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As a business owner in charge of a team, you can feel an element of responsibility to ensure that the working environment is a positive place to be.

Not only for yourself, but also for the productivity levels of your workforce. However, there are certain aspects of the working environment that can be forgotten. Whether you have a small or large business indoor or outdoor, here are some of the biggest improvements that you can make to your working environment in order to improve the mindset of your employees and increase productivity.

Image source - pixabay - CC0 License

Many businesses work from an office environment, which often means that you will have staff working at various different levels under one roof. As a manager of the operation, or the business owner, you have a duty of care to ensure that you make the right improvements to ensure that staff can do their job, while maintaining a positive environment. Here are some of the things to think about.

One of the first things to think about would be to ensure that the office has the right technology for you to do the job. It can often be the small things such as a working computer, decent internet connection, which are all functional things for your business. You might want to think about having the right sort of systems in place to ensure that your staff and employees can perform their job roles effectively.

A small change that you could make to your business and working environment when you work indoors is to create a quiet room or a breakout area that staff and employees, including yourself, can go to relax and gather your thoughts. This is going to be free from the distractions of work and even their personal lives. Helping them to improve their mindset and have a positive attitude for their work and job role.

You might also want to implement things such as flexible working options for your staff members. That might be working from home or condensing their hours into longer days. An improved working life can help your employees work life to thrive because of a simple change that you made.

Image source - Pixabay - CC0 License

There are some businesses out there that only require you to stay at your desk, on your phone or attached to your laptop. Working away through the digital spectrum or speaking to customers, to then sell a product and service and have it shipped out. Job done. But some businesses are a little more physical than that. They require building work or manufacturing. Here are some of the things to think about.

One of the first things that you need to consider as a manager is to make sure that you take into account health and safety. Not just for you, but for anyone working with you on site. The working environment may be a bustling yard. Perhaps the business you are in is one of selling houses, for example, or buildings in city centres. Health and safety is going to be of the utmost importance, as not only do you have less control of the surroundings, but you also need to make sure that people are safe. This is because the environment outside of the office might be more dangerous. Such as using different equipment or machinery, for example. Having a decent policy in place can help you ensure that this is covered.

Of course, whether your project is a big one, or something on a smaller scale, you will need to ensure that you have the right level of equipment there ready and waiting. So you need to ensure that you have the right equipment for the job. Whether that is the right sort of crane, fork lift trucks or excavators, ensure that the people you have employed to do a job can do it to the best of their ability because you have supplied the right level of equipment for the job.

As a manager, you need to ensure that there is some form of plan in place to follow. This could be building plans, blueprints that are seen as guides, or even things like meetings so that people know what is expected of them. As a manager, you need to be able to lead. So you may want to ensure that your leadership skills are on point. It could be that you need to be more assertive with things, or ensure that your presence on site is seen and adhered to. Small changes could make a big difference.

It is so important to be prepared for every eventuality when off site and not in the office surroundings. You have less control over outside factors such as the weather. So things like the right level of footwear and clothing should be worn, to ensure safety. It could be things such as foreseeable problems, being discussed and then actions and plans put in place to help overcome them. Be prepared for every eventuality, so that you are never second guessing your next move.

Image source - Pixabay - CC0 License

No matter what your business is, be it outside, in an office, out on the road, specialist or working from home, the workwear you have and the tools that you use are two vital elements to making improvements for staff and employees. Or even your own work ethic. Often the small focuses such as uniform, workwear requirements and having the right tools for the job can be the only elements that give a staff member, including yourself, the confidence to get the job done. Depending on the type of business you have, here are some of the improvements you can make in this area.

Working outside could appear to be the dream job during a heatwave in the Summer, but how about when its winter like now, and the temperatures are plummeting? Working outside often means that you dont get an escape from the elements, and so you need to be dressed appropriately to protect your body and also keep warm. If you can, you may also want to think about a wooly hat and a scarf and glove set to keep your head, neck and hands warm. Your fingers can often feel the cold the most, and if you need to be hands on in your job, it could be a saving grace to have them covered.

Working outdoors can often mean that workers will be using specific tools to take on jobs and tasks. So ensuring that a health and safety check takes place and you supply what that person needs to complete the job is important. You also need to think of the general well being on the staff members that are working. So small things such as an onsite toilet could help to create a decent working environment outside. Thankfully, you can find construction site toilet hire online and you may also want to consider hiring wellness areas and breakout rooms where workers can enjoy a warm drink and rest out of the elements of the weather. This could be especially helpful in winter.

An office environment can often mean that your appearance needs to be smart and presentable. Whether you are customer facing or not, many employers prefer to have this sort of dress code as they feel it better aids productivity. There is some truth to that as mentally you feel dressed for the occasion of work, instead of in some clothes that are comfortable and relaxing to you. Most commonly people who work in an office or customer facing environment would wear a suit and smart attire.

Finally, working from home means you get to decide the dress code. You could work in your pyjamas and nobody would be aware of it. But you have to think about your productivity levels and your mindset when working from home. So it is a good idea to treat the day as if you were heading out to work, that means dressing appropriately. Of course, you dont need to be wearing a shirt and tie, but dressing smarter could help your work rate increase.

You might also want to think about joining up with applications like Skype and Zoom so that video conferencing and communication can be made easier for anyone that is working from home, including yourself. Email acce
ss, text messaging services and even taking advantage of cloud based software systems can help people who work from home to be fully able to complete tasks and perform their jobs.

We hope these tips will help you when it comes to making improvements in your working environment.

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The Anatomy Of A Corporate Event That Won't Bore Delegates To Tears - BBN Times

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar is not too happy with the way Hasan Ali trained during his recuperation from an injury. There has been a lot of confusion regarding his injury as different players have offered different theories. Former Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood claimed that it happened when Hasan was made to deadlift 130 to 140 kilograms of weight.

However, Waqar Younis believes Hasan picked up the injury during a first-class match. Akhtar believes it was because the fast bowler did not understand his body and hence, is now looking very weak and frail.

ALSOREAD: Players are just pawns: Former Pakistan skipper says board officials may be involved in fixing

Hasan got injured due to training as well as overwork. Plus, he played a lot of cricket for the past year or two and wasnt managed properly, Akhtar was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. When I met him 25 days ago, I told him to do light and high repetition training so there is no stiffness and rigidness in his muscle.

He is looking very weak and his shoulders [are] also very thin. He went through wrong training and was asked to lift heavy weights. The learning process of our cricketers is very slow because they do not know the anatomy of their body and how to do high repetition training.

There was a bit mess up from everybody along with Hasan Ali. However, Azhar should have said all this when he was looking after him but I dont understand why he is saying all this now, Akhtar added.

Original post:
Players do not know anatomy of their body: Shoaib Akhtar reveals which Pakistan player is looking very... - Hindustan Times

By Dana M Bergstrom, Andrew Klekociuk, Diana King and Sharon Robinson

While the world rightfully focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic, the planet is still warming. This summers Antarctic weather, as elsewhere in the world, was unprecedented in the observed record.

Our research, published in Global Change Biology, describes the recent heatwave in Antarctica. Beginning in late spring east of the Antarctic Peninsula, it circumnavigated the continent over the next four months. Some of our team spent the summer in Antarctica observing these temperatures and the effect on natural systems, witnessing the heatwave first-hand.

Antarctica may be isolated from other continents by the Southern Ocean, but has worldwide impacts. It drives the global ocean conveyor belt, a constant system of deep-ocean circulation which transfers oceanic heat around the planet, and its melting ice sheet adds to global sea level rise.

Antarctica represents the simple, extreme end of conditions for life. It can be seen as a canary in the mine, demonstrating patterns of change we can expect to see elsewhere.

Most of Antarctica is ice-covered, but there are small ice-free oases, predominantly on the coast. Collectively 0.44% of the continent, these unique areas are important biodiversity hotspots for penguins and other seabirds, mosses, lichens, lakes, ponds and associated invertebrates.

This summer, Casey Research Station, in the Windmill Islands oasis, experienced its first recorded heatwave. For three days, minimum temperatures exceeded zero and daily maximums were all above 7.5C. On January 24, its highest maximum of 9.2C was recorded, almost 7C above Caseys 30-year mean for the month.

The arrival of warm, moist air during this weather event brought rain to Davis Research Station in the normally frigid, ice-free desert of the Vestfold Hills. The warm conditions triggered extensive meltwater pools and surface streams on local glaciers. These, together with melting snowbanks, contributed to high-flowing rivers and flooding lakes.

