Schistosomiasis is one of the most important neglected tropical diseases in the world in terms of public health impacts. According to the WHO, schistosomiasis is transmitted in 78 countries around the world. In a paper recently published in Infectious Diseases of Poverty, researchers addressed the surveillance progress and capacities of five provincial-level administrative divisions in China.

Li-Juan Zhang 16 Dec 2020

Ribbed-shelled Oncomelania hupensis hupensis (Gredler, 1881). Credit: Qin Ping Zhao, available via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oncomelania_hupensis_hupensis_(PLoS).jpg

In the 1950s, there were about 12 million people and 1.2 million total cattle infected with schistosomes, and over 100 million people at risk of infection in China. Following several decades of unremitting efforts on schistosomiasis control, Guangdong (1985), Shanghai (1985), Fujian (1987), Guangxi (1989) and Zhejiang (1995) successfully eliminated schistosomiasis in China. After achieving this, these five provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) entered the stage of surveillance.

In our research, recently published in Infectious Diseases of Poverty, we addressed the surveillance progress and capabilities of these five PLADs: epidemic situation of schistosomiasis, diagnostic capacitiy, ability to identify Oncomelania hupensis (theuniqueintermediatehostofSchistosomajaponicum), and knowledge of schistosomiasis prevention and control.

Elimination of schistosomiasis is regarded as an achievable goal in endemic regions or countries if continuous interventions and adequate resources are provided. However, schistosomiasis easily rebounded or spread to new areas due to weakened interventions, ecological changes caused by flooding, construction works for water conservancy projects, increased migration of goods or human resources etc., without a thorough surveillance and response system.

As Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi and Zhejiang eliminated schistosomiasis at least 20 years ago, we evaluated the epidemic situation and the surveillance capabilities on schistosomiasis among the five PLADs, to facilitate the consolidation of elimination achievements in post elimination era, and provide reference for other regions where schistosomiasis had been eliminated or will be eliminated.

Our goal was to understand the epidemic situation in these post-elimination areas and their surveillance capabilities on schistosomiasis. To do this, we collected annual data reflecting the interventions and surveillance on humans, cattle and snails based on county level from 2005 to 2016, through the national schistosomiasis reporting system, and we analyzed data to understand the epidemic status of schistosomiasis in the five PLADs.

In addition, we designed a standardized score sheet to assess the surveillance capacity on schistosomiasis among selected disease control agencies in five PLADs and ten counties. We evaluated the surveillance capacity including schistosomiasis diagnostic skills, identification of snails living and infection status and knowledge about schistosomiasis and its control.

Shanghai and Zhejiang are located in the Yangtze River Delta, in the east of China. Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi are located in the south of China. According to the epidemiological characteristics, the endemic areas in Shanghai belong to waterway network regions, while the endemic areas in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian are mainly hilly and mountainous regions.

The location of the research settingsJing-Yi Guo, et al. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, (2020)9:136.

The results showed that no local cases in humans and cattle or infected snail were found in the five PLADs since 2005. However, from 2005 to 2016, a total of 221 imported cases were detected in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Fujian, and 11.98 hm2 of new snail habitats were found in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Guangxi. In addition, snail infestation reoccurred in 247.55 hm2 of former snail habitats since 2011.

For the surveillance capacity assessment, the accuracy rate of indirect hameagglutination assay and the miracidia hatching technique were 100% and 89.3%, respectively. All participants could judge the living status of snails accurately and 98.1% on the infection status of snails. The accuracy rate of the questionnaire survey was 98%.

We found elimination of schistosomiasis was consolidated successfully in five PLADs of P. R. China due to effective and strong post-elimination surveillance. Comprehensive consolidation strategies should be focused on the elimination of residual snails and the prevention of imported infection sources, in order to reinforce the achievements of schistosomiasis control in the five PLADs.

Being schistosomiasis a zoonotic parasitic disease, challenges still exist to maintain the achievements as imported cases and snail habitats were detected. Continuous surveillance should be strengthened through capacity building for staff responsible for schistosomiasis surveillance, providing adequate funding and resources.

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The progress of surveillance of schistosomiasis in China - On Health - BMC Blogs Network

During a typical school year, educators collect an abundance of information to plan and deliver targeted instruction. This usually includes student attendance, classroom grades, and New Jersey Student Learning Assessment performance, as well as qualitative data such as parent reports and observational insights. For students receiving special education services, these pieces of information, along with diagnostic assessments and evaluations, are vital as educators monitor student progress toward Individualized Education Programs (IEP) goals, determine student placement, and provide highly targeted, individualized instruction and interventions.

As a result of the COVID-19 school closures, the practice of monitoring student progress has taken on greater importance for students with IEPs since their instruction and related therapy services (occupational, speech, etc.) have been disrupted by the pandemic. Understanding students present progress toward their IEP goals is crucial for teachers as they address academic and skill regression during the past year. However, COVID-19 has complicated the monitoring of student progress as teaching and learning are now happening in a new, virtual environment. District leaders, teachers, and child study teams have had to think outside the box to measure student learning, monitor student progress, and develop tools that are adaptable for a variety of learning settings.

As school and district leaders rise to these challenges, and teachers innovate and adapt their practices to the virtual classroom, consider the following suggestions to support virtual progress monitoring districtwide, schoolwide, and classroom-wide.

As a teacher or school district administrator, this means:

As a parent, this means:

As a school board member, this means:

COVID-19 is forcing districts to rethink the way they serve students. These unusual times are necessitating that schools reimagine the traditional school experience and modify practices to support students in virtual or hybrid learning environments. For more best practices on virtual progress monitoring, read our recent blog post: 4 Best Practices for Progress Monitoring during Virtual Learning.

About Public Consulting Group

Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) is a leading public sectorsolutions implementation and operations improvement firm that partners with health, education, and human services agencies to improve lives. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Boston,Massachusetts, PCG has over 2,500 professionals in more than50 officesworldwide. PCG offers education consulting services and technology solutions that help schools, school districts, and state education agencies/ministries of education to promote student success, improve programs and processes, and optimize financial resources. To learn more, visitwww.publicconsultinggroup.com/education/.

Our work reflects our deep educational expertise and the capacity to implement change within schools. Our products and services help school and district leaders improve outcomes and equity for all students and help educators make effective decisions by transforming data into meaningful results. Click here to learn more about PCGs EDPlan Progress Track solution.

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Virtually monitoring progress and collecting information during remote education for students with disabilities - NJ Spotlight

Ronnie O'Sullivan has reached the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix with a 4-1 victory over Barry Hawkins in Milton Keynes.

The Rocket started the match in fine form, rattling off a century to win the first frame comprehensively.

Snooker

O'Sullivan: Sometimes I feel 'superhuman'

15 HOURS AGO

He followed it up with another sound performance, albeit without any big breaks, to double his lead in the second.

O'Sullivan was plagued by ill fortune in the third, with a fluent break of 58 curtailed by a foul, and a fluked snooker on Hawkins' part. It came down to a respotted black, which O'Sullivan sunk into the pocket.

Hawkins began the fourth with a break of 40. When he slipped up, O'Sullivan made a brisk 57 but a miss on the brown allowed Hawkins to return to the table. He mopped up all of the colours to get on the board.

With the 41-year-old's confidence suitably boosted he made a strong start to the fifth, but a miss on a routine red gave O'Sullivan a chance.

Though he fouled in bizarre fashion, scooping the cueball off the table, his safety game held up during a tough period of the frame, forcing Hawkins to foul.

OSullivan reveals why he played on for snookers with just black left

Eventually, though, he was able to pot a few reds and, when he cleared up to the pink, the match was his.

Next up, O'Sullivan faces Kyren Wilson in a rematch of the World Championship final this summer.

World Grand Prix

O'Sullivan: I'm running on empty despite running 16 miles

YESTERDAY AT 23:04

World Grand Prix

O'Sullivan eases past Carter to reach second round at World Grand Prix

YESTERDAY AT 20:29

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World Grand Prix 2020: Ronnie O'Sullivan continues progress with convincing win over Barry Hawkins - Eurosport COM

One of the more confusing components of the Season 1 update to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the implementation of a rankings reset.

In theory, the idea is clear: Players in Cold War, Modern Warfare and Warzone will be synced to the same ranking level. But with some people deep into unlocks already, there are questions about what will carry over beyond the update.

The Season 1 download will be available on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 2 a.m. ET for all gaming platforms.

