In 1915, World War One spread to the Pacific Ocean, in the Dardanelles. They decided to attack here, because on the Eastern and Western fronts, the trench-warfare in these areas has resulted in a stalemate. This meant a ‘quick victory’ which the allies had hoped for, had been halted. They now needed another alternative, to attack the Germans.
The new ‘war council’, which was set up to achieve new alternatives, decided to attack through the Dardanelles, to capture Constantinople, and to knock Turkey out of the war. The decided to do this, as if Turkey were knocked out, neighbouring countries like Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania, would join the allies. At the time, it was thought that these three countries would be joining the Central Powers.On the 28th January 1915, the war council decided on an attack on the Dardanelles, using naval ships. However, on the 16th February, they decided also on providing soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC’s), to assist the Navy, on the ground attack. They decided to use the ANZAC’s, because Lord Kitchener refused to release the 29th division, as he thought they would be needed on the Western Front.
On February 19th, 1915, at 8:00am, the attack began.The attack through the Dardanelles on Galipoli, however, not a success. There were many reasons for this failure. The first was the plan was not thought-out very well at all. The first factor falling under this category is that they attacked in the early morning, in the daylight. This meant the Turkish troops were at their strongest, and they could see the British landing on the beaches.
Also, the beach that they landed on, was surrounded by steep hills and mountains, which the British and ANZAC’s had to climb up. These hills were also the perfect position for Turkish snipers to position themselves, and look down on the beach:”The landing place was a difficult one… backed by a very high mass of hills.
.. being exceedingly steep..
. it is a stiff climb even up the zigzag path…”Capt. Guy DowneyAlso, when the British landed on the beaches, they stopped for a rest, rather than ‘pressing on’ to reach the Turks on the front line:”While their senior officers strolled about through the scrub inspecting the position the men sat down to smoke and brew themselves a cup of morning tea.
..”Alan MooreheadWhen the British troops managed to reach the front line at the top of the hill, they did not dig themselves in. This cost the lives of 700 men, by dawn. The Navy then withdrew the rest of the men.With the situation of the hill being the perfect spot for Turkish snipers to sit and look down onto the beach, this is exactly what they did.
The Turkish fired on the British, from the exact moment from when the departed the landing boats:”Many were killed in the water, many, who were wounded, were swept away and drowned; others, trying to swim in the fierce current, were drowned by the weight of the equipment.”John MaesfieldAlso, due to how the trenches were positioned, and the great torrents of rain that followed, the trenches themselves, flooded with horrifying consequences:”…In one trench when the flood rose, a pony, a mule, a pig, and two dead Turks were washed over the barricade together..
.”John MaesfieldThe second reason for the failure of the Dardanelles campaign, was bad organisation. The first factor why this meant failure for the campaign was of the campaign was that the officers did not synchronise their watches. This meant that when the troops landed (on the wrong beach) that the Navy (who were meant to bomb the Turkish defences from the sea), were not taken out, and so the troops got fired upon, whilst they were still debarking from the ships, in the water.
The third reason for the failure of the Dardanelles, was poor command. The first factor why this was a failure was poor knowledge of far the enemy had advanced:”General Hamilton’s only intelligence consisted of a 1912 manual on the Turkish army, some old (and inaccurate) maps, a tourist guide book, and what little could be gleaned from the Turkish desk at the foreign office.”Michael HickeyAlso, no orders had been sent to X beach, for the troops to link back up with those of Y and S, at the top of the hill. With all of this confusion, officers lost command of their troops, due to how mixed up they got:”They had no orders to link up with the forces on Y beach or S beach.
“Alan MooreheadOn the second attack, a new leader was appointed to take command of the troops. The man appointed for this task, was a Sir Frederick Stopford. He was seen as an incompetent old fool who had no idea of what he was doing:”…
An elderly and decaying general who had never commanded troops in war…”Stopford stayed upon his hip, whilst the troops under his command made their way to the front line.
He then gave no further orders, until four days after the attack had begun.The fourth and final reason for the failure in the Dardanelles, was that inadequate force and supplies had been sent to Galipoli, form Britain. The small (or lack of) rations, also lead to sickness among the troops. With bad weather, and poor medical supplies, the situation got worse:”At dark the sleet increased, the mud froze, and there our men lay, most of them without overcoats, and many of them without food..
.”John MaesfieldAlso, lack of water was another major problem. As the troops were so far away from fresh water, pipes had to be run into trench, for the troops to drink out of. Shrapnel, enemy troops, and allied troops that had gone ‘mad’ pierced the supply hoses:”Several men went raving mad from thirst, others assaulted the water guards, pierced the supply hoses, or swam to the lighters to beg for water.
..”With all of this confusion and exhaustion led to the allied forces advancing in any way, towards the Turks.In conclusion, I do not think that any one factor was to blame for the failure of the campaign, it was a mixture of all of the factors.
However, I do believe that the ill thought out plan and poor organisation was probably the main factors to blame, if I had to choose one. I think this because, these two are basically linked, and so they have the most factors to consider.


Writing in plain language
Writing in plain language is an important part of communicating your message to a community group. It is particularly important when your message contains complex legal information that is not easy to understand.
Information that is written in plain language helps people to understand the law and the legal assistance available to them. It can also contribute to and enhance an agency's service delivery. For example, when people clearly understand who they need to contact, or the process the they need to follow, or how to complete a form - it can save time and avoid errors.
The following links are provided for general reference.To enquire about plain language service providers, please contact us.
How to guides
Organisations advocating for and supporting plain language
Clarity is a worldwide group of lawyers and others who advocate using plain language over legalese.
Plain English Foundation is an Australian organisation that advocates for plain language writing and provides training.
Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) is a group of Australian government employees from many different agencies and specialties who support the use of clear communication in government writing. Their website contains resources, examples of plain and not so plain language and useful tips and tools, for everyone to use.
Plain Language Association International is a growing volunteer non-profit organisation of plain language advocates, professionals and organisations committed to plain language principles.


What Kind of Math are Fractals?
Date: 10/23/2004 at 20:16:37 From: Lauren Subject: What branch of mathematics do fractals belong? Can you tell me what branch of mathematics includes fractals?
Date: 10/25/2004 at 17:45:43 From: Doctor Douglas Subject: Re: What branch of mathematics do fractals belong? Hi Lauren. Thanks for writing to Dr. Math. Excellent question! If I interpret your question literally, then my answer is this: fractals are geometric objects in the same way that lines and triangles and spheres and ellipses are geometric objects. Each of these geometric figures possesses certain properties that make them useful or interesting for one reason or another. For example, the interior angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees. Or, the sphere gives the maximum volume enclosed for a given surface area. The special property of fractals is that they are each "self-similar" in some way: What is a Fractal? http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/54525.html However, you may be more likely to encounter fractals from other branches of mathematics, just as you may encounter circles in branches of mathematics other than geometry (for example, you might use circles when you work with imaginary numbers in complex analysis, or if you use the unit circle in trigonometry). Some of the branches of mathematics that give rise to fractal objects are the following: differential equations and dynamical systems theory (e.g. "strange attractors"), measure theory (Cantor set), and complex analysis (Mandelbrot set). You may also encounter fractals in applications of mathematics, such as image compression, or computer art, or a whole host of scientific and engineering problems: Fractal Image Compression http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/54530.html Fractals in Real Life http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/54539.html I hope that this answers your question. Feel free to write back if you need more help with this. - Doctor Douglas, The Math Forum http://mathforum.org/dr.math/
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December 03, 2018
by: Rebecca Nicholson
The last week of November students at Sturgeon Bay High School, Sevastopol High School and Gibraltar High School participated in Challenge Day. Using an experience-based learning process the Challenge Day program seeks to break down barriers and build empathy and compassion between participants.
Challenge Day Vision
Our vision is that every child lives in a world where they feel safe, loved and celebrated.
Challenge Day Mission
Challenge Day provides youth and their communities with experiential programs that demonstrate the possibility of love and connection through the celebration of diversity, truth and full expression.