By February, most heat was concentrated in the Antarctic Peninsula at the northernmost part of the continent. A new Antarctic maximum temperature of 18.4C was recorded on February 6 at Argentinas Esperanza research station on the Peninsula - almost 1C above the previous record. Three days later this was eclipsed when 20.75C was reported at Brazils Marambio station, on Seymour Island east of the Peninsula.

The pace of warming from global climate change has been generally slower in East Antarctica compared with West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. This is in part due to the ozone hole, which has occurred in spring over Antarctica since the late 1970s.

The hole has tended to strengthen jet stream winds over the Southern Ocean promoting a generally more positive state of the Southern Annular Mode in summer. This means the Southern Oceans westerly wind belt has tended to stay close to Antarctica at that time of year creating a seasonal shield, reducing the transfer of warm air from the Earths temperate regions to Antarctica.

But during the spring of 2019 a strong warming of the stratosphere over Antarctica significantly reduced the size of the ozone hole. This helped to support a more negative state of the Southern Annular Mode and weakened the shield.

Other factors in late 2019 may have also helped to warm Antarctica. The Indian Ocean Dipole was in a strong positive state due to a late retreat of the Indian monsoon. This meant that water in the western Indian Ocean was warmer than normal. Air rising from this and other warm ocean patches in the Pacific Ocean provided energy sources that altered the path of weather systems and helped to disturb and warm the stratosphere.

Localised flooding appeared to benefit some Vestfold Hills moss banks which were previously very drought-stressed. Prior to the flood event, most mosses were grey and moribund, but one month later many moss shoots were green.

Given the generally cold conditions of Antarctica, the warmth may have benefited the flora (mosses, lichens and two vascular plants), and microbes and invertebrates, but only where liquid water formed. Areas in the Vestfold Hills away from the flooding became more drought-stressed over the summer.

High temperatures may have caused heat stress in some organisms. Antarctic mosses and lichens are often dark in colour, allowing sunlight to be absorbed to create warm microclimates. This is a great strategy when temperatures are just above freezing, but heat stress can occur once 10C is exceeded.

On King George Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula, our measurements showed that in January 2019 moss surface temperatures only exceeded 14C for 3% of the time, but in 2020 this increased fourfold (to 12% of the time).

Based on our experience from previous anomalous hot Antarctic summers, we can expect many biological impacts, positive and negative, in coming years. The most recent event highlights the connectedness of our climate systems: from the surface to the stratosphere, and from the monsoon tropics to the southernmost continent.

Under climate change, extreme events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity, and Antarctica is not immune.

Dana M Bergstrom, Principal Research Scientist, University of Wollongong; Andrew Klekociuk, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of Tasmania; Diana King, Research officer, University of Wollongong, and Sharon Robinson, Professor, University of Wollongong

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Anatomy of a heatwave - Cosmos

Hi. My name is Eliza Hittman. And I am the writer and director of Never Rarely Sometimes Always. I want to spend a few minutes talking with you about your relationships, O.K.? Because they can affect your health. Did you know that? The scene that youre watching an excerpt from is the pivotal scene of the entire film. The main character her name is Autumn. The actors name is Sidney Flanigan has finally reached Planned Parenthood in Brooklyn. And she is going through her intake questionnaire with a counselor before she has an abortion. The scene is shot actually at Margaret Sanger, which is a Planned Parenthood on Bleecker Street. And that level of authenticity was really important for me in shooting the film. And the actress, Sidney Flanigan, is doing the scene not with another actor, but with an actual counselor named Kelly Chapman who I met doing research for the film. Always. Why are you asking me this? I want to make sure that youre safe. The shooting style of the scene was very simple, intentionally so. I didnt want to do anything stagy to get in the way of the intimacy of the questions that are being asked. Your partner has hit you, slapped you, or physically hurt you. Never, rarely, sometimes, always. So we went for a very stripped down, minimal approach. We used two cameras. One is frontal on Sidney, and one is actually 3/4 profile. And those two cameras were pushed very, very, very close to her. Because we wanted to trap her a little bit to intensify the emotions of the scene. Its just a couple more questions, all right? I spent a lot of time rehearsing the scene, because it was so important. And on the day that we shot, I took Sidney aside. Because, sometimes, when you work on an independent film set, its a little like being on a construction site. And I wanted to quarantine her away from all of the commotion. And I found a private office for her to sit in. And she sat for several hours. And I remember, I came in, and she said, Im ready, lets do it. And the scene that is in the film, its actually the first take. Then after she did it, she said it was cathartic, and she couldnt do it again. - Has anyone forced you into a sexual act ever in your lifetime? Yes or no.

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'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' | Anatomy of a Scene - The New York Times

They aren't doctors, but they do play them on TV.

To show their support for the real doctors and nurses and healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors and nurses from all over TV got together virtually to give a big thank you and maybe also give us a little burst of joy in these tough times.

The video starts with former House, MD star Olivia Wilde, who organized the whole thing, and includes appearances by Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser); Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, and Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy); Donald Faison, Zach Braff, and Sarah Chalke (Scrubs); Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie); Lisa Edelstein, Jennifer Morrison, Omar Epps, Kal Penn, and Peter Jacobson (House, MD), Julianna Margulies and Maura Tierney (ER), Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor), and even Jennifer Garner, who played a doctor in Dallas Buyers Club.

This isn't the only thing the fake doctors have been able to do. TV shows set in hospitals have been donating masks, gowns, and other medical supplies for the past few weeks, and you can see below which shows have been helping out!

And if you're now in the mood for a nice comforting medical show, we've got a nice little list for you (including where you can stream them) right here.

Originally posted here:
TV Doctors Come Together Virtually To Thank Real Doctors - E! Online

Everyone knows that friendship is a key component ofGrey's Anatomy. For sixteen years, fans have had the pleasure of seeing these relationships blossom and grow. They loved watching the Twisted Sisters take Grey-Sloan by storm and seeing the epic bromance between Mark and Derek. They even loved the dynamic between Arizona and Webber, whose partnership came late in the game but was one for the ages.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Reasons Why Cristina & Callie Aren't Real Friends

However, with so many characters on the show, not all partnerships could progress to the friendship stage. A prime example: Callie Torres and Miranda Bailey's. Despite sharing many scenes, their characters didn't have the easiest relationships. Don't believe it? Keep reading to discover the 10 reasons why.

One reason why Bailey and Callie couldn't be friends was their opposing personalities. Most of the time, Bailey is seen as a very strict and private person. She likes to maintain a professional boundary with her colleagues and is never seen engaging in hospital gossip or consorting with them at Joe's.

On the other hand, Callie can be seen as Baileys character foil. She is outgoing, relaxed, and open-minded. Despite her tough exterior, Callie has also been shown to wear her heart on her sleeve. Based on these differences, Bailey and Callie tend to associate with different social circles, meaning their friendship would always be weak.

Another moment that proved why Callie and Bailey weren't real friends was when Callie laughed in the general surgeon's face when she confided in her. As mentioned, Bailey is a very private person and hardly talks about her personal life. When she did, it was mainly about something that made her feel vulnerable.

For instance, in "The End is the Beginning," Bailey confided in Callie about an incident on her honeymoon that left her seriously embarrassed. Instead of reassuring her or offering advice, Callie just laughs at Bailey's misery. It's not exactly the reaction you would want from a trusted friend especially if you are feeling insecure.

In season 4, a bitter rivalry formed between Callie and Bailey after they competed to become Chief Resident. Bailey believed she was a shoo-in for the role since she was the Chief's favorite and highly respected among the staff. However, after spending months battling it out, Bailey was surprised when Webber announced he had given the role to Callie.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: Why Alex And Arizona Aren't Real Friends

Instead of being pleased for Callie, Bailey could only express her disappointment over the loss. She then refused to speak to Webber over his decision. If Callie was really her friend, Bailey would have been happy and congratulated her instead of acting like a petulant child.

Bailey continued to act immaturely when she undermined Callie's authority in front of the Chief and the residents. In "A Change is Gonna Come," Callie's role as Chief Resident didn't get off to the best start when the other surgeons failed to answer her pages.

When Webber asks Callie why M.A.G.I.C. was ignoring her, Bailey sniped about how they "always came running" for her. Callie also gets annoyed when the residents go over her head to Bailey when they disagree with her decisions. Instead of supporting her, Bailey continued to humiliate Callie by disrespecting her in front of their colleagues. It's not something a good friend would do.

