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Banking services stops not only with the websites. It is among those sectors which have different delivery channels from In-person dealing to Internet banking, Mobile banking, ATM etc.
Earlier in time people had no choice but to walk into the bank for all the services or information, which sometimes was a rude experience. Later, to stop these hassles banks adopted technology into their systems to earn – "Customer Satisfaction", but how well is technology being utilized is another subject. Now with deeper privatization and more options in banking, the question consumers face is "Which bank will serve me the best?"
It is self-explanatory that Customer Satisfaction is a crucial parameter for this industry to retain their customers. Still Indians face a lot of issues pertaining to customer satisfaction. Do the foreign banks also operate like Indian banks? What do they do to attain customer satisfaction? Is the problem really with employee training or is user experience design also playing a crucial role in customer satisfaction?
From researches on the operations of foreign banks, it seems it's going to take few years for Indian banking sector to adopt the same culture. Foreign Banks makes user experience their bottom line. They believe that they get one chance to impress a customer and if in that chance the customer is unsatisfied, the customer might either change banks or spread a bad word-of-mouth. Hence, filling up the usability gaps in all the delivery channels has become essential part of their operations.
With the rise in virtual currency the banking experience is shifting towards no in-person dealing as we are in the process of digitizing. Hence to provide good user experience service, user friendly interfaces on ATM machines, websites, mobile devices etc. has to be designed for which Indian banks need to embrace the importance of UX.
So, how to formulate best customer experience for serving millions & millions of Indians?
UX suggest sociology and psychology, balanced with some business science leads into the demographics portion of architecture. India being culturally diverse & different in geographical positions should be given more importance while designing customer service based systems.
Pertaining to demographic aspect in UX, studies suggest – Using the understanding of functionality and demographic, design must implement a logical and pleasing design of interface at any given state of any point in functionality.
Understanding the demographic, understanding the functions, UX can be assembled that permit this functionality to be presented in the best possible way to the demographic. Then some design slack to be applied, allowing expanded and unforeseen demographics to use it which should be as user friendly as the target demographic finds it. This will mean dropping the accuracy of core demographic targeting by just a minute margin, but will ensure ample of splatter distance for the design's applicability.
This also involves some sociology and psychology, to understand the extended sets of general people who may be reached, in association to the target demographic. To best explain the lack of above technology, Indian banking websites are way behind than online portals of different industries. None of the banks have set an example of good UX in any medium of their services and speaking from customer's point of view "we want an experience a lot more human".
All the above concerns might seem trivial but it is high time that the banks starts looking at their online and other channels as an engagement platform and not as transactional or functional platform. Agreed, the customers are task oriented and banks are into serious business, but there are some best UX practices in transactional platforms, bill payments, services, sales that one must follow in order to get these issues sorted. Presenting the Human-ness in a simple user's language, focusing on user context and ready to use interface better entices the customers.
"People should never feel like a failure when using technology. Like the customer, the user is always right. If software crashes, it is the software designer's fault. if someone can't find something on a web site, it is the web designer's fault… The big difference between good and bad designers is how they handle people struggling with their design. Technology serves humans. Humans do not serve technology " – Joshua Porter, an entrepreneur, author and UX expert.
(About the Contributor : Techved Consulting is a Leading usability & UX design service provider. Neha Modgil is Director of Techved Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. She began her venture in 2007. She is among the few woman entrepreneurs, who understood the upcoming demand of usability in India and took her career towards user centered projects. The company consist a brilliant team of UX professionals to provide effective UX solutions to their clients.)


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Bringing Ways to Reduce Cities' Energy Expenses to Light
As Berg notes, streetlights are "often cities' biggest or second biggest energy demand, and can amount to somewhere between one-quarter and one-half of a city's entire energy bill, sometimes even more." Like homeowners, cities across the country, from Seattle to San Jose to Albany, are looking to take advantage of advances in light bulb technology to reduce energy and maintenance costs.
Berg focuses on one particularly successful program in San Diego, in which "cities in the area have been able to streamline what would otherwise be a cumbersome process to make the switch from old bulbs to new. And with grant money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, 13 cities in the region have kicked off projects to replace about 55,000 streetlights, which will save an estimated $3 million annually....And it's not just energy costs that will go down. The old sodium bulbs typically had to be replaced every 3 or 4 years, while the new induction bulbs can last more than a decade."
According to Marty Turock, a program manager at CleanTECH San Diego, ""There's no reason why other cities, counties, entities couldn't replicate this model."

subset: commoncrawl


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I am having trouble picking up emails with my recently acquired iPad. I am a Virgin Media customer, but I also need to be able to pick up messages from my old Orange account. Orange is not a problem but I have tried everything to get it to recognise my Virgin account. I am able to access both accounts on my Windows laptop and desktop PCs and my HTC Smartphone. Is the iPad somehow incompatible with Virgin, or is there some app or tweak that can make it work? Peter Law, by email
Virginmedia and a number of other ISPs are keen to steer us towards IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) and away from the older POP3 (Post Office Protocol). To cut a long story short IMAP messages usually remain on the server so they can be viewed from multiple devices. POP3 harks back to the days when you only had the one PC and is designed for downloading messages from your mail server, to store on your computer. Problems can arise when you try to mix the two protocols, and it is compounded by the iPad, which favours the IMAP system. It can be done, though, and the trick is to start over. Delete the Virgin account on the iPad from Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendar. Next, tap Add Account > Other > Add Mail Account. Enter the name and Virgin email address as before, but put in a false password and tap Next. The verification will fail, press OK, select POP and enter your Virginmedia POP3 and SMTP server and port settings, and this time, the correct password. Press Next and this time it should work.


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Bone Marrow Transplant Cures Peanut Allergy
A 10-year-old boy who recently underwent a bone marrow transplant for leukemia finished his treatment with a surprise: Not only had the transplant cured his cancer, it also wiped out his peanut allergy.
According to NBC, the boy had been diagnosed with a peanut allergy at 15 months old. At 4 years old, he was also diagnosed with leukemia, which required a bone marrow transplant to treat. Luckily the treatment was successful at curing his cancer, and the doctors who presented his case Friday announced that the bone marrow transplant had also eradicated all signs of his peanut allergy.
"Our research found a rare case in which a transplant seems to have cured the recipient of their allergy," said Dr. Yong Luo, the lead author on the study about the boy's case.
This sort of cure is very rare, but not unheard of. In 2005 a bone marrow transplant cured the peanut allergy of a 12-year-old in the U.K., and in 1999 a bone marrow transplant cured a latex allergy in a 5-year-old. Other studies have even reported cases where patients developed previously unseen allergies after undergoing a bone marrow transplant.
Food allergies are a big concern in the U.S. Approximately 5 percent of school-age children have food allergies, according to the National Institutes of Health. Many schools have nut-free policies to prevent children with allergies from being exposed to nuts.
Bone marrow transplants are risky and invasive, so nobody is recommending them as a way of curing peanut allergies. But doctors say these cases provide clues as to how severe food allergies develop and could eventually lead to treatment options.
"This case…indicates that genetic modification during the early stages of immune-cell development in bone marrow may play a large role in causing allergy," said co-author Dr. Steven Weiss.


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On March 22, 2011, DOC General Counsel Kerry spoke at a symposium titled "Toward Coherence in International Economic Law: Perspectives at the 50th Anniversary of the OECD" regarding the Administration's work in promoting ethical conduct by international businesses. The symposium took place in Washington, DC, and was sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the American Society of International Law, and the George Washington International Law Review, in cooperation with the International Law Students Association.
In his remarks, General Counsel Kerry highlighted the work of the Department of Commerce and other U.S. agencies to fight corruption in international business transactions, noting President Obama's linking of corruption, human rights, and well being, and Secretary Locke's views about corruption as a barrier to U.S. economic growth. He discussed the Justice Department's emphasis on enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Commerce Department's engagement with the private sector, his upcoming trip to Doha for a regional conference on integrity in the private sector put on by the Commerce Department's Commercial Law Development Program, and Commerce's work (with the Departments of State and Justice) in pressing foreign governments to enact and enforce strong anti-bribery laws. He was joined on the panel by Assistant Secretary of State Jose Fernandez and NGO and private sector representatives.
General Counsel Kerry said: "This Administration is dedicated to striking the right balance between fostering commerce and promoting good conduct by the business community. I don't see this as a trade-off. I think we can have both, and that we should have both. We will keep striving to have both."