Challenge Day Recap:
“Challenge Day is a social emotional learning day that works to build connection, empathy, and inclusivity between students. The day was about being our most authentic self, by being real and sharing about who we really are. We walk around each day showing people 10% of who we are, but what would happen if we dropped that 10% image and showed people the real us? The day was all about showing others who we truly are, where we really come from, what makes us the person we are today. We did this by forming small family groups and completing an activity called if you really knew me. This was an opportunity to share life experiences that have influenced the person we are today. It gave us the chance to heal, share deep emotional stories that we rarely share with others, and help others understand what makes us the person we are. This was an extremely powerful activity that showed me everyone has a story and you never know what a person has survived to get them to where they are at today. The day taught me that you can’t judge a person by one glance, there is so much more to a person than appearance. In the afternoon we did an activity called cross the line. The Challenge Day leaders announced different scenarios that you may have experienced, and if it was true for you, you crossed the line. Some examples were; have you ever been judged on your appearance, have you ever been in foster care, do you have a family member with a physical or mental disability, did you grow up in a single parent home, has one or both of your parents passed away, etc. This activity really built connection among students and adult volunteers. There is so much power in seeing that someone you know has experienced similar challenges in life. Of all the scenarios that were listed, there was never a time a student crossed the line by themselves, there was always someone else who has experienced that same scenario. Overall, the day was very powerful and impactful. It showed me that you never know what a person has experienced and there is power in showing compassion and love for others.” ~ Dakota Londo
“I went into Challenge Day with an open mind, as these type of events are usually uncomfortable for me. The facilitators did a fantastic job of making everyone feel included & engaged. Before we knew it, students & adults were interacting on a human level without labels & roles being a concern.
We were encouraged to step outside of our comfort zones, be in the moment, express ourselves, & share openly, without judgment or bias. I believe every person could benefit from experiencing a Challenge Day!” ~ Melissa Andrews


KOÑWATSIˀTSIAIÉÑNI (Gonwatsijayenni, meaning someone lends her a flower, Mary Brant), Mohawk, head of the Six Nations matrons; b. c. 1736; d. 16 April 1796 at Kingston (Ont.).
Details of Mary Brant’s birth, parentage, and early years are obscure. She may have been born at the upper Mohawk castle of Canajoharie (near Little Falls, N.Y.), her family’s home; or, like her younger brother Joseph [Thayendanegea*], she may have been born while her parents were living in the Ohio region. John Norton* in his Journal states that Joseph was born at Cayahoga (near Akron, Ohio) and was “descended from Wyandot prisoners adopted by the Mohawks on both the father and the mother’s side.” William Allen, who had interviewed Joseph Brant’s son Joseph, stated, perhaps on the son’s authority, that Brant’s father was an Onondaga chief. This assertion would not negate Norton’s claim that the Brants were of Wyandot ancestry and Mohawk nationality since, in the matrilineal Iroquois society, children took the nationality of their mother. Some authorities claim that the father of Mary and Joseph was a respected sachem. According to Norton, he was “a great Warrior” who died when the children were young. The mother then took Mary and Joseph with her to Canajoharie shortly before the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War. Eleazar Wheelock, at whose mission school in Connecticut Joseph Brant once studied, said that the Brants were “a Family of Distinction” among the Mohawks.
There was a persistent tradition in the Mohawk valley among both whites and Indians that Mary and Joseph Brant were descended from King Hendrick [Theyanoguin*]. The 19th-century historian and archivist Lyman Copeland Draper, who did painstaking research on the Brant genealogy, found confirmation of such a relationship. A Mohawk woman named Katy Moses, aged 77 in 1879 and “distantly related to Brant’s last wife,” stated that “she learned many years ago from aged Mohawks, that Brant’s mother was a daughter of Old King Hendrick.” Joseph Brant’s granddaughter Charlotte told Draper that Joseph’s mother was a granddaughter of Hendrick.
Mary, or Molly as she was generally known, possibly attended one of the Church of England mission schools in the Mohawk valley. Her later letters, if authentically from her own hand, show that she was mistress of a fine penmanship and a proper English style. There is some evidence, however, that she was only semi-literate and that the letters were dictated to an amanuensis.
She evidently accompanied the delegation of 12 Mohawk principal men who, under the leadership of Hendrick, went to Philadelphia in the winter of 1754–55 to discuss with Pennsylvania officials the fraudulent sale of lands in the Wyoming valley to a group of Connecticut speculators [see John Hendricks Lÿdius]. Christian Daniel Claus, who had accompanied the delegation, stated that at Albany on the return trip an English captain “fell in Love wth. Ms. Mary Brant who was then pretty likely not havg. had the small pox.”
According to a Mohawk valley tradition, Molly first attracted Sir William Johnson’s attention at a militia muster, when she leaped upon the back of a horse behind an officer and hung on to him as the horse dashed about the field, much to the amusement of the spectators. Their first child, Peter Warren Johnson, was born in 1759, the same year that Johnson’s wife Catherine Weissenberg died. Molly and Sir William had seven more children who survived infancy. Although Johnson referred to her in his will as his “prudent & faithfull Housekeeper” and to the children as his natural children, there is a persistent tradition that they were married according to Indian ceremony, which was not recognized as legal for members of the white community. Johnson treated her with every respect, furnished her and the children with every comfort and luxury befitting an upper class family, and provided generously for them in his will. He also permitted the children to bear his surname. The eldest, named in honour of Johnson’s uncle, Sir Peter Warren*, probably received his early education in the Mohawk valley but in 1772 was sent to Montreal for further schooling. In 1773 Johnson sent him to Philadelphia, where he was apprenticed to a dry-goods merchant. Indicative of his genteel upbringing were his requests to his father for a watch so that he might be on time for dinner appointments and for work, some French and English books to read at leisure, a Mohawk book so that he would not forget his Indian tongue, and help in securing a violin. Of his mother, he requested some Indian curiosities to show his Philadelphia friends. His letters indicate a close and affectionate relationship between Johnson, his Mohawk consort, and their children.
Mary Brant presided over Johnson’s household with intelligence, ability, grace, and charm, and she effectively managed the estate during Johnson’s many and prolonged absences. A contemporary author described her as a “daughter to a sachem, who possessed an uncommonly agreeable person, and good understanding.” Because of her important family connections among the Iroquois, she was also of inestimable value to Sir William during his negotiations with the Indians.
After Sir William’s death in 1774, she and her children moved to Canajoharie, for the Johnson Hall estate had passed into the hands of John Johnson*, Sir William’s white son. At Canajoharie she was highly respected both as the relict of Sir William and as a woman of quality in her own right. She maintained a comfortable existence in a well-furnished house and dressed in Indian style, but in the finest cloth. In his will Sir William had left her a lot in the Kingsland Patent (in present-day Herkimer County), a black female slave, and £200, New York currency. With her legacy she opened a store among the Indians, where she traded chiefly in rum.
Upon the outbreak of hostilities between Great Britain and the colonies, the Brants became staunch loyalists. Early in the conflict Mary Brant did all in her power to feed and assist those loyalists who had taken refuge in the woods, and she also sent ammunition to supporters of the king. In August 1777 she performed one of her most noteworthy achievements when she dispatched Indian runners to inform Barrimore Matthew St Leger’s forces, then besieging Fort Stanwix (Rome, N.Y.), of the approach of a large body of American militia. This timely warning resulted in the successful ambush of the Americans by the Indians and loyalists at nearby Oriskany.
After the battle the Oriska Indians, a part of the Oneida nation who had supported the Americans in the campaign, revenged themselves upon the Mohawks, and particularly upon Mary Brant, by attacking and despoiling both Canajoharie and Fort Hunter, N.Y., the lower Mohawk castle. Mary Brant and her family, who had lost most of their possessions in the attack, took refuge at Onondaga (near Syracuse), the capital of the Six Nations Confederacy, where she submitted her grievances to the confederacy council and was promised satisfaction.
She then moved to Cayuga (south of present Cayuga, N.Y.), where she had distant relatives; and during the months of discouragement after the Stanwix campaign, when the Indians pondered their losses and wavered in their support of the king, she rendered invaluable service by encouraging and steadying them in their alliance. In one important council she even publicly rebuked the venerable Kaieñˀkwaahtoñ, leading war chief of the confederacy, for counselling peace with the Americans. Her entreaties won over the whole council. Daniel Claus correctly assessed her influence with the Iroquois: “one word from her goes farther with them than a thousand from any white Man without Exception who in general must purchase their Interest at a high rate.”
