text:
Puppet Masters
Think Before You Tweet, British Ministry Of Defense Warns
Huffington Post
Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:11 UTC
That's the message of a new British campaign warning against careless social media sharing, especially for military personnel and related family.
"Remember that there may be those who are using such sites for unsavory reasons," the site for the campaign reads. "These range from criminals looking for ways to con you or steal your identity, to those who may wish us harm."
In one of the videos from the series, an elderly mother is shown sharing information on Facebook about her military son, then sitting down to tea with a masked man strapped with bullets. Another video shows two young women officers going out to dance, after using Foursquare and Twitter to broadcast their activities, and are then seen dancing with the same ominous figure.
"You need to be especially careful if you have identified yourself as being a member of the military or an MOD civilian," the site says.
While the site warns that cybercriminals could be waiting in the wings, it also points out the risks associated with posting information regarding troop movements, operational doings, and more.
"We do not want to scare service personnel, families and veterans and we certainly do not want them to stop using social media," a Ministry of Defense spokesperson told BBC News."You don't always know who else is watching in cyberspace."
The Telegraph notes that the campaign recalls similar messages delivered during World War II, such "Loose lips sink ships."
Reader Comments
Latest News
- One year on from stunning intervention in Middle East, Syrian Arab Army grateful for Russian assistance against Western-backed terror
- Children no longer prostitutes in California - new law decriminalizes classification for minors
- Young Muslim leader: 'Disillusion with political order' is fueling extremism
- Grieving man stopped for speeding but Ohio cop drives him 100 miles to family
- Thinking on your feet: How to upgrade your working memory
- US propaganda machine in action: Manipulating home front opinions about the Syrian war
- SOTT Focus: First Clinton-Trump debate: Worth a laugh, but not much else
- Mom, dad and the mitochondrial donor: World's first 'three person baby' born
- 'Lost' comet of 1915 may have been rediscovered
- The 13 tentacles of the Big Pharma octopus
- MIT researchers develop wireless system that can track, read emotions
- Police State America: Checkpoints are the new stop and frisk
- New conflict in Balkans? Serbs outrage NATO and al-Qaeda by holding forbidden referendum
- Mythical Saraswati river did exist claim Indian scientists
- Modern day witch hunts: The Inquisitorial roots of the war on natural medicine
- WHO report: Over 90% of the world's population breaths bad air
- 13-car train derailment prompts hazmat response in Eugene, Oregon
- SOTT Exclusive: Candid App - The anatomy of censorship and the genesis of Big Brother
- Islamic cleric killed by unidentified assailants in Russia's North Caucasus region, seventh Imam murdered since 2012
- The ongoing battle for who will be the next king of Saudi Arabia
- One year on from stunning intervention in Middle East, Syrian Arab Army grateful for Russian assistance against Western-backed terror
- US propaganda machine in action: Manipulating home front opinions about the Syrian war
- SOTT Focus: First Clinton-Trump debate: Worth a laugh, but not much else
- New conflict in Balkans? Serbs outrage NATO and al-Qaeda by holding forbidden referendum
- The ongoing battle for who will be the next king of Saudi Arabia
- British government waffles about maybe starting 'Brexit' sometime in 2017
- Washington's pathocratic troublemaker-in-chief: Vice President Joe Biden
- Best of the Web: The presidential debate - Mother superior vs ranting schoolboy
- Bellingcat unwittingly shows Russia didn't bomb Aleppo aid convoy
- Russia responds to NATO's violation of previous arms treaties by putting thermonuclear ICBMs on its border
- Syrian army recaptures central district in eastern Aleppo
- King of Jordan lashes out: 'US thinks it knows the Middle East better than ourselves'
- "The Bush-Clinton nexus": Permanent criminal state, " a Clinton White House guarantees war with Russia"
- More Facebook censorship: Palestinian editors' accounts disabled - no explanation given
- The other debate: 3rd party candidate Jill Stein livestreams responses to Clinton-Trump duel (VIDEO)
- War crimes evidence? MSF releases report on Saudi-led coalition's attacks on hospitals in Yemen
- Russian Foreign Ministry publishes parts of ceasefire agreement with US on Syria
- US officials: Wealthy Gulf states may arm Syrian rebels to 'get the Russians to back off'
- Is the EU being set up? Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA) is a TTIP clone - provides corporatocracy with "back door" into Europe
- US Congress expected to override Obama 9/11 bill veto - giving victims' families right to sue Saudi Arabia
- Children no longer prostitutes in California - new law decriminalizes classification for minors
- Young Muslim leader: 'Disillusion with political order' is fueling extremism
- Grieving man stopped for speeding but Ohio cop drives him 100 miles to family
- Police State America: Checkpoints are the new stop and frisk
- 13-car train derailment prompts hazmat response in Eugene, Oregon
- SOTT Exclusive: Candid App - The anatomy of censorship and the genesis of Big Brother
- Islamic cleric killed by unidentified assailants in Russia's North Caucasus region, seventh Imam murdered since 2012
- Dresden, Germany: Bomb attacks target mosque & international conference hall
- Michigan high school student suspended for whistleblowing disgusting school water
- New Jersey lawmaker proposes bold law to treat pot like tobacco and expunge all records of marijuana 'crimes'
- Houston cop beat unarmed man while his fellow officer tried to stop it but failed
- ACLU steps in to represent New Jersey bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami
- Opinion poll: Europeans do not trust or want American occupation forces in their countries
- Possibly Britain's youngest rapist: 11yo boy pleads guilty to 15 sexual attacks and 3 assaults
- Adjusting after sanctions: Iranian banks to issue credit cards for the first time
- EU states could follow UK, leave union - French MP
- What sanctions? Russia's Mir credit card goes European
- Comparison to torture: Suit against Australian 'Abu Ghraib-style' youth detention center reaches court
- Kiev cuts water supplies: Several Lugansk People's Republic districts impose state of emergency
- Baltimore man calls police for help, ends up dead after being 'attacked' by police
- Mythical Saraswati river did exist claim Indian scientists
- A chance for Arab Unity thrown away: The USSR and the Arab
- Ancient Roman coins excavated from castle ruins in Okinawa
- The hidden origins of the wars in Korea and Vietnam
- Mystery: Iceman killed after sneak attack from behind?
- Irish: The forgotten white slaves
- Ring-shaped geoglyphs found in Peru
- Earth wobble climate change may have driven ancient humans out of Africa
- DNA reveals possible link to mysterious branch of humanity
- Laser scans reveal network of ancient cities in Cambodia
- Archaeologists use drones to reveal ancient Roman settlement in the Apennine Mountains
- The violence, intolerance, monotheism nexus: Made in Ancient Israel
- 13th century Maya codex, long shrouded in controversy, proves genuine
- DNA study confirms indigenous Australians most ancient civilization
- Anglo-Saxon 'palace' found at Rendlesham near Sutton Hoo site
- Dark Ages royal palace discovered in Cornwall
- The Black Panther Party: The battle against poverty, racism, imperialism & police brutality
- Archaeologists discover mysterious pyramid in Kazakhstan which pre-dates Giza's
- Archaeologists search for 'new' Bronze Age stone circle at The Hurlers, Bodmin Moor, U.K.
- Unit 731 and the Asian Auschwitz
- Mom, dad and the mitochondrial donor: World's first 'three person baby' born
- 'Lost' comet of 1915 may have been rediscovered
- MIT researchers develop wireless system that can track, read emotions
- Could this be the end of superbugs? The science world is freaking out over this 25-year-old's answer to antibiotic resistance
- New images suggest that Mercury is tectonically active
- Landmark map reveals the genetic wiring of cellular life
- The Cosmic Call: How a couple of guys created the most ambitious extraterrestrial contact project ever
- Scientists reveal further evidence of Jupiter's moon Europa 'spewing water jets'
- Elon Musk to outline vision of SpaceX mission to Mars and eventual colonization
- Powerful Russian supercomputer can 'speak' to any robotic system, no matter which manufacturer
- Bright nova discovered in Lupus the Wolf
- Horses can communicate with their owners, say scientists
- China launches world's largest FAST radio telescope: 500 meters in diameter
- Some of the biggest problems facing science
- Monsanto licenses CRISPR technology to modify crops
- FBI finally releases long held Tesla documents on death ray, ball lightning and other information
- NASA researchers propose exotic ice cloud in Titan's stratosphere formed by 'solid-state' chemical reactions
- Wastewater injections in gas and oil drilling responsible for earthquakes, says satellite data
- Tech group wants a 150 mile stretch of highway devoted to driverless cars
- White House report indicates forensics used to convict 1,000s of people may not be scientifically valid
- Four farmers mauled by sloth bear in Maharashtra, India
- Five sinkholes open within two days in Hyderabad, India
- Barujari volcano erupts in central Indonesia sending ash column 2 km high
- 3.9 magnitude earthquake at Katla Volcano, Iceland
- Loud, unexplained boom startles residents, rattles windows in South Frontenac, Ontario
- Mysterious Siberian crater, Batagaika, 'gateway to a subterranean world'
- Flooding in Siracusa, Italy caused by heavy rains
- Three children killed after flash floods hit Tunisia
- Typhoon Megi: Taiwan braces for third severe storm in two weeks
- Swarm of 100+ earthquakes hit Salton Sea, California
- Shark attack leaves teenager with severe injuries in Ballina, Australia
- Police release name of child killed in probable dog attack in Topeka, Kansas
- Lightning bolt kills 2 farmers in Jharkhand, India
- Rain-triggered landslide tears down buildings, school in Dayao County, China
- Massive fish kill on Siesta Beach, Florida
- Shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits off Nago, Japan
- Town in New South Wales, Australia evacuated ahead of 'once in a generation' flood
- Shallow magnitude 5.9 earthquake off New Zealand
- Shallow 4.6 earthquake recorded off Oregon coast near Brookings; second for the region in 5 hours
- Alligator attacks airboat on Saint Johns River, Florida
- Meteor fireball streaks across Scotland skies
- Mysterious 'fire in the sky' captured on video over Louisiana: Plasma phenomenon?
- 'Huge meteor' explodes off coast of Queensland, Australia - Shockwave comes onshore, rattling residents and homes
- Huge meteor fireball filmed over Kent, UK
- Slow-moving fireball photographed over London?
- Meteor fireball shoots across Eastern Canada and US night sky
- Bright meteor fireball observed over Hampshire, UK
- Best of the Web: 18,000 MPH Asteroid Almost Causes Mass Extinction and Nobody Saw it Coming
- Daytime fireball: Meteor spotted over North Carolina
- Meteor fireball whizzes past Cyprus and explodes, lighting up night sky
- Meteor sighting reported across Virginia
- Man says meteorite hit lone pear on tree in Massachusetts
- Mysterious bangs possibly caused by meteor over South Island, New Zealand
- Fireball seen across Pacific Northwest
- Bright meteor fireball recorded over Andalusia, Spain
- Huge green, blue ball of light seen over Ontario, Canada
- Meteor? Unidentified flaming object leaves trail of smoke over Bristol, UK
- Meteor? 'House-shaking explosions', 'flash of white light' and 'smell of cordite' reported near Bristol, UK
- ANOTHER meteor fireball caught on camera above San Diego - August 18, 2016
- Second meteor fireball in a week, third so far this year, streaks across San Diego sky
- The 13 tentacles of the Big Pharma octopus
- Modern day witch hunts: The Inquisitorial roots of the war on natural medicine
- WHO report: Over 90% of the world's population breaths bad air
- CDC adds more vaccines to childhood immunization schedule
- Ozone therapy is powerful medicine
- Deadly sugar alternative: California to consider listing aspartame as a substance known to cause cancer
- Artificial sweetener's sketchy science hits a sour note
- Top French chefs condemn $66bn Bayer & Monsanto merger
- Mara Kahn: "Vegan betrayal: Love, lies, and hunger in a plants-only world"
- Misophonia: A recognized disorder for people hypersensitive to sound
- The anti-anxiety effects of nicotine
- California doctor Bob Sears under review for putting 'conscience before career'
- Cold-hearted: Obese patients aren't getting adequate healthcare as doctors won't look past the fat
- Transgenic wars: GMO crops are destroying the health of both humans and livestock around the globe
- Is Psychiatry bullsh*t? Some psychiatrists view the chemical-imbalance theory as a well-meaning lie
- A system of food production for human need, not corporate greed: Agroecology versus GMO agribusiness
- Fungus has been identified as key factor in development of Crohn's disease
- Cancer cells are sugar addicts
- Fecal Transplantation: Ancient remedy used to restore gut bacteria and treat clostridium difficile infection
- German psychologists declare "the drugs don't work"
- Thinking on your feet: How to upgrade your working memory
- Identifying hidden flaws in our thinking: A cognitive bias crib sheet
- Oxytocin linked to increased feelings of spirituality
- Presence: The powerful practice of being in the moment
- It's possible — and beneficial — to stop feeling toxic guilt and shame
- Have you lost touch with your intuition?
- Soul-making and the inherent human need for an interior life
- WTF! What swearing reveals about language and ourselves
- Parasocial relationships: The make-believe bonds with celebrities
- Want a successful child? Try homeschooling
- Do new parenting trends enable children and keep them dependent?
- Turning tide: Young adults switching off social media apps say their lives have improved
- Have humans forgotten the basic tenets of empathy?
- Addiction to being online could signal other mental health issues
- Melancholy melodies trigger emotional response in empathetic listeners
- Entitlement: The personality trait that leads to feelings of chronic disappointment
- Evidence rebuts Chomsky's theory of language learning
- How morality changes in a foreign language
- Sharing stories: A conduit to learning that helps us connect to other people's joy, pain, and life experiences
- Hurricanes are getting worse, but experience, gender, politics determines what you believe
- Sky trumpets: What is the strange noise plaguing Windsor, Canada?
- Leading exorcists in US try to account for huge increase in demand for the Rite - and the priests to carry them out
- Stephen Hawking: Aliens perhaps "looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach"
- Bad vibrations: U.K. woman living with mysterious noise in her house
- UFO filmed in night sky near Goshen, New York
- Suburban exorcisms in modern-day Australia
- UFO filmed from TV helicopter near wildfire in San Bernardino, California (VIDEO)
- NASA's SOHO captures 'UFO' near Sun
- Dolan-Basset face off: Two views on the day after disclosure
- Screaming teenage girls 'possessed by demons' while 'summoning spirits' in Mexico undergo 5-hour exorcism
- Legendary mysterious light glow draws observers to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, debunked...or not
- Ancient UFOs depicted in artwork
- SOTT Exclusive: UFO caught on camera during Falcon9 Space X rocket explosion (VIDEO)
- Electric-blue 'humanoid' creature caught on camera in Peru (VIDEO)
- Swastika crop circle appears in British field
- Do 'UFOs' hovering near International Space Station show that aliens are monitoring our satellites?
- Meet the girl who remembers 10 previous lives
- Several UFOs seen flying over Yellowstone super-volcano
- Aokigahara: Japan's suicide forest
- SOTT Exclusive: New X-Files blows it on the truth and reality of alien abduction Part III: Mass deception
- Plane passenger finds herself sitting next to creepy doll with its own ticket - for two flights
- Putin weaponizes mid-life crisis, uses Russian hookers to hack into Brad Pitt's pants - causes break up of American institution Brangelina
- Jonathan Pie: 'Unelectable' Jeremy Corbyn elected again!
- Juice Rap News: 2016 USA Election
- Oops! Chinese and Russian radar can still see the $4.4 Billion "invisible" USS Zumwalt
- According to Google searches, Europeans not keen on Brits
- CIA trolled by Siberians who claimed to have top secret Russian military data
- A wasteful life? Darth Vader picks up trash alongside Virginia highway
- Norway: Heavy metal musician elected to city council against his will
- Native American council offers partial amnesty to 220 million illegal white immigrants
- Morons buying the latest new overpriced phones
- Impoverished and war torn Israel gets $38bn from America
- Best of the Web: Breaking news: Experts say Putin injecting journalists with nonsense-inducing substance
- Pneumonia virus freaks out, threatens suicide after realizing it infected Killary
- SOTT Satire Desk: 2016 Christmas gifts preview
- Streetwise cat uses Zebra Crossing to cross street in Dartford, UK
- Satire: U.S. jets make "unsafe intercept" of Russian spy plane near Houston, TX
- SOTT Exclusive: Putin - Hacking American democracy for the last 200 years
- To appease angry elves, Iceland construction company unearths rock covered over after landslide clearance
- Pasadena bears beat the heat in neighborhood pools
Quote of the Day
An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.
Recent Comments
What stuck me the most was how 'mechanical' or 'robotic' she seemed to be, and not just in comparison to the much more animated Trumpster.
Many analysts believe that it is only to strengthen nationalism to the upcoming election so again can win nationalist politicians in all three...
You dirty old inappropriate man....[Link] With allegedly correct subtitles...[Link] With Defense Secretary's wife...[Link]
The magic of compassion and giving. It's always difficult to say who received the biggest gift.
I believe the current U.S. meets every one of the criterion that describe a full blown pathocracy . . . Though if one swallowed the available...
Click here to learn how you can help
Reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views of the volunteers, editors, and directors of SOTT.net or the Quantum Future Group.
Remember, we need your help to collect information on what is going on in your part of the world! Send your article suggestions to:
Some icons appearing on this site were created by: Afterglow, Aha-Soft, AntialiasFactory, artdesigner.lv, Artura, DailyOverview, Dellustrations, Everaldo, GraphicsFuel, IconDrawer, IconFactory, Iconka, IconShock, Icons-Land, i-love-icons, KDE-look.org, Klukeart, Mayosoft, mugenb16, NicolasMollet, PetshopBoxStudio, VisualPharm, VistaICO, wbeiruti, WebIconset, YellowIcon
Original content © 2002-2016 by Sott.net/Signs of the Times. See: FAIR USE NOTICE