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Displaying 4 videos of 4 matching videos containing
Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson, first woman President of Ireland and founder of the Mary Robinson Foundation is keynote speaker.
Speech by Mary Robinson, President, Mary Robinson Foundation at the BSR Conference, November 2013 in San Francisco, California on climate justice.
Mary Robinson served as President of Ireland from 1990 through 1997 and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 through 2002. She is a member of the Elders and the Club of Madrid and the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama.
Fair food, respecting agricultural workers here in the United State, is the focus of Lucas Benitez, Co-Director, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group that has been very successful at getting Corporations and growers to sign a code of conduct with new zero tolerance for slavery, sexual harrassment, and right to form their own health and safety conditions. Follow their actions on their YouTube channel here.
Mr. Benitez spoke at the Mary Robinson Speaker Series in November 2002.
Displaying 4 videos of 4 matching videos containing
Mary Robinson
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Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Hope y'all stay and warm tonight and that no vampires get ya. Here's a commercial we worked on over the summer for Jameson that I think is fitting for today. If you watch American Horror Story on FX you might have already seen it.
Anyway, Happy Halloween! And Boo!
The Legend of the Hawk of Achill
Posted by Miss Meat and Potatoes at 11:16 AM
Labels: Alisa's All Stars, cocktail, day job
2 comments:
- Natalie said...
I love the new commercial! Those damn hawks! Maybe I need to try whiskey...
- October 31, 2011 at 8:34 PM
- lisa is cooking said...
That's great! And, roasted hawk looks delicious. (it really does) Hope you had a fun Halloween!
- November 3, 2011 at 7:09 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.
Have a wonderful day Des!
Wishing you peace as the new week begins. Happy New Week Des.xoxoKris
An old church in the middle of nowhere, how wonderful. We see special things on the road less traveled.Happy August, Deserae!love, ~me
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DESCRIPTION: The rubber home is a neighborhood landmark and one of the few examples of true modern architecture in the space. Should you can afford the funds, you will probably be better off protecting the home. This is the part of this entire ordeal that I don't perceive and I don't know how you can assist my daughter and eventually she's going to have to leave this home and I don't know what she's going to do and all I know is I do not need my daughter to reside in a cardboard field and can do all I can to assist her. In the intervening time, Cuellar is the Home Democrat with the best Trump agreement rating. If there are other issues unsuitable with the home besides the mildew, checklist them out in your letter and get estimates for these too. Now we have lived right here for thirteen years and prior to that the house was empty for a long time however we've got put in double glazing and improved the property however we still haven't got on high of this downside.
The associated fee to fix the house and the burden of being landlords (something neither of us ever needed) is something neither of us desires. Property prices are increased right here than in much of Devon, and you are unlikely to discover a three bedroom house within the city for lower than £250,000. Anyway, this film did very well at the field office and is definitely a haunted home traditional worthy of be aware. Gropius House has not been geared up with accessible ramps, elevators, or chair lifts. I do not know what state you are in, gix, but there may be probably a legislation stopping the lender from putting a lock on your own home with out giving notice.
In truth, I love this web page so much, I'm going to lensroll it to my lens on House Rabbits! YOUR MAMAS NOTES: During our convalescence over the last weekend Your Mama received a covert communique from a British bloke we'll call Benny Buttermeup who knowledgeable us that maverick clothier Alexander McQueen had listed his East London house with an asking value of £1,700,000, that is $2,799,849 to all us Amereecanos. Lo and behold as time advances her husband basically was a con artist and he even coned me. With out my information this man requested my spouse if he might borrow some cash from her to find one thing for the home. My fiance and his ex wife had a house collectively, in the divorce the courtroom gave her the home and said she needed to get his identify faraway from the mortgage. They counsel the floor therapy for rising damp and the re-plastering on inside partitions using dense mixes mixed with water proofing brokers.
As soon as again, I can't choose to go ahead with one thing like a quick sale if it's a unhealthy idea..we try to get ahead, not dig a deeper hole. A short sale is where the financial institution agrees to simply accept less than the total quantity owed as cost in full on the mortgage so as to get the house sold and keep away from a foreclosure. Settlement couldn't be reached, so preparation for the new building happened anyway with excavations harking back to those which surrounded the Chongqing nail home. Getting rid of dampness in your home generally means changing your individual habits and adjusting your way of life.
My query is if in the close to future I save enough money to cash a home will my bank have the best to come back after me. Our purpose with this house all alongside has been to strategy the design with basic touches and gadgets that may stand the test of time. Me in my BMW when I had simply bought it, exterior Julia's home in Bispham, Blackpool.


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To sell or not to sell
December 2011
0 Comments
When it comes to designing stuff on your own, there comes a moment when you have to decide to either write down every single mistake and step, and then go through the process of typing it all into a pattern that might have some semblance of coherency. And then deciding on how and to whom to publish through. As a crafter, whenever I was stuck without a pattern for what I wanted, I just made it up. Sometimes this meant that things went horribly bad and I spent more time frogging projects than making projects. Other times I got lucky with what I was doing and it worked out really well.
Here's an example of when it worked out well. A holiday Xmas wreath I made quite a few years ago for a silent auction at work. This was taken on a really crappy camera phone (nothing like the cameras available on even iPhones now). But this is an example of a time when my experimentation… just worked!
I wish I had some photos of the failed experiments, but I don't have any of those. Because who wants pictorial evidence of one's failures?? Yeah, me either. Once I started making amigurumi dolls, I wanted to keep going. I wanted to make my own. I had all of these great plans to write patterns for these amazing ideas in my head! Unlike a million other creative outlets, crochet was something I was actually good at doing.
Mirella the bunny (named after a friend of mine, who would wear a dress like this in a heartbeat!). Another experiment where I took 2-4 different amigurumi patterns and worked/re-worked bits to fit into what I wanted/needed. She turned out well, better than I expected, but I stopped writing down what I was doing.
But I was lazy. And tired. And getting old. My hand were hurting after a couple of hours of working. What I wanted was to keep going and going, but my hands and wrists argued with me and chose otherwise. Enter: Knitting. Knitting has been amazing for creativity, as well as my hands and wrists. I don't get the same pain crafting with needles as I did with crochet hooks. And so… the love began.
So, to make a really long story short, after working on many different Danger Crafts monster patterns, I decided that no only do I absolutely love making monsters, but I liked the knitting portion as well. And thus began the process of making dolls with knitting instead of crochet. I had only seen fairly ugly and unattractive dolls that were knit, and my brain just couldn't understand how to get knitting to look good in smaller, more intricate patterns in the same way that crocheted dolls did. But Rebecca Danger's monster dolls (and even her other animal dolls) are very cute. And definitely NOT ugly.
I don't know where the idea for mini monsters was born. I think it was a little bit of making ornaments and the simplicity of it. The fact that it was a fast knit, and I was able to create an object, a finished object, in a couple of days. Before, like say, Mirella, it would take me at least 2 weeks to complete. I prefer the finished doll within a couple of day over weeks worth of work.
And so the mini monsters project was born. But now I'm stuck with a different dilemma. Do I type up the notes and patterns and offer them for sale? What do I offer for free to bring people to the site? I mean, it seems only fair that I should offer at least a handful of my patterns for anyone and everything. But at the same time I'd also like my time and energies to yield me a little bit of money.
So I'm stuck between trying to figure out which patterns I should sell for a small fee, and which patterns I should offer for free. Needless to say, that's the only reason why Pepe's pattern is not up and available just yet. I also finished Madeline, but I'm saving those photos just now. I've got 4 more designs drawn and will likely spend the remainder of the week working on at least the two mini monsters patterns that I plan on offering for free. Until then I'm hoping I can remember to blog more often.
posted by admin
Tags: crafting, creating, knitting, patterns, writing
Filed under: Crafting, patterns


