Denroy to expand production after Texas aerospace deal – Plastics News

Posted on by

February 6, 2017 Updated 2/6/2017

Plastics News Europe

Denroy Plastics Ltd. Denroy Plastics Ltd. is investing in more technology after receiving an order from a U.S. customer.

United Kingdom injection molder and mold maker Denroy Plastics Ltd. has launched a 3 million ($3.7 million) expansion after winning more business from a U.S.-based aerospace company.

In a Feb. 3 statement, the Bangor, Northern Ireland-based company said over 1 million ($1.25 million) of the investment will be made in its IT systems and new manufacturing equipment, including two Engel injection molding machines, as well as a Citizen turning center machine.

The phased investment will see expansion of the production capacity at Denroys factory premises following a recent multi-million pound deal with Triumph Group Inc. of Berwyn, Pa., and its Triumph Aerostructure business based in Grand Prairie, Texas.

We want to remain at the forefront of polymer processing and this investment will enable us to develop our R&D capability and test laboratory to support our development activities, said John Rainey, Denroys managing director.

The company has invested in Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine), an application that helps enhance planning, service and quality control. The app will also offer an integrated platform for quality control and compliance for the aerospace and other sectors requiring complex controls.

Denroy Plastics employs 119 people at its Bangor plant and is part of the Denroy Group Ltd., also of Bangor.

Continued here:

Denroy to expand production after Texas aerospace deal - Plastics News

Israeli firm to 3D print ceramic PCBs for aerospace – Electronics Weekly

Posted on by

Nano Dimension has developed a 3D printing technology which can usedifferent materials ina single manufacturing process.

Nano Dimensionsays the technique has the potential to create the next generation of ceramic elements for the aerospace and aviation sectors.

An example of one of the many applications of 3D printed ceramic materials, is using the ceramic material as the dielectric material used to print PCBs.

Ceramic materials are neither organic nor metallic and so have insulation and mechanical strength properties which make them attractive for PCBs in aerospace applications.

The firm has secured funding for half of the development project from MEIMAD committee of the Israel Innovation Authority.The total approved budget for this project is $372,000.

MEIMAD is a joint venture of the Innovation Authority, Ministry of Finance and the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure of the Ministry of Defense.

View original post here:

Israeli firm to 3D print ceramic PCBs for aerospace - Electronics Weekly

Stavatti Aerospace to Pitch Javelin Trainer for Air Force TX Competition – GovConWire

Posted on by

Stavatti Aerospacehas announced plans to offerits Javelin military jet trainer and very light fighter aircrafttotheU.S. Air Forces $16.3 billion T-X trainer program.

The company said Friday the Javelin platform, which was derived from theAviation Technology Group-builtJavelin Mk-30 civil jet sportplane, will be offered as a potential replacement forthe service branchs currentT-38 training aircraft.

Apartnership between Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Saab, theLockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-Korean Aerospace Industriesalliance anda team comprised ofSierra Nevada Corp. and Turkish Aerospace Industries,also plan to competein the program.

In November, Stavatti received an exclusive license from the present owner of the Javelin projects intellectual property and physical assets to certify, develop, manufacture, prototype, re-imagine, sell and support the platformas a new Advanced Jet Trainer and VLF.

Stavatti said it will also establish a Javelin Industry Team and look to partner with another company in a bidto meet the T-Xmanufacturing, logistical support and training requirements of the Air Force.

Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) andLeonardoended the firms jointpursuit of the T-X contractin January while Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC)BAE Systems withdrew from thecompetition as a teamearlier this month.

The rest is here:

Stavatti Aerospace to Pitch Javelin Trainer for Air Force TX Competition - GovConWire

Carpenter Technology to Participate at the Cowen Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference – EconoTimes

Posted on by

Carpenter Technology to Participate at the Cowen Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 06, 2017 -- Carpenter Technology Corporation (NYSE:CRS) announced today that Tony Thene, President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate at the Cowen Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference in New York, NY on Thursday, February 9, 2017. Mr. Thenes webcast presentation will be available on the investor relations section of Carpenters website at http://ir.cartech.com. A replay of webcast will also be available following the live presentation.

Cowen Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference Date:Thursday, February 9, 2017 Time:1:20 p.m. ET

About Carpenter Technology

Carpenter Technology Corporation is a leading producer and distributor of premium specialty alloys, including titanium alloys, nickel and cobalt based superalloys, stainless steels, alloy steels and tool steels. Carpenters high-performance materials and advanced process solutions are an integral part of critical applications used within the aerospace, transportation, medical and energy markets, among other markets. Building on its history of innovation, Carpenters powder technology capabilities support a range of next-generation products and manufacturing techniques, including additive manufacturing and 3D Printing. Information about Carpenter can be found at http://www.cartech.com.

Scientists Create Programmable Cement, New And Improved Concrete Structures

Seven essential tips to breaking up with sugar

Protect your privacy during turbulent times: A hackers guide to being cyber-safe

Interactive body map: physical inactivity and the risks to your health

Scientists Created Cancer Cure Using Light To Target Tumors

Your smartphone knows a lot about you, but what about your mental health?

Water intoxication: are we drowning in advice to drink more fluids?

Fly From Sydney To LA In 6 Hours With Baby Boom Supersonic Plane

After decades of research, why is AIDS still rampant?

Video: Invincibility Coating, Soft Objects Survive 150Ft Drop Intact

Neuroscience hasn't been weaponized it's been a tool of war from the start

Holograms are no longer the future, but we must not forget them here's why

See the original post here:

Carpenter Technology to Participate at the Cowen Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference - EconoTimes

Raising the Stakes with High-Speed Aerospace CNCs – Advanced Manufacturing

Posted on by

High-precision machining is mandatory for mission-critical parts in this aircraft turbine engine. New features for fast milling and turning operations enable the latest CNC machine controls to up the ante in aerospace productivity

In the aerospace world, as in all sectors of manufacturing, the race is on for faster, more automated and connected machining operations. Aerospace builders have steadily pushed for more automotive-like automation over the past several years in order to improve productivity and more effectively handle large order backlogs in commercial aviation. Key aerospace and defense (A&D) CNC controls functionality offered today by most major machine control developers include faster cutting operations techniques for part cycle-time reduction combined with much smoother, more-efficient precision cutting to improve part quality.

The push toward digitalization in the manufacturing industry, with manufacturers leveraging Big Data and the networked machine tools of Industry 4.0/Smart Manufacturing, also is having a major effect on what CNC machine control developers offer A&D CNC users. The digitalization trend extends to the inclusion of more sophisticated links between machine programming and part programming. In addition, some other key trends in the aerospace sector include much wider use of robots and newer methods of machining the composite materials used for many aerospace components.

One of the big challenges in aerospace manufacturing lies in using the data generated by digital devices as they go about their normal routines, said Digital Factory Application Engineer Gabe Manescu, Siemens Industry Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL). A typical CNC controller generates a large amount of data that may hold values unknown until such data are analyzed and used in other ways, Manescu said. Generating new interfaces at the controller that allow the harvesting of such data gives way to new technologies. For example, by connecting a Sinumerik CNC controller to a simulation system, such as our NXMCD [Mechatronics Control Designer] platform, we get the virtualized machine model, which now includes the physical behaviors and the real controller [Sinumerik CNC or Simatic PLC], including its front end [HMI], if necessary. With this tool, machine functions can be developed, tested and optimized under conditions very close to the real world. This way, we offer the convenience of a maximum degree of security and safety [for humans, machines and workpieces].

At Siemens, this solution is Virtual Commissioning, Manescu said. We consider it our answer to the Fast-Safe-Precise trichotomy, he added. Another example of the power of digitalization resides in the use of analytic tools to study the behavior of mechatronic systems by examination of the data being generated as the systems do their work. This tool gives users the benefits of increased uptime and asset availability, asset optimization and maintenance efficiency.

With robotization, aerospace potentially can employ much more automation than in the past. Robots are fast becoming a true success story in the aerospace and defense world, noted Daniel Martinez, aerospace market manager, Siemens Industry Inc. Siemens is bringing robots to the next level by offering three types of robotic integration to the CNC. Martinez said this includes Siemens Sinumerik Integrate Run My Robot/Easy Connect, which quickly connects with plug-and-play integration. Used mainly used for machine tending, this integration facilitates the communication and coordination between robot and machine controllers, he said.

