text:
Anti-glomerular-basement membrane antibodies (anti-GBM)
Immune mediated injuries comprise a major bulk of renal disorders that mostly manifest as acute or chronic glomerulonephritides. Besides initial investigations for renal disorders, diagnosis of immune mediated renal diseases requires a battery of immunological tests and renal histopathology. The laboratory tests include anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) followed by anti-double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid antibodies (antidsDNA) and/or anti-extractable nuclear antigens (anti-ENA), complement levels (C3, C4, factor H), rheumatoid factor (RF), C reactive proteins (CRP), anti-streptococcal antibodies including anti streptolysin-O titer (ASOT) and anti-deoxyribonuclease B (anti-DNAse B), anti-neutrophilcytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), anti-glomerular-basement membrane antibodies (anti-GBM), cryoglobulins detection, anti-phospholipid antibodies, nephritic factor, anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibodies (anti-PLA2R) etc. The correct interpretation of these tests by an immunologist in collaboration with histopathologists and nephrologists is the key to an accurate diagnosis and successful management of patients with renal diseases. A brief overview of the tests from the immunologist's perspectives for the diagnosis and monitoring of renal disorders is given in this review.
Customarily renal injury or failure are broadly classified as pre-renal (azotemia), post-renal (obstructive) and interstitial renal (vascular, parenchymal or tubular) diseases. Depending on the clinical course and development of renal dysfunction, renal disorders are also categorized as acute and chronic diseases [1,2].
Baseline investigations in any kind of renal disorder include complete blood picture, detailed urine report with or without culture and sensitivity, serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and creatinine clearance, 24 h urinary protein excretion, fraction excretion of sodium and albumin, cystatin C and radiological investigations such as ultrasound, computed tomography scanning etc. [3,4].
Most of the renal diseases result due to immune mediated injury mainly manifesting as glomerulonephritides (GN) [4]. GN can be primary or it may be a part of other autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with multiple organ involvement or vasculitis [5]. Immunopathogenesis of GN involves activation of complement cascades and coagulation pathways, recruitment of inflammatory cells and release of proinflammatory cytokines. Other important mechanisms include failure of apoptosis and intraglomerular hemodynamic changes. Progression to fibrosis and scarring depends upon the rate of antigen clearance or their persistence [1,5].
Manuscripts can be uploaded online at Editorial Tracking System https://www.pulsus.com/submissions/clinical-nephrology-research.html or as an email attachment to email@example.com
Thanks and Regards,
Editorial Manager,
Jessica Aaron
Clinical Nephrology and Research
Contact: +32-2-808-7017


text:
Content Count17
Last visited
Days Won2
Community Reputation3 Neutral
About Grainger
- Birthday March 2
Profile Information
Recent Profile Visitors
1171 profile views
Since a few days I own an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. I want gauges for for the CPU clock cores, but 16 gauges are a little bit to much for my small display (Mimo 7" USB-Display). So I build a set of double (half) gauges. As font I used Consolas with size 8. Hope you enjoy it. Double_Gauge.rar
I'm using a 7" MiMo USB-Display with a resolution of 800x480 for my sensorpanel. I modified the medium standard gauges a little bit, hope you enjoy it. Custom_Gauge.zip
Asus ROG STRIX GTX 1080 - external fan connect
Grainger replied to Grainger's topic in BrainstormingI noticed that external fan speed in percent is implemented in the latest beta. And it is functioning. Great work. But there is an (small) issue: My Asus GTX 1080 is semi passive and I configured it so, that fans started at 55°C with 35%. AIDA64 is reporting this fine, but with something like a kind of time lag. Sensor Display starts with 2-3% and than goes in steps from 2-3% until 35%. That takes about 60 seconds. When the fans stopped it is the same, the display changes slowly until it reached 0%.
Asus ROG STRIX GTX 1080 - external fan connect
Grainger replied to Grainger's topic in BrainstormingHello Fiery, there is no way to separately control the 1st and the 2nd external fan with Asus GPU Tweak II, even with the latest beta Version 220.127.116.11. Both external fans have always the same fan speed. But for the dumps I connected two external fans as requested, beginning with 26% (the lowest fan speed that Auto Calibration allows. Nvidia_GPU_Registers_26.txt Nvidia_GPU_Registers_33.txt Nvidia_GPU_Registers_62.txt Nvidia_GPU_Registers_88.txt Nvidia_SMBus_Registers_26.txt Nvidia_SMBus_Registers_33.txt Nvidia_SMBus_Registers_62.txt Nvidia_SMBus_Registers_88.txt
Asus ROG STRIX GTX 1080 - external fan connect
Grainger replied to Grainger's topic in BrainstormingIn these dumps is only one fan connected. Tomorrow I connect a second fan and make the requested dumps.
Asus ROG STRIX GTX 1080 - external fan connect
Grainger replied to Grainger's topic in BrainstormingHere are the files. GPU Tweak II shows only the external fan speed in percent and not the rpm. While creating the dumps I set the fan speed manually to 100 percent. Nvidia_GPU_Registers.txt Nvidia_SMBus_Registers.txt
Asus ROG STRIX GTX 1080 - external fan connect
Grainger posted a topic in BrainstormingMy Asus ROG STRIX GTX 1080 has two PWM-connectors for external fans. GPU Tweak II (Software from Asus) could read and display the fan speed of these external fans, is there a way to display this in AIDA (Sensor Panel) too?
C6H and BIOS 6201: With BIOS 6201 and with AIDA64 5.97.4640 Beta there are no more fan issues since 1 week. I tested the system for many hours under realistic conditions (encoding more than 10 blurays with handbrake).
Thx. Received 5.97.4640 Beta with the Auto-Update. Asus WMI Sensor is enabled by default. All seems to be fine, only the sensor reading from my Corsair H110i AiO-Pump displays 0 rpm in the sensorpanel. But after assigning the sensor new to the AiO its running too. PS: should Asus ATKEX Sensor (Asus ROG) enabled too?
I'm glad to hear that.
New Beta-BIOS 6201 released: • AGESA 188.8.131.52c• Fixes fan calibration wrongly detecting 90+% min duty• Fixes APM settings (restore power on AC loss)• Adds an ACPI-WMI interface for sensor readings. It's the first release and may still have bugs. For example there's an issue where some temperatures and VRM current will read 0 at the moment. Latest HWInfo64 Beta will pick this up, not sure about others. This is the SIO sensor fix you've been waiting for. It will only be working fully when all software are using it. Now waiting for an AIDA64-Update…
elmor on overclock.net:
Then there must be another reason why the error in my system almost does not occur. But it is sad that ASUS uses such a cheap sensor on one of their premium boards just to maximize the profit by a few cents.
Sorry for the late reply. The answer is simple: I tested it with BIOS 3008 and the issue ist nearly fixed (but in rare circumstances the fans run with 100% again after waking up the system from sleep).
With the latest Beta-BIOS 3008 for the C6H the issue seems to be fixed. http://www.overclock.net/t/1624603/rog-crosshair-vi-overclocking-thread/30540#post_26473617

subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Austin Lashley
Driving around Bellevue and Redmond, it is impossible to not notice the widespread construction along SR 520 and I-405. Sound Transit is pushing forward with their 30-year master plan, kicking off one of the largest light rail expansions in the United States. The new East Link extension will connect Seattle to the Eastside business hubs of Bellevue and Redmond. The new light rail line will debut in 2023, providing Puget Sound commuters and businesses with a greater sense of interconnectivity. The East Link Extension runs 14 miles with 10 stations starting in Seattle's International District, extending over the I-90 floating bridge, Mercer Island, through Bellevue's Central Business District and reaching Downtown Redmond by 2024. The light rail system is estimated to carry over 50,000 passengers a day once fully operational.
The East Link extension will drastically impact the business scape of the greater Seattle area. Currently, companies face a workforce mobility issue when choosing between the traditionally "suburban" Eastside and "urban" Seattle markets. However, with the Eastside's rapid development over the last 20 years, business centers such Bellevue and Redmond have evolved into more suburban-urban settings, fostering a dynamic business environment while also attracting a highly talented workforce. The new transit system will lower barriers of mobility and allow traditionally Seattle based employers to consider the Eastside as a new office space alternative.
The State of Washington estimates by 2030 demand for cross Lake Washington transit will more than double and Eastside job growth will continue to exceed national averages. Once the East Link extension is complete, many areas of Bellevue will have direct access to Downtown Seattle, with shorter commute times than some Seattle neighborhoods. This new reality and business landscape will considerably change how companies view the greater Seattle office market and further escalate demand throughout the Eastside.
Alongside the East Link extension new office developments are already being planned. Vulcan Real Estate is looking to make their Eastside debut in the next 4-5 years with proposed developments on Bellevue's 106th Avenue and 108th Avenue, which would total approximately two million square feet of new office space. The Bel-Red corridor is also seeing the effects of the East Link extension with new developments already under construction. The Spring District, home to REI's new headquarters which will deliver in 2020, contains approximately 800,000 square feet of office space, 20,000 square feet of retail, and over 800 apartment units in the first two of three phases. The development is centered around the new light rail with a designated Spring District station on 120th Street. The light rail will incentivize further transit-oriented developments throughout suburban Bellevue and Redmond. The economic outlook of the Eastside is bright, and the addition of the East Link light rail will only increase commercial real estate development and interconnectivity of Seattle and the greater Eastside.
Austin Lashley is an associate vice president of Hughes Marino, an award-winning commercial real estate company with offices across the nation. Contact Austin at 1-844-662-6635 or firstname.lastname@example.com to learn more.


text:
Stand-in captain Ahmed Musa led the Super Eagles to record their first win of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Cup qualifiers after defeating Seychelles 3-0 in their Group E clash in Victoria on Saturday.
