certification board standards. You also want to make sure
they do not have an extensive negative history.
Consider the benefits along with the downsides of going abroad for plastic cosmetic surgery. For
most people, this may not be a choice being made without careful thought, but the benefits are
undeniable. The possible savings might be immense some patients report paying costs which can
be not more than one half of those they might pay in your house. However, be sure you research
any overseas facility thoroughly to help you be confident in the center's quality.
When your potential surgeon will not be board certified, it is advisable to search elsewhere.
Further, inquire as to the frequency of which a doctor has performed the method you desire, and
verify his answer.
Consider an overseas choice for surgical treatment. Even if this is a hard course of action, it can
be becoming more and more popular. Some patients end up paying half the purchase price with
regard to their procedure when they go overseas to offer the surgery. Do lots of research and
locate a surgeon with plenty of qualification and experience, with an accredited location.
Consider overseas choices for plastic surgery. Going overseas for surgical treatment is becoming
quite commonplace, as patient could possibly save approximately one half about the same
procedure they will enter the states. Research well though, so that you can get a trustworthy
doctor along with a good center to have your procedure carried out in.
Connect to individuals who have had exactly the same type of cosmetic plastic surgery that you
wish to have. They may share information that the surgeon doesn't reveal to you. Try to look for
the costs involved and the way long the highway was to recovery.
While many plastic surgeons may be worried about getting paid, others could possibly care about
your well-being. This sort of surgery has risks that you ought to consider before opting to undergo
the knife. Keep the following tips in your mind, in order to choose what is right for you!
Get More Info, Preventive Skin Care

domain: medical


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A Perfect Season for Dreaming / Un Tiempo Perfecto Para Sonar
Publication Date: October 2008
List Price: $17.95*
* Individual store prices may vary.
Enter your zip code below to find indies closest to you.
"The story's rhythmic, repetitive structure makes it an excellent read-aloud. . . . Meanwhile, Esau Andrade] Valencia's bright oil paintings evoke the joy of dreams and imagination. . . . Children of all backgrounds will enjoy it."--"School Library Journal"
""Ninety-two-year-old Octavio Rivera is a beautiful dreamer. And lately he has been visited by some very interesting dreams--dreams about pinatas that spill their treasures before him, revealing kissing turtles, winged pigs, hitchhiking armadillos and many more fantastic things Octavio doesn't tell anyone about his dreams except his young granddaughter Regina because she alone understands beautiful and fantastic dreams. On the ninth afternoon Octavio prepares for his siesta hoping to be blessed with one last lovely dream. That afternoon he dreams of a sky full of sweet and perfect hummingbirds calling his name over and over again...Like Margaret Wild's marvelous book "Old Pig," "A Perfect Season for Dreaming" unfolds the sweet possibilities in relationships between the very old and the very young.Benjamin Alire Saenz---novelist, poet, essayist and writer of children's books--is at the forefront of the emerging Latino literatures. He has received the Wallace Stegner Fellowship and the Lannan Fellowship and an American Book Award. He teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso, and considers himself a fronterizo, a person of the border.
Esau Andrade Valencia, born in Mexico, comes from a family of folk artists. Although still young, he is increasingly recognized as a master artist in the tradition of the great painters such as Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo, in whose footsteps he follows. Esau's paintings are included in the collection of The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach as well as in the Downey Museum of Art in California.
BENJAMIN ALIRE SENZ was born in his grandmother's house in Picacho, New Mexico-on the outskirts of Las Cruces, New Mexico where Juliana in Hollywood is set. He was the fourth of seven children and was brought up in a traditional Mexican-American Catholic family. His family spoke mostly Spanish at home, and it was only through his education in the public schools that he learned to speak and write in English. He entered the seminary in 1972, a decision that was as much political as it was religious: he was heavily influenced by such Catholic thinkers as Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Csar Chavez and the Berrigan brothers. After concluding his theological studies at the University of Louvain, he was ordained a Catholic priest. Three and a half years later, he left the priesthood. At the age of 30, he entered the Creative Writing Program at the University of Texas at El Paso. He later received a fellowship at the University of Iowa, and in 1988, he received a Wallace E. Stegner Fellowship in poetry from Stanford University. In 1993 he returned to the border to teach in the Bilingual MFA program at the University of Texas at El Paso. His most recent book of poetry, Elegies in Blue, was published by Cinco Puntos Press in 2002. This is his first book for young adults.

domain: literature


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We’re always here for women breaking glass ceilings and Kemi Adetiba is definitely one of them!
Kemi Adetiba isn’t new to the entertainment industry. She launched her career as a TV presenter for shows like Maltina Dance All before becoming a boss that calls the shots behind the camera. Kemi is so good at her job that the first time she directed a movie, The Wedding Party, it went on to become one of the highest grossing Nollywood movies ever!
Kemi didn’t only set high standards for filmmaking, she was the genius behind some of the most popular music videos of the late 2000’s. Although she now focuses on making films, her impact on music videos such as Falz’s “Child of the World” remains iconic. After learning the ropes from the New York Film Academy, she returned to direct TY Bello’s “Ekundayo” in 2008. Ten years after, Kemi is still someone we look up to!
We curated 6 of the best music videos she has directed just for your viewing pleasure. Check them out!
1. Banky W’s “Lagos Party”
2. Niyola’s “Toh Bad”
3. Omawumi’s “Today na Today”
4. Falz the Bahd guy’s “Child of the World”
5. Waje and Tiwa Savage’s “Onye”
6. Ego’s “Fall in Love”
While we love Kemi Adetiba for being a trailblazer, it would be nice to see more female directors behind the scenes of our music videos – given how oversexualised they are (and how male-dominated the industry is).
We’re here for more women working behind the scenes of music videos to bring diversity as well as changing the narrative.
Did we mention she has another movie out in cinemas? What are you waiting for? Here are a few reasons why you should be excited about watching it.

domain: artistic


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Harbingers of the Abyss | PROTOTYPE | Archangel 3.0 Skara Brae 🦇 Hallowed Souls Edition
Harbingers of the Abyss returns to haunt this All Hallow's Eve in this special edition print featuring a bonus Luminous alternative layer. Inspired by the Burning Abyss archetype, battle through the rings of hell alongside Dante and all your favorite fiends.
Inked in a classic all-matte black layer that seemed to emerge from the abyss itself, accompanied by a ghostly glow-in-the-dark print to commemorate this most deathly holiday.
Original fan art brought to you by the exquisite Taylor Dinh, aka Phecda 🌟
Upon discovery, we were simply at a loss for words at Archangel's S-tier quality. It is a divinely soft cloth that is extremely silky to the touch, as if the gods fused Edencloth together with Boneyard.
As beautiful as Archangel feels, it is perhaps surpassed by its aesthetics. Intertwined with its microfiber surface is a glittery subsurface that glistens in the light. We have never launched a more gorgeous cloth.
We can confidently say that this will rival some of our most legendary cloths. Prove us otherwise.
ABOUT ARCHANGEL 3.0 x Fusiontech
On its own Archangel is thinner even than Irisweave, rendering it nearly unplayable on a hard surface. In now our 3rd iteration to improve Archangel's original thin structure, we fused a thick gel-like soft backing that gives it perhaps its most premium feel yet. When laid flat it is extremely comfortable, and the surface stays stiff, rendering it nearly impossible to crease.
WARNING: The new 3.0 backing does not allow you to play while folded in half. Doing so leaves a large round "hump" along the fold line.
HAND-MADE WITH LOVE
Each Pvramid field cloth is lovingly hand-crafted in the U.S.A. from print to stitch.
Fan Art by PHECDA★
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FREE U.S. SHIPPING on orders over $300
Each Unlimited field cloth will come with a free Pvramid Black Cotton Drawstring Bag for added protection.
Each black drawstring features a randomly selected string color.