text: ESPN Insider: Raptors amongst biggest offseason losers By Zarar Siddiqi Jul 27, 2010 John Hollinger of ESPN has listed the Raptors amongst the biggest losers of the NBA offseason. He has criticized the Raptors and Magic front-office staff for their lack of CBA knowledge regarding the Matt Barnes saga. The Amir Johnson contract is labeled as "among the summer's most questionable" and the signing of Linas Kleiza is… Read more »

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Find a quality genuine leather men's wallet with pockets for credit cards, business cards, cash, and receipts. Whether you need a men's slim wallet or money clip wallet, we have the wallet that will fit perfectly in any man's pocket.
Item: AL0780
Now $49.95
Item: AL0935
Item: AL6425
Item: AL9845
Item: AL7965
Item: AL7595
Item: AL5945
Our leather man wallet offers a finer touch to organizing the things you need, keeping more on hand for every errand. The fine, full grain exterior of our leather man wallet
is crafted of fine leathers and adds a smart and efficient accent to any personal accessory collection. Available in a choice of selected colors, our leather man wallet is sure to have a look that finds a welcomed spot in any personal accessory collection. The warm feel of our leather man wallet will become more relaxed and suited to your personal contours over time and your increased use. Our leather man wallet gives you a convenient and attractive way to better balance the daily transactions that follow your every move. Ample room inside the gentle lining of our leather man wallet
has sectionalized spaces for your credit cards, plenty of currency, identification, membership cards and anything you need to make your business and pleasure more efficient at any time. Ready to slip in and out of any pocket quickly and comfortably, our leather man wallet allows him to appreciate the touch of fine details applied to even his simplest of errands.
© Copyright Levenger Company
2016. All Rights Reserved.


text:
The only place to discover the trends and technology to transform your marketing.
- Meet tech innovators changing marketing
- Find new tools to support your teams
- Make connections to boost your career
The only place to discover the trends and technology to transform your marketing.
MarTech's game changers reveal their visions for the future...
Plus: Oracle, IBM, Salesforce, Adobe & Marketo battle it out in the Marketing Cloud All Stars debate
Returning bigger and better than before with 4 theatres covering the 8 key content streams with speakers including favourites Dave Chaffey, Doug Kessler, Kelvin Newman and more.
Talk to 100+ of the biggest innovators in MarTech and find the tools that will make you and your team more effective. From marketing automation software to social media monitoring tools, database management systems to marketing analytics, TFM has it covered.
Ever been part of a live neuromarketing experiment? Or heard exclusive research from BuzzSumo before anyone else? Then look no further than TFM.
For the first time ever, three essential expos will come together under one roof to create one unparalleled show, Customer Series Live, that's dedicated to your complete customer solution.
Want to be an organisation whose customers excitedly tell their friends and family how amazing you are? Then let us help.


