resilience starts with information
Natural Disasters are on the Rise, but is Indiana Prepared to Help Hoosiers Recover?
The number of deadly natural disasters afflicting the U.S. is rising, and so is the economic cost of each event. As state and federal emergency response agencies change their recovery funding roles, Hoosiers will have to bear more of a financial burden after each disaster.
Historically, when natural disasters have occurred, Americans have been able to depend on state and federal agencies to aid in recovery efforts and subsidize some of the cost of the natural disaster.
But federal agencies are spending less on recovering from the last disaster and more on getting ready for the next one, leaving individuals to pay for more recovery costs on their own dime…
This House Is Built to Stare Down a Hurricane
Breezy Point was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Flooding, high winds and fires destroyed more than 300 homes, with many more left damaged and unlivable. Now, seven years later, architect Illya Azaroff has designed and built a home there he says can withstand a storm even more powerful than Sandy, “maintaining operation, even if all else fails.’’
Welcome to the home of the future in a time of climate change. As weather gets wilder and less predictable, firms that design, construct or improve housing with storm safety and resiliency in mind are increasingly in demand, said Matt Belcher, a builder in tornado-prone St. Louis. It’s a powerful marketing message that cuts across the political divide, he said.
“The frequency and severity of the storms are increasing,” said Belcher, who builds houses designed to withstand 140 mile-an-hour winds. “Whether people credit it to climate change or think it’s cyclical, it doesn’t matter if your house is destroyed. Either way, resiliency applies.”…


Clean pulverized coal preparation production lines offer a promising solution to address the environmental concerns associated with coal combustion. By incorporating advanced technologies and processes, these production lines optimize coal particle size, moisture content, and combustion conditions, leading to reduced emissions and enhanced efficiency..
Pulverized coal systems play a crucial role in the generation of electricity and are widely used in power plants around the world. These systems involve the pulverization of coal into fine particles, which are then burned in boilers to produce steam and generate electricity. However, the pulverization process creates several challenges related to the cleaning and maintenance of the coal systems.
Mechanical cleaning methods are commonly employed in pulverized coal systems to remove impurities and maintain the cleanliness of the equipment. One such method is the use of vibrating screens or sieves, which help to separate larger particles and debris from the pulverized coal. Vibrating screens work by passing the coal mixture through a mesh, allowing the smaller particles to pass through while larger particles are collected and disposed of.
Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are widely used in pulverized coal systems for efficient particulate matter removal. ESPs operate on the principle of electrostatic attraction, whereby charged particles are attracted to oppositely charged collection plates. In this process, flue gases containing ash and other particulates are passed through an electrostatic field, causing the particles to adhere to the collection plates. Periodic cleaning of the collection plates is necessary to maintain their efficiency.
Baghouses, also known as fabric filters, are another effective cleaning method used in pulverized coal systems. Baghouses consist of a series of fabric bags that act as filters to trap fine particles and dust. As flue gases pass through the bags, the particles are collected on the surface, allowing clean gases to pass through. Regular cleaning of the bags is essential to prevent clogging and ensure optimum performance. This can be achieved through methods such as mechanical shaking, reverse air flow, or pulse-jet cleaning.
Wet scrubbers are commonly employed in pulverized coal systems to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) and other acid gases, which are produced during the combustion of coal. These scrubbers work by spraying a liquid solution (often water or a mixture of water and limestone) onto the flue gas stream. The solution reacts with the acid gases, forming a slurry that can be collected and disposed of. Regular monitoring and maintenance are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of wet scrubbers.
Steam cleaning is an effective method for removing stubborn deposits and contaminants from pulverized coal systems. This method involves injecting high-pressure steam into the equipment, which dislodges and flushes out accumulated ash, soot, and other residues. Steam cleaning is particularly useful for cleaning boiler tubes, economizers, and other components where deposits can impair heat transfer efficiency.
Regular Inspections and Maintenance:
In addition to the specific cleaning methods mentioned above, regular inspections and maintenance are crucial for the overall cleanliness and performance of pulverized coal systems. Inspections should be carried out to identify any signs of wear, corrosion, or damage, which can lead to efficiency losses and safety hazards. Furthermore, routine maintenance tasks such as lubrication, tightening of bolts, and replacement of worn-out parts should be conducted to ensure smooth operation and prolong the lifespan of the equipment.
The global energy landscape heavily relies on coal as a primary source of electricity generation. In order to meet the rising energy demands while minimizing environmental impact, it is crucial to optimize the pulverized coal preparation process. By enhancing the efficiency of coal pulverization, power plants can reduce emissions, improve combustion performance, and achieve greater energy output.
Pulverized coal preparation is a critical step in coal-fired power generation. It involves grinding raw coal into fine particles, which are then combusted in the boiler to produce steam, driving a turbine that generates electricity. The primary goal of the preparation process is to maximize the surface area of coal particles, enabling efficient combustion and heat transfer. Additionally, proper coal preparation ensures consistent fuel quality, minimizing equipment wear and optimizing overall plant performance.
Coal Crushing: The process begins with the crushing of raw coal to reduce its size for efficient grinding. Various crushers, such as jaw crushers, cone crushers, and impact crushers, are utilized to achieve the desired particle size.
Grinding and Drying: In this stage, the crushed coal is further ground to a fine powder in pulverizers or mills. The grinding process increases the surface area of coal particles, improving their reactivity during combustion. Simultaneously, drying the coal removes moisture, enhancing its calorific value and reducing the risk of incomplete combustion.
Upgrading pulverizers with advanced grinding technologies, such as vertical roller mills, can significantly improve pulverization efficiency. These mills provide better particle size distribution, reduced power consumption, and improved drying capabilities.
The selection of the proper coal size for pulverization is crucial. Fine grinding enhances reactivity, but excessively fine particles can lead to combustion difficulties. Balancing the coal particle size distribution ensures efficient combustion while minimizing carbon losses and emission levels.
Blending different coal types with varying properties can optimize fuel characteristics. By blending coals with complementary properties, such as high and low ash content or sulfur content, power plants can achieve better combustion efficiency, reduced emissions, and improved boiler performance.
Real-time monitoring of coal quality using online analyzers allows power plants to adjust the pulverization process dynamically. These analyzers provide data on coal composition, particle size distribution, and moisture content, enabling operators to make timely adjustments for optimal performance.
Efficient pulverized coal preparation is closely linked to combustion optimization. Advanced control systems, such as model predictive control (MPC) and intelligent soot blowing, can enhance combustion efficiency, reduce pollutant emissions, and improve plant flexibility.
Optimizing the pulverized coal preparation process improves combustion efficiency, resulting in higher energy output from the same amount of coal. This translates into reduced fuel consumption, lowering operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Enhanced coal preparation leads to lower emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM). By controlling and minimizing these pollutants, power plants can comply with stringent environmental regulations and contribute to cleaner air quality.
Optimal coal preparation reduces the risk of equipment damage, such as erosion and corrosion, thereby extending the lifespan of boilers, turbines, and other components. This results in increased reliability, reduced maintenance costs, and improved overall plant performance.
In the pursuit of sustainable and eco-friendly energy solutions, the utilization of coal as a primary energy source has undergone significant advancements. One such innovation is the development of clean pulverized coal preparation production lines. These production lines are designed to efficiently process coal and minimize its environmental impact through advanced technologies.
The first step in the clean pulverized coal preparation process is the crushing of raw coal into smaller particles. Coal crushers, such as jaw crushers and impact crushers, are employed to break down large chunks of coal into manageable sizes. These crushers use mechanical force to reduce the size of coal particles, enabling easier handling and subsequent processing.
Coal mills, also known as pulverizers, are essential equipment in a clean pulverized coal preparation production line. They are responsible for grinding the crushed coal into fine powder, which is necessary for efficient combustion in power plants. Coal mills utilize high-speed rotating blades or hammers to crush and grind coal particles, resulting in the production of pulverized coal with a controlled particle size distribution.
Moisture content in coal has a significant impact on its combustion efficiency and pollutant emissions. To improve the quality and efficiency of coal combustion, coal drying systems are utilized in clean pulverized coal preparation production lines. These systems employ various technologies such as hot air drying, flash drying, or fluidized bed drying to reduce the moisture content of coal before it enters the combustion process. By lowering the moisture content, the heating value of coal is enhanced, resulting in improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions.
Coal classifiers play a vital role in segregating pulverized coal particles based on their size and density. They ensure the uniformity of coal particle distribution, which is crucial for achieving optimal combustion performance. Classifiers use air or water-based separation methods to classify coal particles into different size fractions. By precisely controlling the particle size distribution, coal classifiers enhance combustion efficiency, reduce pollutant emissions, and prevent issues such as coal pipe erosion or blockage.
Clean pulverized coal preparation production lines incorporate advanced coal burner technologies to facilitate efficient and low-emission coal combustion. Coal burners deliver pulverized coal particles to the combustion chamber, where they are mixed with air or other combustion gases and ignited. These burners are designed to achieve stable combustion, high thermal efficiency, and minimal pollutant generation, ensuring both environmental sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
To meet stringent environmental regulations, clean pulverized coal preparation production lines are equipped with flue gas treatment systems. These systems effectively remove harmful pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter from the flue gas generated during coal combustion. Various techniques, including electrostatic precipitators, flue gas desulfurization units, and selective catalytic reduction systems, are employed to achieve efficient pollutant removal and minimize the environmental impact of coal-fired power plants.
