British parliamentary report calls for prosecutions but states contamination was not as widespread as feared.
The contamination of meat products with horsemeat was fraud and prosecutions should be pursued - but the extent of the contamination was not as widespread as feared, a British parliamentary report into the scandal says.
fraudulent and illegal," said Anne McIntosh, an MP and chairwoman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, which published the report on Tuesday.
Europe's horsemeat scandal broke in January when horseflesh was found in frozen burgers sold in Irish and British supermarkets, including those run by market leader Tesco , raising questions about the safety of the European food supply chain.
"We are dismayed at the slow pace of investigations and seek assurances that prosecutions will be mounted where there is evidence of fraud or illegality," said McIntosh.
especially where meat products were traded many times.
It recommended retailers carry out regular DNA tests on meat and meat-based ingredients which form part of processed or frozen meat products, reporting results to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The additional cost of this testing should be borne by retailers and not passed on to consumers, it added.
"Consumers need to know that what they buy is what the label says it is," said McIntosh.
Britain's grocers have responded to the scandal by increasing testing, while Tesco, for example, has pledged to be more open about its supplier base.
The FSA did not escape criticism in the report.
"There has been a lack of clarity about the responsibility of the FSA in this incident. This must be rectified," the report said, adding the FSA must be seen to be independent of industry and given powers to compel industry and local authorities to carry out food testing.
parliamentary committee in February said the contamination discovered by that date was likely to be the "tip of the iceberg".
contamination was limited to a relatively small number of products, with more than 99 percent of those tested found to be free of horse DNA.
It said tests across EU member states found 4.66 percent of products tested contained over 1 percent horsemeat.
However, in separate EU-mandated tests for the presence of veterinary drug phenylbutazone (bute) in horses slaughtered for human consumption, the UK had the largest number of positive results.
The committee said a newly introduced system for testing horses for bute before they are released to the food system must continue with government and industry sharing the cost.


Equipment availability: whenever your equipment is unavailable it is not running so it is not playing its part in earning revenue and, even worse, is probably causing increased costs until it is repaired and back into service. In some industries the loss of availability also means penalty charges. In short, plant availability can mean the difference between making a loss or a profit or even whether or not the business continues or closes. The pressure to keep equipment available often leads to short-term "cutting corners" (eg temporary repairs rather than a full repair) which ultimately leads to long-term reliability problems. Very quickly the maintenance department reaches the point where it is permanently "fire-fighting", jumping from one failure to the next and lagging further and further behind with the scheduled maintenance.
Costs: not only are you having to keep the equipment permanently available, you have to do it on an ever-dwindling budget. Constantly battling with the increasing numbers of failures and repairs increases spares and labour costs (particularly overtime). Often manpower is reduced to cut costs (sometimes referred to as 'going lean'!) but this makes it even harder to achieve your availability targets and the situation goes from bad to worse!
So what is the answer? How can you break into this vicious circle and regain control of your costs whilst maintaining availability?
Well, the answer is to improve the reliability of your equipment.
More reliable equipment breaks down less often, so you spend less time fixing it, so it spends more time doing what it was purchased for; in other words, it is more available.
Because it fails less often, you do fewer repairs so you use fewer spare parts, which in turn reduces costs.
So, if you accept that improving the reliability of your equipment will lead to better availability and reduced costs, your next question, naturally, is how to go about doing it.
Making changes such that the overall system continues to function satisfactorily even when a failure occurs (e.g. By fitting standby equipment).
The most common approach to improving reliability focuses on modifying the equipment in some way and is based on the underlying assumption that there must be something wrong with it or its original design. The in-built or inherent reliability of the equipment is established by its design whereas the operational reliability (which is what is seen and measured in practice) depends on how well the equipment is maintained. Simply improving the inherent reliability does not always ensure that the operational reliability improves (unless the plant is modified so that the overall system continues to function satisfactorily when a failure occurs - eg by fitting standby equipment).
Modifying the equipment in some way can be very expensive and often disruptive; in a lot of cases they can take a very long time to implement (especially if there is a large group of similar assets, such as a fleet of trains for example).
Whilst engineers often favour the approach of 'modifying the equipment', there are other approaches that can improve operational reliability so that it approaches the in-built or inherent reliability. The advantage of these techniques is that they avoid a modification-based time-consuming and expensive reliability improvement program and are simply aimed at sticking with the equipment as it is today and getting it to perform better (ie fail less often).
By far the best such technique is Reliability-centred Maintenance [RCM].
RCM is a derivative of an approach that is used by the civil aviation industry (very successfully!) to ensure that aircraft achieve their inherent reliability and safety.
The key to improving operational reliability so that it approaches the in-built or inherent reliability is to maintain it correctly. RCM focuses on improving operational reliability by determining an appropriate set of scheduled maintenance tasks. Only if maintenance cannot satisfactorily manage a failure or achieve the desired system requirements will a modification be considered.
