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NatureWorks: Cradle to Cradle Certified
Ingeo biopolymer from NatureWorks LLC, Minnetonka, MN, USA, is the first product of its kind to become Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
Cradle to Cradle Certified is a multi-attribute program that assesses products for safety to human and environmental health, design for future use cycles, and sustainable manufacturing processes. The program provides guidelines to help businesses implement the Cradle to Cradle framework, which focuses on using safe materials that can be disassembled and reused as technical nutrients or composted as biological nutrients.
The certification is recognized by environmental experts worldwide for honoring innovation in sustainability.
Would you like to subscribe to our Newsletters on plastics technology and profit from the latest information?
Looking for a new challenge? Check out our jobs market!
Patents encourage innovation: Stay on the ball with the latest innovations in the plastics industry in our patents section.


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Izmir Tourism Research Report 2011
This research report is included general information about tourism sector of Turkey. Besides information about future and present investments, tourism types, number and types of accommodation establishments in Izmir, it contains research of hotels' door prices (overnight accommodation price pp) by star classification system for hotels.
Izmir (Aegean Region) Tourism Research Report, April 2011
Publication Date: April 2011

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm a big fan of quotes, especially motivational or profound ones that inspire me to grow, experience life and engage with my existence. Why? Because life can be scarily ordinary if we don't watch out for complacency and acceptance on a daily basis.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."
The fact that this is one of the most overused clichés of all time does not make it any less true.
As landscape photographers, I feel that there can be a lot of pressure to play it safe; making images that are acceptable, conventional, accessible and of places that people know to be beautiful. In many ways in fact, it is human nature to conform – society rarely embraces the maverick. As soon as we make an image and send it out there into the world, the exposure to risk begins – critique, lack of acceptance, scorn, ridicule, commentary on composition, and the classic of perspective – "you should have taken a step to the left!"
Virtually every aspect of our lives is open to this same degree of judgment on a daily basis. What we wear to work, our body image, our hairstyle, dress sense, political and religious opinions; it's endless. Some people experience fear at public speaking, others of being different and not being in with the crowd. Part of this journey through our lives is that acceptance of who we are and that our individual opinions actually matter...[vision_notification style="tip" font_size="20px"]Read the whole article inside issue 68.[/vision_notification]


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The week's best concerts: Jan 27-30
Can you believe it's the last week of January already?
Monday 1.27
Bailen @ 7th St Entry
Daniel, David, and Julia Bailen specialize in fuzzy, eclectic coffeehouse rock, with an air of traditionalism thanks to the prim precision of the vocal arrangements. On their debut album, last year's Thrilled to Be Here, the trio blend their voices in such ringing, intricate multipart harmony it's heartbreaking to imagine one or another sibling leaving to become a solo star. With Superior Siren. 18+. 7 p.m. $14. 701 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis. More info here.—Lucas Fagen
Complete Monday music listings here.
Tuesday 1.28
Amber Liu @ Varsity Theater
A decade ago, Amber Liu moved from Los Angeles to Seoul to join the (excellent) girl group f(x); now she's back, singing in English, to pursue solo stardom in the States. Her new X EP cultivates a summery, kinetic pop-R&B vibe, peaking with "Other People," the bounciest and most exuberant of wounded breakup songs. With Meg & Dia and Justice Carradine. 6:30 p.m. $28-$45+. 1308 Fourth St. SE, Minneapolis. More info here.—Lucas Fagen
Badi Assad @ Crooners Supper Club
Assad invests her music with a distinctively Brazilian manner of tensile restraint. Guitar Player named her the Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist in 1995, and her vocals, in both Portuguese and English, can waft in wistful saudade or hone forward with tender conviction. Now in her 50s, she's played with jazz cats Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie, covered Skrillex and U2, written a book about her influences, and been the subject of an award-winning documentary. Catching her solo in a small venue like Crooners' Dunsmore Room might be the best introduction for new listeners. 7:30 p.m. $30-$35. 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis. More info here.—Britt Robson
Love & Law: A Century of the ACLU @ Dakota
This pricey but worthwhile benefit honors the 100th birthday of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has done more to protect and promote free speech than any organization in the world. Those who lay out $100 for a ticket receive the book The Fight of the Century, featuring essays on the notable legal triumphs in the ACLU's history by writers such as Louise Erdich and Marlon James. Erdich will be on hand, along with musicians Chastity Brown, T. Mychael Rambo, Prudence Johnson and many others. 7 p.m. $100. 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. More info here.—Britt Robson
Complete Tuesday music listings here.
Wednesday 1.29
Wesley Stace, Dylan Hicks @ Hook and Ladder
He was born Wesley Stace, became a topically witty singer-songwriter under the name John Wesley Harding, pivoted to a series of novels and a steady stream of music reviews for various publications under his birth name, and has lately issued music under both monikers. Dylan Hicks, who recorded a series of singer-songwriter discs in the '90s, then wrote novels and journalism (he was arts editor for this paper for awhile) for various publications, and also has relatively new music to play, would seem the ideal opening act, eh? 21+. 7:30 p.m. $20/$25. 3010 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis. More info here.—Britt Robson
Complete Wednesday music listings here.
Thursday 1.30
Poppy @ Amsterdam
Since Poppy has heretofore specialized in covertly middlebrow electropop satires on fame, the internet, the plasticity of pop stars, and other pressing social issues, her sudden turn toward industrial metal on her new I Disagree is a welcome development: chaotic, #edgy avant-pop dabbling doesn't entertain unless it's in truly absurd bad taste. On "Concrete" and "Bloodmoney," she officiates the unholy marriage of glitzy thrash and bloodcurdling scream. With Vowws. 6 p.m. $25. 6 W 6th St., St. Paul. More info here.—Lucas Fagen
Afro-Cuban All Stars @ Dakota
The Afro-Cuban All Stars are led by Juan de Marcos González, who's been called the Quincy Jones of Cuban music. A musician, conductor, arranger, and composer, he was instrumental in assembling and acting as musical director of the group that became renowned as the Buena Vista Social Club, which essentially evolved in the All Stars. The current, 14-piece intergenerational orchestra exuberantly plays the full panoply of Cuba's rich musical heritage, mixing classics with contemporary twists, last captured on 2017's audio/video release Absolutely Live II. It's a scintillating dose of irrepressible tropical flair. 7 & 9:30 p.m. $35-$50. 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. More info here.—Rick Mason
Mandolin Orange @ Palace Theatre
North Carolina's Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz create sepia-toned music rooted in tradition but with tendrils stretching into today. The duo weaves mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitars and sweet but shaded harmonies on originals evoking Appalachian folk, vintage country, gospel, and bluegrass. The lyrics are poetic ruminations on life, love, and loss, the latter especially on their sixth album, Tides of A Teardrop, about bittersweet acceptance of lingering grief. Still, it's hardly maudlin stuff, spiked by the now expanded quintet's sprightly arrangements, as well as judicious electric and steel guitar. Kate Rhudy opens. 18+. 7 p.m. $27.50-$30. 17 W. 7th Pl., St. Paul. More info here.—Rick Mason
Paul Watkins with the Minnesota Orchestra @ Orchestra Hall
Cellist and conductor Paul Watkins makes his Minnesota Orchestra debut with pieces from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. His cello prowess will be most in evidence during the Cello Concerto in A Minor from C.P.E. Bach, son of Johann Sebastian, sandwiched between Benjamin Britten's ode to his music teacher, Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, and, after intermission, Beethoven's 4th Symphony. 11 a.m. Also Friday at 8 p.m. $29.75-$102.75. 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. More info here.—Britt Robson
Complete Thursday music listings here.


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Charlene Q.
James Auffant represented my son in his SSI Disability and Social Security Disability case. He worked very hard for my son. If you need an attorney for either one of these give him a call. He will work hard for you!
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Claudia M.
Thank you for helping me receive my SSI benefits.


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I must admit I look forward to the Uptime Institute's annual Global Data Center Survey with the same high level of excitement that people of my grandparents' generation must have anticipated the arrival of a new Sears Roebuck catalog.
After all, the pages of each are chockfull of useful information and both are read and re-read over the subsequent months until next year's version comes along. In the survey's findings I'm always glimpsing some trend or direction that we can apply to our business and how to help our customers improve theirs. Of late, I have been pondering repeatedly a data point that, coincidentally, Andy Lawrence, executive director of research at Uptime, called out in his recent blog.
For the first time in the dozen years that Uptime Institute has been tracking industry-average power usage effectiveness (PUE), efficiency actually worsened. What? I'm with Andy on this: How can this be possible?
Over the years, the PUE metric has gained acceptance as an industry standard for keeping track of energy performance in data centers around the world. It has just been expected that with all the technology advancements mixed with increased emphasis on controlling power consumption that the results would continue to improve.
The most recent Uptime survey revealed, however, that the average PUE was 1.67 in 2019, after coming in at 1.58 last year. (Like golf, we're aiming for the lowest score possible.) For further explanation, a PUE of 1.5 means every watt into the IT systems, requires half a watt for cooling. But as another Andy—Patrizio—stated in a Network World article on last year's survey, "lowering PUE is something of an obsession among data center operators."
Having confidence in Uptime's findings—and knowing that the respondents are top-echelon data center staffers and IT management—how can we extrapolate this finding? First off, if PUE evaluations have a shortcoming, it's that they don't sufficiently take into account important factors such as our environment (hey, is anyone else thinking it's getting hotter and hotter out there?), energy productivity and hardware efficiency.
What this year's PUE survey finding really means is perhaps we have come to the junction where we have gone as far as possible with legacy technology utilizing decades-old thinking and practices. Simply put, there is no foreseeable path for previous-gen data centers to compete with the new technologies and procedures at work in today's hyperscale centers or state-of-the-art colos. As Uptime has stated, these types of facilities sport PUE scores of 1.1 to 1.4 (on a 1.0-is- perfect scale).
Therefore, data center designers, operators and owners must deploy new ways to improve their IT and facility efficiency. Steadily emerging technologies such as Software Defined Power (SDP) represent a great opportunity in this effort.
As facilities' hardware is upgraded, SDP's advancements make it possible for data centers to create a layer of abstraction that empowers the ability to better match power resources with data centers' evolving energy needs. Taking a more proactive approach to managing power as a crucial resource in a Software Defined Data Center delivers the kind of cost savings that cannot be overlooked or undervalued in this PUE-obsessed world.