Goals from Musa, Chidozie Awaziem and Odion Ighalo gave the Gernot Rohr's men a comfortable win in the encounter.
The win puts the Eagles in third position with three points in the group following a goalless draw between table toppers Libya and second placed South Africa, who both have four points, in Durban on Saturday.
The win was the first for the Eagles in two years away from home. Their last away win was against Zambia in Ndola in a Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier in October 2016.
With several team regulars, including captain Mikel Obi out due to injuries, Rohr handed a debut to Bordeaux forward Samuel Kalu while Francis Uzoho started in goal with Bryan Idowu, Chidozie Awaziem, Kenneth Omeruo and Leon Balogun in the defence. Wilfred Ndidi and Ogenyi Onazi were in the midfield while Musa, Kalu, Kelechi Iheanacho and Odion Ighalo were in the attack.
Nigeria, who struggled on the artificial pitch, dominated the match from the start pegging the hosts back at Stade Linte. The Eagles were aggressive in the attack with Kalu and Musa constantly troubling the hosts and forcing them to defend in numbers.
The hosts packed their defence in the first half and soaked the pressure piled by Nigeria until the deadlock was broken after 15 minutes. Musa fired home a thunderous strike from the edge of the box which beat Jerome Longueuil in goal for Seychelles.
The Eagles doubled their lead in the 34th minute when Awaziem finished off a rebound after Iheanacho's free kick bounced off the upright. Ighalo fluffed a chance to make it 3-0 three minutes later – after he beat the offside trap by the Seychelles defenders, his lob over the goalkeeper came off the crossbar.
At the start of the second half, the Eagles continued piling pressure on the hosts and were rewarded with a goal three minutes before the hour mark. Kalu was brought down in the box and the resultant spot kick was converted by Ighalo, for his fifth Nigeria goal and to end his nine-game goal drought for the Eagles.
The China-based striker missed another chance several minutes later after he failed to shoot clearly on target.
Rohr brought on Oghenekaro Etebo for Iheanacho, Semi Ajayi for Awaziem, who was injured, and Henry Onyekuru for Kalu but neither of them could add to the tally.
The Eagles host Libya in their next match in October while Seychelles travel to South Africa.


text:
Articles by J. Tys
Pressurized methods for grading the vulnerability of pods splitting
Int. Agrophys. 1999, 13(3): 391–394
Rapeseed storage and their mechanical strength
Int. Agrophys. 2000, 14(2): 255–257
Changes to the composition of colorants caused by the temperature of drying rapeseed
Int. Agrophys. 2002, 16(4): 307–312
Estimation of physical results of percussive loads in wheat and triticale seed
Int. Agrophys. 2002, 16(4): 297–300
Sources for contamination of rapeseed with benzo(a)pyrene
Int. Agrophys. 2003, 17(3): 131–135
Influence of application of plant growth regulators and desiccants on a yield and quality of winter oilseed rape
Int. Agrophys. 2008, 22(1): 67–70
Influence of storage conditions on microbial quality of rapeseed cake and middlings
Int. Agrophys. 2010, 24(3): 261–265
Most read


text:
As memories of summer fade and we look back on some great times you might think that opportunities to enjoy social nudity are also on the wane - but you'd be wrong!
There are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy naturism over the autumn and winter months in London and the South-East, and we're already working on some exciting plans for Spring and Summer 2020
If swimming is your thing, then why not come along to one of the regular swims we hold across the region - naturist swimming is a great way to discover the freedom of clothes-free recreation, once you've tried it once wearing a swimming costume will always seem like a chore!
We hold regular swims in London, Eastbourne, Ewell, Southampton and Alton - you'll be sure of a warm welcome at all these
If you prefer your naturism a little more 'free-range' our friends in Stark Trekkers will be holding walks throughout the autumn and winter months. We have the freedom to enjoy the great outdoors naked, and a naturist walk is a great opportunity to experience this from a different perspective, with some great company thrown in!
We'll continue to hold naked Yoga sessions every week throughout the year in London - there are beginners classes and sessions for those with more experience, so there is something for everyone
We also have an exciting programme of one-off events planned for the next few months - check back here for more information but we're planning opportunities for naked dining in the heart of central London, monthly social opportunities to meet other naturists if you are new to social nudity and want to find out more and even a boat trip
To hear more about all of these events, and to get the latest information first why not Join Us
We're also working hard with a major national charity to bring you some unique naked events in 2020 - which could be the perfect 'excuse' to try naturism for the first time or to get naked in a new location whilst raising money for a very good cause. Watch this space!
If you want to know more about anything we're doing - or if you an idea for a naturist event that you'd like us to promote or help you organise do get in touch - email@example.com


text:
Social Media Monitoring policies (Colorado State Patrol)
|Multi Request
|Social Media Monitoring policies
|July 8, 2018
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
From: Emma Best
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Colorado Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:
Copies of your Agency's social media monitoring policies and guidelines, as well as any assessments of its privacy or legal implications.
I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the Internet Archive and MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.
As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 business days, as the statute requires.
Emma Best
From: Colorado State Patrol
Good morning Emma -
My name is Kimberly, your recent request for CSP Policy has been sent to
me. Please review the attached policy, and let me know if there is
anything additional I may assist you with.
Thank you,
*Kimberly Ramsey*
Colorado State Patrol
Central Records Unit
700 Kipling St.
Lakewood, CO 80215
303-239-4477 Office
Please assist us in measuring our response to your request for Colorado
State Patrol - Criminal Justice Records. Please take a short 3 question
survey that can be found by following the link below.
*Trooper Josh K. Lewis*
CSP Public Affairs
700 Kipling St.
Lakewood CO 80215
CSP on Facebook <http://facebook.com/Coloradostatepatrol> - CSP on the Web
- CSP on Twitter <http://twitter.com/CSP_News>


text:
The way we consume video has changed since the days of broadcast TV, VCRs and cable. Today, the content can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, PCs, VR goggles and even TVs. With so many different outlets and technologies, content creators have more options to develop and launch innovative games, movies, destinations and more. The new partnership between Nokia (News - Alert) and Technicolor will bring together two leading companies in their respective industries to start creating live-action 360 projects for immersive VR content using the OZO+ camera and content creation tools at the Technicolor (News - Alert) Experience Center (TEC) in Los Angeles.
In this partnership, the role for Technicolor will be to provide its experience in the media and entertainment sector spanning more than a century. Technicolor has evolved into a powerhouse of digital evolution by investing in R&D with world-class laboratories to deliver video services for content creators and distributors around the world. This investment has resulted in a portfolio of intellectual property covering a wide range of innovations in imaging and sound technologies. The company has also diversified into gaming and animation by partnering with award-winning creative brands to create content.
The first project looks to educate professionals in the industry with a series of 360 Masterclass sessions held at TEC in Los Angeles. Using Nokia's OZO+ camera and OZO content creation, these professionals will have access to the hardware and software needed to create VR films as well as perspectives on how the platform differs from traditional cinematic experiences.
Nokia said, as part of this partnership, OZO+ will have residency at the TEC. The center, which is located in the movie capital of the world, Los Angeles, takes advantage of the resources available locally to bring together artists and scientists to develop technologies capable of leveraging the full potential of immersive media.
"In the creation of immersive content, live action cameras are key to the storytelling process, and Nokia has invested a lot of time and research in understanding how to provide content creators with the tools they need to produce high quality image capture. Technicolor has a long history in applying our industry leading color-science capabilities and image processing pipeline to work with camera manufacturers in order to create the highest quality capture techniques and outcomes," said Marcie Jastrow, SVP of Immersive Media and Head of the Technicolor Experience Center.
In addition to the OZO+ camera and OZO Creator technologies, Nokia is also bringing its VR stitching software, the new OZO Reality Platform, including OZO Deliver, OZO Player SDK, and Nokia VR format extensions. Together, these applications will ensure that content creators can deliver content that end users can access without compatibility issues by allowing for delivery and playback interoperability. Nokia says the interoperability extends to content captured with any high-quality VR camera system so the ecosystem can grow by bringing more users and creators together.


text:
Burtonsville Kitchen Remodeling provides full kitchen remodeling services in Burtonsville Maryland. We cover all your kitchen renovation needs, from basic faucet replacement to total kitchen space redesign and replacement.
Read more customers testimonials
Our Services:
- kitchen redesign for optimal space
- kitchen islands
- new or custom kitchen cabinets installation and building
- pantry installations and shelving
- kitchen counters – marble, high end, and extra-durable materials available
- new sink, faucets, fixtures
- garbage disposal or composter installation
- kitchen plumbing and electrical
- kitchen floor and wall tiles
- installation for major appliances
- vent replacement
- skylight or lighting
Examples of our work:
More photos in our portfolio page
Kitchen accessories stores
12745 Bexley Ter, Silver Spring, MD 20904
12024 Cherry Hill Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20904
12000 Cherry Hill Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20904
8821 Castlebury Ct, Laurel, MD 20723
3801 Sandy Spring Rd, Burtonsville, MD 20866
15908 Joyce Ln, Laurel, MD 20707
7414 Cherry Tree Dr, Fulton, MD 20759
2300 Broadbirch Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20904
15755 Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, MD 20866
zip codes
Burtonsville Kitchen accessories links
Euro Design Center, Panda Kitchen, Mid South Supply, Zimmermans, Kendall Hardware, Burtonsville Gov, Real Estate, Burtonsville Fire department, City data, Map of Buronsville
You can find DC Home Remodeling web site online using Google Yahoo and Bing using:
Burtonsville Kitchen Remodeling OR Burtonsville Kitchen Renovation


text:
Leave a comment:
Other articles:
How commercial kava farming is done in Fiji – An insight to Fiji's largest kava plantation.