The key to its success is that RCM is applied by your own staff, extracting and utilising their experience and detailed knowledge of your equipment to derive maintenance that will ensure (as far as possible) that the equipment continues to meet its system requirements.
If you apply RCM correctly, your equipment will become as reliable as it possibly can be without any modification which in turn means that availability improves.
Furthermore, the RCM approach ensures that you only spend money on maintenance tasks that are actually worth doing which in turn means that money spent on maintenance is being spent where it will do the most good.
To learn more about RCM and how it can improve your equipment reliability, please visit our RCM pages.


Peace Endangered, . Wood engraving. Image: 224 x 149 mm (8.8 x 5.9 in.). Sheet: 391 x 303 mm (15.4 x 11.9 in.). DAC accession number 2015.5.1. Gift of the Middletown Friends (Quaker) Meeting, 2015.
http://dac-collection.wesleyan.edu/obj18504 is a persistent link to this page with no user-session information.


Actually, there are 100. Thanks Future Crunch for bringing light to these wonderful things that happened this year (and we still have 2 weeks left!). Our world is an amazing place, despite the negativity and noise that seems to be omnipresent.


You are not alone..I love making lists and crossing out items when they are finished. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. I too can do more to get into available techy tools. This Google tasks sounds very do-able. Thanks for sharing. It seems like a good place to start!


text:
Detailed version April 2021
COSEWIC wildlife species assessments (detailed version), May 2021
Printable version (PDF - 79 kB)
Results are grouped by taxon and then by status category. The range of occurrence in Canada (by province, territory or ocean) and history of status designation are provided for each wildlife species.
Swift Fox
Common name: Swift Fox
Scientific name: Vulpes velox
Status: Threatened
Assessment criteria: D1
Reason for designation: This small prairie canid was extirpated from Canada in the 1930s. Following reintroduction programs initiated in 1983, it has re-established in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan as well as in Northern Montana. Regular monitoring suggests that the population reached a peak in 2005 but had subsequently declined when surveyed again in 2014/15. The reason for the decline is unknown but suspected to be related to severe winter conditions in 2010/11. Occupancy surveys in 2015 and 2018 suggest the population has remained stable since 2010/11. The species persists at very low numbers. Threats include accidental or intentional poisoning, disease, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and severe winters.
Range: Alberta, Saskatchewan
Status history: Last seen in Saskatchewan in 1928. Designated Extirpated in April 1978. Status re-examined and designated Endangered in April 1998 after successful re-introductions. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2000. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in November 2009. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Ross's Gull
Common name: Ross's Gull
Scientific name: Rhodostethia rosea
Status: Endangered
Assessment criteria: B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v); C2a(i,ii); D1
Reason for designation: This small little-known gull nests at 1-3 known colonies in the Canadian High Arctic and likely winters in the Labrador Sea. Fewer than 20 mature individuals are known to breed in Canada, although roughly similar numbers may occur undetected. Large numbers of fall migrants seen annually off northern Alaska likely come from a separate large population in eastern Russia. This species has low productivity in Canada, with frequent breeding deferral, nest abandonment, and no chicks fledged over a period of 14 years at the only known active Canadian colony. These factors contribute to inferred continuing population decline. The abandonment of Low Arctic nesting sites since the last assessment has reduced its range and number of locations in Canada, and its breeding range is now limited to the High Arctic. Major threats impeding reproductive success include the killing of chicks by Arctic Terns at colonies, and contamination from airborne toxic chemicals. Effects of ongoing climatic changes on food availability, reproductive success and adult survival are largely unknown.
Range: Nunavut, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean
Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 1981. Status re-examined and confirmed in April 1996. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in November 2001 and in April 2007. Status re-examined and designated Endangered in May 2021.
Common name: Short-eared Owl
Scientific name: Asio flammeus
Assessment criteria: A2bc+4bc
Reason for designation: The Canadian population of this widespread nomadic owl breeds in open grassland, tundra, and wetland habitats in all provinces and territories, and winters in southern Canada and the United States. The use of new atlas-based population estimation procedures suggests that the size of the Canadian population is about 31,000 mature individuals, roughly 10% of previous estimates. Its numbers vary over space and time in response to cycles in the availability of small mammals—its main prey. This adds uncertainty to estimates of the rate of decline in the Canadian population. Data from both the Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Counts indicate a decline of more than 30% over the past three generations. The Canadian population is projected to continue to decline because of future threats, including reduced availability of nesting and wintering habitat resulting from crop conversion, agricultural intensification, urbanization, and invasive plants. In low Arctic habitats, increased growth of shrubs as a result of climate warming (shrubification) will further reduce prey availability and increase predation risk.
Range: Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador
Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 1994 and April 2008. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in May 2021.