The Sinumerik Integrate Run MyRobot/Handling function allows users with no specific robot know-how to program and operate the robots, he said, as everything is interfaced via Sinumerik Operate. Finally, Martinez said Sinumerik Integrate Run MyRobot/Machining offers users continuous path control with integration of Siemens PLM Softwares NX CAM programming and VNCK (Virtual NC Kernel). For a while now, there has been a push to use robots for secondary operations such as deburring and surface finish, Martinez said. This solution allows the programming of a robot in the same manner as a five-axis machine for light cutting applications.

Theres no doubt that the continued digitalization of manufacturing is at the forefront of trends in aerospace today. Process data tracking with integration into manufacturing systems is probably the most obvious trend, noted Rick Schultz, aerospace program manager, FANUC America Corp. (Rochester Hills, MI). CNCs have to easily have key performance data available for various data analysis systems.

Another trend that isnt as obvious is the trend from machine programming to part programming. In aerospace there are a wide variety of machines and due to legacy methods and difficulties with process certification, the programming methods are often inefficient and inflexible, Schultz added. The variety of machines and resulting CNC application inconsistency creates variation in programming leading to manufacturing delays and significant support costs.

CNC developers need to assist the industry to adopt modern part-centric programming methods, Schultz noted, while taking advantage of the processing power in modern CNCs to do things like real-time spline algorithms that result in shorter cycle times, better part quality, and a more consistent/easier to maintain manufacturing process. This mindset change is a much more difficult effort, he said, but the long-term rewards for production facilities is significant.

Specialized part routines that are geared for aerospace help CNC operators cut parts more efficiently, with greater precision especially on the contoured components often encountered in aerospace machining operations.

New trends for aerospace machinists include more automated processes, like automation of setups on five-axis milling and turning machines such as Okumas five-axis auto tuning function for its OSP controls, noted Brad Klippstein, CNC product specialist, Okuma America Corp. (Charlotte, NC). Most of Okumas aerospace customers are machining parts on Okuma five-axis MU series machines, he said, particularly on the companys Multus lathes. Right now we see quite a bit of traction there with volumetric errors, and our five-axis auto tuning enables users to easily make adjustments, using an algorithm to set parameters for a machine control.

In addition, the Dynamic Tool Load feature offers a new control function for Okuma MU series milling machines, Klippstein said. Its targeted for aero because its for hard-to-cut materials like Inconel, he said. It helps with runout because as the tool rotates its going to automatically adjust the feedrate per insert blade. Lets say you need to change a tool. Its automatically going to change the rate for youit equalizes the cutting force dynamically while the tools in motion.

The new algorithm does this, giving you equal cutting force, Klippstein said. The goal is to increase tool life, and from the studies that weve done, its improved tool life by about five times for stainless, and about two times for titanium.

Much of the automation added in aerospace CNCs revolves around precision machining. With the latest Heidenhain TNC 640 CNCs, aero machinists can automate monitoring functions and eliminate some human factors in production, noted Julian Renz, TNC product specialist, Heidenhain Corp. (Schaumburg, IL). With aerospace, automation becomes more important, Renz said. Our Advanced Dynamic Prediction [ADP] is a feature for better smoothing. This is an algorithm that if there are too many data points, it can fix it and it optimizes feed rates.

Automation can lessen or lower the need for operator intervention, particularly in monitoring functions, Renz said. Optimizing and smoothing techniques can remove chatter on the part.

Basically its our path control concept. Instead of splines, we use a tolerance band to connect the data points. It lets the user decide the width of the tolerances and the corresponding acceleration and jerk values are determined in the back of the control. Thus, you let the CNC stay within those parameters with our Control Contour Cycle; its called Cycle 32.

The new Advanced Dynamic Prediction also plays a role in the CNCs look-ahead functionality, helping to determine how many lines ahead it can look during the cutting process, he added.

For Siemens Sinumerik CNC users, the companys Top Surface contouring offers a better surface finish. The functionality of MDynamics with Top Surface is a new option, said Siemens Martinez. We are getting independent of the CAM systems, thereby achieving the best surface quality.

The Top Surface option offers three key features, he said, including surface quality enhancement that is improved with diagonal toolpaths for finishing. [Quality is] significantly enhanced during bi-directional milling thorough direction independent identical smoothing of the milling paths, Martinez said. This feature offers users preset values for contour tolerance and orientation tolerance, and increased independence from calculation tolerances used in CAD/CAM. New friction compensation also allows smoother finishes.

Velocity improvements also are gained, he added. Due to the improved smoothing of the toolpath with Top Surface, the milling process tends to get smoother. In certain cases, the reduction of machining times is possible when tolerances 10 mm are used. Since it effectively uses larger tolerances; Top Surface keeps acceleration and jerk limits, he added, and in particular cases, the machine-specific dynamic parameters may be increased by the OEM in order to reach reduced machining times. Accuracy and precision are improved with Top Surface, making the new functionality Smoothing in Cycle 832 available, he said.

In aerospace, the most common request is data accessibility, noted Frank Nuqui, FANUC aerospace program manager. In general, data accessibility is relatively simple. The FANUC CNC has easy-to-use, well-defined interfaces that can work with any manufacturing system or OEE-style data analysis system.

Machinists are becoming a rare commodity in the industry and theres often only a few true machinists in major facilities trying to support all production, Nuqui added. Due to the resulting incredible workload and the necessity to standardize on processes for certification reasons, most machinists ask for the functionality theyre already familiar with rather than new capabilities. It is common practice in aerospace facilities to take the latest FANUC 30i-B control on a new machine and use it the same way CNCs were used in the 80s and early 90s.

FANUC is trying to help educate and ease the machinists and programmers transition into adopting the latest functionality and help facilities gain significant benefits from new technologies that simplify postprocessors, Nuqui said. He added that speeding the time from art concept to part manufacture while reducing cycle time and improving part quality are also part of the goal. This is one of the greatest challenges in aersospace productionbreaking the cycle of doing what weve always done, and stepping into the modern and much more efficient processes that modern CNCs can help enable.

Another major trend in aerospace CNCs is the proliferation of the use of composites in airframe components, which are very difficult to cut without damaging the workpiece through delamination of the composites.

More and more our customers are in need of advanced machining technologies to handle complex carbon fiber-reinforced polymer [CFRP] materials, said Art Gugulski, Midwest regional manager, Fagor Automation Corp. (Elk Grove Village, IL; Mondragn, Spain). Those materials are delivering high strength-to-weight ratio, durability, and extreme corrosion resistance to lightweighted structural components. The machines needed to handle those materials can be not as massive as for metalcutting, but on the other hand must be equipped with high-speed spindles, large machining envelopes and high measuring accuracy in three- and five-axis applications.

Fagor CNC systems handle those challenges with advanced compensation tables for lead screw, axes cross-compensation and machine volume compensationsvolumetric 3D table compensations, Gugulski said. All those tables are applied continuously to axes positions to achieve high levels of machine accuracy, he said. Combining CNC compensation tables with high-performance temperature-independent linear rotary absolute encoders, Fagor created a win-win situation for OEMs and their very demanding aerospace machine users. This trend will continue since the carbon fiber materials are the main choice for aerospace applications.

Some features offered to Fagors aerospace CNC users include the companys Finetune auto-tuning software, Gugulski said. This is a very fast process that automatically tunes the machine. It is possible to verify machine design without advanced knowledge of tuning or control system theory, he stated. The OEM is equipped with optimal adjustment for each machine they produce free of human errors. All this reduces the cost of the commissioning process for machine builders and savings for end users.

Kinematics calibration enables users to to calibrate kinematics for the first time, said Gugulski, and every so often, re-calibrate it to correct the possible deviations originated in the day-to-day machine work. This feature allows machine user to assure everyday machine accuracy required by the certification process.

Other Fagor CNC features for A&D machinists include a new hand wheel with wireless technology, the High Speed Surface Accuracy with HSD Dynamic Override, nanometric interpolation advanced algorithms for smoothing tools speed, and advanced look-ahead algorithms to optimize part time, Gugulski said. The machine operator can override in real time the parameters of the High Speed Surface Accuracy algorithms with HSD Dynamic Override, he said. Fagors CNCs also have optimized HSC modes for each machining condition.

No discussion of CNC development would be complete without including what developers and users are seeing in new technologies of Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0, as connected machines of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) make fast, real-time sharing of shop-floor data a reality.

The drive toward more connected machines in the manufacturing world is starting to build momentum, as evidenced by small shop owners who previously didnt see the need now being intrigued by the possibilities. While the demand for connected manufacturing simply hasnt been there for the small shop, many shop managers and owners now want more.