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Our disintegrating 19th century homestead in the Lithuanian forest is situated at the head of a village made up of five homesteads, a yellow wooden church, and a cemetery. We are thirty kilometers from the nearest town, Anyksciai, where my wife, Simona, grew up before roaming the world when the Iron Curtain fell. I met her in New York, we married, and eventually we came back to her home country to raise our child close to nature. Most early autumn weekdays are quiet; we are the only full-time residents, and potential day-trippers are at work, far away from us. So the urgent banging on the door one September afternoon was especially startling.
My family and I were sitting down to a lunch of beet soup and boiled potatoes when we heard it. I imagined an impatient forest ranger had come to inquire about where I had collected the wood to build my haystack frame. Taking wood or otherwise disturbing the trees is prohibited, but I'd only gathered a few dead pines that hadn't rotted yet. I'm neither a vandal nor a thief, but a scavenger—that was my justification. I planned to play dumb, pretend I didn't know the law.
Simona answered the door. There stood an old man, breathless, gripping a ten-gallon bucket half-full of assorted mushrooms. He shouted: "Where am I?"
"This is Inkunai," Simona said.
"Ah, I thought so," he said. He told Simona he'd gotten lost around Debeikiai, about ten kilometers away, just off the main road. He'd been foraging with his sister when they were separated on the way back to their car.
In Lithuania, to get lost while picking mushrooms is a common enough occurrence to have its own word: nugrybauti. This man was the first I had met with such a serious case of the condition, though since taking up residence in the woods, I have often been nugrybaves myself. You achieve a state of nugrybauti when the thrill of having spotted choice edibles slides into uneasiness, brought on by the feeling that the forest has changed around you. Your sense of direction scampers off, and you trudge around aimlessly over moss, under branches, and around the skirts of spruces, lost—until, much later, you are back on a familiar path, though not where you thought you'd be.
More commonly, though, nugrybauti describes when someone has lost the thread of a conversation or veered from the plot of a story—gone on a tangent. To overlay the literal experience with the figurative meaning: while relating a tale, one slides into strange territory by following choice clusters of cognitive associations, then becomes struck with panic that the way back is forever lost, only to stumble out somewhere familiar.
Take my father. "Did I ever tell you about Do-or-Die Dan?" he began again one night. I was ten years old. The smoke from his cigarette curled in the air of the candle-lit kitchen in our house in Mastic Beach, New York. He'd finished whatever it was he'd had to drink. I took a seat across from him at the table. Do-or-Die Dan was a classic, and as good a starting point as any into the dark woods of my father's mind. This story's path crossed with many others we'd been on before. Who knew where we'd come out of this one, or when?
Dan was a Vietnam veteran, like my father, but my father met him after the war, at work—so I knew that with this story, the chances of my father getting lost in battle memories and falling into silence while I sat still at the table, needing to pee, waiting for him to turn his distant stare to me and let me go, were slimmer than usual. But Do-or-Die Dan took place in the immediate post-war years (around the time Dad was driving home from the overnight shift and killed a reckless biker in a head-on collision, opening the deep well of guilt he'd been sitting on), so there was still a risk he'd get into the war. There was always that risk. Not all paths led to Vietnam, but all paths crossed it.
The Do-or-Die Dan story aimed to amuse. My father always wanted me to know how funny life could be, which was why he'd told me about the time he'd been hiding in elephant grass for the good part of a hellish day at war, when the soldier he was ducking the Vietcong with lost patience, jumping up so his head popped over the tips of the green blades, and said, "We're over here, motherfuckers!" Bullets ripped through the grass. Dad tackled his partner to the ground. He laughed through the telling, and I laughed along. I was eleven, or maybe twelve, years old. It was the first time I ever heard my father swear.
I never thought to ask what happened next, how they dealt with the continuation of that situation. With all these stories, rather than arriving at a point, my father's voice would drift off and he'd get the ten-mile stare, the smoke gathering around the still blades of the ceiling fan. I'd wait, needing to pee. He'd light another cigarette.
After his tour in Vietnam, my father started a career as a cockpit mechanic on Grumman's F-14 Tomcat in Calverton, Long Island. He worked the night shift. A bunch of the guys on the night shift, like the man he'd learn to call Do-or-Die Dan, were also veterans. Dan lived for fun, but work got in the way. Friday nights, when all the good times started, were especially torturous. So Dan got in the habit of working a four-day week. He always had a ready excuse for missing that final shift: He was sick; his car broke down; he had to take his ailing mother to the hospital. Eventually the foreman summoned Dan to his office with a final warning: Miss another Friday shift and Dan was gone. It was terrible timing. There was a huge shindig Dan had to attend; he was vital to the cause. He sulked and fretted all week, but showed up on Friday in good spirits—a complete turn-around. Then, at about 11 pm, Dan came to the foreman cradling his left hand.
"I gotta go to the hospital," he said. "Goddamn wrench slipped. I think I broke a couple fingers." That's not what happened at all: in the bathroom, Dan had run scalding water over his hand to make it appear injured. It burned red, but the pain was worth a good excuse to cut out early.
"It doesn't look so bad," the foreman said.
"Well let me get it checked out and see what a doctor says. I can't work with a hand that might be broke."
"You shouldn't drive with a broken hand, either," the foreman said. "I'll take you in my car." He walked Dan out to the parking lot, then left him there a moment while he went back to the hangar for his wallet.
It turned out Dan had three mangled fingers, a cracked knuckle and a fractured wrist. No one could explain it. Benny had seen Dan scalding his hand in the bathroom that night. Dan had told Carl his plan. The busted hand was a mystery.
After an absence, Dan came back to work with a story. "I'm scared shitless," he told his coworkers on a smoke break outside the hangar. "There I was, caught in a lie. So what am I gonna do? I follow the boss to the car. He's gonna see for himself it ain't broken. Sure as shit I'm caught. But then he says he forgot his wallet in the hangar. He turns to go back, so I say to him, I say, 'At least unlock the car so I can sit. I'm getting dizzy from the pain.' Asshole laughs at me, but he unlocks the car and tells me to wait. In he goes, and it's just me and the car. Just the car door and my hand. 'This is it,' I go, and then: Bam!"
"No shit?"
"In the door?"
"Hurt like a motherfucker."
"Now I'm sitting in the car, real fucking tears, and my hand's a pulp. The boss gets in and takes one look and says, 'Holy shit! What the hell happened?' 'Broke my fucking hand,' I said, 'like I told you. Now it's all swollen.' He got me to the hospital quick."
Joe, the new custodian, asked Dan how he'd had the nerve to bust his own hand like that. Unlike most of the other men on the night shift, Joe had not served in Vietnam.
"It was a do-or-die situation, kid," Dan said. "Situation like that, you just do what you gotta do."
Sitting at my own kitchen table in the forest late one night, where I was revising a story about a son haunted by his father's war trauma, my son interrupted to ask about the documents spread before me. There were the mundane letters my father had sent home to family; his citations and awards; the transcript from when he was court-martialed for going AWOL after his tour; and his juvenile record from the Freeport Police Department, typewritten on an index card. It detailed three offenses, starting with "suspicious children" in 1963 and ending with "auto theft" in 1965, when he was sixteen years old—the offense that ultimately landed him in the US Marines as, at his father's urging, he made a deal with a county judge to sign up in exchange for having the criminal charges dropped. I explained all this history to Oskar. He is fascinated by the life of his grandfather, who died two years before his birth. I tell what I know in neat stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. The stories link together like chapters covering my father's fifty-four years.
I tell my son the stories my father tried to tell me. Do-or-Die Dan—with the tangents edited out, embellished with details—is a favorite we return to often. We apply Dan's principles to imaginary scenarios: often slapstick, sometimes apocalyptic. But when we talk about my father, we inevitably cross into the dark terrain of his service in Vietnam, the defining event of his biography. This is where we lose him. What horrors was he witness to? Did he kill? How many? And how did it feel to live with this experience lurking at the center of his being? As he told his stories, I could only quietly hold my bladder and wait for him to come through the other side of his silence. Only once, when I was in my twenties, did I ask him a direct question: "What was the worst thing about the war?"
"Waiting," he said. He stared at me, beyond me, through the wall. We sat with his answer until our cigarettes burned down. I imagined him hunkered in the wet heat of noon, amid sharp blades of towering grass in a foreign land, his head baking in his helmet, the rot crawling up his legs. Then it's my father jumping up. Motherfucker, just kill me already.
Driving the old man and his bucket of mushrooms out of the forest, the man tells me the reason he had separated from his sister in the first place: They'd had a fight and he'd stormed off to forage on his own, and when he came back he saw she'd left with the car. He had intended to pick his way back home, but the mushrooms led him astray. My son, ten years old at the time, translated from the backseat. Like Simona, Oskar is fluent in both languages, while my Lithuanian is limited to asking for basic directions and the price of cabbage. We dropped the man off on the side of the highway near a bus station, thus concluding his odyssey of being lost in the middle of the Lithuanian forest and being rescued by an American.
"I think that guy was drunk," Oskar said when we pulled away.
"Anyone can get lost in there. It's a big forest. You don't need to be drunk."
"Yeah, but he smelled like beer."
"What would Do-or-Die Dan do if he couldn't find his way out of the woods?"
After running through a few scenarios, we decided Dan would most likely climb the tallest tree he could find, in his attempt to gain an eagle's-eye view of the terrain. He'd fall out of the tree and make a splint with the branch that took the journey down with him.
"And then what would he do?"
I thought about my father, wounded in his own way, lost in a tangle of unfinished tales that circled around the forest of his past—nugrybaujant and drunk at the kitchen table at two in the morning, trying to find the way out of the darkness.
"I guess eventually he'd build his home in there," I said. "He'd do whatever it took to survive."