In "Run, Baby, Run," Bailey was seen to be preparing for her second wedding and asked Callie if she would be a bridesmaid. However, Callie wasn't exactly the ideal candidate when she advises Bailey to run aftershe expressed that she's having doubts.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: Why Meredith & Cristina Aren't Real Friends

Callie also suggested that she should leave Ben at the altar because marriage was like "a dance of death." Considering that she was meant to be Bailey's maid of honor, Callie was doing a terrible job of it. If she knew Bailey, Callie would have known the general surgeon didn't joke in stressful situations. It's just another moment that proves they weren't real friends.

When it came to love, Callie didn't have the best of luck in that department. Her first marriage to George collapsed after the intern left her for his best friend, Izzie. Her second marriage was also broken beyond repair when Arizona had a one-night stand with another surgeon.

Did Bailey check in on Callie to see if she was okay? Nope on both occasions, Bailey was nowhere to be seen. It's not as if she could remain oblivious to the infidelities, either, as she was in the room when Arizona's unfaithfulness was uncovered. At a time like this, friends usually rally with support. Yet Bailey didn't, which showsshe and Callie aren't close enough to be considered friends.

Once more, Callie proved to be the world's worst maid of honor and friend when she failed to turn up to Bailey's wedding. After Adele was admitted to the hospital, Ben decided to open the reception first while they waited on Bailey to finish operating.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Reasons Why Mark & Derek Aren't Real Friends

Instead of waiting with the other guests, Callie and Arizona decided to get a room at the hotel. However, it appears they lose track of time because they fail to turn up at the wedding, sneaking into the reception after everything is finished. The fact that Callie let Bailey down and had no qualms about it proved they weren't very good friends.

Near the end of season 9, Bailey's career was placed in jeopardy after three of her patients died contracting a staph infection. The hospital board decides the best way to get to the bottom was to get the CDC to investigate before a scandal broke ("Sleeping Monster"). However, the board including Calliedidn't exactly treat Bailey in the best manner.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 5 Best Friendships (& 5 Worst)

For instance, when the accusations first come to light, Callie just stands back and lets them treat Bailey like a pariah. When the CDC arrives, Callie also avoids Bailey and refuses to talk to her until the investigation is over. Callie knew that Bailey would have been terrified, yet she did nothing to help ease her fears. Once again, it proved Calliewasn't someone Bailey could rely on.

In season 12, a huge storyline was put in motion when Arizona took Callie to court to try and get custody of Sofia. This all came to a head in "Mama Tried," where several members of the hospital testified on behalf of the two women including Bailey.

Bailey was there to be a character witness for both women and was trying to do her best to be impartial. However, Callie ends up making it personal when she allows her lawyer to ask Bailey questions that would assassinate Arizona's character. Not did it put Bailey in an uncomfortable position, but it also jeopardized Bailey's relationship with Arizona. A friend would never put someone on the spot like this.

Since Callie placed Bailey on the spot, it wasn't surprising when the Chief ended up fighting back and defending Arizona. As Callie's lawyer attempted to make Arizona look like a workaholic, Bailey sniped how the fetal surgeon has a very successful and high-demanding career, which doesn't make her a bad parent.

As Bailey continued to defend Arizona, she let Callie know that she isn't happy with the way she was handling the case. The fact that Bailey also didn't add anything to support Callie showed her allegiance swaying more towards Arizona. If Bailey refused to give a solid testimony in favor of Callie then they couldn't be deemed real friends.

NEXT: Grey's Anatomy: Most Heartbreaking Deaths, Ranked

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A writer, reader and tv fanatic, Kayleigh enjoys reading movie news and your film reviews. She has attained an Undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and is also the creator of the film and television blog 'The Critics' Corner'.

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Grey's Anatomy: Why Miranda & Callie Aren't Real Friends - Screen Rant

As COVID-19 cases continue to soar across New York and around the globe, the race to find coronavirus treatments has led to a surge of clinical trials seeking to test the efficacy of different treatments against the virus.

Experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci M.D. 66 have emphasized the importance of using controlled clinical trials to scientifically prove whether experimental drugs actually work against COVID-19.

But what are clinical trials, and how do they work?

Weill Cornell physician-scientist Dr. Marshall Glesby, who works for the Clinical and Translational Science Center, explained that clinical trials are research studies that test how well new medical interventions or approaches work in people.

An intervention commonly takes the form of an investigational drug, although it could also be a medical procedure or a change to a participants behavior.

According to Glesby, before a clinical trial for a drug treatment can even begin, researchers must thoroughly study a proposed biological mechanism for the drug, acquire promising data from laboratory studies, and advance the study to an animal model to test for preliminary efficacy and any signs of toxicity.

Before youd actually [administer a drug] thats never been given to a person, youd want to have some compelling reasons to do it and some safety data, usually [from] animals, Glesby said.

After these initial stages, the drug still has a long way to go before being tested in humans.

For researchers, a clinical trial begins months in advance of actually testing on patients by first designing a protocol a guidebook that details how the study will be implemented, as well as criteria and assessments to determine participants eligibility, Glesby explained.

Within the design of a protocol, there are many measures incorporated to ensure that the results of the experiment are statistically and scientifically valid.

For example, studies must have control groups to provide researchers with a comparison so they can determine whether a new treatment actually worked. Glesby explained that in clinical trials, controls can be the existing standard of treatment, a different combination of drugs, or a placebo, depending on the medical condition being treated.

Participants are then typically randomly assigned to one treatment group or another, which serves to ensure that each patient has an equal possibility of receiving any treatment under the study.

According to Glesby, trials can also be double-blinded, in which neither the participants nor the researchers have prior knowledge of which treatment the participant received, a precaution designed to eliminate any further bias.

Glesby added that the protocol would then have to be reviewed by the Institutional Review Board, and for drug interventions, the protocol would also have to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration to further protect participants from the risks of clinical trials.

Only after this often months-long approval process can participants finally be recruited and enrolled into the study.

After participants have been recruited and undergone initial screening, participants are regularly assessed throughout the trial to evaluate any possible adverse effects that could result from the drug treatment, Glesby explained.

[At the end of the study] the data are compiled to determine whether the intervention is safe and efficacious, Glesby said.

According to Glesby, the clinical trial process start-to-finish usually take years to complete, as trials gradually expand to include more and more participants. However, in extreme cases, there are ways the process can be accelerated to quickly get clinical trials started something that has become the norm as the severity of the pandemic rapidly mounts.

With what were living through now with COVID-19, undoubtedly there will be expedited paths for drugs to be developed and approved, Glesby said. If there is no available treatment for something, then those [drugs] can be reviewed in a more timely fashion.

Even though the FDA has been expediting trials and waiving many typical requirements, Glesby still expressed awe at how fast the testing of COVID-19 treatments has been implemented.

Whats been amazing to me is that in the context of this COVID-19 pandemic, my colleagues and I have been able to implement studies over a handful of days, as opposed to months, Glesby said. And thats in large part because everyone has ralliedand recognized that this is a real priority because we dont have [any proven treatment] to offer people other than supportive measures.

Although the potential of a number of treatments have been heralded by some President Donald Trump, for example, has repeatedly championed the use of anti-malarial drug chloroquine Glesby noted that anecdotal evidence is not valid in proving the efficacy of certain treatments.

There are a lot of things that are being studied that we dont know if theyre going to be harmful or helpful, and the only way to know is to do a controlled experiment, which is why we do randomized, controlled trials, Glesby said.

As it stands, several different treatments for COVID-19, such as antiviral drugs, like Remdesivir, and immunomodulatory therapy, have rapidly entered clinical trials.

A vaccine developed by Washington-based biotech firm Moderna has already begun human-testing a turnaround time that, according to Fauci, launched in record speed,

But even though these clinical trials are being fast-tracked at an unprecedented speed, Glesby stressed that definitive results are still well over months away.

If something is successful, then maybe its possible it could become available in the 9 to 12 month rangeits hard to know, he said.

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The Anatomy of the Clinical Trials: How Researchers are Testing COVID-19 Treatments - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

Marvel is known for its attempts to quantify its characters and make them as scientific as possible, but how does that work with a magical being like Thor? As a fantastical god who hurls lightning and tosses mountains, Thor is far from having a typical person's anatomy. But the minute details of how his biology works aren't just awesome, they're downright mythical.