In this post we will talk about how kava is farmed in Fiji on a commercial scale. The information is based on the first-hand experience I had staying over at our Gourmet Savusavu Waka farmer's kava plantation in Savusavu. They have the largest kava plantation in Fiji. I stayed over for three days at their main farm house (out of 7 farmhouses) where there is no electricity supply. Their water supply comes from a stream up on the hill side of the valley where his farm is based. There is also no communication (cell) network. Sadly I was not able to take as many photos as I could because my cell phone kept getting to low battery and I had to ration power supply from my power bank for the 3 days. But I did manage to get some great shots and videos to put on this post.
Let me tell you a bit about our farmer. He is a 24 year old who has taken most control of the plantation which his dad started. His dad had started the plantation alone is 1980's with 4 acres of land which was given to him by his father. In the early 90's he saw that the demand for kava was growing at a level to which he could not sustain, so he decided to take out a loan to hire workers and expand his plantation. After the loan got approved he went ahead to lease another 73 acres of land to plant kava on. At this rate he kept expanding the plantation because demand kept increasing and now he has a total of 243 acres of leased land, most of which has kava planted in them. We cannot release details of our farmer because of competitive reasons, but they are very well known in Savusavu. The family is so generous that they have been paying expenses for buildings for villages nearby and have also donated fields of kava to their church group. Our farmer has about 30 employees working for them on rotational bases that come from nearby villages. There are 3 main foremen who look after the farm aside from our farmer. They are paid double of what the normal workers are paid and also get the benefit of receiving free kasa cuttings (kava nodes) to go and plant back at their farms on days off. Some of the workers also get land allocations to plant/harvest their own kava on our farmers land. Occasionally, youth groups from various locations in Fiji come by to work in the farm in return of kasa cuttings. Below is picture of a kasa cutting, the cuttings used to grow kava.
Getting back to the farming now. A typical day at the plantation starts at 5am by which time everyone is awake and ready to go into the farm. Everyone gathers for a prayer session and they are off to the farm for the morning session. Below is a picture of the briefing given by our farmer wearing a light grey shirt to one set of workers. They have 2 vehicles used to transport 2 set of workers in and out of the plantation given its huge size. It takes about 1 hour to walk from 1 end of the farm to the other up till where kava has been planted. By vehicle it takes about 15 minutes so it saves time. The road going in and out is pretty rugged and worse when it rains. So the farmer uses land cruisers to get the job done.
The morning session usually involves cleaning the fields. Our farmer has his plantation sectioned out and each section as a name eg Siberia, Kazakhstan, PNG, USA etc. They use country names to refer to each section which needs to be worked on. Below is a video of 1 section and another farm house.
Cleaning for each section takes place once every month until the kava plant is tall enough to win competing for sunlight with other shrubs. If the plant does not get sufficient sunlight it will have a hard time growing into a fully matured plant. Below is a picture of the cleaning which occurred at one section.
The morning cleaning session usually takes around an hour or two before all the workers come back to the farm house for their breakfast. Breakfast is usually buns/bread made at the farm house the previous night with butter, jam and tea. Below is a picture of the custom built oven at the farmhouse in which the baking is done. I found it to be a very interesting design.
By 9am everyone is ready to head back to the farm. This session usually rotates around harvesting and planting kava. You would think that to run such a large operation, you would need to harvest a lot of kava plants, but it only takes 10 lovo pits to break even for the entire week. A lovo pit is a bunch of kava plants grouped together. Out of the 10 lovo pits comes about 700 kasa cuttings which are replanted to make about 35 lovo pits. In each lovo pit about 16 to 18 kasa cuttings are planted out of which 8 to 10 survive till harvest. This is the reason why each lovo pit yields a lot of kava. On a typical day, about 15 to 20 lovo pits are harvested. Below is a video of the yield which comes from 1 lovo pit.
That harvest is from a 3 year old plant. Below is a picture of how massive this plant grows to in the farm. The two guys are about 1.7m in height and they are standing on thick tree log which is giving them about 50cm additional height from the ground where the kava plants base is. I would say the plant is about 3 meters in height and its just 3 years old. When I asked my farmer about the age of the plant he was quite upfront and said its just 3 years old and many farmers all over Fiji and maybe in some other countries may show plants as such and claim that the kava is 10-12 years old when really they are not.
By 1pm all the workers have wrapped up with the work to be done and bring back the harvest loaded on the land cruisers back to the farm house. Now its lunch time and during my 3 days stay there, the lunch was boiled cassava (tapioca), boiled bele (Slippery cabbage) in coconut milk and some form of meat usually canned mackerel. The farm house is occupied by 2 workers everyday on a rotational basis whose responsibility is to cook for everyone while the rest are working on the plantation.
After lunch, workers get to work in grading, peeling, chopping and cleaning the harvest ready for the dryer which is used for drying the kava. The big lateral roots are called number 1 waka, the smaller lateral roots are called number 2 waka, sometimes the basel stems are peeled to be called white lawena, sometimes they are not peeled and are referred to as black lawena. The part which is above the basel stem till the kasa cutting is referred to as cut piece. The leftover tiny root pieces which are scraped up are referred to as "Bomb". All these parts are sold at different prices and in our farmers case to different customers. We buy only the number 1 waka which is the cream of the harvest and the most expensive! The cheapest part is the cut piece in which he mixes the white lawena peelings usually. Our Savusavu farmer reuses all the kasa cuttings to expand his farm but in other farms where land is limited, the farmers tend to sell the dried kasa cuttings too. This is referred to as "Black kasa". If these kasa cuttings are peeled, they are referred to as "white kasa". Even the peelings are sold off to some buyers and these are referred to as "Civicivi".
Our farmer uses firewood from trees which were fell to make way for kava planting. These trees are littered around the plantation to be dried for a few months before it is cut up and taken back to the farmhouse dryer to use as a fuel source. Fire drying is necessary for commercial scale farming in savusavu or it will delay harvest times and be a problem when it rains. It rains quite a lot in Savusavu which is one of the major reasons why our farmer uses a fire dryer. Some of you may have noticed the smoky smell which comes from our Gourmet Savusavu Waka. That is because of the fire drying. Below is a picture of kava harvest being processed for the fire dryer. The processing area gets quite dirty because of the soil being washed off the kava. However, there is still dirt left on the kava which we wash off at our processing facility in Nadi using pressure washers. Most exporters in Fiji don't wash the kava and process it into powder as is. That's why you often find some Fijian kavas tasting nasty. The taste is made worse from dirt, mildew and wet/rotting kavas.
Below is a picture of the dryer from far. You can notice smoke emanating from the dryer. Our farmer and I had a discussion about this and we have bought him some exhaust fans to use on a chimney he plans to build to remove smoke from the burning chamber. He still is working on getting that set up.
Below is a picture of the sketchy bridge which needs to be crossed to get to the farmhouse. Its broken ¾ of the way and is held together by cables. The stream which flows by the farm house is a source of renewable energy and on my visit I recommended them that the flow of the stream which is greater towards another end can be used to generate electricity to power up the farmhouse. We are still working on finding a solution to this as the stream floods under heavy rain.
Once the kava has been set in the dryer, it's a waiting game. It takes about 10 hours for the kava to sufficiently dry before it's taken out from the dryer and placed out in the sun to remove most of the smoky smell. A worker tends to the dryer from time to time throughout the night to see if it has enough firewood. The kava is prepped by 6pm ready for the fire dryer and placed in it overnight for drying. By 4am it is removed from the dryer and laid out to sun for the next morning for a few hours. After this the kava is put into the bulk all laid out. It is bagged the following morning when the kava has absorbed some moisture back. This is done to preserve the roots from breaking up during bagging. In Fiji, the roots are the premium product of the kava plant and are typically laid out on table tops in the market for display. Fully intact roots are more appealing to buyers and attract more value than broken up roots. Below is a picture of how kava roots are displayed in the market.
Dinner for the workers is always a heavy one. The farmhouse has a chicken coup which feeds the workers in terms of providing eggs and chicken meat. All meals for workers are provided by our farmer. The plantation location is very remote. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the farm from Savusavu Town. The plantation is truly remarkable. In the 15 minute drive towards the end of the farm from the beginning you will see kava planted on both sides of the road extending up to the hills with a depth of maybe 500 - 600m. It is indeed the largest kava plantation in Fiji and we are glad to be one of the very few selected customers of our Savusavu farmer.
I hope this has been an interesting read and you have gained more knowledge about how kava is commercially farmed in Fiji.
Why don't I feel effects of kava? What am I doing wrong? An article for the novice
As a person who is new to kava you may be wondering why kava isn't working for you? How is it that your friends are giving all praises for kava while you don't feel anything? It is not that kava doesn't work or there maybe something wrong with you. In this article we will provide you an array of things to consider which will help you pin-point what might be stopping you from feeling the effects of kava.
We have arranged these factors into two categories. The first is the internal factors you must consider and the other is the external factors which may be at play.
Internal Factors
- Experiencing reverse tolerance
You may have heard of this term a number of times from your kava drinking buddies when you told them about your situation. This reverse tolerance phenomenon does occur with kava and it could be something you may be facing which is why you don't feel the effects of kava YET. It doesn't happen with everyone but you maybe a special case like few others. The important thing to note here is that you need to continue with using kava to have your important "breakthrough". For more information about reverse tolerance read our article Kava & Reverse Tolerance after this.
- Not drinking kava on an empty stomach
One cannot stress the importance of drinking kava on an empty stomach. You need to fast for at least 2 hours before drinking kava. The reason behind this is that kavalactones get more easily absorbed by the body on an empty stomach rather than one which is full with food. There is no scientific explanation for this but that's a conclusion which can be drawn out from general observation. Even veterans don't feel the full effects when drinking kava with a full stomach.