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HP printer is the most used printer for office use as well as personal use. Its vast range of printers has attracted many users to choose it according to their requirement. HP printers come with inbuilt features like wireless printing, quick and precise printing etc. It has been the leader of printer for many years. HP has developed various printers keeping in mind the user requirement. Inkjet printers, deskjet printers, laser printers are among it which is well used all across the world.
Since using these printers gives you an awesome experience, but sometimes it stops working because of unknown errors. Printing a document or photographs is on urgency and suddenly your HP printer stops working, then what should you do? No need to worry. Just call on HP Printer Tech Support Phone Number to get proper and quick resolution for all your printer issues.
Superb printing quality has kept HP on number one among so many printer brands. Its use in home and office is increasing day by day. With the increasing technology, printing has also reached to new heights. Now people want to print using their mobile device. Yes, HP also supports printing through mobile devices. As smartphones are replacing computers now a day, it is more convenient to print any document through mobile devices. But users often make a complaint of printer not working with their mobile devices. There may be various reasons for it. But to troubleshoot the issue, you must dial the HP Printer Toll Free Number and get connected with tech experts.
Do you want to print from your mobile device using your HP printer? Are you getting error message? No need to worry! You can get online help by calling on HP Printer Customer Support Number to fix the issue. HP supports printing via your mobile device. So follow below steps if you are unable to print using your mobile device.
If the issue remains unsolved then you need technical support. Just call on the toll free HP support number and get quick answers for all your queries. Apart from this method, you may download Google Cloud Print. It can print documents from your mobile devices through your HP printer. For Apple users, you can download Apple AirPrint to print using mobile device.
Initsupport is the owner of this website. Initsupport Tech, Initsupport are the trademarks and/or registered service marks of Initsupport ("Initsupport"). Initsupport Tech is an independent provider of remote tech support services for software...Read More
Initsupport is the owner of this website. Initsupport Tech, Initsupport are the trademarks and/or registered service marks of Initsupport ("Initsupport"). Initsupport Tech is an independent provider of remote tech support services for software, hardware, and peripherals and other devices (collectively "Devices"). Moreover, the services offered by Initsupport Tech may also be available at the brand owner's website.
Initsupport Tech also provides these services for products from a wide variety of third-party companies. For permitted use and specific warranties associated with the software, hardware, and peripherals from such third parties, you are advised to contact the relevant third party. Unless any relationship or affiliation with such third parties is expressly specified Initsupport Tech is not responsible for any third party content provided on or through the Initsupport Tech Portal including the nature and availability thereof and you shall bear all risks associated with the use of such third party content, products and services. Initsupport Tech's support staff is Initsupport Tech Live Expert Technicians but do not necessarily hold any certifications from any third party unless expressly specified.
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Submit search
Pom Pom is a Dutch children's clothing line that knows how to make unique looks for young girls. Pom Pom kid's clothing is set apart from other brands by the distinctly feminine style it embodies. Children's clothing tends to be streamlined and simple. Pom Pom girl's clothing revels in embellishments and details. Delicate construction is fused with intricate adornments to bring a truly genuine product to the children's ready to wear market. The looks have heavy Victorian influences with numerous ruffles, tucks, gathers and pleats that combine to give depth and texture to each piece. Pom Pom girl's dresses are delicate and girlish. Many feature military details such as brass buttons and epaulettes. A nautical theme runs throughout several of the looks in the form of bold sailor stripes and ocean themed graphics. The looks are ultra stylish and comfortable. Pom Pom uses only the finest cotton in each of their pieces. Every cotton dress for girls has graceful details that bring out her inner little princess.
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The first Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1990) contains the following information (page 202) (see pdf - Page 250)
Wellington 6035
New Zealand
G'day Geoff.
Thank you for posting. Much appreciated.
For those who don't know of Dr. Vincent Gray, he's a research scientist with more than 60 years experience including 24 years in climate.
He's a UN IPCC Expert Science Reviewer. He reviewed all five UN IPCC reports to national governments and media: 1990, 1991, 2001, 2007, 2013/14.
He's refreshingly honest, competent and direct.
He provided by far the most comprehensive and detailed review of AR4 (2007) of any reviewer. His comments were 16% of the total worldwide.
If you want them, his 2007 comments are posted on my personal web site:
Malcolm Roberts


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Internet Addiction Treatment
An Internet addiction can have tremendously negative impacts on a person's daily life. It often interferes with work performance, personal relationships, and physical and mental health. As Internet use takes up more and more time, addicts might feel that they have lost control of their lives. The Control Center uses personalized Internet addiction treatment plans to address your unique issues and help you make healthier choices.
What is Internet Addiction?
Internet addiction treatments from The Control Center focus on the individual's experiences and struggles. For many people, Internet addiction includes several symptoms, such as:
- A preoccupation with the Internet at inappropriate times
- An inordinate amount ot time spent on social-networking sites instead of developing relationships in the real world
- Excessive watching of pornography which may compromise one's interpersonal relationships
- Using the Internet to escape negative feelings such as depression or low self-esteem
- Weight gain, poor hygiene, carpal tunnel, and other physical effects of an Internet obsession
- Jeopardizing work and relationships to use the Internet
Internet Addiction Treatment Services
The Control Center incorporates a variety of services into Internet addiction treatment plans to make sure that each individual can reach his or her goals. Some of the treatment options include:
- Neuropsychological Assessment that acknowledges underlying mental health issues that can lead to Internet addiction
- Specialty Psychotherapy to address mental health issues such as depression and anxiety that often co-exist with Internet addiction
- Spiritual Therapy that uses alternative techniques such as yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, and creative visualization to help one maintain control so that the client can make healthier lifestyle choices
Recovering from an Internet Addiction
Effective Internet addiction treatment plans often include services that help the individual recover from the negative effects of addiction. The Control Center uses outpatient services to help individuals recover. These services include:
- Family and Couples Therapy that helps strengthen relationships and helps Internet addicts learn new ways to cope with their emotions
- Nutritional Consultations that help Internet addicts recover from the health effects of using the Internet compulsively
If you feel that you have lost control of your Internet usage, contact The Control Center to learn more about how a personalized Internet addiction treatment plan could help you.


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Pupils from across Rutland took part in a lively hustings debate held at Oakham School on Tuesday.
Four of the parliamentary candidates for the Rutland and Melton constituency, Sir Alan Duncan (Con), Alastair McQuillan (Green), Ed Reynolds (Lib Dem), and Richard Billington (UKIP) attended.
James Moore (Lab) was invited but did not attend and Marilyn Gordon (Ind) was also not there.
The hustings began with a one-minute introduction from candidates, providing a summary of their political ideology and highlighting their personal connections to the constituency.
Mr Reynolds described how he was new to politics and asked the audience to "go easy" on him, whilst the current MP, Sir Alan, described how after 23 years he still very much wanted to continue to represent the area.
Mr Billington described how he was "looking at the future" and Mr McQuillan told pupils this was "your chance to have your voice".
The floor was then opened up to questions from the audience, where each of the candidates had a chance to reply, but only for one minute.
A spokesman for the school said this tried and tested format worked really well to keep the debate interesting for the pupils in attendance.
A wide variety of issues were covered with candidates quizzed both on their plans for the area, and on their party's plans for the whole country.
The topics included how the parties intended to repay the country's debt, whether the parties intended to spend enough money on the NHS, what their position is on the EU, migrants and Trident, as well as what can be done to keep up a belief in the political system.
One pupil asked: "As a young voter, what single policy do you have that should be my reason for voting for your party?"
Mr Reynolds said his party's plans for education are at the centre of their manifesto and Mr McQuillan stated the removal of university tuition fees would give all pupils a right to education.
Both the Conservative and UKIP candidates gave broader answers. Mr Billington offered "truth and transparency", while Sir Alan offered "confidence and stability".
The audience was made up of pupils studying politics and those with an interest in politics from Oakham School, Rutland County College and Uppingham School.
Also in the audience were candidates for Oakham School's mock election, which is currently underway and will culminate the day before the real election on May 7.
There will also be elections for Rutland County Council and town and parish councils on the same day.


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Chancellor George Osborne has warned that a vote to leave the EU would result in the UK's GDP falling by more than 6 per cent.
In a letter published in The Times, Osborne said that the Treasury's economic analysis showed that ever UK household would be annually worse off by £4,300.
Focusing on a Canadian-style relationship with the EU, that would see the UK negotiating a series of bilateral deals with Europe, Osborne said: "There would be enormous costs for our public finances, far outweighing the little over 1p in every £1 in taxes raised that we currently contribute net to the EU.
"There wouldn't be more money to spend on the NHS, defence and the like; there would be far less. The conclusion is clear: for Britain's economy and for families, leaving the EU would be the most extraordinary self-inflicted wound."
It comes days after the Chancellor also warned that leaving the EU would also impact mortgage rates.
Speaking to the BBC last week, Osborne said: "The Bank of England is independent and it makes its decisions on interest rates.
"But the overwhelming view of the experts here in Washington is that if Britain leaves the EU, prices would go up and there would be instability in financial markets."
He added: "That means it's likely that mortgage rates would go up, families would pay the price of Britain leaving the EU."
The UK will vote on EU membership on June 23.


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Council Support
There are many ways that sustainability is relevant to the way that local Councils operate. Firstly, Councils are organisations that use resources to operate. They construct and run buildings, pools and administration buildings that use energy and water, and run fleets of vehicles to get around the areas they manage. Looking for operational efficiencies to reduce their own 'ecological footprint' can also deliver financial saving that are good for ratepayers.
Secondly, there are many services that Councils deliver that impact on the sustainability of their communities. The most obvious one is the role Councils play in landuse planning and development. This includes the way that neighbourhoods and towns are structured, as well as the way individual homes and businesses are planned and constructed.
Some the things that Sustaining Our Towns did to support Councils included:
- Running Council water efficiency training
- Running Council energy efficiency training
- Assisting Councils with energy audits of key facilities
- Offering sustainability training and networking to council staff
- Providing access to Council sustainability resources


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MPAC Group in Guiyang Big Data Finance Credit System Construction and Risk Control System Event 2016
Company Honoured by Invitation
Nov. 6th, 2016, London, UK
The MPAC Group, the UK's leading corporate compliance and regulatory advisory firm, was invited attend and participate in the "Big Data Finance Credit System Construction and Risk Control System Event 2016" in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China on 1st - 4th November.
Nick Andrews, Managing Director of MPAC Group, was part of the British business delegation in Guiyang, invited by the CEO of ZY Crowdfunding Industrial Park Mr. Zidong Li. Mr. Andrews gave a speech about the UK regulatory regime; participated in a panel discussion hosted by Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Guiyang Municipal Government and ZY Crowdfunding Industrial Park; and exchanged views about cross-border crowdfunding and risk control with other Chinese participants.
Both the Event and MPAC's trip were successful, and we hope to work with more investors who are interested in UK. For more information about what we do in Chinese Mandarin, please click here.
Enquire now
- Call us on
+44 (0)20 3056 0956
- Email