As the world’s energy demand continues to rise, finding cleaner and more efficient ways to utilize coal as a power source becomes increasingly important. Clean pulverized coal preparation plays a vital role in minimizing environmental impacts while maximizing energy efficiency. Over the years, significant advancements in equipment have revolutionized the coal preparation process, leading to enhanced environmental performance, reduced emissions, and improved overall efficiency.
Pulverizers are at the heart of coal preparation, as they are responsible for grinding coal into a fine powder, which is essential for efficient combustion. The latest advancements in pulverizer technology have focused on improving grinding efficiency while reducing energy consumption and emissions. Newer designs incorporate advanced control systems, such as variable frequency drives, to optimize grinding performance based on coal characteristics. Additionally, the use of wear-resistant materials and improved geometries extends the lifespan of pulverizer components, reducing maintenance requirements and downtime.
Coal drying is a critical step in the pulverized coal preparation process, as it eliminates moisture content, improving the coal’s combustion efficiency and reducing emissions. Traditional coal drying techniques often involve large-scale thermal drying processes, which consume significant amounts of energy. However, recent advancements in advanced coal dryers have made significant strides in improving energy efficiency. For example, fluidized bed dryers utilize hot gases to fluidize and dry the coal rapidly, minimizing energy consumption while ensuring uniform drying. Furthermore, the integration of waste heat recovery systems helps harness the thermal energy from the drying process, making it even more energy-efficient.
Achieving optimal particle size distribution is crucial in coal preparation, as it impacts combustion efficiency and emissions. Traditional coal sizing and classification methods have relied on manual sieving and static classifiers, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors. However, with the advent of intelligent coal sizing and classification systems, the process has become more precise and efficient. These systems utilize advanced sensors and artificial intelligence algorithms to automate the sizing and classification process, ensuring consistent and accurate particle size distribution. Real-time monitoring and control capabilities enable immediate adjustments based on coal quality, enhancing overall performance and reducing energy waste.
Coal cleaning technologies remove impurities from coal, improving its quality and reducing emissions. Recent advancements in coal cleaning equipment have led to the development of more efficient and environmentally friendly methods. For instance, dense medium cyclones use a suspension of finely ground magnetite or ferrosilicon to separate coal from impurities based on density differences. These cyclones have become more efficient with improved designs and optimized operating parameters, resulting in higher separation efficiency and reduced coal loss. Additionally, advanced froth flotation techniques have been employed to further enhance coal cleaning, utilizing chemical reagents and fine bubbles to selectively separate coal particles from mineral matter.
While clean pulverized coal preparation focuses on reducing emissions at the source, integrated emission control systems play a crucial role in minimizing the environmental impact of coal-fired power plants. These systems combine various technologies such as electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, and flue gas desulfurization units to remove particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants from flue gases. The latest advancements in emission control equipment have led to improved removal efficiencies, lower operating costs, and reduced waste ge
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A Comparative Study of Menstrual Hygiene Issues between Public and Private School Going Adolescent Girls in Kathmandu Valley
Introduction: Menstruation is part a of the female reproductive cycle that starts when girls become sexually mature at the time of puberty. During menstrual period, woman bleeds from her uterus via the vagina. Menstruation is generally considered as unclean in our Nepali society. So, good hygienic practices such as the use of sanitary pads and adequate cleaning of the genital areas are essential during menstrual period.
Material and methods: The comparative study was carried out with adolescent girls studying in public and private schools in Kathmandu valley. A total of 100 adolescent girls, 50 from public school and another 50 from private schools were selected for the study and 25 from each group were taken for quantitative study as well. Two focus group discussions and five key-in-depth interviews were also done to identify the qualitative findings. Ethical approval was taken from NHRC. Quantitative data from the survey was analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software.
Results: The age of the respondents ranges from 11 to 18 years. The mean age at menarche was 12.37 years in both public and private school adolescent girls. There is a statistically significant difference on the overall score of practice during menstruation between public and private school going adolescent girls.
Conclusion: Private school adolescent girls were more knowledgeable and maintain menstrual hygiene better as compared to public school adolescent girls.
© Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (JMMIHS)
All rights reserved to JMMIHS. Any part of this journal cannot be reproduced, or transmitted in any form including electronic mail, photocopying or recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher.


Themes and Meanings
“I-80 Nebraska M.490-M.205” has a number of themes, and its central meaning may be found in a combination of several of them. On the simplest level, the story is a celebration of workers seldom noticed before in literature: blue-collar truck drivers, doing their difficult and dangerous jobs with a casual style and with pungent, colorful language. This story was first anthologized in On the Job: Fiction About Work by Contemporary American Writers (1977), edited by William O’Rourke. Like John Steinbeck, Nelson Algren, Charles Bukowski, and other important twentieth century American writers, Sayles celebrates the world of real work and real workers.
The character of Ryder P. Moses, however, elevates the story into something beyond a simple celebration of working men and women. Moses can be called a mythic figure—a larger-than-life character who takes on the aura of myth and legend. None of the truckers has ever seen him, and yet they talk about him incessantly, discussing his exploits and speculating about him. In this sense, Moses partakes of the tall-tale tradition in American literature (he himself mentions Paul Bunyan), and he even resembles a Christ figure in the truckers’ rumors of his earlier death. He is superhuman, if not supernatural, for he has no physical presence in the story except as a voice over the radio.
What is the purpose of this comparison? Toward what end does the mythic buildup drive? On one level, the...
(The entire section is 444 words.)


South Sudan - One Year On
One year after its birth, the new nation of South Sudan is facing challenges on every side. But none is more pressing than its hunger crisis, which currently affects some 4.7 million people – around half of the population.
ROME--Poor harvests, soaring food and fuel prices, conflict and displacement have combined to push levels of hunger and malnutrition in South Sudan even higher than they were when the country was born on 9 July 2011. Read the news release
It’s a frustrating situation for all concerned because South Sudan could lead the region in food production. It has vast amounts of fertile land waiting to be developed and farmed.
Videos from the field
But it's not just about supporting small farmers. Resolving the hunger crisis also depends on resolving the conflict along the Sudan/South Sudan border. The tension and sporadic fighting continues to produce a flow of refugees and displaced families, who put further strain on an already overstretched food supply system.
Meanwhile, thousands of people are still returning to South Sudan to start a new life, after spending years, or whole lifetimes in Sudan. They too add to the strain on the system.
How we're helping
In recent months WFP has expanded its assistance throughout the country, and put in place food stocks in areas that are now inaccessible because of the rains which make many roads unusable in May and June. We aim to reach 2.9 million people over the course of the year, prioritizing the most vulnerable.
While saving lives in the short-term, WFP has an eye squarely on community-based activities that will help to ensure that over time the vicious cycle of hunger and violence can be broken once and for all.
That work includes connecting smallholder farmers to markets through the Purchase for Progress programme, deploying anti-hunger safety net programmes like school meals, and providing specialized nutritional support for young children and mothers. WFP has also committed to build 500 km of feeder roads to link farming areas with commercial centres.
Who we are helping?
- Refugees (fleeing fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan states or from fighting in the disputed region of Abyei)
- Displaced people (affected by inter-communal violence in Jonglei state, for example)
- Returnees – who have come back home to South Sudan from Sudan or elsewhere. Many more are expected to return this year.
- Children under 5, pregnant women and nursing mothers who are suffering from or vulnerable to malnutrition.
- Vulnerable and severely food-insecure families especially in rural areas.


Solved Questions with Answer and Explanation for UGC/CBSE NET New Pattern July 2018
1. Public order as an item in the Constitution figures in
a) The residuary powers
b) The union list
c) The state list
d) The concurrent list
Explanation: it is in the state list but does not include use of any naval, military or air force
or any other armed force of the union or of any contingent or unit there of in aid of the civil
2. The term of office of the advocate general of a state is
a) Not fixed
b) 4 years
c) 5 years
d) 6 years or 65 years of age whichever Is earlier
Explanation: the advocate general shall hold office during the pleasure of the governor. This
means that he may be removed by the governor at any time.
3. Which of the following are the characteristics of a seminar?
i) It is a form of academic instruction
ii) It involves questioning, discussion and debates
iii) It involves large group of individuals.
iv) It needs involvement of skilled persons.
Select the correct option
a) 1,2,and 4
b) 2 and 3
c) 2 and 4
d) 2,3 and 4
Ans: a), It is a form of academics instruction, it involves questioning, discussion and
debates, and it needs involvement of skilled persons.
4. As chairman of an independent commission on education, Jacques Delors report to UNESCO was
a) World Declaration on Education for All
b) International Commission on educational Report
c) Milennium Development Report
d) Learning: The Treasure Within
Jacques Delors entitled “Learning: the Treasure Within,” the report revolves around
six main lines of enquiry which will guide UNESCO’s future education policies and those of
its 184 Member states. The lines focus on the relationship between education and the six
subject areas of development, science, citizenship, culture, social cohesion and work.