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Hellenic Society of Periodontology
December 1st, 2018
"Radisson Blu Park Hotel", Athens
Organizing Committee:
P. Madianos, W. Papaioannou, Charalampos Kalaitzakis
Saturday, 1 December 2018
09.00 - 09.30 Registration
Morning Session: The use of autologous growth factors in periodontology.
09.30 – 12.00 Moderator: Phoebus Madianos
9.30 – 10.30 Marc Quirynen: Platelet concentrates: preparation, differences between the various concentrates, mode of action, content and uses.
10.30 - 11.30 Marc Quirynen: L-PRF and ridge preservation.
11.30 - 12.00 Discussion
12.00 - 12.30 Coffee Break
Midday Session: The use of autologous growth factors in implantology.
12.30 – 15.00 Moderator: William Papaioannou
12.30 – 13.30 Marc Quirynen: L-PRF and sinus augmentation/soft tissue management.
13.30 – 14.30 Marc Quirynen: L-PRF and horizontal/vertical bone augmentation.
14.30 - 15.00 Discussion and closing remarks
Registration fees: HSP Members: 70 €
Non Members: 90 €
Students: 50 €
Conference in Periodontology
«Recent concepts to preserve and enhance the aesthetics
in teeth and implants»
March 10-11, 2017,
«War Museum», Athens
Scientific Chairs:
Dr.Terrence Griffin, Dr. Petros Damoulis
Organizing Committee:
P. Damoulis, P. Madianos C. Kalaitzakis,
G. Baltas & S. Vassilopoulos
Friday March 10, 2017
08.30-09.25 Registrations
09.25-09.30 Opening seremony
Moderator: Dr. Petros Damoulis
09.30-11.15 T. Griffin: Changing the gingival biotype.
11.15-11.30 Discussion
11.30-12.00 Coffee Break
Moderator: Professor P. Madianos
12.00-14.15 L. Gobbato – F. Mazzocco
Soft tissue management around teeth and implants:
Key factors for success
14.15-14.30 Discussion
14.30-15.30 Lunch Break
15.30-18.00 Hands-on: Flap design and suturing techniques in
mucogingival surgery T. Griffin
Saturday March 11, 2017
Moderator: Professor Ioannis Vrotsos
09.00-10.00 T. Griffin: Use of soft tissue allographs and xenographs
in Mucogingival surgery.
10.00-11.00 F. Brugnami: The use of regenerative corticotomy along
with orthodontics to enhance aesthetics.
Part I: Stretching the limits of a safe orthodontic
treatment and preventing recession.
11.00-11.30 Discussion
11.30-12.00 Coffee Break
Moderator: Dr. Andreas Parashis
12.00-12.45 F. Brugnami: The use of regenerative corticotomy along
with orthodontics to enhance aesthetics.
Part II: Enhancing the lower third of the face in
multidisciplinary treatments.
12.45-14.15 I. Sanz-Martin: Management of complications in the
aesthetic zone during implant placement.
14.15-14.30 Discussion
14.30-15.30 Lunch Break
15.30-17.00 Treatment planning with the experts: Interactive session
through clinical case presentation.
Moderator: T. Griffin,
Lecturers: F. Brugnami L. Gobbato,
F. Mazzocco & I. Sanz-Martin
Registration fees (Early until February 28 2017) – Theoretical Part
HSP Members 100
Non Members 130
Students 50
Registration Fees (From March 1st, 2017 - Theoretical Part
HSP Members 150
Non Members 190
Students 70
Theoretical Part and Hands on (only 30 participants)
HSP Members 250
Non Members 300
Students 170 (only 5 participants)
The treatment of the complex periodontal case. Preservation of natural teeth – dental implant placement
2-days Seminar of the Hellenic Society of Periodontology
30-31 January 2015, Thessaloniki
Friday 30-01-2015
08.30-09.25 Registration
09.25.09.30 Opening ceremony
09.30-10.15 S. Jepsen: Risk factors of periodontal disease. New aspects.
10.15-11.00 N.Donos: Association between periodontitis and peri-implantitis.
11.00-11.15 Discussion
11.15-11.45 Coffee Break
11.45-12.30 F. Grazziani: Conservative periodontal surgery: a critical contemporary evaluation.
12.30-13.15 N. Donos: Step by step treatment and implant based restoration of the patient suffering from periodontitis.
13.15-13.30 Discussion
13.30-15.00 Lunch Break
15.00-17.00 Hands- on course: "Post-extraction socket preservation with the use of a collagen matrix (Mucograft)" .
Demonstration and training of the participants with the use of jaw pigs.
Saturday 31-01-2015
09.00-09.45 F. Grazziani: A new approach for the evaluation of periodontal treatment based on the patient's perception
09.45-10.30 K. Demirel: Basic principles of anterior implant site management. Part Ι
10.30-11.00 Coffee Break
11.00-11.45 K. Demirel: Basic principles of anterior implant site management. Part ΙI
11.45-12.00 Discussion
12.00-14.00 Round table; Interactive presentation of interesting clinical periodontal cases
K. Demirel, N. Donos, F. Grazziani, S. Jepsen:.
14.00-14.30 Conclusions
Registration fees: Theoretical seminar: members 80 €, non members 110 €, students 50 €
Hands-on course: 80 €
Friday-Sunday March 20, 21 & 22, 2015 in Co-operation with the Magnisia Dental society
Hotel Volos Palace, Volos
Clinical Seminar: Clinical application of implants
It is a three day intensive seminar directed to beginners as well as experienced clinicians with implant treatment. It comprises everything that the modern dentist must know in order to include implant treatment in his or hers everyday clinical practice. Special attention has been paid to: a) Patient selection b) Diagnostic methodology c) Treatment planning & d) Contemporary surgical techniques
Coordinators: G. Baltas, S. Vasilopoulos
Speakers: H. Apostolidis, S. Vasilopoulos, Ι. Vouros, C. Georgiadis, H. Gousias, P. Damoulis, X. Dereka, Α. Κonstantinidis, G. Baltas, A. Parashis, Α. Poulios, Ν. Sykaras, Ι. Fourmousis
Participants: 25
Cost: Μembers HSP 250 euro, non-members 300 euro
Place: Headquarters of Hellenic Society of Periodontology, Ilidos 54-56, Goudi, Αthens.
Certificates of attendance will be awarded.
Hellenic Society of Periodontology, Ilidos 54-56, 11527, Αthens
Contact hours: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 10.00am-14.00pm
Information: Maria Blazaki
Τelephone: +30 2107484167
- Bank cheque to Hellenic Society of Periodontology
- Bank deposit to Alpha Bank (account number 148002002003228)
- Credit card
- Cash payment


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Historically, the CREW Network Convention and Marketplace has drawn world-class keynote speakers and commercial real estate leaders; this year is no different. The 2017 keynote speakers are from a variety of backgrounds, but all share a foundation of supporting women and expertise in leadership development.
Academy Award winner Geena Davis and author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and cofounder of TalentSmart Dr. Travis Bradberry.
"The convention consistently delivers an agenda that includes quality programming on topics ranging from career development to trends and challenges in the industry," said Cephas Partners partner and CREW Seattle & Sound member Mollie Fadule. "[It also] provides significant networking opportunities focused on fostering opportunities for future collaboration among attendees."
Convention programming will kick off with an opening session presentation by Dr. Travis Bradberry on Thursday morning, October 26. Bradberry is the coauthor of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, cofounder of emotional intelligence provider TalentSmart®, and a well-published author of many articles focused on emotional intelligence and leadership skillsets, both important areas of continuous growth and awareness in the commercial real estate.
Academy Award winner Geena Davis will deliver the luncheon keynote on Friday, October 27. In addition to her acting career, she's also a member of the genius society Mensa, an official partner of UN Women, and recently has been focused on increasing the percentage and role of female characters in children's media. Whether you're a fan of her many successful movies portraying strong women characters, or interested in learning more about her work promoting gender equality, you will be empowered and inspired to support and develop women in our industry.
Other speakers you won't want to miss include CBRE Americas head of research Spencer Levy, Roosevelt University executive director Collete English Dixon, Alexa Smart Properties business development leader Ashwin Karuhatty, and Camden Property Trust senior vice president of strategic services Kristy Simonette.
More than 1,200 commercial real estate professionals from across North America and the U.K. are expected to attend the 2017 convention on Oct. 25-27—and they will be looking for new deals or business, or may become the referral you need to open doors to new markets for your company.
"There are few opportunities to network and meet such professionals in the commercial real estate industry," said Schiff Hardin partner and CREW Chicago member Janet Johnson. "The cost is reasonable for the value that you get, the speakers are amazing and inspiring, and your ability to connect deeper with current connections and meet new ones is invaluable."
CREW Network Convention and Marketplace is an optimal environment to network and make new business connections, but it can be a busy few days. Be efficient with your time by planning ahead. Seasoned attendees recommend you target new connections you'd like to make and consider reaching out ahead of time to set up a time to connect over coffee or a common learning excursion. By making the most of each day, convention can be a great opportunity to meet potential business partners from across the country.
"The CREW Network Convention and Marketplace was a great way for me to network with other professionals in other cities to cross sell and to meet with corporate clients," said Richter partner and CREW Montreal member Stéphanie Lincourt of CREW Montreal. "Access to the attendee list ahead of time allowed me to arrange meetings with professionals prior to the event to maximize my success at the convention."
And don't miss the Marketplace and Reception on Wednesday evening, a dedicated business networking event that gives you the opportunity to meet with industry exhibitors and network with fellow convention participants. This event will help you discover new business opportunities, learn about emerging trends, and connect with other professionals to build your personal network.
Houston is the fourth most populous city in the U.S., one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America, and an epicenter of Fortune 1000 companies. For these reasons and more, it's a natural location for the largest commercial real estate organization focused on women in the industry to gather, hear from leading speakers, and benefit from constant networking opportunities.
If you're still on the fence, reach out to a fellow CREW member who has participated in the convention and ask them how they benefitted. We hope to see you in Houston!
Cori Palmer is a Project Development Manager in Mortenson Construction's Seattle office, focused on the corporate, hospitality and residential markets. She is also responsible for managing marketing, public relations, and community outreach for Mortenson's Seattle and Portland offices. Cori is serving her third year on the Board of Directors for CREW Seattle and Sound as Treasurer/Secretary.