The first thing to understand about Thor's anatomy is that, despite appearances, it's truly nothing like a typical human's. While Thor has worn the form of a Dr. Donald Blake, his true form is that of an Asgardian. Marvel guidebooks make it very clear that all Asgardians are far above humans when it comes to their physicality, with denser flesh and bones and multi-ton strength. On top of that, Thor is one of the strongest Asgardians of all.

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Either due to his special heritage as the son of Odin or just through his own lifetime of adventures and training, Thor has managed to become several orders of magnitude stronger than other Asgardians. Whereas most Asgardians can lift or press 25-30 tons, Thorcan lift 100+, and his shattering of mountains and threatening of planets with his blows indicates that there may be no upper limit to how strong an Asgardian can grow.

It would seem that Thor is just as hardy on the inside as the outside, as his magical nature grants him immunity to almost all forms of disease or virus. Hehaseven walked through European villages suffering from the Black Death, seeing villagers sick at their bedside without becoming infected with the plague. But this does not mean that no disease has ever managed to hurt Thor.

When Ragnarok once threatened the Nine Realms, Thor came under the influence of a magical disease that blew through his body's defenses. He noted that he had never been sick before, and he grew increasingly weak over time. Even then, Thor managed to recover, and this might just be one of his most underrated abilities in his repertoire considering the times that Thor was moonlighting as a doctor.

RELATED:MCU: 5 Times Chris Hemsworth's Thor Was Comic Accurate (& 5 Times He Wasn't)

As scientific as Marvel can get about Thor's biology, at the end of the day, magic is magic, and that grants Thor anincredible level of durability, even to esoteric forms of damage. Being the God of Thunder naturally grants him a resistance to electricity, but even conventional forms of thermal damage, like ice and fire, show little effect on the golden-haired Avenger.

Even weirder forms of attacks, like reality-warping or telepathic assault, have been shown to struggle immenselyagainst Thor's natural magical resistances. In an early adventure when a being called the Space Phantom was teleporting Avengers to Limbo and assuming their powers, the Space Phantom tried the trick on Thor and the teleportation beam bounced off and sent the Space Phantom to Limbo instead! There's just no telling what Thorisresistant to.

RELATED:10 Comic Characters Not From Marvel Or DC Who Would Be Worthy Of Mjolnir

On top of the all-around physical and magical superiority that Thor demonstrates,even his sensory input greatly exceeds the average human. Whole new colors and sounds are available to the senses of the God of Thunder, and there's a magical sixth sense that can't even be described. In the Ultimate Universe, Thor was able to sense when others were wielding lightning powers, and his status as a god allowed him to hear the prayers of people around the world.

By the miraculous circumstance that Thor is able to be injured, his body tends to regenerate at a superhuman degree and to a superhuman extent.Throughout his long life, Thor has had his teeth and eyes removed, his flesh seared off, and even been impaled. And yet, he always bounces back, fully regenerating if granted enough time.

Of course, that's not to say that he's never been dealt lasting damage. Most famously, Thor's arm was ripped off and eventually replaced with the arm of the Destroyer armor, andmovie audiences know his MCU incarnation lost an eye. Rocket was luckily able toprovideThor a bionic replacement, but given just how hardy his comic book counterpart is, don't be surprised if the original grows right back when the character next appears on the big screen.

KEEP READING:X-Men Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Cyclops' Body, Explained

Unworthy Thors: 5 Marvel Villains (and Other Jerks) Who Lifted Mjolnir

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Avengers Anatomy: 5 Weirdest Things About Thor's Body, Explained - CBR - Comic Book Resources

In Anatomy of a Scene, we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series each Friday. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

A series of questions posed to a young woman at an abortion clinic takes an emotional toll in the drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always, written and directed by Eliza Hittman and now available on demand.

The main character, Autumn, played by Sidney Flanigan, has traveled from her home in Pennsylvania to New York City to seek an abortion. At a Planned Parenthood clinic, a social worker (Kelly Chapman, an actual counselor Hittman met doing research for the film) goes over a list of questions, mainly about her relationships, with four possible responses: never, rarely, sometimes or always. That questioning becomes increasingly more taxing for Autumn as the scene progresses.

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How Never Rarely Sometimes Always Answers Tough Questions - The New York Times

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NZIER survey shows businesses weren't calm before the storm finally hit.

Business confidence was crashingin the lead up to New Zealand's coronavirus lockdown, according to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research'squarterly survey of business opinion.

The index showed a net 67 per cent of firms were expecting economic conditions in the year ahead to deteriorate.

The surveyclosed on March 20, six days before the lockdown, but five days after the Government had ordered all travellers to New Zealand to self-isolate on arrival.

However, the majority of responses were received earlier, during the seven days ending on March 11.

READ MORE:*Air NZ lays off pilots* The stats that show lockdown may be working* Business confidence sinks but ANZ warns the worst may be yet to come

A net 11 per centreported weaker demand in their own business in the March quarter, anda net 13 per cent were also expecting that in the three months to the end of June.

NZIER saidwhileactivity held up reasonably well in the weeks leading up to the lockdown, businesses were looking to pare back operations in anticipation of weaker demand ahead.

An extrapolation of the pattern of responsessuggestedthat almost 70 per cent of businesses would probablyhave reported a deterioration in demand towards the end of March, NZIER said.

"Unsurprisingly, services sector firms reported a weakening in their own trading activity as the weeks progressed.

"In contrast, manufacturers and builders saw an improvement in demand over the weeks leading up to the lockdown."

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NZIER survey sheds light on anatomy of the business confidence collapse - Stuff.co.nz

[Spoiler alert: Station 19 Season 3, Episode 11.] After the April 2 episode of Station 19 Season 3, Shondaland fans wondered whether Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) will leave Greys Anatomy for the spinoff series. The Grey Sloan Memorial plastic surgeon visited his old co-worker and friend, Ben Warren (Jason George). But a quick tour seemed to spark a fire within Jackson one audiences have seen before in Ben. So will Jackson jump ship from Greys Anatomy to Station 19? Fans certainly think its possible.

In the Station 19 Season 3 episode titled No Days Off, Ben shows off his latest toy, which is basically an impressive O.R. on wheels. First, Ben brings in Grey Sloans trauma attending, Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd). But when Owen starts to doubt its capabilities, Ben crosses Owens name off of a list, which also includes Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington), Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary), and Teddy Altman (Kim Raver).

Later, Teddy comes in and shes excited about the potential. Then Ben reveals the reason for the list. I need someone to run it with me to be my partner, he says. However, Teddy turns down the offer. She is running cardio and doesnt exactly miss trauma, especially now with her newborn daughter.

Finally, Ben gets Jackson. Ultimately, the last man standing from the Plastics Posse is just as impressed as Teddy. I know traumas not usually your thing usually, Ben says. But Ive seen you in the pit, right? In a crisis, you get calmer. Thats what I need in a partner.

Then Ben gets called in to help Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) and takes Jackson along with him. The pair save a cook from ICE, bringing him in for a burn. And although the case isnt medically exciting, Jackson feels good about their work. We saved his life, his family. So its a pretty damn good day to be a doctor, Jackson says.

But now theres a big disaster to take care of. Ben is called in for a five-alarm fire. They need everyone and the tour is over. Jackson is hesitant about going back to Grey Sloan. However, it seems Ben picks up on this. He asks Jackson to come.

There will be injuries. You know, full-thickness burns, compartment syndome. Someone may even need an escharotomy, Ben says.Then Jackson replies, Yeah, you had me at fire.

Once Jackson and Ben arrive on the scene, we learn what a five-alarm fire means every firefighter in the city gets called in. This includes Jacksons ex-girlfriend, Victoria Hughes (Barrett Doss). And when the former flames spot each other at the scene, Jacksons excitement about the job diminishes.

Following No Days Off on April 2, fans wondered whether Jackson will leave Greys Anatomy for Station 19. With Ben in need of a partner and Jacksons hesitation to head back to Grey Sloan, everyones curiosity is piqued.

So theyre really setting it up for Jackson to leave #GreysAnatomy and go to #Station19? a fan wrote on Twitter.

Is Jackson Avery going to be a regular on #Station19 next season? #GreysAnatomy, another fan tweeted.

But all the surprise aside, it seems Station 19 and Greys Anatomy fans have mixed feelings about Jacksons potential departure from the flagship series.