- Not preparing the kava correctly
The main goal in kava preparation is to ensure that all the soft particles of the kava powder are loosened from the hard particles (makas) and kneaded through the strainer which you use. It takes time and plenty of effort to do this and there is no easy way to prepare unless if you purchase micronized or instant kava. You can use a blender to blend the powder in water to shorten the kneading process but be sure to blend in short bursts to avoid heating the kava. Heating the kava will make the liquid gelatinous and impossible to strain or drink.
- Discarding the most important part of the kava drink
The sediment that settles to the bottom of the bowl during preparation is what contains up to 70% of the effects which you would experience from kava. It is very important to drink that sediment. The sediment is very quick to settle to the bottom of the bowl so ensure that you mix the liquid thoroughly before drinking the kava and not to throw away that sediment. You should also drink the kava half cup at a time (120mL) and space out each drink at least 8 to 10 minutes apart and no more than that. If you get nauseous from drinking so quickly or drinking the sediment then suck on a hard candy in between drinking the kava. This will help alleviate the nausea.
- Eating right after drinking kava.
Usually you begin to experience the heady effects of kava after 20 to 30 minutes of your first drink. It begins very subtle then peaks and phases out within an hour at most. Do not eat anything for at least an hour after your last kava drink. The heavy/relaxation effect of kava usually stays even after eating but the heady effects will stop once you have a meal.
- Not using enough kava
Everyone is different and for that reason some people may require up to 2 tablespoons of kava to feel its effects and some may require up to 12 tablespoons. Just as some people are more sensitive and some are less sensitive to things they put into their bodies, it is no different for herbal supplements. You should know that there is no overdosing risk in kava. The worse that can happen with drinking too much kava is nausea and losing body coordination, both of which are temporary. It's nothing substantial to warrant a visit to the hospital. Feel free to experiment with dosage to see where you stand. It could be that your body requires 8 tablespoons of kava in the beginning and later on require less as your body gets attuned on what to expect from a kava session. Keep experimenting with the kava doses if you don't feel anything.
External Factors
- Purchasing low quality kava
Often time's people who are new to kava are unable to determine which kava they should purchase from which vendor. It's not always the case that the most expensive kavas are of higher quality and not often that the cheapest of kavas are the best bang for your buck. However, do not make the mistake of going for a cheaper priced kava during the initial stages of experimenting. Cheaper kavas are notoriously known for being a hit or miss in effects so it maybe that the kava itself just doesn't work rather than it specifically not work for you. It's better to buy from a well-reviewed vendor in the initial stage of trying kava. If you have bought kava from a vendor and it didn't work, try from other vendors to see how their products compare. This is because even kava which you and your friend bought from the same vendor can have varying batches and this will be a problem in determining why you aren't feeling any effects. Also remember that it's not always the most popular vendors that have the best products. Often time's people buy from the first vendor they find through Google and it could turn out to be a vendor who has been around for many years but is selling low quality kavas. Always go for well-reviewed kava vendors rather than the more popular ones. Always check online reviews of vendors before purchasing their products.
- Taking other medications with kava
When trying out kava always keep in mind that there is a possibility that you might not be able to experience the effects of kava due to other medications. Kava needs to be taken on its own without any other medications interfering with your senses. It is very subtle compared to other herbal medications but quite powerful on its own. Ensure that you have a clean system when you try kava to be able to sense its effects more acutely.
These are just some of the factors we hope you might look into to help uncover why you are not feeling the effects of kava. If we may have missed something important please feel free to contribute in form of a comment.
What is the Right Kava Dosage for You?
Researching about kava online is pretty easy. You can find out what kava is, how kava can benefit you, where kava is sold and how to prepare kava for consumption. One of the harder questions to find answers to is how to determine the right kava dosage for you. This is a personalized and complicated question to which there is no standard answer available online. Of course your kava vendor will probably provide you with dosage suggestion on the label of the packaging your kava comes in (Supplement Facts), but in reality, you need to experiment with kava to determine what dosage works for you. The right kava dosage depends on 3 core variables which you should know about being new to kava. In this post, we will talk in detail about those 3 variables to help you figure out your right kava dosage.
This post is primarily for people who are starting their kava journey, but it can be useful for experienced kava consumers as well, especially those who take kava medicinally. Since kava prices are soaring due to shortage of supply and increase in demand, it is vital to get the most out of the kava you purchase. On one hand, you could focus on maximizing extraction of the kavalactones from the kava you purchase while on the other, you could focus on attaining the right dosage of kava for anxiety relief or other medicinal uses to minimize kava wastage (using too much kava)
Before we delve further into this topic, one should note that the United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved kava for the treatment of any ailment. However, people still use kava as an aphrodisiac, a cognitive aid, to combat feelings of restlessness and irritability, and for symptoms of alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal. Since the FDA has not approved kava for the treatment of any ailment, no regulated standard dosing guideline exists. This means vendors are free to suggest any dosage they deem appropriate.
Clinical trials so far have substantially proven that kava is natural herb which is reliable and effective for the treatment of anxiety and other cognitive issues. You can check out all research done so far HERE. In most of these trials, the subjects were given between 300mg to 400mg kavalactones on a daily basis. The dosage was divided into 3 doses within a 24 hour span which means you need approximately between 100mg to 135mg kavalactones for each dose to get anxiety relief from kava. This range should be considered as a good starting point for dosing kava.
Now that you know the base dose to begin experimenting from, let's get to the 3 core factors you need to consider when you are experimenting with the kava to determine the right dosage for you.
1) Reverse Tolerance
If you are new to kava, this is one of the very first problems you could face when trying to figure out the right kava dosage. Reverse tolerance doesn't happen with everyone. But if you have bought kava from a revered vendor and it hasn't been working for you, chances are that you are experiencing reverse tolerance. Most people seem to give up at this stage thinking that kava doesn't work for them. You must understand that reverse tolerance is a real thing ( Yes, it is possible for you to be going through it) and it will take time for you to get past it whether it takes a few days or a few weeks. You could need to go through a few shells to a few pounds of kava powder to get through reverse tolerance. But trust us, your patience will be rewarded and will probably change your life for the better. If you don't think so, read our post "How Kava Supplement has Saved 4 Lives" to see the power of kava.
2) Your Need for Kava
The right dosage depends why you are using kava. In some instances you may require more kavalactones in your system for pain relief or bodily effects as compared to anxiety relief. The effectiveness of kava is also determined by your body type and height. Usually taller and heavier people require more amounts of kavalactones (kava's active ingredient) to experience desirable effects while shorter and lighter people require much less amounts. Your body's sensitivity to substances is also something worth considering when finding the right dosage. Some people are overly sensitive to kava while some just need more kavalactones in their system to feel the effects.
3) The Kava Itself
Kava comes in different forms such as pills, powder, extracts and has different kavalactone concentrations. We recommend purchasing kava in natural powder form and avoiding extracts and pills. Each kava cultivar also has a unique set of beneficial effects. Generally the effects of different cultivars can be summarised as calming, pain relieving, sleep inducing, mood elevating and increasing sociability. All kavas provide general anxiety relief for all 5 major types of anxiety but you will find that some cultivars work better for a particular type of anxiety than others. For example, cultivars with mood elevating and increasing sociability effects works better for Social Anxiety than other kavas in general. A good way to determine which kava suitable for you would be to go through reviews of the particular kava cultivar to see how it affected others. A good collection of reviews can be found HERE. You should note that retailed kavas generally differ from batch to batch so it's wise to look at more recent reviews than older ones. The reviews would paint a fair idea of what a particular type of kava is best for.
After experimenting to find out which cultivar suits your need, you will need to determine exactly how many mg of kavalactones needs to be in your system to get desired effects. This can be calculated using the simple formula below after noting the amount of kava powder used.
- For Traditional Grind Kava
- For Micronized or Instant Kava
Once you know how many grams of kavalactones you need, you can use the formula below to determine how many grams of powder you will have to use for each dose.
- For Traditional Grind Kava
- For Micronized or Instant Kava
You may be wondering where in the article it tells how much water (or other liquids) to use. This is totally up to you. Even if you water down the kava, you will still be consuming the same amount of kavalactones. Bear in mind though that the lesser liquid you use in preparing traditional kava powder, the lower will be its extraction efficiency factor. 0.2 is a factor which we determined from experience.
These formulas may seem complicated but it is fairly straightforward. If you want to use kava as a medicine, the above formulas will be very helpful in maximizing your kava usage and determining the right amount of powder to use for desired effects. We recommend sticking to the 3 forms of kava specified in the post and avoid pills, tinctures or extracts which are usually considered ineffective because of quality issues.
We must say that while getting the right dosage is beneficial, you should know that there is nothing wrong with consuming too much kava. It is completely safe (non-lethal) unlike other substances out there. But there is a chance you may experience nausea and feel drunk (groggy) from the kava if taking excessively during a short period. That is why it is not recommended to drive or operate heavy machinery after consuming too much kava. A good sleep after consuming too much kava will solve everything, so you don't need to worry about incurring hospital bills.
We hope that this article has shed some light about the infamous kava dosage question and that you find the right kava dosage for you. Bula!
Everything you need to know about Micronized Kava.