Here's what to know about how the Season 1 update will affect your ranking and unlocked items.

Your Season level will reset to 1, but all create-a-class unlocks will be carried over and your highest preseason prestige level will remain intact. Note that this change is applicable to Modern Warfare and Warzone in addition to Black Ops Cold War.

Perhaps most important to note: Unline in some past Call of Duty games, you will NOT lose all of your unlocks each time you prestige.

From Activision:

If you reach level 200 in any Season, youll also achieve the title ofPrestige Masterfor that Season. Your Prestige Level color will change to signify your Prestige Master status, and youll gain the ability to personalize your Prestige Icon with Legacy Prestige Icons from previousCall of Dutygames that youve unlocked (more details on that below).

The journey doesnt stop there if you want to keep climbing. Once you reach Prestige Master in a Season, you can continue to level up all the way tolevel 1000 every Season, with milestone rewards to earn at every 50 levels along the way.

Four prestiges have been added in the Season 1 update, with new rewards accompanying them. By reaching Level 200, you can attain a Prestige Master achievement.

Below is an outline for the prestige system in Season 1:

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Call of Duty Season 1 ranking system reset, explained: What progress carries over after update? - Sporting News

Warren Buffett famously wrote that "'turnarounds' seldom turn" in his 1979 letter to shareholders. It is easy to agree with Warren Buffett on investing and I agree on turnarounds. The most common outcome with turnarounds seems to be that they fail to turn. In order to increase the odds, it is great to find a turnaround that has already started to make the turn, but hasnt yet seen the share price respond. Atento (ATTO) may be one of those companies.

Atento was created when Telefonica (TEF) spun out its call center business in 1999, and for many years, Telefonica was the primary customer. Atento has suffered from customer concentration, a lower tech product offering and margin issues. However, the company is addressing each of these issues. CEO Carlos Lpez-Aada took the reins at the end of 2018 and set a path forward with the companys Three Horizons Plan.

Atentos turnaround is characterized by several important areas of focus: customer diversification, product offering growth, geographic expansion and EBITDA margin expansion. Each of these have shown important improvement and are evidence of a company actually turning.

Given the companys origin, it is not surprising that Atento began as a company hugely reliant on Telefonica. Way back in 1999, Telefonica represented about 90% of Atentos business. So far in the first three quarters of 2020, Telefonica has accounted for 32% of Atentos business. That leaves Telefonica as an important customer, but Atento is no longer a single customer company. The company has made progress in the recent quarters as in Q3 2020, multi-sector accounted for 67.7% of TTM revenue, versus 60.7% of revenue just prior to the start of the Three Horizon Plan.

Atento reports results grouped by three regions: Brazil, the Americas and EMEA. Brazil is Atentos home country and its largest and most important single market. As of last month, Atento had 27.9% market share in Brazil, well ahead of any other competitor. Having a dominant base is important and the Brazilian market produces the companys best margins. I expect Brazil to remain Atentos most important market and hope for growth there. In fact, having by far the largest market share in the country should only be supportive of the growth through scale advantage.

However, it is also important that Atento grows and expands in other countries. Obviously, the more markets, the more opportunities for growth. Additionally, geographic expansion may help with currency risks. Atento trades in the US and has US dollar denominated debt and so can be affected by currency fluctuations, particularly declines of the Brazilian real.

Atento has been working to diversify from a pure call center company to a more diversified customer support company with a better customer service support product. The transformation provides Atento with the opportunity for increased margins and a growing moat. The more advanced the services, the more value that Atento provides and the greater the moat and margins. Atento calls their more advanced product offerings next generation services and the next generation services have accounted for 50% of new sales in 2020 versus 42% in 2019. The more this continues, the stronger the margin and moat trends.

Flowing from the client diversification, product offering and costs controls, Atento has started to show improving margin. EBITDA margins were 12.7% in Q3 and Atento is targeting 14-15% margins. Atento has dramatically improved cash flow metrics in 2020. Through the first 9 months of 2019, Atento had operating cash flow of negative $29 million and free cash flow of negative $88 million. Both of those have dramatically improved in 2020 and the company has had positive operating cash flow of $40 million and positive free cash flow of $9 million through the first 9 months of 2020. Further improving margins and a focus on costs should continue to improve these metrics.

The risks and catalysts here are inter-related and so Ill address them together. Debt and refinancing is the big one. Atento has a net debt position of $514.2 million as of the end of the third quarter. About $500 million of that debt is due in August 2022. The company announced that they were going to refinance in September, but called off the refinancing by October due to market conditions. It was not a confidence inspiring move. However, conditions may be improving and Atento may be in a better position to refinance the notes next year than they were this fall. In particular, the Brazilian Real has been strengthening and Atento has been reporting improved EBITDA. Along with that, the current notes are trading more strongly. If waiting a couple quarters allows Atento to secure the new financing at better terms such as a lower rate and longer term, then waiting will be well worth it. I would hope, however, that next time they attempt a refinancing the company be sure they can complete it.

Atentos reliance on Brazil and the Latin American market is another risk. Atento borrowed in US dollars but most revenues are not in US dollars. When local currencies decline, Atentos revenues decline in US dollar terms.

The Brazilian real to USD ratio started the year at just over 4 and moved to over 5.8 in the spring. The real has now recovered some and is trading at 5.06 as of December 12. If the real continues to recover, that will help Atentos financial results, but the opposite is true as well and the setup of borrowing in a different currency than most revenues inherently introduces some risk due to the mismatch.

The turnaround seems to have started, but it is still in its early stages. Even with the large improvement in FCF, it has only been $9 million for the first 9 months of 2020. Continued improvement in revenues, mix and margin should bolster the FCF number, but it is currently only tenuously positive. A small stumble could take the company back to a negative FCF situation.

Atento has an Enterprise Value of $703 million and a market cap of only $188 million, so the stock price is leveraged to small changes in the value of the company. A doubling of the EV would lead the market cap, and thus the stock price, more than quadrupling.

Is a doubling of the EV possible? I think so. Atento had EBITDA of $44.8 million in the most recently reported quarter. EBITDA trends are favorable with the increasing margins and improving currency situation. If these continue, I think that yearly EBITDA could reach $200 million by 2021 or 2022. A 7x EBITDA multiple on $200 million of EBITDA would lead to a doubling of the EV, and as discussed above, a more than quadrupling of the stock price to about $60.

A 7x multiple to EBITDA wouldnt be unreasonable if Atento is able to execute a favorable refinancing, the company is able to continue to improve margins and execute other components of their Three Horizon Plan, and the Latin American markets and currencies continue to stabilize. That is a number of conditions and present very real risks, but some of the turn already appears to be in progress.

Turnarounds may rarely turn, but every now and then one does.

Disclosure: I am/we are long ATTO. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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Atento: Turnaround In Progress With 100%+ Potential Upside And A Catalyst - Seeking Alpha

The Seattle Great Wheel, located on Pier 57, is lit up in blue to honor essential workers during the coronavirus outbreak in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

Pier 57 has been approved to reopen as the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) has lifted the red tag on the privately-owned pier.

The city had temporarily closed Pier 57 in September due to its proximity to the failing Pier 58 structure, deeming it unsafe for public use. Thanks to progress on the removal of Pier 58, SDCI was able to remove the red tag on the neighboring pier, which is home to Miners Landing and the Great Wheel.

Closure of two Seattle piers hurting waterfront businesses

Pier 58 is owned by the city and will be rebuilt as part of the Waterfront Seattle project. Earlier this month, a large piece of concrete was removed, which mitigates the risk to Pier 57, says the citys structural engineer advising the project.

The potential hazard to Pier 57 has been eliminated by the successful removal of key portions of Pier 58 immediately to the north, said Nathan Torgelson, director of the SDCI. Our inspectors have coordinated with the Citys engineering consultant and inspected Pier 57 to confirm it can be safely reopened.

A release from the city says approximately 90% of Pier 58 has been removed. The timber deck has been fully removed, along with many of the pier piles and the southern portion of the concrete terrace, ramps and stairs. Remaining work includes concrete demolition, pile removal, the salvaging of materials, and removal of elements from the water.

Removing the southern terrace of Pier 58 and lifting the red tag on Pier 57 are important steps forward for the waterfront, said Marshall Foster, Director of Seattles Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects. We appreciate the support and understanding of Pier 57, the Seattle Aquarium, and the entire waterfront community as we moved quickly to respond to this emergency.