Band-tailed Pigeon
Common name: Band-tailed Pigeon
Scientific name: Patagioenas fasciata
Status: Special Concern
Assessment criteria: not applicable
Reason for designation: This large, fruit-eating pigeon breeds in woodlands of western North and Central America, but in Canada nests only in southwestern British Columbia. Forest harvesting and encroaching urbanization have reduced the quality and extent of its breeding habitat. Most individuals overwinter in the western United States, where they are exposed to habitat loss and hunting and are threatened by an epizootic disease caused by the parasite Trichomonas gallinae. This pigeon's normal one-egg clutch limits its annual reproductive output. Aggregation at communal foraging areas, and at sites where minerals are ingested to offset dietary imbalances, increases its vulnerability to disturbance and disease. The Breeding Bird Survey has documented continuing long-term population declines in Canada, with an 11.5% decline over the last three generations. However, species-specific surveys at mineral sites suggest localized declines of about 40% over three generations, and this species may become Threatened if threats related to habitat loss throughout the year, and disease on US wintering grounds, cannot be managed effectively.
Range: British Columbia
Status history: Designated Special Concern in November 2008. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Common name: Barn Swallow
Scientific name: Hirundo rustica
Reason for designation: This aerial insectivore is among the world's most widespread birds, with about 6.4 million mature individuals in Canada. It experienced a substantial population decline in North America over more than two decades, beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. However, the Canadian population has remained largely stable over the past ten years (2009-2019), with a substantial increase in Saskatchewan largely offsetting ongoing declines in several other provinces. Key threats include declining populations of insect prey, increasing frequency of severe temperature fluctuations during spring migration and the breeding season, and in some regions, loss of suitable nesting sites. Although the Canadian population remains large and overall declines have abated, the species may once again become Threatened if threats continue or worsen.
Status history: Designated Threatened in May 2011. Status re-examined and designated Special Concern in May 2021.
Ferruginous Hawk
Common name: Ferruginous Hawk
Scientific name: Buteo regalis
Reason for designation: This large hawk is the only raptor endemic to North American grasslands. Its Canadian range is largely limited to the southern Prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan, with a few individuals in southwestern Manitoba. Overall population trends have been stable or slightly increasing over the past three generations, despite ongoing loss of nesting and foraging habitat. The revised status reflects an improvement in population trend since the previous assessment, but recognizes that the species may become Threatened again if threats such as displacement by energy production, increased competition for nesting habitat, disturbance at nest sites, and persecution of prey are not effectively managed.
Range: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba
Status history: Designated Threatened in April 1980. Status re-examined and designated Special Concern in April 1995. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in April 2008. Status re-examined and designated Special Concern in May 2021.
Common Five-lined Skink (Carolinian population)
Common name: Common Five-lined Skink (Carolinian population)
Scientific name: Plestiodon fasciatus
Assessment criteria: B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
Reason for designation: This small and secretive lizard is restricted to isolated areas on the shores of Lakes Erie, St. Clair, and Huron in Ontario. The population has experienced a long-term decline, and today exists only in nine small and widely separated subpopulations within a landscape heavily modified by urbanization and agriculture. Continuing threats include habitat loss from various sources, mortality and barriers to movement from an extensive network of roads, increased predation by raccoons and other species associated with disturbed habitats, and severe storms associated with climate change that are eroding shoreline habitats. The wildlife species' limited distribution across a low number of small isolated subpopulations and multiple continuing threats are the reasons for retaining Endangered status.
Range: Ontario
Status history: The species was considered a single unit and designated Special Concern in April 1998. Split into two populations in April 2007. The Carolinian population was designated Endangered in April 2007. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
Common name: Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
Scientific name: Heterodon platirhinos
Assessment criteria: A2cde+3cde+4cde
Reason for designation: This large, mobile snake has a patchy distribution in southern and south-central Ontario, where it relies on habitats with sandy soils for oviposition and hibernation, and feeds mainly on toads. The population faces a suspected continuing decline in abundance, based on ongoing threats. These include road traffic mortality, road construction and expansion, urban expansion, agricultural intensification, introduced and abnormally abundant predators, and persecution. Based on recent extirpation of five subpopulations, there appear to be significant range contractions in landscapes highly modified by agriculture and urbanization in the south, as well as in more intact landscapes in the northeast, including protected areas. The magnitude of decline is uncertain because this species is more challenging to monitor than other, similarly sized snakes. However, declines are suspected to exceed 30% over the next 20 years.
Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 1997. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in November 2001, November 2007, and May 2021.
Common Five-lined Skink (Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population)
Common name: Common Five-lined Skink (Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population)
Reason for designation: This small and secretive lizard occurs in the southern Canadian Shield in Ontario, from Georgian Bay to the St. Lawrence River. It is currently known from 87 subpopulations, three of which have been discovered since the previous status assessment. A declining trend is suspected but cannot be confirmed because of lack of systematic surveys at historically occupied sites. Threats include increased depredation by native and domestic animals, mortality on roads, incremental habitat loss from development, and habitat disturbance from recreation. The re-confirmed designation of Special Concern recognizes that this population may become Threatened if the threats are not effectively managed.