Micronized kava seems to be a very ambiguous topic when it comes to kava because there isn't much information available online about it. A person who is looking to start his or her kava journey usually first attempts to get kava that is relatively easy to prepare with very little steps and is the least expensive. The notion of buying medium grind kava, a strainer, properly dosing, kneading and straining seems overly complicated to someone who's just looking to experiment with kava to see if it really works. Micronized kava and Instant kava are two of the most common grades of kava which comes to mind to offer to the novice with micronized being the least expensive and ideal choice. So what exactly is micronized kava? Even a veteran kava drinker will not be able to answer all the questions about micronized kava. Whats the difference between medium grind and micronized kava? Is micronized kava worth the price? Whats the impact of having the makas removed to produce micronized kava? Should i only get micronized kava from vendors who claim to remove the makas from kava prior to it being dried? Will consuming the makas cause any harm? How can I tell if a micronized kava i purchased contains makas? So many questions come to mind yet very little information is available about this topic. In this post, we attempt to answer as many of the important questions possible to provide you a central location to refer to if you are wondering what micronized kava is all about.
To begin answering this long list of questions we first need to understand what exactly is micronized kava and how did it originate. It is very difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the coined term of micronized kava because there is no historical record available of how and when improvements have been made to kava processing techniques. We assume that the term originated in USA through a few pioneer kava vendors who sought to make the process of preparing kava easier for consumers but make it seem different to instant kava.
What is micronized kava?
To put it in simple terms, micronized kava is the equivalent of instant dried kava powder. It is kava powder which is so fine in particle size that you only need to mix it to your beverage of choice and its ready to drink. It does not require any process of kneading/ blending and straining like how it would for traditional/ medium grind kava powder.
What makes micronized kava different from traditional/ medium grind kava?
Analyzing the composition of the powders
To answer this we first need to understand what makes up medium grind kava. We know that medium grind kava contains 3 components which are visible to the naked eye apart from the active ingredient known as kavalactones.
- Makas (hard fibers usually lighter colored than the powder but in exceptionally light colored kava powders it can appear darker),
- Root flesh (soft plant material usually powdered)
- Root skin (dark/blackish particles which become more evident after preparation when looking at the strained leftovers).
All three of these components contain kavalactones but the concentration differs in each component. It had been researched in the past that the skin of the kava plant contains the highest amount of kavalactones by weight. This would mean the skin of the roots have the highest kavalactones which is followed by the flesh and then the makas which contains the least (Based on our own findings).
Micronized kava also contains 3 components similar to medium grind kava but the particle sizes are at micron levels (very small) which means it can be consumed directly without straining.
Why is micronized kava more expensive than medium grind kava if it consists of the same components?
Micronized kava can further be categorized depending on an additional step being taken before it is processed. Kava vendors normally retail one particular type of micronized kava dependent on their processing technique.
There are 2 categories. Simple micronized kava and makas reduced micronized kava (often referred to as makas free micronized kava).
- Simple or often considered as the lowest grade of micronized kava is usually made by taking dried kava roots and processing it until it is so fine in size that it can be easily mixed into water and consumed. This grade is usually the cheapest in price and sometimes very close to the price of traditional/medium grind kava. This micronized grade produces a beverage like belowIf you zoom in onto the picture you will notice debris floating at the top of the beverage. Those are some of the makas component of the kava root. Makas is the hardest part of the kava plant and generally cannot be micronized under impact milling machinery. A commercial ball mill which works on the principles of friction is needed to reduce the particle size of the makas to an acceptable size for consuming. But the problem with using any friction principled mill is that it tends to heat and deteriorate the material being micronized which in the case is not ideal for kava as the active ingredients (kavalactones) start to reduce at the temperature of 60 degrees Celsius and higher.
- Makas reduced (makas free) micronized kava is considered as a higher grade of micronized kava and is usually more expensive to purchase. This is because before being processed to micronized kava, steps are taken to eliminate or reduce the amount of makas present in the kava. This results in a micronized kava which is slightly more potent than what its medium grind version would have been. It works on the principles of concentration by mass. For example,
- It improves the potency of the kava even if it's only a slight improvement.
- There's less likelihood of the consumer to experience stomach discomfort with micronized kava
- Less likelihood of experiencing nausea if stayed within dosage limits
Before we begin with talking about how the makas is removed, let's quickly do a fact check about makas.
- Kava makas contains less kavalactones.
- Makas is a very light weight substance. Its structure has tiny holes in it and is not as dense as the flesh of the kava which carries more lactones. It looks like really thin Linguine pasta. At best its weight relative to 100g of kava maybe just 10 - 15g but max 15%. Below is a picture of the cross section of kava roots. The star like shape is the makas in the kava which runs parallel with the root and increases or decreases in width according to the thickness of the individual root at the point of its length
- As earlier mentioned, It is possible to micronize makas but extremely difficult. The only equipment available to do so is based on the principles of friction which isn't ideal for processing kava as too much heat is generated from it. You can use a kandap machine which will pin the makas against two metal plates and exert a lot of force, but that method is not efficient in micronizing all the makas.
- Makas gets tougher with the age of the kava plant. If you took dried thick root of a matured plant with same thickness as that of a young plant for comparison, you will require more force to snap the older kava plant root than you would for the younger kava plant root.
How can the makas be removed?
There are two methods through which the makas can be removed and it centres down to the stage at which the makas is being removed. You can remove the makas from the kava when it is still green and you can remove the makas from the kava when it has been dried. Both of the methods have their distinct advantages and disadvantages which we will try to list down for better clarity.
Removing makas when the kava roots is green (freshly harvested)
This is the ideal stage to remove the most amount or possibly 100% of makas for a processor compared to when it has dried. At this stage, the roots are soft and malleable while the makas is tough but also malleable. A unique technique needs to be applied to remove the soft flesh of the kava root and discard the hard fibers (makas).
- Highly efficient method of removing the makas (possibility of 100% of makas to be removed)
- High yield of makas free kava if the makas is removed carefully with minimal wastage
- Can be further processed to produce micronized powder which is very close to traditionally prepared kava.
- Very labour intensive process. This increases processing costs.
- Difficult to scale process to commercial level. There is no machinery available which can simplify or aid in the process of removing makas of different sized roots. It needs to be done manually. If a machine is used to smash the roots into pulp to remove the makas there is possibility of kava juice being lost in the process which decreases potency and increases wastage.
- Not commercially viable as the procedure will be too expensive to recover costs against competitor micronized prices.
To give an idea about how difficult a procedure this is, below is a picture of freshly harvested kava being cut into manageable pieces before being washed. That is equivalent to 4kg of dried kava. Removing makas when the kava is green would require the processor to go through each root individually. It's more practical to produce instant kava derived from green kava if this level of commitment is required rather than micronized kava since micronized kava is sold for a cheaper price than instant kava and will incur more expenses in producing.Removing Makas when the kava has dried
This is not the ideal stage to be removing makas for the processor because the root becomes stiff and hard when dried making the process of separation harder. A unique technique needs to be applied which will basically separate the soft flesh (which easily turns into powder) and the makas (which is difficult to turn into fine powder) at this stage for removal to work.
- Process can be mechanized. Commercial grade equipment are available assist with the process of separation
- Less labour intensive. This means more economical in terms of cost.
- Commercially viable procedure
- Produces similar results (NOT SAME) to removing makas when the kava is green.
- Impossible to remove 100% of the makas. This method is inefficient as during the separation process, some makas is bound to reach micron level and become impossible to separate.
- Impossible to further refine the micronized kava in terms of particle size. It's difficult to further reduce particle size after separation. Only friction based mills can further process but it isn't ideal because of the heat generated in milling. Equipment is available but requires extreme levels of investment which isn't practical unless scale of operations has a very high output.
- Lower yield of makas reduced kava. A lot of wastage occurs because separation is done using particle size differences so there maybe high kavalactone particles stuck onto the makas which also gets separated from the fine powder.
- Feels gritty in texture when the kava is made into a beverage. This is mostly due to the kava flesh particles being relatively larger in size and swelling up as it is rehydrated into any liquid.
As you can tell by now, a lot of value addition is done in terms of processing the kava and further refining it to micronized level. This is the reason why you will find some micronized kava to be more expensive than buying traditional/medium grind kava or low grade micronized kavas. The meticulous procedure of producing a top of the shelf micronized kava is expensive and not as simple as it may seem.
Who has the better quality micronized kava? A vendor who removes makas while it is green or when it has been dried?
There are often claims made by vendors that removing makas when the kava is green may produce a better quality micronized kava because of the possibility of removing 100% of the makas. Too often you will hear people recommending this version of micronized kava over the other.
To begin answering this question we first need to understand the mechanics behind preparation of medium grind kava. As the sole purpose of micronized kava being produced is to provide an instant version to dried kava powder (traditional/medium grind kava)
Medium Grind Kava Preparation Mechanics.
There are two common ways to prepare medium grind kava.
1) Traditional Preparation - When you prepare kava using traditional method, you are kneading and straining the medium grind powder. The particles which are finer than your strainer micron rating emulsifies into the liquid easily while you knead and strain the large micron particles in an attempt to wash out the kavalactones and have it emulsified into the liquid as well. Since force is using during the kneading process you typically push through kava particles a few microns larger than the strainer you use because the kava particles gets soft and begin rehydrating when in contact with liquid.
2) Using the Aluball - When using the Aluball, you are using the pressure generated in the water through shaking to sift out the medium grind kava. Only particles which are finer than the micron rating on the aluball get emulsified into the liquid used and to some extent you maybe extracting kavalactones from the bigger particles but not as efficiently as the traditional method because there is no significant pressure exerted on the kava particles. Remember that the only way to efficiently extract kavalactones from kava is by using an alcohol based solvent (which is declared to being harmful) or CO2 in an high pressure environment (which has not been declared as safe). Mere pressure exerted on kava using hand powered water pressure will not extract much of anything.
In both cases, it is important to note that you are attempting to extract the kavalactones by using pressure applied to the medium grind kava hoping to 'wash' it into the liquid you use. The efficiency of this is dependent on the right technique being used to extract the kavalactones by pressure but majority of the emulsion in the beverage you obtain from medium grind kava comes from very fine kava particles (makas, flesh and skin) which slide past the strainer. This is why if you leave the kava for a long period, the particles settle to the bottom and has an appearance which can be best described as looking like "MUD". Most people don't have digestion problems with this "mud" in their kava because it's very fine depending on how fine of a strainer was used and can be easily tolerated by your stomach.