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of degrees
& programs
Fall: February 1
[December 15 for international applicants]
Applications are processed as they arrive up to the deadline
Number Required: 2
From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from evaluators should
be able to provide insight into your abilities and talents,
as well as comment on your aptitude for graduate study.
All applicants must present credentials that are the equivalent
of the appropriate Bachelor of Music degree at Temple University,
which is based on a curriculum of 124 to 135 hours.
A degree in music is expected.
The Statement of Goals should include your special interests
within the discipline and expectations for the program.
Minimum TOEFL score or range of scores needed to be accepted:
575 paper-based, 233 computer-based, or 90 internet-based. Any student admitted
with a TOEFL score below 600 on the paper-based, 250 on the
computer-based, or 100 on the internet-based examination must pass an English skills course
or successfully pass the SPEAK test during her first semester
of enrollment at Temple University.
Prospective Choral Conducting students must
submit a "pre-audition" video
tape of a rehearsal or performance of at least 10 minutes
in duration. Selected applicants will rehearse
and conduct the Concert Choir, a 40-voice
mixed ensemble, for approximately 20 minutes
in three or four stylistically and historically
varied choral pieces selected by the choral faculty. This
repertoire will be sent to the applicant when
the completed application has been received
by the College and an audition has been scheduled
by calling 215-204-8304. Auditions are held early in the
spring semester.
A resume is required.
Due to the large number of applications
for admission and the competitive nature
of its music programs, the College admits
only a portion of its applicants. In addition
to the general admissions credentials required
of all Temple University graduate applicants,
Boyer College of Music specialized admission
criteria (i.e., auditions, portfolios, interviews,
recommendations, departmental term papers,
and standardized examinations) are very
heavily weighted in Boyer College of Music
admission decisions. Graduate applicants
may be rejected for admission for failing
to obtain the required level of proficiency
in any one area of the specialized admission
criteria regardless of the level of success
in meeting the Temple University general
admission criteria. In addition to the level
of success demonstrated in the criteria listed above, a final admission factor is the
College's Optimum Enrollment Policy. This
Policy may preclude the admission of any
student who meets the minimum requirements.
Students who wish to transfer credit should speak with their academic advisor and obtain a transfer of credit form, available at www.temple.edu/grad/forms/documents/Transfer_Grad_Credit_05.pdf Transfer credits must be approved by the Advisor, the Department Chair, and the Associate Dean. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6 .
Number of Didactic Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 32
Required Courses:
Music 451 (2) Choral Conducting
452 (2) Choral Conducting
453 (2) Choral Conducting/Recital
454 (2) Choral Conducing/Recital
480 (2) Choral Ensemble
491 (2) Advanced Choral Conducting
764 (2) Choral Literature
765 (2) Choral Literature
766 (2) Choral Literature
767 (2) Choral Literature
Music Studies 508-513 (3) Seminar in Theoretical/Stylistic Analysis
700 Research in Music
Electives (6) Select from Music, Music Education, Music Studies or
other graduate programs with approval of advisor.
Internship: None required.
Language Examination: None required
Additional Requirements:
Diagnostic Examinations:
Harmony, Counterpoint, Aural Theory, and Music History. Prior to first semester of graduate study. Remedial coursework may be required.
Proficiencies in Voice, Piano, and Musicianship:
Evaluated by department in the first semester of graduate study.
Comprehensive Listening Examination
Two Public Recitals:
One in Fall semester of second year of study (Music 453) and one in Spring semester of second year of study (Music 454).
Major Area Oral Examination:
Fourth semster of study.
Except as noted, all degree credits are to be earned at Temple University.
All incomplete grades and keyboard proficiencies
must be completed by the 1st day of the
month in which the student expects to graduate.
Independent Study Courses:
study courses provide a special opportunity
for graduate students to work in a highly
individualized setting with one or more
faculty members. All such study must receive
the approval of the faculty member providing
the instruction, the student's major adviser,
and the Associate Dean. Approval will be
granted only after the student has presented
a detailed description of the intended independent
study project. Approval of independent study
projects will be granted only for students
whose academic and musical record provides
substantial support for the benefits of
this type of study. In no case may more
than 20% of a graduate student's curriculum
be taken as independent study. Private lessons
beyond those required in the curriculum
are not an appropriate form of independent
All entering Master of Music students
are required to take Diagnostic Examinations
in Harmony, Counterpoint, Aural Theory,
and Music History prior to the first semester
of graduate study. The purpose of these
examinations is to determine weaknesses
in undergraduate preparation.
Depending on the examination results, students may be required
to take one or more remedial courses. In these instances,
the remedial courses will be graded on a "Credit / No Credit" basis
and the official university transcript will indicate "CR" (for "Credit",
meaning that the deficiency has been satisfied) or "NC" (for "No
Credit", meaning that the deficiency has not been satisfied).
Students must have a "B-" or better average in any remedial
course or section thereof to earn the grade of "Credit" and
to satisfy the requirement. Students who earn a grade of "NC" (that
is, having a class average below "B-") must retake that course
or section until an average of "B-" or higher is achieved
and a grade of "CR" is recorded on the official university
transcript. Remedial courses are offered for undergraduate
credit only, and may not count toward graduate degree requirements.
1. All entering MM students must take the harmony, counterpoint,
and aural theory examination prior to the first semester
of graduate study unless conditions for exemption have been
met (see below). A student may take the test only once, and
if she does not pass the test or any portion thereof, she must enroll in the remedial course(s) during her first
semester of study.
Depending on which section(s) of the examination are failed,
the examiners will stipulate which sections of remedial coursework
each student must take. The courses are "Diatonic Harmony
Review" (Music Studies 201, one credit), "Chromatic Harmony Review" (Music
Studies 202, one credit), "Counterpoint Review" (Music Studies 203, one credit),
and "Graduate Aural Theory Review" (Music Studies 204, three credits).
2. Music History. Each entering MM student is required to take Diagnostic
Examinations in Music History prior to registering for her first semester of graduate student, unless conditions for
exemption have been met (see below). If the student is unsuccessful
in passing any portion of the Music History examination,
the student may select one of two options.
(Option A): Register
to take Music History Review (Music Studies 253 for 1 to
5 undergraduate credits, with 1 credit assigned to each of
the following five periods: Renaissance, Baroque, Classic,
Romantic, and Twentieth Century. A student may register for
a maximum of 3 credits of Music History Review in any semester;
thus, it is possible to extend the remediation over two semesters.
(Option B): A student may study independently and retake the
failed sections of the examination at the end of the first
semester of study. Each student may retake the examination only
once, and if any section is failed a second time, she must
take the assigned remedial sections in her second semester
of study.
3. Conditions for Exemption
The requirement to take the Examination in any of these areas
is waived only for graduates of the Boyer College of Music
who: 1) matriculate and enroll in the semester immediately
following completion of all undergraduate degree requirements,
and 2) received grades of "B-" or better in every undergraduate
course taken in each individual examination area to be waived.
Professional Development Policy:
students in the Boyer College of Music,
in addition to the required subjects toward
their degrees, are obliged to serve in a
number of capacities in order to enrich
their academic and musical expertise. The
Boyer College believes that such experiences
give impetus to successful professional
careers. Among the duties that may be required
are conducting laboratory classes, tutoring,
teaching private lessons, coaching, participating
in the distribution and inventory control
of University-owned musical instruments
and instructional materials, participating
in ensembles, accompanying, performing at
admissions and open house events, supervising
performance classes, and other academically
related activities.
Graduate Private Lesson Policy:
a. Graduate
degree students in non-performing curricula
may take up to six credits of applied study
toward the degree with the permission of
the major adviser. Such non-required lessons
may be taken only if the student can pass
the normal graduate-level performing audition
expected of performance majors. In this
event, a fee of $200, not covered by tuition
remission, is charged.
b. A graduate student, regardless of major, with a demonstrable
performing proficiency that may not meet the more rigorous
requirements of a graduate performance-level audition, may,
by audition, qualify to take two credits of applied study
per semester for graduate credit in the 290 course number
series. These courses carry a fee of $400 plus tuition and
may be applied to the non-performing curriculum for degree
credit up to six semester hours with the approval of the
major adviser.
c. Tuition remission may not be used to cover the private
lesson fee.
Performing Ensembles:
a. Touring - All
students in touring performing ensembles
are required to participate in all scheduled
tours. These tours, usually one or two weeks
in length, often take place immediately
after termination of semesters. Ensemble members must arrange their schedules to accommodate
this requirement.
b. Participation - Master's degree candidates in wind, brass,
and percussion instruments must be available for ensemble
assignments at the discretion of the Department Chair, including
participation beyond curricular requirements.
c. Non-Credit Participation - With special permission, a graduate
student for whom there is no ensemble requirement, or where
previous ensemble credits exceed the graduation requirement,
may participate in choral and instrumental ensembles without
cost, with prior permission from the ensemble director, the
department chair, and the Associate Dean.
Acceptable English:
All students, including
those for whom English is not the native
language, are expected to present all written
work in acceptable English. No double standard
exists to differentiate students on the
basis of proficiency in the use of the English
language. Students are also responsible
for becoming familiar with the College's
statement on plagiarism and academic honesty.
Comprehensive Examination:
All candidates
for the Master of Music degree are required
to take a one-hour comprehensive examination
in music literature and theory. A list of l00 musical works of the standard
literature from the Middle Ages through
the 20th century is available to each student
when admitted to the College. The list is intended as an aid to preparation for the examination. It is suggested
that this examination be taken in the penultimate
term of study.
The examination
is in three parts: identification of specific
selections from a list of 100 works, identification
of a "mystery" selection, and score analysis.
Members of
the graduate music history and music theory
department select the music scores and musical
Two graduate
faculty members grade the examination.
Students must
pass all three sections. A score of 70%
or better must be achieved in the identification
section, and a "pass" or "weak pass" must
be achieved in the "mystery" selection and
the score analysis section.
The examination
is administered approximately ten times
each year. Students notify the music graduate
secretary no later than one week prior to
the requested examination administration
For examination dates, visit the Graduate Music Examination Schedule page on Boyer's website.
Choral Conductors
present two recitals (fall and spring semester)
in the second year of study, utilizing the
Recital Chorus and the Graduate Conductors'
Graduation recitals
are one-hour in length, and are typically
presented on-campus in either Rock Hall
or Klein Recital Hall. The student must
provide evidence through Temple University
transcript records of having taken the appropriate
coursework in preparation for the graduation
Graduation recitals are
adjudicated by three full-time music faculty
Dept. of Choral Activities
Boyer College of Music
and Dance
2001 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
James Short
Program Coordinator:
Professor Alan Harler
Graduate Chairperson:
The Department of Choral Activities offers
a program of study leading to the Master of
Music in Choral Conducting. Graduate majors
in the department have the opportunity to
conduct a number of resident ensembles, as
well as presenting their own recitals with
the Graduate Conductors' Chorus.
Time Limit for Degree Completion: 6 years
Students are required to complete the degree program through classes offered before and after 4:30 p.m. Students are also ble to complete
the degree program on a part-time basis (8
credit hours or less per semester).
Dept. of Choral Activities
Boyer College of Music and Dance
2001 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Students may elect to take up to six graduate credits outside the field of music, with approval of the major advisor.
Not applicable.
The Boyer College of Music has been
ranked among the top 30 music schools in
the country by U.S. News & World Report.
This degree program is accredited by the National Association
of Schools of Music (NASM).
The degree is intended to prepare
students for successful careers in choral
music by providing the highest level of training
in the many skills required for the choral
conductor; including technical, theoretical,
analytical, historical, linguistic, keyboard,
and vocal skills. The department prepares
students to become teachers and conductors
striving toward the highest possible artistic
The program prepares musicians for
either professional activity or doctoral study.
Non-matriculated students may enroll
in selected courses in music with permission
of the department chair and the Associate
The Boyer College offers a number of assistantships
and academic internships to matriculated graduate
students. Full awards carry a cash stipend
plus full tuition remission for the fall and
spring semesters. Partial awards also are
available in values of 1/4 or 1/2 of
a full award. Duties for assistantships and
internships vary, but typically include teaching,
tutoring, classroom assistance, research,
artistic performance, and/or direct service
related to academic programs. Applicants must
submit an assistantship/internship application
by March 1 to obtain priority consideration
for an award.
Applications are available online at the Graduate Financial Aid page of Boyer's website.
Typically these awards are made only in the
fall semester for up to two semesters, Fall
and Spring. Awards may be renewed on an annual
basis (typically up to one additional year
for Master's students and up to three years
for Doctoral students) based upon departmental
needs as well as satisfactory academic and
musical progress by the recipient.
January 2006


