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A 2016 study states that as of 2015, about 40% of the US population above 18 years of age was excluded from the formal financial system. An important reason for this glaring fact is that more people than before are opting for alternative sources of lending, as they are unable to fulfill the requirements laid down by the traditional banking system. Most first-time borrowers dont have adequate financial information to back their case, which renders banks incapable of assessing their credit-worthiness accurately. And this is where the traditional credit scoring model fails.
So how do financial institutions lend to customers without any traditional credit information? Information gleaned from unconventional sources like telecom and utilities billing records, social media sites, and e-commerce sites could be the answer. In addition, financial institutions can use government records such as census information and other data available in the public domain, to enrich the data files of customers from the underbanked segment (also known as the thin credit file segment). This approach has been pioneered by fintech companies. Take the example of SoFi, a fintech company that started off by refinancing student loans of high-earning graduates with no traditional credit history, and now offers mortgages and personal loans to them. Such companies target millennials that not only lack a strong credit history, but also do not want to step into a bank to avail loans. A win-win situation for both parties.
Is alternate data enough?
To make up for the lack of relevant financial information, lenders need to ascertain the behavioral and financial patterns of their customers using various data sources. However, alternate data cannot be termed as a standalone solution since different regions across the globe are at different stages of evolution with respect to these unconventional data sources.
While designing a credit decision model, we need to consider the depth (volume of data, accuracy, percentage of acceptance, and so on) of the alternate data, and then determine appropriate weightages for the parameters selected for the credit model based on statistical analysis. To ensure accuracy of results, such a model must undergo continuous fine-tuning. Since the usability of alternate data has not been completely tested over a full credit cycle, it makes sense for lenders to leverage alternative data analysis in conjunction with traditional credit assessment, especially for customers who have inadequate credit history.
Risks of using alternate data
The 2016 white paper published by the US Treasury Department on the Opportunities and Challenges in Online Marketplace Lending highlights some challenges of using alternate data for credit assessment. Financial institutions can mistakenly deny credit to deserving customers (the ones with valid credit scores derived from traditional scoring methods) based on these aspects. The white paper points out that in certain cases lenders could use aspects such as gender and race as factors in their credit assessment models. In certain other instances, potential borrowers may not be aware of which factors will be analyzed to arrive at a credit decision. For instance, a borrower using multiple mobile numbers could provide a less frequently used number as the primary mobile number, without realizing that it could drive down the final credit score. This scenario can prove to be unfavorable for lenders as well. Incorrect use of alternate data will lead to inaccurate credit assessment of worthy borrowers, and the consequent denial of credit may make them switch to a competitor.
Moving toward greater transparency
We believe that educating customers on how alternate data is used for credit assessment can make the entire process fair and transparent. In cases where credit is denied based on this data, customers must be given an opportunity to provide clarifications. For example, a customer with multiple mobile connections should be given the option to review and change the primary mobile number to one that would possibly yield a higher score.
Alternate data sources are still evolving, and some of them may become less relevant or difficult to leverage over time. In the US, regulatory requirements have led alternate lenders to rethink their strategy on using social media as a data source. But this should not discourage lenders from using alternate data, as new and more effective sources will soon be available. Lenders are slowly, and certainly, waking up to the reality and potential of using alternate data to assess borrower credit-worthiness. According to this survey report, two-thirds of the traditional has helped them reach out to more customers. We believe that alternate data will become a useful addition to lenders’ credit assessment toolkit. What do you think?

domain: economics


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Can you introduce yourselves and give us your role in the band?
Ari is from Napa, CA. and is the lead vocalist for the band. Grady is from Munich, Germany and plays keyboard and sings backing vocals. Reese is the guitarist and is from Boston, MA. Matt plays drums and is from San Carlos, CA.
Can you give us some of your musical background?
All of us have a solid musical background in jazz music. Both Reese and Matt were in jazz band throughout middle and high school, and Grady and Ari are both inspired by jazz artists such as Frank Sanatra and Snarky Puppy. Ari also takes vocal influence from pop artists like Panic at the Disco and Imagine Dragons. Reese is hugely inspired by indie music such as Tame Impala and The 1975. Grady is a massive Jacob Collier fan and loves to throw in complex jazz harmonies into our arrangements. Matt loves Hip-hop with his favorite artists being Gunna and Young Thug.
How did the band form?
It all began when Reese joined a freshman orientation Facebook group just as he was starting at California Polytechnic State University, hoping to meet a few like-minded newcomers. “I felt like all anyone in that group wanted to do was talk about partying,” he laments, and that’s when he met Matt Sato (Current Drummer). The connection was instant, and Reese soon recruited lead vocalist Ari Eisenberg, and piano player Grady Gallagher.
Was there anything in particular that made you want to start a band?
The reason we started a band was our love for live performing. Before going to college, every member used music as a creative outlet to freely express their ideas and visions. Coming into Cal Poly, we all were looking to start something that would allow us to collectively make music together, and thankfully we met each other!
Talk to us about your upcoming single “Davinci”
“Davinci” paints an intimate scene as it opens up with soft-spoken vocals and a sparse guitar melody. Evoking the image of a ballad performed in an empty garage, you can almost feel the anticipation of the rest of the band before crashing into an anthemic, rousing chorus that harkens back to the simple pop hooks of the 50s. Upon a first listen, the single may feel warmly familiar. However, at the same time unlike any of the influences that comes to mind. By infusing the old-school charm of surf rock, driving rhythm of punk, and their signature brand of jazz, Honeyboys draw on classic influences to create something fresh.
What do you want your listeners to take away from the single?
We hope that “Davinci” will allow our fans to escape the experience of being inside during quarantine and instead bring them the raw energy of a live concert. Furthermore, we hope that our listeners can relate to the romantic lyrics and emotion of this song.
What is the inspiration or story behind Davinci?
Reese wrote a basic melody and hook in his dorm room which would later become the chorus of the song. From there, he and Ari collaborated on lyrics and later brought the song to the entire band to be played live, where it became a staple of their local live performances.
Is there anything that you want your listeners to feel or think when they listen to your music?
We want our listeners to not only feel happy and relaxed when listening to our music, but to think about the little details we leave in our songs that’s only audible on repeat listens.
Something that stands out to me is how well you blend different genres. Do you intentionally explore with different sounds while you’re recording? Like is that something you have in mind beforehand or is it something you feel out as you’re creating?
Everyone in this band has their separate musical tastes and preferences, which is the primary reason for our diverse sound and range of influences. It’s never intentional but rather something that comes naturally from our willingness to experiment and different musical influences.
I noticed that all of your music on Spotify was released in 2020. What has the experience of starting/being a band during a pandemic been like?
The hardest part about being a band during covid is not being able to play live shows together. It was strange releasing music during quarantine because no one in the band was actually in the same location so we couldn’t celebrate together. Recording everything over the internet has also been hard to coordinate, but we make it work. That being said, we feel lucky to be a “quarantine band” as a lot of our music is very uplifting and reminds people of times when they could go out and watch live music.
Is the band pretty collaborative when it comes to creating music?
Yes. During quarantine we would all send stems from our respective locations which lead to the collaborative nature of a lot of the songs we released during 2020.
What is the most important thing to you when it comes to creating music?
The most important thing to us is making sure that everything we release is something we’re all completely satisfied with and would listen to. We also hope to spread positive vibes to our listening through our fun music.
Who do you consider your musical influences?
Our biggest influences are Jacob Collier, Tame Impala, the 1975 and Still Woozy.
Do you feel like your influences change depending on what project you’re working on, or is it pretty consistent?
We feel that our influences don’t necessarily change depending on the project, we just have a whole bank of influences we pull from and mix together depending on how we want the music to sound.
Ideally where do you see the band in 5 years?
Ideally, we would just want to be happy making and performing music together and not having to worry about anything else.
We’re all happy with where we are now. The biggest thing that’s on our mind in the future is improving ourselves musically.
Is there anything that you want our readers to know?
We just dropped our new song “Davinci” last Friday, check it out if you can!