This means that even when preparing and consuming traditional/ medium grind kava, you are in fact consuming all 3 components of the kava powder (makas, flesh and skin) which were finer than your strainer bag. Therefore, there is no significant difference to whether 100% of the makas was removed from the kava when it was green or 97% of makas had been removed when the kava was dried. The difference does not warrant any added advantage to either methods because ultimately you consume makas when preparing traditional/medium grind kava anyway. Neither of the two methods will give you stomach discomfort or nausea as supposed to the makas being left in simple/low grade micronized kava.
How do I judge the quality of micronized kava?
This is where most people get it wrong. Quality is not based on the makas in micronized kava been removed 100% when the kava was green or 97% when the kava was dried. The difference is insignificant as both will yield similar results with increased potency and not cause stomach discomfort or nausea.
Micronized kava has been produced in the past and to date to serve as an instant version to traditional/ medium grind kava. It is there to provide convenience to consumers who find the task of traditional preparation of kava daunting, tedious or time consuming. To judge the quality of micronized kava you need to assess it against what is has been designed for, that is, you need to see how close the beverage prepared from micronized kava comes to beverage prepared from prepared medium grind kava by traditional method. Below are the specific factors you need to look for:
- Floating Makas - As a baseline to quality, the first thing you look for is floating makas in your beverage. As shown in the picture under "Why is micronized kava more expensive than medium grind kava if consists of the same components?" subheading, it will be quite easy to spot the makas in your beverage. That is essentially the lowest grade of micronized kava assuming its noble kava
- The texture of the micronized kava beverage. You will very often find micronized powder looking very fine in dry form but once mixed into liquid it will look gritty and feel rough to your throat when drinking. You will experience more gag reflex to this type of micronized kava. The question you need to ask yourself is how close does the texture of the kava resemble to that of traditionally prepared kava? Of course it physically impossible to replicate the exact beverage you get from traditionally prepared kava in terms of texture. This is because achieving that level of micronization of particles will require you to use friction principled mills which will deteriorate the quality of the kava with heat. Essentially, the highest quality micronized kava will be the closest to texture of the kava you get from traditionally prepared medium grind kava. It would be bitter but won't induce your gag reflex (feel like choking) unless if you have an overly sensitive reflex. To test this part you need to drink the micronized beverage like any other drink and not gulp it down.
- The colour of the beverage through a clear glass. If you inspect the micronized kava beverage in a clear glass, you may see black particles floating inside the liquid which would be very obvious and if left for a while it will easily settle to the bottom. A good quality micronized kava will have these particles so small that it wouldn't seem obvious to the naked eye unless if very closely inspected. These black particles are the skin of the kava roots.
It is important to note that correct assessment of these factors is dependent on the ratio of micronized powder to liquid used in comparison. It is imperative that the same ratio of powder to liquid be used to test the above factors in micronized kavas in order for a proper comparison to be made. Do not go according to the serving size recommended by individual vendors. As a general rule, 5 grams of micronized powder should be tested in 240ml of water. If you do not have a gram scale then use a level filled measuring spoon for consistency.
Is micronized kava worth buying?
The answer to this question is yes but only if you are getting a top of the shelf micronized kava. Why?
- A lot of time, effort, energy, love and care has been put in by vendors who produce micronized kava for their customers. This is more the case for vendors who produce top of the shelf micronized kava. You are buying a very refined and carefully produced product which is highly valuable
- As explained earlier under the "Medium Grind Kava Preparation Mechanics" subheading, you are essentially consuming very fine root matter with both techniques of preparation more than you are extracting kavalactones. Water extraction of kavalactones is safe but quite inefficient. When comparing the amount of "MUD" you get in both forms of kava, you get more of the finer root powder for consumption with micronized kava by weight than what you get from traditional/medium grind kava. Your preparation technique may not be as efficient when attempting to extract maximum kavalactones, but your stomach will definitely be. Ultimately, the more kava plant matter you consume, the higher amount of kavalactones will be extracted by your stomach and absorbed into your body. This is the reason why many people find micronized kava to feel stronger than medium grind kava and why they feel micronized kava lasts longer than traditional/medium grind kava. NOTE: This does not mean that you should begin fully consuming medium grind kava. The large particles of makas will cause extreme stomach discomfort and possibly land you in a hospital.
- It saves you time and energy. Something a lot of folks need after they start earning money. Like anything convenience comes with a price.
- It is more affordable than instant kava. Instant kava has vastly improved texture than micronized kava and in some cases can seem more potent depending on the dehydration temperature used during processing.
Thank you for taking out time to read through our post. We have tried to be as factual as possible and hope that this post has brought a lot of clarity on the topic of micronized kava for you. If you have any further questions feel free to comment below.
How Kava Supplement has Saved 4 Lives
Kava is increasingly getting a positive name in the global wellness community as a supplement that can bring a variety of health benefits. More positive mentions of kava in the first few weeks of 2017 have backed up strong interest in kava last year; all the indications are that the kava industry is on the upturn. There are so many articles about what has been researched and studied about kava.
In this blog post we bring a new perspective on kava as a supplement. We have compiled 4 insightful and inspiring stories on how kava has saved the lives of 4 individuals. This is an article you need to read if you are wondering whether kava supplements can help you.
Online articles always talk about studies and research and are rarely relatable to readers. One such place to get relatable information is through online communities which share a common interest. If you didn't already know, there is a large community of kava consumers online who have a platform known as Kava Forums. This is a great platform to join if you are seeking to get answers to any question you may have about kava. There are a lot of welcoming, experienced, passionate and supportive members in the Forum who provide great words of wisdom. We are also part of this great online community and have collected some of the following relatable stories from the website to share with people who want to know if kava can really improve or save their lives.
Bob's Struggle with Alcohol Addiction
"Hopefully this helps anyone contemplating using kava as route to freedom from daily drinking. My story is simple and typical. I'm 48 now. Was never worse than a weekend warrior for many years. Something changed in my 30's and I became a daily drinker. Not the 1-2 beers a day drinker. A 3-4 beers + close half a fifth of bourbon per day drinker.
I was functional. Always went to work. Rarely had a bad hangover. But was a slave to daily drinking. By 6pm my mouth was dry for the first drink. If I was working late or had to do something before I got home the craving would be front and center until I could get home and get relief. My father was an evening scotch drinker his entire adult life. Same kind of drinker as me. Everyday maintenance with roughly the same amount. I knew it was a problem for years because I couldn't go a day without drinking but I also knew my life wasn't spinning out of control so I could easily live with it.
During a routine physical in May of 2015 I got the news that my liver enzymes were out of whack and had to get an ultrasound. I was pretty nervous to be honest. All those years of drinking coming to a head with health problems. Not the type of news anyone wants to hear. Thankfully it was "only" stage 1 mild fatty liver. I confessed my drinking to my doctor (of course I never mentioned it before) and the plan of action was to abstain for 3 months and retest. Quitting was pretty easy after the first week. It's not hard to be motivated when you get a warning shot that your liver can't handle your habits. I lost weight, ate right, exercised, and got a clean bill of health 3 months later.
I swore I would never drink again. Then I thought I could drink moderately on occasion. Then I thought I could have 2 glasses of wine per day. Then I thought I could only drink bourbon on the weekends. The slippery slope of lying to myself and regressing right back to square 1. It happens so easily to countless people with drinking problems. For some of us there is no middle ground. We either drink or we don't. If we do drink we have to get a "fix" and not a taste. It's a progressive problem/disease. Once you cross a line you are never the same. I crossed the line about 12-15 years ago. It is what it is and I'm good with it.
For those who haven't crossed the line...stay the hell away from it. If you see yourself fast approaching the point of no return then do everything in your power to stay away. If you quit because you think you have a problem and then start again but slip from moderation to excessive then you have all the evidence you need that you have progressed to point where alcohol controls you and not the other way around. If drinking in moderation brings you no pleasure and you always crave more but fight it...you have crossed the line so stop fighting moderation and stop drinking.
At least for me going cold turkey is pretty easy at first. Uncomfortable? Heck yea. Unmanageable? not really. After a week of fighting bad sleep and irritability things start feeling pretty normal with one exception. My 6-9pm "witching hour" is scribed into my mental code. Those cravings never left during my long sober stint in 2015. The cravings came and I pushed them aside. After 9pm or so I'm good to go. After my protracted 4 month relapse I took my last drink about a month ago. I realized I fell completely down the slippery slope and that is exactly where I swore I would never be again 15 months ago.
I'm always honest with myself. I like "altered states". I've done plenty of stuff in my past which I thankfully grew completely out of over the years. But I couldn't shake alcohol. Could I live a completely sober life from all substances forever? Yea I probably could but again, being completely honest...I really don't want to. I like to unwind at the end of the day with something other than reality. A break from it all. I have 4 kids and a complicated job. Letting it all go at the end of the day feels good. No two ways around it.
I researched kava last year during my sober spell. The liver scare articles turned me away. I already had a stressed liver. No sense adding to it. This time around I did more research and quickly realized I fell victim to half-truths and misinformation. It's hardly a surprise though. The reputation of what has been consumed for hundreds or thousands of years by millions of people with no known risk to the liver was tarnished by pharmaceutical and supplement companies in just a few short years. The strong message I saw after researching the second time was stick with noble and stick with traditional and don't worry about anything.