text:
PHILADELPHIA United Holy Church, Georgetown Road hosts speaker Daemarkis Faison at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24. Call 910-353-7732.
PHILADELPHIA United Holy Church, Georgetown Road hosts speaker Daemarkis Faison at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24. Call 910-353-7732.
BROOKWOOD Baptist Church, 903 Henderson Drive presents the Wilmington Celebration Choir in concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 25. Free admission.
SWANSBORO Knights of Columbus sponsors its Free Throw Championship for youth ages 9-14 years at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at Cape Carteret Aquatic/Wellness Center. Register at 3 p.m.
MARCH FOR Life at 1 p.m. Jan. 25 at Bayshore/Johnson Blvds., march to Infant of Prague Church with placing of memorial crosses and prayer service. Call 910-340-3142.
WASHINGTON Chapel MB Church, 347 Bell Fork Road hosts a singles/marriage seminar �Relationships� at 10 a.m. Feb. 8. Information call 910-455-4469.
HAPPENINGS DEADLINE: Churches, clubs, civic groups and other nonprofit organizations can publicize their activities free in the Area Happenings and Church Happenings columns. All announcements must be submitted in writing, e-mail or fax. Notices may be mailed to The Daily News at P.O. Box 196, Jacksonville, NC 28541-0196, e-mailed to email@example.com, fax to 910-353-7316 or hand-delivered to the newsroom at The Daily News, 724 Bell Fork Road. Information is due by noon at least three days before the event.


text:
EXPERIMENT - Open Edition Giclée Print
This is an open edition archival giclée print.
Size 365 x 305mm / 14.4 x 12in
The print is high quality having been produced at 1200dpi using archival quality pigmented inks that last for 100+ years. The paper is Hahnemuhle 308 gsm Photo Rag, which is extremely age-resistant and produces amazing saturation, depth and colour.
Each print is signed and dated by the artist, and ships with a certificate signed by the artist to confirm authenticity.
Supplied unframed. The print will be securely packaged and insured to ensure it arrives in perfect condition.
© Caroline Smith


text:
Nice job, Eolaí, keeping up the Irish reputation for poetry, story telling and sardonic humor.
"...Nowadays neither statistic holds but worse is another statistic of a people drinking wine instead of beer. Back in the days of the transition from non-cold Guinness to stupidly-cold Guinness, wine was something that came off a boat and came in a box. And it was free of duty. Wine didn't have a name; it was merely red or white much as your dog was a bitch and it didn't matter if she was a springer spaniel. Because all wines were mongrels. Or at least we thought they were..."Srsly. Go read it now. You won't be disappointed.
tagged: blog, story, beer, stout, Guinness, Irish


text:
Friday, January 14, 2011
Color Essay Number 4: Beige
24 comments:
Beige is good and always correct! Great idea, not a color most people think about in the garden, but it really is all around us.ReplyDelete
Very nice...I really love the idea of the sedum growing in the old stump...what a clever way to repurpose in the garden!ReplyDelete
I like your beige colour post! Those buckets are so cute.ReplyDelete
Beautiful photo essay, those miscanthus look amazingReplyDelete
Very clever and original photo essay. Unknown to many people, garden bloggers are exceptionally talented people!ReplyDelete
Enjoying your color essays! I always say that the ornamental grasses turn "tan." "Beige" sounds makes them sound so much more important :-)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 14, 2011 at 2:21 PM
Beige is well represented by your finds and is so common in Fall and even now with the grasses. So many images I have taken recently, like yours' above are in beige and white. It is such a great color combo for relief after three seasons of bright saturated color. Good post.ReplyDelete
Excellent photo essay on what you have convinced me is a very important color in our landscape.ReplyDelete
What a great array of photographs! Beige really is an essential color in every garden albeit overlooked by most. Great post!ReplyDelete
A wonderful collection of photos and I particularly like the hen and chicks in the old stump! Thanks for visiting my site... LarryReplyDelete
Beige is a major player in my garden during the winter! We have some snow, but, never enough to keep the garden covered all winter. We southerns learn to love browns! By the way, your photos are quite lovely~gailReplyDelete
Oh, oh... my! The garlic had me drooling. What perfect garlic. I struggle to find such beautiful garlic in rural New Brunswick.ReplyDelete
Who says beige is not an attractive colour? Your photos showed otherwise and they are all lovely and interesting to look at!ReplyDelete
You have just convinced me that beige is the most beautiful color in the world. I would have squeezed in that dog's image too.ReplyDelete
There's quite a bit of beige in my garden aswell. It's a colour that you maybe don't appreciate until the wintertime. I think that hydrangeas are just as beautiful in beige as they are in colour.ReplyDelete
While not my favorite color, my garden is full of it right now.ReplyDelete
I like these color essays. I never would have thought to study the neutral shades in the garden, but there they are, beautiful in their unassuming background roles and really interesting all on their own as you have captured them!ReplyDelete
Hmmmm.... now you've got me thinking about how much beige I have in my gardens, though if you'd asked me before reading your post I would have said 'never!' to beige. I grow a lot of miscanthus - it's so windy up on my hill and I love the way it waves in the breeze.ReplyDelete
Beige is not my favorite color, maybe because when I put some beige clothes on me, my face disappears. But what wonderful beiges you showed! Hydrangea, grasses... amazing!ReplyDelete
I love your colour essay. What wonderful pictures you take.ReplyDelete
If someone had asked me if I thought beige was a beautiful garden color, I would have said no. After seeing your latest color essay, I have completely changed my mind!!! Thanks for the new perspective. :o)ReplyDelete
As always your photo essay is beautiful. I love the grasses, leaves, and those lovely backlit hydrangea flowers.ReplyDelete
Great photos! You captured some exceptional moments. And I love the dog!ReplyDelete
Stunning photographs Jennifer! I love these soft colors. Hydrangeas and grasses are so lovely right now especially in contrast with the white landscape. Lovely post!ReplyDelete