If they make Jackson Bens permanent partner and keep Jesse on #Station19 I will scream, a fan wrote, later explaining they dont want to see a Jackson, Vic, and Dean Miller (Okieriete Onaodowan) love triangle.

Meanwhile, another viewer expressed their excitement about the new partnership between Ben and Jackson. Im here for the jackson and ben teamup!! the fan wrote.

In the Greys Anatomy Season 16 episode titled Sing It Again, Jackson returned from the five-alarm fire to support his mom, Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen), and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.). Fans didnt even see Jackson in action before he came back to Grey Sloan Memorial.

So for now, Greys Anatomy and Station 19 viewers will just have to wait and see what showrunner Krista Vernoff plans next. But we just hope everyone gets to witness Jacksons character develop on both shows. And who knows? Maybe hell even make a certain trauma surgeon proud, too.

Read more: Is Station 19 Season 4 Renewed or Canceled? Shondaland Fans Can Rest Easy Now

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Will Jackson Avery Leave 'Grey's Anatomy' for 'Station 19? - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Katherine Heigl rose to fame on Greys Anatomyportraying Dr. Isobel (Izzie) Stevens for almost six seasons. Leaving the prime time hit in 2010, the actresss departure was not without controversy. Heigl had already withdrawn from the 2008 Emmys and publicly complained about working conditions on the show, branding her with a reputation as difficult.

Leaving the prime time hit after adopting her first child, Heigl shared that some of those negative comments affected her more than others.

Though the actress won an Emmy for her role on Greys in 2007, Heigl publicly decided to pull out of the running the following year.

I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention, Heigl stated, according toEntertainment Weekly.In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.

Tabloids had a field day with Heigls comments, speculating that she wanted to get out of her contract for a film career. Adding insult to injury, Heigl vocalized her frustration in a late night talk show interview regarding what she considered harsh working conditions on Greys. This only added to her tarnishing name in the industry.

Though the Greys star apologized to show creator Shonda Rhimes on the Emmy debacle, the media mogul was not fully buying it. On some level, it stung and on some level I was not surprised, Shonda toldOprah Winfrey in 2012of the actresss actions. When people show you who they are, believe them.

RELATED:Greys Anatomy: Ellen Pompeo Singled Out Katherine Heigls Problem on the Show

While public opinion assumed Heigl was in a rush to leave Greys for the big screen, the actress revealed that adopting her daughter Naleigh was the true catalyst.

I had actually started talking to Shonda Rhimes over a year ago about the idea of moving on, Heigl told Entertainment Weekly in 2010. I had told her that I wanted to start a family Josh and I were in the process of adoption and I wanted to warn her. And she was really respectful and supportive.

Though the Suits actress considered trying to juggle work and family, she felt the shooting schedule of Greys would take too much time away from her daughter.

I think it was a little bit shocking for everybody, and a little bit like, Cant we find a way to work it out? Heigl recalled. And I really wanted to, but at the same time I just felt like I couldnt sacrifice my relationship with my child. I want this child to know that she will forever have me in her corner and I dont want to disappoint her.

Reflecting on her past comments regarding the Emmys and the shows scheduling demands, Heigl realized she caused the backlash she was receiving. When asked how she felt about being perceived as an ungrateful diva, the actress revealed the moniker truly affected her.

The ungrateful thing bothers me the most. And thatismy fault, Heigl admitted. I allowed myself to be perceived that way because I was being whiny and I was griping and because I made these snarky comments.

RELATED: Which Greys Anatomy Alum Has the Highest Net Worth: Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, or Patrick Dempsey?

Coming to terms with her mistakes, Heigls goal was to change the publics perception. So much about living life, to me, is about humility and gratitude. Im just so disappointed in myself that I allowed it to slip, she explained. Theres nothing more gross than [the idea of] somebody in my position being ungrateful And I hope that in the coming years I can change peoples minds about that. The six years [I spent onGreys] were important years I let myself demean something that was actually very beautiful and very important.

Heigl is currently working on her Netflix seriesFirefly Lane.

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Why 'Grey's Anatomy' Alum Katherine Heigl Said This Comment 'Bothered Me The Most' After Her Exit - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

In the 16 years since Grey's Anatomy has been on the air, there has yet to be a group of interns that were as iconic as M.A.G.I.C..Although they were majorly competitive and got into some huge fights, Team M.A.G.I.C. was excessively loyal to one another. No matter what happened, their bond was completely unbreakable.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: Why Cristina & Meredith Aren't Real Friends

However, this didn't mean they were all "friends" especially if fans take a closer look at Cristina and Izzie's relationship. Apart from Cristina saving Izzie's life, the pair had nothing in common. Don't believe it? Keep reading to discover 10 reasons why Cristina and Izzie aren't real friends.

One of the main reasons why Cristina and Izzie aren't real friends is due to their opposing personalities. Where Izzie is optimistic and happy, Cristina is dark and twisty. Izzie got emotionally involved with her patients and Cristina liked to keep an objective view. They were like chalk and cheese.

If fans watch the first five seasons again, they will find that Cristina and Izzie only hung out in group events. Any other time, Cristina was usually seen with Mere, and Izzie with George. Cristina and Izzie just didn't have that personal connection.

Another prime example as to why Izzie and Cristina weren't true friends was when Cristina helped Alex study for his intern exam. In "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," Cristina and the other internsfound out that Alex had failed his exam and decided to help him study.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Meredith And Cristina's Friendship

However, this all came about after they also discovered that Alex had cheated on Izzie, meaning they weren't meant to be speaking to him. As a result, Cristina agrees to tutor him in secret. When Izzie did find out, she was livid as it proved Cristina wasn't a friend you could count on. If there was no loyalty between them then they couldn't be very good friends.

In season 5, Cristina and Izzie ended up getting into a mini argument when the oncologistlearned that Cristina stole her apartment. In "Here Comes The Flood," Izzie founds out that she may be homeless after she walked in to see Derek measuring her room. She then began searching for a new apartment and subtly hinted to Cristina about becoming roommates.

However, Cristina didn't seem to pick up on Izzie's hints, and ended up putting an offer down with Callie. What's even worse is that Cristina didn't volunteer to help Izzie find another place. She could have given Izzie Burke's old apartment. Just goes to show Cristina didn't care about Izzie's personal problems.

Cristina and Izzie also proved they were never good friends when the cardiothoracic surgeon made jokes about Izzie's cancer. In "Goodbye," Izzie confided in Meredith and Cristina about the lack of intimacy between her and Alex. Instead of reassuring her, Cristina decided to inappropriately joke about them having cancer sex which upset Izzie greatly.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Reasons Why Derek And Mark Aren't Real Friends

Although Cristina's attitude derived from her relationship problems with Owen, this doesn't excuse how insensitive and rude she was being. Especially when she was making cruel jokes about a "friend" who was going through a tough time. If this was the support system Izzie had, she was better off without it. No one deserves to be treated this way.

The beginning of season 3 saw a division between Cristina and the other residents when she decided to help cover up Burke's tremor. However, their secret was soon uncovered when Cristina confessed all to the Chief after Burke allowed his injury to jeopardize one of their patients.

As a result, Cristina is frozen out by all of her colleagues including Izzie, who demanded she be punished. Considering what she did with Denny's LVAD, Izzie wasn't exactly in the position to judge someone. If anything, she should have been the one to stand up for Cristina since she knew how easy it was to make a mistake. The fact that she was baying for her blood proves why they weren't good friends.

Keeping with the previous entry, Izzie proved to be a terrible friend when she jeopardized Cristina's career for her own selfish gain. In "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response," Izzie cut Denny's LVAD wire and dragged the rest of the residents into her plan.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 5 Best Friendships (& 5 Worst)

For one, friends would never put each other in such a position where they feel like they have to compromise their morals and integrity. They also wouldn't make you jeopardize your career because they did something wrong. Izzie knew how much Cristina valued her career and yet she did all this anyway.

After Izzie cut Denny's LVAD, team M.A.G.I.C. banded together and refused to reveal what went down in Denny's room. However, Cristina seemed to have a change of heart when it came to her interrogation with the Chief.

As Webber tried to get to the bottom of the Duquette situation, he forbade any of the residents from entering the O.R., and questioned them one-on-one. What he didn't expect was for Cristina to say she would tell him what happened if he would tell her how she could get her edge. Nice to see how much Izzie's friendship was worth to her.