5. A researcher is interested in studying the prospects of a particular political party in an urban
area. What tool should he prefer for the study?
b) Rating scale
A rating scale is set of disciplined dialogue. Its precisely defined format focuses
the conversation between the respondent and the questionnaire on the relevant
6. Which of the following statements is not true in the context of participatory research?
a) Its sole purpose is production of knowledge
b) It recognizes knowledge as power
c) It emphasizes on people as experts
d) It is a collective process of enquiry
Participatory Action Research (PAR) is an approach to research in communities that
emphasizes world by trying to change it, collaboratively and following reflection. PAR
emphasizes collective inquiry and explanation grounded in experience and social history.
7. What is/are required for good teaching?
Select the correct option
a) 3 and 4
b) 1,2,3, and 4
d) Only 4
Diagnosis and remedy are the primary elements of education system while
direction and feedback are the experimental assets in education system.
8. Every type of communication is effected by
every type of communication is affected by its context.
9. Aspects of the voice other than the speech are known as
a) Delivery language
b) Physical language
c) Personal language
d) Para language
10. Which of the following is the highest level of cognitive ability?
Ans: the original levels proposed by Bloom (in increasing order of cognitive ability) were
ordered as: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation.
11. Which of the following factors does not impact teaching?
a) Teacher’s knowledge
b) Teacher’s communication skills
c) Teacher’s socio-economic background and that of the students
d) Learning through experience
12. Techniques used by a teacher to teach include
b) Tnteractive lecture
c) Group work
d) Self study
Ans: d) Self study does not require the role of a teacher. Hence, it is not a technique which a
teacher can use.
13. A good teacher one who
a) Gives useful information
b) Explains concepts and principles
c) Give printed notes to students
d) Inspires students to learn
14. ‘Male and female students perform equally well in a numerical aptitude test.’ The statement
a) Research hypothesis
b) Null hypothesis
c) Directional hypothesis
d) Statistical hypothesis
Ans: d) A statistical hypothesis is an assumption about a population parameter. This
assumption may or may not be true. Hypothesis testing refers to the formal procedures
used by statisticians to accept or reject statistical hypothesis. Hence, a hypothesis about
male and female students performing equally is a statistical hypothesis.
15. The conclusions/ findings of which type of research cannot be generalized to other situations?
a) Historical research
b) Descriptive research
c) Experimental research
d) Causal comparative research
16. In communication, the language is
a) The verbal code
c) The symbolic code
d) The non-verbal code
language can be defined as a system of symbols.
17. Prakash walked 10 km towards south, turned right and walked 10 km and turned left and
walked 10 km. how many km will he have to walk to reach from where he started?
18. If we want to seek new knowledge of facts about the world, we must rely on reason of the type
19. When the purpose of a definition is to explain the use or to eliminate ambiguity the definition is
20. Which of the following represents one billion characters?
21. Which of the following is not an output device?
22. Which of the following is not open source software
a) Internet explorer
b) Fedora linux
c) Open office
d) Apache HTTP server
23. Which of the following represents the binary equivalent of the decimal number 25?
24. The factors which are most important in determining the impact of anthropogenic activities on
a) Pollution, affluence per person, land available per person
b) Population, affluence per person and the technology used for exploiting resources
c) Atmospheric conditions, population and forest cover
d) Population, forest cover and land available per person
25. Which of the following combinations represent renewable natural resources?
a) Fertile soil, fresh water and natural gas
b) Clean air, phosphates and biological diversity
c) Fishes, fertile soil and fresh water
d) Oil, forests and tides
26. The South Asia University is situated in the city of
c) New Delhi
27. The University Grants Commission was established with which of the following aims?
i) Promotion of Research and development in higher education
ii) Identifying and sustain institutions of potential learning
iii) Capacity building of teachers.
iv) Providing autonomy to each and every higher educational institution in India.
Select the correct answer
d) 1,2 and 4
28. Pointing to a girl in photograph, Mukesh said, “Her mother’s brother is the only son of my
grandfather.” How is girl’s mother related to Mukesh?
Only son of my grandfather means my father. My father’s sister=my aunt.
29. Pointing to a man in the photograph, a man says, “He is the son of mother of my mother’s only
daughter-in- law.” How is the man in the photograph related to the man making the statement?
c) Brother-in- law
My mother’s only daughter in law= my wife. Mother of my wife=my mother in law.
Son of mother-in –law= my brother in law.
30. When a statement has no pertinence to te subject at issue it is said to be
a) An unwarranted assumption
c) Logically inconsistent


Museum collections come in many forms, all with characteristics that make them worthy of long-term preservation and management. Museum collections held by Reclamation consist primarily of archaeological objects and their associated records, but also include natural history specimens, historic objects, documents, art, photographs, and ethnographic items. Reclamation has an estimated 8 million museum objects and documents. See collection overview for more details of the types of objects held within Reclamation's museum property collection.
The Museum Property Program is a subset of Reclamation's larger Cultural Resources Management Program. The objectives of the Museum Property Program are to identify, preserve, and interpret museum objects that are stored or exhibited at ten Reclamation facilities and seventy non-Reclamation facilities. The program manages such property for the public's use and benefit. Reclamation's unique collection serves to illustrate important achievements and challenges of water delivery in the 17 Western States and to document the history of Reclamation.
Page Last Updated
January 28, 2014


“The Eagle” drops its gold during short battle pause;
what was that all about?
Jostling rifles and carbines, some with hand grenades dangling from field jackets or overcoats, the helmeted and unshaven troopers advanced slowly in a seemingly static line.
It took time to get paid in the local currency, and, as they received their paper bills and coins, they acted doubtful as to what happen next with those oddly-colored foreign notes and coins.
This curious event actually took place on Jan. 5, 1945, at the peak of the Battle of the Bulge. Only one day before, enemy shrapnel and machinegun fire had raked many of these young infantrymen counterattcking not far from the Bloody Crossroads near Ochamps, Belgium.
Many were wounded; some in our company and other companies in the First Battalion, 345th Infantry, had died.
Yet in a handwritten log that day, I noted that as mail clerk, I had collected the equivalent of $9,500 in Belgian francs, and, with a first lieutenant standing beside me, paid those soldiers in the local currency!
Apparently this curious event represented the Army’s way, no matter the misery and danger swirling around, of rewarding Depression-era infantrymen. No matter the situation, such payments apparently were intended to demonstrate that their country remembered and rewarded those who performed faithfully. Added to combat pay, a sliding payment based on rank, this was intended to be, along with medals, a demonstration of their nation’s supreme gratitude.
During our five-month war in Europe, this exercise in group psychology took place at unpredictable intervals in several European nations under sometimes amazingly-hazardous conditions. In a handwritten log I kept on my person, I noted the inauspicious arrival of those payments accompanied by written translations of the exchange rates into American currency.
It was clear, however, that those payments in French or Belgian francs, and later German marks, weren’t intended to remain in the serviceman’s hands for long. Each infantryman would count and inspect the bills and coins curiously, count them again, then convert them into American denominations, and immediately dispatch the American equivalent home as money orders.
It’s hard to determine now, 59 years after these events, what other military units were paid and whether entire battalions or regiments were paid at the same time. In order to rest fighting units, the Army sometimes took advantage of battlefield lulls to briefly designate companies, battalions, or regiments as “reserves” - sometimes to offer relief from punishing warfare and, apparently, to produce such payday rituals.
But there certainly was no lull on Jan. 5, 1945, when I noted the transmittal home of almost ten thousand dollars in Belgian francs. And looking back, from several viewpoints this chaotic and brutal period may have been among the least propitious times to leave our foxholes amid such critical matters as cleaning weapons, organizing Tiger patrols or preparing the next day’s attack.
For what could an infantryman holed up in a foxhole, whose entire personal inventory comprised a couple of weapons, a K-ration, and a pack of cigarettes, do with Belgian or Luxembourg (French) francs? The military was well aware there was no way to buy anything - no place to spend money.
On this score, I’ve been asked: Were the Hollywood scenes played by John Wayne accurate in depicting GIs meeting local girls? Sure, and we laid down our weapons to scatter fresh roses at their feet too!
During training days, I recall monthly paydays arriving fairly regularly, often being greeted with ironic remarks (“the eagle shits” or “$21 a day once a month”). At the time, the kidding seemed to lighten the sparse pay.