text:
Character Designer and Director Shingo Araki Passes Away at 72
It's a sad, sad anime world when something bad happens. This time, what makes otaku feel a great lump in their throats is the death of one of the most active and cherished character designers in Japanese animation.
Shingo Araki has worked on a great number of shows including Lupin III, Saint Seiya, Yu-GI-Oh! and The Rose of Versailles.
There is probably no true anime fan who hasn't watched at least one of his works. Shingo Araki has also worked on J.I. Joe: The Movie – a project which managed to put all the world under his spell with the incredible graphic designs and effects. Another one of his projects is the television animated series Inspector Gadget. He was also the co-founder of Araki Productions with Michi Himeno, with whom he has worked with on many occasions.
I am certain that this world will miss him greatly.
Source: Maiko Kissaka Twitter Message


text:
Efficacy of Oseltamivir-Zanamivir Combination Compared to Each Monotherapy for Seasonal Influenza: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial
Neuraminidase inhibitors are thought to be efficacious in reducing the time to alleviation of symptoms in outpatients with seasonal influenza. The objective of this study was to compare the short-term virological efficacy of oseltamivir-zanamivir combination versus each monotherapy plus placebo.
Methods and Findings:
We conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial with 145 general practitioners throughout France during the 2008–2009 seasonal influenza epidemic. Patients, general practitioners, and outcome assessors were all blinded to treatment assignment. Adult outpatients presenting influenza-like illness for less than 36 hours and a positive influenza A rapid test diagnosis were randomized to oseltamivir 75 mg orally twice daily plus zanamivir 10 mg by inhalation twice daily (OZ), oseltamivir plus inhaled placebo (O), or zanamivir plus oral placebo (Z). Treatment efficacy was assessed virologically according to the proportion of patients with nasal influenza reverse transcription (RT)-PCR below 200 copies genome equivalent (cgeq)/µl at day 2 (primary outcome), and clinically to the time to alleviation of symptoms until day 14. Overall 541 patients (of the 900 planned) were included (OZ, n = 192; O, n = 176; Z, n = 173), 49% male, mean age 39 years. In the intention-to-treat analysis conducted in the 447 patients with RT-PCR-confirmed influenza A, 46%, 59%, and 34% in OZ (n = 157), O (n = 141), and Z (n = 149) arms had RT-PCR<200 cgeq/µl (−13.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] −23.1 to −2.9, p = 0.025; +12.3%, 95% CI 2.39–22.2, p = 0.028 for OZ/O and OZ/Z comparisons). Mean day 0 to day 2 viral load decrease was 2.14, 2.49, and 1.68 log10 cgeq/µl (p = 0.060, p = 0.016 for OZ/O and OZ/Z). Median time to alleviation of symptoms was 4.0, 3.0, and 4.0 days (+1.0, 95% CI 0.0–4.0, p = 0.018; +0.0, 95% CI −3.0 to 3.0, p = 0.960 for OZ/O and OZ/Z). Four severe adverse events were observed. Nausea and/or vomiting tended to be more frequent in the combination arm (OZ, n = 13; O, n = 4; and Z, n = 5 patients, respectively).
In adults with seasonal influenza A mainly H3N2 virus infection, the oseltamivir-zanamivir combination appeared less effective than oseltamivir monotherapy, and not significantly more effective than zanamivir monotherapy. Despite the theoretical potential for the reduction of the emergence of antiviral resistance, the lower effectiveness of this combination calls for caution in its use in clinical practice.
Trial registration:
www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00799760
: Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Published in the journal:
. PLoS Med 7(11): e32767. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000362
Category: Research Article
doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000362
Neuraminidase inhibitors are thought to be efficacious in reducing the time to alleviation of symptoms in outpatients with seasonal influenza. The objective of this study was to compare the short-term virological efficacy of oseltamivir-zanamivir combination versus each monotherapy plus placebo.
Methods and Findings:
We conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial with 145 general practitioners throughout France during the 2008–2009 seasonal influenza epidemic. Patients, general practitioners, and outcome assessors were all blinded to treatment assignment. Adult outpatients presenting influenza-like illness for less than 36 hours and a positive influenza A rapid test diagnosis were randomized to oseltamivir 75 mg orally twice daily plus zanamivir 10 mg by inhalation twice daily (OZ), oseltamivir plus inhaled placebo (O), or zanamivir plus oral placebo (Z). Treatment efficacy was assessed virologically according to the proportion of patients with nasal influenza reverse transcription (RT)-PCR below 200 copies genome equivalent (cgeq)/µl at day 2 (primary outcome), and clinically to the time to alleviation of symptoms until day 14. Overall 541 patients (of the 900 planned) were included (OZ, n = 192; O, n = 176; Z, n = 173), 49% male, mean age 39 years. In the intention-to-treat analysis conducted in the 447 patients with RT-PCR-confirmed influenza A, 46%, 59%, and 34% in OZ (n = 157), O (n = 141), and Z (n = 149) arms had RT-PCR<200 cgeq/µl (−13.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] −23.1 to −2.9, p = 0.025; +12.3%, 95% CI 2.39–22.2, p = 0.028 for OZ/O and OZ/Z comparisons). Mean day 0 to day 2 viral load decrease was 2.14, 2.49, and 1.68 log10 cgeq/µl (p = 0.060, p = 0.016 for OZ/O and OZ/Z). Median time to alleviation of symptoms was 4.0, 3.0, and 4.0 days (+1.0, 95% CI 0.0–4.0, p = 0.018; +0.0, 95% CI −3.0 to 3.0, p = 0.960 for OZ/O and OZ/Z). Four severe adverse events were observed. Nausea and/or vomiting tended to be more frequent in the combination arm (OZ, n = 13; O, n = 4; and Z, n = 5 patients, respectively).
In adults with seasonal influenza A mainly H3N2 virus infection, the oseltamivir-zanamivir combination appeared less effective than oseltamivir monotherapy, and not significantly more effective than zanamivir monotherapy. Despite the theoretical potential for the reduction of the emergence of antiviral resistance, the lower effectiveness of this combination calls for caution in its use in clinical practice.
Trial registration:
www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00799760
: Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir [O], zanamivir [Z]) are thought to be efficacious as compared to placebo in outpatients with uncomplicated seasonal influenza [1]–[6], both clinically in terms of reduction in duration of symptoms, as well as in terms of a reduction in viral shedding. In 2008, they were considered an important strategy to limit the impact of an influenza pandemic both individually, by reducing morbidity and mortality, and collectively, by slowing spread of the virus to allow time for vaccine production, the cornerstone of influenza control [2]–[4],[7]. It was hypothesized that the widespread use of a single antiviral might result in the emergence of resistant strains whose subsequent spread could dramatically reduce the effectiveness of antiviral therapy. The combination of two antiviral agents, if well tolerated, and if producing at least additive antiviral activity, theoretically offers several advantages: reducing disease severity, viral shedding, and viral excretion period, thereby also lowering the attack rate and risk of selection of resistant viruses, specifically in individuals with prolonged viral shedding, such as immunocompromised patients [8],[9]. Indeed, mathematical modelling showed a reduction in risk of emergence of resistant strains during early phases of a pandemic, associated with use of two antivirals as compared to single antiviral therapy [9]. Finally, another theoretical advantage of combining two drugs would be to ensure optimal treatment of all circulating influenza virus types, subtypes, or variants, as susceptibility of influenza viruses has been shown to vary, and seasonal H1N1 viruses naturally resistant to oseltamivir, which remain susceptible to zanamivir, emerged in 2008 [10]. Among antivirals active against influenza virus, the combination of neuraminidase inhibitors is attractive, because both compounds are licensed for seasonal influenza, they are delivered to the respiratory tract by distinct means (directly through a diskhaler for zanamivir, after gastrointestinal absorption and hepatic metabolism for oseltamivir), and key mutations associated with resistance are different for each drug. However, negative interactions cannot not be ruled out owing to the possible competition between these two drugs, which target the same binding pocket in the neuraminidase.
In 2006, in the context of pandemic planning, we designed a double-placebo randomized controlled trial in patients presenting with seasonal influenza-like illness to compare the oseltamivir-zanamivir combination to each of the monotherapies plus placebo. The trial was conducted in France, during the winter of 2008–2009. Because of the emergence of the pandemic 2009 (H1N1) virus in humans, in April 2009 in North America, and its subsequent worldwide spread, the independent data-monitoring committee requested that we terminate the trial early and analyze the results earlier than planned, given the possible impact of the results on antiviral treatment management during the pandemic [11].
From January 7th to March 15th 2009 (period of the winter 2008–2009 influenza epidemic in France), we enrolled throughout France adults 18 y old and older who consulted their general practitioner within 36 h of influenza symptoms onset (following the first influenza symptoms reported by the patient), with a temperature greater than or equal to 38°C (reported or observed by the practitioner), one or more respiratory symptoms (cough, sore throat), one or more general symptoms (headache, dizziness, myalgia, sweats and or chills, fatigue), and a positive nasal rapid test for influenza A (Clearview Exact Influenza A & B) performed by the practitioner. Enrolment of women required a negative urine pregnancy test. Exclusion criteria were vaccination against influenza during the 2008–2009 season, recent exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma or severe chronic disease, previous history of depression, and prior inclusion in this trial. Prior to inclusion, patients gave informed written consent. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Ile de France 1 (Texts S1 and S2).
Study Procedures
At enrolment (day 0), a nasal swab for virological analysis was performed using a standard operating procedure (sample kit plus instructional video). Patients were allocated to treatment by a randomization list, with an arm ratio of 1∶1∶1, balanced by practitioner. A computer random number generator was used to select random permuted blocks of size 3. This randomisation code was given to the central hospital pharmacy that prepared blinded treatment units in conformity with good manufacturing practices (GMP). Each general practitioner received six treatment units and was told to distribute them by order of inclusion of his patients in the trial. Allocation was concealed through the similarity of all the containers and the impossibility for the GP to identify the treatment arm when opening the container. The three treatments were (1) oseltamivir capsule for oral use plus inhaled zanamivir, (2) oseltamivir plus inhaled placebo, (3) zanamivir plus oral placebo. Oseltamivir dosage was 75 mg orally twice daily; zanamivir dosage was 10 mg by oral inhalation using the commercialized GlaxoSmithKline Diskhaler, twice daily. Active drugs and placebo were kindly provided by Roche and Glaxo-SmithKline laboratories. A visiting nurse performed a nasal swab for virological analysis on day 2. Patients returned to their general practitioner at day 7 for a follow-up examination, and were contacted by phone on day 14. Patients, general practitioners assigning the patients, and outcome assessors (practitioners, virologists, patients), were blinded to treatment assignment throughout the study and statisticians until the end of the analysis.
Virological Analysis
Nasal swabs placed into a transport medium (Virocult, Elitech) were transported at 4°C by special courier to the nearest National Influenza Centre (NIC) (Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, or Pasteur Institute, Paris, France). Upon arrival, the swab samples were eluted into 2 ml of transport medium, processed for real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analyses and inoculated onto MDCK cells for virus isolation and subsequent subtyping using a standard hemagglutination inhibition assay. For RT-PCR analyses, RNA extraction from 200 µl of specimen was performed using the QIAmp virus RNA mini kit (Qiagen) with RNA elution into a final volume of 60 µl. All real-time RT-PCR assays were performed in a final volume of 15 µL with 5 µL RNA, 0. µM of each primer, 0.2 µM probe, and 0.8 µl enzyme mix (SuperScriptIII platinum one-step quantitative RT-PCR system, Invitrogen). Type A influenza virus RNA was detected by a real-time RT-PCR targeting the conserved matrix gene using GRAM/7Fw (5′-CTTCTAACCGAGGTCGAAACGTA-3′) and GRAM/161Rv (5′-GGTGACAGGATTG GTCTTGTCTTTA-3′) primers and GRAM probe/52/+ (5′[Fam]-TCAGGCC CCTCAAAGCCGAG-[BHQ-1]3′) probe. The quality of the specimens was assessed by real-time RT-PCR targeting the GAPDH cellular gene [12]. Amplification was performed on a LightCycler 480 (Roche Diagnostics) (NIC, Pasteur Institute, Paris) or an ABI 7500 (Applied Biosystems) (NIC, Lyon). Cycling conditions are available upon request. Quantified synthetic RNA transcripts corresponding to the M and GAPDH genes were used as controls in parallel [13].
To take into account the variability in the quantity of cells collected by nasal swab, we calculated a normalized influenza viral load for each specimen; this normalized viral load was defined as the ratio of the M RT-PCR and GAPDH RT-PCR multiplied by the average GAPDH RT-PCR at day 0 to express results in copies of genome equivalent/µl (cgeq/µl). The virological response was defined as a normalized viral load below 200 cgeq/µl at day 2. This threshold was determined according to results on specimens from patients with a positive influenza A rapid test from winter 2008–2009 included in the French influenza surveillance network (GROG), and analysed by the 2NICs, and because it resulted in 5% false positive and 5% false negative results with respect to virus isolation (Table S1). It was validated by the independent data-monitoring committee prior to any analysis. Sensitivity of the qRT-PCR was assessed using serial dilutions of quantified synthetic transcripts corresponding to the target genes (Text S3). To assess comparability of the data between the two NICs, specimens were exchanged showing excellent concordance. The threshold of the qRT-PCR used was set well above the limit of detection.
Clinical Response
Oral temperature was recorded and severity of seven symptoms (nasal stuffiness, sore throat, cough, muscle aches, tiredness or fatigue, headache, and feverishness) was rated by the patient twice daily (morning and evening) up to day 5 and then once daily on a four-point scale (0, none; 1, mild; 2, moderate; 3, severe) [2]–[4],[14]. The time to resolution of illness was defined as time from study drug initiation to time of symptom alleviation. Symptom alleviation was defined as the first 24-h period during which the above seven symptoms were absent or only mild as previously described [3],[4]. Influenza-related clinical events were defined as incidence of a secondary complication (such as pneumonitis or otitis) independently of any antibiotic initiation, and/or occurrence of exacerbation of a preexisting chronic disease. Patients reported treatment compliance using a self-administered questionnaire; full compliance during the day 0 to day 2 period was considered when 100% of planned drug intakes had been completed.
Endpoints, Analyzed Populations
The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients with RT-PCR<200 cgeq/µl on day 2 of treatment. Given the viral shedding kinetics in patients with seasonal influenza receiving neuraminidase inhibitors, the day 2 virological endpoint was considered to be best suited to measurement of virological effects [2],[4]. Other endpoints were (1) the decrease of log10 viral load between days 0 and 2 in the patients with confirmed influenza A on day 0 and available samples both at days 0 and 2; (2) the time to resolution of illness; (3) the number of patients with alleviation of symptoms at the end of treatment (day 5); (4) the symptoms score at the end of treatment; (5) the incidence of secondary complications of influenza such as otitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, and the use of antibiotics; (6) the occurrence of adverse events in all participants having received at least one dose.
According to the protocol, the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was performed on two populations: (1) all enrolled patients (primary objective), and (2) enrolled patients with an influenza A virus infection confirmed by RT-PCR on day 0 (influenza A-infected population).
Sample Size and Statistical Analysis
Sample size evaluation assumed that virological response was obtained in 70% of patients in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, compared to 55% in each of monotherapy arms on the basis of the extrapolation of the results of previous trials [2],[4]. Samples of 300 subjects per arm had 90% power to detect this difference, with a two-sided test and a type I error of 0.025 because of the two tests (factoring 20% lack of follow-up). Proportions of response at day 2 were compared between the combination therapy arm (OZ) and each monotherapy arm (O or Z) separately using two tests with a type I error of 0.025 because of the two tests. Patients without a day 2 sample were considered treatment failures. Mean decreases of log10 viral load were compared using a t-test in patients who had both day 0 and day 2 samples assuming a value of 0.5 cgeq/µl when RT-PCR was negative. For clinical endpoints nonparametric tests were used. Times to resolution of illness and symptoms score at the end of treatment were compared using Wilcoxon tests. If time to symptom alleviation was missing it was imputed to be 14 d, i.e., the end of the trial; 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of median differences were estimated by bootstrap. Probability of symptoms alleviation versus day of treatment was estimated using the Kaplan Meier method and was compared between groups with the log-rank test. Proportions of clinical events and of patients with alleviation of symptoms were compared using Fisher's exact tests. As an exploratory analysis, 95% CIs for differences of response between the two monotherapies were also estimated. All analyses were performed using SAS software, version 9.1 (SAS Institute).
Early Study Termination
Recruitment was interrupted on March 15th 2009 at the end of the epidemic period in France after the enrolment of the first 541 patients and prior to the emergence of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic later in 2009. A second recruitment period was planned for the next winter (i.e., 2009–2010) to reach the number of 900 patients required. However, due to the emergence of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus, the independent data-monitoring committee, without any prior knowledge of the results, recommended terminating the trial and conducting an early analysis on May 6th 2009. This decision was based firstly on the need to rapidly provide results on efficacy and tolerance of combined oseltamivir-zanamivir therapy, and secondly, on the inadvisability of pooling the results of the two winters, one with a seasonal virus (winter 2008–2009, mainly H3N2) and the other one with a novel pandemic virus of a different subtype (winter 2009–2010).