Soon afterwards Major John Butler prevailed upon Mary Brant to come to live at Niagara (near Youngstown, N.Y.), a major military base where she could be of much use to the British by advising and interceding with the Indians. As head of a society of Six Nations matrons, which was particularly influential among the young warriors, she was highly esteemed in the confederacy. She arrived at Fort Niagara in the late fall of 1777 and for the next several months was of inestimable assistance there as a diplomat and stateswoman. She was consulted by the Indians on all issues of importance and often cautioned them against making unwise proposals to the commander of the fort.
In July 1779, at the suggestion of the commander, who found his facilities at the fort strained, she reluctantly left her elderly mother behind and went with her family to Montreal, where she placed two of her daughters in a boarding school. In the autumn of 1779, when she heard of the destruction being wrought in Iroquois country by the forces of the Sullivan-Clinton expedition [see Kaieñˀkwaahtoñ], she hastened to return to Niagara to be of what assistance she could. But she never reached Niagara, for she agreed instead to remain at Carleton Island, N.Y., where there was a large Six Nations settlement and where she was able to assuage the disgruntled and resentful Indians during the discouraging winter of 1779–80. The commander, Alexander Fraser, highly praised her leadership during those months, affirming that the Indians’ “uncommon good behaviour is in a great Measure to be ascribed to Miss Molly Brants Influence over them, which is far superior to that of all their Chiefs put together.” A woman of spirit and sometimes of temper, she remained fiercely loyal to her family and to the memory of Sir William and bitter towards the American rebels, who had driven her and her people from their homeland.
In 1783, at the end of the war, she moved to Cataraqui (Kingston, Ont.), where Haldimand ordered a house to be built for her. She lived the remainder of her life at Kingston, highly respected by her neighbours. In 1783 also, Haldimand set her pension at £100 annually, the highest paid to an Indian. In addition she received compensation from the British government for her losses during the war. She made a trip back to the Mohawk valley in 1785 and visited Schenectady, where the Americans attempted to persuade her to return with her family. Several years later she was offered financial compensation by the Americans for her confiscated lands if she and her children would return and settle, which offer she “rejected with the utmost contempt.”
Little is known of her later years, though reports of travellers afford the occasional glimpse. On 13 Sept. 1794 Mrs John Graves Simcoe [Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim*] permitted Mary Brant, who was ill, to travel with her aboard the Mississauga from Niagara to Kingston. “She speaks English well,” noted Mrs Simcoe in her Diary, “and is a civil and very sensible old woman.” In April of the following year Mary Brant successfully prescribed a favourite Indian remedy, the root of sweet flag (acorus calamus), for Governor Simcoe*, who had been extremely ill with a persistent cough. The medicine relieved his malady “in a very short time.”
Mary Brant remained a devout Anglican, regularly attending services at St George’s in Kingston, where she “sat in an honourable place among the English.” She died on 16 April 1796 and was buried in the cemetery (now St Paul’s churchyard) in a ceremony conducted by the pastor John Stuart*, who had once been missionary to the Mohawks at Fort Hunter. All her daughters, save one who remained single, married white men of distinction in Upper Canada. Her son George Johnson, known among the Indians as Big George, farmed and taught a day school not far from Brantford for many years. Peter died in 1777 in Philadelphia while serving with the 26th Foot.
A woman of high intelligence and remarkable ability who was at ease in two cultures, Mary Brant personified the dignity and influence accorded to respected mothers among the Iroquois people. In a society in which the mothers chose the sachems and influenced the warriors, Mary Brant played a unique role. Her descent from a high ranking Indian family, her liaison with Sir William Johnson, and her own talents enabled her to wield great power at a critical moment. This power she exerted at much personal cost in a cause which she believed just. Her loyalty to her own family, to her people, and to the traditional Iroquois alliance with the crown was steadfast and enduring. The military officials who had most to do with Indian affairs during the American revolution recognized how essential her leadership was in maintaining the morale and loyalty of the Iroquois. History has subsequently been less than kind to her in often overlooking her achievements. Unquestionably she was one of the most devoted United Empire Loyalists.
BL, Add. mss 21661–892 (transcripts at PAC). Clements Library, Sydney papers, secret service payments, 1782–91, Nepean papers, compensation for Joseph and Mary Brant, 31 March 1786. N.Y. Hist. Soc. (New York), Misc. mss Haldimand, Haldimand to John Johnson, 27 May 1783. New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division, American loyalist transcripts, XXI, p.331; XLIV, pp. 107, 118; Schuyler papers, Indian boxes, box 14. PAC, MG 19, F1; RG 1, L3, 186. PRO, CO 42 (mfm. at PAC). Wis., State Hist. Soc. (Madison), Draper mss, ser. F.. ... Can., Dept. of Militia and Defence, General Staff, A history of the organization, development and services of the military and naval forces of Canada from the peace of Paris in 1763, to the present time . . . (3v., [Ottawa, 1919–20]), II. [C. D. Claus], Daniel Claus’ narrative of his relations with Sir William Johnson and experiences in the Lake George fight, [ed. A. S. Walcott] ([New York], 1904). [A. MacV. Grant], Memoirs of an American lady . . . (2v., London, 1808). [E. P. Gwillim (Simcoe)], The diary of Mrs. John Graves Simcoe . . . , ed. J. R. Robertson (Toronto, 1911; repr. 1973). [S. A. Harrison], Memoir of Lieut. Col. Tench Tilghman . . . (Albany, N.Y., 1876; repr. New York, 1971). Johnson papers (Sullivan et al.). Kingston before War of 1812 (Preston). [John Norton], The journal of Major John Norton, 1816, ed. C. F. Klinck and J. J. Talman (Toronto, 1970). NYCD (O’Callaghan and Fernow), VIII. The Susquehannah Company papers, ed. J. P. Boyd (4v., Ithaca, N.Y., 1962), I. Eleazar Wheelock, A plain and faithful narrative of the original design, rise, progress, and present state of the Indian charity-school at Lebanon, in Connecticut (Boston, Mass., 1763).. ... William Allen, The American biographical dictionary . . . (3rd ed., Boston, Mass., 1857), 131–32. Notable American women, 1607–1950: a biographical dictionary, ed. E. T. James et al. (3v., Cambridge, Mass., 1971), I, 229–30. Graymont, Iroquois. W. L. [and W. L.] Stone, The life and times of Sir William Johnson, bart. (2v., Albany, N.Y., 1865). H. P. Gundy, “Molly Brant – loyalist,” OH, XLV (1953), 97–108. M. W. Hamilton, “Sir William Johnson’s wives,” New York History (Cooperstown), XXXVIII (1957), 18–28. Jean Johnston, “Ancestry and descendants of Molly Brant,” OH, LXIII (1971), 86–92.


At Kids Village, teaching our students to read (and read well) is one of our most important goals. The curriculum we use to support our reading program has been among the top 3 reading curriculum in the nation for the past 30 years. The result is students that are consistently reading grade levels above their peers when they enter grade school.
We are proud of our reading program and the success our students see in:
- Decoding words through phonetics. By teaching our students the structure and sounds of words, we’re empowering them with information to identify words they never read before.
- Understanding and identifying sight words. The English language is complex (and so is every student. We’ve strategically paired phonetics with understanding and identifying important sight words. This helps maximize learning for each student regardless of learning style. It also supports literacy in words that can’t be decoded through phonetics, and increases reading ease and comfort.
- Most importantly, we take pride in our students’ reading comprehension. Not only are our students strong (and early) readers; our students also comprehend and enjoy the materials they’re reading. They’re interested in the books they read and are developing a genuine interest in reading. This integral (yet often overlooked) skill is one of the most important lifelong skills our children can learn for academic and professional success.
While reading in school is foundational to the Kids Village educational philosophy, reading at home encourages a lifelong mindset of reading.
Here are 9 tips for encouraging reading at home:
Read to your child
One of the most important things you can do to encourage your child to read to your child every day. Even as your children get older, making reading part of your daily routine will encourage a culture of reading in your family.
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to make this experience fun. Let your children pick books they enjoy. Use your storytelling skills (and character voices) to keep your child engaged. Fun voices and storytelling will aslo help younger children follow the story better. Remember, if you’re bored or seem bored, your child will pick up on it.