text:
Click on a route to get updated schedules, live arrivals and step-by-step directions
The nearest stations to Mingarry Street are:
Mingarry Street, Maryhill is 82 meters away, 2 min walk.
Oban Drive, Maryhill is 114 meters away, 2 min walk.
Oban Lane, Maryhill is 161 meters away, 3 min walk.
Fergus Drive, Maryhill is 222 meters away, 3 min walk.
These Train lines stop near Mingarry Street: SCOTRAIL.
Need directions to Mingarry Street in Glasgow, United Kingdom?
It's easy with Moovit. Just input your street address into Moovit's route finder to get live directions, arrival times, updated schedules, and to find your way with our street map.
Download the Moovit App to see all the streets and stations closest to Mingarry Street. Looking for a specific transit option to get you there? Bus, Train or Lightrail and other options are transit options that can get you to Mingarry Street. Here's a list of lines that pass near your destination - Train: SCOTRAIL; Bus: 60, 61, 90, B10.
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text:
Have questions about a large or complex event? Our team of experts will track down the answers. Simply fill out the form to the right, and we'll be in touch shortly.
Ready to talk shop right now? Call us at 1800 820 172 in Australia, or 0800 448 422 in New Zealand.


text:
In the Fundamentals exam, you're given three hours for 113 questions, which was plenty of time. With each question you're given the opportunity to 'Mark' it for review later. This was extremely helpful as it gives the opportunity to speed through the questions you are confident in and revisit the few you are unsure about.
Plan on studying for a couple of months—a few hours a week—for the exam. Focus on heavily included language and location targeting, bidding and budgets. Other important areas of emphasis are account access levels and keyword match types. You will also want to become very familiar with the AdWords account structure and which settings are at each level.Then when you pass with flying colors, the next question to is: Which Advanced Exam should you choose?
Google AdWords Advanced Exams:


text:
Last Tuesday was my birthday, and my lovely mother-in-law sent me a Happy Birthday cheque in the mail. I hadn't thought that I would be doing any stash enhancement with it - - what could I need? But as I started to cut the pieces for the borders on Black & White, I realized I was all out of white on black prints.
So, today at lunch, I did a quick trip to the LQS - Greenwood Quiltery to pick up a couple of FQs. But who could resist the new "Type" fabrics? Evidently, not me.


text:
I'm in the process of moving to san diego and I need help trying to find a church there. Does anyone know of a good church in SD? Any resources for finding a church would also be helpful.
As for church preferences, I don't care about denomination, but I do prefer one with a post-trib view.
Just please no LDS/ Jehovah's witness - type churches, not that I think anyone here would recommend them