Out of the 900 patients initially planned, a total of 541 patients were enrolled by 145 general practitioners. They were randomly assigned to oseltamivir plus zanamivir (OZ, n = 192), oseltamivir plus inhaled placebo (O, n = 176), zanamivir plus oral placebo (Z, n = 173) (Figure 1). Mean age was 39 y (standard deviation [SD] = 13), 49% were male, 14% had preexisting chronic diseases, mean fever was 38.2°C (SD = 0.8). The mean duration of illness before enrolment was 25 h (SD = 10). Other characteristics of patients appeared well balanced in the three arms (Table 1). The rate of fully compliant patients was not significantly different among the three arms (84% for the OZ arm, 88% for the O arm, and 85% for the Z arm).
Virological Samples
Out of the 541 enrolled patients, 447 (83%) had a RT-PCR laboratory confirmation of influenza A virus infection on the day 0 specimen, with a mean viral load of 4.38 log10 cgeq/µl (interquartile range [IQR] 3.75–5.30). All the day 0 specimens were GAPDH RT-PCR positive with a mean value of 3.88 log10 copies/µl.
Virological Endpoints
Primary endpoint
In the ITT analysis, considering the 541 enrolled patients with positive influenza A rapid test, the proportion of patients with a RT-PCR<200 cgeq/µl on day 2 of treatment was 52.6% in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, 62.5% in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.055, for the OZ versus O comparison, treatment effect comparison: −9.9%, [95% CI −19.9 to 0.2]), and 40.5% in the zanamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.020, for the OZ versus Z comparison; treatment effect comparison: +12.1%, [95% CI 2.02–22.3]) (Table 2).
In the ITT analysis, considering the 447 influenza RT-PCR-confirmed patients, the proportions were 45.9% in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, 58.9% in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.025 for the OZ versus O comparison; treatment effect comparison: −13.0%, [95% CI −23.1 to −2.9]), and 33.6% in the zanamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.028 for the OZ versus Z comparison; treatment effect comparison: +12.3%, [95% CI 2.39–22.2]) (Table 2). The same trends were observed in the 382 fully compliant influenza A-infected patients (Table S3), and in the 395 patients with H3N2 infection with proportions of 42.4% in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, 58.6% in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm, and 30.3% in the zanamivir monotherapy arm.
Other virological endpoints
In the 414 influenza RT-PCR confirmed patients with both day 0 and day 2 available specimens, the day 2 to day 0 decrease was 2.14 log10 cgeq/µl in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, 2.49 log10 cgeq/µl in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm, (p = 0.060 for the OZ versus O comparison; treatment effect comparison −0.35, [95% CI −0.8 to 0.07]), and 1.68 log10 cgeq/µl in the zanamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.016 for the OZ versus Z comparison; treatment effect comparison: +0.46, [CI 95% 0.03–0.9]) (Table 2).
Clinical Endpoints
The median time to resolution of illness in the 541 enrolled patients was 3.5 d in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, 3.0 d in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.015 for the OZ versus O comparison; treatment effect comparison: +0.5%, [95% CI 0.0–1.5]), and 4.0 d in the zanamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.78 for the OZ versus Z comparison; treatment effect comparison: −0.5, [95% CI −1.0 to 0.5]) (Table 3). In the 447 influenza A-infected patients, this figure was 4.0 d in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, 3.0 d in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.018 for the OZ versus O comparison; treatment effect comparison: +1.0, [95% CI 0.0–4.0]), and 4.0 d in the zanamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.96 for the OZ versus Z comparison; treatment effect comparison: +0.0, [95% CI −3.0 to 3.0]). Figure 2 presents the time to resolution of illness in the 447 patients, also showing by the log-rank test a significantly shorter time in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm. The time to resolution of illness was significantly shorter in patients with day 2 viral load below 200 cgeq/l (3.5 d) than in patients with viral load above 200 cgeq/l (7 d; p = 0.0014). The median symptoms score at day 5 (end of treatment) was 3 in the oseltamivir-zanamivir arm, 2 in the oseltamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.013 for the OZ versus O comparison; treatment effect comparison: +1, [95% CI 0.0–1.0]), and 3 in the zanamivir monotherapy arm (p = 0.93 for the OZ versus Z comparison; treatment effect comparison: +0.0, [95% CI −1.0 to 0.0]) (Tables 2 and 3). Other clinical outcomes showed similar trends (Tables 2, 3, and S3).
Four serious adverse events occurred during the study, one of which was considered unrelated to study drugs (acute bacterial pneumonia at day 3 in a patient receiving oseltamivir-zanamivir combination). Two adverse events also occurred in patients receiving the oseltamivir-zanamivir combination: severe headaches leading to interruption of therapy and facial oedema following the first administration, disappearing within 24 h postdrug interruption. The remaining patient experienced repeated vomiting after oseltamivir monotherapy drug administration. All four patients completely recovered.
Other nonserious adverse events reported in more than 1% of the total population were in the OZ, O, and Z arms, respectively, nausea and/or vomiting (in 13, 4, and 5 patients), diarrhoea (in 2, 1, and 5 patients), and rash (in 1, 2, and 2 patients).
This large publicly funded clinical trial examined the effect of combination neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral therapy in influenza, as compared to each monotherapy plus placebo. It showed that, during the prepandemic winter of 2009 with a predominance of H3N2 viruses (more than 85%) in France, the oseltamivir-zanamivir combination seemed less effective than oseltamivir monotherapy, and not significantly more effective than zanamivir monotherapy in adults with seasonal influenza A virus infection.
Analysis of the different antiviral regimens' efficacy was based on a primary virological endpoint, which we hypothesized could be a sensitive and a more specific indicator than a primary clinical endpoint. Clinical endpoints, used as primary endpoints in previous studies, were used as secondary endpoints in the present study [1],[5]. Clinical endpoints, which are based on a global assessment of both general (mainly immunologically linked) and respiratory (mainly virologically linked) symptoms, are probably not the best way to monitor the virological effect of treatment, because clinical symptoms are not exclusive to influenza. We thus considered that a difference in viral shedding rate would be the best indicator of the virological effects of combined therapy, and consequently a valuable surrogate. Our initial hypothesis was that the combination of two antivirals may reduce the rate of resistant virus emergence (for a naturally susceptible pandemic virus and a nonimmune population). In addition, we hypothesized that for cases of infection with susceptible seasonal influenza viruses, this could not be easily shown, owing first to the rarity of this phenomenon in adults, and second, to the necessity of monitoring virus excretion for several days, whereas for cases of influenza due to H1N1 viruses, which are naturally resistant to oseltamivir, the question was not relevant. Given the viral shedding kinetics in patients with seasonal influenza receiving neuraminidase inhibitors, the day 2 virological endpoint was considered to be best suited to quantify virological effects. The 200 cgeq/l threshold was chosen, as it was the best compromise in terms of specificity and sensitivity as compared to standard culture. Of note, the same trends were observed when a 100 cgeq/l or a 1,000 cgeq/µl cut-off was used to define virological success (Table S2). Furthermore, the study was designed to be statistically two-sided to take into account the possibility that the combination would perform worse than either drug alone because of the theoretical concern of antagonism at the receptor level.
The oseltamivir-zanamivir combination seemed, both virologically and clinically, significantly less effective than the oseltamivir monotherapy. This result seems robust because (1) it was found using a double-blind placebo methodology, (2) there was overall concordance both among virological endpoints, and between virological and clinical endpoints, (3) it was confirmed over the three different subgroups of subjects included in the global population (541 enrolled patients, 447 influenza A-infected patients, 382 influenza A-infected and fully compliant patients). This lower clinical and virological response to the combination may suggest a negative effect of zanamivir on oseltamivir, as in the absence of interactions the effect of the combination should at least be additive [15]. A negative interaction at the level of binding at the catalytic pocket of the neuraminidase is an explanation that should be further investigated in vitro for both seasonal H3N2 and H1N1 viruses. Recent in vitro data showing the lack of synergy between oseltamivir and zanamivir, and some antagonism at higher concentrations of zanamivir on pandemic H1N1 2009 virus, are in agreement with this hypothesis [16]. Furthermore, contrary to oseltamivir, which upon digestive absorption needs to be metabolized, thus delaying arrival of the active drug at the infection site (tmax = 4 h), inhaled zanamivir is delivered directly to the primary site of influenza virus replication. The hypothesis that zanamivir is more likely to occupy the catalytic pocket first, thus preventing the action of oseltamivir, must be tested. According to this hypothesis, the combination would be largely reduced to a zanamivir monotherapy.
Whereas the results of the primary virological endpoints indicated a superiority of the oseltamivir-zanamivir combination to zanamivir monotherapy, clinical results were not significantly different, suggesting that oseltamivir adds essentially nothing to zanamivir monotherapy. This view is concordant with the above hypothesis of the predominant catalytic site occupation by zanamivir when the combination is administered.
As an exploratory analysis, oseltamivir showed a significantly higher clinical and virological efficacy as compared to zanamivir. This finding could be the consequence of a suboptimal treatment regimen in the zanamivir arm, since the IC50 values for the A(H3N2) viruses of the 2008–2009 season were 2- to 3-fold higher for zanamivir as compared to oseltamivir, but remained within the range for susceptible strains (GROG surveillance; NICs, unpublished data). The virological result is confirmed by the longer time to alleviation of the influenza symptoms in patients receiving zanamivir.
As the present study was conducted before the 2009 H1N1 pandemic during an influenza season where A(H3N2) viruses predominated, the impact of prepandemic seasonal A(H1N1) oseltamivir-resistant viruses on the results is expected to be negligible. We observed the same trends after excluding patients infected with seasonal H1N1 from our population. Of note, A(H3N2) viruses are to date sensitive to both drugs. It remains to be determined to what extent the present results can be extrapolated to susceptible viruses of other subtypes, e.g., H1N1, and in particular to the pandemic H1N1 2009 virus, which displays significant differences in the catalytic pocket of the neuraminidase [17], or to a mixed viral season with H3N2 and H1N1 cocirculating viruses.
We must acknowledge several limitations to our study. First, this preliminary analysis was conducted on a partial set of data after enrolment of 541 patients instead of the 900 initially planned. However, it is highly unlikely that the lower response of the combination as compared to oseltamivir would have been reversed if all originally planned 900 patients had been enrolled. Second, as previous randomized clinical trials had shown the superiority of each monotherapy as compared to placebo in terms of time to symptom alleviation and viral shedding, it was decided, on the basis of ethical reasons, that the study would not comprise a double placebo arm. Third, the proportion of patients with unavailable viral swab on day 2 was higher in the combination arm. As the missing value equals failure, this may have biased the results in the combination arm towards reduced performance. Indeed, in the analysis of the 414 patients with available day 0 and day 2 nasal swabs, the same trends were observed. Fourth, the virological response was assessed only in one site (nose) and at one time (day 2), which prevents extrapolation of the results to the entire virological response over time and throughout the respiratory tract. However, clinical endpoints completed the picture, giving information on the overall response. Fifth, as mentioned above, day 2 sampling was chosen to show the virological effect. However, this is probably not the best moment to look for resistance emergence induced by drug selective pressure, as it has been shown to occur later in the course of treatment [18]–[20]. Nevertheless, we looked for neuraminidase inhibitor resistance using a standard fluorimetric test in the 65 patients with day 2 positive viral culture; none of them carried a resistant virus, except for one patient infected with an H1N1 virus resistant to oseltamivir but susceptible to zanamivir, as were all H1N1 viruses circulating during the study period. However, the absence of resistance at day 2 does not rule out any further (post–day 2) resistance selection. Finally, this trial was conducted in adult outpatients, which prevents any extrapolation of the results to adults with severe presentation necessitating hospitalisation, and to children, who usually have more prolonged viral shedding. We chose the outpatient adult population because it seemed to be the most homogenous and the easiest in which to test our hypothesis.
Despite the theoretical potential for the reduction of the emergence of antiviral resistance, the lower efficiency of the oseltamivir-zanamivir combination found in this study calls for caution in its use in clinical practice. Thus, also considering the superiority of oseltamivir monotherapy over zanamivir monotherapy observed in this trial, oseltamivir should be the recommended primary anti-influenza treatment during influenza seasons with predominant H3N2 viruses naturally susceptible to oseltamivir. These results would need to be confirmed for the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus and in the coming years, for future circulating influenza viruses.
Supporting Information
1. BurchJ
2009 Prescription of anti-influenza drugs for healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis 9 537 545
2. HaydenFG
1997 Efficacy and safety of the neuraminidase inhibitor zanamivir in the treatment of influenzavirus infections. GG167 Influenza Study Group. N Engl J Med 337 874 880
3. NicholsonKG
2000 Efficacy and safety of oseltamivir in treatment of acute influenza: a randomised controlled trial. Neuraminidase Inhibitor Flu Treatment Investigator Group. Lancet 355 1845 1850
4. TreanorJJ
2000 Efficacy and safety of the oral neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir in treating acute influenza: a randomized controlled trial. US Oral Neuraminidase Study Group. JAMA 283 1016 1024
5. JeffersonT
Del MarC
2009 Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 339 b5106
6. PuhakkaT
2003 Zanamivir: a significant reduction in viral load during treatment in military conscripts with influenza. Scand J Infect Dis 35 52 58
7. The MIST (Management of Influenza in the Southern Hemisphere Trialists) Study Group 1998 Randomised trial of efficacy and safety of inhaled zanamivir in treatment of influenza A and B virus infections. Lancet 352 1877 1881
8. PolandGA
2009 Influenza virus resistance to antiviral agents: a plea for rational use. Clin Infect Dis 48 1254 1256
9. WuJT
2009 Hedging against antiviral resistance during the next influenza pandemic using small stockpiles of an alternative chemotherapy. PLoS Med 6 e1000085 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000085
10. SheuTG
2008 Surveillance for neuraminidase inhibitor resistance among human influenza A and B viruses circulating worldwide from 2004 to 2008. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 52 3284 3292
11. DawoodFS
2009 Emergence of a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. N Engl J Med 360 2605 2615
12. WongSC
2005 Development of a quantitative assay for SARS coronavirus and correlation of GAPDH mRNA with SARS coronavirus in clinical specimens. J Clin Pathol 58 276 280
13. DuchampMB
2010 Pandemic A(H1N1)2009 influenza virus detection by real time RT-PCR: is viral quantification useful? Clin Microbiol Infect 16 317 321
14. HaydenFG
1999 Use of the oral neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir in experimental human influenza: randomized controlled trials for prevention and treatment. JAMA 282 1240 1246
15. GubarevaLV
2000 Influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors. Lancet 355 827 835
16. NguyenJT
2010 Triple combination of amantadine, ribavirin, and oseltamivir is highly active and synergistic against drug resistant influenza virus strains in vitro. PLoS One 5 e9332 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009332
17. RussellRJ
2006 The structure of H5N1 avian influenza neuraminidase suggests new opportunities for drug design. Nature 443 45 49
18. AokiFY
2007 Influenza virus susceptibility and resistance to oseltamivir. Antivir Ther 12 603 616
19. GubarevaLV
2001 Selection of influenza virus mutants in experimentally infected volunteers treated with oseltamivir. J Infect Dis 183 523 531
20. StephensonI
2009 Neuraminidase inhibitor resistance after oseltamivir treatment of acute influenza A and B in children. Clin Infect Dis 48 389 396
ŠtítkyInterní lékařství
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2010 Číslo 11
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- Doctors and Drug Companies: Still Cozy after All These Years
- Air Pollution and the Microvasculature: A Cross-Sectional Assessment of In Vivo Retinal Images in the Population-Based Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
- Sanitation and Health
- Colorectal Cancer Screening for Average-Risk North Americans: An Economic Evaluation
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Property Details
All apartments have a north west facing balcony with outdoor setting. Located on Noosa Hill with outstanding views of the Noosa river out to the Hinterland.
The Penthouses have their own private roof top spas, dining area BBQ and views other locations are envious of. Our facilities include a pool, hot tub, Austar, DVD & CD player, air-conditioned, ceiling fans, fully self contained kitchen and laundry with large living space. All apartments have a private balcony from where the beautiful sunsets can be watched every evening.
10 minutes walk to Hastings St and Main beach - 7 minutes walk to Coles Supermarket (Noosa Junction)
On site manager/No lift. One secure car bay per apartment. Apartments start on 1st Level.
Heated Pool Spa/hot tub and BBQ in grounds.
4 Star rating.
Cots and High chairs available for hire direct with property.
We reserve the right to reject bookings from School Leavers and/or University Nov/Dec, as we do not have policies, procedures or resources to meet the unique needs of those attending the annual "Schoolies" event. If on check in persons travelling are found to be participating in 'Schoolies' they will NOT be checked in and no refunds will be given.
Bali Hai have a strict no party, no excess noise policy.
Property Policies
Office hours Monday-Friday 8.30-5.00pm.
Saturday 8.30 - 12.00 noon. Sunday and outside office hrs, please contact reception to inform of arrival time. Door phone for all enquiries after hours.
- -Luggage storage
- -Tour desk
- -Reception (limited hours)
- -Non-smoking property
- -DVD library
- -Book library
- -WiFi (free)
- -Airport transfers (surcharge)
- -Outdoor pool (heated)
- -Spa bath / Jacuzzi
- -Sun loungers
- -Beach towels
- -Garden
- -BBQ facilities
- -Family friendly
- -Guest laundry
- -Onsite parking (free)
- -Onsite parking (surcharge)