Create fun games
Play fun games with your child to help with sight words, phonics words, or spelling. Try a word scavenger hunt or a sight word game. Take turns reading poems in silly voices or find and follow a recipe together.
Have a wide variety of books available in your home
Your child should see books in their home multiple times a day every day. There should always book nearby so your child can have the opportunity to read if he or she wants to. Stock your library with age-appropriate books about your child’s interests, favorite characters, and favorite types of stories. Does your child love stories about other children, fantasy or science fiction? Books about talking animals? Any story with their favorite character?
Keep books or other reading materials intentionally within reach
“I like to put a National Geographic kids magazine or two at the kitchen table and switch it out once or twice a week. I also put joke books on the coffee table in the living room, and keep books of fun or silly facts in the car. I never ask my children if they’ve read them or tell them to read them, but they always seem to naturally pick them up to thumb through and find something fun.” – Kelly Andrew
Make reading a priority in your home
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: You are the biggest role model in your child’s life. Let them see you reading every day for at least 15 minutes (and we don’t mean on mobile devices, since children associate those with games and social media). Pick up a book, newspaper, or magazine, and settle in for a few quality minutes of reading.
If you are able to convince your child to sit down and read next to you, great! If you can’t, don’t worry about it. Even if they’re not actively participating, simply letting your child catch a glimpse of you reading each day can impact their approach to reading.
Consider extending bedtime, just for self-reading
“When I was a child, bedtime just meant it was time to get into our beds and turn on our reading lamps; we were allowed to read as long as we wanted! Sure, sometimes we took advantage of it and read into the wee hours of the morning, but we quickly learned that meant we were tired and groggy the next day, so we rarely stayed up longer than was reasonable. More impactful, we embraced what felt like the autonomy of the freedom to read and consequently read voraciously. We all became lifelong readers and still, to this day, read every night.” – Lisa Hopkins
Explore reading programs at your local library
Visit your local library and let your child participate in their children’s reading programs. Most community libraries have reading time sessions that can help you child strengthen their reading skills in a fun, age-appropriate atmosphere.
Encourage your child to read to a pet
Research shows that when children read to a dog, they are less afraid and more engaged in their reading assignments. It gives them the opportunity to read in front of another individual, but without the pressure that is sometimes felt when reading to classmates. It also gives them an opportunity to try out some of the storytelling techniques they emulate from you, in a safe, non-judgmental environment. If you don’t have a pet at home, consider a giving your child a special stuffed animal friend to whom to read.
Don’t make reading a chore
As soon as reading becomes something that is a required, painful part of the day, you’ve lost. Keep reading fun and light. If your child doesn’t seem interested, then it’s time to get creative (not time to crack down)! It doesn’t take very many bad reading experiences before your child begins to develop a distaste for the important skill, and each positive experience not only builds their relationship with you, but also builds their love for reading. Remember to have fun with it, and your child will enjoy reading, too!
Reading is one of the most critical skills your child can learn, but a love of reading is one of the most important passions they can develop! Help your child build their love for reading by making reading a (fun, enjoyable) priority at home.
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Disagree with your child's career choice?
What to do if you disagree with the career your child has chosen.
You want your child to do better
Do you want your child to have a different career than yours or aim higher?
Before you chat to them check if:
- you are realistic about your child's abilities and strengths
- you are trying to live your dreams through your child
- your child lacks the confidence to aim higher.
When you want your child to choose another career
If you want your child to have a different career or aim higher you could:
- explain the negative sides of your job
- try to set up work experience in your job – your child will see what your job is really like
- talk to your school's career adviser about setting up work experience in other workplaces
- talk to your school's dean or counsellor or look online for tips on how to boost your child's confidence.
Your child doesn't want to be in the family business
If you want your child to work in your family business you could:
- ask them about their reasons for not wanting to work there and listen carefully without responding
- check they understand the variety of roles in your business
- ask them to do some work experience in your business
- explain how you started the business and what skills you use to run it
- explain why it is important to you to have them in the business.
Chances of finding work are poor
If you worry that your child's chances of finding work in their chosen career are poor, you could:
- check our website to see what their chances of finding that type of work really are
- encourage them to make a plan for getting a job in their chosen career
- encourage them to talk to people in their industry for work experience, information and networking
- help them to make another plan if they can't get into their chosen career right away.
You question their ability to do the job
If you think your child doesn't have the ability or talent for their chosen career you could:
- talk to your school's dean, counsellor or careers adviser or their form teacher about your concerns
- make sure you have a good understanding of what their abilities and talents are – could you be mistaken?
- encourage them to do work experience or take lessons (eg, singing lessons) to test their abilities
- encourage them to work harder on skills and abilities that will help them in their dream career.
Find out more
Updated 24 Jan 2019


The term “immunocompromised host” describes a patient who is at increased risk for Life-threatening infection as a consequence of a congenital or acquired abnormality of the immune system.
This is defined as a human or an animal whose immune response, is weakened as a result of an immunodeficiency disorder, diseases, administration of immunosuppressive drugs or exposure to irradiation.
Genitourinary tract infections are among the most frequent disorders for which patients seek gynecologic care. The obstetrician and gynecologist must be persistently vigilant of unique opportunities to detect infections that may become serious and life threatening.
Sexually transmitted disease (STD) is the term used for diseases that are transmitted through human sexual activity. However, some STDs are also transmitted through body fluids, such as blood and through contaminated IV drug needles.
Since early recognition and treatment can be detrimental to clinical outcome, central nervous system (CNS) infections are a major healthcare concern.
The skin is the largest organ in the human body and is comprised of several stratified layers including the epidermis, stratum corneum and dermis. Keratinocytes on the outermost surface of the skin provide an armour-like layer that is constantly shed and replaced.
Sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock are major healthcare problems.
Brucellosis is an infectious disease of animals (zoonosis) that is transmittable to humans.
Brucellosis, the commonest zoonosis worldwide, is caused by Gram-negative, intracellular coccobacilli that affect various body organs.
Globally, brucellosis is one of the most common zoonotic diseases, It is endemic and reemerging infection in rural areas in Mediterranean, Middle East and Latin American countries.
The incidence of opportunistic fungal infection has been increased in the last few decades.
An immunocompromised host is an individual whose immune response is weakened as a result of an immunodeficiency disorder, exposure to immunosuppressive drugs or irradiation (for example, patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation).
Microsporidia are unicellular eukaryotes, an obligatory intracellular parasite, which for many years were considered protozoan.
MD at the age of 25 years from University “La Sapienza”
Maria Teresa Mascellino has completed her MD at the age of 25 years from University “La Sapienza” of Rome during the period of 1980 and specialization studies in Microbiolgy and Infectious Diseases from University “La Sapienza” of Rome (Italy). She is Responsible for the Simple Operative Unit “Microbiological Analyses in the immunocompromised hosts” in the Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases at Policlinico Umberto I° of Rome. She has published more than 110 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute. She is member of many scienti fi c societies and has partic- ipated in relevant International Research Projects. Her research has included the following topics: Bacterial antibiotic resistance and multidrug resistant microorganisms, Tubercu- losis, Chlamydia infections, MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), Rapid laboratory methods (PCR), Helicobacter pylori: virulence determinants and pathology, Can- didemiae: incidence and drugs susceptibility, Intracardiac devices infections, Sonication technique for bacterial bio fi lm, Klebsiella pneumoniae MDR in nosocomial infections and synergistic activity of double carbapenem.


Nicotine is perhaps a more commonly occurring substance than we think. It is an addictive colorless, oily liquid that turns brown with exposure to oxygen or light. It is a naturally occurring toxic, nitrogen based alkaloid chemical akin to and just as potentially dangerous in high doses as morphine strychnine and ephedrine that exists naturally in our world.
It is found in several different yet surprisingly common species of plants in the nightshade family, including, all varieties of tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants. However, it is most notably found in tobacco plants.
Most people know perhaps the most prominent characteristic are its highly addictive qualities — making smoking tobacco, unfortunately, a very hard habit to break. Noted tobacco researcher, M.A.H. Russell once wrote, “There is little doubt that if it were not for the nicotine in tobacco smoke, people would be little more inclined to smoke than they are to blow bubbles or to light sparklers.”