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This custom pipeline is resolution-independent and changeable based on project needs. Leading visual technology firms provide additional support and insight to the latest methods. We work with these partners as we do with our creative partners: by promoting visual evolution as fast as technology allows.
What we do can seem complex and foreign–even incomprehensible. It is our intention to educate and encourage others to embrace this change and together create something new.
VIRTUAL PRODUCTION TEAM
Virtual production represents a paradigm shift in the way movies are made. From virtual scouting and remote collaboration to the use of the latest LED technology for in-camera visual effects, this is a fast-growing industry that delivers a compelling triple-threat of speed, efficiency, and enhanced creative capability.
Adoption of these techniques accelerated in 2021 due to the COVID-friendly nature of the benefits such as adequately socially distanced crews and reduced travel, and because it enables a large range of production departments to collaborate virtually throughout the production process.


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Oral ovulation induction agents combined with low-dose gonadotropin injections and intrauterine insemination: cost- and clinical effectiveness.J Reprod Med. 2005 Dec; 50(12):943-50.JR
To compare the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of different induction protocols involving gonadotropins with intrauterine insemination (IUI).
We performed a retrospective chart review of 648 IUI cycles. Some patients had gonadotropin injections alone before human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and IUI (human menopausal gonadotropin protocol); others were given oral medications, then gonadotropins before hCG and IUI (combination protocol). Outcomes included pregnancy rates, multiple birth rates, endometrial thickness, number of ovarian follicles, injection days, ampules of gonadotropins and cost.
The combination protocol was more cost-effective. In first cycles, pregnancy rates, multiple birth rates, number of large follicles produced and cancellation rates were similar. The combination group had fewer days of injections and fewer ampules used. When all cycles were analyzed, the multiple birth rate was lower in the combination group. Comparing the different oral medications in the combination protocols, letrozole yielded higher pregnancy rates than tamoxifen or clomiphene. Multiple birth rates were similar for all oral medications.
Combination protocols are less costly and equally effective, with potentially fewer multiple births than with gonadotropins alone. Letrozole may be more effective than clomiphene and tamoxifen in a combination protocol.


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WASHINGTON, PA (Dec. 4, 2015) — After securing a Magellan Project award for the summer of 2015, Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) student Katey Wilson ‘18 headed to sunny Florida to study a darker side of society.
Wilson, from Monroeville, Pa., is a psychology major with a minor in forensic science. She focused her Magellan study on human trafficking – the illegal movement of people for the purpose of forced labor or sexual exploitation – to learn the mental effects it has on both the victims and on those who provide them with professional help and support.
After learning about human trafficking in the United States from a relative who had volunteered with an organization that helped victims, Wilson decided to spend the summer of 2015 in Florida learning more about the topic.
Wilson spent time with victims and worked for a human trafficking help hotline, in which she listened to victims’ stories and helped connect them with the services and organizations that could help them. She also attended conferences on the topic and said she quickly realized that this crime is not only devastating, but often is not accurately portrayed in the media.
“A lot of what people read online or in magazines is not accurate,” said Wilson. “Trafficking is usually portrayed in the media as young adolescent girls being sexually exploited. The majority of human trafficking victims are victims of labor trafficking. I learned about the real-life dark and twisted sufferings these young men and women go through every day.”
Wilson learned how to identify victims in everyday situations, by looking for behaviors that victims display, and how to lead them to the resources they need. She also learned how to specialize in helping LGBTQ and male victims, who she said are often overlooked because of a tendency for media organizations to focus on female victims.
Wilson received calls from throughout the state of Florida while manning a help hotline for victims. She said she talked to many people who felt they had lost their faith after all they had been through, which she said was challenging to handle given her own strong faith.
“It was hard to break down what was being said to me because I couldn’t relate at all. I really had to put all that I know and believe aside to comprehend where they were coming from,” said Wilson.
Wilson hopes to work for a government agency after she graduates. In the meantime, she plans on remaining an advocate for victims of human trafficking and partaking in anti-domestic violence events around campus.
“I would like to thank Tyler Tenney for helping me formulate this project and the rest of the Magellan Project committee for granting me permission to embark on this life-changing journey,” said Wilson. “This experience has touched my heart in a way no other subject matter has before and I know that if this anti-human trafficking movement continues to progress, we can stop this horrible crime.”
About the Magellan Project
Established in 2008, Washington & Jefferson College’s unique Magellan Project extends liberal arts learning outside the classroom by providing scholarship funding for students to spend the summer pursuing independent projects and internships in the United States and abroad. Learn more about the Magellan Project on the W&J website.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work.
Are you ready to Be A President? Apply to W&J now.

domain: sociology


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Stars match their outfits with their coloured liner
The bright eyeliner seems to be a cool accessory as celebs match it with their outfit. Janhvi Kapoor shared a photo of her peppy look as she wore a blue eyeliner with her tie-dye sweatshirt while Ananya Panday chose bright pink to go with her pink dress.
The fad also allows for more than two or more hues at once. Take Hina Khan, who chose to colour-block with her wing eye using yellow liner layered with a classic black one and Miley Cyrus who went colour pop — wearing three coloured liners at once! Several Hollywood stars have co-ordinated the whole liner-outfit look in an edgy, vibrant way.
Kendall Jenner matched her lime green eyeliner with her gown in the same shade and Rihanna rocked a cobalt blue liner and a matching coat and choppy layered-hair look that her make-up artist shared that on Instagram. Kylie Jenner who loves neon, gave her signature black eyeliner a ‘yellow highlighter’ twist. Shailene Woodley also went unconditional as her neon orange shadow doubled up as a strip of eyeliner across her eyelids.
Try this: Do a flicked or floating crease liner with the trend
There’s more reason than one to start wearing a coloured eyeliner with your mask when you step out. Says make-up expert Krishna Manek, “Coloured eyeliners have blown up on Instagram in recent months. The look is definitely hot. Vibrant blue, canary yellow, neon green and shocking pinks are the most demanding colours in kohl pencils, liquid and metallic liners or gels. Use one shade or go dual, depending on the vibe you want. It’s so effortless, just one fresh hue on the eyelids and you are set!”
She shares different ways to wear the coloured eyeliner. “Do a flicked liner with hot pink or electric blue on denims. Go with a floating crease liner with yellow or neon shades on a dress or a monochrome look with a shirt and pant. One more trick is to use a colour-pop liner in the inner corner of the eyes or on the outer area. Remember to use a mascara to darken and add volume to the lashes with it.”
HUES TO TRY
HOT TREND OF 2021
The colourful eyeliner trend is being called 2021’s biggest beauty trend.