But at the front? It was a mystery to me then and remains one now.
|Site design & initiative:||Hans Houterman|
|Page text by:||Mr. Mitchell Kaidy (D Company, 345th Infantry Regiment, 87th Infantry Division)|
|Page created by:||Jeroen Koppes|


Calculations on the global energy consumption due to friction and wear in the mineral mining industry are presented. For the first time, the impact of wear is also included in more detailed calculations in order to show its enormous tribological and economic impacts on this industry. A large variety of mining equipment used for the extraction, haulage and beneficiation of underground mining, surface mining and mineral processing were analysed. Coefficients of friction and wear rates of moving mechanical assemblies were estimated based on available information in literature in four general cases: (1) a global average mine in use today, (2) a mine with today's best commercial technology, (3) a mine with today's most advanced technology based upon the adaptation of the latest R&D achievements, and (4) a mine with best futuristic technology forecasted in the next 10 years. The following conclusions were reached: Total energy consumption of global mining activities, including both mineral and rock mining, is estimated to be 6.2% of the total global energy consumption. About 40% of the consumed energy in mineral mining (equalling to 4.6 EJ annually on global scale) is used for overcoming friction. In addition, 2 EJ is used to remanufacture and replace worn out parts and reserve and stock up spare parts and equipment needed due to wear failures. The largest energy consuming mining actions are grinding (32%), haulage (24%), ventilation (9%) and digging (8%). Friction and wear is annually resulting in 970 million tonnes of CO2 emissions worldwide in mineral mining (accounting for 2.7% of world CO2 emissions). The total estimated economic losses resulting from friction and wear in mineral mining are in total 210,000 million Euros annually distributed as 40% for overcoming friction, 27% for production of replacement parts and spare equipment, 26% for maintenance work, and 7% for lost production. By taking advantage of new technology for friction reduction and wear protection in mineral mining equipment, friction and wear losses could potentially be reduced by 15% in the short term (10 years) and by 30% in the long term (20 years). In the short term this would annually equal worldwide savings of 31,100 million euros, 280 TWh energy consumption and a CO2 emission reduction of 145 million tonnes. In the long term, the annual benefit would be 62,200 million euros, 550 TWh less energy consumption, and a CO2 emission reduction of 290 million tonnes. Potential new remedies to reduce friction and wear in mining include the development and uses of new materials, especially materials with improved strength and hardness properties, more effective surface treatments, high-performance surface coatings, new lubricants and lubricant additives, and new designs of moving parts and surfaces of e.g. liners, blades, plates, shields, shovels, jaws, chambers, tires, seals, bearings, gearboxes, engines, conveyor belts, pumps, fans, hoppers and feeders.


How do you introduce a topic in an essay?
IntroductionsAttract the Reader’s Attention. Begin your introduction with a “hook” that grabs your reader’s attention and introduces the general topic. State Your Focused Topic. After your hook, write a sentence or two about the specific focus of your paper. State your Thesis. Finally, include your thesis statement.
How do you write an introduction to an analytical essay?
6:46Suggested clip 90 secondsHow to Write a Strong Introduction for an Analytical Essay – YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clip
How do you write a topic analysis?
Topic AnalysisRead the topic carefully.Underline the key words.Explain the topic in your own words, but using the underlined keywords as well, to yourself.Try to answer the question What should I write? How should I write it?If you cannot answer, you might try to choose other keywords.
How do you write an introduction for a poetry analysis essay?
Introductory paragraph To start an introduction to a poem analysis essay, include the name of the poem and the author. Other details like the date of when it was published can also be stated. Then some background information and interesting facts or trivia regarding the poem or author can also be included here.
How do you introduce a poem?
Introduction to A Poem The title of the poem is (Say the title); it has been written/composed/penned by (Poet’s name). The poem is about (a brief introduction about the theme of the poem). Hope you will enjoy it!
How do you write a poetry analysis paragraph?
Brief Summary – Write three to four sentences that provide background information about your poem (What is the poem about? When was it written?). Include the title and author of the poem.Thesis statement – three part statement that presents the topic of your essay.
How do you write a literary analysis?
1 Ask Questions. When you’re assigned a literary essay in class, your teacher will often provide you with a list of writing prompts. 2 Collect Evidence. 3 Construct a Thesis. 4 Develop and Organize Arguments. 5 Write the Introduction. 6 Write the Body Paragraphs. 7 Write the Conclusion.
How do you teach poetry analysis?
Here are five ways students can begin to analyze poetry.Annotate the poem. The best way for students to begin analyzing poetry is for them to make a note of the things they notice. Identify recurring devices and images. Read the poem multiple times. Ask questions. Read the poem out loud.
What is the difference between main idea and topic sentence?
The topic is the general subject of a paragraph or essay. Topics are simple and are described with just a word or a phrase. The main idea is a complete sentence; it includes the topic and what the author wants to say about it. If the author states the main idea in his paragraph it is called a “topic sentence.”
What is the main idea in a topic sentence?
That main idea may be stated at the beginning of the paragraph, in the middle, or at the end. The sentence in which the main idea is stated is the topic sentence of that paragraph. The topic sentence announces the general theme ( or portion of the theme) to be dealt with in the paragraph.
What is a main idea example?
The main idea is usually a sentence, and it is usually the first sentence. The writer then uses the rest of the paragraph to support the main idea. Let’s use the paragraph below as an example. the main idea (what the writer is saying about the topic) is that summer is a wonderful time at West Beach.
How do you find the main idea and topic sentence?
It is easy to identify a main idea that is directly expressed in the text. Main ideas are often found at the beginning of paragraphs. The first sentence often explains the subject being discussed in the passage. Main ideas are also found in the concluding sentences of a paragraph.
What does a main idea Do 5 points?
What does a main idea do? (5 points) show what readers do not know state what the story is about summarize details and events state the ultimate conclusion.
What are key details?
Key Details: Important pieces of information that support the main idea of a text.


Northwest Ordinance Day
Commemoration of Northwest Ordinance Day
2017 Proclamation by Governor Eric Holcomb
2016 Proclamation by Governor Mike Pence
2015 Proclamation by Governor Mike Pence
2014 Proclamation by Governor Mike Pence
2013 Proclamation by Governor Mike Pence
2012 Proclamation by Governor Mitch
2011 Proclamation by Governor Mitch2010
2010 Proclamation by Governor Mitch Daniels
2009 Proclamation by Governor Mitch Daniels
2008 Proclamation by Governor Mitch Daniels
Northwest Ordinance Day - July 13
The Northwest Ordinance, enacted by Congress on July 13, 1787, established provisions for governing the Northwest Territory; this area eventually became the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and part of Minnesota
The Northwest Ordinance provided for the continuation of an organized survey of land and also provided that individual rights and freedoms would be extended to the settlers moving west. These rights included freedom of religion, trial by jury, elimination of cruel or unusual punishment for crimes, and the elimination of imprisonment or confiscation of property without a trial. The guarantees of religious and civil freedoms preceded the Bill of Rights by four years.
Slavery was prohibited by the Northwest Ordinance. There were many people in the territory who wanted slavery to be legal, and some people in Indiana used indentured servitude to maintain "slaves" within the letter of the law. The ordinance also extended protection to Native Americans, but the desire for land as settlers moved west brought about inequities as Indian tribes were removed.
The Northwest Ordinance outlined a three phase plan for obtaining statehood and called for the creation of not less than three and not more than five new states from the Northwest Territory. Ohio, the first state formed, was admitted to the union in 1803. Indiana became a state in 1816, Illinois in 1818, Michigan in 1837, and Wisconsin in 1848. A small part of Minnesota was also in the Northwest Territory.
The Northwest Ordinance proved to be a very important document in the history of the United States. Not only could a territory become a state, but it became an equal unit of the United States--equal with the original thirteen states. Thirty-one states, including Indiana, achieved statehood under the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787.
A publication, Lessons on the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, by John J. Patrick, is available for sale from the Indiana Historical Bureau.


Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) affects 3% of the world’s population and causes serious liver ailments including chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV is an enveloped RNA virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae. Current treatment is not fully effective and causes adverse side effects. There is no HCV vaccine available. Thus, continued effort is required for developing a vaccine and better therapy. An HCV cell culture system is critical for studying various stages of HCV growth including viral entry, genome replication, packaging, and egress. In the current procedure presented, we used a wild-type intragenotype 2a chimeric virus, FNX-HCV, and a recombinant FNX-Rluc virus carrying a Renilla luciferase reporter gene to study the virus replication. A human hepatoma cell line (Huh-7 based) was used for transfection of in vitro transcribed HCV genomic RNAs. Cell-free culture supernatants, protein lysates and total RNA were harvested at various time points post-transfection to assess HCV growth. HCV genome replication status was evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR and visualizing the presence of HCV double-stranded RNA. The HCV protein expression was verified by Western blot and immunofluorescence assays using antibodies specific for HCV NS3 and NS5A proteins. HCV RNA transfected cells released infectious particles into culture supernatant and the viral titer was measured. Luciferase assays were utilized to assess the replication level and infectivity of reporter HCV. In conclusion, we present various virological assays for characterizing different stages of the HCV replication cycle.
21 Related JoVE Articles!
Methods for Quantitative Detection of Antibody-induced Complement Activation on Red Blood Cells
Institutions: University of Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam.
Antibodies against red blood cells (RBCs) can lead to complement activation resulting in an accelerated clearance via complement receptors in the liver (extravascular hemolysis) or leading to intravascular lysis of RBCs. Alloantibodies (e.g.
ABO) or autoantibodies to RBC antigens (as seen in autoimmune hemolytic anemia, AIHA) leading to complement activation are potentially harmful and can be - especially when leading to intravascular lysis - fatal1
. Currently, complement activation due to (auto)-antibodies on RBCs is assessed in vitro
by using the Coombs test reflecting complement deposition on RBC or by a nonquantitative hemolytic assay reflecting RBC lysis1-4
. However, to assess the efficacy of complement inhibitors, it is mandatory to have quantitative techniques. Here we describe two such techniques. First, an assay to detect C3 and C4 deposition on red blood cells that is induced by antibodies in patient serum is presented. For this, FACS analysis is used with fluorescently labeled anti-C3 or anti-C4 antibodies. Next, a quantitative hemolytic assay is described. In this assay, complement-mediated hemolysis induced by patient serum is measured making use of spectrophotometric detection of the released hemoglobin. Both of these assays are very reproducible and quantitative, facilitating studies of antibody-induced complement activation.