That being said, it is not the nicotine itself that is causing the danger in smoking, it is the 4000 other known carcinogens that exist in the tobacco smoke itself. While it contributes to a significant portion of the addiction, it certainly does not contain cancer causing substances that make cigarettes so fatally dangerous. That is why many who choose to use replacement therapies to help them quit, often administer the nicotine in other ways.
Nicotine affects the central nervous system and It’s actual physical response to the body is similar to that of caffeine. Physical effects of using nicotine can include a raise in heart rate, heart stroke volume and heart oxygen consumption rate. Other effects include increased alertness, euphoria, and a sensation of being relaxed. Users also say it helps to maintain concentration, reduce general anxiety, relieve minor pain, even helping with weight control.
Nicotine is both a sedative and a stimulant. When you are exposed to it in any form, you are likely to experience a little jolt of energy, or kick, partly due to the it’s ability to release adrenaline in your body.
Indirectly, it also affects you by causing dopamine to be released in the pleasure and motivation areas of the brain. With increased levels of dopamine, many users find higher levels of contentment as a result. It’s use also results in increased levels of beta-endorphin adding to the feeling of happiness. These reasons may be why so many users also report a calming sensation when they use, helping them to control and reduce stress and anxiety.
Nicotine also appears to improve memory and concentration. Experts say that this is a result of an increase in acetylcholine and norepinephrine. Norepinephrine also increases the sensation of being alert. For instance, one study even showed that those with the substance in their system will type about 5% faster than those without.
Most users find that, as with many altering substances, their tolerance level changes over time. As you have more and more, you may find yourself requiring higher doses just to enjoy the same effects you had when you began using. Even on a smaller scale, most users find that the first cigarette of the day is the best. That is because during the day the more you use, the less effect it has on you, and therefore, the more you need to get the “buzz” you are craving.
As many who have quit or attempted to stop smoking know, it is extremely difficult to quit smoking. In part due to the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that a user can and will most likely experience when they stopped using tobacco altogether.
Potential symptoms of withdrawal include a headache, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, irritability, anxiety and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms of withdrawal are strong and difficult to deal with, which is why many opt for and find success with some form of replacement therapy when they are trying to quit smoking.


The Resource Identification Initiative has been launched and moved beyond a pilot phase. We invite publishers, editors, authors, biocurators, librarians, resource provides, and vendors to participate.
Authors can participate by adding RRIDs to their papers, go to scicrunch.org/resources
The Resource Identification Initiative (#RRID) is designed to help researchers sufficiently cite the key resources used to produce the scientific findings reported in the biomedical literature. A diverse group of collaborators are leading the project, including the Neuroscience Information Framework with the support of the National Institutes of Health and the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility.
Resources (e.g. antibodies, model organisms, and software projects) reported in the biomedical literature often lack sufficient detail to enable reproducibility or reuse. For example, catalog numbers for antibody reagents are infrequently reported, and the version numbers for software programs used for data analysis are often omitted. This has been called out as a serious enough problem by the NIH to introduce new guidelines for Rigor and Transparency for almost all awards in starting in May of 2016.
These guidelines argue for authentication of key research resources, and transparency of how they are reported.
The Resource Identification Initiative aims to enable resource transparency within the biomedical literature through promoting the use of unique Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs). In addition to being unique, RRID’s meet three key criteria, they are:
The first step in this project was to test the feasibility of the system for a limited set of resources: antibodies, model organisms (mice, zebrafish, flies) and tools (i.e. software and databases) in the biomedical literature. Authors publishing in participating journals were asked to provide RRID's for their resources. RRID's will be drawn from:
To make it easy for authors to find the appropriate RRID's and to format their citations, we have created the Resource Identification Portal, where authors can search across all of sources from a single location.
In addition to facilitating reproducibility and reuse, the inclusion of RRID citations in the literature allows resource providers, funders and others to better track usage and impact. Ultimately, we believe that the outcome of the pilot phase showed:
- The need for better reporting of materials and methods to promote reproducible science. Proper resource identification is a step towards this goal.
- The need for a cultural shift in the way we write and structure papers. We must recognize the increasing dominant model of interacting with the literature through automated agents; therefore, the conventions we adopt should be tailored towards greater machine-processability.
- The need for a cultural shift in the way we view the literature. The literature is not only a source of papers for people to read, but a connected set of data: observations and claims in biomedicine that span journals, publishers, and formats. The synthesis of information from the literature and other sources requires universal machine access to key entities.
The pilot project was an outcome of a meeting held at the NIH on Jun 26th, 2013. A draft report from the meeting is available. We are working with commercial partners, tools builders and others in the FORCE11 community to provide a set of interfaces that will allow authors to access the data set acquired in various ways that will demonstrate the power of this approach. We hope the Resource Identification Initiative will be a small step towards improving scholarly communication and scientific reproducibility.
Please see this guide if you are interested in participating. For an overview of the project visit the FAQ.
Co-Published: Journal of Comparative Neurology [10.1002/cne.23913], Brain and Behavior [10.1002/brb3.417], F1000 Research [10.12688/f1000research.6555.2], and Neuroinformatics [10.1007/s12021-015-9284-3].
Another reason why we are doing this: Faulty Antibodies Continue to Enter US and European Markets, Warns Top Clinical Chemistry Researcher
Helsby et al (2013) Reporting research antibody use: how to increase experimental reproducibility. F1000 Research
Biocompare: Taking Steps Towards Scientific Reproducibility


Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is one of the five major groups of lipoprotein which transport all fat molecules around the body in the extracellular water. These groups, from least dense to most dense, are chylomicrons (aka ULDL by the overall density naming convention), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL delivers fat molecules to cells. LDL is involved in atherosclerosis, a process in which it is oxidized within the walls of arteries.
Lipoproteins transfer lipids (fats) around the body in the extracellular fluid, making fats available to body cells for receptor-mediated endocytosis. Lipoproteins are complex particles composed of multiple proteins, typically 80-100 proteins per particle (organized by a single apolipoprotein B for LDL and the larger particles). A single LDL particle is about 220-275 angstroms in diameter, typically transporting 3,000 to 6,000 fat molecules per particle, and varying in size according to the number and mix of fat molecules contained within. The lipids carried include all fat molecules with cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides dominant; amounts of each varying considerably.
The conventional interpretation of cholesterol levels holds that higher levels of LDL particles pose increased risk of cardiovascular disease. LDL particles are thought to invade the endothelium and become oxidized, since the oxidized forms would be more easily retained by the proteoglycans. This view has been challenged as inaccurate and based on flawed research methodology. The issue remains controversial and vigorously contested in the literature.
Each native LDL particle enables emulsification, i.e. surrounding the fatty acids being carried, enabling these fats to move around the body within the water outside cells. Each particle contains a single apolipoprotein B-100 molecule (Apo B-100, a protein that has 4536 amino acid residues and a mass of 514 kDa), along with 80 to 100 additional ancillary proteins. Each LDL has a highly hydrophobic core consisting of polyunsaturated fatty acid known as linoleate and hundreds to thousands (about 1500 commonly cited as an average) of esterified and unesterified cholesterol molecules. This core also carries varying numbers of triglycerides and other fats and is surrounded by a shell of phospholipids and unesterified cholesterol, as well as the single copy of Apo B-100. LDL particles are approximately 22 nm (0.00000087 in.) to 27.5 nm in diameter and have a mass of about 3 million daltons. Since LDL particles contain a variable and changing number of fatty acid molecules, there is a distribution of LDL particle mass and size. Determining the structure of LDL has been a tough task because of its heterogeneous structure. The structure of LDL at human body temperature in native condition, with a resolution of about 16 Angstroms using cryogenic electron microscopy, has been recently described.
LDL particles are formed when triglycerides are removed from VLDL by the lipoprotein lipase enzyme (LPL) and they become smaller and denser (i.e. fewer fat molecules with same protein transport shell), containing a higher proportion of cholesterol esters.
When a cell requires additional cholesterol (beyond its current internal HMGCoA production pathway), it synthesizes the necessary LDL receptors as well as PCSK9, a proprotein convertase that marks the LDL receptor for degradation. LDL receptors are inserted into the plasma membrane and diffuse freely until they associate with clathrin-coated pits. When LDL receptors bind LDL particles in the bloodstream, the clathrin-coated pits are endocytosed into the cell.