We have tools such as automatic transmission of data from the presetter to the machine control, and checking for run times, said Heidenhains Renz. Production data monitoring hasnt been used as much in smaller shops, but its coming.

Everyone wants data and everyone is aware of all the buzzwords and acronyms. The problem is very few currently have a clear vision of what they plan to do with the data, said FANUCs Schultz. As a result, the majority of the connected manufacturing efforts Ive seen to date are segmented and small in scale. At any one aerospace company, there are multiple, distinctly different efforts to do connected manufacturing.

From the FANUC CNCs perspective, all data is available and easily accessible, he added. Accessing the data is the easy partfiguring out what to do with the data is what most aerospace facilities I visit struggle with.

Siemens has developed multiple digital solutions to address the digital twin need from the machine/process perspective by completely digitizing the machine, noted Siemens Manescu, thus allowing the OEM to bring to market machines with up to 30% reduction in the development time, plus the part perspective which subsequently can be run back into the virtualized environment. In such ways, non-productive machines arent present anymore on the shop floor, concepts and new avenues can be assessed and proven before the machine build. Likewise, expensive mistakes can be avoided before happening, so the proving tests are virtually risk-free.

Read more:

Raising the Stakes with High-Speed Aerospace CNCs - Advanced Manufacturing

AeroVironment, Inc. to Present at the Cowen and Company 38th … – Business Wire (press release)

Posted on by

MONROVIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) today announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Wahid Nawabi will present at the Cowen and Company 38th Annual Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference in New York City on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 10:45 a.m. Eastern Time.

A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available in the Events and Presentations section of the AeroVironment website at http://investor.avinc.com/events.cfm. A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) provides customers with more actionable intelligence so they can proceed with certainty. Based in California, AeroVironment is a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems, tactical missile systems and electric vehicle charging and test systems, and serves militaries, government agencies, businesses and consumers. For more information visit http://www.avinc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain words such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "project," "plan," or words or phrases with similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, reliance on sales to the U.S. government; availability of U.S. government funding for defense procurement and R&D programs; changes in the timing and/or amount of government spending; risks related to our international business, including compliance with export control laws; potential need for changes in our long-term strategy in response to future developments; unexpected technical and marketing difficulties inherent in major research and product development efforts; changes in the supply and/or demand and/or prices for our products and services; the activities of competitors and increased competition; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; failure to remain a market innovator and create new market opportunities; changes in significant operating expenses, including components and raw materials; failure to develop new products; the extensive regulatory requirements governing our contracts with the U.S. government; product liability, infringement and other claims; changes in the regulatory environment; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Stay connected with the latest news by following us on social media:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aerovironmentinc Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/aerovironment YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AeroVironmentInc Google+: https://plus.google.com/100557642515390130818/posts

Read more:

AeroVironment, Inc. to Present at the Cowen and Company 38th ... - Business Wire (press release)

Link between dietary restriction, longevity examined – Mount Desert Islander

Posted on by

BAR HARBOR Scientists at the MDI Biological Laboratory have published research which improves the understanding of the mechanisms by which the lifespan of roundworms can be lengthened by cutting back on calories.

It has been known for decades that drastically restricting certain nutrients without causing malnutrition prolongs health and lifespan in a wide range of species, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect have remained a mystery.

In a paper recently published in the journal Aging Cell, MDI Biological Laboratory scientist Aric Rogers shed light on an important genetic pathway underlying this process, raising the possibility that therapies can be developed that prolong the healthy years without having to suffer the consequences of a severely restricted diet.

Aric Rogers. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MDI BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY

Its tantalizing to think that we might be able to activate a protective response to enhance our own health without resorting to extreme dietary regimes, Rogers said.

Rogers studies mechanisms important to the positive effects of dietary restriction in an intact organism the tiny roundworm, C. elegans as opposed to cells in a petri dish. This roundworm is an important model in aging research because it shares nearly half of its genes with humans and because of its short lifespan it lives for only two to three weeks which allows scientists to study many generations over a short period of time.

Arics identification of a molecular mechanism governing the life-prolonging effects of dietary restriction is a validation of our unique approach to research in aging and regenerative biology, said Kevin Strange, president of the laboratory. Our use of whole organisms as research models provides greater insight into the many factors controlling physiological processes than the use of cells alone.

The life-prolonging effects of dietary restriction, or calorie restriction, occur in just about every animal tested. They are thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. In the absence of enough food to eat, evolution has programmed organisms to switch from a growth mode to a survival mode so they can live long enough to reproduce when conditions improve.

The identification of a mechanism underlying the protective effect of dietary restriction could lead to therapies for age-related diseases, including Alzheimers and Parkinsons, that are associated with diminished cellular quality control. Alzheimers, for instance, is associated with the build-up of the toxic protein beta amyloid in the brain, and Parkinsons with a build-up of a toxic protein called alpha synuclein.

The link between aging and weakened cellular housekeeping functions raises the possibility that new drugs to prolong lifespan also could delay the onset of age-related degenerative diseases. Now that Rogers has identified a link, the next step is to investigate cause and effect by manipulating the genetic pathways that inhibit protein formation to see if the bodys ability to clear molecular clutter is improved.

We think therapies to activate these protective pathways could not only prolong lifespan but also delay the onset of age-related diseases, Rogers said. Most older people suffer from multiple chronic diseases. Anti-aging procedures applied to disease models almost always delay disease onset and improve outcomes, which suggests that disease-suppressing benefits may be accessed to extend healthy human lifespan.

The MDI Biological Laboratory, located in Bar Harbor, is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution focused on increasing healthy lifespan and increasing our natural ability to repair and regenerate tissues damaged by injury or disease. The institution develops solutions to complex human health problems through research, education and ventures that transform discoveries into cures. Visit mdibl.org.

Read more from the original source:
Link between dietary restriction, longevity examined - Mount Desert Islander

Receding Lake Mead creates ideal classroom for UNLV biology … – Las Vegas Review-Journal

Posted on by

Receding water levels at Lake Mead have exposed 60,000 acres of land, creating a petri dish the size of Denver for UNLV biology students and others to study how to restore wildlife habitat.

Students Matthew Rader and Vivian Sam were joined by 10 volunteers for eight hours on a recent Saturday morning in an effort to bring life to 4 acres affected by the receding water.

Armed with shovels, the group turned enough dirt to plant 630 trees and grasses along the Las Vegas Wash, an area that was once submerged and served as a docking area for boats.

This area was 50 feet below Lake Mead, said Dr. Scott Abella, assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at UNLV.

And with the drought and all the water issues, its exposed now and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Its really alarming from a water storage standpoint, but from a land habitat standpoint, Im thrilled. Nothing can be better for wildlife and the native ecosystem than having this happen.

Under Abellas direction, Rader and Sam led the effort to establish native plants for wildlife habitat and watershed protection on the now-exposed shoreline. Their 4-acre classroom represented a tiny corner of the exposed 60,000 acres equal to the size of Denver, according to Abella but the experience will likely yield sizeable benefits for years to come.

Birds, amphibians and reptiles, hopefully all kinds of stuff will show up to the new habitat, Abella said.

The planting party was a collaborative effort between the National Park Service, the Nevada Naturalist adult environmental education program and the California Fire Science Consortium.

You can take something that would seem negative, the receding level of Lake Mead, and make it positive, Rader said. Create new wildlife habitat in this area that could otherwise be left barren.

Rader and Sam will continue to monitor the area throughout the spring to see which animals are using the area and to observe the survival of the plants.

Its important to get the community out and understanding why this kind of restoration is important to do so they can continue to do it here and other areas as well, Sam said.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.

View original post here:
Receding Lake Mead creates ideal classroom for UNLV biology ... - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Humanpig embryo made – Nature.com

Posted on by

Human stem cells can integrate into developing pig embryos, a finding that could lead to new ways of growing human organs and studying early human development.

John Wu et al./Cell

Previous attempts to engraft human stem cells into developing mice have met with limited success. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, and his colleagues instead worked with embryos of pigs, which are biologically more similar to humans. They injected various types of human pluripotent stem cell which can develop into any cell type into balls of cells called blastocysts that become embryos. Early-stage human pluripotent stem cells integrated into the blastocysts, but only stem cells injected at an intermediate stage of maturity went on to form later-stage embryonic chimaeras, which contained appreciable numbers of cells from both species.

The researchers also grew rat stem cells (pictured in red) into organs in mouse embryos by eliminating the development of certain mouse organs a technique that could be applied to humanpig chimaeras to generate human organs in the future.