Status history: The species was considered a single unit and designated Special Concern in April 1998. Split into two populations in April 2007. The Great Lakes / St. Lawrence population was designated Special Concern in April 2007. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Coeur d'Alene Salamander
Common name: Coeur d'Alene Salamander
Scientific name: Plethodon idahoensis
Reason for designation: This terrestrial salamander has a restricted Canadian range in southeastern British Columbia, which represents about 40% of the species' global distribution. It is highly dependent on moist, shaded, rocky habitats, often along fast-flowing streams and seepages scattered across the otherwise dry landscape. Specialized habitat requirements and life history, including low reproductive rate, increase the salamanders' vulnerability to habitat disturbance. New information includes increased knowledge of distribution, establishment of Wildlife Habitat Areas to mitigate logging impacts, and clarification of threats. Climate change vulnerability analyses indicate that it is highly vulnerable to increased frequency and intensity of droughts. Population trends remain unknown. The species may become Threatened if threats from various sources, including road traffic, development and maintenance, are not adequately monitored and mitigated.
Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 1998. Status re-examined and confirmed in November 2001, November 2007, and May 2021.
Lake Chubsucker
Common name: Lake Chubsucker
Scientific name: Erimyzon sucetta
Assessment criteria: A3bce+4bce; B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)
Reason for designation: This small sucker species is restricted in Canada to wetlands in southwestern Ontario. It has very specific and narrow habitat preferences, making it is extremely susceptible to habitat changes driven by invasive species, climate change, and agricultural practices. These interacting threats result in increased turbidity and ongoing fragmentation and loss of habitat. In particular, it is suspected that, unless managed effectively, the invasive European Common Reed will rapidly expand and substantially reduce the species' habitat in a short period of time. Three historical subpopulations have been lost and, of the remaining 10, the relative population status is poor for nine and fair for one. If the threats to these extant sub populations are not managed effectively, loss of individuals and subpopulations will continue.
Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 1994. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in November 2001. Status re-examined and designated Endangered in November 2008. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
White Shark (Atlantic population)
Common name: White Shark (Atlantic population)
Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias
Assessment criteria: A2bd
Reason for designation: This highly mobile species is a seasonal migrant in Atlantic Canada and considered to be part of a widespread Northwest Atlantic population. The status of the Canadian population is considered to be the same as that of the broader Northwest Atlantic population. That broader population is estimated to have declined by >70% over the past 1.5 generations (since the 1960s) because of incidental mortality from fishing. However, the population appears to have remained stable since the 1990s and is projected to remain stable or increase slightly. Although measures to improve fishing practices have been introduced, the primary threat continues to be mortality from incidental capture in fisheries. The species is still vulnerable to this threat because of its long generation time (42 years) and low reproductive rate.
Range: Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Atlantic Ocean
Status history: Designated Endangered in April 2006. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Common name: Tope
Scientific name: Galeorhinus galeus
Reason for designation: This Pacific coast shark is considered to be a single migratory population off the west coast of North America. More than 800,000 individuals, primarily large adults, were killed for their livers between 1937 and 1949. In 2012, the coastwide population was estimated at about 10% of historical abundance. Commercial fishery catch rates and research vessel surveys suggest greater abundance in Canadian waters from 2012 to 2018 compared with 2003 to 2011. The main ongoing threat is bycatch in commercial trawl and longline groundfish fisheries, which continues at low levels in Canada and the United States. Targeting and retention of this shark has been prohibited in Canada, although mortality rates upon release are unknown. Population recovery is further limited by its slow growth rate and low fecundity.
Range: British Columbia, Pacific Ocean
Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 2007. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Edwards' Beach Moth
Common name: Edwards' Beach Moth
Scientific name: Anarta edwardsii
Assessment criteria: B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)
Reason for designation: This handsome, grey moth lives in sparsely-vegetated coastal dunes and upper beaches at only six sites on Vancouver Island and adjacent Gulf Islands; two of these subpopulations may be extirpated. The moth's habitats are at risk from increasing vegetation encroachment (by both native and non-native plant species), recreational activities, and loss of sand as a result of increasing frequency, severity and intensity of winter storms, compounded by sea level rise.
Cobblestone Tiger Beetle
Common name: Cobblestone Tiger Beetle
Scientific name: Cicindela marginipennis
Reason for designation: This distinctive tiger beetle has a small and scattered range within New Brunswick spread over three isolated geographic areas: the Saint John River, the Southwest Miramichi River, and the Grand Lake area. This species' habitat, which is sparsely vegetated cobble and sand beaches on lake shores and riverine islands, is highly fragmented and limited. Up to 74% of potential habitat on the Saint John River was lost with the construction of the Mactaquac Dam in the 1960s. The main threats to the habitat include shoreline modifications from cottage development and soil compaction from ongoing all-terrain vehicle (ATV) recreation within the Grand Lake area. Because the larvae live in burrows among cobblestones, beach traffic from ATVs and other vehicles can crush burrows and cause mortality to individual larvae as well as negatively impact the habitat structure. The shoreline in front of cottages is often modified by removal of vegetation and sometimes levelling, including sand deposition which smothers larval burrows. The improved status of the beetle reflects additional sites discovered, including a new watershed, since the last assessment as well as a change in the interpretation of severe fragmentation. However, the species may become Threatened if threats are not managed with demonstrable effectiveness.