text: Michelle Harrell Gulf Breeze, FL 6/18/2009 7:04:57 AM Hi, we're a "trick dog show" called Michelle's Magical Poodles. We travel the US performing at fairs, festivals and special events. I think our travel and performing adventures would make a great article for your magazine. More information about us can be seen at www.statueviva.com/poodles Contact: Michelle Harrell @ 850-206-8688


text:
on June 10, 2013 - 10:04 PM
A 55-year-old Snyder man was ordered Monday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Williams M. Skretny to make complete restitution of $75,568.74 to the Internal Revenue Service in a tax fraud investigation.
John J. Barden III was spared a prison term and sentenced to time-served but with three months of home detention and then two years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. said Barden was convicted of failing to pay employment taxes and falsely classifying the wages of workers at his Double Down Transport Inc. He was accused of the tax fraud for the years 2005 through 2009 during which he falsely claimed employee-wages were really payments for per diem work, fuel advances and reimbursements for tolls, permits, repairs and maintenance.


text:
on March 30, 2013 - 5:39 PM
Sounds of the past live on in the mind and quite often all it takes is a hint of what used to be for the memories to supplant the present. Musically speaking, this is the process enabling groups to travel under the banners of Glenn Miller, the Temptations, the Beach Boys and other familiar names while performing the hits of another era despite the absence of key personnel.
These ensembles may use the same charts as the originators but the differences between being a "cover band" and what they're doing are close to non-existent, often coming down to a matter of who owns the trademark. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; indeed, all one really has to do is look at classical music concerts where scores by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms live on by virtue of their performances.
All of which brings me to Harold Melvin's Blue Notes, a solid vocal group traveling with a very good band and an admirable professionalism. They were in town Friday night and ran through a program of hits from the Teddy Pendergrass era of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. They wove their way through songs like "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "The Love I Lost," "Don't Leave Me This Way," "Wake Up Everybody," "I Miss You," "Turn Out the Lights," and "Bad Luck."
You would never guess the back story from the way they went about their business.
Harold Melvin kept the group going despite changes in personnel and disputes over who owned the "Blue Notes" name. For decades, the choice for promoters was whether to hire Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes or the former members who performed as The Blue Notes.
When Melvin died in 1997, the conflict about who really owned the moniker escalated with Harold's wife, Ovelia, booking Harold Melvin's Blue Notes while Bernie Wilson, Lloyd Parks and Larry Brown (all of whom sang with the hit-making version of the group) carried on as the Legendary Blue Notes.
Time and mortality have taken their toll, however, as the number of surviving members from those gold record days dwindled. Ovelia's version of the group is the one hitting stages these days. Donnell "Big Daddy" Gillespie has settled into the "Teddy" role for the past few decades but he wasn't able to make Friday's gig because he underwent surgery for an undisclosed ailment March 5 and evidently hasn't recovered enough to go back on the road.
The guys who did show up – Anthony Brooks, John Morris, and their most recent recruit, Damon Wilson – gave a solid show before an audience eager to hear them sing. The group's "pro" status was in evidence, not just in the way that they catered to the crowd between tunes, the delivery of the material, or the dance steps they executed but in the way the guys handled technical adversity.
Halfway through their rendition of "If You Don't Know Me by Now," Brooks' microphone died. Since he was singing background harmonies, along with Morris and some of the band members while Wilson sang the "Teddy" parts, Brooks continued stepping and smiling while a sound technician and George Prettyman, the group's road manager, hunted for a working mic. They ended up transferring one from a band member and getting it in place just in time for Brooks to join up as the tune settled into the final bars. For all intents and purposes, nothing was allowed to disturb the flow of the music.
Toward the end of the show, the trio sang "Turn Off the Lights" and filed off the stage as the band played on. Then Prettyman came on to introduce the band members (including Eban Brown, the guitarist who doubles as the current lead singer for the Stylistics) and gave them a few minutes each to display their talents. The encore found Wilson, who definitely knows how to work a crowd, coming out for an abbreviated rendition of "Love T.K.O." while the rest of the singers hung out backstage.


text:
ATG is committed to increasing the productivity of human capital using situation-specific applications. Our end-to-end solution includes:
ATG strives to accommodate the needs of the broadest range of users. We have taken steps to ensure that all learners can experience our learning as fully as possible by meeting all Section 508 requirements that are applicable to e-learning.
Search our site or explore our latest news and resources below.
ATG News and Resources
Effective Integration of Technology and Instructor-Led Training to Promote Soft Skills Mastery
Access Technologies Group (ATG) is an e-learning pioneer and leader in soft skills training. ATG specializes in workforce development using technology-based interactive simulations. ATG has extensive experience helping public, private, and non-profit organizations develop - in both incumbent and potential employees - the attitudes and behaviors necessary to enter, re-enter, and succeed in the workplace.
ATG has developed hundreds of hours of interactive and engaging e-learning courseware, including our unique simulation-based training, for a wide range of employers and service providers. ATG prides itself on helping employers and service providers build customized learning solutions, implement their training plan, and monitor the utilization and effectiveness of their employee and/or client development initiatives.


text:
Irishman O'Shea to coach Italy
Italy have named former Ireland fullback Conor O'Shea as their new coach, the Italian Rugby Federation said on Friday.
Italy have named former Ireland fullback Conor O'Shea as their new coach, the Italian Rugby Federation said on Friday.
Ireland ended a disappointing defence of the Six Nations title with their best display of the championship, beating Scotland 35-25 in an exciting contest on Saturday to wrap up the campaign with two victories in a row.
England, playing at Twickenham for the first time since their embarrassing World Cup exit at the hands of Australia, scored two tries within five second-half minutes on their way to a 21-10 victory over Ireland on Saturday to keep Eddie Jones' team on course for a first Six Nations title since 2011.
England boss Eddie Jones has heightened tensions with Ireland by claiming Johnny Sexton's parents will be worried about his long-term health.
The All Blacks will begin their season-ending 2016 tour with another Test in Chicago, this time against Six Nations champions Ireland.
Ireland were left battered and bruised after losing 10-9 to France in the Six Nations on Saturday, their first defeat by Les Bleus for five years.
Fergus McFadden has been drafted into Ireland's Six Nations squad to face France, with Simon Zebo unable to overcome his knee injury.
Paul O'Connell has been forced to retire from rugby due to injury before having the chance to end a glittering career with European champions Toulon, the former Ireland captain said on Tuesday.
Six Nations champions Ireland have appointed former England assistant coach Andy Farrell as their new defence coach on Wednesday, less than a month after the former rugby league star was axed by Eddie Jones.
Ireland flyhalf Johnny Sexton has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Argentina due to a groin injury, the Irish Rugby Football Union said on Saturday.
Argentina have beaten Ireland twice in three previous World Cup meetings, but that means nada, says Los Pumas coach.
Wales coach Warren Gatland is banking on a slice of luck, and a small amount of superstition, as the Springboks loom large.
Part-Irishman and accomplished polo player Marcos Ayerza is itching to take down the land of his forefathers with Argentina's secret scrummaging weapon.
Juan Martin Hernandez believes Argentina can prove Ireland's World Cup scourge once more in a fourth "El Clasico".
Number eight Louis Picamoles will start France's Rugby World Cup Pool D decider against Ireland on Sunday.
Ireland secured their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday but were far from convincing in their first real test of the competition, squeezing past Italy 16-9 to move on to a group decider against France.
As we dive deeper in this rugby World Cup, still the burning question is who are the favourites?
Ireland have named the oldest starting XV in World Cup history.
Gordon D'Arcy's international career may be over after the veteran centre was left out of Ireland's Rugby World Cup squad yesterday.
Wales hung on to beat Ireland 16-10 in an intense World Cup warm-up game.