Cell 168, 473486 (2017)

Read this article:
Humanpig embryo made - Nature.com

Why Behavioral Science Has Become the Next Big Thing for Solving Society's Problems – NationSwell

Posted on by

Ever since Dr. Stanley Milgram conducted his notorious experiment in the early 1960s, in which he asked participants to obediently administer a high-voltage shock to a victim, researchers have uncovered a wealth of fascinating insights into the human mind. But much of this study has been confined to laboratories and academia. As managing director at ideas42, NationSwell Council member Alissa Fishbane is bucking that trend by applying the lessons from behavioral science to the social sector. At ideas42, her team advises governments and nonprofits about how to better structure their programs in education, healthcare, criminal justice, finance and energy based on what we know about human psychology. NationSwell spoke to Fishbane at her office in Lower Manhattan.

What is behavioral science, and why is it so important for policymakers to understand?Behavioral sciences are really pulling together all the research in social psychology, neuroscience and behavioral economics. This field is so important because people often behave in ways that are strange and peculiar. You want to go to the gym five times a week, you want to stay on this diet and you want to save more for retirement. Why isnt that happening? We all tell ourselves what we want to do, then it doesnt quite happen. Why not? We as human beings struggle to follow through on certain decisions, particularly things that are very important to us. But programs and policies in the social sector are often created in ways that dont account for this fundamental aspect, how we behave as humans. Thats really where we come in.

Whats an example of how this looks in practice?One thing were looking at is how to help students complete college. Theres been a lot of great work in this area, but weve taken a different approach, which is the holistic student experience. How do we take the pulse of a student as they go through the process, day-to-day and semester-to-semester? How do we understand their various decisions, actions, habits? Knowing that there are constant hurdles a student needs to jump over Did I apply? Did I matriculate? Did I get my aid? Did I study? Did I pass? even a small one can trip them up. The solution isnt any one piece; its creating a system that supports them throughout all of their college years.

It can be very simple, like reminders to complete the FAFSA. With something that small, we almost doubled the early application rate at one university we worked with. We also take on tougher problems, like working with a college to figure out how to keep students from dropping out in the first year. We realized a big part of the problem for students was feeling like they didnt belong on campus. For that, we embedded a video into orientation showing how lots of other students went through similar challenges, the way they overcame them and how thrilled they are now to be there. We were able to raise the retention rate from 83 to 91 percent, which is pretty amazing, just by understanding what these students experienced.

What kinds of issues have you worked on locally, in New York City?Summons are tickets for low-level infractions that people get for things like having an open container of alcohol in public or riding a bike on the sidewalk. Lots of people are getting these tickets big city, you know, lots going on but whats really scary is that if you get a ticket and dont show up to court, a bench warrant is put out for you. The next time you have any sort of encounter with police, you will be arrested immediately and put in jail. Almost 40 percent of New Yorkers arent showing up, which is an extraordinarily high number. Thats really concerning because for families that dont have flexible jobs, its hugely disruptive. Even if youre out in 24 hours, you could lose your job. And its even worse if youre undocumented.

We partnered with the mayors office, the NYPD and a state entity, the Office of Court Administration, to change what the ticket looks like. Even changing the title makes it clearer. Before it said Complaint/Information; now, it says Criminal Court Appearance Ticket. Instead of a date and time in chicken-scratch on the back, that info is now at the top along with writing that says that you will get an arrest warrant if you dont show up.

Then, their next touch point is 12 weeks later. Most people think they have plenty of time, but they forget, lose the ticket or dont put the date in their calendar. Were coupling the revised form with a series of text-message reminders. We know people need to ask for time off work, so it comes a week ahead of time to help them plan. In case they forgot, it comes three days before. Then, it comes the day before.

Are there any ethical dilemmas to watch out for in applying behavioral research to policy?No matter how you design anything, consciously or unconsciously, you create an outcome. The way anything is built, just in its structure, is nudging people one way or another. We try to de-bias that and help people make the decision they want to be making. In the social sector, were really focused on how we help people move from intention to action. So were not trying to tell people, Now, do this, but rather, helping them follow through.

How do you apply these insights to your own life?We dont realize everything else thats going on in the lives of others; we dont see the full picture of anyones environment. Its easy to say, I cant believe you didnt make it to the gym five times, but then you dont either. I can make these assumptions like, Oh, she doesnt have discipline, but then come up with an excuse for my own lack of discipline. Understanding human behavior makes us more generous about others and ourselves. Ive become much more forgiving of myself, knowing that lots of these things are funny quirks about human behavior.

To learn more aboutthe NationSwell Council,click here.

Lets fix this country together.

The rest is here:
Why Behavioral Science Has Become the Next Big Thing for Solving Society's Problems - NationSwell

Let Behavioral Science Help You Throw An Unbeatable Super Bowl Party – Huffington Post

Posted on by

This post is hosted on the Huffington Post's Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and post freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

While Vegas oddsmakers are busy betting on whether the Patriots or the Falcons will come out on top at this years annual Sponsored Sports Content Between Commercials, there are certain aspects of the associated play-at-home festivities that will never change. Because science. (As long as our nation is allowed to still have science.)

Behavioral Science is the study of how people use their judgementor dontto interact with people. Having a base knowledge of a few of its principles can really come in handy when youre planning to throw a Super Bowl party thats destined to go down in condo association history.

You have enough guac & wings; one case of craft beer is enough; people will be on time and leave immediately once the game concludes. None of this is true. Double the orders and plan for guests to show up in the fourth quarter and leave long after the post-game analysis has ended.

It seems likely that wagering will be involved at your party. Do you want to win? Then do some research on the actual data for each teambecause everyone else will be placing their bets based on the jerseys that are the most appealing, their love/hate relationship to the city that the team represents or their love/hate relationship with Gisele.

Low on cash? No problem, just work on the framing of your presentation. Slop a heap of ramen noodles into a silver bowl and call it a Super Ramen Bowl, or arrange twelve tiny crackers on a piece of china with a small hunk of Spam alongside firm instructions that you can only enjoy with tiny bites.

Want to get everyone supporting the same team? Chances are you live in a bubble. Find out which political candidate your group supported and tell everyone that the other candidate supports the team you dont want to win. Done and done.

This one is simple. Just find the die-hard Chicago Bears fan in the room.

Second City Works, the business-to-business arm of the iconic comedy theater The Second City, announced an academic partnership with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to explore how evidence-based insights and practices of improvisation can enhance communication, collaboration, and well-being in everyday life.

The first step for this partnership joining art and science is the launch of RewireU, an educational program with classes at The Second City beginning Feb. 22. Click here for a full class schedule and more information about the program.

Written by Kelly Leonard and Liz Kozak. This post originally appeared at secondcity.com.

The rest is here:
Let Behavioral Science Help You Throw An Unbeatable Super Bowl Party - Huffington Post

Beauty and anti-aging is by far the largest sector in the $3.7 trillion wellness economy – CosmeticsDesign.com USA

Posted on by

That is according to newly released data from the Global Wellness Institute. The non-profit, focused on research, innovation, and advocacy, held an event in New York City this week to launch its 2017 Global Wellness Economy Monitor report. And Cosmetics Design was there.

Katherine Johnston and Ophelia Yeung, senior research fellows from the institute, presented the new data to a packed room at Steelcase headquarters.

Other speakers at the event included Susie Ellis, chairman and CEO of the Global Wellness Institute, who spoke on trends; and Mehmet Oz, surgeon, professor at Columbia University, and television personality, and Anjan Chatterjee, chair of neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital and author of The Aesthetic Brain, who both shared remarks to contextualize the data.

Data mining

The Global Wellness Institute gathers data on five key wellness industry sectors: wellness tourism, wellness lifestyle real estate, the spa business, thermal / mineral springs, and workplace wellness. And to round out its report, the instituteaggregates and analyses data from outside sources on five other sectors: beauty and anti-aging; healthy eating, nutrition, and weight loss; prevention and personalized medicine and public health; fitness and mind-body; and complementary and alternative medicine.

Data in the report reflects the global wellness economy of 2015. As the institutes report explains, the wellness economy encompasses industries that enable consumers to incorporate wellness activities and lifestyles into their daily lives.

That year, workplace wellness accounted for $43bn of this economy. Thermal / mineral springs were $51bn. The spa industry came in at $99bn. Wellness lifestyle real estate accounted for $119bn. Complementary and alternative medicine was $199bn. Prevention and personalized medicine and public health came in at $534bn, the fitness and mind-body sector at $542bn. And, wellness tourism was $563bn of the economy.