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Explaining A Contract A contract, or also known as an agreement is prepared by the seller's solicitors. The contract is the legal document that binds the seller and the buyer for purchasing or selling the property and once it is exchanged and greed upon it legally binds all parties on the contract. The contract… Learn more
The purchase of auction properties and the principle of Caveat Emptor: When purchasing a property there a many different options to choose from. As the market becomes more and more competitive it is important to understand the benefits and draw backs of the options available. Purchasing properties at auction is a popular option amongst prospective… Learn more
Property Guardians – Just Another Tenant? There has been a great deal of interest since the recession among commercial property owners in placing 'Guardians' in empty premises. Guardians are usually solvent individuals seeking somewhere a little unusual to rent, possibly in an area than may not otherwise be able to afford. There are even companies… Learn more
When dealing with the matrimonial finances I always advise my clients that the only way to fully protect themselves is to go through the process of financial disclosure (gathering together documentary evidence of all assets, income, liabilities, pensions etc and disclosing them to your spouse and vice versa). Many divorcing couples do not wish to… Learn more
In September 2013 a new form of employee is due to come into effect. In consideration of an employee becoming an "employee shareholder" (instead of just an "employee"), a company employer will issue or allot a minimum of £2,000 worth of shares to the individual, with any gains made on the first £50,000 of shares… Learn more
The Court of Protection (COP) is a specialist court which deals with all issues relating to people who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves. The Court is guided by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and is duty bound to act in the best interests of the patient at all times. There are many… Learn more
The volume of employers and employees reaching agreement to terminate their employment by way of a compromise agreement continues to increase as awareness of their potential benefit increases. A compromise agreement can be a useful tool when the relationship between employer and employee breaks down irretrievably as it allows the parties to agree the terms… Learn more