One of the more obvious entries on the list that proves why Cristina and Izzie aren't real friends is the fact that the oncologist left without saying goodbye. In "Invasion," Izzie was fired after she makes an error that compromised a patient's health. However, what no one expected was for her to skipped town and leave Alex a "Dear John" letter.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 5 Friendships We Would Have Loved To Have Seen (& 5 We Don't Care About)

For months, Izzie then proceeded to ghost everyone, including Cristina, who was worried about her not turning up for her treatment. While everyone understood that Izzie wasn't in the best place, she was wrong for not saying goodbye and for making her friends worry. If they were true friends, Izzie would have respected Cristina enough to say she was leaving.

Season 4 also saw Cristina and Izzie have a brief falling out when the cardiothoracic resident discovered Izzie had slept with George. As fans know, Izzie broke up George and Callie's marriage when they had a one-night stand. When this secret was discovered, Cristina was disgusted by Izzie's actions and berated her for sleeping with a married man.

However, Izzie retaliated by mentioning that Cristina's okay with Meredith doing it. Their relationship becomes further strained when Cristina becomes closer to Callie, and asks the orthopedic surgeon to move in with her. At this point, it's clear that Cristina wasn't very attached to the idea of becoming best friends with Izzie.

Ironically, Izzie made it clear that she and Cristina weren't friends when she chose to confide in her about her cancer diagnosis. After spending weeks deliberating what to do, Izzie decides to tell Cristina because she knew she would be objective and stoic ("I Will Follow You into the Dark").

When she first approached Cristina, Izzie told the cardiothoracic surgeon that she knows "she doesn't like her" but it was okay. The fact that she feels this is okay and Cristina doesn't deny it proves they are not friends. There is no emotional connection between them. Izzie basically confided in Cristina because she wanted "Dr. Yang's" professional opinion.

NEXT: Grey's Anatomy: 6 Best Couples (And 5 Worst)

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A writer, reader and tv fanatic, Kayleigh enjoys reading movie news and your film reviews. She has attained an Undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and is also the creator of the film and television blog 'The Critics' Corner'.

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[There are spoilers ahead for last nights episode of Greys Anatomy.]

Alright, Greys fans. Gather round for maybe the most bonkers/absurd Greys article youll read this season. During last nights episode, Tom Koracick had to operate on his ex-wifes son, who had a brain tumor that had spread to his spine. That was plenty of drama in and of itself, but fans of the show noticed something pretty off during the operating scene. It looked like there was a training dummy where the childs body should be. No, Im not kidding.

Im going to provide you with some screenshots of the scene so you know what were dealing with here. Fair warning, the photo quality isnt perfect!

I mean, I dont want to be the definitive authority on whether that is a real person or not, but...Im skeptical. Fans on Reddit had a pretty good time poking fun at it. What in the dollar store mannequin... one fan wrote. Someone responded, I seriously thought they just had a random prop there for some reason. And then I realized it was supposed to be the kid and I felt dumb. Glad Im not the only one who thought that it looked extremely fake. The best response, though, was this one: I really hope that crash test dummy survives to see another airbag.

Heres what the actor playing Guthrie looked like in other scenes.

Let me just say that if the show did decide to use a dummy there, I totally get it. That does not look like a super-comfy position to put a child actor in! Especially considering how long it can take to shoot a scene. And its also totally possible the fans are wrong and it is actually the real actor in there, in which case, we have even more questions for whoever lit this scene....

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Greys Anatomy Fans Are Convinced They Saw a Training Dummy in an Operation Scene Last Night - Cosmopolitan

Educational animal dissection is a controversial topic. Proponents defend its educational merit, while critics question the ethics, environmental impact, and overall necessity of the practice. But what is the reality of animal dissection, and is there a cruelty-free option?

Dissection, in general, involves the dismembering of a deceased animal or plant to study its internal and anatomical structure. In the U.S., the educational dissection of smaller animals typically takes place during middle and high school. According to Animalearn, which provides humane education resources to educators, around six million vertebrate animals are dissected in U.S. high schools alone.

Many critics of dissection focus on ethical, animal welfare considerationssuch as the number of individual animal lives lost. However, there is also a broader ecological impact caused by removing animals from their habitats. There is also the issue of human health. Animals for dissection can be preserved in chemicals such as formaldehyde, which the Environment Protection Agency classifies as a probable human carcinogen.

The most commonly dissected animal by middle and high school students is the frog. But other species include rats, mice, worms, cats, dogs, rabbits, fish, and fetal pigs.

While procuring these creatures in the wild can negatively impact their native habitat, most come from companies that specialize in supplying animals via breeding facilities. Some slaughterhouses, pounds, animal shelters, and pet stores sell animals to these biological supply companies. Including lost or stolen former companion animals.

Many people, both supporters and critics, emphasize the rights of students to choose or refuse to take part in dissection. However, according to the paper Dissection and Choice in the Science Classroom (2012), teachers do not always offer pupils this choice.

While 18 U.S. states, including California, allow the student to opt-out of dissections without penalizing them, this research suggests that even if given the choice, many students may feel too intimidated to do so. Some have reported feeling pressured and wary of social stigma.

In California, legislation may result in a total ban on all school-level educational dissection. Last year, assembly member Ash Kalra introduced AB-1586the Replacing Animals in Science Education (RAISE) Act. This bill aims to replace animal dissections with modern, humane alternatives.

Learning about anatomy in schools is important scientific pedagogy but dissection presents a significant impact on the environment and our fragile ecosystems. Advancements in educational technology have expanded access to this important scientific instructional methodology without having to rely on animals, Kalra said in a statement.

With the development of technological alternatives, virtual and computer-based science teaching practicum offer more humane teaching methods that help to better prepare students for higher education and careers in science, added Kalra.

The bill was co-sponsored by several non-profit organizations, including the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Social Compassion in Legislation, and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). The National Hispanic Medical Association, the Humane Education Coalition, Center for Healthcare Education, and the United Federation of Teachers Humane Education Committee also support the bill.

Support for alternative teaching methods comes from a wide variety of sources, including teachers and academics. Some studies have suggested that dissecting animals can actually desensitize students to the sanctity of life, and potentially foster cruelty towards animals.

The fact is, we do not need to put our young people through this. There is a better way, and California can and should move to the more modern and accepted use of digital dissection resources, said Judie Mancuso, CEO of Social Compassion in Legislation.

There is an increasing number of alternative teaching methods, ranging from hyper-realistic synthetic animals to software and apps. Tampa-based company SynDaver specializes in sophisticated, synthetic models for dissection. These extremely lifelike models are used for education, surgical simulation, and testing medical devices. According to SynDaver, this validated technology can effectively replace human patients, cadavers, and animals.

The companys SynFrogs are reusable and mimic the properties of a live, female frogthe most commonly dissected animal by middle and high school students. Last year, J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Florida, became the first in the world to use SynFrogs.

Theres no longer any need to harm real frogs for the sake of enhancing the educational experience, says SynDaver. In addition to eliminating the ethical concerns of sacrificing living animals to teach comparative anatomy, SynFrog is a better option for students because it does not expose them to hazardous chemicals, like formaldehyde and formalin.

SynFrogs cost $150 each, which is considerably more than animal-based dissection. However, synthetic alternatives are also reusable, which will save schools money long term and is far less wasteful.

Computer technology presents another alternative for traditional educational dissection. Indian company Designmate developed Froggipedia as an ethical, realistic, 3D alternative. The app allows students to explore the life cycle and complex anatomy of the frog and has received praise from teachers and parents alike.

Norecopas Sniffy the Virtual Rat allows students to explore operant psychology using virtual simulation. The company says its product gives students a virtual laboratory experience without using a real laboratory rat. The simulation closely resembles many of the experiments discussed in learning textbooks.

More high-tech software can combine x-ray, ultrasound, and MRI imaging to create a virtual anatomy display. Stanford Medical School and at New York University use similar technology, and at NYU, students can wear 3D glasses to explore the virtual anatomical display.

Interactive models are another alternative to educational animal dissection. Companies such as AnatomyStuff produce 3D, anatomically correct models. These models are also common when studying human biology, and mock-ups of individual body parts and systems are relatively widespread in classrooms.

Anatomy in Clay allows students to build the body systems of humans and animals out of clay on model skeletons. The company promotes hands-on learning as the most efficient way of reaching visual, tactile, and kinesthetic learners all at once.

Denoyer Gepperts Great American Bullfrog is a large-scale model of the animal with individually numbered parts. The circulatory, reproductive, and other systems can be separately dissected. The company also produces models of plants and large wall charts, another alternative to live dissection.