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Untreated depression and tuberculosis treatment outcomes, quality of life and disability, Ethiopia
Fentie Ambaw a, Rosie Mayston b, Charlotte Hanlon c, Girmay Medhin c & Atalay Alem c
a. School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, PO Box 1985, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
b. Centre for Global Mental Health, King’s College London, London, England.
c. Department of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Correspondence to Fentie Ambaw (email: email@example.com).
(Submitted: 15 February 2017 – Revised version received: 18 December 2017 – Accepted: 19 December 2017 – Published online: 05 February 2018.)
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2018;96:243-255. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.17.192658
Tuberculosis is the principal cause of death due to infectious disease worldwide;1 it accounts for 2.0% of the global disease burden, as measured in disability-adjusted life–years.2 In Ethiopia, tuberculosis is the fourth highest contributor to the disease burden.3 The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) End-TB Strategy, launched in 2015, aims to achieve a treatment success rate of 90% by 2030 in all people with tuberculosis, including those with multidrug-resistant disease.1 People with tuberculosis often suffer from depression,4–6 which can reduce the likelihood of successful tuberculosis treatment,7 impair functioning8 and decrease quality of life.9 Systematic reviews have shown that depression is associated with poor medication adherence in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).10 Moreover, in chronic noncommunicable diseases, depression has been observed to lead to poor treatment adherence and to lower immunity through neuroendocrine and behavioural mechanisms.11,12 These mechanism may also have a detrimental effect on responses to tuberculosis treatment.
Evidence on the impact of comorbid depression in tuberculosis is scarce.7 Although a few studies have assessed the association between depression and adherence to antituberculosis treatment, they were limited by small sample sizes of less than 70 patients. One study did analyse the relationship between depression and death or treatment discontinuation in people with tuberculosis,13 but we were unable to identify any study that disaggregated these outcomes. Other studies assessed disability14 and quality of life15 cross-sectionally or investigated changes from baseline in these variables after tuberculosis treatment.8 However, they did not evaluate the impact of comorbid depression, which is known to be an important cause of disability and poor quality of life in people with chronic disorders.11 Although global plans to end tuberculosis stress that both a patient-centred approach and social support are important for maximizing the treatment success rate, specific recommendations for people with comorbid depression is lacking.1
In addition, in low-income countries like Ethiopia, there are large gaps in treatment for mental health problems in general and for depression in particular.16 However, renewed efforts are being made to improve the detection and treatment of depression in primary health-care settings through WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP).17 Greater understanding of the effect of untreated depression on the management of diseases important for public health, such as tuberculosis, is vital and would help ensure holistic care.
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of comorbid depression on treatment outcomes in people with tuberculosis in Ethiopia and on their health-related quality of life and level of disability.
Between December 2014 and July 2016, we conducted a prospective observational study of people who were newly diagnosed with tuberculosis at 14 primary health-care centres in south central (i.e. in Silti and Gurage zones) and northern (i.e. Bahir Dar zone) Ethiopia. Two centres were hospitals and 12 were health centres. Facilities were eligible for inclusion if they had staff trained in mhGAP, including the detection and treatment of depression. We recruited study participants within 1 month of starting antituberculosis treatment and who: (i) were aged 18 years or older; (ii) had no plans to move out of the study area; (iii) were well enough to be interviewed, as judged by the interviewer or prospective participant; (iv) had not been an inpatient for more than 5 days in the previous month; and (vi) had not been diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Between 23 December 2014 and 4 February 2015, we consecutively invited people who fulfilled these criteria to participate in the study by health professionals running tuberculosis clinics at the study centres. Trained nurse research assistants provided those willing to participate with detailed information and obtained written informed consent or witnessed a thumb print at data collection. In Ethiopia, all people with newly diagnosed tuberculosis are treated using the directly observed treatment, short course (DOTS) approach: a combination of rifampicin, ethambutol, isoniazid and pyrazinamide is administered for the first 2 months and, subsequently, a combination of rifampicin and isoniazid is given for an additional 4 months.18
The primary outcome variable was treatment default: a patient who defaulted was defined by the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health as one “who has been on treatment for at least four weeks and whose treatment was interrupted for eight or more consecutive weeks”.18 The timing of treatment default was taken to be midway between the last successful attempt to contact the person and the first unsuccessful attempt. Other treatment variables were treatment success, treatment failure and death due to any cause. Treatment was defined as successful if either the patient was cured (i.e. the sputum smear or culture became negative during, or in the last month of, treatment) or the treatment course was completed. Treatment was defined as having failed if the sputum smear or culture was positive 5 months or later after the start of treatment or a multidrug-resistant strain was present, irrespective of sputum smear or culture findings. Data on these variables were obtained from each centre’s tuberculosis register, which did not contain information after the time of referral on patients who were transferred to another area. The study protocol has been published elsewhere.19
The secondary outcome variables were quality of life and disability, which were assessed on three occasions over 6 months: (i) at baseline, at the start of the intensive treatment phase; (ii) at 2 months, after completion of the intensive treatment phase; and (iii) at 6 months, after completion of all tuberculosis treatment. Quality of life was assessed from responses to the question, “How would you rate your health-related quality of life?” and scored from zero for worst imaginable to 10 for best imaginable.20 Such single-item methods have been used successfully in population surveys, clinical settings and clinical interviews and found to be valid in indicating vulnerability to death due to all causes.21,22 No validated, tuberculosis-specific, quality-of-life instrument is available. Disability was assessed using the interviewer-administered version of the 12-item WHO Disability Assessment Schedule, version 2.0.23 This tool has been shown to be useful for assessing disability in primary care patients with depression and is able to capture changes over time.24,25 Moreover, it has been validated in Ethiopia and showed convergent validity with other predictors of impaired functioning in people with depression.26 At the three assessments, health professionals asked respondents if they were being treated for any mental illness, including depression.
Our exposure variable was probable depression which was identified using the nine-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire and defined conservatively as a score of 10 or above.27,28 The nine-item version has been validated in two different treatment settings in Ethiopia.28,29 In the baseline assessment in our study, this version of the questionnaire was found to have construct validity and acceptable internal consistency, with an α of 0.81 and a mean inter-item correlation coefficient of 0.33.6 Participants who responded positively to the questionnaire item on suicidal ideation were referred for evaluation and treatment to health workers who had received training in mental health care as part of WHO’s mhGAP.30
We took into account a range of possible confounding variables such as age, sex, educational level, household income, marital status, religion, ethnicity and place of residence (i.e. urban versus rural). Data on these variables were obtained at baseline using a structured questionnaire. The duration of tuberculosis symptoms before diagnosis was self-reported by participants at baseline and information on the type of tuberculosis infection (i.e. pulmonary or extrapulmonary) was obtained from tuberculosis registers. The presence of any diagnosed comorbid chronic illnesses was also reported by participants themselves and whether or not they had an HIV infection, was recorded in tuberculosis registers. Use of substances, such as alcohol, tobacco and khat, was assessed using WHO’s Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test, version 3.1.31
Each participant’s perceived level of social support was assessed at baseline using the three-item Oslo-3 scale, which ranges from 3 to 14, with a high score indicating better perceived social support.32 This scale has previously been reported to work well in tuberculosis patients in Ethiopia.33 In addition, we assessed the stigma of tuberculosis at 2 months by adapting a 10-item tuberculosis stigma scale34 translated into Amharic;19 a high score indicated a high level of stigma. We also assessed participants’ perceptions about tuberculosis at 2 months: perceived tuberculosis severity was categorized as mild, moderate or severe; tuberculosis treatment was perceived as not helpful; somewhat helpful; or very helpful; and perceived barriers to tuberculosis treatment were identified from a yes or no answer to the question: “Are there barriers to taking your medications as prescribed?”
Study variables and the participants’ characteristics are presented using descriptive statistics. We estimated the association between probable depression at baseline and treatment default, treatment success and death using multivariate Poisson regression analysis with a robust variance estimator and present the results as risk ratios.35 The follow-up time was included as a weighting variable in the analysis of these outcomes. We did not perform multivariate analysis for treatment failure because there were only six cases. We assessed differences in quality-of-life and disability scores between participants with and without probable depression at baseline and at 6 months using the independent samples t test and the Mann–Whitney U test. To examine the change in health-related quality-of-life and disability scores between tuberculosis diagnosis and the end of antituberculosis treatment, we used a multilevel, mixed-effects, generalized linear model to fit data from the three measurement times (i.e. baseline, 2 months and 6 months), with the three measurement times nested within individuals and individuals nested within each of the 14 primary care centres. The analysis was performed using Stata version 13.1 (StataCorp LP., College Station, United States of America) and study findings are reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement.36
We calculated the study sample size using Stata version 12.0 for a power of 80%, a confidence level of 95% and an estimated prevalence of treatment default among tuberculosis patients without depression of 2.5%.37 In addition, the sample size had to be sufficient to detect a 5.0 percentage point increase in the prevalence of treatment default among people with comorbid depression when the ratio of nonexposure to exposure to depression was 2:1. With these parameters, the required sample size was 639, which was increased to 703 to include a 10% contingency for potential losses to follow up. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the College of Health Sciences of Addis Ababa University (number 027/14/Psy).
In total, 657 people were recruited. However, as 9 people were subsequently found to have been misdiagnosed with tuberculosis, the study analysis included data on only 648. Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 85 years and 53.7% (348/648) were male (Table 1). The median time between starting tuberculosis treatment and the first assessment was 0 days (interquartile range, IQR: 2). Face-to-face follow up assessments were conducted with 91.4% of those with tuberculosis (592/648) at 2 months and 82.1% (532/648) at 6 months. The median time from the start of antituberculosis treatment to the second assessment was 56 days (IQR: 1) and the median time to the third assessment was 160 days (IQR: 3). Data on treatment outcomes at 6 months were available for 88.7% (575/648) of participants. Overall, 9.6% (62/648) were transferred out of study sites (Fig. 1). At baseline, 53.9% (349/648) scored 10 or higher on the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire and were classified as having probable depression (Table 2) here was no significant difference at baseline between those who completed the study and those who were transferred out in the frequency of probable depression, level of disability or quality of life.
Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics of participants, study of the association between depression and tuberculosis treatment outcomes, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
Fig. 1. Flowchart, study of the effect of depression on tuberculosis treatment outcomes, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
Table 2. Illness and substance use, study of the effect of depression on tuberculosis treatment outcomes, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
At 6 months, the treatment default rate was significantly higher among participants with probable depression at baseline than among those without: 3.9% (12/309) versus 0.8% (2/266), respectively (P < 0.05). Similarly, the proportion who had died was significantly higher among those with probable depression: 7.8% (24/309) versus 1.9% (5/266) in those without (P < 0.01). In addition, the treatment success rate was significantly lower in those with probable depression: 87.1% (269/309) versus 96.6% (257/266) in those without (P < 0.001; Table 3). On multivariate analysis, treatment default by 6 months was independently associated with probable depression (adjusted risk ratio, aRR: 9.09; 95% confidence interval, CI: 6.72 to 12.30), as was death (aRR: 2.99; 95% CI: 1.54 to 5.78). However, there was no significant association with treatment success (aRR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.91 to 1.00), though the upper confidence bound was borderline for significance (Table 4).
Table 3. Tuberculosis treatment outcomes, by presence of probable depression, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
Table 4. Factors associated with tuberculosis treatment outcomes, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
Probable depression at baseline was also associated with quality of life (Fig. 2) and disability (Fig. 3). The mean quality-of-life score at baseline was lower among those with probable depression than among those without (4.7 versus 5.7, respectively; P < 0.001) and the median disability score was higher (30.0 versus 18.0, respectively; P < 0.001). These differences remained significant at 6 months, when the mean quality-of-life score among those with and without probable depression was 5.0 and 6.0, respectively, (P < 0.001) and the median disability score was 22.0 and 14.0, respectively, (P < 0.001; Table 3). On multivariate analysis, quality of life at 6 months was significantly and negatively associated with probable depression (β = −0.07; 95% CI: −0.07 to −0.06) and disability was positively associated (β = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.67 to 0.99). There was no significant change over time in either mean quality-of-life score (β = −0.02; 95% CI: −0.13 to 0.09) or median disability score (β = −0.07; 95% CI: −0.33 to 0.22; Table 5). Data on factors other than depression that were associated with tuberculosis treatment outcomes are shown in Table 4 and data on factors associated with quality of life and disability are shown in Table 5.
Fig. 2. Change in quality of life with tuberculosis treatment, by depression at baseline, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
Fig. 3. Change in disability score with tuberculosis treatment, by depression at baseline, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
Table 5. Factors associated with health-related quality of life and disability, study of the effect of depression on tuberculosis treatment outcomes, Ethiopia, 2014–2016
Our study provides evidence that people with tuberculosis in Ethiopia who had probable depression at the start of treatment were significantly more likely to default on treatment or die. Moreover, their chance of successful treatment was lower. Previous studies have also reported that depression compromises adherence to essential scheduled health care.11 With tuberculosis, treatment default leads to transmission of the infection to others, thereby raising the odds of further defaults,38 and increases the risk of multidrug-resistant disease.39
In agreement with our observations, systematic reviews and large population-based studies in both high- and low-income settings have found that mortality is increased in people with depression and that the association is maintained across patient groups.40–43 However, depression is a more serious concern for people with tuberculosis in Ethiopia because comorbid depression has been found in the majority.6 The mechanism by which depression increases mortality is likely to be complex. Although 113 of our 648 study participants reported suicidal ideation, we were not able to confirm its contribution to the mortality observed. One systematic review found that suicide contributed to less than 1.0% of deaths in medical samples like ours.41 Moreover, in our study area, the commonest cause of death in people with severe mental illness is infectious disease.44 In people with tuberculosis, depression may increase mortality through decreased self-care, including failure to take medications as prescribed,11 and through disability leading to poverty and substandard living conditions. One possible biological mechanism is depression-associated immune suppression.45
We also found that probable depression in people with tuberculosis was associated with poorer quality of life and greater disability, both at the start and after completion of antituberculosis treatment. In previous studies, neither quality of life nor the degree of disability returned to levels normal for the population by the end of tuberculosis treatment.8,46 Possible explanations are underlying depression, the quality of tuberculosis care falling short of international standards and the socioeconomic consequences of the illness and its associated stigma.47,48 One implication of these findings is that evaluating disability only during episodes of tuberculosis is likely to underestimate the disease burden as continuing disability after clinically successful treatment would be ignored.49
The treatment default rate we observed was markedly lower in females, rural residents and people living with HIV. Treatment adherence may have been stronger in people with an HIV infection, because of the counselling and additional support given to them in the Ethiopian health-care system, particularly in rural communities.50 Treatment default was also associated with higher khat use, substance use has previously been found to reduce the tuberculosis treatment success rate.51 In Ethiopia, the implementation of integrated care for people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders does not include khat use disorder as a target condition, because little is known about its adverse consequences and, because practical interventions are lacking. The level of disability was higher in females, in participants who perceived their episode of tuberculosis as severe, in those with pulmonary rather extrapulmonary tuberculosis and in those with a high level of stigma, indicating that both physical and psychosocial factors may contribute to the development of disability.52
Although we found that comorbid depressive symptoms in people with tuberculosis are often associated with poorer outcomes, even with successful treatment, generally health-care providers in Ethiopia do not assess depression in these people or provide evidence-based treatment. Consequently, unnoticed comorbid depressive symptoms may hamper efforts to end tuberculosis. National tuberculosis treatment guidelines may need to address depressive symptoms directly and health professionals should be trained to detect and treat depression in the context of the disease.
Our study has several of limitations. In our sample size calculation, we assumed that the tuberculosis treatment default rate in people without depression was 2.5%, which was based on a national report. We found a rate of 0.8%. However, we were still able to obtain estimates even with this sample size and do not believe it critically affected our findings. Second, in the low-income setting of our study, participants could have had undiagnosed, comorbid physical illnesses. Third, as we did not know whether or not participants were treated for depression outside the study centres, we may have overestimated the frequency of untreated depression. Nonetheless, as few people with depression receive treatment in Ethiopia, it is unlikely that misclassification of untreated depression seriously affected our results. Fourth, poverty may not have been fully captured by our sociodemographic variables and may have been a confounding factor. Fifth, as quality of life was assessed using a single question, no detailed information on different dimensions of quality of life was available. Sixth, we had no information on whether participants transferred out of the study area differed significantly from others in treatment outcomes or final quality-of-life or disability scores. However, there were no differences at baseline. Finally, our conclusions cannot be extended to tuberculosis patients who are hospitalized, are being retreated, or have multidrug-resistant disease.
Nevertheless, consecutive patients were recruited and our study sample was reasonably representative, because several sites were included, all eligible people were invited to participate and data were collected over a long enough period to take seasonal variations into account.53 Use of the DOTS approach to tuberculosis treatment in Ethiopia means that our findings are generalizable to settings in low- and middle-income countries using a similar approach.
In conclusion, untreated depression appears to be a strong risk factor for treatment default and death in people with newly diagnosed tuberculosis and is associated with poor health-related quality of life and greater disability, despite successful tuberculosis treatment. Consequently, health-care workers should be given the support needed to provide depression care for people with tuberculosis.
We thank the study participants, research assistants, and health-care professionals and officials at participating health-care centres.
The study was mainly funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013), under Emerald grant agreement number 305968, and partially funded by the Psychiatry Research Trust.
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This week, Ali Smith won the Baileys Prize for her novel How to Be Both, a tale that ties a modern teenager in Cambridge with an artist from fifteenth-century Ferrara, Italy. The two female characters’ stories split the book into two parts, and as part of the book’s publication half of the released books begin with the modern narrative while the other half begin with the tale of Francesco del Cossa, the Italian artist born a girl but raised as a boy.
Emily Blunt is apparently negotiating to take the starring role in the newly announced cinema adaptation of The Girl on the Train, the recent best-selling novel of 2015. The thriller by Paula Hawkins follows Rachel, an alcoholic girl living in London who spends her train trips fantasising a fictional life for a couple she witnesses each day on her journey, but who one day becomes involved in a dangerous event that she is unable to recollect.
Hugh Howey’s sci-fi hit Wool, from his Silo series, is also to be turned into a film, and it has been announced that the writer of Marvel’s blockbuster space adventure Guardians of the Galaxy, Nicole Perlman, will be penning the script.
In perhaps unsurprising news to many book groups and reading circles, Grey, the (yet to be released) book in the 50 Shades of Grey mega-successful self-published series, is already top of the Amazon charts. This entry follows the events of the books from Christian Grey’s point of view and will be published 18th June.
In this week’s cover reveals, the picture book Happy by Pharrell Williams, based on his hit single of the same name, has a perfectly colourful look. The book is a collection of photos and illustrations of children, each image being celebrations of the idea of happiness.
The Los Angeles Times has revealed their 136 Titles to Look Forward to this Summer, from nonfiction to lifestyle books, to the most anticipated fiction reads of the coming months. This reading guide, though obviously slanted toward U.S. publication dates, is still worth checking out for its exhaustive selection of forthcoming books! And if you want more lists of modern books to get caught up on, have a look at HuffPost’s 10 Innovative Writers Shaking Up the Book World. There is a lot to be excited about with our current crop of writers.