Immunology, Issue 83, Complement, red blood cells, auto-immune hemolytic anemia, hemolytic assay, FACS, antibodies, C1-inhibitor
Two Methods of Heterokaryon Formation to Discover HCV Restriction Factors
Institutions: Twincore, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, The Rockefeller University, NY.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic virus with a host-range restricted to humans and chimpanzees. Although HCV RNA replication has been observed in human non-hepatic and murine cell lines, the efficiency was very low and required long-term selection procedures using HCV replicon constructs expressing dominant antibiotic-selectable markers1-5
. HCV in vitro
research is therefore limited to human hepatoma cell lines permissive for virus entry and completion of the viral life cycle. Due to HCVs narrow species tropism, there is no immunocompetent small animal model available that sustains the complete HCV replication cycle 6-8
. Inefficient replication of HCV in non-human cells e.g. of mouse origin is likely due to lack of genetic incompatibility of essential host dependency factors and/or expression of restriction factors.
We investigated whether HCV propagation is suppressed by dominant restriction factors in either human cell lines derived from non-hepatic tissues or in mouse liver cell lines. To this end, we developed two independent conditional trans
-complementation methods relying on somatic cell fusion. In both cases, completion of the viral replication cycle is only possible in the heterokaryons. Consequently, successful trans
-complementation, which is determined by measuring de novo
production of infectious viral progeny, indicates absence of dominant restrictions.
Specifically, subgenomic HCV replicons carrying a luciferase transgene were transfected into highly permissive human hepatoma cells (Huh-7.5 cells). Subsequently, these cells were co-cultured and fused to various human and murine cells expressing HCV structural proteins core, envelope 1 and 2 (E1, E2) and accessory proteins p7 and NS2. Provided that cell fusion was initiated by treatment with polyethylene-glycol (PEG), the culture released infectious viral particles which infected naïve cells in a receptor-dependent fashion.
To assess the influence of dominant restrictions on the complete viral life cycle including cell entry, RNA translation, replication and virus assembly, we took advantage of a human liver cell line (Huh-7 Lunet N cells 9
) which lacks endogenous expression of CD81, an essential entry factor of HCV. In the absence of ectopically expressed CD81, these cells are essentially refractory to HCV infection 10
. Importantly, when co-cultured and fused with cells that express human CD81 but lack at least another crucial cell entry factor (i.e. SR-BI, CLDN1, OCLN), only the resulting heterokaryons display the complete set of HCV entry factors requisite for infection. Therefore, to analyze if dominant restriction factors suppress completion of the HCV replication cycle, we fused Lunet N cells with various cells from human and mouse origin which fulfill the above mentioned criteria. When co-cultured cells were transfected with a highly fusogenic viral envelope protein mutant of the prototype foamy virus (PFV11
) and subsequently challenged with infectious HCV particles (HCVcc), de novo
production of infectious virus was observed. This indicates that HCV successfully completed its replication cycle in heterokaryons thus ruling out expression of dominant restriction factors in these cell lines. These novel conditional trans
-complementation methods will be useful to screen a large panel of cell lines and primary cells for expression of HCV-specific dominant restriction factors.
Virology, Issue 65, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, cell fusion, HCV, restriction factor, heterokaryon, mouse, species-specificity
Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
Institutions: University of Arizona, University of Arizona.
A simple, validated protocol consisting of a battery of tests is available to identify elderly patients with frailty syndrome. This syndrome of decreased reserve and resistance to stressors increases in incidence with increasing age. In the elderly, frailty may pursue a step-wise loss of function from non-frail to pre-frail to frail. We studied frailty in HIV-infected patients and found that ~20% are frail using the Fried phenotype using stringent criteria developed for the elderly1,2
. In HIV infection the syndrome occurs at a younger age.
HIV patients were checked for 1) unintentional weight loss; 2) slowness as determined by walking speed; 3) weakness as measured by a grip dynamometer; 4) exhaustion by responses to a depression scale; and 5) low physical activity was determined by assessing kilocalories expended in a week's time. Pre-frailty was present with any two of five criteria and frailty was present if any three of the five criteria were abnormal.
The tests take approximately 10-15 min to complete and they can be performed by medical assistants during routine clinic visits. Test results are scored by referring to standard tables. Understanding which of the five components contribute to frailty in an individual patient can allow the clinician to address relevant underlying problems, many of which are not evident in routine HIV clinic visits.
Medicine, Issue 77, Infection, Virology, Infectious Diseases, Anatomy, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Retroviridae Infections, Body Weight Changes, Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures, Physical Examination, Muscle Strength, Behavior, Virus Diseases, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena, HIV, HIV-1, AIDS, Frailty, Depression, Weight Loss, Weakness, Slowness, Exhaustion, Aging, clinical techniques
Chronic Salmonella Infected Mouse Model
Institutions: University of Rochester.
The bacterial infected mouse model is a powerful model system for studying areas such as infection, inflammation, immunology, signal transduction, and tumorigenesis. Many researchers have taken advantage of the colitis induced by Salmonella
typhimurium for the studies on the early phase of inflammation and infection. However, only few reports are on the chronic infection in vivo
. Mice with Salmonella
persistent existence in the gastrointestinal tract allow us to explore the long-term host-bacterial interaction, signal transduction, and tumorigenesis. We have established a chronic bacterial infected mouse model with Salmonella
typhimurium colonization in the mouse intestine over 6 months. To use this system, it is necessary for the researcher to learn how to prepare the bacterial culture and gavage the animals. We detail a methodology for prepare bacterial culture and gavage mice. We also show how to detect the Salmonella
persistence in the gastrointestinal tract. Overall, this protocol will aid researchers using the bacterial infected mouse model to address fundamentally important biological and microbiological questions.
Microbiology, Issue 39, Salmonella, intestine, colitis, chronic infection, mouse model
Dissecting Innate Immune Signaling in Viral Evasion of Cytokine Production
Institutions: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
In response to a viral infection, the host innate immune response is activated to up-regulate gene expression and production of antiviral cytokines. Conversely, viruses have evolved intricate strategies to evade and exploit host immune signaling for survival and propagation. Viral immune evasion, entailing host defense and viral evasion, provides one of the most fascinating and dynamic interfaces to discern the host-virus interaction. These studies advance our understanding in innate immune regulation and pave our way to develop novel antiviral therapies.
Murine γHV68 is a natural pathogen of murine rodents. γHV68 infection of mice provides a tractable small animal model to examine the antiviral response to human KSHV and EBV of which perturbation of in vivo
virus-host interactions is not applicable. Here we describe a protocol to determine the antiviral cytokine production. This protocol can be adapted to other viruses and signaling pathways.
Recently, we have discovered that γHV68 hijacks MAVS and IKKβ, key innate immune signaling components downstream of the cytosolic RIG-I and MDA5, to abrogate NFΚB activation and antiviral cytokine production. Specifically, γHV68 infection activates IKKβ and that activated IKKβ phosphorylates RelA to accelerate RelA degradation. As such, γHV68 efficiently uncouples NFΚB activation from its upstream activated IKKβ, negating antiviral cytokine gene expression. This study elucidates an intricate strategy whereby the upstream innate immune activation is intercepted by a viral pathogen to nullify the immediate downstream transcriptional activation and evade antiviral cytokine production.
Immunology, Issue 85, Herpesviridae, Cytokines, Antiviral Agents, Innate, gamma-HV68, mice infection, MEF, antiviral cytokine
An In vitro Co-infection Model to Study Plasmodium falciparum-HIV-1 Interactions in Human Primary Monocyte-derived Immune Cells
Institutions: CHUL (CHUQ), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
, the causative agent of the deadliest form of malaria, and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) are among the most important health problems worldwide, being responsible for a total of 4 million deaths annually1
. Due to their extensive overlap in developing regions, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, co-infections with malaria and HIV-1 are common, but the interplay between the two diseases is poorly understood. Epidemiological reports have suggested that malarial infection transiently enhances HIV-1 replication and increases HIV-1 viral load in co-infected individuals2,3
. Because this viremia stays high for several weeks after treatment with antimalarials, this phenomenon could have an impact on disease progression and transmission.
The cellular immunological mechanisms behind these observations have been studied only scarcely. The few in vitro
studies investigating the impact of malaria on HIV-1 have demonstrated that exposure to soluble malarial antigens can increase HIV-1 infection and reactivation in immune cells. However, these studies used whole cell extracts of P. falciparum
schizont stage parasites and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), making it hard to decipher which malarial component(s) was responsible for the observed effects and what the target host cells were4,5
. Recent work has demonstrated that exposure of immature monocyte-derived dendritic cells to the malarial pigment hemozoin increased their ability to transfer HIV-1 to CD4+ T cells6,7
, but that it decreased HIV-1 infection of macrophages8
. To shed light on this complex process, a systematic analysis of the interactions between the malaria parasite and HIV-1 in different relevant human primary cell populations is critically needed.