text:
- Research article
- Open Access
- Open Peer Review
Enterococcal colonization of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit: associated predictors, risk factors and seasonal patterns
© Hufnagel et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2007
- Received: 28 December 2006
- Accepted: 16 September 2007
- Published: 16 September 2007
During and shortly after birth, newborn infants are colonized with enterococci. This study analyzes predictors for early enterococcal colonization of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit and describes risk factors associated with multidrugresistant enterococci colonization and its seasonal patterns.
Over a 12-month period, we performed a prospective epidemiological study in 274 infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. On the first day of life, we compared infants with enterococcal isolates detected in meconium or body cultures to those without. We then tested the association of enterococcal colonization with peripartal predictors/risk factors by using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods.
Twenty-three percent of the infants were colonized with enterococci. The three most common enterococcal species were E. faecium (48% of isolates), E. casseliflavus (25%) and E. faecalis (13%). Fifty-seven percent of the enterococci found were resistant to three of five antibiotic classes, but no vancomycin-resistant isolates were observed. During winter/spring months, the number of enterococci and multidrug-resistant enterococci were higher than in summer/fall months (p = 0.002 and p < 0.0001, respectively). With respect to enterococcal colonization on the first day of life, predictors were prematurity (p = 0.043) and low birth weight (p = 0.011). With respect to colonization with multidrug-resistant enterococci, risk factors were prematurity (p = 0.0006), low birth weight (p < 0.0001) and prepartal antibiotic treatment (p = 0.019). Using logistic regression, we determined that gestational age was the only parameter significantly correlated with multidrug-resistant enterococci colonization. No infection with enterococci or multidrugresistant enterococci in the infants was detected. The outcome of infants with and without enterococcal colonization was the same with respect to death, necrotizing enterocolitis, intracerebral hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
In neonatal intensive care units, an infant's susceptibility to early colonization with enterococci in general, and his or her risk for colonization with multidrug-resistant enterococci in particular, is increased in preterm newborns, especially during the winter/spring months. The prepartal use of antibiotics with no known activity against enterococci appears to increase the risk for colonization with multidrug-resistant enterococci.
- Preterm Infant
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Necrotizing Enterocolitis
- Early Colonization
- Enterococcal Species
Although the fetal gastrointestinal tract is considered to be sterile [1–3], colonization of the newborn with microorganisms begins during delivery or within minutes after birth [2, 4]. Colonizing microorganisms originate from the vaginal and gastrointestinal flora of the mother, oral ingestion of breast milk and formula milk, or from environmental sources [1–4]. Among the first microorganisms detected in the stool of infants, enterococci are commonly found on the first day of life [1, 4]. While enterococci constitute part of the normal intestinal flora of humans (up to 108 cfu/g stool [5, 6]), in smaller numbers, the bacteria are also detectable in the human genital tract and oral cavity. Enterococci are considered facultative pathogens and cause a variety of infections, including urinary tract, intra-abdominal, pelvic, and soft tissue infections, bacteremia and endocarditis [7]. In preterm infants and other immuno-compromised patients, infections with enterococci can be life-threatening [8].
Several factors are known to influence the composition of the microbial flora in infants during and after birth [1, 2, 4]. Preterm infants and infants delivered via Cesarean section display a delayed intestinal colonization with a smaller species variability and a higher rate of potentially pathogenic microorganisms [1, 3, 4, 9]. Antibiotic treatment both decreases the amount of anaerobic bacteria and increases the number of enterobacteriaceae in an infant's stool [1, 4].
In our neonatal intensive care unit, meconium and body cultures are routinely cultured for surveillance purposes. In recent years, we noticed an increase in enterococci – especially aminoglycoside-resistant enterococci – in the meconium of preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit shortly after birth. In a retrospective analysis, all enterococci isolated from the meconium over a 12-month period were characterized.
Strikingly, the colonization of preterm infants with enterococci and aminoglycosideresistant enterococci was more prevalent during the winter months than during summer months (unpublished observation). Such an association is well-established for the bacterial colonization of the respiratory tract [10], but has not been known for colonization of infants with enterococci. From the retrospective study, we developed the following two hypotheses: (1) that there is a seasonal influence on the enterococcal colonization of newborn infants in neonatal intensive care units shortly after birth, and (2) that there is a higher risk for the colonization of preterm infants with drug-resistant enterococci. Supporting these hypotheses are two key factors: the generally higher rate of antibiotic use with no known activity against enterococci during the winter/spring season, and the specifically higher rate of antibiotic use by mothers of preterm infants as compared to mothers of term infants.
To confirm our two hypotheses, we conducted a prospective epidemiological study. Over a 12-month period, we monitored colonization of infants with and without enterococci in the meconium and other body cultures shortly after birth and we simultaneously tracked potential risk factors for the acquisition of multidrug-resistant enterococci. Understanding the predictors for newborn infants' early colonization with enterococci is a prerequisite to interpreting potential risk factors associated with multidrug-resistant enterococcal colonization. Colonization with a pathogen that has multidrug resistance poses a risk for the development of an infection [11], which is likely to be difficult to treat with standard antibiotic therapy.
Freiburg University Medical Center is a 1,800-bed, tertiary care facility in southwestern Germany. The Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics houses an 8-bed neonatal intensive care unit. Approximately 350 patients are admitted to this unit annually.
Study design
All infants born at the Freiburg University Medical Center between March 1, 2003 and February 28, 2004 and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit on their first day of life were enrolled in our prospective study. Infants born outside the Freiburg University Medical Center and transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit on their first day of life were excluded. Upon admission to the intensive care unit, specimens were taken from the ear, pharynx and gastric content, and subsequently cultured. The first meconium was also cultured. Clinical data were prospectively collected from the infant (i.e., gestational age, birth weight, sex, symptoms and signs of neonatal infection, bacteremia, antibiotic treatment, symptoms and signs of necrotizing enterocolitis, death) as well as from the mother (i.e., prepartal hospitalization, prepartal antibiotic treatment, premature rupture of membranes, recto-vaginal colonization with enterococci before delivery, mode of delivery). At our hospital, recto-vaginal swabs are routinely taken from pregnant women between week 35 and 37 of their pregnancies in order to screen for colonization with S. agalactiae. Prepartum refers to the period immediately preceding delivery of an infant. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Freiburg University Hospital. Informed consent was obtained from the infant's caretaker.
Microbiological methods
Meconium and body cultures were processed at the microbiology laboratory of the Center of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Freiburg according to standard methods on solid horse-blood and chocolate agar [12]. After identifying an Enterococcus isolate, an API Strep kit was used to determine the enterococcal species. E. casseliflavus species was further differentiated from E. faecalis/E. faecium species using Methyl-a-D-glucopyranosid- and Sulphide-Indole-Motility agar.
Antibiotic resistance was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test. Five different classes of antibiotics were tested (aminopenicillins, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, sulfonamides/folinic acid antagonists and vancomycin). Minimum inhibitory concentrations to aminoglycosides were determined using the E-test [13]. Multidrug resistance was defined by resistance of an enterococcal isolate against three of the five antibiotic classes.
Statistical analysis
For statistical analysis, Microsoft Excel and the software programs GraphPad Prism V.3 and SPSS 14.0 were used. Results were expressed either as a mean +/- SD, or as a percentage of the total number of isolates or patients. For continuous variables, median values were compared using two sample t-tests for independent variables (i.e., Mann- Whitney test). Differences in proportions were compared using either a Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, as deemed appropriate. All statistical tests were performed twotailed and considered significant if the p value was <0.05. For multivariate analysis, logistic regression was used.
Study population and patient characteristics
Clinical and peripartal features of infants studied, stratified by gestational age.
Gestational age
Median (weeks)
Range (weeks)
Cesarean section
Prepartal hospitalization ≥ 3 days
Prepartal antibiotics ≥ 1 day
PROMa ≥ 24 hours
Maternal rectovaginal colonization with enterococci
≥ 37 weeks of gestation
62 (53.0%)
4 (3.4%)
5 (4.2%)
2 (1.7%)
33 (28.2%)
32–36 weeks of gestation
60 (63.8%)
22 (23.4%)
22 (23.4%)
5 (5.3%)
16 (17.0%)
< 32 weeks of gestation
52 (82.5%)
23 (36.5%)
27 (42.9%)
10 (15.9%)
4 (6.3%)
Microbiological features
Colonization rates of infants with enterococci and multidrug-resistant enterococci in meconium and surveillance cultures stratified by gestational age.
Gestational age
Colonization with enterococci
Colonization with multidrug-resistant enterococci
% multidrug-resistant enterococci
All patients
63 (22.9%)
36 (13.1%)
≥ 37 weeks of gestation
24 (20.5%)
10 (8.5%)
32 – 36 weeks of gestation
18 (19.1%)
7 (7.4%)
< 32 weeks of gestation
21 (33.3%)
19 (30.2%)
Seasonal pattern of enterococcal colonization
Predictors for early colonization with enterococci and multidrug-resistant enterococci
Comparison of peripartal risk factors for colonization with enterococci and multidrugresistant enterococci in meconium and surveillance cultures of infants. For differences in proportions between two groups, the Fisher's exact test was performed.
1. Gestational age
< 32 weeks
(n = 63)
≥ 32 weeks
(n = 211)
Relative risk (95% CI)
21 (33.3%)
42 (19.9%)
1.675 (1.076–2.605)
19 (30.2%)
17 (8.1%)
3.743 (2.073–6.759)
2. Birth weight
< 2.500 g
(n = 138)
≥ 2.500 g
(n = 136)
38 (27.5%)
25 (18.4%)
1.498 (0.959–2.340)
25 (18.1%)
11 (8.1%)
2.240 (1.148–4.371)
< 1.000 g
(n = 27)
≥ 1.000 g
(n = 247)
11 (40.7%)
52 (21.1%)
1.935 (1.156–3.239)
11 (40.7%)
25 (10.1%)
4.025 (2.237–7.244)
3. Prepartal hospitalization
≥ 3 days
(n = 49)
< 3 days
(n = 224)
11 (22.4%)
52 (23.2%)
0.967 (0.546–1.714)
7 (14.3%)
29 (12.9%)
1.108 (0.516–2.383)
4. Prepartal antibiotics
≥ 1 day
(n = 54)
< 1 day
(n = 216)
16 (29.6%)
42 (19.4%)
1.460 (0.893–2.388)
12 (22.2%)
21 (9.7%)
2.286 (1.201–4.351)
5. Delivery mode
Cesarean section
(n = 174)
Vaginal delivery
(n = 100)
42 (24.1%)
21 (21.0%)
1.149 (0.724–1.826)
28 (16.1%)
8 (8.0%)
2.011 (0.954–4.243)
6. Maternal rectovaginal colonization
(n = 53)
(n = 47)
9 (17.0%)
8 (17.0%)
0.998 (0.419–2.374)
1 (1.9%)
2 (2.1%)
0.443 (0.042–4.737)
7. PROM b
≥ 24 hours
(n = 17)
< 24 hours
(n = 248)
2 (11.8%)
58 (23.4%)
0.478 (0.128–1.791)
2 (11.8%)
32 (12.9%)
0.912 (0.238–3.488)
Logistic regression of risk factors associated for colonization with enterococci and multidrug-resistant enterococci (inclusion model)
Colonization with
Multidrug-resistant enterococci
Gestational age < 32 weeks
2.116 (0.896–4.990)
5.307 (1.723–16.347)
Birth weight < 2500 g
1.150 (0.511–2.582)
0.861 (0.260–2.845)
Prepartal hospitalization ≥ 3 days
1.665 (0.680–4.078)
1.878 (0.625–5.638)
Prepartal antibiotics ≥ 1 day
0.556 (0.234–1.322)
0.461 (0.160–1.328)
Cesarian section
1.182 (0.603–2.315)
1.908 (0.729–4.995)
PROM a
4.866 (0.928–25.488)
3.705 (0.653–21.043)
None of the infants colonized with enterococci shortly after birth developed an infection with enterococci or enterococcal bacteremia. The rate of infants suffering from necrotizing enterocolitis (i.e., 4.8% of the infants colonized with enterococci vs. 1.9% of the infants not colonized with enterococci, p = 0.083) was similar in both groups. Mortality rates during hospitalization also did not differ between the two groups (i.e., 3.2% vs. 4.3%, p = 1.000). In addition, the rate of infants who developed an intracerebral hemorrhage or bronchopulmonary dysplasia was similar between colonized and non- colonized infants (data not shown).
The results of our study demonstrate for the first time that newborn infants can be colonized with multidrug-resistant enterococci from the first day of life. We determined a possible risk factor to be prepartal antibiotic treatment. Knowledge of the possibility of early colonization with multidrug-resistant enterococci is particularly important in cases where such an infant develops an infection and requires appropriate antibiotic treatment.
Enterococci are among the first bacteria to colonize the neonatal gastrointestinal tract. They do so within days of birth [2–4, 14]. Although a primary source for the colonizing bacteria is the oral ingestion of breast milk [15, 16], bacteria can also be derived from the vaginal and gastrointestinal flora of the mother during the birth passage [14]. Older medical literature suggests the fetal gastrointestinal tract to be sterile [1–3]. More recent studies have shown, however, that infants may be colonized with enterococci and other gram-positive bacteria without having had direct contact with the maternal flora during delivery and before having been fed [14, 17, 18]. Jimenez at al. detected enterococci by culture after enrichment in nine of 20 cord blood samples from infants delivered via Cesarean section [14]. In experiments with pregnant mice orally fed with a genetically labeled E. faecium, the same enterococcal strain was found in the amnion fluid by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) before the mice gave birth [14]. A potential explanation for this finding is the transfer of enterococci ingested by dendritic cells from the gastrointestinal lumen through the gut epithelium into the circulation [19].
No study about colonization of infants' gastrointestinal tracts after birth has systematically differentiated among different enterococcal species involved in this process and/or the influence of peripartal antibiotic treatment. The aforementioned study by Jimenez et al. detected E. faecium in cord blood of infants after Cesarean section [14]. By day ten after birth, infants with extremely low birth weights were colonized more often with E. faecalis than with E. faecium strains [9]. Our cohort was colonized primarily with E. faecium (48% of all enterococcal strains), followed by E. casseliflavus (31%) and then E. faecalis (12%, Figure 1).
This distribution pattern appears to contrast with the enterococcal species distribution causing infection in humans. The most common enterococcal pathogen is E. faecalis, which is responsible for 80–90% of enterococcal infection, followed by E. faecium, which is responsible in 5–10% of cases [20]. Motile enterococci like E. casseliflavus and E. gallinarum are responsible for ≈1% of all enterococcal infections [20, 21]. Immunocompromised patients have an especially increased risk of contracting infections with motile enterococci [21], which are part of the normal human gastrointestinal flora [21]. In contrast to infection rates, colonization rates of healthy humans with motile enterococci are reported to be higher (5.7% to 12.1%) [21]. A possible explanation for the high prevalence of E. faecium strains in our cohort is the high rate of multidrug resistance. This may give E. faecium strains a selective advantage for colonization, particularly in the presence of antibiotic treatment. Eighty percent of E. faecium and 69% of E. casseliflavus isolates in our cohort were resistant to three of the five antibiotic classes tested, whereas only 12% of E. faecalis strains were multidrug-resistant.
An association between the rate of enterococcal colonization and prematurity has been previously reported in the literature [22]. In a retrospective case-control study, Miedema et al. analyzed risk factors for enterococcal colonization in 579 infants in a neonatal intensive care unit [22]. Twenty percent of their infants were colonized with enterococci (without further species differentiation) either upon admission to the unit or else during their hospitalization. In a multiple regression analysis, prematurity, days of hospitalization, deep venous line in place, and antibiotics other than amoxicillin were independent risk factors for enterococcal colonization [22]. Miedema's study cohort did not differentiate between antibiotic-sensitive and drug-resistant enterococci. In our cohort, both prematurity and low birth weight were predictors for early colonization with enterococci (Figure 2 and 3). This association was independent of maternal antibiotic use during pregnancy (Table 3). Two other studies have shown that maternal antibiotic treatment does not have an influence on the bacterial colonization in infants after the tenth day of life [9, 23]. Using culture methods, Gewolb et al. investigated the stool flora of 29 extremely low birth weight infants on day 10, 20 and 30 of life. The bacterial flora did not differ between infants with or without maternal antibiotic treatment around the time of birth [9]. Using real-time PCR, Penders et al. studied the bacterial flora in stool of 1032 infants at one month of age. The colonization pattern they detected was independent from maternal antibiotic treatment [23]. In our cohort, however, maternal antibiotic treatment proved to be a risk factor for infants' colonization with multidrugresistant enterococci shortly after birth (Table 3). Antibiotics used in our cohort were primarily cephalosporins (17 of 23 cases with prepartal antibiotic treatment and subsequent enterococcal colonization in infants). Because of the high resistance rates of E. coli to aminopenicillins, cephalosporins are the antibiotics standardly used by our hospital for women experiencing preterm labor. By contrast, only one pregnant woman who was treated with an aminopenicillin gave birth to an infant colonized with enterococci. Enterococci show an intrinsic resistance against cephalosporins. The use of cephalosporins may therefore be responsible for the selective advantage of enterococci in our cohort. It is unclear to us why the results of our study revealed only an association between the prepartal use of antibiotics (mainly cephalosporins) and the colonization with multidrug-resistant enterococci, but not enterococci in general – this being the case despite the fact that all enterococci are resistant to cephalosporins. The association between the use of cephalosporins and subsequent colonization with ampicillin-resistant enterococci has been previously reported in a cohort of adult patients [24]. An explanation for this phenomenon was not provided by the authors of this study.
The most striking finding of our study is the higher prevalence of early colonization with enterococci and multidrug-resistant enterococci in the winter/spring months as compared to summer/fall months (Figure 1). The same seasonal pattern was observed at our hospital the year before this prospective study was performed (data not shown). A similar seasonal pattern has been reported only in association with colonization with vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VREF) [25]. Bischoff et al. described the molecular epidemiology of 413 vancomycin-resistant isolates from a large urban hospital in Richmond, Virginia (USA), over a five-year period. They noted higher rates of VREF isolation during the winter/spring months. An explanation for this finding was not directly presented by their study. With S. pneumoniae, it is well documented that the prevalence of pneumococci is higher in winter [10, 26, 27]. Another recent study also noted a higher rate of penicillin-resistant pneumococci in acute otitis media cases during winter months [28]. The authors speculate that the association may be explained by the higher rate of antimicrobial use in the population during winter because of the frequency of respiratory tract infection at that time of the year.
The same increased seasonal use of antibiotics in the population may explain the higher rate of multidrug-resistant enterococci that we detected in our cohort during the winter and spring months. Winter and spring are the periods with the highest rates of respiratory tract infections – at least in the northern hemisphere. In Germany, a surveillance system for respiratory tract infections in children has found that for the season 2003/2004, the rate of respiratory tract infections began in early December 2003 and ended in May 2004 [29]. Outpatient antibiotic use in the European population, documented on a quarterly rather than monthly basis, shows a strongly correlated trend: the highest rates of outpatient antibiotic use in this population are to be found in the first and fourth quarter of the year [30]. Although the combined data from our retrospective and prospective studies suggest a strong link between an increased rate of enterococcal colonization and the winter/spring period, a causal relationship between time of the year and an increased rate of antibiotic use in the population cannot yet be conclusively drawn. Further studies will be needed to confirm this connection.
The current study has demonstrated that colonization of newborn infants with enterococci and drug-resistant enterococci is increased in preterm infants, and colonization with a multidrug-resistant strain may occur around or shortly after birth. Additionally, we have observed that colonization with multidrug-resistant enterococci tends to be more prevalent in winter and spring months. This increased risk is independent both of the mother's length of prepartal hospitalization and of the mode of delivery. Prepartal use of antibiotics with no known activity against enterococci appears to increase the risk of early colonization with drug-resistant enterococci, although notably not with enterococci overall. None of the infants colonized with enterococci developed an infection with enterococci or enterococcal bacteremia. In our cohort, early colonization of infants with enterococci or drug-resistant enterococci had no influence on the survival of the infants or on the rates of necrotizing enterocolitis.
Many thanks to Ursula Schmid, Käthe Brell and Susanne Fukala for their excellent technical assistance and to Peter Nöllke for his help with the logistic regression.
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Pre-publication history
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Naihan Li's I AM A MONUMENT CCTV featured in gooood, the most popular and influential China online architecture, landscape,design & art magazine.
As a first-time participant to the fair, Gallery ALL presents an animated installation of the newest work from Li's I AM A MONUMENT series entitled I AM A MONUMENT – CCTV, responding to the theme of the Curio program that emphasizes surprising installation and creative production, challenges and contextualizes familiar design narratives.
This series takes inspiration from the legend of the Han Dynasty emperor, who had the entire landscape of China reproduced in miniature bonsai trees in his garden, so he could gaze upon it from his bedroom window. CCTV stands for Chiusna Central Television, or the tower of the station in Beijing that is designed by OMA. I AM A MONUMENT – CCTV shrinks the landmark building to 1/100 scale and turns it into collectible furniture.