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Explore Your Archive 2016 launch dates now available
We have agreed with the UK National Archives that launch week for this year's Explore Your Archive will be 19-27 November (two weekends again).
You'll still be able to hold events under the Explore banner at any time of the year. We're glad to be able to provide – as last year – some funding to help Irish region organise a programme of campaign events and publicity. It looks as if half of all archivists in Ireland took part in the campaign this past year, in no small way due to the excellent efforts of Fergus Brady and colleagues.
Separately, the Board has agreed to fund from our own resources a mini-campaign by our conservators' section called 'ArchIve Conserved and Preserved'
Friday, 13 May 2016 09:45


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57th Photogrammetric Week '19 - Advancement in Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics
Dear all,
We are very pleased that many participants have so far registered to the upcoming
57th Photogrammetric Week in Stuttgart, September 9-13, 2019.
Please note that the early bird registration rate ends June 30, 2019. More information you will find in the programme and on the website.
As you may know, Hexagon Geosystems will present the prestigious Carl Pulfrich Award 2019 on September 10, 2019. The deadline for application is July 15, 2019. We kindly ask you to forward this message to eligible candidates.
For more information please refer to https://leica-geosystems.com/about-us/events/events-overview/2019/carl-pulfrich-award
We are looking forward to meeting you in Stuttgart!
Stuttgart, June 2019
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Uwe Sörgel
Institute for Photogrammetry
University of Stuttgart


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When I learned this week was #cheaterweek, I jumped at the chance to hop on my soapbox. Call me high and mighty, that's fine. I have a lot of feelings about cheating.
There are a few different types of cheating in running: course-cutting, bib-swapping, and banditing. Some are worse offenses than others, but they're all cheating.
This is one type of cheating I will truly never ever understand. While hopping on the sidewalk to get around slower runners is technically a form of course-cutting, I don't think it's ever done in a way to cheat. But true course-cutting — hopping off the race course and hopping back on to make it shorter, thus making you seem faster — is unforgivable. Why run a race if you're going to cheat? And as my mom would say, how does that person sleep at night?
Most of us are not professional (elite) runners, or even racing at the sub-elite level. So when you sign up and train for a race, you're likely competing against yourself. If you're in contention for a local win or an age-group award, and you've cut the course to secure one, it doesn't make sense to me to take that award and go home saying you won it. You didn't. You cheated. And in the process, you cheated the actual winner out of his or her award.
If you're not in contention for an award, you're running for a Boston Qualifier or to PR. So if you cut the course, you're not actually a Boston Qualifier (and how you would toe the line in Hopkinton telling yourself you "did it!" is beyond me), and your PR isn't actually a PR. I truly want to know: How does this make you feel good?
Maybe I'm extreme, but if I "PR" on a race course that is too short, I will let people know (and update my Strava accordingly). I wouldn't have run that time if the course had been accurate. So I just don't understand how people take credit for something they didn't do.
In my experience, a bib "swap" generally happens when the registered runner can't race so she gives her bib to someone who can. That's against the rules—don't do it. But when you give someone a bib to run a faster time (say, for a Boston Qualifier) for you, it's the same as course-cutting: You didn't earn the time. How can you walk away feeling proud of your "accomplishment?" And like course-cutting, you cheated someone out of their Boston spot.
This is a hot-button issue, especially after a public figure in the running community came out as a bandit and didn't apologize for it. I'll first acknowledge that unlike swapping and course-cutting, banditing likely will not affect me personally. It won't take away an age-group award or a Boston Qualifier spot from me. But I follow the rules. And banditing is against the rules. If you want to run the race, sign up for it just like everybody else.
Boston, the Holy Grail for everyday runners, used to "welcome" bandits. It was part of the tradition. After the bombings in 2013, it became a security risk to let non-registered runners onto the course. And it became irresponsible to ignore the rule. There are two ways into Boston: qualify or run with a charity.
In the age of social media, it seems like people feel pressured to cheat to make themselves look better. They need the likes. But if you're cheating just so you look faster on Athlinks or in your Instagram feed, you're running for the wrong reasons. Sure, I may look up your times, but I'm only going to judge you if you felt the need to cheat to go faster.
Help me out, please: Why do people do these things?


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1st Virginia CMSA is dedicated to providing a fun, safe experience for Cowboy Mounted Shooters of all ages!
We offer clinics for new shooters, resources for experienced trainers in your area, and family friendly CMSA competitions throughout the year.
Cowboy Mounted Shooting offers something for all ages...wranglers who ride the course or are led by parents, advanced wranglers who ride the courses and point only at the targets, gender split competition levels from one to six, and senior levels one to six, gender split for riders over 50.
Please contact us and let us know how we can help you get started in one of the fastest growing, most fun you can have on horseback, family friendly equine sports in the country!