Moving up in value, healthy eating, nutrition, and weight loss accounted for $648bn, while beauty and anti-aging outperformed all other sectors with $999bn.

Looking ahead

While the team at The Global Wellness Institute sees significant potential for growth and cooperation among the ten sectors, the wellness economy also faces significant challenges going forward: growing income inequality and divergent access to wellness, the need for evidence-based wellness, and the tension between mandated wellness and personal freedom, as the report explains it.

The institutes full report is available online here .

Original post:
Beauty and anti-aging is by far the largest sector in the $3.7 trillion wellness economy - CosmeticsDesign.com USA

Inflammatory Disease Prospects Discovered – Anti Aging News

Posted on by

Posted on Feb. 2, 2017, 6 a.m. in Inflammation Genetic Research GI-Digestive

Large Finnish genetic study of over ten million DNA variations reveals new possibilities for treatments of a wide range of inflammatory diseases.

A study conducted by Finnish researchers has pinpointed possible new treatments for an array of inflammatory diseases. The research was conducted by a team at the University of Turku's Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine. These scientists studied more than 10 million DNA variations and identified new links between inflammation tracers and the human genome. The study determined that there are several new possibilities for the treatments of diseases like coeliac disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis and even some forms of cancer.

An Explanation of Cytokines

Cytokines played a critical role in the above referenced study. These vitally important proteins move throughout the bloodstream to regulate inflammation reactions. Alterations in their mode of operation have been tied to all sorts of inflammatory diseases. The study was centered on an investigation of the connections between 41 unique cytokines as well as growth factors and approximately 10.7 million variations of DNA. The scientists' aim was to identify specific processes at the molecular level that spur a heightened risk for the onset of inflammatory diseases. Gaining an understanding of these processes allows for a more effective treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Scientists found that the medicine daclizumab that was formerly used to treat organ rejection reactions can also serve to treat Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis. A bump in MIP1b-cytokine activity also functions as a treatment method against Behcet disease and coeliac disease. Additional clinical studies are necessary to verify the observations. Additional Study Details

The data relied upon for the above-referenced study was comprised of long-term research information compiled to span an array of risk factors for heart-related diseases amongst Finns. This data is especially valuable as it is highly unique compared to other data sets used across the globe for similar studies.

Study participants were monitored from childhood all the way to adulthood. The year 1980 was used as a baseline. Over 3,500 people were studied in a cross-sectional manner. Subsequent visits occurred in 1983, 1986, 2001, 2007 and 2011. Surveys pertaining to cardiovascular health were conducted at 5-year intervals from 1972 to 2012 to gauge heart-related risk factors across Finland. All-in-all, nearly 54,000 subjects between the ages of 25 and 74 partook in the surveys.

Evidence Stemming From Human Genetics Hastens Medical Development

Tech developments have allowed for the practice of studies pertaining to genome-wide association for the past 100 years. Such studies took a close look at the millions of variations in DNA and their impact for each of the properties studied. These research efforts have identified more than 100 genomic loci that impact the possibility of ulcerous colitis or Crohn's disease developing. However, the exact molecular process spurring the heightened risk is unclear.

Studies focusing on genome-wide association have been initiated in which response variables molecules are used to mediate the risk of disease within the blood stream. Examples include the use of growth factors and cytokines rather than using the diseases themselves.

The Quest for Safe, Affordable and Effective Medicine

Drug candidates in which evidence from human genetics proves their effectiveness stand a much better chance to be approved within clinical studies. These studies test for safety as well as effectiveness. It is estimated that nearly 800 million dollars will be necessary to develop a market for one medicinal molecule. However, genetics research stands to provide considerable savings in the context of medical development.

Ari V. Ahola-Olli, Peter Wrtz, Aki S. Havulinna, Kristiina Aalto, Niina Pitknen, Terho Lehtimki, Mika Khnen, Leo-Pekka Lyytikinen, Emma Raitoharju, Ilkka Seppl, Antti-Pekka Sarin, Samuli Ripatti, Aarne Palotie, Markus Perola, Jorma S. Viikari, Sirpa Jalkanen, Mikael Maksimow, Veikko Salomaa, Marko Salmi, Johannes Kettunen, Olli T. Raitakari. Genome-wide Association Study Identifies 27 Loci Influencing Concentrations of Circulating Cytokines and Growth Factors. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2017; 100 (1): 40 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.11.007

Read more here:
Inflammatory Disease Prospects Discovered - Anti Aging News

The Official UK website, The Island of The Bahamas | The …

Posted on by

UK Citizen Entry Requirements Read more about how to get here and Travel info

Ragged Island Click on island for more information

Andros Click on island for more information

Nassau / Paradise Island Click on island for more information

The Abacos Click on island for more information

Grand Bahama Island Click on island for more information

The Berry Islands Click on island for more information

Bimini Click on island for more information

Eleuthera / Harbour Island Click on island for more information

The Exumas Click on island for more information

Cat Island Click on island for more information

San Salvador & Rum Cay Click on island for more information

Long Island Click on island for more information

Acklins / Crooked Island Click on island for more information

Mayaguana Click on island for more information

Inagua Click on island for more information

Read this article:

The Official UK website, The Island of The Bahamas | The ...

Bahamas – The New York Times

Posted on by

Latest Articles

A new climate study warning of abrupt coastal flooding gets dipped in the acid bath of open peer review.

To celebrate turning 29, the designer made a Bahamian getaway with his boyfriend, Paul Arnhold, and their cockapoo, Bird.

By JULIE BAUMGARDNER

From aristocratic roots to a peaceful beachside existence on Harbour Island, the model-turned-designers new lifestyle brand reveals no shortage of inspiration.

By EVIANA HARTMAN

Raids on places where Haitians live have swept up hundreds of people since a new policy took effect, requiring everyone to hold a passport.

Many buyers of high-end condos in Manhattan have started shopping for beachfront retreats in the Bahamas, some developed by New Yorkers.

By JULIE SATOW

Baha Mar, a luxury resort scheduled to open next year in Nassau in the Bahamas, will have four different hotel brands in separate towers.

By SHIVANI VORA

About 20 years ago, the beautiful and otherworldly red lionfish started showing up in south Florida and the Caribbean. Now theyre a plague.

About 20 years ago, the beautiful and otherworldly red lionfish started showing up in south Florida and the Caribbean. Now theyre a plague.

As the plane was touching down in Nassau, flames were spotted near the lefthand engine. All 93 on board escaped safely.

The wind was picking up here Thursday afternoon as Hurricane Frances worked its way up the Bahamas, kicking up 15-foot waves in the sparsely populated southeastern islands. But Mervyn Taylor, a graying civil servant, was playing a leisurely game of dominoes outside the Columbus Primary School with some friends who, like himself, had boarded up their houses and now were just waiting for the storm. Mr. Taylor and the others had heard the reports of hundreds of thousands of Floridians clogging the highways in an urgent exodus from the beaches. But, he said, having lived all his life on one or another of the 700 islands that make up the Bahamas, the idea of trying to run from a hurricane never occurred to him.

SHIFTING FORTUNES -- New figures show how sharply the fortunes of the big airlines and their low-cost rivals have diverged since the industry's peak year of 2000. The discount carriers flew 20 percent more seats in May than four years earlier, according to a report by the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General, while the network airlines capacity was down 16 percent. Reflecting the relentless pressure that low-cost carriers have kept on their bigger competitors, average air fares for a 1,000-mile trip dropped to $116 from $147 over that period. Underlining the trend toward driving rather than flying short distances, the report said that there were 27 percent fewer scheduled flights of under 250 miles in May than in May 2000, but there were 9 percent more flights of over 1,000 miles. Southwest had a 59 percent share of the low-cost market in May, followed by America West with 12 percent and Air Tran with 8 percent. Meanwhile, the propeller-driven airplane is rapidly becoming scarce on commercial flights. Flights by turboprop and piston-engine aircraft fell 63 percent in May over May 2000. Flights by regional jet increased 180 percent.

The plane crash on Aug. 25 in the Bahamas that killed Aaliyah, the 22-year-old singer and actress, followed a decision by the officials managing her travel not to use two professional charter services with planes nearby and instead to rely on a small charter company. A reconstruction of the days leading up to the crash at the Bahamian island of Abaco suggests a disorganized and confused effort to set up the filming of a video for Aaliyah. On the flight there, an official from the cargo company that loaded the planes said, the managers who supervised the travel were warned that their attempts to overload their aircraft could lead to disaster.