Hal Griffith, owner of Pier 57 and Miners Landing, is looking forward welcoming the public back, with plans in the works for a grand re-opening.

We are excited to welcome everyone back to Pier 57. We are bringing back staff, re-stocking our restaurants and planning for a fun and safe grand re-opening with more announcements to come, Griffith said.

Whenshifting was observed at Pier 58and it was deemed unsafe for the public, removal of the pier started earlier than originally anticipated. However, funding for the pier replacement had already been secured as part of theWaterfront Seattleproject.Theredesignwill include a public plaza, large lawn, and a childrens playground. Its also designed to improve the salmon habitat and migration corridor.

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Pier 57 deemed safe to reopen as progress is made on Pier 58 removal - MyNorthwest.com

According to the latest edition of the Greening the Blue report 2020, from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP),the UN system with its 310,000 personnel spread across some 60 entities, also found innovative ways to fund these initiatives.

Among the practical examples, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) office in Uruguay upgraded its air conditioning system and replaced all lighting with energy-efficient LEDs using money generated from a 3 per cent air travel surcharge,used to finance or co-finance environment projects.

Thursday'sreportcovers emissions for 2019. Therefore, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on emissions are not yetfactored in,and will be included in the 2021 edition.

In 2019, the UN system as a whole logged some 6.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq)per capita, down from 7 tonnes a year in 2018. In total, about 2 million tonnes of tCO2eqwere emitted across the system.

Similarly, the system continued its efforts towards ensuring that no solid waste from UN facilities, operations or activities is causing pollution or harming the environment and local populations, generating on average, about 457 kilograms of waste per person.

The system also worked to conserve water and avoid the release of untreated wastewater into the environment. In 2019, the average water consumption was about 49 cubic metres per personnel.

Through the year, UN system entities also embarked upon ways to improve biodiversity, with offices and operations plating indigenous trees, hosting and taking care of local wildlife.

One such creature is a juvenile African Rock Python, making the grounds of the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) its home.

The 2020 report also marks a key change, with a new strategy endorsed by UNs top management to accelerate efforts across the board to systematically integrate sustainable development considerations into how the system operates.

This year, the Greening the Blue community also opened its membership to other intergovernmental organizations willing to follow UN systems path towards emissions reduction.

The Green Climate Fund, which assist developing countries in climate change adaptation and mitigation practices, joined up, and its environmental information included in the report.

Another addition this year was gathering data on fossil fuels and ozone depleting substances. As this is a brand new entry into the report, it will be assessed and developed next year. As of reporting, about 70 per cent of the UN offices did not know which refrigerants they use, 20 per cent use non-ozone depleting refrigerants, and 10 per cent use them.

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UN makes progress on 'greening the blue' - UN News

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AnPac Bio-Medical Science Co., Ltd. (AnPac Bio, the Company or we) (ANPC), a biotechnology company with operations in China and the United States focused on early cancer screening and detection, announced today it has made significant progress in detecting pre-cancer diseases. This development was made via novel sensor design, sensor fabrication, detection process, signal collection, signal processing and proprietary algorithms, which has been validated in both multi-year retrospective and prospective, large sample and population studies. The Company recently completed a prospective large population screening of over 110,000 individuals (and over 150,000 samples throughout this study with some individuals tested multiple times over the years) using AnPac Bios Cancer Differentiation Analysis (CDA) technology. The follow-up study involved over ~ 13,000 individuals assessed with high cancer risk, medium cancer risk and low cancer risk using AnPac Bios CDA technology.

Initial results indicated that AnPac Bio CDA technology is capable of providing meaningful information while also screening out pre-cancer diseases, with over 20 types of pre-cancer diseases diagnosed following initial screening utilizing CDA technology and subsequent confirmation by hospital or physical testing center health check-ups. Of the over 20 types of screened out pre-cancer cases, thyroid nodule/tumor ranked number one and pulmonary nodule ranked number two, with about 92.5% confirmed pre-cancer patients in medium to high risk cancer groups. Of the ~ 13,000 individuals, AnPac screened out and confirmed pre-cancer cases at roughly 4.5 times of that of cancer cases, strongly demonstrating that AnPac Bio CDA technology is sensitive to detecting pre-cancer diseases and it could play a critical role in cancer prevention.

Developing a viable pre-cancer and early-stage cancer screening technology has been a long-term goal of global scientists. However, its development and progress has been relatively slow, despite years of heavy investment and efforts by leading scientists and research groups. One of key factors inhibiting breakthroughs in cancer detection has been the lack of previous involvement and contributions of leading semiconductor detection experts (with sensor signal collection and processing).

Story continues

AnPac Bio consists of research and development team with extensive knowledge and experience in detection technologies including novel and advanced detection technologies including highly sensitive sensor design and fabrications, as well as small signal collection and processing. AnPacs founder, Dr. Chris Yu, graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Ph. D. degree in novel detection technology which involved novel sensor design and fabrication, and small signal detection and processing. Mr. Du, vice president of research and development of AnPac Bio, has ten years of extensive integrated circuit (IC) processing and integration experience, which is critical in fabricating highly sensitive cancer detection sensors, at a New York Stock Exchange traded IC manufacturing company prior to joining AnPac Bio.

AnPac Bio has innovated and developed biophysics based detection technology (in which biophysical properties of blood are detected and analyzed) for pre-cancer disease and early stage cancer screening and detection. The Company is also one of the very first companies to champion multi-cancer detection idea and methodology. The employment of biophysical properties for cancer detection is novel and is an alternative approach to traditional methods, with advantages of being able to detect multiple cancer and pre-cancer types earlier, more cost effective, achieves higher sensitivity and specificity, and has relatively simple sample requirements and test procedures. Specifically, it could play an important role in democratizing cancer screening to large populations at an affordable cost.

Dr. Chris Yu, CEO and Chairman of AnPac Bio commented: We are very pleased to have achieved this significant breakthrough in successfully detecting pre-cancer diseases, which is critical in cancer prevention and saving lives. From a commercialization perspective, this breakthrough has significant ramifications for market and customer needs, and revenue generation potential. AnPac Bio is very proud to be one of the first research groups to have achieved this important technical milestone, which will significantly expand AnPac Bios available market size and customer base, and play an important role in revenue generation for years to come.

About AnPac Bio

AnPac Bio is a biotechnology company focused on early cancer screening and detection, with 128 issued patents as of June 22, 2020. With two certified clinical laboratories in China and one CLIA and CAP accredited clinical laboratory in the United States, AnPac Bio performs a suite of cancer screening and detection tests, including CDA (Cancer Differentiation Analysis), bio-chemical, immunological, and genomics tests. In a 2019 market research report by Frost & Sullivan, AnPac Bio ranked second worldwide among companies offering next-generation early cancer screening and detection technologies in terms of the number of clinical samples for cancer screening and detection, based on approximately 35,000 clinical samples as at June 30, 2019. AnPac Bios CDA technology platform has been shown in retrospective validation studies to be able to detect the risk of over 20 different cancer types with high sensitivity and specificity.

For more information, please visit: https://www.Anpacbio.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Company:Phil Case, Marketing and Investor RelationsPhone: +1-267-810-6776 (US)Email: phil_case@AnPacbio.com

Investor Relations:Ascent Investor Relations LLCTina Xiao, PresidentPhone: +1-917-609-0333 (US)Email: tina.xiao@ascent-ir.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are relating to the Company's future financial and operating performance. The Company has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminologies including "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "plans," "projects," "intends," "potential," target, aim, predict, outlook, seek, goal objective, assume, contemplate, continue, positioned, forecast, likely, "may," "could," "might," "will," "should," "approximately" or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, assumptions and uncertainties involving judgments about, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond the Company's control. These statements also involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the implementation of our business model and growth strategies; trends and competition in the cancer screening and detection market; our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our cancer screening and detection tests and our ability to expand our customer base; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protections for our CDA technology and our continued research and development to keep pace with technology developments; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals from the NMPA, the FDA and the relevant U.S. states and have our laboratories certified or accredited by authorities including the CLIA; our future business development, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to obtain financing cost-effectively; potential changes of government regulations; general economic and business conditions in China and elsewhere; our ability to hire and maintain key personnel; our relationship with our major business partners and customers; and the duration of the coronavirus outbreaks and their potential adverse impact on the economic conditions and financial markets and our business and financial performance, such as resulting from reduced commercial activities due to quarantines and travel restrictions instituted by China, the U.S. and many other countries around the world to contain the spread of the virus. Additionally, all forward-looking statements are subject to the Risk Factors detailed from time to time in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Because of these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. In addition, these statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as may be required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

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AnPac Bio Makes Significant Progress in Detecting Pre-cancer Diseases and Recorded Over 20 Types of Pre-cancer Diseases - Yahoo Finance

UHC is at the core of WHO's strategic direction, and effective, evidence-informed health financing policies are essential for progress. The Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM) is the World Health Organizations standardized qualitative approach to assessing how aligned a countrys health financing system is with Universal Health Coverage. It crystallizes thinking on what matters in health financing for UHC, based on a body of evidence and normative work developed over the past thirty years. The HFPM assesses a countrys health financing institutions, policies and their implementation at a given point in time, which ultimately impacts on population access to quality health services, and the incidence of financial hardship. Given the centrality of health financing to UHC, the HFPM is integral to supporting progress towards the target of 1 billion people covered by UHC by 2023.