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Photographing Assignments on Location
List Price: 32.50*
* Individual store prices may vary.
The photographer's studio may be a safe, controlled environment in which to work, but nothing beats the creative challenge of being on location where the world is your studio. Adrian Taylor, who has probably sent more photographers out into the field than any other art director, takes you along with ten of the world's best location shooters, as they describe the variety of challenges they have faced, their working methods while on assignment, and the unique individual philosophies that drive them in their work.
Amphoto Books, 9780817454258, 144pp.
Publication Date: September 1, 1987
Not Currently Available for Direct Purchase


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When: Alternate Thursday evenings 8.00 – 10.00pm
Location: In homes in Harrogate, Oakbeck, Pannal and Low Laithe and other venues as the spirit leads.
About us:
We seek no identity other than our identity in Christ; the cornerstone of our lives. We call ourselves cornerstone from the words of the song 'In Christ Alone'. The lyrics say it all. It tells of the foundation of what we believe – Christ, the God who change all history and who wants a relationship with each of us.
We are a group with scattered missions. We support each other in our respective mission fields and we seek where we can opportunities to work in collective mission together. We take as our bible verse Ephesians 2: 22
"Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together." (The Message)
To find out more or to join this group contact the group leader:
Mike Beer
Call: 01423 780897


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The subject of protection from the dark arts was one of the most difficult at Hogwarts. Teachers for it were often changed because of the curse of Voldemort, and each of them had its own goals. The subject that Harry Potter and the other students of the School of Magic learned included studying methods of countering vampires, werewolves, dementors and other evil spirits. The subject was compulsory and lasted all five years, after which it was necessary to pass the exam. Of course, getting knowledge is very difficult without a textbook. Moreover, every teacher read the subject according to his own understanding.
All Harry Potter fans would not mind learning some of the subjects of Hogwarts. Want to have a Defense of the Dark Arts on your desk and take it with you wherever you can find both light and dark forces? Just order a protective case for your laptop in the style of the book's cover of a cover, and no one will guess that this is a normal laptop, and not a magical handbook, where secret knowledge is hidden. Of course, such a cover will be a great gift to anyone who is passionate about Harry Potter and everything related to the work of J.K. Rowling.
Please, watch this tutorial.
Yes, sure! Just take the ruler, measure the 3 sides of your device (even the air conditioner remote control): height, width and depth and enter them manually into the appropriate fields when ordering. If you don't have a ruler, you can simply add your model number in notes with the order.
Great! We will create it for you in the form of the book that you want. To do this, use the Custom Order service or simply send us the desired picture/photo or even just a link or an idea – we will translate it on the cover of your case.
Of course! Order the case for accessories and indicate in the comments that it has to be sent with your first order. Hurry up until your parcel has left!
Yes, certainly, we offer 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with your purchase, you should contact us within 30 days of taking delivery, and organize to return the product and receive a store credit refund.
Please, see HELP or contact us:


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Find out what Six Sigma means to organizations and the kinds of employees who can benefit from Six Sigma certification. Six Sigma is a quality management approach that seeks to minimize or eliminate defects or errors in products and business services. Originally developed to improve manufacturing processes, the tools, and techniques used in Six Sigma
- About Us
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- Marketing Management
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- Contact us


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Launched in 2007 in Uganda by Vodafone for Safaricom and Vodacom, M-Pesa is a mobile phone-based money transfer service. The service continues to expand to various other countries, such as Mozambique, Lesotho and Egypt in 2013. It also expanded to Eastern Europe (Romania) in 2014.
Although it is now the most successful mobile-phone based financial service in the developing world, it failed to take off in South Africa. This may mainly be due to the fact that according to Google Analytics, 70% of South Africans are "banked", meaning that they have at least one bank account with an established financial institution which have their own banking products which directly compete with the offerings of M-Pesa.
Elsewhere on the African continent, as mobile phone penetration continues to expand rapidly, more consumers are taking advantage of this branch-less banking service.
The word "M-Pesa" is derived from the Swahili word for money, "pesa" and "M" is for mobile.
How it works:
The service allows users to deposit, withdraw, transfer money and pay for goods and services easily with a mobile device. The benefit of this service is that it cuts out the costs associated with the mainstream banking system. There are no branches and no consultants to deal with.
As a user, you are able to deposit money into an account stored on your cell phone.
Users can send balances using PIN-secured SMS texts to other users to redeem deposits for regular money.
Users are charged a small fee for sending and withdrawing money using the service. The transaction charges depend on the amount of money that is being transferred.
What can you do with M-Pesa?
- Deposit and withdraw money
- Transfer money to other users and non-users
- Pay bills
- Purchase airtime
- Transfer money between the service and a bank account
To find out more about M-Pesa services, visit the Vodacom website.


text: Tinker Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Explore the Craft of Writing PoetryThe OdeGreek Verse Aeolic Verse, refers to poetry made up from any of a group of metric patterns commonly used in the lyrical works of Sappho and Alcaeus. Aeolis was the west and northwestern region of Asia Minor which included most of the Greek city-states and the Island of Lesbos in the 8th to 6th centuries BC, the Greek Dark Ages. Four classic meters are known from that culture, the Alcaic Stanza, the Sapphic Stanza, Glyconics (the basic form of Aeolics) and Hendecasyllabic Verse,. The verse is quantitative, usually hendecasyllabic, employing 11 syllables and often includes an anceps, a quantitative metric foot that includes a syllable that could be interpreted either long or short. The metric patterns helped set a tranquil or contemplative tone. The Aeolic Ode is the earliest of the Odes, the product of an ancient Greek culture but I've found little descriptive information other than some quantitative scansion showing a similarity to the Adonic line of the Sapphic strophe. It is said to have a contemplative or tranquil tone. An asclepiad is one of the Aeolic meters attributed to Asclepiades of Samos. The aclepiad follows a particular metric pattern. It is built around the choriamb (metric pattern of LssL). The common example is a spondee followed by 2 choriambs and an iamb. LL LssL LssL sL, (L = long syllable, s = short syllable) the meter was used by Horace and others in Latin. An example in English is: In Due Season by WH Auden Springtime, Summer and Fall: days to behold a world Antecedent to our knowing, where flowers think Theirs concretely in scent-colors and beasts, the same Age all over, pursue dumb horizontal lives. On one level of conduct and so cannot be Secretary to man's plot to become divine. Lodged in all is a set metronome: thus, in May Bird-babes, still in the egg, click to each other "Hatch!"; June-struck cuckoos go off pitch when obese July Turns earth's heating up; unknotting their poisoned ropes. Vipers move into play; warmed by October's nip, Younger leaves to the old give the releasing draught. Winter, though, has the right tense for a look indoors At ourselves and with First Names to sit face to face, Time for reading of thoughts, time for trying out Of new meters and new recipes, proper time To reflect on events noted in warmer months Till, transmuted, they take part in a human tale. There, responding to our cry for intelligence, Nature's mask is relaxed into a mobile grin, Stones, old shoes, come alive, born sacramental signs, Nod to us in the First Person of mysteries. They know nothing about, bearing a mess from The invisible sole Source of specific things. COPYRIGHT 2007 Long Island University, C.W. Post College Glyconics is said to be the basic Aeolic meter named for the Greek, 6th century poet Glycon, although I have to admit to not quite understanding it and it doesn't look basic to me at all. I have found 4 different lines described as "glyconic". The first line described is a trimeter line of 5 syllables. The 1st metric foot is an ancepts which is a "double-headed" foot, the 2 syllables can be either long or short sounds.The 2nd metric foot is 2 short sounds and the last metric foot is catalectic, 1 short syllable and a pause where the 2nd short syllable was dropped. xx / ss / s -- x being a syllable with either a long or short sound and s represents a syllable with a short sound. The second is a trimeter line made up of a spondee followed by 2 dactyls. LL/ Lss / Lss And the third is a tetrameter line of 3 trochees followed by a dactyl Ls/Ls/Ls/Lss The last one is a tetrameter line made up of a dactyl and 3 trochees which can be varied by placing the dactyl in the 2nd or 3rd foot. Ls/Lss/Ls/Ls or Ls/Ls/Lss/Ls. These last 2 were found at Kaleidoscope ~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~ For permission to use this work you can write to firstname.lastname@example.com Link to post Share on other sites


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sku: 1676
This great Sterling Silver Mommy Necklace feature a 1/2" Disc with Baby Feet (optional) and the word "Love", a 3/4" Disc that says "My Boys" or "My Girls" or "My Children", or something else if you prefer, and then a 1" Disc with the names of 3-4 children, depending on length. Please let me know in the "extras" section if you would like it to say something besides the choices in the drop-down menu. You can also choose to have the baby feet stamping or not. Each one is custom made and absolutely lovely.
Ships in approximately 2-3 weeks.


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Floo Powder is a powdery, ashy looking glitter topper of silver holographic shimmer and silver and lavender holo hexes that can build up nicely if needed. This polish also glows the bright green of an open floo in the dark.
Ford Anglia is a minty baby blue crelly with red, gold, and ocean blue holographic glitter. Like a breath of fresh air and excitement as you fly up, up and away with Harry and Ron in the Weasley's flying car.
Howler is a glitter topper of various sizes of red and white glitters in hexes and squares. I loved watching the howler self-destruct and tear itself to pieces. The only thing I couldn't bottle is the shouting voice. ;)
Mudblood is a muddied red jelly with lots of holographic glitter floating inside like magic!
Acromantula is a glitter topper of orange and brown hexes, gold squares and spider leg like bar glitters. As an extra special touch there is a sprinkling of glow in the dark glitter that, when charged, you'll catch a glimpse of from the corner of your eye like hidden spider eyes gleaming in the dark.
Basilisk is a vibrant snake scale green with lime green, red, and gold holographic glitter.
Tom Riddle's Diary is a leathery black matte polish with a subtle blue sheen. Leave it matte for that special leather diary like feel or add a top coat to punch up the shimmer and shine.
I have no affiliation with Harry Potter or any other person/company that may own rights to this amazing series besides being a huge fan.


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JUNE 8, 2007: The
Joint Committee on Public Service favorably released H2510, which limits the
reexamination and reevaluation of disability retirees to the first ten years of
retirement. H2510 was filed by Representative David Flynn (D-Bridgewater) and
Senator Michael Knapik (R-Westfield) on behalf of our Association.
Under current law, all disability retirees are required to
undergo a reevaluation of their medical, physical, and psychological condition
once a year during the first two years of retirement, then once every three
years thereafter. This required reevaluation, in which the goal is to return no
longer disabled retirees to active service, is conducted by the Public Employee
Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC).
By ending the reevaluation process after ten years,
disability retirees will also be held harmless from an obscure law also allows
for a retiree's disability pension to be "modified" if it is determined,
following an evaluation, that the person is capable of "gainful occupation".
Public Service Chairmen Senator Ben Downing (D-Pittsfield)
and Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) agreed with Association officials in finding that
after ten years of retirement the likelihood of a disabled retiree being found
capable of returning to active public service is remote at best. The Committee
stated that to continue the reevaluation process beyond ten years not only
placed an unfair burden on retirees, but also wastes valuable public resources.
H2510 is now before the House Committee on Steering and
Policy. Association lobbyists hope to advance the bill to a vote before the
House in the near future.