Vesicles containing LDL receptors bound to LDL are delivered to the endosome. In the presence of low pH, such as that found in the endosome, LDL receptors undergo a conformation change, releasing LDL. LDL is then shipped to the lysosome, where cholesterol esters in the LDL are hydrolysed. LDL receptors are typically returned to the plasma membrane, where they repeat this cycle. If LDL receptors bind to PCSK9, however, transport of LDL receptors is redirected to the lysosome, where they are degraded.
LDL interfere with the quorum sensing system that upregulates genes required for invasive Staphylococcus aureus infection. The mechanism of antagonism entails binding apolipoprotein B to a S. aureus autoinducer pheromone, preventing signaling through its receptor. Mice deficient in apolipoprotein B are more susceptible to invasive bacterial infection.
LDL can be grouped based on its size: large low density LDL particles are described as pattern A, and small high density LDL particles are pattern B. Pattern B has been associated by some with a higher risk for coronary heart disease.:1-10 This is thought to be because the smaller particles are more easily able to penetrate the endothelium of arterial walls. Pattern I, for intermediate, indicates that most LDL particles are very close in size to the normal gaps in the endothelium (26 nm). According to one study, sizes 19.0-20.5 nm were designated as pattern B and LDL sizes 20.6-22 nm were designated as pattern A. Other studies have shown no such correlation at all.
Some evidence suggests the correlation between Pattern B and coronary heart disease is stronger than the correspondence between the LDL number measured in the standard lipid profile test. Tests to measure these LDL subtype patterns have been more expensive and not widely available, so the common lipid profile test is used more often.
There has also been noted a correspondence between higher triglyceride levels and higher levels of smaller, denser LDL particles and alternately lower triglyceride levels and higher levels of the larger, less dense ("buoyant") LDL.
With continued research, decreasing cost, greater availability and wider acceptance of other lipoprotein subclass analysis assay methods, including NMR spectroscopy, research studies have continued to show a stronger correlation between human clinically obvious cardiovascular events and quantitatively measured particle concentrations.
Oxidized LDL is a general term for LDL particles with oxidatively modified structural components. As a result from free radical attack, both lipid and protein parts of LDL can be oxidized in the vascular wall. Besides the oxidative reactions taking place in vascular wall, oxidized lipids in LDL can also be derived from oxidized dietary lipids. Oxidized LDL is known to associate with the development of atherosclerosis, and it is therefore widely studied as a potential risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. Atherogenicity of oxidized LDL has been explained by lack of recognition of oxidation-modified LDL structures by the LDL receptors, preventing the normal metabolism of LDL particles and leading eventually to development of atherosclerotic plaques. Of the lipid material contained in LDL, various lipid oxidation products are known as the ultimate atherogenic species. Acting as a transporter of these injurious molecules is another mechanism by which LDL can increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
Blood tests commonly report LDL-C: the amount of cholesterol which is estimated to be contained with LDL particles, on average, using a formula, the Friedewald equation. In clinical context, mathematically calculated estimates of LDL-C are commonly used as an estimate of how much low density lipoproteins are driving progression of atherosclerosis. The problem with this approach is that LDL-C values are commonly discordant with both direct measurements of LDL particles and actual rates of atherosclerosis progression.
Direct LDL measurements are also available and better reveal individual issues but are less often promoted or done due to slightly higher costs and being available from only a couple of laboratories in the United States. In 2008, the ADA and ACC recognized direct LDL particle measurement by NMR as superior for assessing individual risk of cardiovascular events.
Chemical measures of lipid concentration have long been the most-used clinical measurement, not because they have the best correlation with individual outcome, but because these lab methods are less expensive and more widely available.
The lipid profile does not measure LDL particles. It only estimates them using the Friedewald equation by subtracting the amount of cholesterol associated with other particles, such as HDL and VLDL, assuming a prolonged fasting state, etc.:
There are limitations to this method, most notably that samples must be obtained after a 12 to 14 h fast and that LDL-C cannot be calculated if plasma triglyceride is >4.52 mmol/L (400 mg/dL). Even at triglyceride levels 2.5 to 4.5 mmol/L, this formula is considered inaccurate. If both total cholesterol and triglyceride levels are elevated then a modified formula, with quantities in mg/dl, may be used
This formula provides an approximation with fair accuracy for most people, assuming the blood was drawn after fasting for about 14 hours or longer, but does not reveal the actual LDL particle concentration because the percentage of fat molecules within the LDL particles which are cholesterol varies, as much as 8:1 variation.
However, the concentration of LDL particles, and to a lesser extent their size, has a stronger and consistent correlation with individual clinical outcome than the amount of cholesterol within LDL particles, even if the LDL-C estimation is approximately correct. There is increasing evidence and recognition of the value of more targeted and accurate measurements of LDL particles. Specifically, LDL particle number (concentration), and to a lesser extent size, have shown slightly stronger correlations with atherosclerotic progression and cardiovascular events than obtained using chemical measures of the amount of cholesterol carried by the LDL particles. It is possible that the LDL cholesterol concentration can be low, yet LDL particle number high and cardiovascular events rates are high. Correspondingly, it is possible that LDL cholesterol concentration can be relatively high, yet LDL particle number low and cardiovascular events are also low.
In the US, the American Heart Association, NIH, and NCEP provide a set of guidelines for fasting LDL-Cholesterol levels, estimated or measured, and risk for heart disease. As of about 2005, these guidelines were:
|Level mg/dL||Level mmol/L||Interpretation|
|25 to <50||<1.3||Optimal LDL cholesterol, levels in healthy young children before onset of atherosclerotic plaque in heart artery walls|
|<70||<1.8||Optimal LDL cholesterol, corresponding to lower rates of progression, promoted as a target option for those known to clearly have advanced symptomatic cardiovascular disease|
|<100||<2.6||Optimal LDL cholesterol, corresponding to lower, but not zero, rates for symptomatic cardiovascular disease events|
|100 to 129||2.6 to 3.3||Near optimal LDL level, corresponding to higher rates for developing symptomatic cardiovascular disease events|
|130 to 159||3.3 to 4.1||Borderline high LDL level, corresponding to even higher rates for developing symptomatic cardiovascular disease events|
|160 to 199||4.1 to 4.9||High LDL level, corresponding to much higher rates for developing symptomatic cardiovascular disease events|
|>200||>4.9||Very high LDL level, corresponding to highest increased rates of symptomatic cardiovascular disease events|
Over time, with more clinical research, these recommended levels keep being reduced because LDL reduction, including to abnormally low levels, was the most effective strategy for reducing cardiovascular death rates in one large double blind, randomized clinical trial of men with hypercholesterolemia; far more effective than coronary angioplasty/stenting or bypass surgery.
For instance, for people with known atherosclerosis diseases, the 2004 updated American Heart Association, NIH and NCEP recommendations are for LDL levels to be lowered to less than 70 mg/dL, unspecified how much lower. This low level of less than 70 mg/dL (higher than Tim Russert's value shortly prior to his heart attack) was recommended for primary prevention of 'very-high risk patients' and in secondary prevention as a 'reasonable further reduction'. Lack of evidence for such a recommendation is discussed in an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Statin drugs involved in such clinical trials have numerous physiological effects beyond simply the reduction of LDL levels.
It has been estimated from the results of multiple human pharmacologic LDL lowering trials that LDL should be lowered to below 30 to reduce cardiovascular event rates to near zero. For reference, from longitudinal population studies following progression of atherosclerosis-related behaviors from early childhood into adulthood,[better source needed] the usual LDL in childhood, before the development of fatty streaks, is about 35 mg/dL. However, all the above values refer to chemical measures of lipid/cholesterol concentration within LDL, not measured low-density lipoprotein concentrations, the accurate approach.
A study was conducted measuring the effects of guideline changes on LDL cholesterol reporting and control for diabetes visits in the US from 1995 to 2004. It was found that although LDL cholesterol reporting and control for diabetes and coronary heart disease visits improved continuously between 1995 and 2004, neither the 1998 ADA guidelines nor the 2001 ATP III guidelines increased LDL cholesterol control for diabetes relative to coronary heart disease.
There are several competing methods for measurement of lipoprotein particle concentrations and size. The evidence is that the NMR methodology (developed, automated & greatly reduced in costs while improving accuracy as pioneered by Jim Otvos and associates) results in a 22-25% reduction in cardiovascular events within one year, contrary to the longstanding claims by many in the medical industry that the superiority over existing methods was weak, even by statements of some proponents.