text:
Author Affiliations: Department of Psychiatry and Interdisciplinary Program in Brain Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea (Drs Lyoo and Kim); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (Drs Lyoo, Musen, Weinger, Bolo, and Jacobson); Department of Psychiatry, Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine, Seoul (Dr Yoon); Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston (Drs Musen, Weinger, and Jacobson); Department of Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Dr Simonson); Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Dr Ryan); and Department of Psychiatry and the Brain Institute, University of Utah, and Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network 19 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Dr Renshaw).
Neural substrates for low cognitive performance and depression, common long-term central nervous system–related changes in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, have not yet been studied.
To investigate whether prefrontal glutamate levels are higher in patients with type 1 diabetes and whether an elevation is related to lower cognitive performance and depression.
Cross-sectional study.
General clinical research center.
One hundred twenty-three patients with adult type 1 diabetes with varying degrees of lifetime glycemic control and 38 healthy participants.
Main Outcome Measures
With the use of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, prefrontal glutamate–glutamine–γ-aminobutyric acid (Glx) levels were compared between patients and control subjects. Relationships between prefrontal Glx levels and cognitive function and between Glx levels and mild depressive symptoms were assessed in patients with type 1 diabetes.
Prefrontal Glx concentrations were 9.0% (0.742 mmol/L; P = .005) higher in adult patients with type 1 diabetes than in healthy control subjects. There were positive linear trends for the effects of lifetime glycemic control on prefrontal Glx levels (P for trend = .002). Cognitive performances in memory, executive function, and psychomotor speed were lower in patients (P = .003, .01, and <.001, respectively) than in control subjects. Higher prefrontal Glx concentrations in patients were associated with lower performance in assessment of global cognitive function (0.11 change in z score per 1-mmol/L increase in Glx) as well as with mild depression.
The high prefrontal glutamate levels documented in this study may play an important role in the genesis of the low cognitive performance and mild depression frequently observed in patients with type 1 diabetes. Therapeutic options that alter glutamatergic neurotransmission may be of benefit in treating central nervous system–related changes in patients with adult type 1 diabetes.
Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), particularly those with poor glycemic control, often undergo central nervous system (CNS)–related changes, manifested through low cognitive performance1- 3 and depression.4- 7
Evidence from large-scale longitudinal studies of patients with T1DM suggests that prolonged hyperglycemia may cause low cognitive performance.8 Microvascular or macrovascular complications in the peripheral organ systems, reflective of long-term exposure to hyperglycemia, have frequently co-occurred with low cognitive performance in patients with T1DM.2,9,10 However, few studies have assessed the relationship between alterations in neural substrates and cognitive performance in patients with T1DM.2,11
A proton brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study with a clamp technique design documented a linear relationship between peripheral hyperglycemia and cerebral glucose levels in healthy volunteers.12 Other proton MRS studies in T1DM cohorts of small sample sizes (range, 6-17), without a clamp design, showed elevated cerebral glucose levels.11,13- 15
Given that cerebral glucose catabolism and the tricarboxylic acid cycle are closely coupled to the glutamine-glutamate cycle,16,17 high cerebral glucose levels in patients with T1DM might be expected to lead to increased glutamate synthesis. Furthermore, antibodies to the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) enzyme, which may also alter cerebral glutamate levels, have been found in the majority of patients with T1DM tested even during the early phase of disease.18- 20 Although glutamate, a major excitatory neurotransmitter, and its receptors have key roles in processes of learning and memory,21 overstimulation potentially damages neuronal cells owing to calcium overload.22 Maintaining the optimal balance of this major neurotransmitter in the CNS may thus be critically important.23
However, to our knowledge, the possibility of a sequential cascade starting from an increased cerebral glucose level, resulting in disturbed cerebral glutamate homeostasis and the eventual lowering of cognitive performance and depression, has not yet been studied in patients with diabetes. In an era when measurement of cerebral glucose and glutamate levels is increasingly available,16,17 this knowledge in the target organ might provide more direct information for controlling CNS-related changes in diabetes, including suggestions for better treatment options.
We conducted proton MRS imaging to measure prefrontal glutamate–glutamine–γ-aminobutyric acid (Glx) and glucose levels and assessed cognitive function and current depressive symptoms in a large cohort of adult patients with T1DM with varying degrees of lifetime glycemic control and in healthy control subjects. This study provided a unique opportunity to examine the association between prefrontal metabolite levels and cognitive function in a naturalistic and clinical environment.
We hypothesized that prefrontal Glx levels would be higher in adult patients with T1DM than in healthy control subjects and that higher prefrontal Glx levels would be associated with lower cognitive function and depression in patients with T1DM. We also aimed to determine whether the relationship between prefrontal Glx levels and cognitive function in adult patients with T1DM would differ from that in healthy control subjects, thus indicating differential effects of prefrontal Glx on cognitive function in normal and pathological conditions.
Considering the beneficial effects of stringent glycemic control on cognitive function,8,24 we additionally examined whether maintaining the glycemic control within target (lifetime glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] level <7%) rather than beyond target (≥7%) would be beneficial in keeping cerebral glucose and glutamate homeostasis within the normal range. (To convert HbA1c level to a proportion of total hemoglobin, multiply by 0.01.)
Study participants consisted of 123 adult patients with T1DM and 38 healthy control subjects. Patients with T1DM who consecutively visited the Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, Massachusetts, and McLean Hospital's Brain Imaging Center, Belmont, Massachusetts, from January 2003 through June 2005, who were between the ages of 25 and 40 years, and who had a disease duration of 15 to 25 years were eligible for the initial inclusion.
Diabetic complications that served as exclusion criteria included proliferative diabetic retinopathy requiring laser treatment, clinically significant diabetic nephropathy (evidenced by urinary albumin to creatinine ratio >300 μg/mg or serum creatinine levels >1.5 mg/dL for men and >1.4 mg/dL for women [to convert to micromoles per liter, multiply by 88.4]), painful or symptomatic neuropathy, or gastroparesis. Potential participants with major medical and neurologic disorders and contraindications to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were excluded, as were those with a history of psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or cocaine, heroin, or alcohol dependence or with a current major depressive episode as assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.25 Patients with hypoglycemic symptoms or diabetic ketoacidosis at the time of imaging were also excluded.
The study was approved by respective institutional committees on human subjects, and all subjects gave informed consent prior to participation.
A battery of neuropsychological tests was administered to assess 3 cognitive domains: memory function, executive function, and psychomotor speed. After adjusting for age, sex composition, and educational level, scores of each neuropsychological test were converted to z scores with the use of group means and standard deviations of healthy control subjects. If necessary, test scores were reversed to indicate better performances with positive z scores.
The composite score for memory function was made by averaging z scores of the immediate memory and the delayed recall from the Wechsler Memory Scale III.26 The composite score for executive function was constructed by averaging z scores of the trail-making number-letter switching, verbal fluency, design fluency, card-word interference, and card sorting from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System27; the digit symbol substitution from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale28; and the letter-number sequencing and spatial span from the Wechsler Memory Scale III.26 The composite score for psychomotor speed was calculated by averaging z scores of the dominant and nondominant hand on the grooved pegboard test.29 The compound score for the global cognitive function was calculated by averaging z scores of composite scores of the 3 cognitive domains.
Internal consistency of the neuropsychological tests within each cognitive domain was assessed by means of Cronbach α coefficient analysis. Cronbach α coefficients for memory function, executive function, and psychomotor speed were 0.89, 0.82, and 0.71, respectively.
The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale30 was used to assess current depressive symptoms.
Lifetime average HbA1c level, which reflects the level of lifetime glycemic control, was defined as the average value of HbA1c levels, grouped and time-weighted every 4 years for the entire duration of the disease.31 Patients with T1DM were divided into 2 subgroups on the basis of whether the level of lifetime glycemic control was good (ie, within target [lifetime average HbA1c level <7%]) or poor (≥7%).24 A severe hypoglycemic episode was defined as an event that leads to a coma or to unconsciousness, on the basis of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group criteria.31- 33 Date of diagnosis was obtained from medical records or patient self-report. Hand preference was evaluated by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory.34
Current HbA1c levels, measured approximately 30 minutes before the start of MR imaging, were used as a measure of recent ambient blood glucose levels in the present study. Detailed methods and results for the acquisition of data pertaining to the relationship between recent peripheral glycemia and prefrontal glucose levels are described in eSupplement 1
The MR imaging was conducted at the McLean Brain Imaging Center with the use of a 1.5-T whole-body imaging system (Horizon LX; GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, Wisconsin). All images were obtained with the use of a custom-made linear birdcage coil with approximately 40% improvement in the signal to noise ratio and improved homogeneity over a standard quadrature head coil.35 A 3-dimensional spoiled gradient echo pulse sequence was used to produce 124 contiguous coronal images, 1.5 mm thick (echo time [TE], 5 milliseconds; repetition time [TR], 35 milliseconds; matrix, 256 × 192; field of view [FOV], 24 cm; flip angle [FA], 45°; and number of excitations [NEX], 1). Axial T2-weighted images (TE, 80 milliseconds; TR, 3000 milliseconds; matrix, 256 × 192; FOV, 20 cm; FA, 90°; NEX, 0.5; and section thickness/gap, 3/0 mm) and fluid attenuated inversion recovery axial images (TE, 133 milliseconds; TR, 9000 milliseconds; inversion time, 2200 milliseconds; matrix, 256 × 192; FOV, 20 cm; FA, 90°; and NEX, 1; section thickness/gap, 5/2 mm) were obtained to screen for gross brain structural abnormalities.
Although studies on T1DM-related structural and functional brain changes are rather scarce,11 impaired prefrontal cortical function, including diminished psychomotor speed and mental flexibility, has consistently been documented in patients with T1DM.1 On the basis of these neuropsychological studies, the anterior cingulate cortex was selected as our voxel of interest (VOI). Single-voxel proton MR spectra (20 × 20 × 15 mm, 6 cm3) were acquired from the left anterior cingulate cortex VOI while it was viewed on orthogonal T1-weighted images (Figure 1).
Axial (A) and midsagittal (B) planes of T1-weighted image showing the typical location (white box) of the voxel positioned on the left anterior cingulate cortex. The left anterior cingulate cortex voxel of interest was selected in an axial section at the level of the genu of the corpus callosum. The right boundary of the voxel was placed at the midline, and the posterior boundary was placed approximately 5 mm anterior to the genu of the corpus callosum. A 15-mm-thick voxel was built on this bottom voxel section. The upper left corner was placed approximately 10 mm from the inner cranial boundary.
After an automated shimming routine was used for each voxel, a point-resolved spectroscopy pulse sequence36 was used with the following acquisition variables: TR, 1500 milliseconds; TE, 45 milliseconds; 2500-Hz spectral width; 8-step phase cycling; and 256 transients. Spectra were analyzed by means of the Linear Combination of Model Spectra (LCModel), a fully automated program for quantitating metabolite concentrations from spectroscopic data.37