domain: library


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text:
Ready to bid 2018 a big farewell and usher in 2019 with a little festivity and celebration? If you’re in the Triangle area, you’ll have plenty of options! Here are some of the best Triangle New Years events in 2018.
First Night Raleigh
First Night Raleigh is one of the biggest nights of the year! The fun starts at 2pm and runs through midnight, complete with a ferris wheel, a countdown to midnight, an acorn drop, and a fireworks finale.
Bonus: Watch the Acorn Drop while enjoying a champagne toast at Fayetteville Street Patio at Raleigh’s Ultimate New Year’s Eve Party.
iHeartMedia New Year’s Eve
If you want to celebrate with maximum excitement, then you’ll want to head down to Raleigh Sheraton, which will feature three ballrooms of live bands, DJs, party favors, champagne, and great Acorn Drop views.
New Year’s Eve Gala
For a quieter (but no less fun and festive) New Year’s celebration, head to the Nature Research Center of the North Carolina Museum of Sciences. There will be hors d’oeuvres, gourmet food stations, dessert displays, open bars, DJs, a live band, and more.
NYE at Unscripted Durham
Disco, dancing, drinks, photos, tarot readings… what more could to ask for in a New Year’s Eve party? It all starts at 9pm at The Unscripted Durham Hotel.
UK New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Eve Party
Head down to Fortnight Brewing Company to start the celebrations a little early. At 7pm, an all-ages event kicks off with some delicious food and drinks by 454 Grill Food Truck. Then, the main event continues from 8pm through 1am with plenty of cold beer and wines.
First Day Hikes
Want to get out and start off the new year with some invigorating activity? Check out all the First Day area hikes taking place—at Jordan Lake, Falls Lake, and Eno River State Park. The first Jordan River hike starts at 9am at the New Hope Overlook Recreation Area, and the second is at 1pm at the Ebenezer Church Recreation Area.
The Falls Lake hike runs at 10am at the Rolling View Recreation Area at the Neuse Bend Trail. Eno River’s hike is at 2pm at Few Ford Picnic Shelter.
Ready to Start Your New Year in the Triangle?
If you’re thinking of buying a home, selling a home, or relocating to the Triangle, then it’s time to contact Carla Freund Realty. We’re here to help our buyers explore the area and find the perfect home. And for our sellers, we’d love to help you get your home ready, price it right, and list with ease!

domain: geography


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The Haute Enchilada Cafe boasts an eclectic menu of sustainable seafood and local organic produce, premium wine list, craft beers on tap, full bar an art gallery with over 70 artists’ original work. Open daily from 11am for brunch, lunch and dinner.
7902 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA
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domain: food


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Get Carried Away Catering specializes in custom catering for family gatherings, weddings, and corporate events in Georgetown, Pawleys Island, Litchfield, and the surrounding areas. We’re here to make your next event smooth and easy!
Aleene Miller & Katie Yarborough (Get Carried Away Catering) are the winners of Best Chef in the Post & Courier Readers’ Choice Awards 2022!!
Our staff has years of experience in producing low country cuisine and truly brings a taste of Pawleys Island to every function. Don’t worry if low country food isn’t your cup of tea, our culinary staff can serve up whatever you desire. We have a selection of sample menus on our website that cover Brunch, Lunch and Dinner along with assorted sides, breads, desserts, and hors d’oeuvres. Get Carried Away is also the home of Palmetto Cheese – Homestyle Pimento Cheese!


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Ponchielli: La Gioconda - Souliotis, Tucker, Elias; Bartoletti. Buenos Aires, 1966
Listen to a Sample:
Elena Souliotis was whispered to be the next Maria Callas, but her career (and voice) flamed out after a few too many attempts at roles a size too big for her. Well, as they say, go big or go home. This recording of La Gioconda, caught in 1966 before she began to run into vocal problems, reveals a sensitive performer with a steely, impressive instrument. The sound is a bit of an issue but the performance of Souliotis and her impressive colleagues, under the sure baton of Bruno Bartoletti, is worth a listen. First on the list is her Enzo, the great Richard Tucker. He practically owned this role and the performance is a textbook explanation of why he did. Rosalind Elias is a plush, luxurious Laura and Paolo Washington does lovely work in the ungrateful role of her husband. The underrated baritone Cornell MacNeil is an excellent, sinister Barnaba, and Luisa Bartoletti (no relation to the conductor, as far as I can tell) is a frail-sounding Cieca. The chorus and orchestra of the Teatro Colón are in fine form, and given the rapturous reception they receive, so were the dancers in their performance of the Danza delle ore ballet.


text: It would be hard to call this review objective. We were pretty lazy while in Sandusky and didn’t do much at all. Therefore we didn’t truly evaluate the whole town thoroughly. That said, we had a good time in our own way here. Sandusky most certainly has to be considered a tourist town. Simply walking though the Wal-mart parking lot shows you that more people in the walmart were from out of state than from Ohio even.