Range: New Brunswick
Status history: Designated Endangered in November 2008. Status re-examined and designated Special Concern in May 2021.
Grappletail
Common name: Grappletail
Scientific name: Octogomphus specularis
Reason for designation: This dragonfly is known from only seven fast-flowing, warm streams that drain small lowland lakes in the mountains of the lower Fraser Valley in southwestern British Columbia. Here, the species is at the northern edge of a range that extends south to Mexico. Larvae forage for three years in streams while adults forage for only a few weeks in nearby forests. There are no estimates of population trends from about 150 observations in the past 90 years. Most streams where it occurs are in forested watersheds with few threats. However, local threats include roadkill at stream crossings and disturbance to the stream habitat by recreational vehicles.
Status history: Designated Special Concern in May 2021.
Black Hills Mountainsnail
Common name: Black Hills Mountainsnail
Scientific name: Oreohelix cooperi
Assessment criteria: B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)
Reason for designation: Globally, this small (shell width about 1 cm) land snail is confined to four mountainous "sky islands" on the Great Plains of North America. In Canada, it occurs only in the Cypress Hills of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Known from this area since 1905, albeit under a different name, this species occurs on ridges, hilltops, cliffs, and slopes at or near the sand, silt, cobbles, and conglomerates of the Cypress Hills Formation. The snails are patchily distributed within these habitats. It is absent from the gently sloping southern exposure of the Cypress Hills and seldom occurs in the valley bottoms. This slow-moving species is susceptible to catastrophic wildfire, exacerbated by a build-up of fuels from fire suppression over the past century and drought associated with climate change. Introduced species, including ground-foraging Wild Turkey and a parasite, are a growing concern.
Status history: Designated Endangered in May 2021.
Atlantic Mud-piddock
Common name: Atlantic Mud-piddock
Scientific name: Barnea truncata
Reason for designation: In Canada, this intertidal marine bivalve species is restricted to small sections of Minas Basin in Nova Scotia. Here, the species is entirely dependent on the red-mudstone facies geological formation where it bores into the mudstone and remains as an immobile adult. Changes in sediment deposition can bury habitat, and smother and kill individuals. The main threat to the species is increased frequency and intensity of severe storms due to climate change, which can abruptly shift and redeposit sediments. Additional threats include human activities that change water current, erosion and sediment deposition patterns, pollution run-off from agricultural or urban sources, and climate-change induced sea-level rise.
Range: Nova Scotia, Atlantic Ocean
Status history: Designated Threatened in November 2009. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Purple Wartyback
Common name: Purple Wartyback
Scientific name: Cyclonaias tuberculata
Reason for designation: In Canada, this long-lived, medium-sized, heavy-shelled fresh water mussel is restricted to southwestern Ontario. The species occupies small to large rivers with a range of flow conditions and favours a substrate comprised of cobble, gravel, and sand. It is believed to be extirpated from its historical distribution in the Detroit River and Lake Erie, but still persists in the Ausable, Sydenham, and Thames rivers. The habitat in which this species occurs is projected to continue to decline in quality, as a result of threats that include pollution (agricultural and urban run-off), climate change (droughts), invasive species (dreissenids and Round Goby), and dredging.
Status history: Designated Threatened in May 2021.
American Water-willow
Common name: American Water-willow
Scientific name: Justicia americana
Assessment criteria: A2ace+4ace
Reason for designation: This aquatic wildflower of lake and river shorelines occurs at 13 sites in southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. Although still locally numerous, its numbers have declined significantly in the past 10 years, driven by large losses from the Rivière des Mille Îles in Quebec. Declines are mostly attributable to unnaturally severe or prolonged water level fluctuations caused by water level management and climate change. Invasive species such as European Reed and Blue Cattail are likely to contribute to future population declines.
Range: Ontario, Quebec
Status history: Designated Threatened in April 1984. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2000 and May 2021.
Kentucky Coffee-tree
Common name: Kentucky Coffee-tree
Scientific name: Gymnocladus dioicus
Reason for designation: In Canada, this deciduous tree is found only in extreme southwestern Ontario. Searches have identified new subpopulations, and recovery efforts have established new sites, but the number of mature individuals remains very low. Most subpopulations are threatened by shading caused by fire suppression, and several occurrences on the Lake Erie islands are threatened by high densities of nesting Double-crested Cormorants. The ability of this species to respond to threats is limited by low rates of sexual reproduction, and by low seed production, which in turn restricts dispersal.
Status history: Designated Threatened in April 1983. Status re-examined and confirmed in November 2000 and May 2021.