Several techniques for investigating the impact of HIV-1 on the phagocytosis of micro-organisms and the effect of such pathogens on HIV-1 replication have been described. We here present a method to investigate the effects of P. falciparum
-infected erythrocytes on the replication of HIV-1 in human primary monocyte-derived macrophages. The impact of parasite exposure on HIV-1 transcriptional/translational events is monitored by using single cycle pseudotyped viruses in which a luciferase reporter gene has replaced the Env
gene while the effect on the quantity of virus released by the infected macrophages is determined by measuring the HIV-1 capsid protein p24 by ELISA in cell supernatants.
Immunology, Issue 66, Infection, Medicine, Malaria, HIV-1, Monocyte-Derived Macrophages, PBMC, Red blood cells, Dendritic Cells, Co-infections, Parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, AIDS
High-throughput Screening for Broad-spectrum Chemical Inhibitors of RNA Viruses
Institutions: Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR3569, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR3523, Institut Pasteur.
RNA viruses are responsible for major human diseases such as flu, bronchitis, dengue, Hepatitis C or measles. They also represent an emerging threat because of increased worldwide exchanges and human populations penetrating more and more natural ecosystems. A good example of such an emerging situation is chikungunya virus epidemics of 2005-2006 in the Indian Ocean. Recent progresses in our understanding of cellular pathways controlling viral replication suggest that compounds targeting host cell functions, rather than the virus itself, could inhibit a large panel of RNA viruses. Some broad-spectrum antiviral compounds have been identified with host target-oriented assays. However, measuring the inhibition of viral replication in cell cultures using reduction of cytopathic effects as a readout still represents a paramount screening strategy. Such functional screens have been greatly improved by the development of recombinant viruses expressing reporter enzymes capable of bioluminescence such as luciferase. In the present report, we detail a high-throughput screening pipeline, which combines recombinant measles and chikungunya viruses with cellular viability assays, to identify compounds with a broad-spectrum antiviral profile.
Immunology, Issue 87, Viral infections, high-throughput screening assays, broad-spectrum antivirals, chikungunya virus, measles virus, luciferase reporter, chemical libraries
The Use of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Tool for the Measurement of Bi-hemispheric Transcranial Electric Stimulation Effects on Primary Motor Cortex Metabolism
Institutions: University of Montréal, McGill University, University of Minnesota.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation technique that has been increasingly used over the past decade in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as stroke and depression. Yet, the mechanisms underlying its ability to modulate brain excitability to improve clinical symptoms remains poorly understood 33
. To help improve this understanding, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1
H-MRS) can be used as it allows the in vivo
quantification of brain metabolites such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in a region-specific manner 41
. In fact, a recent study demonstrated that 1
H-MRS is indeed a powerful means to better understand the effects of tDCS on neurotransmitter concentration 34
. This article aims to describe the complete protocol for combining tDCS (NeuroConn MR compatible stimulator) with 1
H-MRS at 3 T using a MEGA-PRESS sequence. We will describe the impact of a protocol that has shown great promise for the treatment of motor dysfunctions after stroke, which consists of bilateral stimulation of primary motor cortices 27,30,31
. Methodological factors to consider and possible modifications to the protocol are also discussed.
Neuroscience, Issue 93, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, transcranial direct current stimulation, primary motor cortex, GABA, glutamate, stroke
Polysome Fractionation and Analysis of Mammalian Translatomes on a Genome-wide Scale
Institutions: McGill University, Karolinska Institutet, McGill University.
mRNA translation plays a central role in the regulation of gene expression and represents the most energy consuming process in mammalian cells. Accordingly, dysregulation of mRNA translation is considered to play a major role in a variety of pathological states including cancer. Ribosomes also host chaperones, which facilitate folding of nascent polypeptides, thereby modulating function and stability of newly synthesized polypeptides. In addition, emerging data indicate that ribosomes serve as a platform for a repertoire of signaling molecules, which are implicated in a variety of post-translational modifications of newly synthesized polypeptides as they emerge from the ribosome, and/or components of translational machinery. Herein, a well-established method of ribosome fractionation using sucrose density gradient centrifugation is described. In conjunction with the in-house developed “anota” algorithm this method allows direct determination of differential translation of individual mRNAs on a genome-wide scale. Moreover, this versatile protocol can be used for a variety of biochemical studies aiming to dissect the function of ribosome-associated protein complexes, including those that play a central role in folding and degradation of newly synthesized polypeptides.
Biochemistry, Issue 87, Cells, Eukaryota, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases, Neoplasms, Metabolic Phenomena, Cell Physiological Phenomena, mRNA translation, ribosomes,
protein synthesis, genome-wide analysis, translatome, mTOR, eIF4E, 4E-BP1
Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters
Institutions: The University of Memphis.
In mammals, many aspects of behavior and physiology such as sleep-wake cycles and liver metabolism are regulated by endogenous circadian clocks (reviewed1,2
). The circadian time-keeping system is a hierarchical multi-oscillator network, with the central clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) synchronizing and coordinating extra-SCN and peripheral clocks elsewhere1,2
. Individual cells are the functional units for generation and maintenance of circadian rhythms3,4
, and these oscillators of different tissue types in the organism share a remarkably similar biochemical negative feedback mechanism. However, due to interactions at the neuronal network level in the SCN and through rhythmic, systemic cues at the organismal level, circadian rhythms at the organismal level are not necessarily cell-autonomous5-7
. Compared to traditional studies of locomotor activity in vivo
and SCN explants ex vivo
, cell-based in vitro
assays allow for discovery of cell-autonomous circadian defects5,8
. Strategically, cell-based models are more experimentally tractable for phenotypic characterization and rapid discovery of basic clock mechanisms5,8-13
Because circadian rhythms are dynamic, longitudinal measurements with high temporal resolution are needed to assess clock function. In recent years, real-time bioluminescence recording using firefly luciferase
as a reporter has become a common technique for studying circadian rhythms in mammals14,15
, as it allows for examination of the persistence and dynamics of molecular rhythms. To monitor cell-autonomous circadian rhythms of gene expression, luciferase reporters can be introduced into cells via transient transfection13,16,17
or stable transduction5,10,18,19
. Here we describe a stable transduction protocol using lentivirus-mediated gene delivery. The lentiviral vector system is superior to traditional methods such as transient transfection and germline transmission because of its efficiency and versatility: it permits efficient delivery and stable integration into the host genome of both dividing and non-dividing cells20
. Once a reporter cell line is established, the dynamics of clock function can be examined through bioluminescence recording. We first describe the generation of P(Per2
reporter lines, and then present data from this and other circadian reporters. In these assays, 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and U2OS human osteosarcoma cells are used as cellular models. We also discuss various ways of using these clock models in circadian studies. Methods described here can be applied to a great variety of cell types to study the cellular and molecular basis of circadian clocks, and may prove useful in tackling problems in other biological systems.
Genetics, Issue 67, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, Chemical Biology, Circadian clock, firefly luciferase, real-time bioluminescence technology, cell-autonomous model, lentiviral vector, RNA interference (RNAi), high-throughput screening (HTS)
Depletion of Specific Cell Populations by Complement Depletion
Institutions: Blood Research Institute.
The purification of immune cell populations is often required in order to study their unique functions. In particular, molecular approaches such as real-time PCR and microarray analysis require the isolation of cell populations with high purity. Commonly used purification strategies include fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS), magnetic bead separation and complement depletion. Of the three strategies, complement depletion offers the advantages of being fast, inexpensive, gentle on the cells and a high cell yield. The complement system is composed of a large number of plasma proteins that when activated initiate a proteolytic cascade culminating in the formation of a membrane-attack complex that forms a pore on a cell surface resulting in cell death1
. The classical pathway is activated by IgM and IgG antibodies and was first described as a mechanism for killing bacteria. With the generation of monoclonal antibodies (mAb), the complement cascade can be used to lyse any cell population in an antigen-specific manner. Depletion of cells by the complement cascade is achieved by the addition of complement fixing antigen-specific antibodies and rabbit complement to the starting cell population. The cells are incubated for one hour at 37°C and the lysed cells are subsequently removed by two rounds of washing. MAb with a high efficiency for complement fixation typically deplete 95-100% of the targeted cell population. Depending on the purification strategy for the targeted cell population, complement depletion can be used for cell purification or for the enrichment of cell populations that then can be further purified by a subsequent method.
JoVE Immunology, Issue 36, rabbit, complement, cell isolation, cell depletion
The CYP2D6 Animal Model: How to Induce Autoimmune Hepatitis in Mice
Institutions: Goethe University Hospital Frankfurt.