Why is progress in health financing central to support accelerating towards UHC? How do countries know whether they are heading in the right direction? How can the progress matrix support countries to identify priority issues, and subsequently drive progress towards UHC in the process. To answer these questions WHOs Department of Health Systems Governance and Financing, jointly with WHOs Department of Delivery for Impact, are organizing a launch event on Wednesday 16th December 14:30-15:30 (CET). This event provides an overview of the HFPM2.0,the culmination of almost three years of conceptual development and testing in 20 countries,and showcases how it supports countries to systematically track progress in health financing and ultimately UHC. A key focus of GPW13 is to build country-level capacity to measure impact and collectively progress towards the Triple Billion Targets and health-related SDGs. The session will present how the HFPM enables countries to track progress, monitor data and policies implementation and ultimately catalyze actions to improve health financing institutions and policies.

A selection of speakers will reflect on how the HFPM can support their work in countries to support the development of health financing policy and UHC, which contributes to more resilient health systems and improved emergency preparedness and response.

Zoom Meeting Details

https://who.zoom.us/j/97665838265

Meeting ID: 976 6583 8265Passcode:Launch2#

Programme:

Welcome and introductory remarks:

Joseph Kutzin, Unit Head, Health Financing, WHODr. Pavel Ursu, Director, Dept. Delivery for Impact, WHO

An overview of the HFPM

Matthew Jowett, Senior Health Financing Specialist, WHO

Country reflections:

Kingsley Addai, Technical Officer, Health Financing, WHO Country Office GhanaElina Dale, Adviser on Health Policy, WHO County Office Ukraine

The researchers perspective

Kara Hanson, Professor of Health System Economics, and Dean, Faculty of Public Health And Policy, LSHTM

Intensive support to countries

Dr. Pavel Ursu, Director, Dep. Delivery for ImpactAwad Mataria, Director Health Systems Strengthening, WHO EMRO

The perspective from a funding agency

Jo Keatinge, Health Advisor, FCDO United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Rapid Q&A

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Health Financing Progress Matrix Launch Event - World Health Organization

For much of the second half, Michigans offense had sputtered in the worst possible way. Isaiah Livers couldnt get anything going. Mike Smith didnt have a second-half point. 3-pointers werent falling, no matter how open they were.

And with just over two minutes left, the Wolverines offensive struggles had reached an apex. They hadnt scored for nearly three minutes, enabling Penn State to take a two-point lead on the back of an 8-0 run.

Then, suddenly, Michigan found its remedy in the form of Hunter Dickinson, who started his first career game after Austin Davis suffered a foot injury in the last game. The freshman center had 16 points to that point, eclipsing his season average of 14.8. But this was a unique moment in Dickinsons nascent college career. Even in the Wolverines overtime win over Oakland, they were never down this late, never with their backs this far against the wall.

Dickinson paid no mind. As Smith drove to the hoop, Dickinson cut alongside him, positioning himself to receive Smiths feed for a two-handed slam. With the score knotted a possession later, he received another pass from Smith. This time, Penn States Izaiah Brockington was draped all over him, forcing Dickinson to make a spinning finish through traffic.

For Michigan, the basket would provide the ultimate difference in a 62-58 win. For Dickinson, it was a culmination of everything hes prepared for since arriving in Ann Arbor.

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In narrow win, Michigan reaps the rewards of Dickinson's progress - UM Hoops

Nebraska's Zavier Betts hauls in pass against Purdue on Dec. 5 in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nobody in college football is going to mistake Nebraskas offense in 2020 for a juggernaut, but the Huskers have turned in arguably their two most efficient performances passing the ball over the past two weeks.

The Huskers averaged 8.2 yards per attempt and completed 77.4% of their passes in a 37-27 win against Purdue one week after hitting 7.1 per attempt and 84% the week before against Iowa.

The reasons for the increase in efficiency likely start with improved quarterback play. Junior Adrian Martinez has completed 41 of 50 passes over those two games at a clip of 8.32 yards per attempt and has not thrown an interception.

"We're working overtime to try to get those guys more and more comfortable with what we're doing, and I think they've been improving every week.

Scott Frost

Not to be overlooked is the steady progress from a mostly inexperienced wide receiving corps. Theres been no overnight transformation like many hoped for this offseason, but the longer the Huskers continue to play, the more of an idea you get for why head coach Scott Frost and offensive coordinator Matt Lubick think things are headed in the right direction.

Ive been happy as far as guys striving to get better every day and focusing on daily improvement, Lubick said. The last two games have been two of our better games. Especially in the run game and blocking. Guys look at stats and fans see guys catching balls, but we were on the right hats and guys were moving some guys on crucial bubbles, which is a big part of our offense. That was good to see.

It was also a step forward in the passing game.

Frost said that Nebraskas staff decided it was doing a disservice to the receiver group by spreading game repetitions around to so many different players, so it tried to narrow down the rotation a little bit.

Freshman Marcus Fleming transferred after not seeing the field much after a breakout performance against Northwestern. In recent weeks, junior captain Kade Warner has seen his playing time reduced significantly and freshman Alante Brown has seen fewer chances, too. Redshirt freshman Chris Hickman has been essentially a package player in run-heavy personnel.

Thats left sophomore WanDale Robinson far and away Nebraskas leader in catches (39), targets (50) and yards (341) freshman Zavier Betts and a trio of walk-ons in senior Levi Falck, junior Oliver Martin and sophomore Wyatt Liewer as the primary rotation in recent games.

Betts and Falck, in particular, have seen their roles and production steadily grow over the course of the season. Falck joins Robinson and tight end Austin Allen as the only players on the roster with at least one catch in every game this season. Betts didnt play in NUs opener against Ohio State but has at least one catch in each of the five games since.

Nebraska wide receiver Levi Falck catches a pass against Penn State on Nov. 14 at Memorial Stadium.

He's a freshman, he's coming on, he's talented and he just had to get comfortable with everything, Frost said of the gifted freshman from Bellevue West, who is third on the team with 131 receiving yards. Know the signals, know the plays, know the details, know the routes.

Betts and Falck had their best joint outing against Purdue, combining for 11 catches on 12 targets. They didnt make any huge plays the 11 catches went for a modest 76 yards but that level of involvement and catch rate speaks to a growing sense of dependability between the receivers and Martinez.

Ive said it a bunch, we have a lot of players that really could have benefited from spring ball, fall camp, a nonconference schedule, all those things, and they didn't get the luxury of any of that, Frost said. So we're working overtime to try to get those guys more and more comfortable with what we're doing, and I think they've been improving every week.

It certainly doesnt hurt that Robinson has 18 catches on 20 targets for 189 yards the past two weeks, either. He had his best receiving game of the year against Purdue, hauling in nine for 114.

To be sure, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Nebraska has not shown an ability to throw the ball over the top of defenses its longest passing play remains a 45-yard touchdown on a fly sweep shovel pass to Betts in the backfield and its 254 yards passing against the Boilermakers was just the second outing with 200-plus yards of the year.

Lubick called a 10-yard touchdown pass to Liewer on a quick throw to the flat his favorite play of the year so far because of the way Falck and Allen blocked for the walk-on from ONeill, allowing him to get into the end zone untouched.

Guys dont come here to block. They come here to catch balls, Lubick said. Naturally, as receivers, they want to make plays and thats kind of innate to the position. But once they get here, they learn pretty fast that if you dont block, you dont play. Nothing says more about who you are as a person than by the way you block for your teammates.

Thats an area where Falck has shown proficiency and Betts has shown want-to.