Western Silvery Aster
Common name: Western Silvery Aster
Scientific name: Symphyotrichum sericeum
Assessment criteria: A3c+4ac
Reason for designation: This species is a beautiful, purple-flowered perennial with silky silvery leaves, that is restricted to isolated remnant xeric tall-grass prairie and oak savannah in southern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. This species was designated Threatened at the last assessment because of the small number of known individuals. Subsequent search effort has resulted in the discovery of new sites and partnerships with public and private land managers have increased the population at some sites. However, there have been declines in abundance and area of occupancy elsewhere and threats to this species remain very high, primarily from aggregate extraction and habitat degradation. A population decline of greater than 30 percent is suspected within the next 20-30 years based on potential threat impacts. The species is limited by low seed viability coupled with low seed set, indicating that current declines could continue.
Range: Manitoba, Ontario
Status history: Designated Special Concern in 1988. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in May 2000. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Coastal Wood Fern
Common name: Coastal Wood Fern
Scientific name: Dryopteris arguta
Reason for designation: This Pacific North American fern reaches its northern limit on the Gulf Islands of southwestern British Columbia where it occurs in small subpopulations within rugged and forested coastal habitat. Although the species occurs in a very geographically restricted area, the population appears to be relatively stable and is not currently at high risk of decline due to natural or anthropogenic threats. Invasive plants and unintentional trampling by recreationalists have been noted. Although the threat impact is presently considered to be low, introduced fungal pathogens, and increased drought and intensive fire associated with climate change are possible future threats.
Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 1998. Status re-examined and confirmed in November 2001 and May 2021.
Lakeside Daisy
Common name: Lakeside Daisy
Scientific name: Tetraneuris herbacea
Reason for designation: This perennial herb occurs only in the Great Lakes region where it is restricted to rare alvar and lakeshore calcareous bedrock habitats. Ninety-five percent of the world population is in Canada. This species may be very abundant where it occurs, and a few large subpopulations on western Manitoulin Island buffer the level of risk to the rest of the population. On-going threats include fire suppression, trampling by pedestrians, off-road vehicle use, building and road construction, quarrying, logging in adjacent forests, and invasion by exotic species. The change in status since the last assessment is the result of increased search effort and a change in interpretation of severe fragmentation.
Vole Ears Lichen
Common name: Vole Ears Lichen
Scientific name: Erioderma mollissimum
Reason for designation: In Canada, this large foliose lichen currently only occurs in Nova Scotia, and on Newfoundland and Labrador's Avalon Peninsula. It previously occurred in New Brunswick and in the United States, in Tennessee and North Carolina. The lichen can be found on Red Maple, Yellow Birch and Balsam Fir trees in forests that are humid and within 30 km of the ocean. The number of mature individuals in Canada is estimated to be < 2500 thalli based on data from observations of mature thalli in the field and the remaining amount of suitable habitat. A continuing decline in the population is likely as a result of the threats faced by this lichen which include climate change, air pollution, and habitat destruction from forest clearance and wood harvesting.
Range: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador
Status history: Designated Endangered in November 2009. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2021.
Seaside Centipede Lichen
Common name: Seaside Centipede Lichen
Scientific name: Heterodermia sitchensis
Assessment criteria: B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v); D1
Reason for designation: This leafy lichen is known from 20 occurrences on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, and from two in the US. It has highly specific habitat requirements and grows only on partially defoliated small-diameter Sitka Spruce twigs on trees, close to the shoreline, that often receive nitrogen enrichment from sea lion haul-out sites or bird nest sites. The number of mature individuals (thalli) is thought to be less than 1000, and the lichen is highly vulnerable to intense storm activity associated with climate change that destroys the twigs upon which the lichen is found. The change of status from Endangered reflects increased knowledge of the distribution as a result of increased survey effort.
Status history: Designated Endangered in April 1996. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2000 and in April 2006. Status re-examined and designated Threatened in May 2021.
Meeting date: May 4, 2021

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology
P. F. Smith, A Jay Gandolfi, C. L. Krumdieck, C. W. Putnam, C. F. Zukoski, W. M. Davis, K. Brendel
Toxicology, Center for
The lack of a reproducible method for the production of thin tissue slices has hindered the use of liver slices as an in vitro tool for hepatotoxicity studies. Fresh human, rat, and rabbit liver was processed using a mechanical slicer. With this instrument, precision (5% of thickness) liver slices in the submillimeter range could be produced at a rapid rate. Slices were prepared from fresh livers in chilled, oxygenated buffer to minimize trauma. Following incubation for up to 20 h in a dynamic organ culture system, histology of incubated slices suggested that 250 m precision-cut slices were optimum in regard to morphology relative to liver slices incubated under conventional organ culture conditions. Addition of bromobenzene to the culture showed time-dependent hepatotoxicity based on two classic parameters of cell degeneration. Histological evidence is presented which suggests the usefulness of this system for hepatotoxicity studies and the production of focal necrosis in vitro.