With the use of a linear combination model of the basis set, absolute metabolite concentrations (in millimoles per liter) were estimated by using the unsuppressed water signal as an internal concentration reference38 for N-acetyl aspartate–N-acetyl aspartyl glutamate, Glx, creatine-phosphocreatine (Cr), choline, myo-inositol, and glucose. The macromolecular and lipid basis spectra were also included into the LCModel fitting to control for their contribution.39,40 Short-echo localized proton MRS has been used in detecting high cerebral glucose resonances, which are reflected by peaks at 3.43 ppm, in patients with T1DM.13,15
The relative MRS metabolite levels were expressed as the ratio of each metabolite peak to the Cr peak at 3.0 ppm. Spectral quality and reliability of fit for all metabolites were adequate, and the detailed descriptions are presented in eSupplement 2. The mode, median, and mean values of relative error estimates (Cramer-Rao lower bound values) for each metabolite, calculated by the LCModel, are presented in eTable 1.
To control for the effects of tissue composition on prefrontal metabolite levels, gray matter (GM), white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid volumes in the VOI were measured. There were no differences in the proportions of GM, white matter, or cerebrospinal fluid in the VOI between groups (eTable 2). Metabolite concentrations were corrected for cerebrospinal fluid volumes in the VOI.41 Furthermore, to control for variations of metabolite concentrations between GM and white matter, final analyses were conducted with the GM proportion of each VOI used as a covariate.
Validation for quantifying metabolites in the phantom was conducted as a measure of the reproducibility (eTable 3). Coefficients of variation for each metabolite suggest that LCModel-fitted metabolite concentrations from the phantom were highly reproducible over the study period.
Figure 2 shows the sample spectra, which were measured in a patient with T1DM and a corresponding healthy control subject.
Sample magnetic resonance spectroscopy spectra extracted from the left anterior cingulate cortex voxel of interest from a patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus (A) and from a healthy control subject (B). Cr indicates creatine-phosphocreatine; Cho, choline; Glc, glucose; Glx, glutamate–glutamine–γ-aminobutyric acid; mI, myo-inositol; and NAA, N-acetyl aspartate–N-acetyl aspartyl glutamate. The Linear Combination of Model Spectra (LCModel) estimated baselines are shown by the smooth gray line. The LCModel fit to metabolite signals is shown by the red heavy line. The raw data are in the thin gray trace. At the top of each plot, the residual signal following fitting is displayed.
Independent t test/analysis of variance and χ2 test were used for comparing continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Prefrontal metabolite concentrations were compared between adult T1DM and healthy control groups by means of an analysis of covariance with age, sex composition, and GM proportion as covariates.
To evaluate how the level of long-term glycemic control is associated with prefrontal metabolite concentrations, values were compared between T1DM subgroups, as divided by degree of lifetime glycemic control (good vs poor) relative to control subjects, using the analysis of covariance with a test for linear trend.
Z-transformed neuropsychological test scores after adjusting for age, sex composition, and educational level were used in the analyses. Values were compared between adult patients with T1DM and healthy control subjects and between T1DM subgroups by means of independent t tests.
Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between prefrontal metabolite (glucose and Glx) levels and behavioral measures (scores of cognitive domains and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) in healthy control subjects and in adult patients with T1DM. These models were controlled for age, sex composition, and educational level in healthy control subjects and additionally controlled for the duration of illness and presence of lifetime hypoglycemic episodes in adult patients with T1DM. Regression lines were compared, with an interaction term as an indicator, between healthy control subjects and adult patients with T1DM to evaluate whether the pattern of associations between prefrontal metabolite concentrations and cognitive function differ between groups.
Statistical significance, 2-tailed, was defined at α < .05. Stata 5.0 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas) was used for all computations.
There was no significant difference in age, sex composition, educational level, handedness, or proportion of smokers between adult T1DM and healthy control groups or between the 2 T1DM subgroups (Table 1). However, the healthy control group included more nonwhites than did the adult T1DM group (P < .001). The 2 T1DM subgroups did not differ in most diabetes-specific clinical characteristics of duration of illness, age at onset, or the number of hypoglycemic episodes, but there was a difference in the lipid profile (Table 1).
Prefrontal metabolite concentrations and ratios to Cr are shown in Table 2. Prefrontal glucose concentrations were higher, by 88.9% (0.872 mmol/L), in adult patients with T1DM relative to healthy control subjects (F1,142 = 26.10, P < .001). There was a positive linear trend (a dose-responsive pattern, healthy control group vs good vs poor glycemic control T1DM subgroups) for the relationship between lifetime glycemic control and prefrontal glucose concentrations (P for trend < .001; Figure 3).
Cerebral metabolite concentrations according to degree of metabolic control. T1DM indicates type 1 diabetes mellitus; Glx, glutamate–glutamine–γ-aminobutyric acid. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Mean glucose and Glx concentrations are cerebrospinal fluid–corrected values. Prefrontal glucose (P < .001) and Glx (P = .005) concentrations were higher in patients with T1DM than in healthy control subjects. There were linear trends for the effect of metabolic control on prefrontal glucose (P < .001) and Glx (P = .002) concentrations.
Prefrontal Glx concentrations were 9.0% higher (0.742 mmol/L) in adult patients with T1DM than in healthy control subjects (F1,151 = 8.15, P = .005). A linear trend for the relationship between lifetime glycemic control and prefrontal Glx concentrations was observed (P for trend = .002; Figure 3). This linear trend remained unchanged when the smoking status was included as an additional covariate (P values of the Glx difference between groups = .01; P for trend = .004).
There were no significant differences in concentrations of other prefrontal metabolites, including Cr, choline, myo-inositol, or N-acetyl aspartate–N-acetyl aspartyl glutamate between adult T1DM and healthy control groups.
In addition to analyses using absolute metabolite concentrations, the same sets of analyses using ratios of each metabolite to Cr were conducted. Prefrontal glucose:Cr (F1,142 = 26.42, P < .001) and Glx:Cr (F1,151 = 8.55, P = .004) ratios were also higher in patients with T1DM than in healthy control subjects (Table 2). Positive linear trends between the level of lifetime glycemic control and of prefrontal glucose:Cr and Glx:Cr ratios were observed (P for trend < .001 and = .004, respectively).
Adult patients with T1DM showed substantially lower performances in 3 domains of cognitive function (memory function: effect size [ES] as defined by the adjusted mean difference in z scores, −0.65; P = .003; executive function: ES, −0.29; P = .01; and psychomotor speed: ES, −0.55; P < .001) relative to healthy control subjects. There was no difference in cognitive performance between the 2 T1DM subgroups. Detailed adjusted z scores of each neuropsychological test are summarized in eTable 4.
Multiple regression analysis showed that higher prefrontal Glx concentrations were associated with lower performance in global cognitive function (β [SE] = −0.11 [0.04], P = .002), and specifically in memory function (β [SE] = −0.23 [0.07], P = .001) and executive function (β [SE] = −0.07 [0.03], P = .045) among adult patients with T1DM. Each increase of 1 mmol/L in prefrontal Glx concentrations was associated with 0.23 ES lower performance in memory function and 0.07 ES lower performance in executive function in adult patients with T1DM (Figure 4). Prefrontal Glx concentrations in adult patients with T1DM were also positively correlated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores (β [SE] = 0.51 [0.22], P = .02). The similar negative association between prefrontal Glx:Cr ratio and global cognitive function was observed in patients with T1DM (β [SE] = −0.53 [0.19], P = .007). Glx:Cr ratios were also associated with lower performance in memory and executive function (β [SE] = −1.04 [0.36], P = .005, and β [SE] = −0.43 [0.17], P = .02, respectively). A similar set of analyses was conducted with a subgroup of patients with T1DM who received the rapid-acting insulin analogues while covarying for insulin dose and time between insulin injections and MR imaging. Results from this subgroup analysis were similar to analyses with all patients with T1DM, although there were slight decreases in significance levels.
Regression lines of prefrontal glutamate–glutamine–γ-aminobutyric acid (Glx) concentrations and estimated cognitive function in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) (blue lines) and healthy control subjects (gray lines). Heavy blue and gray lines represent the fit of linear regression modeling in all patients with T1DM and healthy control subjects, respectively; thin lines denote their fitted 95% confidence intervals. Tick marks above the fitted lines represent cerebrospinal fluid–corrected prefrontal Glx concentrations of healthy control subjects, whereas tick marks below the fitted lines represent those of patients with T1DM. Estimates for function of each cognitive domain were made after controlling for age, sex composition, and educational level. Higher prefrontal Glx concentration was associated with lower performance in memory function (P < .001) (A), executive function (P = .045) (B), and global cognitive function (P = .001) (D) in patients with T1DM. This pattern was not observed in healthy control subjects. Regression lines were compared between healthy control subjects and patients with T1DM by means of interaction terms. Regression lines for memory (P = .003), executive function (P = .046), and global cognitive function (P = .001) differed between groups.
The negative associations between prefrontal Glx concentrations and cognitive function, however, were not observed in analyses of healthy control subjects. Multiple linear regression analysis using interaction terms confirmed that the effects of prefrontal Glx concentrations on cognitive function in adult patients with T1DM differed from those in healthy control subjects (P for interaction = .003, .046, and .001 for memory function, executive function, and global cognitive function, respectively; Figure 4). The pattern of associations between prefrontal Glx:Cr ratio and cognitive function also differed between groups (P for interaction = .005, .04, and .004 for memory function, executive function, and global cognitive function, respectively).
There were no significant associations between prefrontal glucose concentrations and cognitive function in adult patients with T1DM or healthy control subjects. However, an exploratory subgroup analysis including patients with T1DM (n = 58) with lifetime HbA1c levels of greater than 8% showed a negative association between prefrontal glucose concentrations and psychomotor speed (β [SE] = −0.27 [0.11], P = .02).
The present report documents that adult patients with T1DM have high prefrontal Glx levels and that higher prefrontal Glx levels are associated with lower performance in cognitive function and mild depression.
Although low cognitive performance has been reported in some patients with T1DM, particularly those with long-term exposure to hyperglycemia,1- 3,8 there is a less clear understanding regarding potential mediators for this CNS-related change. The present study may provide a new insight into its underlying pathophysiologic processes.
Glutamate, a primary excitatory neurotransmitter of the brain and a major component of the Glx spectrum, is a key molecule in the processes of learning and memory.21,42 When present beyond the capacity of glial uptake, however, glutamate accumulates extracellularly and has an excitotoxic effect on neurons.22
Differences between the effects of prefrontal glutamate on the cognitive function of healthy control subjects and on the cognitive function of our patients with T1DM, as we have noted, suggested that high prefrontal glutamate levels above the normal range in patients with T1DM may cause neurotoxic effects22 instead of serving as a substrate for neuronal plasticity.42 High prefrontal glutamate levels may in part explain reductions in cortical gray matter density, alterations we have recently seen in patients with T1DM.31
In animal models of diabetes, alterations in the composition and function of glutamate receptor subtypes and subunits frequently occur.43 This diabetes-induced perturbation of the glutamate receptor system may, in part, explain the differential effects of prefrontal glutamate on the cognitive function of adult patients with T1DM and on the cognitive function of healthy control subjects.