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Depending where you are in the world, a cup of cold brew coffee may not seem to high up on your list, but believe me, it should be, especially if packed with some body boosting infusions.
Coffee has had a strange past, demonized in the 80's, revitalized in the 90’s and idolized in the 2000’s. Now in 2018, coffee has become a common place Superfood, but of course with that comes the search for the next great cup a' coffee.
So what do we have to choose from now?
Well we have at least a few makes to make a great cup. The French press, the gold filter drip coffee, my favorite the Vietnamese coffee drip press. We can’t forget the Indonesian coffee Kopi Luwak which I would often enjoy living in Indonesia, which needs an honorable mention.
This leads us to iced coffees which hit Starbucks in the early/mid 2000’s, high fat coffee (of which I think is a bit of a silly trend), leading us to cold brew, leading to Nitro Brew Coffee, and now, the amazing Cold Brew Infusions.
Hold on. You don’t make Cold Brew Infusions? It’s time you did!
First, what is a cold brew coffee you ask? It’s simply taking a coarse grind coffee, and letting it soak in cold water for 18 – 24 hours. Allowing all the oils and flavor to infuse into the water. But it doesn’t stop there. We need to add so body boosting infusions!
While your coffee and water is steeping, you may as well add in some health and boosting flavors in there as well.
Some of my favourite Options:
1. A crushed cinnamon stick or even just powdered cinnamon
2. Orange peels
3. Blueberries or blackberries.
4. Cayenne Pepper
5. Cocoa Nibs
6. Coconut meat chunks
** Make sure to clean your peels or fruits with a great pesticide/wax wash like EatCleaner
Health benefits of Infusion Cold Brew Coffee
1. Cold brew has ALL the same antioxidant and health benefits of normal hot coffee
2. Cold brew teand to be less acidic, so people with stomach or teeth issues may find it feels better for them.
3. People sensitive to caffeine rejoice. Cold brew has about 30% less caffeine on average.
4. Depending on what infusions you use, you get the extra boosts of whatever you are using. For example, cinnamon can help balance blood sugars, blueberries are packed with antioxidants, and often fruit peels are the most nutrient packed part of the fruit. For example: Orange peels pack in 2X as much vitamin C as the inside with higher concentrations of riboflavin, B6, magnesium, calcium and potassium. The peel's flavonoids is also packed with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
I hope you enjoy your new Cold Brew Infusions. And please share this article if you liked it.


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ATLANTA, June 21, 2017 – A new conference that promises to “inform and inspire” hotel owners on how to maximize hotel assets is coming to Los Angeles Thursday. The Hotel ROI event at the new Hotel Indigo in downtown Los Angeles is the result of a new partnership between the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the nation’s largest hotel owners group, and Hotel Management magazine.
“Los Angeles’ tourism industry is thriving and competition is fierce,” said Chip Rogers, the president and CEO of AAHOA. “Hotel owners that want a leg up over their peers will want to attend Hotel ROI. The event will provide them ideas, solutions and actionable insights on how to maximize revenues and reduce costs. It’s a must-attend for the hotel community.”
The Los Angeles County tourism industry supports 678,000 jobs to accommodate 50 million annual visitors who spend more than $18 billion. Hotel owners will learn how to maximize their slice of that business at Hotel ROI, according to Rogers.
The one-day conference features top industry leaders, including CBRE Hotels CEO Bruce Baltin, Majestic Hospitality Group CEO Christopher Henry, AAHOA Vice Chairman HP Patel and AAHOA board member and co-founder of Ohm Culture Hospitality Timmy Patel. Presenters and panelists include hotel brand executives, asset managers, hotel suppliers and hotel financiers.
This is the second Hotel ROI event in the seven-city tour that began in Houston on April 24. The conference heads to Chicago and Baltimore in August, Pittsburgh and Atlanta in September and closes out the tour in Charlotte, North Carolina, in October.
Hotel owners interested in attending Hotel ROI Los Angeles can register at HotelROI.com. The conference runs from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on June 22 at the Hotel Indigo in downtown Los Angeles.
AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the world. The more than 16,000 AAHOA members own almost one in every two hotels in the United States. With billions of dollars in property assets and hundreds of thousands of employees, AAHOA members are core economic contributors in virtually every community in the United States. As an association, AAHOA is a proud defender of free enterprise and the foremost current-day example of realizing the American Dream.
For more information, contact: Brandon VerVelde, 202-945-4954, [email protected].

domain: travel


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Corneal abrasions can be caused by fingernails, foreign objects like makeup brushes, particles through wind, construction particles, etc. Corneal epithelium is innervated and fragile. It is very painful when it is damaged by the foreign objects. Usually healing and regeneration of the corneal epithelium is quick after the injury. The regeneration of the epithelium makes it firm and there is no chance of the infection. But damaged epithelium facilitates the bacteria, virus, fungi or parasite to enter the cornea and spread the infection. Corneal abrasion is a cut on the epithelium of the cornea due to abrasion.
Corneal abrasions are common cause of ophthalmic visit demands at emergency in United States.
Many times symptoms are delayed after several hours of the injury. The individual may experience blinking of the eye or inconvenience in the eye due to the presence of foreign body. Photophobia is also one of the symptoms observed.
Redness in eyes, pain in eyes, excessive tearing, less visual acuity symptoms occur depends on the size of the injury.
Complications can arise if there is infection of pathogen in the eye through epithelium. It may lead to corneal ulcerations, corneal erosion and sometimes permanent visual impairment.
Corneal abrasions are extremely painful when the individual moves eyelids, if injury is large.
Corneal abrasion is superficial epithelium injuries and does not penetrate till the Bowman membrane.
Corneal abrasion can also be caused due to trauma during surgeries like with needles, sutures or any other instrument used. It can be caused by entry of foreign body like dirt, dust or particles in the eye. It can be present below the eyelid and hence can harm the epithelium of the cornea. Metal pieces can be blown into the eyes of the workers who do not wear eye glasses. These can cause damage to the epithelium resulting in corneal abrasion. They may be caused by wearing contact lens improperly.
Preliminary treatment suggested to the individual with foreign body sensation in the eye is the cleaning of eyes with the saline water.
The first important step in the treatment of corneal abrasion is the removal of the foreign particle from the epithelium. To accomplish this, topical anesthesia drops are administered in the eyes and the foreign particle removed with the help of stud. Antibiotics are also administered in the eye as eye drops with intervals of three to four hours.
An eye pressure patch is recommended to the patient to prevent damage due to blinking of eye. The patch must be maintained for six to twelve hours.
Individuals with corneal abrasions must stop wearing the contact lenses till they are recovered.
Abrasions in the cornea occur due to several reasons. According to their causes they can be differentiated as


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The announcement of Thalapathy Vijay's Master movie took the South Indian film industry by a storm as the film features two megastars including Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi. The movie is all set to release in 2021. As per IMDb, Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupati's Master is the story of an alcohol-loving college educationalist. When he is transferred to a juvenile school, he learns about a gangster who has been using the children of the school in question for his own personal profit. Master released today on 13th January. Read on to know more about Master movie cast.
Master movie cast includes Tamil megastar Vijay in the lead roles. Vijay is one of the highest-paid Tamil actors in the South Indian film industry. He has acted in more than 64 movies until now and has been awarded many prestigious awards. He is known for his movies like Thirumalai, Ghilli, Thirupaachi, Pokkiri, Thuppakki, Kaththi, Theri, Mersal, Bigil to name a few.
The cast of Master movie also includes Vijay Sethupathi in the lead roles. Vijay Sethupathi is an Indian actor who primarily works in Tamil films along with few Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi productions as well. He is known for his work as an actor, producer, lyricist, dialogue writer. His hot movies include Pizza (2012), Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012), and Sundarapandian (2012) to name a few.
Apart from Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, Master movie’s cast include many other talented artists. The supporting cast includes actors such as Malavika Mohanan, Arjun Das, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Nassar, Ramya Subramanian, Andrea Jeremiah, Sanjeev, Srinath, Nagendra Prasad and many others. Here are some brief info about the actors.
Master movie characters also include Malavika Mohanan, who is an Indian film actor known for his role in Tamil and Malayalam movies. She started her career debuting in Malayalam movie named Pattam Pole. She also played the lead role in Majid Majidi's drama Beyond the Clouds.
Arjun Das is an Indian film actor. He is also seen in a supporting role in Master. He is famous for his baritone voice. He is also known for his recent work as Anbu in the Vijay starrer Kaithi.
Shanthanu Bhagyaraj is also seen in a supporting role in the movie Master. He had started his journey in the film industry at a very young age when he played a child artist in his father's movie Vettiya Madichu Kattu in 1998. He then made a debut as a lead actor in the 2008's movie Sakkarakatti.
Andrea Jeremiah is a popular actor, singer, who works in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu movies. She is known for voicing the songs in the movie Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. She plays a supporting role in the movie Master.
Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.