A fire in Nassau that raged for hours as it crept along rooftops destroyed the capital's renowned handicrafts market as well as the offices of the Tourism Ministry. The blaze, which took eight hours to control, started Tuesday afternoon in the Straw Market, a crowded and popular tourist destination. No one was reported injured, although the authorities had to evacuate 300 guests from a hotel, as well as remove artifacts from the nearby national museum, which is in an 18th-century building. David Gonzalez (NYT)

A sailboat packed with perhaps as many as 156 Haitians trying to get to the United States ran aground on the reefs surrounding Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas during the past week, leaving six dead and possibly dozens more missing, American and Bahamian authorities said today. Helicopters and boats combed the waters off Great Inagua, the southernmost island of the Bahamas, on Tuesday looking for signs of life and evacuating 69 survivors from the island. Based on interviews with survivors, the authorities could be looking for as many as 81 others.

William Morris Bain walked barefoot and somberly today through his house, where the tile floors were slick and silty from the surge of sea water that swept inside when Hurricane Floyd struck. Outside, piles of debris were all that remained of his tool shop and storehouse. The rushing water had also ripped through his two sons' homes next door, where their wives now hung damp clothes to dry on a fallen tree trunk. ''There ain't going to be no drying,'' he said as he showed a visitor a waterlogged mattress. ''We got to start all over again.''

Around 7:30 on the morning after Christmas, Orlando Hernandez, one of the best pitchers ever on the Cuban national baseball team, and seven companions got into a small sailboat with four oars. They loaded four cans of Spam, bread, sugar and drinking water onto the craft and guided it into the calm azure Caribbean water off the Cuban coast. Hernandez, known in his homeland as El Duque (The Duke), was banned from the baseball team in August 1996 because the Government believed he was about to defect and had aided in the defection of other baseball players, including his half brother, Livan, who is a pitcher for the Florida Marlins and was the World Series most valuable player last season.

In 1988, eight Democratic members of Congress formed a company to buy a tiny island in the Bahamas -- an old pirates' lair with pink beaches and palm trees -- with the idea of turning it into a resort. One of them was Matthew F. McHugh, the upstate New York Representative who is now leading the ethics committee investigation of the House bank affair. Two of the others were Robert J. Mrazek of Long Island and Edward F. Feighan of Ohio, who figure prominently in that affair and who are now appealing to Mr. McHugh's panel for exoneration on the ground that they did not "routinely and repeatedly" overdraw their accounts by significant amounts.

LEAD: Eight members of Congress are buying a Bahamian island.

The Commonwealth conference here, now in its second day, has developed into a lobbying session on South Africa, with Britain trying to persuade most of the other members that discussion is likely to be more effective than sanctions in eliminating apartheid Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher avoided the subject of South Africa when she opened today's closed-door meeting with a wide-ranging speech on world issues. But she had previously spent 45 minutes talking mainly about South Africa with Prime Minister Robert Hawke of Australia. Sir Geoffrey Howe, the British Foreign Secretary, had lunch with several Caribbean foreign ministers and others in the 21-member British delegation had fanned out among the conference participants.

The heads of government of the Commonwealth nations opened a weeklong meeting here today with an apparent majority seeking to increase pressure on South Africa to end apartheid. But Britain, which once dictated policy to the Commonwealth members when they were colonies or dominions of the British Empire, has indicated that it is opposed to taking further measures against South Afica. Thus, in the meetings over the next few days, which are to take place behind closed doors, as is customary at these conferences, many of the heads of government will try to persuade Britain to shift its position. Terrorism and Drugs In initial remarks, Lynden O. Pindling, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, said the heads of government would also take up the issues of terrorism, drug trafficking and economic problems.

A new climate study warning of abrupt coastal flooding gets dipped in the acid bath of open peer review.

To celebrate turning 29, the designer made a Bahamian getaway with his boyfriend, Paul Arnhold, and their cockapoo, Bird.

By JULIE BAUMGARDNER

From aristocratic roots to a peaceful beachside existence on Harbour Island, the model-turned-designers new lifestyle brand reveals no shortage of inspiration.

By EVIANA HARTMAN

Raids on places where Haitians live have swept up hundreds of people since a new policy took effect, requiring everyone to hold a passport.

Many buyers of high-end condos in Manhattan have started shopping for beachfront retreats in the Bahamas, some developed by New Yorkers.

By JULIE SATOW

Baha Mar, a luxury resort scheduled to open next year in Nassau in the Bahamas, will have four different hotel brands in separate towers.

By SHIVANI VORA

About 20 years ago, the beautiful and otherworldly red lionfish started showing up in south Florida and the Caribbean. Now theyre a plague.

About 20 years ago, the beautiful and otherworldly red lionfish started showing up in south Florida and the Caribbean. Now theyre a plague.

As the plane was touching down in Nassau, flames were spotted near the lefthand engine. All 93 on board escaped safely.

The wind was picking up here Thursday afternoon as Hurricane Frances worked its way up the Bahamas, kicking up 15-foot waves in the sparsely populated southeastern islands. But Mervyn Taylor, a graying civil servant, was playing a leisurely game of dominoes outside the Columbus Primary School with some friends who, like himself, had boarded up their houses and now were just waiting for the storm. Mr. Taylor and the others had heard the reports of hundreds of thousands of Floridians clogging the highways in an urgent exodus from the beaches. But, he said, having lived all his life on one or another of the 700 islands that make up the Bahamas, the idea of trying to run from a hurricane never occurred to him.

SHIFTING FORTUNES -- New figures show how sharply the fortunes of the big airlines and their low-cost rivals have diverged since the industry's peak year of 2000. The discount carriers flew 20 percent more seats in May than four years earlier, according to a report by the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General, while the network airlines capacity was down 16 percent. Reflecting the relentless pressure that low-cost carriers have kept on their bigger competitors, average air fares for a 1,000-mile trip dropped to $116 from $147 over that period. Underlining the trend toward driving rather than flying short distances, the report said that there were 27 percent fewer scheduled flights of under 250 miles in May than in May 2000, but there were 9 percent more flights of over 1,000 miles. Southwest had a 59 percent share of the low-cost market in May, followed by America West with 12 percent and Air Tran with 8 percent. Meanwhile, the propeller-driven airplane is rapidly becoming scarce on commercial flights. Flights by turboprop and piston-engine aircraft fell 63 percent in May over May 2000. Flights by regional jet increased 180 percent.

The plane crash on Aug. 25 in the Bahamas that killed Aaliyah, the 22-year-old singer and actress, followed a decision by the officials managing her travel not to use two professional charter services with planes nearby and instead to rely on a small charter company. A reconstruction of the days leading up to the crash at the Bahamian island of Abaco suggests a disorganized and confused effort to set up the filming of a video for Aaliyah. On the flight there, an official from the cargo company that loaded the planes said, the managers who supervised the travel were warned that their attempts to overload their aircraft could lead to disaster.

A fire in Nassau that raged for hours as it crept along rooftops destroyed the capital's renowned handicrafts market as well as the offices of the Tourism Ministry. The blaze, which took eight hours to control, started Tuesday afternoon in the Straw Market, a crowded and popular tourist destination. No one was reported injured, although the authorities had to evacuate 300 guests from a hotel, as well as remove artifacts from the nearby national museum, which is in an 18th-century building. David Gonzalez (NYT)

A sailboat packed with perhaps as many as 156 Haitians trying to get to the United States ran aground on the reefs surrounding Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas during the past week, leaving six dead and possibly dozens more missing, American and Bahamian authorities said today. Helicopters and boats combed the waters off Great Inagua, the southernmost island of the Bahamas, on Tuesday looking for signs of life and evacuating 69 survivors from the island. Based on interviews with survivors, the authorities could be looking for as many as 81 others.

William Morris Bain walked barefoot and somberly today through his house, where the tile floors were slick and silty from the surge of sea water that swept inside when Hurricane Floyd struck. Outside, piles of debris were all that remained of his tool shop and storehouse. The rushing water had also ripped through his two sons' homes next door, where their wives now hung damp clothes to dry on a fallen tree trunk. ''There ain't going to be no drying,'' he said as he showed a visitor a waterlogged mattress. ''We got to start all over again.''