domain: entertainment


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Jasper intaglio in a gold mount set with pearls and glass
- Mid-Imperial, Antonine or Severan
- 2nd–3rd century A.D.
- Gold, jasper, pearl, glass
- H. 3.00 cm.
- Gold and Silver
- Credit Line:
- Purchase, The Bothmer Purchase Fund and Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1994
- Accession Number:
The intaglio, depicting a horseman spearing a boar, is of superlative quality. The two hooks on the reverse suggest that this object served as a clasp, possibly for a necklace or for a diadem worn around the head.

domain: history


Multilevel Analysis of Oscillation Motions in Active Regions of the Sun
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The nature of the three-minute and five-minute oscillations observed in sunspots is considered to be an effect of propagation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves from the photosphere to the solar corona. However, the real modes of these waves and the nature of the filters that result in rather narrow frequency bands of these modes are still far from being generally accepted, in spite of a large amount of observational material obtained in a wide range of wave bands. The significance of this field of research is based on the hope that local seismology can be used to find the structure of the solar atmosphere in magnetic tubes of sunspots. We expect that substantial progress can be achieved by simultaneous observations of the sunspot oscillations in different layers of the solar atmosphere in order to gain information on propagating waves. In this study we used a new method that combines the results of an oscillation study made in optical and radio observations. The optical spectral measurements in photospheric and chromospheric lines of the line-of-sight velocity were carried out at the Sayan Solar Observatory. The radio maps of the Sun were obtained with the Nobeyama Radioheliograph at 1.76 cm. Radio sources associated with the sunspots were analyzed to study the oscillation processes in the chromosphere – corona transition region in the layer with magnetic field B=2000 G. A high level of instability of the oscillations in the optical and radio data was found. We used a wavelet analysis for the spectra. The best similarities of the spectra of oscillations obtained by the two methods were detected in the three-minute oscillations inside the sunspot umbra for the dates when the active regions were situated near the center of the solar disk. A comparison of the wavelet spectra for optical and radio observations showed a time delay of about 50 seconds of the radio results with respect to the optical ones. This implies an MHD wave traveling upward inside the umbral magnetic tube of the sunspot. For the five-minute oscillations the similarity in spectral details could be found only for optical oscillations at the chromospheric level in the umbral region or very close to it. The time delays seem to be similar. Besides three-minute and five-minute ones, oscillations with longer periods (8 and 15 minutes) were detected in optical and radio records. Their nature still requires further observational and theoretical study for even a preliminary discussion.
KeywordsOscillations, solar Radio emission, active regions Sunspots, velocity Waves, magnetohydrodynamic
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
- Kobanov, N.I., Makarchik, D.V.: 2003, In: Pevtsov, A.A., Uitenbroek, H. (eds.) Current Theoretical Models and High Resolution Solar Observations: Preparing for ATST CS-286, Astron. Soc. Pac., San Francisco, 251. Google Scholar
- Lites, B.W.: 1992, In: Thomas, J.H., Weiss, N.O. (eds.) Sunspots: Theory and Observations, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 261. Google Scholar
- Staude, J.: 1999, In: Schmieder, B., Hofman, A., Staude, J. (eds.) Advances in Solar Physics Euroconference: Magnetic Fields and Oscillations CS-184, Astron. Soc. Pac., San Francisco, 113. Google Scholar


Boeing launches new jet as Macron opens Paris show
- Author: Leroy Wright Jun 21, 2017,
Jun 21, 2017, 2:02
It initially made public about two-thirds of those Monday, saying that the rest will be announced in Paris later.
The 737 MAX family has been created to offer customers exceptional performance, flexibility and efficiency, with lower per-seat costs and an extended range that will open up new destinations in the single-aisle market.
With room for as many as 230 seats, the 737 MAX 10 is Boeing's answer to the Airbus A321neo, which has been outselling the smaller MAX 9 at a rate of 5-to-1.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), valued at Dollars 4.7 billion at current list prices, was signed at the Paris Air Show, which commenced on Monday (19 June).
A Memorandum Understanding (MoU), valued at Dollars 4.7 billion at current list prices, was signed at the Paris Air Show, which commenced on Monday (19 June).
Airbus, which moved first to update its aircrafts used in most midrange flights, now has a 60 percent market share. That variant - the Max 8 - began flying last month for Malaysian low-priced carrier Malindo Air, which become the first airline in the world to put the plane into service.
Boeing also took in tentative orders for a further 83 planes worth as much as $9.3 billion.
"Airlines wanted a larger, better option in the large single-aisle segment with the operating advantages of the 737 MAX family".
Early Tuesday the company added an order for 20 of the new planes from Air Capital Group (ACG) in a deal valued at $2.49 billion at list prices.
Airbus will also showcase its new long-haul model A350-1000 and Boeing its 787-10 Dreamliner, while Ukraine s Antonov will present its 132 D.
The MAX 10 is created to stem the loss of sales to the rival Airbus A321neo, which has won more than 1,400 orders.
Read: Russia's MC-21 a challenge to Boeing, Airbus?
He said the Airbus claim is based on adding auxiliary fuel tanks, which airlines add only if they absolutely need the extra range because they are a maintenance headache.
But the 737 MAX 10 is a major step in the right direction for Boeing.
The US planemaker is confident the model can carve out sales and stem customer defections to the Airbus A321neo, which has racked up a considerable sales lead since being launched three years ago and still has room for upgrades.
Boeing has started to make firm decisions about the jet's design.
Ryanair's chief operations officer Mick Hickey said the extra capacity on the Max 200s would help it meet its stated target of carrying 200 million passengers per year by the middle of the next decade. But the 10 has two extra rows of seats.
"We are committed to investing in our aircraft fleet in order to keep growing ahead of the market and enhancing our customers' flying experience", said Wang Shusheng, chairman of Okay Airways.
The 737 Max 9 is the newest version of Boeing's 737 airliner, which has been in production in some form for 40 years.