We feel like weve got seven to eight guys that can play for us, Lubick said. We feel good about that and we feel that if we get nicked up, the next guy, because he has taken reps in practice, is ready to roll. I like our depth situation.

Its certainly nowhere near a finished product, but NU would happily take continued small steps forward in the coming weeks. Everybody is eligible to return next year, plus the Huskers could get healthy returns from freshman Will Nixon and junior Omar Manning. They will also add three incoming freshmen who are 6-2 or taller and are expected to sign their national letters of intent next week.

Purdue running back King Doerue (22) goes over Nebraska safety Marquel Dismuke (9) for a touchdown during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska place-kicker Connor Culp (33) celebrates a 49-yard field goal against Purdueduring the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (1) makes a catch in front of Purdue safety Marvin Grant (4) during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) holds off Nebraska linebacker Will Honas (3) during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver Jackson Anthrop (33) blocks the punt of Nebraska punter William Przystup (90) during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wyatt Liewer (85) runs in for a touchdown against Purdue during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) and linebacker Garrett Nelson (44) celebrate a stop on fourth down in the second quarter against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Simon Otte chases down the ball after a blocked punt during the first quarter in the Huskers' game against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska linebacker Simon Otte (34) chases down the ball after a blocked punt during the first quarter against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Connor Culp kicks a field goal against Purdue during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wyatt Liewer (85) celebrates his touchdown with running back Dedrick Mills during the second quarter against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Wyatt Liewer scores a touchdown against Purdue during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer (13) throws against Nebraska during the third quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell (3) runs in for an 89-yard touchdown after a catch against Nebraska during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez throws against Purdue during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez breaks away from Purdue defenders on his way to a touchdown run during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver Jackson Anthrop (33) celebrates after blocking a punt against Nebraska during the second quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer (13) is sacked by Nebraska linebacker Garrett Nelson (44) during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer throws against Nebraska during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska linebacker Garrett Nelson (44) celebrates a sack against Purdue during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez throws against Purdue during the first quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Wyatt Liewer and Dedrick Mills celebrate Liewer's touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt runs into Purdue's TJ Sheffield during a punt return Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind. Taylor-Britt was penalized on the play.

Nebraska's Ben Stille and Garrett Nelson sack Purdue's Jack Plummer on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt defends Purdue receiver David Bell in the end zone on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Nadab Joseph is carted off the field after an injury against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Dedrick Mills rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez practices a snapbefore the Huskers play Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Luke McCaffrey practices a snapbefore Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Will Honas tackles Purdue's Rondale Moore after a reception Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska running back Dedrick Mills uns against Purdue during the third quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) runs in for a touchdown against Purdue during the third quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell makes a catch over Nebraska safety Marquel Dismuke (9) and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) on his way to an 89-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell makes a catch over Nebraska safety Marquel Dismuke (9) and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) on his way to an 89-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue wide receiver David Bell (3) runs in for an 89-yard touchdown after a catch against Nebraska during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Zander Horvath runs the ball against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt gets a grip on Purdue receiver David Bell on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Deontai Williams defends a pass to Purdue's Payne Durham on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Branson Deen grabs the jersey of Nebraska offensive lineman Matt Sichterman on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Ben Stille sacks Purdue's Jack Plummer on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's David Bell runs into the end zone to complete a touchdown reception against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt breaks up a pass intended for Purdue's David Bell on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez throws a pass against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Connor Culp kicks a field goal against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

A pass eludes Nebraska's Wan'Dale Robinson against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Dicaprio Bootle knocks down a pass against Purdue's Milton Wright on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska defensive back Deontai Williams tackles Purdue's TJ Sheffield on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Jack Plummer throws a pass against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska sophomore wideout Wan'Dale Robinson tries to escape a defenderduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska junior quarterback throws a pass Saturday against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez looks downfield Saturday against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska defensive back Deontai Williams (8) and linebacker Will Honas combine to stop Purdue running back Doerue King Saturday game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska coach Scott Frost talks to linebacker Caleb Tannor (2)during Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska offensive tackle Brenden Jaimes blocks a Purdue defender on Dec. 5 in West Lafayette, Ind.

A pair of Husker defenders stop Purdue running back Zander Horvathduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Garrett Nelson (44) picks up Cam Taylor-Britt after a big defensive play Saturday against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska wide receiver Levi Falck is stopped by a Purdue defenderduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Adrian Martinez rushes for a touchdown against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Wyatt Liewer scores against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Nebraska defense mostly held Purdue star receiver David Bell in check. He had 10 catches for 132 yards, but 89 of those yards came on a touchdown in which two Huskers collided into each other.

Nebraska's Austin Allen catches a pass against Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska and Purdue players get testy during Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Purdue's Geovonte' Howard and Marvin Grant react to penalty flags being thrown against Nebraska on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt breaks up a pass intended for Purdue's David Bell on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska's Scott Frost and Purdue's Jeff Brohm shake hands after Nebraska defeated Purdue on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) breaks up a pass intended for Purdue wide receiver David Bell (3) during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) throws against Purdue during the fourth quarter Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska junior quarterback Adrian Martinez looks for room to runduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska senior cornerback Dicaprio Bootle defends Purdue's Milton Wright on a pass playduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska receiver Zavier Betts tries to work his way around Purdue's Kieren Douglas on Saturday's in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska defensive back Deontai Williams defends Purdue's Payne Durhamduring Saturday's game in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez fires a passduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska guard Matt Farniok celebrates a big playduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Nebraska senior running back Dedrick Mills picks up yardsduring Saturday's game against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

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No overnight transformation, but Huskers' WR group showing steady signs of progress in recent weeks - Lincoln Journal Star

AUSTIN Chris Ash isnt going to point fingers. Texas defensive coordinator will point out mistakes and missed opportunities and straight-up bad play, but hell stop short of leveling blame in one direction or another.

Ash also wont make excuses for an uninspiring 2-2 start. Not that he could, given everyone in college football has been operating under the ubiquitous pall cast by 2020.

When you lose a game, its easy to blame, Ash said Wednesday. Its easy to blame the virus issue and the lost time. I take the stance, we lost the game, lets evaluate why we lost a game, lets get better at it. Theres no blame. Everybodys gone through the same thing.

Ash said theyve evaluated everything after a 63-56 overtime win over Texas Tech and consecutive losses to TCU and Oklahoma.

The biggest problems are up front with the defensive line and linebackers, who have combined for two just sacks in three conference games.

Junior Joseph Ossai has been a force at times he leads Texas with 31 tackles, including 6 for loss, two forced fumbles and two hurries but the line, a supposed strength entering the season, has struggled to contain and harass opposing quarterbacks.

The Longhorns also havent had much luck shortening opposition drives theyre ninth in the Big 12 in both opponent third-down conversion percentage (45.1 percent) and average time of possession (27:54).

But Ash is looking to build on the more encouraging aspects from that four-overtime loss to Oklahoma ahead of Saturdays game against Baylor (1-1, 1-1 Big 12) at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

A lot of things that we did well, Ash said. We got three takeaways. We gave up too many yards rushing. But when I look at the 55 rushing attempts, at 3.8 yards per attempt, wed like to be about 3, or three, so we werent far off.

We lost our sting at the end in overtime and didnt close it when we had an opportunity to close it. But were just trying to build on the positives.

A casual perusal of the Longhorns offensive statistics reveals one of the best units in the nation. Texas leads the nation in scoring offense (49.5) and is among the top 20 in total offense, passing offense and passing efficiency.

A deeper look shows troublesome cracks, even with senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger. His trouble connecting with receivers on deep balls, despite a few notable explosions this season, has caught the attention of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.

Too much inconsistency at the quarterback position right now, Yurcich said Wednesday. The deep balls are a product of a lot of different things. Youve got to make short-stride throws. So the timing of receivers and separation factors into it as well.

But were continually working on the deep ball, his fundamentals, the trajectory of the ball and the timing. The footwork is a work in progress. And it falls on my shoulders to be in the right play at the right time.

Yurcich has tried to avoid lobbing excuses, too.

Slot receivers Jake Smith and Jordan Whittington, graduate transfer Brenden Schooler and leading receiver Joshua Moore have battled injuries this year. And Whittington (hip flexor) will be out for at least several more weeks.

Injures are part of the game, Yurcich said. Theyre never an excuse, so were not going to make any. We need to adapt to the personnel we have, and thats the bottom line.