Around 7:30 on the morning after Christmas, Orlando Hernandez, one of the best pitchers ever on the Cuban national baseball team, and seven companions got into a small sailboat with four oars. They loaded four cans of Spam, bread, sugar and drinking water onto the craft and guided it into the calm azure Caribbean water off the Cuban coast. Hernandez, known in his homeland as El Duque (The Duke), was banned from the baseball team in August 1996 because the Government believed he was about to defect and had aided in the defection of other baseball players, including his half brother, Livan, who is a pitcher for the Florida Marlins and was the World Series most valuable player last season.

In 1988, eight Democratic members of Congress formed a company to buy a tiny island in the Bahamas -- an old pirates' lair with pink beaches and palm trees -- with the idea of turning it into a resort. One of them was Matthew F. McHugh, the upstate New York Representative who is now leading the ethics committee investigation of the House bank affair. Two of the others were Robert J. Mrazek of Long Island and Edward F. Feighan of Ohio, who figure prominently in that affair and who are now appealing to Mr. McHugh's panel for exoneration on the ground that they did not "routinely and repeatedly" overdraw their accounts by significant amounts.

LEAD: Eight members of Congress are buying a Bahamian island.

The Commonwealth conference here, now in its second day, has developed into a lobbying session on South Africa, with Britain trying to persuade most of the other members that discussion is likely to be more effective than sanctions in eliminating apartheid Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher avoided the subject of South Africa when she opened today's closed-door meeting with a wide-ranging speech on world issues. But she had previously spent 45 minutes talking mainly about South Africa with Prime Minister Robert Hawke of Australia. Sir Geoffrey Howe, the British Foreign Secretary, had lunch with several Caribbean foreign ministers and others in the 21-member British delegation had fanned out among the conference participants.

The heads of government of the Commonwealth nations opened a weeklong meeting here today with an apparent majority seeking to increase pressure on South Africa to end apartheid. But Britain, which once dictated policy to the Commonwealth members when they were colonies or dominions of the British Empire, has indicated that it is opposed to taking further measures against South Afica. Thus, in the meetings over the next few days, which are to take place behind closed doors, as is customary at these conferences, many of the heads of government will try to persuade Britain to shift its position. Terrorism and Drugs In initial remarks, Lynden O. Pindling, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, said the heads of government would also take up the issues of terrorism, drug trafficking and economic problems.

Go here to see the original:

Bahamas - The New York Times

Offshore – novenco-marine.com.php56serv2.webhosting.dk

Posted on by

With close to 70 years of experience, Novenco has a long reference list for supplying HVAC/R systems and equipment to all types of offshore installations including fixed platforms, Jackups, FPSOs, Floatels and other offshore vessels. Our projects are developed worldwide. The head office for offshore applications is located in Oslo, Norway with offshore subsidiary offices in China and Singapore supported by a worldwide network of trusted partners.

Offshore projects require special knowledge of the offshore rules and regulations in addition to owner technical requirements. Novenco have the expertise to meet the most stringent specifications such as Norsok, DNV ABS, ATEX as well as Company specific requirements.

Our extensive references includes deliveries to excellent operators such as Shell, BP, Statoil, Petrobras and Maersk amongst others. The equipment supplied is often custom-built and tested according to the clients own requirements. All offshore projects are with demands for high levels of documentation.

Novenco can handle projects ranging from simple equipment deliveries to the most complex projects involving total turnkey responsibility. In the modern, highly complex world of offshore exploration, drilling and production, the focus is on providing equipment for lifetime use, reduced maintenance and reliability.

To secure on time delivery of the Equipment to different projects to the offshore sector all over the world, Novenco has focus on developing project management systems and capabilities to execute offshore projects of all sizes and complexities.

Please contact our local sales people with questions or inquiries.

Read more:

Offshore - novenco-marine.com.php56serv2.webhosting.dk

Intentional Housing Communities | www.hampshire.edu

Posted on by

Residence Life and Housing is committed to supporting and complementing the academic program with the goal of creating a holistic environment that encourages collaboration, connections, learning, and personal growth. It is with this goal in mind that intentional housing communities were established.

Intentional housing communities are living spaces in which the residents have chosen to come together around a particular area of interest that will contribute to and cultivate the campus' culture of learning. They work together with a faculty or staff advisor to educate themselves and the larger community about their area of interest. Students who elect to reside in these spaces can expect to gain meaningful relationships with one another, lasting connections with staff and faculty, access to greater campus resources, and sense of pride in their community.

All IHCs are required to host two (2) educational initiatives each semester. An educational initiative can be anything that increases knowledge about the communitys area of interest. It can be hosting a discussion, creating a blog, screening a film, or displaying thought-provoking artwork on the Magic Board. The audience can be as large as the Five College community or as small as the IHC group. Once the event is over, the IHC must submit a IHC Educational Initiative Evaluation. Evaluations are due no later than one week after the event. The ability to continue these communities is contingent upon groups hosting these events, participating in administrative aspects of the selection process, and having continued demonstrated interest from the community. Any questions about planning or organization of educational initiatives can be directed to the assistant director of residence life, an area coordinator, or an RA. Questions about starting a new IHC or how to maintain an existing IHC should be directed to the housing operations office.

View Information Booklet (pdf)

Apply now

Applications for the current academic year are reviewed on a rolling basis as space permits. Applications for the following academic year will open in early March and close in early April (check the important dates and deadlines page for upcoming deadlines). Students may apply to multiple communities, but can only accept an invitation to one.All applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of current residents and the group's advisor. Invitations to chosen applicants will be sent via Hampshire email addresses. Upon receiving an invitation, applicants will have a specified timeframe (can be as short as 48 hours during the spring room choosing process) to respond confirming their placement or will forfeit the offer.

Art Creation and Appreciation Mod, Greenwich 37: A safe space of creation, existence, and self-expression. Through creation of art--film, poetry, music, sculpture, dance, etc.--residents express themselves without inhibition. Through appreciation of others' art, residents will examine subjective perceptions. Residents strive to strip away the concreteness of objective understanding, to recognize their inability to ever grasp fully someone's meaning, and look instead to appreciate the messiness of human interaction.

Circus Children Mod, Greenwich 33: An environment conducive to learning, sharing, and practicing the circus arts. Residents will bring their unique perspective and skill-set to share with the rest of the mod and the community. Residents will engage in circus as a tool for education, social justice, and for building patience and creativity.

Gender Justice Mod (formerly Women's Empowerment Mod)Enfield 66:The Gender Justice Mod is a space for building solidarity among and working toward the liberation of all those facing gender-based violence. Members share a commitment to developing an intersectional feminist praxis. Residents of and visitors to the Mod confront and challenge not only normative understandings of gender, but also of race, class, nation, and ability. We understand our struggle against cissexist heteropatriarchy as part of a broader struggle against all systems of domination, includingbut not limited towhite supremacy, capitalism, imperialism, and ableism.

Greenhouse Mod, Enfield 46: A place for growing plants and food, learning about environmental sustainability, and for events that bring the Hampshire community together. These students care for and maintain the Enfield Greenhouse.

Hampshire Basketball Mod, Greenwich 22: The goal of this mod is to broaden the interconnecting basketball community throughout the Five College campuses, show the importance of the basketball team, and bring together the community. Residents value community, healthy lifestyles, and hard work grounded in love and support.

Intentional Arts Mod, Greenwich 5: A space for students who feel passionately about art as a tool of expression, therapy, and/or activism. Residents are interested in how art can be used within these contexts and feel that art is an extremely powerful tool. The goal of this mod is to incorporate artistic practices and methods into the daily lives of the residents, and explore what benefits and drawbacks this holds.

Kosher Mod, Prescott 82: A Kosher living space. All students welcome to apply, regardless of religious affiliation. Unlike other IHCs, the Kosher Mod is an institutionally-designated space and students must re-apply each year to ensure we are meeting the needs of the whole community.

Middle Eastern Immersion Mod, Greenwich 9: A safe space for students to learn from each other, where students who study the Middle East can learn from Middle Eastern students and vice versa. All aspects of Middle Eastern culture is incorporated into mod life, such as language, food, holidays, and discussion of current issues.

Mindfulness Mod, Greenwich 7: A space where students will support one another to be mindful and cultivate moment-by-moment, non-judgmental, focused attention and awareness.

Natural Living Mod, Greenwich 35: A home for students to respect, utilize, and immerse themselves in nature as a way of life. Residents put their values into practice by using homemade and natural health remedies, supporting local farms and co-ops, and abstaining from artificial products and processed foods.

Politics and Food Mod, Greenwich 27: This mod aims to create a space for learning about different underrepresented cultures and communities. Residents foster an atmosphere of community learning through events which address specific issues centered around the history and politics of their own cultures.