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Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
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After garnering widespread praise (and an Oscar nomination for screenwriting) for his 2000 directorial debut You Can Count on Me Kenneth Lonergan was in-demand. In September 2005 the writer/director began production on a follow-up feature: Margaret which touted Anna Paquin Matt Damon Mark Ruffalo Matthew Broderick Allison Janney as well as legendary filmmakers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) as producers. The movie wrapped production in a few months time. The buzz was already growing.
Now six years later the movie is finally hitting theaters. So…what took so long?
The journey to this point hasn't been an easy one and it shows. If a film's shot footage is a block of granite and the editing process is the careful carving that turns it into a statuesque work of art Margaret feels like it was attacked by a blind man with a jackhammer. The film is a cinematic disaster a mishmash of shallow characters overwrought politics and sporadic tones. The story follows Lisa Coen (Paquin) a New York teenager who finds herself drowning in chaos after distracting a bus driver (Ruffalo) causing him to hit and kill a pedestrian (Janney). Initially Lisa tells the police it was all an accident but as time passes regret takes hold and the girl embarks on a mission to take down the man she now regards as a culprit. That's just the tip of the iceberg–along the way Lisa deals with everyday teen stuff: falling for her geometry teacher (Damon) combating her anxiety-ridden actress mother losing her virginity dabbling in drugs debating 9/11 and the Iraq War cultivating a relationship with her father in LA and more. There are about eight seasons of television stuffed into Margaret but even a two and a half hour run time can't make it all click.
For more on Margaret check out Indie Seen: Margaret the Long Lost Anna Paquin/Matt Damon Movie

domain: artistic


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College sports notebook: Top prospect set to pick Ole Miss
TribLIVE Sports Videos
• Grayson (Ga.) defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, the nation's No. 1 prospect, is expected to sign with Mississippi on national signing day Wednesday. LSU and Florida are believed to be Nkemdiche's other finalists. Nkemdiche's last visit was to LSU last weekend. The big edge for Ole Miss is Denzel Nkemdiche, Robert's older brother who led the Rebels in tackles as a redshirt freshman linebacker last season. Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports believes it is a “just a forgone conclusion” that Nkemdiche will join his brother at Ole Miss. Denzel openly has lobbied for his brother to sign with the Rebels. “I told him, ‘We need you; you know how I feel about that,' ” Denzel said.
• Dick Vitale will call Final Four games for the first time this year, when a voice synonymous with college basketball will be heard only outside the U.S. Vitale, 73, will work a semifinal and the championship for ESPN International, with telecasts going to 150 countries and territories.
• Old Dominion fired men's basketball coach Blaine Taylor with eight games remaining in the regular season. Taylor has the most wins in school history, compiling 239 victories over 12 seasons, but his team is 2-20 this season.
• A judge has dismissed the last remaining count in Washington State football coach Mike Leach's wrongful termination lawsuit against Texas Tech. State District Judge William Sowder ruled Texas Tech didn't violate the coach's due process rights when he was fired in December 2009.
• Robert Morris guard Ashley Ravelli was named the Northeast Conference women's basketball Rookie of the Week for the third time this season. She averaged 15.0 points against LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis (N.Y.).
— Staff and wire reports
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- Leechburg man’s lawsuit against borough, police officers dismissed
- Hackers’ new Dyre malware infects W.Pa. computers, vexes FBI cyber agents
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- Apollo fills solicitor job with Leechburg-based attorney

domain: sports


“This [Nuclear Security] Summit focuses on strengthening nuclear security and preventing terrorists, criminals and all other unauthorised actors from acquiring nuclear materials that could be used in nuclear weapons, and other radioactive materials that could be used in radiological dispersal devices. Achieving this objective remains one of the most important challenges in the years to come.”
On March 24-25, President Obama joined 52 world leaders and four international organizations in The Hague, Netherlands for the third Nuclear Security Summit, aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe. The Hague Summit built upon the accomplishments of the two previous Nuclear Security Summits in 2010 and 2012 and focused on three main goals: reducing the amount of dangerous nuclear material in the world; improving the security of all nuclear material and radioactive sources; and improving international cooperation.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) is proud to have supported numerous accomplishments highlighted at the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit. DNDO’s singular focus is to prevent nuclear terrorism through advancing nuclear detection and nuclear forensics capabilities. International forums such as the Summit are critical to DNDO’s mission.
The U.S. National Progress Report
“Nuclear terrorism represents the most immediate and extreme threat to global security, requiring a strong and enduring commitment to domestic and worldwide action.”
- U.S. National Progress Report
Progress and completion of our commitments toward achieving the Nuclear Security Summit goals are highlighted in the U.S. National Progress Report and include both nuclear detection and forensics- related items, including contributions to and the use of national nuclear forensics libraries and enhanced efforts to combat illicit trafficking in nuclear and radiological materials.
National Nuclear Forensics Libraries
An effort led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), DNDO contributed to the development of a national nuclear forensics libraries framework. A national nuclear forensics library benefits a state by enhancing its capability to make timely assessments of whether seized material may or may not be consistent with nuclear and other radioactive material produced, used, or stored within that state. It also provides a common framework for the investigation of a transnational nuclear security event.
DNDO has also assisted the Department of Energy with the development of the United States’ national nuclear forensics library and has promoted global understanding of national nuclear forensics libraries by conducting a virtual, web-based tabletop exercise, Galaxy Serpent, in collaboration with the Department of State. This exercise focused on formulating and using national nuclear forensics libraries under the auspices of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group. The United States has pledged to continue to lead and involve international participants in a series of such exercises.
Enhanced Efforts to Combat Illicit Trafficking in Nuclear and other Radioactive Materials
DNDO contributed to the completion of a strategic plan for the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture outlining progress in respect to nuclear detection efforts globally, and the creation of a domestic search plan focusing on smuggling incidents. DNDO also trained more than 7,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in nuclear detection, assisted in the extensive testing of 12 different categories of nuclear detection technologies, and conducted research to develop and evaluate new radiation detection technologies.
Finally, the DNDO-led National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program, which is the comprehensive U.S. Government effort to grow and sustain qualified technical expertise required to execute the nation’s nuclear forensics mission, was provided as an active and practical example of how to transfer and sustain nuclear knowledge and expertise to the next generation of scientists.
Nuclear Forensics “Gift Basket”
Summit gift baskets represent the initiative of a group of countries who in turn serve as role models for a given aspect of nuclear security. The Dutch-led Nuclear Forensics Gift Basket, "Forensics in Nuclear Security," to which a number of countries including the U.S. are signatories, is a set of accomplishments and commitments that foster expertise and cooperation, and enhance nuclear forensics as an effective component of nuclear security. DNDO has taken an active role in contributing to these activities, including assisting in the publishing of a nuclear forensics lexicon to promote communication across the international nuclear forensics community, which The Netherlands released as an iOS and Android mobile app at the Summit. Additionally, DNDO helped develop a compendium of best practices, education, and training curriculum for experts, responders, and policy makers, and refocused a knowledge platform to enhance discussion and commitment among experts and policymakers.
Joint Statement on Illicit Trafficking Radiation Assessment Program
DNDO, the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the IAEA have collaborated in the conduct of the Illicit Trafficking Radiation Assessment Program (ITRAP+10) test campaign. Over the past three years, this international partnership tested about 70 different models of radiological and nuclear detection and identification equipment against international standards. The findings of this test campaign will be shared to inform future revisions to the IAEA Nuclear Security Series and other international standards.
Official Summit Side Event: @tomic 2014
@tomic 2014, an international table-top exercise and official side event of the Summit, was conducted from February 18-20, 2014 and focused on preventing nuclear and radiological terrorism. The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and State helped design and facilitate @tomic 2014, which involved fictitious but realistic nuclear security events, including smuggling and the threat of terrorism, on a global scale. One of the major goals of this Dutch-led exercise was to enhance knowledge and awareness of how nuclear forensics can be used in nuclear smuggling cases and is an important component of effective nuclear security.
Joint Statement of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism published a joint statement highlighting the activities of the Nuclear Detection and Nuclear Forensics Working Groups which support the Nuclear Security Summit’s goals. Spotlighted in this statement were several nuclear detection and forensics guidelines/best practices documents and tabletop exercises to which DNDO contributed.