Preclinical and clinical reports suggest that alterations in the synthesis and function of a family of neurotrophins may play an important role in several T1DM-related CNS changes.44- 46 Considering the neurotrophins' neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity,47,48 the altered function of neurotrophins in patients with T1DM may partly be responsible for the association between high prefrontal Glx levels and low cognitive performance in our T1DM cohort.
Although preventive optimal glycemic control, recommended for the reduction of T1DM-related complications, is likely to be beneficial in preventing decreases in cognitive performance, specific interventional treatments have not yet been suggested.2 Our finding regarding the relationship between high prefrontal glutamate levels and low cognitive performance may provide an insight into expanding treatment options. Drugs acting on homeostasis of the glutamatergic system may be of benefit in preventing low cognitive performance in patients with diabetes.49,50 Interestingly, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor antagonists have recently been used in slowing cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease.23,51
Prefrontal glucose levels, which were also higher in patients with T1DM, were not related to cognitive function in analyses of patients with T1DM and T1DM subgroups. Patients with more poorly controlled diabetes who have a lifetime average HbA1c level greater than 8%, however, showed a negative association between prefrontal glucose levels and cognitive function. This exploratory analysis indirectly suggests the presence of a threshold for glycemic control or a range of cerebral glucose levels at which cerebral glucose may directly affect cognitive function in patients with T1DM.
Depression affects up to 25% of patients with T1DM,6,7 increasing diabetic complications and mortality as well as decreasing overall quality of life.5- 7 Although poor glycemic control is regarded as a risk factor for depression,6 its mechanism remains to be further clarified.7 Associations between dysregulated glutamatergic system and mild depressive symptoms, observed in the present study, may provide clues to uncovering a neurochemical mechanism of depression in T1DM. Because depression in patients with medical disorders is often resistant to standard treatments,52 alternative treatment options may be suggested in view of the current findings. Considering that the glutamatergic system has recently emerged as an important target for drug development, particularly in mood disorders with an atypical nature,53- 55 drugs acting on the glutamatergic system, such as ketamine hydrochloride, lamotrigine, and riluzole,56 may have the potential to help improve depressive symptoms in patients with T1DM.
Our findings in patients with T1DM are different from those of a recent study on depressed patients with type 2 diabetes, which reported decreased Glx resonances in subcortical brain regions.57 This discrepancy may stem from several factors, including differences in sample characteristics, such as age, type of diabetes, comorbid medical conditions, and presence of current depression; in MRS methods used; and in brain regions examined.
In the present study, prefrontal Glx levels were 9.0% higher in patients with T1DM than in healthy control subjects, and they increased uniformly as the level of glycemic control worsened from normal through good to poor (4.2% and 10.0% of Glx level increment compared with healthy control subjects, respectively). A similar pattern of uniform increases in prefrontal glucose levels was observed.
We reasoned that sustained exposure to hyperglycemia would alter cerebral energy metabolism and change cerebral metabolite levels. Considering that high intracellular glucose concentrations lead to increased oxidative phosphorylation and, possibly, an accelerated glutamate-glutamine cycle,16 high prefrontal glutamate levels in patients with T1DM are likely to stem from increased de novo synthesis, ie, cellular adaptations to hyperglycemia. Preclinical evidence indicates that elevated glucose levels increase cerebral glutamate levels and that this link, ultimately, contributes to neuronal damage in diabetic as well as ischemic conditions.58- 60 Data from the current study suggest that keeping glycemic control in the near-normal range is likely to help diabetic patients maintain optimal prefrontal glutamate levels, which may then reduce the risk of having lower cognitive performance.
High prefrontal Glx concentrations in patients with T1DM may be attributed in part to T1DM-specific conditions. Patients with T1DM frequently have antibodies to GAD,18,61 the rate-limiting enzyme that catalyzes the decarboxylation of glutamate to γ-aminobutyric acid. These autoimmune abnormalities may lead to excessive glutamate accumulations.62 Consequently, patients with T1DM, especially those with high levels of GAD antibodies, may be vulnerable to glutamate-induced neuronal damage.
Patients with T1DM have been reported to have high cerebral myo-inositol levels.13,14 Considering myo-inositol's function as an osmotic agent and a storage form for glucose,17,63- 65 an increase in myo-inositol levels may reflect osmotic changes in the brain or inadequate glycemic control in patients with T1DM. Although there was no difference in prefrontal myo-inositol levels between subjects in our T1DM and control groups, patients with T1DM with a lifetime HbA1c level higher than 8% showed a higher myo-inositol:Cr ratio than healthy control subjects (F1,93 = 4.41, P = .04). This is partly in accord with a previous report that suggested that myo-inositol may work as a cerebral osmolyte, particularly in diabetic patients with poor glycemic control.66
Several potential confounding factors should be considered in interpreting our results. Although hyperglycemia-induced microvascular and macrovascular complications are relatively uncommon in patients before the age of 40 years,2 vascular injury in the brain may have contributed to the occurrence of low cognitive performance and depression. In our recent study, conducted with a similar but smaller T1DM cohort,32 however, we did not find an increased prevalence of brain T2 white matter hyperintensities, which are indirect markers of vascular injury. In addition, the relatively young ages (mean, 32.3 years) and short disease durations (mean, 19.9 years) of our patients with T1DM lessen the likelihood of the confounding by aging and cerebral vascular changes.
Although cognitive function in patients with T1DM may be influenced by previous severe hypoglycemic episodes,2 this association was not confirmed in a recent large-scale longitudinal trial.8,67 In the present study, the number or pattern of hypoglycemic episodes was not associated with cognitive function.
Mild ketosis, which frequently occurs in patients with T1DM,68- 70 can influence cerebral glutamate metabolism. In cerebral ketone body metabolism, glutamate is transformed to γ-aminobutyric acid through the GAD pathway.71,72 Reduced GAD activity in patients with T1DM62 may further contribute to increases in cerebral glutamate levels.71,72
Depressive symptoms in our patients with T1DM might be psychological responses to chronic medical disorders.73 Also, because our patients with T1DM had relatively mild depression and were not diagnosed as having clinical depression on the basis of the structured interview, our findings should not be generalized to diabetic patients with depression.
Our interpretation of high cerebral Glx levels as greater cerebral glutamate levels should be considered with caution given the potential overlapping of the chemical spectra of glutamate, glutamine, and γ-aminobutyric acid as Glx resonance at 1.5-T imaging.16,63,74
Because plasma glucose levels were measured in a subset of patients with T1DM, the immediate effects of peripheral glucose levels cannot be effectively controlled in the present study assessing long-term effects of hyperglycemia on cerebral glucose metabolism (see eSupplement 1 for details). More controlled conditions, such as those using the experimental clamping technique during MR examination, would be necessary to accurately control for the confounding influence of the peripheral glucose levels—especially extreme hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia—on evaluating long-term cerebral metabolic changes in patients with T1DM.
The present MRS study, conducted with a large T1DM cohort, has shown that prefrontal Glx level is increased in adult patients with T1DM compared with healthy control subjects. Higher prefrontal Glx levels are associated with lower cognitive function and depressive symptoms in adult patients with T1DM. Randomized controlled studies are necessary to confirm the causal relationship between the level of glycemic control and cerebral glutamate changes.
Future studies are also recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic options acting on glutamatergic neurotransmission in the treatment or prevention of CNS-related changes in patients with T1DM.
In addition, our findings show that patients with T1DM who maintain glycemic control within the recommended treatment target of HbA1c less than 7% would have the benefit of keeping optimal prefrontal glutamate levels, thereby potentially reducing the risk of CNS-related changes. A randomized clinical trial assessing the causal relationship between glycemic control and cerebral glutamate levels could confirm our interpretation.
Correspondence: In Kyoon Lyoo, MD, PhD, MMS, Department of Psychiatry and Interdisciplinary Program in Brain Science, Seoul National University, 28 Yongon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, South Korea (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Submitted for Publication: June 19, 2008; final revision received February 9, 2009; accepted February 11, 2009.
Author Contributions: Dr Lyoo had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Financial Disclosure: Dr Lyoo has received research support from Eli Lilly and Company and GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Renshaw has been a consultant to Novartis, Hoffman-La Roche Pharmaceuticals, and Kyowa Hakko and has received research support from GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Jacobson has received speaking honoraria from Novo Nordisk and travel support from Eli Lilly and Company.
Funding/Support: This study was supported by grant DK-060754 from the National Institutes of Health (Dr Jacobson), Independent Investigator Awards (Drs Lyoo and Renshaw) from the National Alliance for Schizophrenia and Depression, grant KRF-2008-220-E00021 from the Korea Research Foundation (Dr Lyoo), and grant 2009K001272 from the Brain Research Center of the 21st Century Frontier Research Program funded by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (Dr Lyoo).
Role of the Sponsor: The sponsors of the study had no role in the design and conduct of the study; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.
Previous Presentation: An abstract of the preliminary data from this study was presented at the Poster Session of the 68th Scientific Session of the American Diabetes Association; June 7, 2008; San Francisco, California.
Additional Contributions: We thank all the study participants as well as the whole international collaborative team, including Rosemond Villafuerte, MA (Brain Imaging Center, McLean Hospital), and Hengjun J. Kim, MD, MS, and Sujin Bae, MS (Interdisciplinary Program in Brain Science, Seoul National University), for technical assistance.
Thank you for submitting a comment on this article. It will be reviewed by JAMA Psychiatry editors. You will be notified when your comment has been published. Comments should not exceed 500 words of text and 10 references.
Do not submit personal medical questions or information that could identify a specific patient, questions about a particular case, or general inquiries to an author. Only content that has not been published, posted, or submitted elsewhere should be submitted. By submitting this Comment, you and any coauthors transfer copyright to the journal if your Comment is posted.
* = Required Field
Disclosure of Any Conflicts of Interest*
Indicate all relevant conflicts of interest of each author below, including all relevant financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including, but not limited to, employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speakers' bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. If all authors have none, check "No potential conflicts or relevant financial interests" in the box below. Please also indicate any funding received in support of this work. The information will be posted with your response.
Some tools below are only available to our subscribers or users with an online account.
Download citation file:
Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.
More Listings atJAMACareerCenter.com >
The Rational Clinical Examination: Evidence-Based Clinical Diagnosis
Diabetes, Foot Ulcer
Users' Guides to the Medical Literature: A Manual for Evidence-Based Clinical Practice, 3rd ed
Clarifying Your Question
All results at
JAMAevidence.com >
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a link to reset your password.
Enter your username and email address. We'll send instructions on how to reset your password to the email address we have on record.
Need assistance?
Athens and Shibboleth are access management services that provide single sign-on to protected resources. They replace the multiple user names and passwords necessary to access subscription-based content with a single user name and password that can be entered once per session. It operates independently of a user's location or IP address. If your institution uses Athens or Shibboleth authentication, please contact your site administrator to receive your user name and password.