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The shoreline of the San Francisco Bay is a diverse mix of residential neighborhoods, urban waterfronts, recreational areas, industrial lands, and critical habitat, all connected by a network of freeways, railroads, power lines, and municipal infrastructure. With projected sea level rise, much of the region's shoreline and its vital components are likely to be at risk. To address this regional issue, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), along with NOAA and other partners, initiated the Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) project in 2010 along the shoreline of Alameda County. The project is a collaborative planning effort aimed at increasing local and regional preparedness and resilience while protecting critical ecosystems, infrastructure, and community services.
The ART project used high-resolution topographic data collected throughout the San Francisco Bay region by NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the California Ocean Protection Council. These data were combined with Bay water-surface elevations to develop inundation depth grids and sea level rise maps that were critical components of the project. ART sea level rise maps included an assessment of hydrologic connectivity, developed using the same method presented in the NOAA Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer, and Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) data were used to assess community vulnerability. Finally, ART working group members, including city and county agency staff members, participated in NOAA's Roadmap for Adapting to Coastal Risk training, which provides an overview of how communities can understand coastal hazard and climate data and integrate this information into planning and decision-making.
Digital Coast resources helped the project team better understand the causes and components of sea level rise vulnerability and risk, develop adaptation actions to respond to those risks, and effectively build stakeholder capacity to engage in adaptation planning. Building on the success of the ART adaptation planning project in Alameda County, BCDC launched the ART program, which will bring the information, tools, resources, and lessons learned from the ART project to the broader San Francisco Bay area. The ART program will include a portfolio of tools and resources to support local adaptation planning, a "help desk" to answer questions, and staff engagement in a number of neighborhood, regional, and asset-specific adaptation planning projects. In particular, the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer is being used to assess sea level rise vulnerability and risk for communities in Southern Marin, focus on regional shoreline parks, understand Bay Area housing and community risk, and conduct a "hot spots" assessment of regional passenger rail.


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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian children's rights advocate Kailash Satyarthi dedicated his Nobel Peace Prize on Friday to children in slavery.
"It's an honor to all those children still suffering in slavery, bonded labor and trafficking," Satyarthi told TV news channel CNN-IBN after he shared the prestigious award with Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai.
Reporting by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Jeremy Laurence


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701 Russell Ave d127
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I love going to Candy World because they have a huge selection of my favorite Jelly Belly jelly beans. Their prices are vary reasonable. My kids love shopping there because they can get an assortment of candy.4
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