The Biology Chart Series includes detailed charts of a dissected frog, perch, crayfish, grasshopper, and earthworm. There are also countless books on various anatomy available to students, including interactive editions.

Knitting artist Emily Stoneking has created anatomically correct knitted scenes and DIY kits through her company, aKNITomy.

The Vermont-based company creates rats, bats, pigs, frogs, earthworms, and even humans out of textiles. The range of knitted scenes are precise, anatomically correct, and make effective educational displays and projects.

Stoneking recently told Mother Nature Network,I decided to incorporate my love of vintage anatomical illustrations and make the animals look like dissection models.

I am beginning to move more toward two-dimensional, human-based artwork that is very strongly influenced by 19th-century anatomical illustrations. I am fascinated by the history of medicine, and I just have always loved the artwork associated with that, continued Stoneking.

She sells finished items for display, as wel
l as pattern kits for people to knit at home. Stoneking also sells a combined pattern collection that includes several best-selling items.

Summary

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Can Animal Dissection Be Replaced? The Cruelty-Free Alternatives Paving the Way

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Traditional animal dissection is a controversial subject, and some believe these cruelty-free, educational alternatives are more effective.

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Liam Pritchett

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LIVEKINDLY

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Can Animal Dissection Be Replaced? The Cruelty-Free Alternatives Paving the Way - LIVEKINDLY

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswere created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and first appeared in Mirage Comics in 1984. Since then they've appeared in television shows, movies, video games and comic books. TMNT has been entertaining people for decades and every generation has looked different, but Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael have always been there with their humanoid turtle anatomy, kicking butt.

If there were any doubts regarding the turtle's superhero nature, those have squashed thanks to recent team-ups with Batman and the Power Rangers along the way. TheTurtles' super abilities aren't put on blast like many other popular heroes, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Related:TMNT #101 Is the Ideal Jumping-On Point Heres Why

The TMNT were created by a mysterious radioactive ooze that mutated them into humanoid turtle creatures. The mutations culminatedin heavily armored features like their shells and cranial plates. Their hands became tridactyl forelimb with opposable thumbs that allow them to maneuver their weapons and their feet are similar, but only have two digits. The Turtles's internal organs resemble human anatomy,including a chambered heart structure and similar intestinal system. They also possess the emotional depth of a human and many human interests and tastes -- like pizza, for one.

The Turtles have always possessed meta-human abilities like enhanced strength, speed, agility and reflexes. They're also resistant to cold. Splinter's ninjutsu training allowed the turtles to hone and strengthen their abilities to incredible levels. Leonardo even took his ninjutsu training to otherworldly heights by obtaining the ability to heal himself and others from fatal wounds. This healing ability goes beyond theTurtles' amphibious healing properties. The height of this power allowed Leo to cure himself of a so-called incurable venom when he was fighting Shredder's estranged daughter.

Related:Two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains Just Became Much Bigger Threats

While their muscle and skeletal structures combine many elements from turtles and humans,the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' shellsare incredibly similar to real turtle shells. The plastron and the carapace combine to cover the Turtles' front and back to cover all their vital organs. Even the simpler animations show the shells divided into smaller subsections, whichare points where the individual bones fuse and form into a shell.

Their shells take the place of their abdominal muscles and collar bones and relay a lot of synchronicity between their human and turtle anatomy. Their shells are bulletproof and can withstand enormous kinetic force, making them incredibly resistant in battle -- which allows them to more easily defend against multiple opponents at once. The shells also provide situational offensive capabilities, like when the turtles hurl themselves like cannonballs at their foes.

Related: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: IDW's Urban Legends Saved TMNT's Lost Era

Jennika is the fifth member of the TMNT and is objectively the most unique turtle of the bunch. Not only was she human at one time, but she also worked for Shredder was one of Splinter and theTurtles' most deadly foes. After she was gravely wounded, the Turtles decided to save her life with a blood transfusion. Leo was Jennika's blood donor and his mutated blood transformed Jennika into a turtleoid, whereas the original turtles were turned into humanoids. Jennika's Turtle form is far more slender than her male counterparts and she dawns a bright yellow eye mask to complete her look.

Jennika's main weapon choice is a set of claws, keeping an element of her Foot Clan past with her during her new life as a hero in a half shell. It's Jennika's mental fortitude that sets her apart. Not only does she have an entire lifetime of human memories, she's dealing with all of the mental hurdles of a mid-life species change. Jennika brings a lot more weight and human nuance to her character, which makes her a completely new breed ofMutant Ninja Turtle.

Related:TMNT: Jennika #1 Offers a Punk-Rock Look at the Newest Hero in a Half Shell

The turtles have gone through some changes over the years. While they generally remain the same, there have been some radical exceptions to the rule. One time, Leo lost his hand in a battle with a mutated Komodo Dragon named King Komode and in the same comics series, Raphael's face became permanently scarred. These incidents are no longer considered canon, but theyprovide an idea of theTurtles' healing limitations and the extent of their pain tolerance.

Donny and Raph have gone through the weirdest changes of them all, like the one time they turned into vampires during a collision with Universal Studio's classic monsters-- including Dracula. Donny also becomes a cyborg at one time when his body is damaged from a nearly fatal fall out of a helicopter. Donny merged with one of the cyborgs he and his brothers were fighting to save his life and the CPU altered his brain to make him more aggressive and feel less remorse. His extra mechanical features included blasters and improved armor.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may have started as turtles mutated into humanoids by toxic ooze, but they have come a long way since and are now genuine heroes with incredible power.

Keep Reading:How the Ninja Turtles Come to Terms with [SPOILER's] Death

One-Punch Man: This Theory Explains Saitamas Power - and Its Brilliant

Jonathan Olsen-Koziol has been training for this his entire life. Since he was a young child he's been consuming and studying comic books, movies, video games, heroes, villains, story arcs, and pop-culture. Now he gets to relay a lifetime of passion and knowledge to the people! If his writings find you; hopefully you leave entertained. Jon graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor's in journalism and concurrently works as a head editor and digital content specialist for RespectMyRegion.com.

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TMNT Anatomy: The Weirdest Things About the Ninja Turtles' Bodies - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Socialist and labour unions celebrate this day by organising programs to improve wages and working conditions of the workforce. With a Lockdown imposed by the governments of the various nations, this year, we celebrate those on the frontlines of this major epidemic and appreciate the work done by them. So aid to our battle against the virus by staying at home and doing your bit and while you do that, here are moments from these amazing shows that make us appreciate these workers even more:

There is one thing certain about the Nine-Nine squad and that is their passion to solve the crime and catch the criminals no matter what. Whether they are sleep deprived, facing a personal crisis or in this case, shopping for their wedding dress during their break, nothing will stop them from doing their duty. In season 5, when Amy is out shopping for her wedding dress with Rosa, a criminal is fleeing a crime right around the shop. Amy makes a dive and caught the culprit while still in the Wedding dress. Pretty Badass if you ask us! Watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 exclusively on Comedy Central on Saturdays at 7 pm.

Matching the circumstances of the recent pandemic when people began hoarding home supplies, St. Louis has a massive blizzard barreling towards it. The residents wish to stock up on their supplies to avoid getting trapped in their homes without any food and rush to Cloud 9 which is forced to stay open by the corporate. Trapping the employees and a few customers in, they have to spend the night in the superstore are the blizzard rages on outside. Watch the essential workers on Comedy Central, 11 am onwards, on 1st May to celebrate Labor Day!

The crew of New Amsterdam came up with a special episode showcasing a pandemic and introducing a new character who is also a trauma expert. Keeping in mind that the episode might hit too close for those on the front lines, the crew decided to edit the episode and only hint at the pandemic. However, there is no denying the appreciative work done by the health experts and the hospital staff amidst the chaos. Watch all the episodes of this medical drama only on Colors Infinity to celebrate Labour Day Weekend (1st 3rd May) from 9 am onwards.

In a remarkable episode, Meredith and Carina question DeLuca's uncharacteristic behaviour when he volunteers to perform a life-threatening task during a blizzard. While the others focus on the Blizzard, Bailey tries to help Joey with his future and Richard tries training a new intern at the hospital. We must appreciate everything the doctors do for us and go through during such tough times. Catch all the episode of Grey's Anatomy on Disney+ Hotstar.