Since the later 1990s, because of the development of NMR measurements, it has been possible to clinically measure lipoprotein particles at lower cost [under $80 US (including shipping) & is decreasing; versus the previous costs of >$400 to >$5,000] and higher accuracy. There are two other assays for LDL particles, however, like LDL-C, most only estimate LDL particle concentrations.
Direct LDL particle measurement by NMR was mentioned by the ADA and ACC, in a 28 March 2008 joint consensus statement, as having advantages for predicting individual risk of atherosclerosis disease events, but the statement noted that the test is less widely available, is more expensive [about $13.00 US (2015 without insurance coverage) from some labs which use the Vantera Analyzer]. Debate continues that it is "...unclear whether LDL particle size measurements add value to measurement of LDL-particle concentration", though outcomes have always tracked LDL particle, not LDL-C, concentrations.
Using NMR, as pioneered by researcher Jim Otvos and the North Carolina State University academic research spin-off company LipoScience, the total LDL particle concentrations, in nmol/L plasma, are typically subdivided by percentiles referenced to the 5,382 men and women, not on any lipid medications, who are participating in the MESA trial.
The LDL particle concentrations are typically categorized by percentiles, <20%, 20-50%, 50th-80th%, 80th-95% and >95% groups of the people participating and being tracked in the MESA trial, a medical research study sponsored by the United States National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
|MESA Percentile||LDL particles nmol/L||Interpretation|
|0-20%||<1,000||Those with lowest rate of cardiovascular disease events & low (optimal) LDL particle concentration|
|20-50%||1,000-1,299||Those with moderate rate of cardiovascular disease events & moderate LDL particle concentration|
|50-80%||1,300-1,599||Those with Borderline-High rate of cardiovascular disease events & higher LDL particle concentration|
|89-95%||1,600-2,000||Those with High rate of cardiovascular disease events and even higher LDL particle concentration|
|>95%||>2,000||Those with very high rate of cardiovascular disease events and highest LDL particle concentration|
The lowest incidence of atherosclerotic events over time occurs within the <20% group, with increased rates for the higher groups. Multiple other measures, including particle sizes, small LDL particle concentrations, large total and HDL particle concentrations, along with estimations of insulin resistance pattern and standard cholesterol lipid measurements (for comparison of the plasma data with the estimation methods discussed above) are also routinely provided.
|Markers indicating a need for LDL-C Reduction|
|If the patient's cardiac risk is...||then the patient should consider LDL-C reduction if the count in mg/dL is over...||and LDL-C reduction is indicated if the count in mg/dL is over...|
|High, meaning a 20% or greater risk of heart attack within 10 years, or an extreme risk factor||70||100|
|moderately high, meaning a 10-20% risk of heart attack within 10 years and more than 2 heart attack risk factors||100||130|
|moderate, meaning a 10% risk of heart attack within 10 years and more than 2 heart attack risk factors||130||160|
|low, meaning less than 10% risk of heart attack within 10 years and 1 or 0 heart attack risk factors||160||190|
The mevalonate pathway serves as the basis for the biosynthesis of many molecules, including cholesterol. The enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG CoA reductase) is an essential component and performs the first of 37 steps within the cholesterol production pathway, and present in every animal cell.
LDL-C is not a measurement of actual LDL particles. LDL-C is only an estimate (not measured from the individual's blood sample) of how much cholesterol is being transported by all LDL particles, which is either a smaller concentration of large particles or a high concentration of small particles. LDL particles carry many fat molecules (typically 3,000 to 6,000 fat molecules per LDL particle); this includes cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and others. Thus even if the hundreds to thousands of cholesterol molecules within an average LDL particle were measured, this does not reflect the other fat molecules or even the number of LDL particles.


All meats are under scrutiny since the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that processed and red meats are linked to colorectal cancer, and lunch meat is no exception. Lunch meat certainly falls under the processed category and does pose these risks, as stated in the WHO report.
“An analysis of data from 10 studies estimated that every 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by about 18%.”
50 grams of meat is about two and a half slices of bologna or two strips of bacon, and it’s especially important to understand these dangers because lunch meats are such a staple of many everyday meals.
Though the connection between processed meats and cancer is well-researched, the exact cause of the connection isn’t known. Lunch meats have been linked to cancer because of their high concentrations of nitrates, BHA, BHT, and other chemicals found in flavorings that companies are not mandated to list in the ingredients. Some lunch meats, like bologna and salami, are even more risky because of the extra sausage-like processing. For the concerned mother or sandwich aficionado, processed meats should be decreased in the diet and replaced with alternatives.
Dietary experts say this research doesn’t mean everyone should stop eating processed meats altogether. Rather, those who consume a lot of processed meat should cut back.
Fear not—not all meat is harmful. Lunch meats sliced fresh at the store have less preservatives than those pre-packaged, although this does mean they’ll only last a week instead of a couple of months. An even better alternative is to cook and slice the meats yourself—that way you control the sodium, the preservatives, and the flavorings. Tuna, peanut butter, and hummus are risk-free sandwich fillers as well. If you love your sliced ham, look for more natural options and check the ingredients for nitrates, BHA and BHT.
The Cancer Project is currently working with the USDA to reduce processed meats in school lunches, but the best prevention is to plan your children’s meals with WHO recommendations in mind.
Sources: World Health Organization, American Cancer Society


Adv. Certification in 2D Classical Animation
At TGC we provides students with the advanced knowledge in principles of classical animation in our traditional animation course. The student will learn concepts such as squash and stretch, timing, path of action, anticipation, action-reaction, weight, volume, and staging. This 2d animation courses will also develop the student’s animation design sense, with exercises in character design. The student will also learn technical skills to produce animation, such as how to flip and draw, and how to film animation using Light boxes & using punch sheets. Skills learned will be applied throughout the Digital Animation Program. At the end of the course student will create a demo reel.
- Core understanding of Animation principles
- 2D Character Design using Light boxes and Punch sheets
- Line Tests and using Dope sheets
- Placing the character in a scene
- Conceptual Design
- Production and Time Management
Course Duration: 6 months
Schedule: 2 Hours/3 Days a week
HOW TO DEVELOPE ANIMATION FROM CONCEPT TO 70 MM SCREEN
- How to develop story from core concept to story line.
- Script writing.
- How to plane strategy, paragraph according to story.
- Basics of drawings.
- Objective drawings.
- Gesture drawings.
- Live studies.
- Still life studies.
- Detail anatomy studies from Humans to animals, reptiles and others.
- Principles of drawings.
- Light and shadow.
- How to Develop Characters living and nonliving from Realistic, Semi Realistic to cartooning.
- How to develop Backgrounds and Foregrounds.
- Camera and Shots.
- Story Boarding.
- History of Animation.
- Principle of Animation.
- Lip synchronization.
- Walk through.
- Of Human beings Male, Female, Children, Kids and even New born infant.
- Of Animals, Reptiles and Birds.
- Follow-throughs and secondary actions.
- IB and CU. (In-betweens and Cleanups).
No Reviews found for this course.


Themes: school musical, friendship, sharing, achievement
The drama teacher, Miss Bell, has announced auditions for the new school musical. Daisy loves to sing, Rani loves to dance — they both want to be the star. Their shy friend, Ming, is the only one who can remember the lines. What will happen on opening night?
Sparklers are chapter books with great stories and wonderful illustrations. As a series they bridge the gap between reading schemes and traditional chapter books. The eight books in this set are carefully levelled so that students can progress without encountering any sudden increase in difficulty. This set of Sparklers will help your students practise and improve their reading skills so that they will want to read more!
- Character page - introduces the main characters in the story.
- Illustrated content page - a feature that can be used with students as a pre-reading entrance into the text.
- Author/Illustrator page - both author and illustrator answered the same list of questions student's ask.
- Illustrated Glossary - difficult words are defined and illustrated in a two page glossary.
- Map page - a map of the place where the story takes place.
New to Sparklers Red, Blue and Green Set 2
Each book contains discussion questions that stimulate students' interaction with the text and make better use of your teaching time


History of the Maine Warden Service
The Maine Warden Service dates back to 1880, when the founding wardens were appointed to enforce laws giving Maine's moose and deer their first legal protection. From this modest beginning, the Maine Warden Service has grown to 124 uniformed members, making it the largest of the three bureaus within the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. Decade-by-decade highlights appear below. To browse historical documents in detail, visit the MDIFW historical archives page.