Organ Culture Techniques
Smith, P. F., Gandolfi, A. J., Krumdieck, C. L., Putnam, C. W., Zukoski, C. F., Davis, W. M., & Brendel, K. (1985). Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology. Life Sciences, 36(14), 1367-1375. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(85)90042-6
Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology. / Smith, P. F.; Gandolfi, A Jay; Krumdieck, C. L.; Putnam, C. W.; Zukoski, C. F.; Davis, W. M.; Brendel, K.
In: Life Sciences, Vol. 36, No. 14, 08.04.1985, p. 1367-1375.
Smith, PF, Gandolfi, AJ, Krumdieck, CL, Putnam, CW, Zukoski, CF, Davis, WM & Brendel, K 1985, 'Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology', Life Sciences, vol. 36, no. 14, pp. 1367-1375. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(85)90042-6
Smith PF, Gandolfi AJ, Krumdieck CL, Putnam CW, Zukoski CF, Davis WM et al. Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology. Life Sciences. 1985 Apr 8;36(14):1367-1375. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(85)90042-6
Smith, P. F. ; Gandolfi, A Jay ; Krumdieck, C. L. ; Putnam, C. W. ; Zukoski, C. F. ; Davis, W. M. ; Brendel, K. / Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology. In: Life Sciences. 1985 ; Vol. 36, No. 14. pp. 1367-1375.
@article{6dc13e4be7ba4d6d8da8d5b28dc6fb1a,
title = "Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology",
abstract = "The lack of a reproducible method for the production of thin tissue slices has hindered the use of liver slices as an in vitro tool for hepatotoxicity studies. Fresh human, rat, and rabbit liver was processed using a mechanical slicer. With this instrument, precision (5{\%} of thickness) liver slices in the submillimeter range could be produced at a rapid rate. Slices were prepared from fresh livers in chilled, oxygenated buffer to minimize trauma. Following incubation for up to 20 h in a dynamic organ culture system, histology of incubated slices suggested that 250 m precision-cut slices were optimum in regard to morphology relative to liver slices incubated under conventional organ culture conditions. Addition of bromobenzene to the culture showed time-dependent hepatotoxicity based on two classic parameters of cell degeneration. Histological evidence is presented which suggests the usefulness of this system for hepatotoxicity studies and the production of focal necrosis in vitro.",
author = "Smith, {P. F.} and Gandolfi, {A Jay} and Krumdieck, {C. L.} and Putnam, {C. W.} and Zukoski, {C. F.} and Davis, {W. M.} and K. Brendel",
journal = "Life Sciences",
T1 - Dynamic organ culture of precision liver slices for in vitro toxicology
AU - Smith, P. F.
AU - Gandolfi, A Jay
AU - Krumdieck, C. L.
AU - Putnam, C. W.
AU - Zukoski, C. F.
AU - Davis, W. M.
AU - Brendel, K.
N2 - The lack of a reproducible method for the production of thin tissue slices has hindered the use of liver slices as an in vitro tool for hepatotoxicity studies. Fresh human, rat, and rabbit liver was processed using a mechanical slicer. With this instrument, precision (5% of thickness) liver slices in the submillimeter range could be produced at a rapid rate. Slices were prepared from fresh livers in chilled, oxygenated buffer to minimize trauma. Following incubation for up to 20 h in a dynamic organ culture system, histology of incubated slices suggested that 250 m precision-cut slices were optimum in regard to morphology relative to liver slices incubated under conventional organ culture conditions. Addition of bromobenzene to the culture showed time-dependent hepatotoxicity based on two classic parameters of cell degeneration. Histological evidence is presented which suggests the usefulness of this system for hepatotoxicity studies and the production of focal necrosis in vitro.
AB - The lack of a reproducible method for the production of thin tissue slices has hindered the use of liver slices as an in vitro tool for hepatotoxicity studies. Fresh human, rat, and rabbit liver was processed using a mechanical slicer. With this instrument, precision (5% of thickness) liver slices in the submillimeter range could be produced at a rapid rate. Slices were prepared from fresh livers in chilled, oxygenated buffer to minimize trauma. Following incubation for up to 20 h in a dynamic organ culture system, histology of incubated slices suggested that 250 m precision-cut slices were optimum in regard to morphology relative to liver slices incubated under conventional organ culture conditions. Addition of bromobenzene to the culture showed time-dependent hepatotoxicity based on two classic parameters of cell degeneration. Histological evidence is presented which suggests the usefulness of this system for hepatotoxicity studies and the production of focal necrosis in vitro.
JO - Life Sciences
JF - Life Sciences


text:
As part of its commitment to keep safety as a top priority, Fundación MAPFRE, in collaboration with Malta Public Transport, the Ministry for Education and the Malta Road Safety Council, are launching the Street Smart 7 safety campaign.
This initiative involves a series of interactive videos that can be shown to young children by their teachers during school lessons to demonstrate the importance of road safety in an educational and entertaining way. All primary schools in Malta and Gozo are invited and encouraged to participate.
Javier R. Moreno Gonzales, CEO at MAPFRE Middlesea, officially launched this event.