STEM Mod, Greenwich 36: A space where students can share knowledge and discuss ideas related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). They focus on developing a community committed to the advancement and appreciation of STEM in everyday lives.

Upcycling Mod, Enfield 55: A mod that will work to integrate art and sustainability in the Hampshire community, by educating students on the importance of reusing and repurposing, and organizing a series of sustainable art projects and events.

Living and Learning Communities are intentional housing communities that are open only to students in their first year at Hampshire, and must be applied for during the new student housing process.

Each IHC must select a contact person who will act as a facilitator and liaison with the HOO throughout the summer and academic year. This person will be responsible for communicating with the HOO and ensuring the IHC is completing all requirements. The contact person's attendance at an informational meeting each semester is mandatory.

IHCs are required to implement two educational initiatives each semester. During the spring semester, at least one must take place before March 1 in orderfor the IHC to be eligible to accept new applications for the following year. An educational initiative can be anything that increases knowledge about the intentional housing communitys area of interest and furthers the mission of the community. Past initiatives have included discussions, film screenings, art shows, open houses, and community meals. The audience can be as large as the Five College community or as small as the group. Residents must submit a brief evaluation form within one week of the event (a link to the evaluation form will be provided by the HOO via Hampshire email to all members of intentional housing communities). Evaluations will describe the type of event, how it was promoted, how it furthered the mission of the housing community, and how successful it was.

If spaces become available over the summer, the HOO, in coordination with the contact person, will attempt to fill them with alternates. If no alternates were listed, or those listed no longer wish to live in the IHC, the HOO will attempt to fill spaces through an application process in coordination with the contact person. The HOO, however, reserves the right to place interested students in vacancies if deemed administratively necessary.

IHCs should work actively with the HOO to recruit new members whenever vacancies arise during the year. In order to continue as an IHC, groups will need to participate in the spring room choosing process.

Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in loss of the space at the end of the academic year. IHCs that do not complete any educational initiatives during the fall semester may lose their status at the end of that semester.

A group of five or six students who wish to create an intentional housing community that does not currently exist at Hampshire must submit a written proposal (see guidelines below)to the HOO before 4 p.m. on Friday, April 8. The proposal should include a mission statement as well as a list of the students who are committed to living in this space, noting who will live in the double. Proposals will be reviewed by the assistant director of residence life, and approved or denied by Friday, April 15. A meeting may be required for approval.

Approved groups will be given three (3) additional lottery points to add to the group's total points. They will participate in the mod lottery in the traditional manner. There is no guarantee they will win a mod.

1. A mission statement: a short paragraph that will define the communitys purpose, goals, and values, as well as how it will contribute to and cultivate the campus culture of learning. Examples of mission statements can be found in the applications for existing IHCs. Some questions to consider for your mission statement: What do we hope the community can learn by living this way? How could this topic be applied to someones course of study at Hampshire?

2. A signed advisor agreement (found on the final page of this booklet) indicating the continuing support of a faculty or staff member who will act in an advisory role.

3. A proposal, including timelines, for at least two educational initiatives to be carried out in the following semester.

4. A roster of five or six students who are committed to living in the IHC. This must include an indication of two students who have consented to live in a double together, and the Hampshire email address of each student.

All of this information (and more!) can be found in the 2016 Identity Based Mods and Intentional Housing Communities Booklet. Printed copies of this booklet will be provided to all students in their first year at Hampshire, and available for other interested students in the housing operations office, area offices, and other spaces around campus.

See the rest here:

Intentional Housing Communities | http://www.hampshire.edu

Ascension with Mother Earth and Current State of Affairs

Posted on by

https://youtu.be/AMHAzGKR3AQ

victuruslibertas.com

Hello Folks,

So Our FBI anon friend who predicted PizzaGate has allowed me to interview him with ten short questions. This is BIG. It looks like the #PizzaGate scandal is going to bring down some sick Senators, Congressmen, Wall Street bankers, Journalists and other assorted demonic creatures.

I asked him some questions and I did not expect the answers I got ! Fully one third of our Government is a Pedoring!

Q: Back in July, you astounded the world by predicting #PizzaGate when you posted on 4chan. How did you know?

A: We did not predict PizzaGate. What we did do is point out that the Clinton Foundation had and has deep ties to a network of pedophiliacs.Its now slowly coming to light with the new revelations regarding Epstein and Weiner. There is lots more to come. We also got some things wrong. The VP pick, and honestly, we did not expect WJC to survive into 2017.

Q, You were laughed at when you first posted, but 95% of what you stated ended up being true. How does it feel to be vindicated?

A. We expect that. 4chan was the right environment to engage those on the edge world as we call it. Some considered our message to be a LARP. Thats fine. We threw in some false paths to ensure plausible deniability. However, when internet sleuths and citizen journalists began hunting for confirmation of our claims, we achieved the spiral effect we were seeking.

Q.Can you tell us what to expect in the near future?

A: We expect some movement next week. High level arrests of close to 3 dozen pedophile politicians, some who are quite well known. Another 42 people also expected to be arrested in the drag net. 72 in all.

Q But why pre-announce on 4chan? Doesnt that compromise the sting?

Read more here:

Ascension with Mother Earth and Current State of Affairs

UI Automation Overview – msdn.microsoft.com

Posted on by

This documentation is archived and is not being maintained.

.NET Framework (current version)

Microsoft UI Automation is the new accessibility framework for Microsoft Windows, available on all operating systems that support Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).

UI Automation provides programmatic access to most user interface (UI) elements on the desktop, enabling assistive technology products such as screen readers to provide information about the UI to end users and to manipulate the UI by means other than standard input. UI Automation also allows automated test scripts to interact with the UI.

UI Automation does not enable communication between processes started by different users through the Run as command.

UI Automation client applications can be written with the assurance that they will work on multiple frameworks. The UI Automation core masks any differences in the frameworks that underlie various pieces of UI. For example, the Content property of a WPF button, the Caption property of a Win32 button, and the ALT property of an HTML image are all mapped to a single property, Name, in the UI Automation view.

UI Automation provides full functionality in Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003.

UI Automation providers offer some support for Microsoft Active Accessibility client applications, through a built-in bridging service.

UI Automation has four main components, as shown in the following table.

Component

Description

Provider API(UIAutomationProvider.dll and UIAutomationTypes.dll)

A set of interface definitions that are implemented by UI Automation providers, objects that provide information about UI elements and respond to programmatic input.

Client API (UIAutomationClient.dll and UIAutomationTypes.dll)

A set of types for managed code that enables UI Automation client applications to obtain information about the UI and to send input to controls.

UiAutomationCore.dll

The underlying code (sometimes called the UI Automation core) that handles communication between providers and clients.

UIAutomationClientsideProviders.dll

A set of UI Automation providers for standard legacy controls. (WPF controls have native support for UI Automation.) This support is automatically available to client applications.

From the software developer's perspective, there are two ways of using UI Automation: to create support for custom controls (using the provider API), and creating applications that use the UI Automation core to communicate with UI elements (using the client API). Depending on your focus, you should refer to different parts of the documentation. You can learn more about the concepts and gain practical how-to knowledge in the following sections.

The following table lists UI Automation namespaces, the DLLs that contain them, and the audience that uses them.

UI Automation exposes every piece of the UI to client applications as an AutomationElement. Elements are contained in a tree structure, with the desktop as the root element. Clients can filter the raw view of the tree as a control view or a content view.Applications can also create custom views.

AutomationElement objects expose common properties of the UI elements they represent. One of these properties is the control type, which defines its basic appearance and functionality as a single recognizable entity: for example, a button or check box.

In addition, elements expose control patterns that provide properties specific to their control types. Control patterns also expose methods that enable clients to get further information about the element and to provide input.

There is not a one-to-one correspondence between control types and control patterns. A control pattern may be supported by multiple control types, and a control may support multiple control patterns, each of which exposes different aspects of its behavior. For example, a combo box has at least two control patterns: one that represents its ability to expand and collapse, and another that represents the selection mechanism. For specifics, see UI Automation Control Types.

UI Automation also provides information to client applications through events. Unlike WinEvents, UI Automation events are not based on a broadcast mechanism. UI Automation clients register for specific event notifications and can request that specific UI Automation properties and control pattern information be passed into their event handlers. In addition, aUI Automation event contains a reference to the element that raised it.Providers can improve performance by raising events selectively, depending on whether any clients are listening.

See more here:

UI Automation Overview - msdn.microsoft.com