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That Caribbean island is where deCaires Taylor began his underwater works in 2006 – with extensive installations since added in Mexico and the Canary Islands, these now total more than 800 sculptures.
The show features a collection of large-scale photographic prints and a series of new sculptures focusing on coral-bleaching, the sculptor's response to the world’s longest recorded bleaching events occurring between 2014 and 2016.
There is also a short film of Museo Atlantico in Lanzarote, which is said to have seen considerable colonisation of what until recently was deserted seabed. The film can also be found online.
The Biennale exhibition lies close to Punta della Dogana, which houses artist Damien Hirst’s latest show Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, based around sculptures taken from an imaginary ancient shipwreck.
Responding to allegations that Hirst has appropriated de Caires Taylor’s style, the latter said: “Over the past 11 years working under water I have always hoped my work was about giving something back, creating new life and providing glimpses into a fragile imperilled world.
“After viewing Hirst’s latest exhibition, it seems I have certainly created an art genre that has been responded to, but his marine facsimiles are very different in context from my living installations.
“If people really want to see ‘unbelievable treasures’ they should look below the surface of our seas at the real live wonders of the blue world – nature does not lie.”
Find out more about Jason deCaires Taylor's work here
Divernet – The Biggest Online Resource for Scuba Divers


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Polls show the ‘winners’ of GOP presidential debate were the two youngest candidates on stage
Maybe it’s a coincidence or not, but two polls taken after Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate showed that the two youngest candidates on the stage in Milwaukee were considered the “winners” of the two-hour forum.
They are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, age 44, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, age 38.
A Washington Post/FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos poll found that 29 percent of those surveyed felt DeSantis came out on top, followed by Ramaswamy at 26 percent.
Similarly, a post-debate survey of 1,800 self-identified GOP voters by Leger for the New York Post found that 23% said Ramaswamy won the debate, with DeSantis just behind at 21%.
It’s interesting, in part, because either of those men, if nominated by the GOP, would go up against an opponent far older: President Joe Biden, age 80. (Vice President Kamala Harris is 58.)
Jake Hoffman, the executive director for the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, said he watched the debate on Wednesday and found that he saw a generational gap in some areas. One example was Ukraine.
“If you were to walk into any Republican Executive Committee or Young Republican or any GOP club, it’s going to be extremely unpopular to be funding Ukraine right now or being in these foreign wars, and so that was one big thing that Vivek was able to stand out about and Ron was a little wishy-washy on it,” he said.
Ramaswamy’s opposition to funding Ukraine in the debate alienated some of his opponents on stage like Nikki Haley, who formerly served as the United Nations Ambassador in the Trump administration. “You have no foreign policy experience, and it shows,” Haley told him.
DeSantis responded by saying that he would stop aid to Ukraine unless European governments began to “pull their weight.”
Ramaswamy is by far the youngest Republican in the race at 38. DeSantis, 44, is the second youngest. (He turns 45 next month.)
The only other Republican presidential candidates in their 40s – Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (45) and former Texas Congressman Wil Hurd (46), did not qualify for Wednesday’s debate.
Haley is the next youngest at 51, followed by South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (57), former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (60 turning 61 next month), former Vice President Mike Pence (64), North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (67), former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (72) and Donald Trump, who turned 77 in June.
Ramaswamy has received the most buzz following Wednesday’s debate and is likely to have his record more closely scrutinized in the weeks ahead.
But Hoffman said one policy stance, coming from Ramaswamy, turns off young Republicans. It’s about Ramaswamy’s proposal to raise the voting age in the U.S. from 18 to 25, unless younger Americans fulfill at least six months of service in the military or as a first responder — or pass the same citizenship test administered to those seeking to become naturalized citizens.
“I think it’s very bad messaging for young people in general,” says Hoffman. “How do you go on college campuses and recruit Democrats or independents to go come to your party when you say, ‘hey, we don’t think you should vote but you should join our side.” I think it’s just a losing message overall. I get the sentiment that you want people to be informed voters but that’s just not the way to do it.”
Haley finished third at 15 percent in the Washington Post/FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos poll after Wednesday’s debate and has received positive reviews about her debate performance.
Hoffman says it was her comments on issues like abortion that was appealing to a younger generation. For example, Haley remarked that: “Can’t we all agree that contraception should be available, and can’t we all agree that we are not going to put a woman in jail or give her the death penalty if she gets an abortion? Let’s treat this like a respectful issue that it is and humanize the situation and stop demonizing the situation.”
“There is a constituency of Republicans who want to hear that, and she was the only one on stage offering that opinion,” Hoffman said.