Autoimmune hepatitis is a rare but life threatening autoimmune disease of the liver of unknown etiology1,2
. In the past many attempts have been made to generate an animal model that reflects the characteristics of the human disease 3-5
. However, in various models the induction of disease was rather complex and often hepatitis was only transient3-5
. Therefore, we have developed a straightforward mouse model that uses the major human autoantigen in type 2 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH-2), namely hCYP2D6, as a trigger6
. Type 1 liver-kidney microsomal antibodies (LKM-1) antibodies recognizing hCYP2D6 are the hallmark of AIH-27,8
. Delivery of hCYP2D6 into wildtype FVB or C57BL/6 mice was by an Adenovirus construct (Ad-2D6) that ensures a direct delivery of the triggering antigen to the liver. Thus, the ensuing local inflammation generates a fertile field9
for the subsequent development of autoimmunity. A combination of intravenous and intraperitoneal injection of Ad-2D6 is the most effective route to induce a long-lasting autoimmune damage to the liver (section 1). Here we provide a detailed protocol on how autoimmune liver disease is induced in the CYP2D6 model and how the different aspects of liver damage can be assessed. First, the serum levels of markers indicating hepatocyte destruction, such as aminotransferases, as well as the titers of hCYP2D6 antibodies are determined by sampling blood retroorbitaly (section 2). Second, the hCYP2D6-specific T cell response is characterized by collecting lymphocytes from the spleen and the liver. In order to obtain pure liver lymphocytes, the livers are perfused by PBS via the portal vein (section 3), digested in collagen and purified over a Percoll gradient (section 4). The frequency of hCYP2D6-specific T cells is analyzed by stimulation with hCYP2D6 peptides and identification of IFNγ-producing cells by flow cytometry (section 5). Third, cellular infiltration and fibrosis is determined by immunohistochemistry of liver sections (section 6). Such analysis regimen has to be conducted at several times after initiation of the disease in order to prove the chronic nature of the model. The magnitude of the immune response characterized by the frequency and activity of hCYP2D6-specific T and/or B cells and the degree of the liver damage and fibrosis have to be assessed for a subsequent evaluation of possible treatments to prevent, delay or abrogate the autodestructive process of the liver.
Medicine, Issue 60, autoimmunity, liver, autoantigen, fibrosis, perfusion
Protein WISDOM: A Workbench for In silico De novo Design of BioMolecules
Institutions: Princeton University.
The aim of de novo
protein design is to find the amino acid sequences that will fold into a desired 3-dimensional structure with improvements in specific properties, such as binding affinity, agonist or antagonist behavior, or stability, relative to the native sequence. Protein design lies at the center of current advances drug design and discovery. Not only does protein design provide predictions for potentially useful drug targets, but it also enhances our understanding of the protein folding process and protein-protein interactions. Experimental methods such as directed evolution have shown success in protein design. However, such methods are restricted by the limited sequence space that can be searched tractably. In contrast, computational design strategies allow for the screening of a much larger set of sequences covering a wide variety of properties and functionality. We have developed a range of computational de novo
protein design methods capable of tackling several important areas of protein design. These include the design of monomeric proteins for increased stability and complexes for increased binding affinity.
To disseminate these methods for broader use we present Protein WISDOM (https://www.proteinwisdom.org), a tool that provides automated methods for a variety of protein design problems. Structural templates are submitted to initialize the design process. The first stage of design is an optimization sequence selection stage that aims at improving stability through minimization of potential energy in the sequence space. Selected sequences are then run through a fold specificity stage and a binding affinity stage. A rank-ordered list of the sequences for each step of the process, along with relevant designed structures, provides the user with a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the design. Here we provide the details of each design method, as well as several notable experimental successes attained through the use of the methods.
Genetics, Issue 77, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computational Biology, Genomics, Proteomics, Protein, Protein Binding, Computational Biology, Drug Design, optimization (mathematics), Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins, De novo protein and peptide design, Drug design, In silico sequence selection, Optimization, Fold specificity, Binding affinity, sequencing
Measuring the 50% Haemolytic Complement (CH50) Activity of Serum
Institutions: University of South Australia.
The complement system is a group of proteins that when activated lead to target cell lysis and facilitates phagocytosis through opsonisation. Individual complement components can be quantified however this does not provide any information as to the activity of the pathway. The CH50
is a screening assay for the activation of the classical complement pathway (Fig 1) and it is sensitive to the reduction, absence and/or inactivity of any component of the pathway. The CH50
tests the functional capability of serum complement components of the classical pathway to lyse sheep red blood cells (SRBC) pre-coated with rabbit anti-sheep red blood cell antibody (haemolysin). When antibody-coated SRBC are incubated with test serum, the classical pathway of complement is activated and haemolysis results. If a complement component is absent, the CH50
level will be zero; if one or more components of the classical pathway are decreased, the CH50
will be decreased. A fixed volume of optimally sensitised SRBC is added to each serum dilution. After incubation, the mixture is centrifuged and the degree of haemolysis is quantified by measuring the absorbance of the haemoglobin released into the supernatant at 540nm. The amount of complement activity is determined by examining the capacity of various dilutions of test serum to lyse antibody coated SRBC. This video outlines the experimental steps involved in analysing the level of complement activity of the classical complement pathway.
Immunology, Issue 37, Classical pathway, Complement, Haemolysis, sheep red blood cells, haemoglobin
A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses
Institutions: Emory University, Emory University.
The protective effect of many HLA class I alleles on HIV-1 pathogenesis and disease progression is, in part, attributed to their ability to target conserved portions of the HIV-1 genome that escape with difficulty. Sequence changes attributed to cellular immune pressure arise across the genome during infection, and if found within conserved regions of the genome such as Gag, can affect the ability of the virus to replicate in vitro
. Transmission of HLA-linked polymorphisms in Gag to HLA-mismatched recipients has been associated with reduced set point viral loads. We hypothesized this may be due to a reduced replication capacity of the virus. Here we present a novel method for assessing the in vitro
replication of HIV-1 as influenced by the gag
gene isolated from acute time points from subtype C infected Zambians. This method uses restriction enzyme based cloning to insert the gag
gene into a common subtype C HIV-1 proviral backbone, MJ4. This makes it more appropriate to the study of subtype C sequences than previous recombination based methods that have assessed the in vitro
replication of chronically derived gag-pro
sequences. Nevertheless, the protocol could be readily modified for studies of viruses from other subtypes. Moreover, this protocol details a robust and reproducible method for assessing the replication capacity of the Gag-MJ4 chimeric viruses on a CEM-based T cell line. This method was utilized for the study of Gag-MJ4 chimeric viruses derived from 149 subtype C acutely infected Zambians, and has allowed for the identification of residues in Gag that affect replication. More importantly, the implementation of this technique has facilitated a deeper understanding of how viral replication defines parameters of early HIV-1 pathogenesis such as set point viral load and longitudinal CD4+ T cell decline.
Infectious Diseases, Issue 90, HIV-1, Gag, viral replication, replication capacity, viral fitness, MJ4, CEM, GXR25
A Microplate Assay to Assess Chemical Effects on RBL-2H3 Mast Cell Degranulation: Effects of Triclosan without Use of an Organic Solvent
Institutions: University of Maine, Orono, University of Maine, Orono.
Mast cells play important roles in allergic disease and immune defense against parasites. Once activated (e.g.
by an allergen), they degranulate, a process that results in the exocytosis of allergic mediators. Modulation of mast cell degranulation by drugs and toxicants may have positive or adverse effects on human health. Mast cell function has been dissected in detail with the use of rat basophilic leukemia mast cells (RBL-2H3), a widely accepted model of human mucosal mast cells3-5
. Mast cell granule component and the allergic mediator β-hexosaminidase, which is released linearly in tandem with histamine from mast cells6
, can easily and reliably be measured through reaction with a fluorogenic substrate, yielding measurable fluorescence intensity in a microplate assay that is amenable to high-throughput studies1
. Originally published by Naal et al.1
, we have adapted this degranulation assay for the screening of drugs and toxicants and demonstrate its use here.
Triclosan is a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent that is present in many consumer products and has been found to be a therapeutic aid in human allergic skin disease7-11
, although the mechanism for this effect is unknown. Here we demonstrate an assay for the effect of triclosan on mast cell degranulation. We recently showed that triclosan strongly affects mast cell function2
. In an effort to avoid use of an organic solvent, triclosan is dissolved directly into aqueous buffer with heat and stirring, and resultant concentration is confirmed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry (using ε280
= 4,200 L/M/cm)12
. This protocol has the potential to be used with a variety of chemicals to determine their effects on mast cell degranulation, and more broadly, their allergic potential.
Immunology, Issue 81, mast cell, basophil, degranulation, RBL-2H3, triclosan, irgasan, antibacterial, β-hexosaminidase, allergy, Asthma, toxicants, ionophore, antigen, fluorescence, microplate, UV-Vis
Use of Shigella flexneri to Study Autophagy-Cytoskeleton Interactions
Institutions: Imperial College London, Institut Pasteur, Unité Macrophages et Développement de l'Immunité.
is an intracellular pathogen that can escape from phagosomes to reach the cytosol, and polymerize the host actin cytoskeleton to promote its motility and dissemination. New work has shown that proteins involved in actin-based motility are also linked to autophagy, an intracellular degradation process crucial for cell autonomous immunity. Strikingly, host cells may prevent actin-based motility of S. flexneri
by compartmentalizing bacteria inside ‘septin cages’ and targeting them to autophagy. These observations indicate that a more complete understanding of septins, a family of filamentous GTP-binding proteins, will provide new insights into the process of autophagy. This report describes protocols to monitor autophagy-cytoskeleton interactions caused by S. flexneri in vitro
using tissue culture cells and in vivo
using zebrafish larvae. These protocols enable investigation of intracellular mechanisms that control bacterial dissemination at the molecular, cellular, and whole organism level.