We often do not give enough credit to the Fire Department but the teams always put extra effort into saving everyone's life. In this particular episode, Cruz and Severide suspect foul play when a fire started by an elderly woman turns deadly. Kidd, Foster and Brett create a women's-only lounge. The Fire Department is truly one of the bravest of the lot and ensures they save lives even if it puts them in danger. Watch the thrilling show only on Colors Infinity.

So, don't forget to tune in to these shows this Labor Day Weekend and stay safe inside your homes as we appreciate everyone on the frontlines of the pandemic.

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Grey's Anatomy, Superstore, Brooklyn 9-9: Shows that inspire us to celebrate the real heroes this Labor Day - Mid-day

The two most commonly used types of forceps for the cephalic presenting fetus are Simpson type and Elliot or Tucker-McLane forceps. The main differences between the two are that the Simpson forceps have shanks that are separated (remember Simpson shanks separated) whereas those of the Elliot/Tucker-McLane type are overlapping (remember Tucker tucked in). The separated shanks as well as the longer tapering cephalic curve allow for the Simpson type forceps to be used on longer, more molded heads whereas the Elliot or Tucker-McLane types are narrower and might be chosen for the easier pull in a multiparous patient, for example.

The other two commonly used forceps are for special indications. Kielland forceps are used for rotational maneuvers (you turn a key) owing to their very slight reverse pelvic curve and sliding lock which allows for correction of asynclitism. The Piper forceps, with their long backward curving shanks and reverse pelvic curve, are designed specifically for stabilization and delivery of the aftercoming head in a breech presentation.

Read more - Forceps delivery: Contemporary tips for a classic obstetric tool

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Anatomy of the forceps - Contemporary Obgyn

The members ofthe Kardashian-Jenner clanhave made special efforts in recent times to show off their sculptural bodies,most supported by tiny intimate garments or bikinis, although they also show thata well-designed dresscan also be the perfect tool.

This is howKhlo Kardashiandecided to attend the exclusiveafter party of theOscarawardsorganized byBeyoncandJay Zwith a spectacular dress that leaves very little imagination while revealing thanks to its wide neckline and high side opening lots of skin of her well-turned body.

Honey! Im home!The socialite wrote to show off her fiery look while giving due credits tothose responsible for sending her so beautifulto the party along with her sistersKourtney and Kylie.Being the latterwell accompanied by her ex-partner and father of her daughter, Travis Scott, which has triggered several rumors of a possible reconciliation.

Khlos postcardhas exceeded two and a half million likes, which is in tune with the rest of the images shared this year in which she has endeavored to show off the figure that cost him so much work to build.

Tv specialist. Falls down a lot. Typical troublemaker. Hipster-friendly advocate. Food fan.

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Khlo Kardashian warms the nets by exposing her sensual anatomy in a revealing dress - Play Crazy Game

Six games in 13 days. Like it or not, that matters. Thats something betting sharps look at when looking for an edge. It helped explain why Penn State -- an unranked opponent -- came in favored over the No. 4 team in the country. While the home fans chanted overrated in the closing minutes of the Nittany Lions 76-68 upset win Tuesday night, Maryland wont be judged too harshly on this game alone after starting the season with 10 straight victories and surviving without a loss longer than 346 of college basketballs 353 D-I teams (No. 1 Louisville also went down to an unranked opponent tonight).

It was clear they once again didnt bring their A game to the Bryce Jordan Center, an arena that has witnessed a Terps loss four years in a row, and their recent stretch of games combined with Penn States physical play appeared to catch up to them, especially in the final seven minutes as they failed to hit a field goal down the stretch until there was 42 seconds to go. Still, it was a bit perplexing that Terps coach Mark Turgeon reasoned afterward that his team -- which returned seven of its top eight players from a year ago -- has just like five plays we can run at this point in the season.

Weve got a long ways to go offensively, and were struggling a bit, Turgeon said. Hopefully this will refocus us.

The game raised -- and highlighted -- a handful of red flags beyond that. For starters, the slow starts finally caught up to them. The Terps turned it over 12 times in the first 12 minutes as the Nittany Lions raced out to a double digit lead, and many of the giveaways were inexcusable, even when generously factoring in the apparent fatigue. They were the type of mental lapses that could be equated to a still relatively young team feeling a little too confident after recovering from a 15-point deficit to win its Big Ten opener over Illinois Saturday night.

Maryland made far too many lackadaisical passes in the opening frame, and didnt have the legs on either end to repeat their late-game heroics after Anthony Cowans game-tying and game-sealing offensive and defensive plays saved them against the Illini three days earlier. Its hard to ignore the slow-start problem given that it extends back to last year, but Turgeon hasnt expressed much concern publicly, choosing instead to once again laud his team for not sharing the ball well enough tonight, pointing to over-dribbling as the leading cause for the early dysfunction.

We wanted to lead the country in dribbling tonight, he said.

What exacerbated the problems Tuesday night, though, was the Terps lack of depth. Freshman center Makhi Mitchell made his fifth start Tuesday night, but finished scoreless for the third straight game. Ricky Lindo provided solid energy in relief but was pushed around by Penn States frontline, while Serrel Smith and Hakim Hart rode the bench for the entirety of the second half. This is an area where Maryland could improve later in the season if Donta Scott continues to improve and Chol Marial measures up to Turgeons seemingly wishful expectations, but the early returns raise concerns whether any of the Mitchell twins, Lindo, Hart and Serrel Smith are ready to add positive value on a consistent basis this year.

As Turgeon put it, our young guys looked young tonight.

Maryland couldve used another guard off the bench, too, as Eric Ayala, who led the team with 11 points and two assists in the first half, was slowed by cramps and played just 10 minutes in the second. Cowan finished with a team-high 16 points, but was pestered all game long by Big Ten steals leader Jamari Wheeler, turning it over four times and making just five of his 17 field goal attempts. Aaron Wiggins shooting slump, meanwhile, continued -- he shot just 3-12 from the field and 1-6 from three -- while Mike Watkins (15 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks) outplayed Jalen Smith (12 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks) on the block.

As the Terps have found out time and again, Penn State isnt the type of team you want to face as when youre fatigued. Theyre physical, deep and their guards, while not overly talented, push the pace and pressure the ball non-stop. Sophomore guard Izaiah Brockington, who was a starter on the St. Bonaventure team that upset Maryland two years ago, had three steals off the bench. Myles Dread and Myron Jones also poked the ball away a couple of times apiece. Penn State beat up Maryland inside as well. Smith fared well against Lamar Stevens last year, but with Bruno Fernando gone he was forced to guard Watkins, who is nearly five years older and 20 pounds heavier than him.

He looked a step or two slow on rotations almost the entire game, and made just two field goals inside the arc. Stevens matched Watkins in scoring and added 10 rebounds, feasting on Lindo and Scott, whom Turgeon (perhaps regrettably) decided were better options on the 6-foot-8 matchup nightmare than Morsell. Penn State shot 12 percent better than Maryland from inside the arc.

They might have been shaving before my guys were even born, Turgeon joked of Penn States frontcourt.

Morsell started slow after coming off the bench -- he had three early turnovers -- but hit a crucial three to cut the lead to five with less than 12 to go and finished with eight points. Turgeons decision to deploy Lindo and Scott on Stevens led to Marylands five best players -- Cowan, Ayala, Wiggins, Morsell and Jalen Smith -- sharing the court for less than a minute. Its clear Turgeon is still trying to figure out the rotations, but hell probably want to avoid that happening again. Tuesday night doesnt speak to what the Terps can accomplish this season, but it did highlight problems with the teams rotations and depth, especially in the frontcourt.

Turgeon doesnt trust Hart or Serrel Smith enough to play four-guard lineups the entire game, but at the same time a second big hasnt stepped up next to Jalen Smith in the frontcourt. Turgeon went with Morsell at the four in the first month of the season against a schedule that featured mainly undersized teams, but there will be plenty of more frontcourt-heavy teams like Penn State that will force Turgeons hand over the next three months. Playing Morsell alongside Jalen Smith still might be the best option, but its probably safe to say at least one of Lindo, Hart, Marial and the Mitchell twins will have to step up if Maryland wants to handle the day-to-day grind of the Big Ten schedule and compete for a conference championship.

We have a long ways to go as a team and sometimes when you keep winning you dont realize it. Coaches do, Turgeon said, but hopefully tonight because of the loss our guys will realize that we have a ways to go to get where we need to be.

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Anatomy of an upset (was it an upset?) and some flaws exposed - 247Sports