domain: politics


Laurel Broten is a practicing Catholic who sends her children to Catholic schools. She’s also the education minister of Ontario, Canada. And in a shocking display of infringement of religious freedom, she’s just decreed that Catholic schools can no longer teach that abortion is wrong.
“Taking away a woman’s right to choose could arguably be considered one of the most misogynistic actions that one could take,” Laurel Broten said during a press conference.
“Bill 13,” she asserted, “is about tackling misogyny.”
Schools are also being forced to establish gay-straight alliances in addition to preaching that abortion is acceptable.
This, quite frankly, is one of the most egregious and outrageous assaults on religious freedom I’ve ever heard of. The Catholic Church is ardently against abortion, and defends life in all its capacities. Now, Catholic schools are being forced to choose: go against their religion and principles, or break the law.
And while fighting against bullying and preaching acceptance are important, defending those who have no voice is even more important. Broten claims to respect Catholic education, but this is clearly a blatant attack on the Church and her teachings. The Catechism of the Catholic Church mandates the protection of human life, and Broten is forcing Catholic schools to turn their back on that.
As for misogyny in pro-life beliefs, millions of girls have been aborted over the years. Babies being aborted simply for being female is by no means rare. But where is Broten’s outrage over that?
What is truly frightening and offensive about this is that it isn’t enough for abortion merely to be legal — pro-aborts like Broten clearly want to make it illegal for those who seek to defend life to even have the right to speak out and practice their beliefs! The end goal is not just to keep abortion legal. It’s to silence the voices of pro-lifers.
This attack on religious freedom cannot stand.


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The Nero Book Awards 2023 Category Winners
Recognising great writers in the UK and Ireland, the Nero Book Awards ranges across fiction, debut fiction, non-fiction and children’s fiction categories. This year’s winners reflect the extraordinary depth and diversity of publishing throughout the industry.
One title will be crowned the overall winner of the Nero Gold Prize on 14 March.
The Nero Book Awards 2023 Fiction Winner
The Fiction Shortlist
The Nero Book Awards 2023 Debut Fiction Winner
The Debut Fiction Shortlist
The Nero Book Awards 2023 Non-Fiction Winner
The Non-Fiction Shortlist
The Nero Book Awards 2023 Children's Winner
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?


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The property/casualty industry’s combined ratio improved about 2.6 points to 99.7 for the first quarter in 2003, the industry’s strongest first-quarter underwriting performance in the most recent five-year period, according to a special report released by A.M. Best Co.
The results include a marked increase in adverse loss-reserve development attributed to asbestos and environmental liabilities and catastrophe losses, which collectively added nearly 4.8 points to the reported combined ratio, according to the special report, “P/C Industry Reports Combined Ratio Below 100.”
The industry’s combined ratio improvement – a key measure of underwriting profitability – was driven by a 1.9-point decline in the loss and loss-adjustment-expense ratio, and a 0.7-point decline in the expense-plus-policyholder-dividend ratio. As increased premiums, especially on an earned basis – driven primarily by premium rate increases – offset dollar increases in loss and underwriting expenses.
The improved underwriting performance was reported despite a considerable increase in catastrophe activity, attributed primarily to severe winter storms and windstorms, which added 1.5 points to the combined ratio.
The 2003 first-quarter results were abnormally impacted by reserve charges, as Hartford Insurance Group, after announcing the completion of its ground-up asbestos reserve study, strengthened asbestos reserves by $2.6 billion on a pretax, net basis. Hartford’s charge and ordinary asbestos-and-environmental incurred losses added an estimated 3.3 points to the industry’s first-quarter combined ratio, compared with 0.7 points in the first quarter of 2002.
Nevertheless, the industry recorded favorable reserve development on core reserves, negating the overall impact of Hartford’s extraordinary charge. A.M. Best expects carriers will take additional reserve charges during 2003 against A.M. Best’s estimated prior-year non-A&E reserve deficiency of more than $40 billion, and more carriers will strengthen asbestos reserves.
While A.M. Best acknowledges the positive impact the compound effects of accelerating pricing increases over the past few years and improved underwriting fundamentals are having on results, history indicates that the sustainability of these first-quarter results throughout the year is improbable.
Given the magnitude of inadequate soft-market pricing in the mid-to-late 1990s and the large reserve deficiencies yet to be realized, operating returns will remain constrained, even though they will likely improve and surplus is expected to grow. While average price increases are expected to be double-digit throughout 2003, the velocity of rate increases has decelerated during the first quarter, which is a sobering indication for property/casualty insurers, as the peak of the hard market cycle might have been reached and the industry is just starting to see the cycle’s impact reach the bottom line.
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domain: news


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How much does Neeboz membership cost?
In line with our no cash ethos, Neeboz is free. After your first trade we give you the option of contributing a small fee; however, that is your decision and not necessary. A financial contribution helps us meet our running costs and the verification also helps build a trusted community. By paying a small fee through a credit card, bank account or paypal we can better confirm your identity and, in return, we upload a key symbol on your profile so other members can see you are verified.
In alternative to a cash contribution, you can support Neeboz by promoting us on social media or throughout your networks. We are open to your suggestions and would love to hear from you!