domain: celebrity


The Guild has today given Boomin its backing. However, while a statement from The Guild says on the one hand it gives “full support to Boomin” on the other hand it says that amongst Guild members “opinion on Boomin has been divided”
In an unusually worded statement, the Guild says its support for the yet-to-launch portal “follows an agreement between the parties, that guarantees the integrity of data and its ownership rights, as well as the primacy of the agent/customer relationship.”
The Guild has been in discussions with its membership and the Boomin leadership team - led by founder Michael Bruce - over recent months.
The Guild’s statement today says that “like the broader industry [the Guild] represents, opinion on Boomin has been divided, though the need for fresh competition in the portal space is absolutely clear.”
In November last year The Guild hosted a debate amongst members about Boomin.
“At the time there was a polarisation within the membership regarding the new portal, and we wanted the network to be able to voice their concerns so that we could address them directly with Boomin” says Guild chief executive Iain McKenzie.
“Members were concerned about two main areas, namely whether the portal was, in the long term, planning to go directly to consumers cutting out the agent, and who owns the data and how Boomin intends to make use of it.”
The Guild asked Boomin to provide a specific integrated tech platform and solution, which it has done.
This means that member agents’ listings data will first pass through The Guild’s platform and then feed through to Boomin in accordance with the agreed service level of each agent.
"This gateway provides the necessary reassurance that the Guild members’ data is protected” continues McKenzie.
“As a result of the agreement and the open and transparent engagement with Boomin, The Guild is recommending that members sign-up to Boomin, safe in the knowledge that there is no conflicted data play, and that the portal has no intention whatsoever of going direct to the consumer.”
He adds: “We believe that Boomin will act in the best interest of agents, providing them with more options and additional revenue streams.”
Meanwhile mystery surrounds the actual launch date for Boomin.
On December 10 the launch - which Bruce previously insisted would be in December - was pushed back to “early next year.”
As of today, the last working day of January, no indication has been given of when that launch will be.
Meanwhile Zoopla has this week revealed a detailed strategy of development including keeping consumers involved between transactions, and asking for agents’ participation in some activities - two areas on which Boomin was hoping to steal a march.
In reference to The Guild’s announcement today, Michael Bruce says: “We are proud to have entered into an agreement with The Guild that reinforces beyond any doubt our commitment to an agent and customer relationship and puts pay to any concerns of a data play.
“To be very clear Boomin has not, and will not, ever look to move to a direct model, something this agreement guarantees.
“We encourage all agents who are yet to sign up with Boomin to join other leading agents, as pioneers for change, rather than be forced into a future that does not embrace and support them and their customers and almost inevitably continues to feed a financial model that is, or will become, unaffordable for the vast majority of agents.
“We will work tirelessly at Boomin in partnership with agents, to repay their trust, deliver on our ambitions to provide a transformational experience and earn agents more income than they pay over in fees.”


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Primeval star James Murray has joined the cast of Defiance.
The English actor will appear in the Syfy drama's second season as the new mayor of Defiance, according to Deadline.
His character Niles Pottinger appears charming and smart, but has a dark side and will ruthlessly punish any who defy him.
Pottinger is also attracted to former mayor Amanda Rosewater, played by Dexter's Julie Benz.
The 38-year-old Murray is best known to US audiences for his role in short-lived CBS drama Chaos and has appeared on Death in Paradise, New Tricks and Being Human in his native UK.
Defiance was officially picked up for a second season by Syfy in May.
New episodes will debut in the US in June 2014.
Watch a trailer for Defiance below:


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Storing Your Home Grown Fruit and Vegetables: How to Make Your Garden's Bounty Last all Year Round
From clamping to dark room storage, drying to bottling, shelving to curing, discover how to keep as much of your crop as you want
If you grow your own food you will be aware that the job's not done when the harvest is gathered in. You have to make this bounty last all year through - until next year's crop replaces it. This book explains how to store food in the traditional way, and then goes one step further and shows how you can grow your food in a way that will ensure it is in the best state for storing - an art that is lost to many of today's gardeners and growers. The author focuses on methods by which the grower can keep vegetables and fruit for long periods without altering their fundamental form or flavour.
Contents: Introduction; 1. Extending the Growing Season; 2. How to Harvest; 3. Stopping Your Harvest from Spoiling; 4. Techniques: Clamps, Cellars and Sheds; 5. Techniques and Recipes for Preserving Food; 6. A-Z of Growing, Storing and Preserving Vegetables; 7. A-Z of Growing, Storing and Preserving Fruit; 9. Growing and Preserving Herbs for the Kitchen; Index.
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domain: agronomy


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Buffalo, Eagle & Krugerrand Replicas
Thank you for visiting the Great American Coin Company. We have a growing selection of modern $50 Gold Buffalo replicas, $50 Gold Eagle replicas, and South African Krugerrand replicas. If there is a specific date you are looking for, please e-mail use at firstname.lastname@example.org If you are interested in wholesale volume, please call us toll free at 855-644-2242.
The Great American Coin Company is not endorsed by or affiliated with either the United States Government or the U.S. Mint.
All Great American Coin Company replica coins, reproduction coins, or copy coins comply with the US Hobby Protection Act - 15USC-2101, regarding the sale and manufacture of reproduction coins.
Unless stated as .999 silver replica coins, all gold and silver reproduction coins are plated. All our reproduction coins, replica coins, and/or copy coins are non-monetary and cannot be used as currency.

domain: finance


Potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarizations were used to study the effect of pH on the anodic reaction characteristics of tungsten (W) in a very broad pH range (0.4-13). The open circuit potential was observed to decrease with a constant slope of 58 mV/pH, as pH increased. The oxide phase of W showed typical amphoteric surface behavior in the acidic regime. The oxide dissolution went through a minimum at pH 2.5, which was identified as the point of zero charge (pzc) of W-oxide. The oxide dissolution below the pzc was H+-assisted and above the pzc was OH--assisted. At around the pzc the main dissolution pathway was H2O-assisted dissolution. In basic solutions, in the pH range 7 to 10.5, the hydrated oxide phase dissolution was pH independent. In very basic solutions (above pH 10.5), the dissolution rate of W was observed to increase as pH increased.