text:
President Saleh's military jets launched airstrikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital yesterday after armed tribesmen took control of a strategic Republican Guard camp.
The strikes on Nahm, 30 miles northeast of Sanaa, were made as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters gathered for a day of "peaceful revolution".
Jets, believed to be heading for Nahm, could be heard as Sadeq al-Ahmar, the Hashid tribal leader, announced to a cheering crowd of protesters that a ceasefire had been agreed.
Yesterday, violence escalated at a Republican Guard military post, which was overrun by tribesmen. The attack appeared to be in


text:
That would be illegal, nobody knows the data, not the CEO, this RD Head that left, analaysts, not a single person till the 15th, they are locked up, the weak fall off and hit the bricks, I am buying here in truck loads.
It's June 3rd not the 15th.
June 3rd is ASCO, but the insiders will know details on the results on the 15th, public will know on June 3rd


text:
CLINTON TWP. Former inmates Darwin Lewis and Amarilis Rodriguez graduated from Rutgers University on May 19. Within days they were back in prison.
The pair had already served their time. Lewis had been at Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility here, Rodriguez at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township. Both took college classes while in prison and both, on release, returned to help others.
Lewis and Rodgriquez are part of what's called the Mountainview program, a state-wide model for recruiting college students, many who are former inmates, to tutor inmates enrolled in NJ-STEP, New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education in Prisons.
NJ-STEP is a consortium of state colleges and universities that provide college courses to inmates in Department of Corrections-run prisons and assist them, on release, in their transition to college life.
Lewis had a high school diploma in 2005 and had already enrolled in college when he was imprisoned. After college prep courses at Mountainview, he moved into a half-way house and began taking college courses. He returned to tutor in 2012.
Rodriguez also began tutoring in the program in September 2012 with the launch of NJ-STEP. Earlier, she had been in prison for two and a half years. "I do it because I lived it," she said.
According to Mountainview Administrator Al Kandell, the facility has 17 teachers in its education program and from 10 to 27 academic tutors during any given semester.
Most, but not all, are college students who volunteer for a semester or two to complete community service requirements of participating members of NJ-STEP — Rutgers, Drew, Princeton, the College of New Jersey and Raritan Valley, Essex and Mercer county community colleges.
The tutors also help inmates who don't have a high school diploma but are taking courses to graduate, and older inmates who have "aged out" and are pursuing a GED (General Educational Development) diploma.
Prisoners at Mountainview include violent predators and gang members, Kandell said. And while time in prison can move inmates toward crime or toward the positive, education helps turn the bulk of them toward the positive, he said.
Ron Williams of Clinton Township began tutoring inmates in 1998, mostly in math, when he retired from AT&T. It's gratifying work, Williams said.
"They're hungry for the help," he said. "I had 36 years with AT&T, but this is the most rewarding."
"They're young," Williams said. "The ones that you're happy to see are the ones that say, 'I'm going to get my life straight.'"
According to Kandell, Mountainview's 1,100 or so inmates range from ages 17-30, but most are 22, 23.
"I hope I can do this until the day I die," said Williams.
Former inmates Lewis and Rodriguez are the wave of the future for corrections officials like Kandell. They've shared the prison experience, so they have a lot of credibility. They're also role models.
"The mere presence of the volunteers has a settling effect," Kandell said. "Treat them like students and they act like students."
As a result of the educational emphasis and some other "holistic" changes Kandell and his team have instituted, there's been a 50% drop in violence, according to Eddie Weldon, Mountainview assistant superintendent.
When inmates see people like Rodriguez and Lewis return from Rutgers in the NJ-STEP program, Weldon said, they see they have a choice. "They see positive examples. They kind of see themselves in the tutors."
Having graduated from Rutgers with a 3.7 GPA, Rodriguez hopes to begin graduate study in anthropology at an Ivy League school in 2014. Still, she said, tutoring inmates "is a lifetime extracurricular activity for me."
Similarly, Lewis intends to continue at Mountainview. "Education can turn people's lives around. I'm living proof of that," he said. "I'll be able to open a lot more doors for other people. That's why I'm doing it."
"Education can lead to transformation," said Jecrois Jean-Baptiste, Mountainview director of education. An inmate receives education, graduates college, comes back to volunteer, he said. "What is significant is the degree of success education brings."
According to Nicole Cruz, supervisor of education, 146 students are getting credits toward a high school diploma, 114 are working toward a GED and 62 are taking college credit courses through the NJ-STEP program taught by professors from Drew, RVCC, Princeton, Rutgers and the other consortium institutions.
In the first half of 2013, 100% of those preparing for the GED passed, Jean-Baptiste said. That's up dramatically from the 68% who passed the GED test in 2012.
According to Jean-Baptiste, the program gives inmates "the choice to affiliate with gangs or affiliate with Rutgers.
"That's a powerful message."
More Hunterdon County news: NJ.com/hunterdon • Facebook • Twitter


text:
Rawi Warin Resort & Spa
Star :
Price :   4,140 - 32,250 THB
Address : 139 Moo.8,Koh Lanta Island, Krabi 81150, Thailand, Location : Koh Lanta
Tucked into the foothills of the Koh Lanta Yai and overlooking the crystal waters of Klong Tob Bay. The resort is sheer five-star luxury in an idyllic setting
As a central visual feature, Rawi warin has the main swimming pool right on the beachfront, with an infinity design that blends the edge of the pool with the blue ocean. Over half the resort is perched on the hillside, where stand-alone villas slope up a hill and the view gets more and more breathtaking every foot you ascend.
With over 10,000 trees and flowers planted in the landscaped gardens, our guests are likely to spend much time foraging through the resort grounds itself.
Rawi Warin Resort & Spa is built on 60,800 sqm. on the 12th kilometer south of Saladan Koh Lanta's town center.
Its founders, Pramote, Sirirat Titayangkurn and Udom Skulsiriwattana though traveling often to Koh Lanta and most islands located in south of Thailand in the past 30 years could not have believed they would one day have their own resort built until Pramote last's visit 5 years ago on the island. Something changed his mind.
Stunted by the beauty of the land with the gently sloping hillside offered by native people, Pramote decided to build his first resort with the assistance of many professionals in the fields.
Room Overview,Rawi Warin Resort & Spa
- Deluxe Room
- Pond Room
- Sea View Villa
- Sunset Pool Villa
Facilities Overview,Rawi Warin Resort & Spa
At Rawi Warin, the Concierge and his staff provide a wide variety of services to ensure that all of our guests' needs or requests are attended promptly and courteously. We are here to provide our guests with an exceptional level of service in every way possible.
Rawi Warin provides a private and exclusive sports and fitness center for hotel guests, and is the perfect antidote to the stresses and tensions of modern day life. Whether you are looking for total relaxation, pampering, renewed vitality, or you are seeking a fitter, healthier lifestyle, at Rawi Warin Fitness Center, the choice is yours.
Business Center
Day-time business center services at Rawi Warin provide everything needed for our business guests. Modern communications to keep you in touch with the outside world.
Our business services include:
- Airline reservations
- Internet access both wired and wireless in hotel area.
- Complimentary newspapers
- Fax service
- Photocopying
- Direct-dial multi-line telephones
- Mail service
Four swimming pools.
"Our lap swimming pool is just 20 meters away from the big elevated main pool where kids are playing with water slider while parents enjoy the tranquility of the sea and beauty of infinity-edge pool.
First ocean swimming pool in Asia, extended 100 meters into the ocean. Guests would enjoy playing with fresh sea water."
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Not available comments for this hotel
View all Rawi Warin Resort & Spa's Reviews
- Deluxe Room = 4 persons
- Pond Room = 4 persons
- Sea View Villa = 3 persons
- Sunset Pool Villa = 3 persons
- Complimentary welcome drink and fresh fruits in room upon arrival.
- Complimentary usage of the resort's kids room.
- Complimentary usage of tennis court, gym and mountain bikes.
Child Policy :
- No charge for Child under 12 years old sharing room with parents without extra bed ( room only).
- Children below the age of 2 years receive a complimentary breakfast buffet.
- ABF for children 2-12 years will be charged at THB 325.-
Not available Last viewed Hotels
Not available Nearby Hotels
- I-Yarade Beachfront Villa
- Pimalai Resort & Spa
Q. Are the rates per person or per room? The rates are per room NOT per person.
Q. Are the rates net? Our rates are inclusive of government tax and service charge.
Q. Do I have to pay a fee to atThailandhotel.com? No. We do not charge any reservation fees.
Q. Can I know available rooms without giving credit card details? As with many bookings with hotels direct, pre-payment can guarantee your booking. You must submit your credit card details in order to request your booking. Your credit card will NOT be charged until your booking is confirmed
Q. How can I book more than one hotel or period? You need to make bookings separately.
Q. Can I make a reservation for someone else? Yes. Make sure you enter customer details match to the guests.
Q. Can I book a hotel for day use? No. We only allow booking for nights.We cannot guarantee any booking made less than 2 working days before the planned stay (not include Sundays and Public holidays).
Q. What happens when I made a reservation? We will check the availability as soon as possible. You can check your status from our website.
Q. Cancellation and Amendment Policy