domain: finance


The United States Air Force Portal
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. Initially part of the United States Army as the Army Air Corps, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947. It was the last branch of the US military to be formed.
The USAF is one of the largest and most technologically advanced air forces in the world, with about 5,573 manned aircraft in service (3,990 USAF; 1,213 Air National Guard; and 370 Air Force Reserve); approximately 180 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles, 2130 Air-Launched Cruise Missiles, and 450 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles; and has 330,159 personnel on active duty, 68,872 in the Selected and Individual Ready Reserves, and 94,753 in the Air National Guard. In addition, the Air Force employs 151,360 civilian personnel.
The Department of the Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force who heads administrative affairs. The Department of the Air Force is a division of the Department of Defense, headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking military officer in the Department of the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
Service considering retrofitting late-model C-130's with new engines
Summary: The U.S. Air Force is interested in procuring commercial off-the-shelf engines to replace antiquated propulsion systems on C-130 aircraft. At a technology summit in Arlington, Virginia, General Philip Breedlove told of the service's efforts to follow up on the successes of the C-130J upgrade with commercially available fuel efficient engines. Breedlove says the prioritization of use of C-130J's in inter-theater operations for cost savings has tied up logistics. The C-130 also suffers from performance and maintenance issues that have led to the cancellation of the FCS Manned Ground Vehicles program that was unable to fall within weight parameters while maintaining protection requirements. While enhancing the current generation of aircraft, the Air Force is also heading an initiative to develop fuel efficient technologies for the next generation of propulsion systems. the ADaptive Versatile ENgine Technology program seeks to develop an engine that is 30% more efficient than the F119 or F135 engines that power the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft. The Versatile, Affordable, Advanced Turbine Engines and Highly Efficient Embedded Turbine Engine programs are also being pursued to develop propulsion technologies for sub-sonic military aircraft.
Aerospace vehicle spotlight
The P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. It was introduced into active service in July 1945, during the closing weeks of World War II, however, the aircraft did not see combat during the war. The Army Air Forces, and later the Air Force, acquired more than 1,700 of the aircraft before the end of the production run in 1950. The aircraft saw extensive action during the opening phases of the Korean War. However, as the more nimble F-86 Sabre came into service the P-80s were primarily assigned to ground attack and photo reconnaissance roles.
The P-80 design was the basis of the T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft. The Shooting Star airframe became the primary jet trainer as the Air Force migrated to more advanced fighters.
...that the Order of the Sword was first awarded in May 1967? It is the highest honor the Air Force enlisted corps can bestow upon an individual. The Order of the Sword is typically presented to senior Air Force officers in recognition of their dedicated service.
"This business – defending our Nation – is all about trust. The American people place special confidence in us:
- - to do the right thing, even in the face of danger;
- - to keep our Nation safe, even in times of struggle;
- - and win our Nation’s wars, even against a most elusive foe."
- — Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton A. Schwartz, 30 Sept 2008
Schwartz, General Norton A. (September 30, 2008). "The Air Force: fighting today's war" (Purple Heart presentation ceremony, Walter Reed Army Medical Center). Air Force Link. United States Air Force. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
|Military history WikiProject open tasks
Military aviation task force
Military technology and engineering task force
United States military history task force
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Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use and sexual risk taking among adolescent survivors of childhood cancer treated in Australia.
Procedure: A comparison study selecting on exposure (cancer vs. healthy) and administering a branched computerised questionnaire assessing health-risk behaviour, predominately by telephone interview. One hundred fifty-three adolescent survivors of childhood cancer were compared with age matched healthy adolescents drawn from one of two Australian population based surveys of adolescent health. Behaviours assessed were tobacco use, alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, pain reliever use, other illicit drug use and unprotected sex.
Results: Compared to their healthy peers, younger survivors (13- to 17-years) were at an increased risk of reporting pain reliever use (OR = 2.1) for non-medical purposes, but lower risk of binge drinking (OR = 0.20), cannabis use (OR = 0.25), other illicit drug use (OR = 0.31), tobacco use (OR = 0.38) and alcohol use (OR = 0.44). Older survivors (18- to 24-years) were at an increased risk of reporting alcohol use (OR 1.5), but at lower risk of reporting cannabis use (OR = 0.27), other illicit drug use (OR = 0.44) and tobacco use (OR = 0.47). Survival analysis using the full adolescent survivor cohort (13- to 24-years) showed that the age of onset of tobacco use was later for cancer survivors (hazard ratio HR = 0.65).
Conclusion: Adolescent cancer survivors show reduced involvement in most health-risk behaviours, with the exception of pain reliever use among younger survivors and alcohol use among the older survivors. Although risks were reduced a substantial proportion of survivors engage in these behaviours.

domain: literature


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As you may know there are quite a few AIO blogs out there now. I covered some in a past post, but here are a few more.
These first two if you haven't heard album 56 yet and don't want spoilers, AVOID THEM!.
Adventures in Odyssey Thoughts:
This blog has some interesting posts. When you get there the most recent post is on Great Expectations. It's a great review but if you don't want spoilers, I wouldn't check it out just yet.
The Adventures in Odyssey Daily News:
This blog tries to do a post about everyday. And so far has been doing reviews for album 56. It's a cool blog, but if you don't want spoilers STAY AWAY! He's covered all the episodes through The Lost Riddle, and the last four will come in his next post. He's also working on updating his blog to a site which will be available next month.
Just Another Odyssey Blog:
This blog is a bit more complex. It has several pages to check out. Adventures in Connelsville features installments of a story that Alex is writing. JAAIOPP (Just Another AIO Podcast) is his page that features his podcasts. While I haven't listened to all of the only podcast that is currently available, what I did hear was pretty good. This blog also features a Response to the Soda Shop page, where he writes about current discussions on the Soda Shop message board.
This is a message board, it's centered around Odyssey, but also provides spaces to discuss other varieties of topics. Here you earn a currency called seashells and can spend them on various things in the shop. I encourage you to check it out and see if you like it.
There's still more AIO blogs to cover, so expect another post about them in the near future. What do you think about these AIO blogs/sites? You could comment here, but I'm sure they want to hear what you think too.
With that, that about wraps it up for today. This has been Freddy Jay connecting the gap between Odyssey and YOU!

domain: hobby


When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Would-be robbers strike in Barrowford
Updated 4:23pm Thursday 16th January 2014 in News
A WOULD-BE robber struck at an off-licence in Barrowford.
One man with his face covered burst into Maguires Off Licence, in Gisburn Road, at around 7.30pm last night.
A police spokesperson said: “A man went in and threatened a female shop worker. It does not like look they got away with anything.”
One witness said she saw police cars with their lights flashing parked outside the off-licence, and officers protecting the scene, shortly after the attempted robbery.
Anybody with information about the incident can call police on 101.
Comments are closed on this article.


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Publisher description for Globalization and the poor / Jay R. Mandle.
Bibliographic record and links to related information available from the Library of Congress catalog
Information from electronic data provided by the publisher. May be incomplete or contain other coding.
The argument the author presents is that globalization is associated with the economic growth necessary to alleviate poverty. Globalization therefore should be encouraged. At the same time, governments must adopt policies that address the needs of those who are victimized by the dislocations caused by the process. The book responds to the opponents by emphasizing globalization's potential to alleviate poverty, but at the same time is critical of those who defend globalization without acknowledging the costs it imposes on innocent victims. In addressing the activist opponents of the process, the author maintains that they should not reject the global integration of world markets because of a concern for justice. Instead activists can advance the interests of the world's poor by mounting political movements to advance international agreements to stabilize the world economy and ensure labor rights.
Library of Congress subject headings for this publication: International economic relations, Globalization Economic aspects, Poverty Government policy