The former Ohio State and Oklahoma State assistant is trying to create a more balanced attack.

Texas rushing numbers this season arent unsightly, but the bulk of the yardage has been gained by Ehlinger. Subtract his 242 yards, and youre left with three tailbacks who have combined for 278 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in three Big 12 games.

Ehlinger has used his legs to bail out Texas many times, but his history of injuries coupled with the blows he takes every game might start to take a toll.

Making sure that we are sound with regard to being balanced, pass and run, has been a very important stressing point for us, Yurcich said.

The biggest team-wide emphasis the past two weeks has been cutting down on self-inflicted wounds that cost Texas in its two losses.

Self-inflicted wounds is the common theme, Yurcich said. Weve gotta control the things we can control, which are penalties and execution. And that falls all on me.

nmoyle@express-news.net

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Texas still a work in progress on offense and defense - Houston Chronicle

Some military housing tenants are seeing incremental progress in getting more of the remaining four provisions in the tenant bill of rights.

Army officials are putting into place a pilot program that will test their system of providing seven years of a units maintenance history to tenants, according to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.

Were going to be able to provide that to a sizable tranche of homes, so were moving on that one, he said Oct. 15, during a call with reporters.

Service and DoD officials are also finalizing the common lease document that will be used for military families across the privatized housing projects, McCarthy said. But the remaining two a dispute resolution process, and a process for withholding rent during dispute resolutions are taking longer, he said.

Further details werent available from Army officials about the timing of the pilot and the locations that are providing maintenance histories. Information wasnt available from Defense Department officials about pilot programs at other services' installations.

However, Sarah Kline, an advocate in the Military Housing Advocacy Network, said she has heard from families at some of the locations where maintenance histories are being provided: Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., and Monterey, Calif.

Providing a units maintenance history is one of 18 rights for tenants required by law, as part of comprehensive reform provisions to address pervasive issues with mold, rodents, and other health, safety and environmental hazards in privatized military housing.

In 2019, military spouses testified before lawmakers about black mold growing out of the walls, rodents, and water leaks in their family housing, and their frustration dealing with landlords and the military to get it fixed. A number of families have told Military Times theyve been contacted by previous tenants of their house who said the problems went unaddressed when they lived there, too.

Stay up-to-date on changing military benefits and pay

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Kline said her organization would have liked to see the maintenance histories being provided by now. "Service members and their families are continuing to move into homes with systemic issues, Kline said. They are left trying to put the pieces together when issues present themselves without the knowledge of the homes history. After nearly 10 months since the signing of the [Fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act], a full roll out of the work order history that includes all notes about each work order to all [privatized housing] residents is what the Military Housing Advocacy Network would have like to have seen implemented.

McCarthy said he thinks service officials will have at least 16 of the 18 tenant bill of rights provisions completed before the end of the year.

In June, defense officials announced that 14 of the 18 provisions under the tenant bill of rights were in place. The four remaining are deemed by many military families to be the most critical: common forms and documents for all housing tenants; dispute resolution; withholding of rent during dispute resolutions; and access to the maintenance history of their housing unit.

Lawmakers have pushed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper for answers on the status of key protections for tenants of military housing which havent been put into place yet.

The remaining two are going to be tough. In particular, the dispute resolution, McCarthy said. What were looking at with the dispute resolution is, can we find a third party that would be like the arbiter between the company and the soldier in this case. So were looking at a way to complete that, but. Were moving ahead, he said.

We need to make sure that the person thats the arbiter is truly a third party, [one who] doesnt have equity on one side or the other of the equation.

Officials are working through the issues with the privatized housing companies, as well as with the congressional committees who have oversight, McCarthy said. I can appreciate why they would want to make sure they get that right. We want to get it right, too.

Most tenants in military privatized housing now officially have 14 of the 18 rights designed to ensure safe, quality and well-maintained homes, according to a memorandum sent to tenants in June.

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Military families are seeing some progress in their fight for tenant rights - Military Times

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Its been 18 months since the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled its plan to address the crisis of the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS, which a new peer-reviewed study by EWG scientists estimates have likely contaminatedthe drinking water of more than 200 million Americans.

But the EPAs so-called action plan has met few of the milestones parents expect from an 18-month-old. The Trump administration plan has barely crawled, much less walked.

On Facebook Live, EWG Legislative Attorney Melanie Benesh recently detailed how the EPA has failed to protect Americans from PFAS, which have been linked to suppression of the immune systemand are associated with an elevated risk of cancer andreproductive and developmental harms, amongother serious health concerns.

Briefly, Trumps EPA has:

The EPA has a long record of failing to protect us from PFAS pollution.

In 1998, EPA officials were firstnotifiedby 3M that PFAS chemicals were toxic. In 2001 the agencyreceivedinternal company studies documenting PFAS health risks, and two years laterreceivedmore animal studies. But in 2006, underpressurefrom the chemical industry, the EPA said it was unaware of studies linking PFOA, formerly used to make DuPonts Teflon, to health harms even though the agency had just fined DuPont for failing to report its health effects, and the EPAs own Science Advisory Boardfoundthat PFOA was a likely human carcinogen.

Not until 2009 did the EPAissueits first PFAS action plan andestablisha non-enforceable provisional health advisory for PFOA and PFOS, an ingredient in 3Ms Scotchgard. The second PFAS action plan, issued a year ago, contains many of the same recommendations and includes no deadlines.

Without irony, the EPA recentlyissueda statement touting the agencys aggressive efforts to address PFAS pollution just hours before the White House threatened to vetoHouse legislationthat would set deadlines for EPA action on PFAS.

Clearly, at 18 months old, the EPAs PFAS action plan needs more adult supervision.

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UPDATE: Little Progress from Trump's EPA on Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' - Environmental Working Group

Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed ambassadors on recent developments concerning the oil-rich border area, where the UN interim security force, UNISFA, has been deployed since 2011to protect civilians and humanitarians.

He recalled the signing earlier this month of an historic peace agreement between the Sudanese authorities and several armed groups from Darfur following a year of negotiations facilitated by South Sudan.

The two neighbours have also signalled their intention to relaunch the political process to discuss the final stages of Abyei and its border areas, which Mr. Lacroix described as a positive development.

However, despite this continued rapprochement between the Sudan and South Sudan, the peace process has made little progress in Abyei. The main developments at the local level were the appointments by Juba and Khartoum of their respective chief administrators, he said.

This constitutes an unprecedented political development as it is the first time Abyei has two appointed chief administrators.

Meanwhile, the security situation in Abyei remained volatile.

Mr. Lacroix reported that since April, there have been four attacks against UNISFA personnel and four incidents of intercommunal violence, including armed attacks on villages.

While the force continued to engage leaders from the Nginka and Misseriya communities, the violence has had a negative impact on peace efforts.

The UN peacekeeping chief also reported on issues facing UNISFA, which has a mandated deployment of 640 police personnel. This figure includes three Formed Police Units consisting of 160 officers each. However, staffing currently stands at 35, with 16 officers set to end their assignments in the coming weeks.

Since no visas have been issued for any new officers who could be deployed as replacement, the strength of the police component will reduce to 19 officers. Consequently, this situation will inevitably lead to the closure of some team sites in UNISFA, and will have a negative impact on the mandate implementation, said Mr. Lacroix.

The non-issuance of visas, coupled with COVID-19 travel restrictions, has also affected China and Tanzania who must conduct reconnaissance visits to the area ahead of sending personnel for the force.

The Security Council heard in addition from the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, who also commended the growing engagement between Sudan and South Sudan.

As the countries now strengthen their relationship, they are no longer likely to pursue activities that undermine each others stability, he said.

The Special Envoy reported on continued cooperation inoil production. Last month, the two countries signed a protocol on the resumption of production inthe Unity and Toma South oil fields in South Sudan, with 15,000 barrels per dayexpected soon.

The deal includes details on the transfer of crude oil to Sudan for its domestic use. In return, Sudan will provide technical support, he said.

Before the agreement, South Sudan was providing 30,000 barrels per day of crude oil to Sudan. The deal is in line with South Sudans plan to return to its pre-conflict production level of 350,000 barrels per day from its current 150,000 barrels per day ."

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Little progress on disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan - UN News

The Shanghai FTZ, located in the Pudong New Area in eastern Shanghai, consists of the Free Trade Areas, the Lujiazui Financial Subzone (including the Expo Area), the Jinqiao Development Subzone, and the Zhangjiang High-tech Zone. The Lin-gang Special Area was set up in August 2019.