I ordered various roots from trusted online vendors. My first package arrived Thursday last week. I had low expectations because of the reverse tolerance thing. Heh, I'm a lucky one. No RT for me. I downed 2 shells in 30 minutes and sat on the couch. Oh boy did that feel good. I chose heady to start and I felt it for sure. Nice waves of relaxation and slight euphoria with zero cravings to drink. It was 6pm and I was feeling great without drinking.
The next 4 nights were a perfect repeat. I get the heady/heavy thing now. Heavy isn't good for pre-dinner for me but is works great as a night cap. I had a test on Sunday watching my NFL team. I drank 2 shells right before the game and felt fantastic. No beer cravings whatsoever. I'm still very early into my kava drinking experiment but the initial results are FAR better than I anticipated. I honestly believe I have personally found a perfect substitute for alcohol. It's even better in some important ways. A good dose lasts a long time and you aren't chasing the buzz like with drinking. Great sleep and easy waking are pretty nice too. We'll see how things go over the next month but I'm pretty encouraged right now.
Does kava deliver an exact replacement for alcohol? Absolutely not. It's not nearly that strong. Does it deliver a feeling pleasurable enough to replace alcohol? For me, 100% yes. I don't need to get hammered. I just need a pleasurable altered state of mind to be satisfied. And I get that. My biggest problem with alcohol was a very high tolerance. 4 beers meant nothing to me. It took the bourbon on top to get the job done right.
One thing I have contemplated is that it's probably best for a heavy drinker to get away from drinking for a week or 2 before trying Kava. Give your body a chance to adjust and heal a little without alcohol. Kava is subtle enough that it won't cure the acute heavy cravings that occur during the first week or 2. That may discourage some people. Also, getting through RT (Reverse Tolerance) could be a challenge. It would take time and patience. Someone who is fresh off of booze probably isn't going to have time or patience to work through an experiment. My best guess to be successful is to commit to not drinking first, give yourself some straight sober time, and then use kava to help keep you sober"
Ilovekava23's solution to Benzo and Drug Addiction
"I was a very bad off junky, heavily addicted to heroin, meth, and benzos (like xanax). I've been sober for 1 year now, but as someone who is only 23 years old I yearn for some fun every now and then and feel as if everyone around me my age still can go out and drink and have fun, if I drink I get drunk and end up blacking out and coming too with drugs in my system. Kava allowed me to be social, get out of my bubble, and have a great time with friends in the way that I'm guessing most people use alcohol to do.
Kava is the only substance I have ever took that didn't make me want to run away from my problems and self medicate. Kava helps me so much with Social Anxiety Disorder, and General Anxiety Disorder. It helps me with my crippling depression, and has enhanced my life so, so very much. I never crave drugs anymore, if I'm in a bad mood or had a terrible day, I just have a cup of kava.
My life has never been better and alot of it was from me working on myself, but kava has helped me so very much in keeping myself good and clean. I'm so glad to have found kava, as it holds a very dear place in my heart"
Jeff's solution for Depression and Anxiety
"For many years, my prescription to benzos was my life line, but I absolutely hated that overly drugged feeling they gave me. Even taking them while I was working or functioning day to day was panic inducing in and of itself because I knew I would more or less be checking out of reality for a few hours.
Long story short, a buddy of mine was one of the many unfortunate souls who have become addicted to opiates. His addiction was due to a back injury and some PTSD from serving our country oversees in the desert. He and I were talking one night and he began telling me about finding kratom and how he was using it and how it helped ease and somewhat cure his addiction. He urged me to look into more holistic and natural plant medicines that could help with my depression and anxiety. I stumbled onto kava while doing research as a result.
After a patient initial period while trying to break down my tolerance, I began to notice my overall anxiety levels begin to drop. As the weeks went by of nightly brewing and imbibing, I no longer felt that panic inducing need to have my benzos regularly available.
I write you now, six months benzo and panic attack free, and over one year sober (from alcohol anyway). Since beginning a near daily kava regiment, my blood pressure has lowered to near "normal" levels, I'm much more calm day to day, and I no longer feel anxiety about not having my benzos rattling in my pocket at all times.
I've tried many different types of kava from many cultivars and distribution companies and upon finding your Savusavu, well, it hit the mark perfectly. I love that even in less concentrated doses, it keeps me calm in nearly every situation that life throws at me. When I want to relax at night, a stronger dose let's me find that buzzed, yet "completely in control" feeling that I never had with alcohol or canibus...
In many ways, kava has saved my life, and I am forever grateful to you and all the other purveyors of this wonderful, magical plant"
Summer's Substitute to Klonopin
"I was on klonopin for six years. At one point I was on 4-6 mg a day, and it took me one whole year of cutting a 2mg pill down. I knew I was in it for the long haul. Kava has helped me tremendously.
I have found kava to take the edge off most times, and a handful of times I have reached a pretty good level similar to feeling like I was on a prescribed medication again. That was not necessarily my goal though; most of the time I just wanted the endless list of horrible feelings to go away or at least not be on the front burner in my life.
It was the worst year and best year of my life. I am still struggling but it is totally 100% different for me now. I love my life and look forward to each new day. I know the hard times will pass. Kava was a game changer for me. I thank God for His plants, roots, and everything else with which He has blessed me. I use it almost every day now. It's 100% medicine to me! To think I am pill free! I still have to pinch myself. I am embracing each day"
We hope that by sharing these 4 stories we have motivated you to give kava supplements a chance if you are looking for a solution to the problems highlighted by these 4 inspiring individuals who have reformed their lives. Kava is a magical plant which has been used as a traditional medicine in the Pacific for years and it could be the solution you were looking for. If you are already consuming kava and have a story to tell please do email us or add in as a comment to this post.
Are Kava Pills Effective? Why Kava Root Powder is the Best Form of Kava
We are currently seeing several new forms of kava emerging due to the surge in its demand worldwide. Kava pills, one of the oldest and more readily available forms, have been at the forefront for the US market. Amazon, Ebay, pharmacies and health stores all over US keep kava supplements in form of pills. But, are these pills really effective? Why do many people prefer kava root powder instead of kava pills?
In order to answer these questions we need to understand what a recommended kava dosage is.
Recommended Kava Dosage
According to Drugs.Com, the German Commission E recommends dosages of 60 to 120 mg kavalactone daily for no longer than 3 months without medical evaluation. Clinical studies have reported that kavalactone dosages between 60 to 240 mg/day are effective for anxiety relief. However, most kava dietary supplements available in pill form tell you to use about 300mg/ day. Isn't that going overboard to recommendations? Well those pills are never 100% kavalactones. Usually it is a mono-extract of acetone from the dried roots of the plant and is standardized to 70% kavalactones which means you are being told to use about 210mg of kavalactones per day by the kava pill company. Regardless of what is being recommended by these dietary kava pill companies, have you ever actually heard people benefiting from these pills? Our guess is that it's probably a hit and miss.
What do we recommend as a dosage? Well, it depends. A lot of factors go into consideration when trying to figure out an effective and efficient dose for an individual. Factors for individuals are basically their height, weight and gender while factors related to the kava product you have are the kavalactones percentage, chemotype and form of the kava. Individual factors determine how much kavalactones your body needs to feel the kava effects while factors related to the kava determines how much of the product you need to use and how long it's effects will last. Pills are convenient and easy to use but kava root powder requires proper preparation. For the powder, you really need to get your hands dirty and knead and squeeze the kava to maximize extraction of its active ingredient (kavalactones). We recommend preparing kava using the traditional method of kneading in a straining cloth so that enough pressure can be applied for extraction. It's a messy job but worthwhile if you want to maximize the effects of the kava powder dose.
Why is Kava Root Powder the Best Form of Kava?
We recommend sticking to the old fashioned traditional method of drinking kava using kava root powder and avoiding kava pills, tinctures, extracts, vapors etc. You get more bang for your buck by consuming kava in its traditional form, by extracting the kavalactones from kneading a strainer filled with kava root powder submerged in luke warm water and gulping it down cup after cup.
Let's show you an example of why we suggest going for kava root powder instead of pills. This will require a bit of math and a kava powder to use as an example. Let's use our famous Gourmet Savusavu Waka for this calculation. We know that the Savusavu is a traditional grind kava and has been tested to contain 11.3g of kavalactones per 100g of kava root powder. Putting things into perspective,
- A tablespoon can hold average has 8 – 9 grams of kava powder in it
- The Savusavu has 11.3% kavalactones in it
- A good traditional extraction will net 8 – 9% of those lactones
- This means that a tablespoon of our Savusavu kava root powder can net you a minimum of 640mg of kavalactones which is more than triple the kavalactones you get out of a standard kava pill dosage regardless of how much water is used.
What does this all mean?
Well firstly, it means that our Savusavu is quite strong! But that goes for most kava powders we stock. Secondly, the math supports our recommendation of consuming kava in traditional powder form using traditional preparation i.e. you get more bang for your buck. Kava Root Powder is the best form of kava which one can buy and is typically cheaper in comparison of kavalactones content to other forms of kava such as pills, extracts, tinctures etc. if you do the maths. That's aside from being the safest form of kava if you are purchasing from the right kava vendor. Average users tend to use 2 tablespoons of kava in 300mL of luke warm water per session which is enough for 2 cups of kava.
Now wait just a minute!
- 2 tablespoons equals to 16 – 18g kava powder
- 8 – 9% lactone extraction equals a minimum of 1.28g of kavalactones.
But that's over 10 times the recommended dosage by the German Commission E!?
We know. The several factors we identified for recommended dosage vary by individuals, where some may only need 1 tablespoon of powder to feel the effects and others may need up to 8 or 9 tablespoons. Kava effects are subtle. Once you understand the effects it has on you, it may take as little as half a tablespoon to get to that point where you need to be, even if you began your dosages with 8 or 9 tablespoons a few weeks earlier. It's important to note that in most clinical trials, subjects are attuned to understanding the effects of the kava on their body and the trials occur in a very controlled environment. Real world results for kava may differ quite a bit. Sedative effects of kava are quite obvious to feel but euphoric, anxiety relief and energizing effects are quite subtle and therefore much harder to feel.