text:
With the holidays approaching, I've been cleaning out the pantry and freezer little by little by cooking bits and pieces of everything to make space for the stuff we'll need when the girls come home for the Christmas break. Speedy and I can live on very basic basics for five days a week but we fill up the fridge and the pantry on weekends when the girls are home. Well, most weekends, anyway. But Christmas break is not just a weekend but over two weeks and we'll need to buy a lot of things if we don't want to get caught in the holiday rush. Pantry items can be bought ahead of time. Like? Noodles, grains, beans, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, coffee, tea… We do a lot of cooking and baking when the girls are here and we'll need supplies galore. And caffeine to stay awake.
So, the half-consumed package of bihon at the back of beyond of a kitchen shelf and a container of pork trimmings in the freezer became this noodles and chicharon dish. Seasoned with nuoc cham, it has a Vietnamese flavor but the chicharon adds a Filipino touch. The kailan, a Chinese vegetable, makes this a sort of multi-racial dish.
To make the chicharon, follow the procedure for making lechon kawali with no frying. Use pork skins with a thin layer of fat then chop the browned and crisp skin into bite-size pieces. If you have no pork skin to make into chicharon, you can use good-quality store-bought chicharon. If you want to use something other than chicharon, check out the other bihon recipes in the archive, here and here.
Recipe: Bihon (rice sticks) with chicharon (pork cracklings) and kailan (Chinese broccoli)
- 60 g. of good-quality bihon
- 1 tbsps. of cooking oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. of minced garlic
- 1 tsp. of minced ginger
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- a bunch of kailan (Chinese broccoli), cut into two-inch lengths; stalks and leaves separated
- about 1 tsp. of patis (fish sauce)
- nuoc cham (get the recipe), to taste
- about 3/4 c. of chicharon (pork cracklings)
- Soak the noodles in tap water for about ten minutes or just long enough to soften a bit to separate them. You want them still underdone by the time you drain them and add to the pan so that they can soak up the nuoc cham.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger just until fragrant, about half a minute. Add the kailan stalks. Stir fry for a minute. Add the kailan leaves and carrot, season lightly with patis, and cook for half a minute.
- Add the drained bihon to the pan. Stir fry to coat the noodles with oil. Pour in about one-eighth cup of nuoc cham. Stir fry until the noodles have soaked up the sauce.
- Taste the noodles, if it needs more seasoning, add more nuoc cham — sparingly because if you pour in too much liquid after the noodles have fully swelled, the excess liquid will make them soggy.
- Add the chicharon to the noodles and toss just until heated through.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 2 to 3


text:
Determining the Credibility of the Sources
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The sources used for the purpose of completing academic assignments influences the outcome of the assignments, to a big extent. Students, as they are still in the learning stage, depend a lot on the information provided by the sources to deal with their academic assignments. Hence it is very important to make sure that the sources chosen are relevant, informative and credible. The credibility of the sources depends on many factors. Knowing what to look for in a source is the key to finding the appropriate one.
The purpose of a source depends on the given assignment. Sources are used for information, support and sometimes basic reference. The level of credibility required also depends on the project. But it is always safer to pick a reliable source, irrespective of the type of research paper you are writing. There are various aspects which can determine the relevance and credibility of the sources.
• The focus of the source on your topic: The source you choose for your research should suit your objective. It is not a good idea to just pick any source on the subject and find an objective to suit the source. There will be many articles and books written on the subject from which your topic has been taken. But it will be relevant to your research only if it is focused on the particular topic of your research or if the content supports your thesis statement directly or indirectly.
• The experience of the author in the area of your research: The authority of the author to act as a guide for your research depends on the experience he has in the specific area of your research.
• The credentials of the author: This includes relevant educational qualifications of the author and the appreciation his previous efforts in the area has received. It will be ideal if he has some fame to claim in the previous studies done on the subject. The more famous the author, the better.
• The date of publishing: The period during which the article or book was written and published also sometimes influences the credibility of the sources. The characteristics of certain topics keep changing, depending upon the nature of the topic. Such topics are constantly researched upon and the information gets updated every now and then leaving the older facts outdated. Outdated information can mislead you to wrong conclusions.
• Supportive information: The level to which the sources you choose support your thesis matters a lot, mainly in argumentative essays and research papers. A source which offers neutral opinion towards your stance will not help in adding emphasis to your theory.
Some of these aspects become less or more important depending on the type of assignment. But the credentials of the author are important for all academic assignments alike.
Appropriate sources can help in taking a lot of stress off your research paper writing. Using credible sources is the shortest and most effective method of proving your theory. If you learn how to determine the relevance and credibility of the sources, it will save you quite a lot of time and effort.
Related Posts
Tags: academic assignments, appropriate sources, argumentative essays, assignments, choosing sources, credibility of the source, relevance of the source, Research, research paper, research paper writing, source, Writing, writing assignments
- FREE unlimited amendments
- FREE title page
- FREE bibliography
- FREE outline
- FREE e-mail delivery
- FREE formatting
+44 (0) 2030-74264-74995


text:
So, I am one who likes to play as a female character, and was quite pleased when I played ME1 and found out that you could play as a female AND have female love interests. Blue, Asari, Prothean expert? Absolutely. I like my women nerdy.
How many others on FemShep.com queered up their FemShep? Were you monogamous, or did you play the field (Traynor does lay it on pretty thick in ME3, and I'm a sucker for accents/dialects)? What were your thoughts on ME2 if your love interest was Liara and you played Lair of the Shadow Broker?
Let's get cozy, and gossip!
Views: 1258
I was also thrilled to be able to play a female as I always hate playing males myself. Liara was the one I romanced both entire playthroughs because it seemed most natural to me. The relationship is wonderful and I wont try any others lol. I loved how Liara grew during the series (though the constant checks of "do you want to be involved were annoying") and I was not fond of the game ignoring the the romance from ShadowBroker in the dialogue in 3 either (its been years?).The ending of 3, well lets just say I think Shep deserves to be freaking happy and selfish for once.
I am a huge Liara lover, and the fact that you can start a relationship with her as a femshep make the series even greater. I have imported my MEfemshep file from the first game, second and third and i've always been loyal to Liara. I do not even have the paramour achievement in ME2. Lair of the Shadow Broker was one of the best DLCs and a really important story if you ask me. The DLC explains so much of Liaras behavior towards Shepard in ME2 when meeting her on Illium. Being able to continue their relationship was so very important and it made me very happy. In ME3 Traynor was a small distraction on the way, but there is no one like Liara.. "Keep your love blue and true". ;)
And...I agree with you Tayg that Shepard deserves to be happy, with little blue children of course! :)
I didnt pursue anyone in the first game (Im too busy saving the universe, Dammit!) ... but Kaiden kinda just jumped me... and and whilst that's not the way I roll, baby... I figured since it was the eve of the finale... why the hell not? Then over the course of ME2/shadowbroker it appeared that Liara was keen.. and I liked her.. so by 3.. we finally got together. Was lovely :)
Yes, absolutely!
Although in ME1 I played the default male character and he fell for Ashley I went femshep in ME2. Femshep was quite enthusiastic when she saw Liara again and that's where it all started. After Samara turned her down she helped Liara find the shadow broker and she was heartbroken when they ways parted.
In ME3 the two finally found each other ("You're special, Liara." - "Show me." - I almost cried). After one final goodbye femshep is now lying under rubble of London waiting for Liara to save her... hopefully.
My first game of ME1 way back on launch day was started with a FemShep who got cozy with the Consort (because for her just that trinket and a few words didn't seem like enough payment) and then she proceeded to fall head over heels for Liara once she rescued her from Therum and never looked back. All of my FemShep's since have been with Liara since ME1 and they all stayed faithful in ME2, because none of her options in 2 were any kind of competition for the blue goddess who took on the Shadow Broker to get Shep's body back on the chance that Cerberus might be able to resurrect her. When it came time to go after the Shadow Broker Shep was only too happy to help and she took great joy in taking out Vasir for insulting Liara and she meant every bit of the marriage, old age and a lot of little blue children line. She also totally meant that promise to always come back too. In ME3 my FemShep's have all stayed with Liara because really who else is there? They've even met the future father-in-law and traded threats. My FemShep's also thought Traynor was insane for hitting on them with Liara just 2 decks down and were definitely smart enough to stay sitting in the chair while Traynor was in the shower, Liara was pretty scary when she went off on Javik after Thessia so I'd hate to see her go off on poor Shep.
Hi Just joined the site. Started ME2 last week and I'm very close to finishing it.
The reason I have become such a fan of this game is mainly due to the 'Queering' of the characters... (personally, I enjoy the queering of anything).
I asked myself why this was such an important aspect of this game in particular, as I play a lot of games and don't usually feel such a strong connection (only exception is my great love affair with Lydia, Skrim). I realise it is simply because I can create a character that reflects my own sexuality and not be limited by the usual gender boundaries present in video games. But it is more than that obviously, the fantastic narrative and gameplay help, A LOT! But the seemingly small choice of my characters sexuality gives this game a completely new dimension, I like the freedom to choose.
I love playing as a Female, and I also have a very large Alien crush on Liara - however, sadly because I am a PS3 gamer I haven't been able to pursue a relationship with her... Its nice to know I could if I wanted too (despite my consoles limitations).
Now I just have to get my girlfriend to play it, convince her we need to play ME1, and that buying an xbox to do so is not a waste of money, and the PS3 is not going to get jealous. :D
Don't feel too bad AmandaDS, Liara may not be on the Normandy in ME2 but if you chose her as Shepard's LI during the motion comic at the beginning of the PS3 version you are in for a treat later on with Liara, just remember to pay close attention to your personal message's. Her romance is the only one that truly spans all the 3 games is all I'll say.
I did the Shadow Broker DLC (it was included with my game anyway) and sort of picked up hints of a romance.. However, I did this before realising there was a 'comic' thingy.
I'll just have to replay the game (I was going to anyway) to see how things pan out for Shep and Liara. *exciting*
I would recommend replaying it because Shadow Broker is worth a replay just for the continuation of their romance, especially going into ME3. FemShep/Liara is so much fun to play in the series, especially from Shadow Broker into the 3rd game.
Yer absolutely right .. a full replay of all 3 is worth it for Liara romance.
Liara is always worth it.
"I know."
"I know!"
"There we go"
"You're enjoying this!"
Liara is so cute.. *aww* :)