Since its establishment, the Shanghai FTZ has made significant contributions to Pudong's economic transformation and upgrading, with Pudong's GDP exceeding 1.27 trillion yuan in 2019, a year-on-year increase of 7 percent. Pudong's general financial revenue totaled 431.6 billion yuan last year, growing by 1.2 percent year-on-year.

Over the past seven years, the Shanghai FTZ has worked to facilitate trade and investment, improve governance, and promote financial innovation, leading to impressive achievements in the country's institutional innovation.

On the institutional innovation index of China's FTZs published by SunYat-senUniversityin July, the Shanghai FTZ ranked first overall among China's FTZs in terms of institutional reforms. Over 300 innovative measures taken by the Shanghai FTZ relating to investment, trade, finance and the improvement of governance have been replicated in other areas.

Some of the zone's most successful innovations includelists of areas that are off-limits to foreign investment, the introduction of the China (Shanghai) International Trade Single Window, the separation of business licenses and operatingpermits, and theFreeTradeAccountsystem.

Hema Fresh, a fresh food chain backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba, has benefited greatly from the zone's institutional reforms.

Food sales, catering services, and online orders are considered separate categories in traditional business models, but Hema Fresh launched its first store combining the three in the Shanghai FTZ. This is a typical example of the zone's efforts to optimize its business environment.

The fresh food chain has seen rapid growth since its first obtained its business licenses in 2016, according to Hema Fresh CEOHouYi.

As a national leader inopening-up and innovation, the Shanghai FTZ has attracted many of the world's top innovators and investors.

Statistics show that by the end of June 2020, 12,000 newly established foreign enterprises, including Siemens, ItochuCorporation, and Porsche Finance Lease Co., Ltd. had set up operations there.

These enterprises are the biggest beneficiaries ofthe zone's efforts to reform and open up.

Withthe zone's comprehensive opening-up in sectors like manufacturing, service, Shanghai Artemed Hospital, the first foreign-owned general hospital in the Shanghai FTZ, opened on Sept 26, 2019. The hospital has become a shining example of how to improve the zone's service sector.

IfFP Professional Skills Training (Shanghai) Co., the country's first wholly foreign-owned financial services vocational training institute, was established in the zone in September 2018 and opened for business in March 2019.

It has historically been difficult for foreign businesses to invest in sectors such as financial training in China, but the shortened negative list, which permitted wholly foreign-funded enterprises to operate in more sectors, giving IfFP an opportunity to expand into the Chinese market.

IfFP received approval from the commerce commission of the Shanghai FTZ in just two days' time, according to Zhong Ke, general manager of the company.

The zone's efficient and high-quality services are what allowed IfFP to begin operating there, Zhong said.

Statistics show that by the end of June, the zone had pioneered 54 measures to further open up, and 3,392 projects were launched in the zone.

Authorities have said that the zone will ramp up efforts to improve its business environment, explore new ways to promote trade, and further loosen restrictions on investment in the aim of increasing its international influence and further consolidating itself as a leader in reform and opening-up.

Source:http://regional.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2020-10/21/c_552178.htm

SOURCE China Daily

Excerpt from:

Shanghai Free Trade Zone makes impressive progress over 7 years - PRNewswire

BELLMORE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) Movie theaters in most of New York state can finally reopen Friday, with restrictions.

For independent theaters, especially, this could not come soon enough, CBS2s Andrea Grymes reported.

On Thursday, there was a ceremonial ribbon cutting but with old movie film to celebrate reopening Bellmore Movies and Showplace in Nassau County.

After I collected my emotions, it was a sigh of relief, but it is a challenge, Anne Stampfel said.

MORE:Gov. Cuomo Announces Movie Theaters In Areas Outside NYC With Few Coronavirus Infections Can Reopen Oct. 23

Stampfel and her husband own the theater, along with Malverne Cinema. Both will finally get to welcome audiences on Friday for the first time since the coronaviruspandemic began, along with movie theaters across most of the state.

Bellmore Movies is Long Islands oldest movie theater in operation since 1908.

Think about it. It survived the Spanish flu, and it has survived COVID. So, this is a historic moment in a historic place, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said.

The Stampfels said theyre doing all they can to save on bills, including putting their own money into the building, which they own.

Theyre taking numerous safety precautions, including upgrading their air filtration system. They also have a sanitizing station before you walk into their one theater. Every other row is blocked off and seating is only on the aisles to ensure social distancing.

FLASHBACK: Coronavirus Impact: Still-Closed Movie Theaters, Casinos In New York State Saying What About Us?

The owner said once everyone is seated, workers will take a picture of the theater so they know exactly where to focus on cleaning when the show is over, Grymes reported.

In addition, movie times are staggered so theres extra time to disinfect.

The state also capped capacity at 50 people, and everyone must wear a mask.

I sometimes feel like theyre a little harder on movie theaters and they kept us at bay for so long. But will 25% capacity monetarily work for me? Its a start. Its cash flow, Stampfel said.

The first movie to be shown will be On the Rocks, starring Bill Murray.

MORE FROM CBS NEW YORK

Stampfel said theyre constantly working to get new releases at a time when Hollywood isnt putting much out.

Either way, Stampfel said, I want that back. Dinner and a movie.

They especially want couples and first daters to know theyre back in business.

The owners also hope to host dance recitals and comedy shows as soon as theyre allowed.

You can get the latest news, sports and weather on our brand new CBS New York app.Download here.

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Coronavirus Progress: Owners Of 122-Year-Old Movie Theater On Long Island Excited To Finally Be Allowed To Reopen - CBS New York

Shaw Media

Bears center Cody Whitehair believes it's going to take time for offensive lineman Rashaad Coward to feel comfortable at the left guard position.

"The biggest thing for him is just getting comfortable on the left side," Whitehair said. "That will come with time and reps. We're not worried about it. We're really excited for his opportunity."

Coward started Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, playing left guard for the first time in his career. The former defensive lineman moved to the offensive line in 2018. In 2019, he started 10 games at right guard after Kyle Long suffered a season-ending injury.

Coward started 2020 as a backup but now steps into the left guard spot following a likely season-ending injury to left guard James Daniels in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Rashaad's a good athlete," said Bears O-line coach Juan Castillo last week. "Rashaad had a really good training camp. I mean, he probably had as good a camp as (starting right guard Germain Ifedi) just about."

The Bears struggled to run the ball against Carolina and have struggled running in each of their past three games. Running back David Montgomery has had little success when trying to run it to the left side during that time.

Bears coach Matt Nagy said Thursday he felt really good about the offensive line through the first three weeks of the season. Of late, the Bears have had 10 guys doing the right thing on offense, Nagy said, but one mistake from one player can really disrupt a play.

"The beauty is that with Juan (Castillo) and with these players, offensive line I'm talking, they're working their tails off every day in practice to fix that," Nagy said.

Castillo returned to practice Thursday after working remotely last week because a close contact of his had tested positive for COVID-19. Having the offensive line coach back in person can only help the blocking issues.

In a Zoom session with the media last week, Castillo turned a little bit defensive when asked about the Bears' struggles running the ball. He noted that the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were two of the best run defenses in the NFL.

He wasn't wrong. But the Panthers are not a good run defense, and the Bears still totaled only 63 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry.

Whitehair said it all comes down to execution.

"We collectively -- and it starts with me, obviously, first and foremost -- getting guys to (block) the right people," he said. "I can be better there, and just overall execution as an offense. We can just get better and better."

On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills released Quinton Spain, a left guard with starting experience. There's some speculation about whether the Bears might be interested in signing Spain.

Whether or not the Bears seek outside help, the fact remains that the offensive line needs to improve. According to ESPN Analytics, the Bears' offensive line ranks 16th in pass block "win rate" and 18th in run block "win rate."

"Week in and week out, we're trying to get better," Whitehair said. "Obviously, we're not to where we want to be yet."

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Chicago Bears' O-line continues to be work in progress - Chicago Daily Herald

Given what we saw last year from Washington States defense, it would be almost preposterous to think that group would be a step ahead of the highly productive offense come Nov. 7, when the Cougars open the season at Oregon State.

Yet, theres at least one person with a fair amount of knowledge of the football happenings on the Palouse and practice access who suspects Jake Dickerts unit may be carrying Nick Rolovichs in Corvallis, Oregon, or something along those lines.