Ok but if I had to start with 8 or 9 tablespoons of kava to get its effects, isn't it dangerous? Isn't that overdosing?
Kava Overdose
The key thing to remember about kava is that there is no known overdose. Kava is not a type of drug which can harm you or your body in any way if taken excessively. That doesn't mean that you should go about drinking as much kava as you can. You still can get sick from too much kava, just like how you can get sick from consuming too much of anything. We are just providing limits to consider when answering the question about safe kava dosage. Unlike other natural herbal products (such as Guarana in Red Bull) though, there is yet to be a single recorded case of death from kava overdose which speaks volume about how safe kava is. The worst you can get from drinking too much of kava is falling off to sleep, one of the reasons why many insomniacs drink kava. Kava does seem to impair mobility at high doses. Therefore, we strictly advise against driving/operating heavy machinery under the influence of kava.
So are Kava Pills effective? Looking at the recommended dosage level for most pills, we think that pills are not effective. You may need to take in a significant amount of pills to feel the effects of the kava. Are Kava Pills efficient? Well if you are taking in so many pills to get the effects of kava, what's the point in spending so much money on them? Go the traditional way like how we islanders in the South Pacific have done for over 3000 years ago. Buy kava powder and prepare it the traditional way and have a shell. Bula!


text:
2018 Annual Wildflower Weekend (AWW)
40th Annual Wildflower Weekend • Wichita, Kansas • September 7-8-9, 2018
About the 2018 AWW
The 40th Kansas Native Plant Society AWW celebration is approaching. If you are new to KNPS or haven't attended before, AWW is the highlight of the year for everyone interested in native plants. This year's theme is "Native Places in City Settings". Join fellow native plant enthusiasts and visit seven different Tour Stops over the weekend to see Wichita City Park "Wildlife Habitat Areas", public school educational native plantings, to created prairie landscapes at commercial properties and walk across a prairie remnant. Wichita (Sedgwick County) is located in the Arkansas River Lowlands, on the southwestern edge of the Flint Hills.
KNPS (originally the Kansas Wildflower Society) was founded in 1978. Our Saturday morning business meeting will include a look back at KNPS activities over the last 40 years as we reminisce and celebrate with founding members.
Traditional activities of the Saturday morning business meeting include the presentation of Annual Awards, a display of outstanding photographs in the Photo Contest, and Silent Auction fundraising event. The Photo Contest, open to KNPS members only, is conducted online. Rules and instructions for submitting photos are posted at the following link, review the categories now and be be sure you submit your entries before August 20, 2018.
Our featured Saturday business meeting speaker will be Katie Kingery Page, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Regional and Community Planning at Kansas State University. She will discuss principles of landscape and architecture design, and present examples of the creation and maintenance of native plantings in the landscape.
Saturday evening, a Group Dinner and Teacher Presentation is planned. Public School teachers who have completed the Dyck Arboretum – Earth Partnership for Schools program will give presentations about the plantings and nature projects ongoing at their schools. We will gather at Two Olives venue room for a delicious buffet before the Teacher Presentations.
We hope you can join us for all of the events planned for the weekend. Registration fees for the tours and Saturday Morning Business Meeting will be $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Registration for the Group Dinner and Teacher Presentation will be $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. You can register for one or both events as your schedule will allow.
Invitations will be in the mail and the full itinerary will also be available here in early August.
Photo Contest
The photo contest, running from July 23 to August 20, is a popular part of the AWW. We encourage all KNPS members to enter photos.
In 2018 the photo contest is all digital. Photos will not be printed as in the past but sent to us digitally on an Internet site Shutterfly.com. See the Photo Contest for all rules, categories, upload instructions, and historic winners.
Silent Auction
The Silent Auction will be held during the business meeting on Saturday morning. Silent auctions use bidding sheets instead of an auctioneer. Bring a few items to donate to the auction and place on the tables reserved for the silent auction. You will write the name of the item along with a starting bid on the supplied bidding sheet. Artwork, crafts, books, posters, clothing, jellies, and baked goods are just a few of the items that have been donated in the past. Proceeds will go to the General Fund of KNPS.
Bidding begins as items are placed on the silent auction tables. There will be breaks during the annual meeting when you can check on items you are bidding to be sure you are the highest bidder. At the end of the meeting, the auction closes. You will check to see which items you won, and take them to the registration table to pay.


text:
Members of Scribble, the Universal Dance Junior Street Dance Crew, became British champions in a competition at Newcastle.
They qualified in 2018 for their place in the BDO British Street Dance Championships and Lindsay Willis-Wood from Universal Dance said the competition standard was "crazy high".
The crew is made up of students from local primary schools aged eight to 12 years and if you know of children who would be interested in joining them auditions are to be held on Tuesday, May 21, from 5.30-7pm.
Please contact Lindsay to learn more. Her number is 07885 528356, or email email@example.com.
Graffiti the Universal Dance senior crew competed at an amateur level for the third time and came fourth in the 16 and under category.
Other successes were:
Meg, second in eight years and under amateur solos
Meg and Georgia, second in eight years and under first timer duos
Sophie and Fleur, Champions in 12 and under amateur duo British Champions.
Lindsay, who teaches the crews, said she was over the moon with the results. "Both teams dedicate a tremendous amount of time to training, and their hard work shows and pays off when they get results like this.
Lindsay says she holds the only accredited street dance qualification in the world. She was trained by Andy Instone of Urban Strides.
Find details of street dance classes on the Universal Dance website.
• Contact details for Universal Dance can be found 24/7 in our Uckfield Directory. Look for the name or search in categories for Childen's Activities or Dance.
See also:
Refurbished play area in Maresfield to be officially opened
Bike rental scheme comes to Cuckoo Trail
Tips for shopping in Uckfield during May
Find local organisations in our Uckfield Directory
How to advertise on UckfieldNews.com


text:
By:Shaelyn Johnson & Mariah Cooley
School is in session here at Richwoods High School! And the new AppsCo class is jammed back with new students who are ready to learn and succeed! The AppsCo class here at Richwoods is taught by Mr.Parker Gross and the class is full of eager freshmen and sophomores who are eager to get into AppsCo and learn what we're all about.
We went to the AppsCo class today during our study hall to go see what they were learning and working on, the past few days they were filling out all of the information about what their interested in and the departments they would potentially want to be in. They also took a Cliffton's Strength Finder's Test to find their 5 core personality traits that make them who they are. Today the students got to talk to Ann Oliver who was talking about their strengths finders test and she coaches them on their Strength's Finder test results. The students then got assigned a pretty cool assignment! They worked in groups of 4 and did a powerpoint, poster, or even experiment to show how all of their strengths can go together and make a successful team! Each student also did a 30 second pitch about their strengths and what they think about them, how they help them, and what they learned about themselves from seeing their strengths.
The students are taking a great start on AppsCo and learning so much so they can start doing more for the company!


text:
Greetings from the NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center!In this issue, we're thrilled to share news that the NOAA Office of Education has funded the NOAA LMRCSC for five additional years. We're grateful to everyone who contributed
to our application and our success over the last 15 years. We're also excited to share highlights from several of our summer programs and we hope you'll take time to meet two newly minted Ph.D. graduates from one of our partners,
the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, David Marsan and Jan Vicente Raczkowski. Finally, catch some highlights from the Eighth Biennial NOAA EPP Forum and read more about the newly
refunded NSF CREST Center for the Integrated Study of Coastal Ecosystem Processes and Dynamics at UMES. Thank you, Paulinus Chigbu, Ph.D. Director, NOAA LMRCSC
NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science CenterUniversity of Maryland Eastern Shore (Lead Institution)(410) 651-7870Award numbers: FY 2016 Award #NA16SEC4810007 Funding Agency: NOAA Educational Partnership Program with Minority-Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI)This website is best viewed in Chrome or Firefox browsers.


text:
Use our Top Tips document to ensure your Retrofit application has a smooth ride through its technical review.Top tips for a smooth application PDF
Have a question about QA/QC? We have you covered. Download our guide to learn more about the QA/QC process.QA/QC Guidelines
Read our best practices on taking and submitting photos for your Retrofit application.Photo Requirements
Unsure of where to start with the Retrofit program? Check out this clear and simple, step-by-step graphic that outlines the Retrofit process from start to finish
Download the infographic now >
Interested in applying for the Retrofit program? Here's how to create an account and sign into the Retrofit portal.
Registering for the Program
Ready to start your application? Here's how to create and submit a Retrofit Application.
Creating a Retrofit Application
You can quickly recall an Application if you have submitted one with errors. Note that you won't be able to recall an application once the IESO begins its review.
Recalling an Application
If you have similar Retrofit projects, you can copy an existing Application to speed up the process.
Copying an Application
Just in case – here's how to request a change to your pre-approved Retrofit Application. This function will be unavailable if you have already submitted your Post-Project Submission.
Submitting an Amended Application
You'll need to submit a Post-Project Submission once your project is complete so you can receive your incentive. Here's how to create and submit one.
Creating a Post-Project Submission
Once your Post-Project Submission is approved by the IESO, the next step is to submit a Final Invoice to receive your incentive.
Submitting a Final Invoice
WebinarRetrofit 101 presentation covering top tips for a smooth application process.
Retrofit 101
August 29, 2019
Retrofit FAQs
September 26, 2019
The Retrofit Process
October 31, 2019
Retrofit Update and Achievable Potential Study
November 28, 2019
Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com or give us a call through the Retrofit support line at