domain: library


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- DescriptionDestiny presented me with a situation that affords me access to a most strange, sometimes frightening, beautiful, and always intriguing world. Evolution of Cocoons is a firsthand account of mothering a child who suffers from debilitating mental and developmental illnesses. The book offers readers an intimate glimpse into the life of a family reeling from the effects of such diseases; everyone is brave and flawed. It is an honest, brutal, introspective, and searching look into a life corrupted by a child's imbalanced mind and a mother s search for strength.
- Author BiographyJanna Vought is a published writer, with her works of poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction appearing in multiple literary journals and magazines.She is a graduate of Lindenwood University with an MFA in creative writing.She also is a 2013 AWP Intro Journals Nominee for poetry.In addition to writing, Janna is also a doctoral candidate, working on her PhD in education.With this coursework, coupled with her nonprofit experience, she hopes to create a community outreach program that provides workshop experiences and creative writing courses for varying members of the community often ignored by mainstream academics to include: the mentally ill and their families, victims of violent crime, at risk youth, among other special populations who would benefit from learning about writing and implementing the craft in their own lives.Her daughter, Kamryn, is diagnosed with Bipolar I and Asperger s Syndrome, an Autism spectrum disorder, making her intimately qualified to write on parenting a special needs child.
- Author(s)Janna Vought
- Date of Publication10/09/2013
- FormatPaperback / softback
- SubjectPregnancy & Parenting
- Country of PublicationUnited States
- Weight181 g
- Width140 mm
- Height208 mm
- Spine9 mm
- Format DetailsTrade paperback (US),Unsewn / adhesive bound
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Beautiful Necklace handmade out of Tagua nut (slices) and Acai seeds (round small beads).
The cord is made out of cotton. The necklace has a double sliding cord which can be adjusted from approximately 4.5 inches to 14 inches.
Matching earrings (Slice tagua) come with sterling silver hooks at no additional cost. Length: Approximately 1.5 inches.
Our items are fairtrade and we use natural, biodegradable materials that have been harvested in a sustainable manner. Our two chief aims are environmental preservation and giving talented but disadvantaged artisans an opportunity to participate in a leveled global market.
All pictures © copyright Pueblito Ltd. All rights reserved.
TAGUA - also known as Vegetable Ivory is primarily the dried seedpod of a palm tree that grows in tropical rainforests. Seeds can be peeled, sliced, carved and dyed. The natural colour of tagua is ivory white and resembles the finest animal ivory in texture and colour. The process of getting tagua, unlike elephant ivory, does not involve killing. When ripe, the seeds fall to the ground and are gathered and dried from four to eight weeks. Tagua jewellery and watches are made from the dried and polished seeds. As Nature provides us with unique materials, each item carved from Tagua is ONE OF A KIND. Some indigenous peoples of South America used Tagua to represent the feminine because of its great magnet-like romantic energy. Each member of the tribe was given a tagua pendant to wear around his or her neck. The natives believed that persons wearing tagua would live in harmony and always be loved by their family and friends.
Açaí or Acai pronounced [asa’i], /ah-sah-EE or ah-shi-ee is a fast growing palm which contains eight species that are native to Central and South America. These palms grow mainly in swamps. The fruit, a small, round, black-purple drupe about 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter, similar in appearance and size to a grape but with less pulp, is produced in branched panicles of 700 to 900 fruits. Two crops of fruit are produced each year. The fruit has a single large seed about 0.25–0.40 inches (7–10 mm) in diameter. The exocarp of the ripe fruits is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of açaí and its maturity. The mesocarp is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of 1 mm or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp, which contains a seed with a diminutive embryo and abundant endosperm. The seed makes up about 80% of the fruit. Taken from Wikipedia.
The Acai pulp is used for consumption. Acai seeds are washed, cleaned and dried. A hole usually 2 mm in diameter is drilled, then the seeds are dyed in the desired color and finally polished. After having the materials ready, artisans put together unique and beautiful designs. These unique pieces are Fairtrade by Pueblito.
|Product ID||T03.7 R 3.1|


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Lott Cary/Carey (1780-1828), African-American Baptist minister and medical practitioner, was born a slave in Charles City County, Virginia. Upon his conversion in 1807 Carey learned to read and write and became a lay preacher until he was officially licensed as a Baptist minister in 1813. In 1821 Carey travelled to Sierra Leone and the following year to Liberia as a missionary. Carey experienced much hardship in the ensuing years as a missionary in Liberia, including the loss of his wife. Nevertheless, he was able to establish a number of churches and schools before he was killed during a final conflict with a local tribe. Carey is remembered for his missionary zeal and for the instrumental role he played during the founding of Liberia.
For further reading see “Lott Cary: The Colonizing Missionary” Journal of Negro History 7 (1992): 380-418.