Impossible, right?

This certainly falls into the see-it-to-believe-it category, and since, for the time being, Im unable to see anything other than short practice clips occasionally sent to media after practices, Ill resort to the next best thing: hypothesizing via the weekly mailbag.

We address that question and a handful of others this week.

With new systems on both sides of the ball, who do you think will be further along on Nov. 7?

- Jennifer D.

If I hadnt listened to athletic director Pat Chuns radio appearance with Matt Chazanow, Alex Brink, Jessamyn McIntyre and Derek Deis a few weekends ago, Id unequivocally say the offense. But Chun said something that took me aback.

This might be the rare year for us as Cougs since the start of whatever the Mike Leach era was, the defense may be ahead of the offense when we come to Game 1 the way theyve been looking, Chun said.

Now, Chun may not have the same perspective as someone on WSUs coaching staff, and I havent cross-checked his assertion with Rolovich, but hes certainly been at Rogers Field more than I have this fall. Could he be on to something? Im sure most of you reading this hope so.

Im still more inclined to think the offense will be more polished when the season opens in Corvallis. Both units face learning curves, but it seems the offense may have more of a head start, based on the previously documented similarities between the Air Raid and run-and-shoot, as well as the personnel returning on that side of the ball: Liam Ryan, Abe Lucas, Max Borghi and all those receivers.

The Cougars ranked No. 7 nationally in total offense last year. In total defense they were No. 111. But, again, if Chuns right, this season could go much better than most expect it will.

Whos getting the most QB1 reps?

- @boonasty8807

Im jotting down the answer to this question on Wednesday afternoon, presuming it wont change Thursday or Friday, while also realizing theres a better-than-average chance it could. Not that wed know, regardless.

As far as I can tell, the quarterback reps are still being divided evenly between Cammon Cooper, Gunner Cruz and Jayden de Laura. Does that mean 33% for Cooper, 33% for Cruz and 33% for de Laura? Im not certain thats the case, and it seems as though Rolovich is using the same approach Leach employed each of the last two years, when three QBs were in the running for the job.

If thats the case, Cooper and Cruz, for example, might be featured on Monday. Then Cruz and de Laura on Tuesday and Cooper and de Laura on Wednesday. What is clear is the Cougars havent narrowed down the search to just two players, or hadnt as of Monday, when we spoke with offensive coordinator Brian Smith on the postpractice Zoom call.

While its key to identify a starter, Smith stressed the importance of preparing all three QBs. Ensuring that Cooper, Cruz and de Laura each have an adequate understanding of the offense at this point is more important than hoping one gains a mastery of it before Nov. 7.

With the nature of a COVID season, in our mind we have to try to develop all those kids to be able to play for us, Smith said. So I think youre going to continue to see that whole group continue to get reps in practice and continue to work to get better. And obviously, you would love to say one of those guys is your starter and hes really pulling away from everybody else and you can focus on that one kid a little more, but weve got to be ready to win games with all three of those kids.

Do you know if coach Rolovich has done anything to promote or help our student-athletes vote during this election?

- Jeremy B.

Rolovich, more than other coaches in the conference/around the country, spends a lot of time talking about the significance molding his players away from the gridiron. I have to think its been addressed probably on more than one occasion.

Either way, I figure more than a handful of WSU football players will be getting to the booth on Election Day. They wont have many excuses not to, and not only because classes are being taught online this fall.

In mid-September, after multiple athletic departments Gonzagas being one of those announced theyd cancel athletic activities on Nov. 3 to allow student-athletes to vote, the NCAA adopted legislation that prohibits programs from holding practices, workouts or competition on the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 every year.

The Cougars will enjoy a rare day off four days before their Nov. 7 season opener at Oregon State. Rolovich, Im sure, will encourage them to make the most of it.

Why no catches for Jamire Calvin or Calvin Jackson Jr. in scrimmage?

- Doug D.

I found this somewhat startling, too, but after our chat with Smith on Monday, I wouldnt read into it all that much.

Smith was asked about Jacksons scrimmage production, or lack thereof, in the teams first scrimmage. Its possible he wasnt targeted, its possible he was targeted and didnt make the most of his opportunities, but its also possible coaches didnt need to see Jackson as much as they did a few of his younger backups.

Calvins a veteran and that presence has been great, Smith said. As far as the stats in the scrimmage, a lot of times in the scrimmage, were trying to get certain things called to see things for certain guys. Another kid you didnt see much of in the stat sheet was Deon McIntosh, and he was someone that really got a good chunk of carries in our first live period we did our first day in pads a few days ago. So, just because someone didnt necessarily get a good amount of stats in that scrimmage, doesnt mean they arent doing well for us.

Who are some defensive tackles to keep an eye on? This was a thin position in our previous 3-4 defense but now in a 4-2-5 we need more of these space eaters.

- Casey F.

Well, not Lamonte McDougle. Maybe not Dallas Hobbs, either.

Next to Will Rodgers III, whos sliding over to the new edge position, McDougle and Hobbs are the only nose tackle/defensive tackle types on the roster with any starting experience. That was important for a unit that also lost Misiona Aiolupotea-Pei.

Rolovich has declined to name WSUs opt outs, but we havent seen McDougle in any of the teams photos or videos to this point, and I find it peculiar Hobbs hasnt been invited to the lectern for any postpractice interviews to this point. The Cougars used him frequently last season, and often after emotional losses one of the first signs, in my opinion, hed emerged as a leader and spokesperson of the defense. Hobbs posted a photo of his practice helmet three days into camp, so Im more inclined to think he hasnt fully opted out.

But lets assume for the sake of this question McDougle and Hobbs arent part of the equation. That leaves the Cougars with a group that includes redshirt juniors Christian Mejia and Jesus Echevarria, redshirt sophomore Ahmir Crowder, redshirt freshmen Tyler Garay-Harris and Nicholas Sheetz, and true freshman Nathaniel James.

Nobody there has much game experience, although Mejia, Sheetz and Echevarria did get some action in 2019, and James has drawn rave reviews from coaches during preseason camp. Even if McDougle and Hobbs arent part of the equation, the Cougars, it seems, arent lacking bodies. What are those bodies capable of? Nobody quite knows that year and Nov. 7 should be fairly telling.

Who will make the decision about the uniform combo each game?

- Brad

Brad, Im glad you asked this question. I wouldnt have had an answer for you earlier in the week, but incidentally this came up during Rolovichs postpractice Zoom call Wednesday evening.

From what it sounds like, uniform choices will be left to the teams leadership council, which Rolovich described as a group of guys who coaches thought had some influence but also did things the right way. He named few of the players on the leadership council Ryan, Borghi, Jahad Woods but indicated the program would release some sort of graphic at some point revealing the entire group.

Anything from uniforms or, Hey guys, Id rather you guys do this, Rolovich said. Maybe the locker room needs a little bit of a check right now as far as cleanliness. Basically pushing this toward a player-run program, is probably the main goal.

Does that mean the council will decide on every uniform combo? Im not 100% sure. It does sound like the group will have some sort of influence, though.

Now, lets see who made it to the bottom of the mailbag. If youre still reading, tweet me a new jersey combination, or combinations, youd like to see the Cougars wear this fall. Ill acknowledge with a retweet. Any takers for white helmet, crimson jersey, white pants?

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Washington State mailbag: Gauging the progress of new offensive/defensive systems in Pullman & how will uniforms be chosen this year? - The...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on consumer-authorized access to financial records. The ANPR seeks feedback on how the CFPB might effectively and efficiently implement the financial record access rights described in Section 1033 [of the Dodd-Frank Act], recognizing that various market participants have helped authorized data access become more secure, effective, and subject to consumer control.

The bureau also sought information on the possible scope of data that might be covered by a Section 1033 rulemaking and on whether and how issues of regulatory uncertainty may be affecting consumer access to financial data. The ANPR comes amid the growing trend of consumers opting to share their financial data with third parties and data aggregators, while many banks have deployed APIs to facilitate consumers choices to share data securely.

The American Bankers Association supports consumers ability to share their financial data but continues to emphasize the importance ensuring that it is done in a secure way that gives consumers bank-level security, transparency, and control. The association previously outlined a set of principles for the responsible sharing of consumer financial data and recommendations to ensure that bank customers have control over how their financial data is shared. Comments on the ANPR are due 90 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

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With Nod to Industry Progress, CFPB Seeks Feedback on Data Access Regs - ABA Banking Journal