Infection, Issue 91, ATG8/LC3, autophagy, cytoskeleton, HeLa cells, p62, septin, Shigella, zebrafish
Adenoviral Transduction of Naive CD4 T Cells to Study Treg Differentiation
Institutions: Helmholtz Zentrum München.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential to provide immune tolerance to self as well as to certain foreign antigens. Tregs can be generated from naive CD4 T cells in vitro
with TCR- and co-stimulation in the presence of TGFβ and IL-2. This bears enormous potential for future therapies, however, the molecules and signaling pathways that control differentiation are largely unknown.
Primary T cells can be manipulated through ectopic gene expression, but common methods fail to target the most important naive state of the T cell prior to primary antigen recognition. Here, we provide a protocol to express ectopic genes in naive CD4 T cells in vitro
before inducing Treg differentiation. It applies transduction with the replication-deficient adenovirus and explains its generation and production. The adenovirus can take up large inserts (up to 7 kb) and can be equipped with promoters to achieve high and transient overexpression in T cells. It effectively transduces naive mouse T cells if they express a transgenic Coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR). Importantly, after infection the T cells remain naive (CD44low
) and resting (CD25-
) and can be activated and differentiated into Tregs similar to non-infected cells. Thus, this method enables manipulation of CD4 T cell differentiation from its very beginning. It ensures that ectopic gene expression is already in place when early signaling events of the initial TCR stimulation induces cellular changes that eventually lead into Treg differentiation.
Immunology, Issue 78, Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology, Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering, Infection, Genetics, Microbiology, Virology, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory, Adenoviruses, Human, MicroRNAs, Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte, Gene Transfer Techniques, Transduction, Genetic, Transfection, Adenovirus, gene transfer, microRNA, overexpression, knock down, CD4 T cells, in vitro differentiation, regulatory T cell, virus, cell, flow cytometry
In vitro Coculture Assay to Assess Pathogen Induced Neutrophil Trans-epithelial Migration
Institutions: Harvard Medical School, MGH for Children, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Mucosal surfaces serve as protective barriers against pathogenic organisms. Innate immune responses are activated upon sensing pathogen leading to the infiltration of tissues with migrating inflammatory cells, primarily neutrophils. This process has the potential to be destructive to tissues if excessive or held in an unresolved state. Cocultured in vitro
models can be utilized to study the unique molecular mechanisms involved in pathogen induced neutrophil trans-epithelial migration. This type of model provides versatility in experimental design with opportunity for controlled manipulation of the pathogen, epithelial barrier, or neutrophil. Pathogenic infection of the apical surface of polarized epithelial monolayers grown on permeable transwell filters instigates physiologically relevant basolateral to apical trans-epithelial migration of neutrophils applied to the basolateral surface. The in vitro
model described herein demonstrates the multiple steps necessary for demonstrating neutrophil migration across a polarized lung epithelial monolayer that has been infected with pathogenic P. aeruginosa
(PAO1). Seeding and culturing of permeable transwells with human derived lung epithelial cells is described, along with isolation of neutrophils from whole human blood and culturing of PAO1 and nonpathogenic K12 E. coli
(MC1000). The emigrational process and quantitative analysis of successfully migrated neutrophils that have been mobilized in response to pathogenic infection is shown with representative data, including positive and negative controls. This in vitro
model system can be manipulated and applied to other mucosal surfaces. Inflammatory responses that involve excessive neutrophil infiltration can be destructive to host tissues and can occur in the absence of pathogenic infections. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that promote neutrophil trans-epithelial migration through experimental manipulation of the in vitro
coculture assay system described herein has significant potential to identify novel therapeutic targets for a range of mucosal infectious as well as inflammatory diseases.
Infection, Issue 83, Cellular Biology, Epithelium, Neutrophils, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Respiratory Tract Diseases, Neutrophils, epithelial barriers, pathogens, transmigration
An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Institutions: Radboud university medical center.
Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) infections present a broad spectrum of disease severity, ranging from mild infections to life-threatening bronchiolitis. An important part of the pathogenesis of severe disease is an enhanced immune response leading to immunopathology. Here, we describe a protocol used to investigate the immune response of human immune cells to an HRSV infection. First, we describe methods used for culturing, purification and quantification of HRSV. Subsequently, we describe a human in vitro
model in which peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are stimulated with live HRSV. This model system can be used to study multiple parameters that may contribute to disease severity, including the innate and adaptive immune response. These responses can be measured at the transcriptional and translational level. Moreover, viral infection of cells can easily be measured using flow cytometry. Taken together, stimulation of PBMC with live HRSV provides a fast and reproducible model system to examine mechanisms involved in HRSV-induced disease.
Immunology, Issue 82, Blood Cells, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human, Respiratory Tract Infections, Paramyxoviridae Infections, Models, Immunological, Immunity, HRSV culture, purification, quantification, PBMC isolation, stimulation, inflammatory pathways
Interview: HIV-1 Proviral DNA Excision Using an Evolved Recombinase
Institutions: Heinrich-Pette-Institute for Experimental Virology and Immunology, University of Hamburg.
HIV-1 integrates into the host chromosome of infected cells and persists as a provirus flanked by long terminal repeats. Current treatment strategies primarily target virus enzymes or virus-cell fusion, suppressing the viral life cycle without eradicating the infection. Since the integrated provirus is not targeted by these approaches, new resistant strains of HIV-1 may emerge. Here, we report that the engineered recombinase Tre (see Molecular evolution of the Tre recombinase , Buchholz, F., Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden) efficiently excises integrated HIV-1 proviral DNA from the genome of infected cells. We produced loxLTR containing viral pseudotypes and infected HeLa cells to examine whether Tre recombinase can excise the provirus from the genome of HIV-1 infected human cells. A virus particle-releasing cell line was cloned and transfected with a plasmid expressing Tre or with a parental control vector. Recombinase activity and virus production were monitored. All assays demonstrated the efficient deletion of the provirus from infected cells without visible cytotoxic effects. These results serve as proof of principle that it is possible to evolve a recombinase to specifically target an HIV-1 LTR and that this recombinase is capable of excising the HIV-1 provirus from the genome of HIV-1-infected human cells.
Before an engineered recombinase could enter the therapeutic arena, however, significant obstacles need to be overcome. Among the most critical issues, that we face, are an efficient and safe delivery to targeted cells and the absence of side effects.
Medicine, Issue 16, HIV, Cell Biology, Recombinase, provirus, HeLa Cells


Whale watching might be an economically and environmentally feasible way to replace the whaling industry, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia. Andres Cisneros, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre, says whale watching has the global potential to become a $2.5-billion industry and support 19,000 jobs.
We interviewed Andres to discuss the global whale hunting controversy and how coastal countries can profit from whale watching in this video.
We further discussed with Andres the importance of whales in the ecosystem in this podcast.
Whale watching is more than sitting on a boat and viewing just whales. It is going out into the natural environment of whales and viewing all the marine species who share the water with the whales. It has significant educational and environmental benefits and provides an outlet to study the whales scientifically. There are also economic benefits both locally and globally. Whale watching has the potential to expand the tourism market, which will promote all the local businesses and restaurants. Jobs are created when locals are trained as guides. They can combine local knowledge such as traditional encounters with the whales with scientific knowledge about the whales.
Whale watching as an alternative to whaling is an idea being promoted around the world. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) wrote up a global proposal for whale watching as a sustainable alternative. They estimated that the whale watching industry profited 1-billion dollars in 2001. Recent findings by Andres Cisneros from the University of B.C. found that whale watching could potentially profit 2.5 billion dollars worldwide. His model estimates the value of whale watching could be worth double the amount compared to 10 years ago if countries begin to expand their whale watching industry.
Regulations are being put in place to make sure whales and their environment are respected. The IFAW is one of the main groups who promotes responsible whale watching. Responsible whale watching is a global code of conduct for how whales should be treated. This is to prevent the harassment of the whales and reduce intrusions into their environment by the whale watching boats. There are concerns that a large number of boats and people may disturb whale migration and feeding habits.
There is also a need to change some of the tourism laws to allow local fishermen to act as whale watching guides.This will provide more work and give them an opportunity to expand their employment beyond just fishing. This problem was brought to Andres’ attention on a recent trip to Panama. “I was just down talking to fishermen in Panama and they were saying ‘sometimes the fishing is not very good and we know that there are whales out there and we would like to maybe ask the tourists if they want to pay us and we would take them to where we know there are whales’ and they are not letting them do that right now because of some tourism laws that they have down there.”
Whale watching is a way to use whales as a sustainable resource. It provides jobs and reduces the harm done to whales and their environment. Some countries are realizing the potential profit that whale watching can but many more can join in and stop commercial whaling. There needs to be regulation on this growing whale watching industry to make sure it is practiced ethically.
The UK company Sea Life Surveys has a video on how they run their responsible whale watching trips.
Post created by : Shirley Huang, Kate MacMillan, Irfan Haji, James Kirkbright