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What was the research about?
Depression is a health problem that causes people to feel sad and hopeless and to have low energy. People usually get treatment in healthcare settings, such as clinics. In communities with few resources, people may also get help in community settings, such as social services agencies or churches. Collaborative care approaches bring together healthcare and community programs to help people with depression.
In an earlier study, researchers compared two collaborative care approaches:
- Coalition. In this approach, the research team invited healthcare and community program leaders to two-hour planning meetings twice a month for four months. With the help of the coalition, the leaders customized treatment resources to their community’s culture and trained program staff. The coalition gave trainings through conferences, webinars, and site visits. Training topics included depression therapy and care management. The coalition also shared online and written resources.
- Technical assistance or TA. In this approach, a team of experts offered program staff 12 online trainings on topics such as team building and depression therapy. The experts also visited primary care groups to talk about how to treat depression. They shared online and written resources.
After one year, the coalition approach led to more improvement in people’s mental health quality of life and fewer nights in the hospital than the TA approach.
In this study, the research team compared the two approaches for three years.
What were the results?
After three years, the two approaches didn’t differ in people’s depression or mental health quality of life. Compared with people in programs assigned to the TA approach, people in programs assigned to the coalition approach
- Showed more improvement in physical health quality of life
- Averaged fewer nights in the hospital for mental health problems
Who was in the study?
The study included 980 adults with depression who completed the first survey for the earlier study. Of these, 46 percent were African American, 41 percent were Latino, and 9 percent were white. The average age was 45, and 58 percent were women. In addition, 74 percent of the people had incomes below the poverty line. Also, 54 percent were homeless or at risk for long-term homelessness. All people in the study attended a healthcare or community program. They lived in South Los Angeles and Hollywood-Metro Los Angeles.
What did the research team do?
In the earlier study, researchers assigned healthcare and community programs to one of the two collaborative care approaches by chance. Then, the team recruited people with depression who were receiving services from these programs.
In this study, the research team looked at people who completed surveys at the start of the study and three years later. People who have depression and other community members worked with the research team to design and carry out the study and suggest topics for future studies.
What were the limits of the study?
The study took place in two mostly African American and Latino communities in the Los Angeles area. Results may differ in other areas. Because many people in the study were homeless, the team couldn’t reach everyone to give them the final survey. Results may be different if everyone took the survey.
Future research could look at how to support coalition approaches over time.
How can people use the results?
Healthcare and community programs can use the results to help people with depression living in communities with few resources.
To compare the long-term effectiveness of two collaborative care interventions for adults with depression in underresourced communities
|Design||Randomized controlled trial|
|Population||980 people with depression from 89 mental health service programs in Los Angeles County|
Primary: depression and mental health-related quality of life
Secondary: physical health-related quality of life, behavioral health-related hospitalization nights
|Timeframe||3-year follow-up for primary outcomes|
This extension study of a randomized controlled trial examined the long-term outcomes of two interventions to enhance collaborative care for adults with depression in healthcare and other community service settings. The study included community sites such as primary care clinics, agencies specializing in mental health and substance use disorder, social services agencies, faith-based groups, and community centers in the South Los Angeles and Hollywood-Metro Los Angeles communities.
In the previous study, the research team randomly assigned healthcare and community programs to one of two interventions and recruited adults with depression who received services from these programs. The two interventions were
- Community Engagement and Planning, or coalition approach. Programs formed local coalitions, co-chaired by study and community leaders. Each coalition invited program administrators to two-hour meetings bimonthly for four months to plan how to disseminate intervention resources across the diverse programs in this intervention. Adapting resources to local culture, the coalition provided trainings to program staff through online and written resources, conferences, webinars, and site visits.
- Resources for Services, or technical assistance approach. An expert, interdisciplinary team provided technical assistance to individual programs through webinars, site visits, and online and written resources. This team offered programs 12 webinars using a train-the-trainer model, with site visits for primary care providers. Topics included team building, case management, and clinical assessment and treatments.
The previous study found that the coalition approach was more effective than the technical assistance approach in improving mental health-related quality of life and reducing behavioral health hospitalizations at 6 and 12 months.
In this extension study, the research team compared the study outcomes for people in the two interventions at baseline and three years. The study included 980 clients with baseline surveys and 600 with three-year surveys. All clients were receiving services from 89 programs. Of these clients, 46% were African American, 41% were Latino, and 9% were white. The average age of participants at baseline was 45, and 58% were female. In addition, 74% of participants had incomes below the poverty line, and 54% were homeless or had two or more risk factors for chronic homelessness.
People who have depression and other community members worked with researchers to design and conduct the study and prioritize outcomes for future research.
At three years, compared with people in programs assigned to the technical assistance approach, those in programs assigned to the coalition approach did not differ in depression or mental health quality of life. However, people in the coalition approach had improved physical health-related quality of life (difference in scores=1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.2, 2.2) and fewer behavioral health-related hospitalization nights (incidence rate ratio=0.2; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8) (both p<0.05).
The study took place in two underresourced, mostly African American and Latino communities in Los Angeles County. Results may be different in other areas or with different populations. Many people in the study were homeless. As a result, the research team had difficulty contacting them for follow-up surveys, which limited response rates.
Conclusions and Relevance
Collaborative care approaches for depression show promise in improving the quality of health care in underresourced communities. In this extension study, the two collaborative care approaches did not differ in primary mental health outcomes at three years, but the coalition approach was more effective in improving physical health-related quality of life and reducing behavioral health-related hospitalization nights.
Future Research Needs
Future research could explore efforts to maintain long-term effects of collaborative care approaches on mental health outcomes and other outcomes important to adults with depression, such as physical health-related quality of life.
Final Research Report
View this projects final research report.
Results of This Project
Related Journal Citations
Stories and Videos
Peer review of PCORI-funded research helps make sure the report presents complete, balanced, and useful information about the research. It also assesses how the project addressed PCORI’s Methodology Standards. During peer review, experts read a draft report of the research and provide comments about the report. These experts may include a scientist focused on the research topic, a specialist in research methods, a patient or caregiver, and a healthcare professional. These reviewers cannot have conflicts of interest with the study.
The peer reviewers point out where the draft report may need revision. For example, they may suggest ways to improve descriptions of the conduct of the study or to clarify the connection between results and conclusions. Sometimes, awardees revise their draft reports twice or more to address all of the reviewers’ comments.
Peer reviewers commented and the researchers made changes or provided responses. Those comments and responses included the following:
- Reviewers noted many places where the language of the draft report needed clarification. The researchers made the requested changes but noted that the complexity of the study and the need to explain the parent study of the PCORI-funded study meant that descriptions were lengthy.
- Reviewers noted that the researchers did not measure how faithfully the intervention was actually implemented, which is a major limitation of the study. The researchers responded by describing how they measured how well the implementation of the interventions went.
Conflict of Interest Disclosures
Study Registration Information
- Has Results

domain: psychology


Study reveals effects of meningitis and septicaemia on learning in school children
A Meningitis Research Foundation funded study has shown that meningitis and septicaemia have a significant impact on children’s school performance. Their ability to learn and their behaviour are especially affected and are worse than for children treated in intensive care with other critical illnesses.
The new research, from Imperial College London, conducted at St Mary’s and Great Ormond Street hospitals and just published in the journal Critical Care Medicine, looked at children aged 5 to 16 years old who had been in paediatric intensive care. Children had a series of tests five months after leaving hospital, measuring intellectual function, memory, and attention. The children’s teachers also reported on their performance at school. Children who hadn’t been in intensive care were tested as a comparison.
Dr Lorraine Als of Imperial College London said: “Overall, the children who had been in intensive care scored significantly lower on most tests than those who hadn’t, but those with meningitis, encephalitis and/or septicaemia had the worst scores. The difference was particularly noticeable for IQ and memory.
Teachers’ questionnaires also reported that children who had had meningitis, encephalitis and/or septicaemia were affected at school, having problems with academic performance, completing school work and attention span. This was particularly noticeable in children who had had septicaemia.”
Chris Head, Chief Executive of Meningitis Research Foundation said: “This research perfectly highlights how meningitis and septicaemia damage children’s learning and academic performance during their crucial school years. . This illustrates the importance of educational support for children affected. It also provides further evidence for prevention of these diseases, especially in the light of the recent licensure of a MenB vaccine as Men B is the leading cause of meningitis and septicaemia in children in the UK.”
To read the research paper in full, click here.
By Meningitis Research Foundation
- Meningitis Research Foundation is currently funding 17 research projects into the prevention, detection and treatment of meningitis and septicaemia. We have spent over £16.5 million on research since we launched in 1989.
- We spend around £1m annually supporting those affected and raising awareness. Our Freefone helpline – 080 8800 3344 – provides information to the general public and health professionals.
- We have extensive information, research and case studies at www.meningitis.org