Into the Wild Outdoors
The service's first enforcement action occurred when, on March 12, 1880, game wardens apprehended two men for killing a doe in closed season, marking the start of a decade of uphill battles. The earliest Maine Game Wardens, who received no regular salary but instead collected half of the penalties paid by poachers, were not highly incentivized for their dangerous jobs. Two of them, one a Civil War veteran, were shot and killed by poachers they attempted to confront. Citizens feared similar retribution for reporting poachers, so Wardens largely fought these battles alone. No licenses were yet required to fish or hunt, and inhumane hunting practices, market hunting, and game exportation were all rampant. Still, in 1886, the Boston Herald called Maine's game laws "the most rigid and best enforced… of any state in the union!" Two years later, wardens seized a whole carload of caribou meat on its way to a Boston market. Around this time, the Commissioner expressed measured concerns about the caribou population.
Maine Game in Crisis
An estimated 4,000 caribou were being killed each year. In 1899, the Department, seeing a need to conserve fish and game if Maine were to have any left, enacted "The September Law." This early attempt at a hunting license program cost $4.00 for residents and $6.00 non-residents, and allowed license holders to kill one deer in the month of September. It was extremely unpopular and swiftly abolished. That same year, wardens closed the season on caribou, and found at year end that there were "practically no caribou in the state of Maine."
Conserving Species, and Crops
During this time, tension emerged between the protection of species and property. In response, the state paid bounties for killing crow, bear, wolves, wildcats, and porcupines, and also reimbursed land owners whose crops were damaged by deer. At the same time, more protections were introduced, with a trapping season established for fisher, mink, muskrat, and sable, and beaver protected all year. In 1907, the sale of trout, landlocked salmon, togue, white perch, or black bass was prohibited. York County had a bucks-only law, and the "Old Sunday Law," which prohibited hunting and fishing on Sundays, was put into place, but frequently violated.
Cars, Trucks, and Hunting Licenses
People started hunting from automobiles, but the practice was banned in 1916. And in 1917, a second attempt at the rollout of hunting and fishing licenses proved more successful. Non-resident fishing licenses were offered at $2.00 each, as were lifetime resident hunting and fishing licenses, at 25 cents each. Revenue from these programs allowed the Maine Warden Service to expand.
Hatchery expansion and other financial strains caused the warden service to downsize, reorganize, and raise license fees. Moose season was permanently closed, due to concerns that "when they finally disappear, they will no more return than the caribou have."
The Stobie Era
Positions at the Warden Service, which now came with salaries, became more highly coveted around this time. Candidates, previously politically appointees, were now selected based on their scores on Civil Service Exams. This was the era of Commissioner Stobie, an influential and well-admired leader who once hosted a party at Moosehead for FDR's Cabinet, inviting all the east coast Governors. Under his direction, stocking and hatchery efforts were ramped up, as was enforcement, with the creation of the Aviation Division, the first pistol team, and the first Warden Academy. Stobie was also the guiding force behind the 1939 founding of the Wildlife Research Division.
Service, Search, and Rescue
In the early 1940s, Wardens began responding to occasional lost hunter complaints; and in 1943, searching for lost people became, by law, the Warden Service's responsibility. Despite more responsibilities than ever placed on the Department, many full-time Wardens were called to serve in WWII, and were replaced for a time by Temporary Wardens. Night hunting violations and violence toward Wardens both escalated to all-time highs; and in 1949, Wardens were issued police .38 caliber revolvers.
Growth, Progress, Prosperity
Stricter penalties finally curbed night hunting, with violations falling significantly. Meanwhile, 170,000+ licensed hunters were legally harvesting over 40,000 deer per year. Wardens' responsibilities and capabilities continued to expand thanks to technology and scientific innovation, with Wardens using 2-way radios, Warden Pilots stocking fish from above, and half the service patrolling the ground in newly-issued state owned vehicles. Gaining newfound traction toward its mission, the Warden Service was able to hire temps for hunting season and raise full-time salaries.
Service Expands on Inland Waters
The fleet of state-owned vehicles expanded and was given blue lights and sirens; and snowmobiles and motor boats were added to the fleet. With their increased mobility and visibility, wardens were also given more responsibilities, including enforcement of motor boat and snowmobile registration and litter laws. As search and rescue demands increased, an official Warden Service Rescue Unit was formed with mountain climbers and scuba divers. On the biology front, Wardens completed a Creel census and established a Meat Identification Lab.
Outdoor Safety Prioritized
The Warden Service obtained Army surplus helicopters; and following a tragic incident wherein a Warden pilot survived a helicopter crash only to drown at an 8-foot depth, the department made it mandatory that all Warden School candidates be able to swim. On the hunter safety front, Blaze Orange Law went into effect statewide, PFDs were now required for watercraft, and the book You Alone in the Maine Woods was published. The Department continued to grow, and changed its name to The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to reflect its full scope of responsibilities. Regional headquarters opened and the Color Guard was established, as was the Maine Warden Service Relief Association. Meanwhile, enforcement training and capabilities increased with wardens given new practical training at Swan Island, high-ban police radios, a pursuit-driving course, and access (for inspectors) to supervisor school at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. In 1978, the Department hired Warden Deb Palman, its first female Game Warden.
K9s, ATVs, Overhead Search
Search and rescue capabilities increased dramatically with the establishment of the Warden Service K9 Team, the Search and Rescue Overhead Team, and a command post. Hunting law enforcement evolved with the introduction of a turkey season, new antlerless deer restrictions, and new migratory waterfowl regulations. ATV laws were also enacted, with enforcement added to Wardens' responsibilities.
The Warden Service added operational efficiencies, including the establishment of five Division Headquarters, a vehicle leasing program through Central Fleet Management in Augusta (rather than department ownership), and upgrades to trucks and handguns. Public reporting was streamlined, too, with the rollout of a 1-800 number.
Community Partnerships, Tech Updates
In the 2000s, the Department made major technological and strategic updates, and forged partnerships with private companies like L.L.Bean. One such partnership, the Outdoor Partners Program (OPP), funded a tow-behind trailer that functioned as a mobile information booth. Large enough to accommodate two wardens and hundreds of giveaways like law books, posters, and clothing items, the OPP trailer visited major outdoor events like county fairs, fishing derbies, etc., and connected Wardens with the public in a friendly, fun non-law-enforcement context.
In another on-the-road improvement, Warden trucks were equipped with Mobile Data terminals so wardens could run inquiries, write reports, and use mapping software out in the field. The Department also digitized its record-keeping and reporting with several new systems, including RMS, the record management system used by the Maine State Police; WSAR, an online electronic reporting system that eliminated handwritten reports; and MCRS (the Maine Crash Reporting System), which was expanded to include not just vehicle crashes but also ATVs and snowmobiles. With this change, the Maine Warden Service Evidence Recovery Team (ERT) was also established.
Going National, and Going All In for the Maine Outdoors
In 2012, Maine Warden Service partnered with Animal Planet to create North Woods Law, a TV series that documented the day-to-day life and work of Maine Game Wardens. The bureau's goal for the series was to create local and national public awareness, and with it, a new class of strong and passionate Maine Game Warden recruits. After four years, the series more than delivered on that goal, and the fully-staffed warden service filmed its final season.
In 2015, the Warden Service joined the entire Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in a comprehensive marketing and branding exploration. Several insights were uncovered, including a desire to present a more united public image, together with all the biologists, educators, and staff of MDIFW, and together build on the success of programs like OPP and North Woods Law. In 2016, the Warden Service replaced its tagline, honoring the past, cherishing the present, planning for the future, with a cohesive department-wide one: All In for the Maine Outdoors.
And today's Game Wardens truly are all in — working tirelessly throughout the state in all conditions, using modern technology and techniques to carry out responsibilities ranging from law enforcement to education to angler surveys, fish stocking, search and rescue efforts, and more.
For more information on today's Maine Warden Service, visit our about, organizational structure, and specialty teams pages. And for more on some of the departments proudest honors and most honorable members throughout the years, visit our recognition/awards and fallen heroes/honor roll pages.