HONG KONG, CHINA—Next month’s season-ending Clearwater Bay Open will offer prize money of RMB 2 million (about US$ 292,000), which will be the biggest-ever purse at a PGA TOUR Series-China event and raise the Hong Kong event’s importance in determining the final Order of Merit and places on the 2019 Web.com Tour.
The third Clearwater Bay Open will be held at The Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club from October 11-14, following the Macau Championship (September 27-30) and Zhuhai Championship (October 4-7), with the three-week swing in the Pearl River Delta concluding a Tour-record 14 events.
The Tour held 12 events in both 2014 and 2015, and 13 in 2016, with all events offering RMB 1.2 million prize money. This year’s purses were raised 25 per cent to RMB 1.5 million and the Clearwater Bay Open offers a further increase of over 33 percent, with a winner’s cheque of RMB 360,000.
“The Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club is delighted to host the Clearwater Bay Open for a third time and this year’s event will be the biggest yet, with the record prize money of RMB 2 million providing a really exciting incentive for all the players as they finish their season,” said David Hui, Chairman of the Tournament Organising Committee, at a press conference at Clearwater Bay, which features one of the world’s iconic seaside courses.
“There will be many people supporting Clearwater Bay ambassadors Shunyat “Jason” Hak and Motin Yeung as they look to finish their season strongly, along with other Hong Kong players who will compete through invitations or qualifying,” Hui continued. “We also welcome back James Marchesani to defend his title after his great win last year. We’ll put on a spectacular event to provide the perfect ending to the Tour as it grows from strength to strength.”
Greg Carlson, Executive Director of PGA TOUR Series-China, added: “The Clearwater Bay Open is a hugely popular event for the players, so it was only fitting that it became the season-ending event for the first time. The increase in prize money to RMB 2 million, a record purse for the PGA TOUR Series-China, increases its importance and profile, so we’re all excited about the third Clearwater Bay Open providing a sensational end to a great season.”
Hong Kong pros Motin Yeung and Shunyat “Jason” Hak attended the press conference alongside Australia’s James Marchesani, who will defend the title that earned him a full card on this year’s PGA TOUR Series-China.
Yeung, 24, is currently fifth on the Order of Merit with RMB 518,125 and is bidding to become the first Hong Kong player to earn a card on the Web.com Tour, ‘The Path to the PGA TOUR’.
“It has been an amazing season for me. Winning the Kunming Championship changed my life because I gained a full card on the Tour, which really boosted my confidence and gave me a chance to move to the next level,” said Yeung, who has three other top-10 finishes this year.
“I’ve played really consistently this season to stay quite high on the Order of Merit, so I want to play well in the final three events and obviously finish really strongly at the Clearwater Bay Open,” Yeung continued. “It will be a special event for me as a Clearwater Bay ambassador and after representing Hong Kong so many times in international events, so I hope myself, Jason and all the other Hong Kong players can do well.”
The top-five on the Order of Merit will automatically earn status on next year’s Web.com Tour, the top-10 will be eligible for the Final Stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament from December 6-9 and players 11-25 will be exempt to the Second Qualifying Stage.
The PGA TOUR established PGA TOUR Series-China in 2014 as its third international developmental tour, following in the footsteps of PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Since its inception, PGA TOUR Series-China players have received Official World Golf Ranking points for top finishes at official tournaments.


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Whether performing these on guitar, banjo or unaccompanied, Jim’s presentation and voice will just draw you in along with his tremendous sense of humor that willl leave you limp with laughter.
But it is Jim's songs about his home state that have, in recent times, taken center stage. His debut album, New Hampshire On My Mind, was released in 2009 and has been enjoyed by people all over the nation. These originals, witty, poignant and sometimes irreverent, expose the flaws of a bumbling State Government (Fees! Fees! Fees!) and the foibles of local politics (Trouble at the Dump) but they also reveal Jim’s serious side, with beautiful ballads such as Our Last Farewell as well as his tribute to our men and women in uniform (A Soldier’s Farewell).
A second album, Made in the Granite State, was released in December, 2010. Its thirteen original tracks celebrate life in New Hampshire (Everybody's Gotta Be From Somewhere), from what to do and where to do it, to growing peaches (The Parable of the Peach), to Jim's very serious views on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Homecoming, Afghanistan) and how those wars have impacted our state and nation.
Jim's third CD of original songs, You Can't Get There From Here, (July, 2013) offers more insight into New Hampshire, with tunes such as Snow Day, A Cold, Dark Snowy Winter's Night, When the Last Leaves Fall and the title track.
Jim's most recent CD, featuring titles such as Cider Donuts, Grandma's Blueberry Pie, At The Fair and Put Your Camo On, continues Jim's exploration of his home state.
Jim's songs take you on a tour of New Hampshire, as he points out people, places and events. Here is just a sampling of some of the things mentioned in Jim's songs:
The White Mountains, Portsmouth, Meriden, Henniker, (Executive Counselor) Ray Burton, Ocean Born Mary, the Swift River, Meredith Bay, Old Home Day, the Thresher, leaf peeping, maple candy, pumpkins, peaches, plums, apple picking, blueberry pie, the Bow Street Fair, apple crisp, cider donuts Plaistow, Keene, Madbury, Farmington, Fritz Wetherbee, Peyton Place and the Tilton Diner.
Whether a single word, phrase or entire song, when you listen to Jim's lyrics you know you are at home in New Hampshire.
To date, Jim's CD's have been purchased by people in more than forty states, as well as Canada, helping those "from away" to a greater understanding of life in the Granite State.
All of Jim's CD's are available through this website. Just go to the "About the Albums & Songs page to sample the music and to place your order.


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By Lisa Kava
The West 104th Street Community Garden at 8 West 104th Street between Central Park West and Manhattan Avenue, is hosting a special concert this evening, June 21st from 5-8 PM, in celebration of the Summer Solstice. The concert is part of a greater initiative called Make Music NY, a festival of free concerts at multiple venues throughout NYC.
The Summer Solstice concert at the garden will feature three types of music; opera, jazz and classical. In ACT I, singers Gina Haver and Paul Fraccalvieri will perform opera. ACT II will consist of a jazz/ funk band called the Ben Hits Drum Band. In ACT III, two violinists who met on the subway and go by the name “Subway Coincidence,” will perform classical music. The concert which will take place in the “East Garden,” is free, open to the public and no RSVP is needed.
On July 9th and 10th, the garden is hosting another fun public summer event — an annual flea market. Garden members are currently looking for vendors. If interested in participating, contact the members here.
The West 104th Street Community Garden has a membership of approximately 50 households. “We are really hoping to open our doors to more visitors this summer,” garden member Liza Polydova told West Side Rag.
For more information on the Make Music NY concert and the summer flea market click here.


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Last Posted: Jan 14, 2019
- Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use
M Liu et al, Nature Genetics, January 14, 2019
- Place-Based Inequity in Smoking Prevalence in the Largest Cities in the United States
EC Leas et al, JAMA Internal Medicine, January 2019
- Healthy Lifestyle Factors Associated With Lower Risk of Colorectal Cancer Irrespective of Genetic Risk.
Carr Prudence R et al. Gastroenterology 2018 155(6) 1805-1815.e5
- Its Never Too Early to Quit Smoking
CDC, January 2019
- Furthering Precision Medicine Genomics with Healthy Living Medicine.
Standley Robert A et al. Progress in cardiovascular diseases 2019 Jan
- Metabolic Syndrome Prediction Using Machine Learning Models with Genetic and Clinical Information from a Nonobese Healthy Population.
Choe Eun Kyung et al. Genomics & informatics 2018 Dec 16(4) e31
- Hypertension genetic risk score is associated with burden of coronary heart disease among patients referred for coronary angiography.
Lukács Krogager Maria et al. PloS one 2018 13(12) e0208645
- Impact of genetic testing on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (GenTLe-FH): a randomised waiting list controlled open-label study protocol.
Nomura Akihiro et al. BMJ open 2018 Dec 8(12) e023636
- BRAF mutation: Current and future clinical pathological applications in colorectal carcinoma.
Ng Jessica et al. Histology and histopathology 2018 Dec 18079
- Personalised organs-on-chips: functional testing for precision medicine.
van den Berg Albert et al. Lab on a chip 2018 Dec