"Fundación MAPFRE embarked on this awareness campaign in Malta in 2013 to promote road safety measures among children and young adults, and it has been a great success among students in schools all over the island. We are now very excited to launch the seventh edition of this project," he said.
The campaign will be carried out over a period of three years, with this year's interactive videos focusing on safety issues while being a passenger in a private vehicle, while walking and while travelling by bus. The videos are aimed at children aged between five and nine. However, they can also be enjoyed by younger or older children.
Speaking at the official launch of the campaign, Francis Fabri, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Education, welcomed this campaign.
Through this awareness campaign, children will engage in informed and interactive activities while enjoying and uplifting their learning experience
"Children and students are our genuine change agents and are definitely in favour of a just and better world. Through this awareness campaign, children will engage in informed and interactive activities while enjoying and uplifting their learning experience," he said.
"The contribution from Fundación MAPFRE for the past nine years and the next three years will indeed support Transport Malta and Malta Public Transport in their educational mission and sustain the educational journey of schoolchildren while becoming active and responsible citizens. This is in line with the ministry' Framework for the Education Strategy for Malta 2030."
Through this initiative, children will be asked to choose between two different scenarios as Mr Safe and his family go through different familiar experiences. With the popular comedy duo Danusan in the principal roles, the campaign aims to encourage the younger generation to be safety ambassadors when they notice something is wrong.
Malta Road Safety Council executive chairperson Pierre Vella commented: "We suddenly ground to a halt with the arrival of the pandemic after a massive success story we experienced going around schools. It was the determination of everyone involved with Fundación MAPFRE that kept this initiative moving forward. The concept is quite innovative and the scripts and filming were all created and staged locally, giving the concept a local touch. A new idea that will hopefully keep evolving in the future."
Konrad Pulé, general manager at Malta Public Transport, added: "We believe that children can make a big difference when it comes to changing our attitude towards safety on our roads. Children are more likely to challenge how we do certain things, so this is a fantastic opportunity to mix fun and education to achieve this much-needed change."
The interactive videos are being offered free of charge. Schools that wish to participate in this campaign may contact the coordinating team at Malta Public Transport on communications@publictransport.com.mt.


text:
My Work as the
MP for Ayr Carrick & Cumnock 2015-17
I was hugely honoured to be named as the SNP's Disability Spokesperson at Westminster in October 2016. I am passionate about fighting for society's most vulnerable, in particular the rights of people with disabilities. Since taking power in 2010 the Conservative Party has launched a calculated and savage attack on these people, denying them crucial support and deliberately whipping up resentment towards these people as 'scroungers'. This is quite simply disgusting, and I have done everything in my power to hold the Government to account at every step. Even the United Nations has urged the UK Government to halt its unfair and discriminatory treatment of disabled people. In doing so, the UK has been shamed on the international stage.
I have relentlessly challenged the Government's decisions to limit access to Personal Independence Payments, to remove motability cars, to impose the Bedroom Tax, to cut vital services, to destroy the social care system, to introduce shambolic, unfair and humiliating capability assessments, and crucially, to use disabled people as scapegoats for their austerity regime.
On a daily basis I hold meetings with disabled people and disability charities to understand the issues facing ordinary people. I have applied countless times to hold debates in Parliament on disability issues to heap pressure on the Government whenever possible. I have asked questions to Government Ministers in the House of Commons, send written questions to Government departments and written letters to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pushing for action.
While I respect the democratic result of the Brexit referendum, I believe that by isolating itself from the world, the UK will suffer as a result. I have grave concerns about the impact of Brexit on this constituency and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the needs of this area and of Scotland are not forgotten. At Westminster SNP MPs put forward a series of amendments to the Article 50 Bill, including requiring the UK government to consider the interests of devolved administrations and protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK. However, these suggestions were ignored and the unamended Bill was passed with Labour's support, giving the Tories a blank cheque for their Hard Brexit plan.
I recently became the Vice Chair of the Brexpat All Party Parliamentary Group. In this role I intend to stand up for EU citizens living in the UK, and UK citizens living in the EU. These people and their families contribute hugely to the communities they have chosen to build their lives in, and as Vice Chair of this group I will ensure that the government does not treat them as mere bargaining chips in the upcoming negotiations. Along with the other SNP MPs for Ayrshire, I recently hosted a Brexit event in Prestwick with local businesses, business leaders and a Scottish Government representative to discuss ways in which the future success of business in Ayrshire could be secured.
Ever since the move from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment, which supports those with disabilities to live independent and fulfilling lives, the scheme has been disastrous. My constituents have been forced to undergo humiliating and inappropriate assessments, people with mental health conditions such as dementia, autism and schizophrenia have been excluded, and the scheme has been dogged by complaints over unfair dismissals and delays. As the SNP's Disability Spokesperson, I have repeatedly held the government to account over its disgusting treatment of society's most vulnerable. I have personally written to the Secretary of State and the Minister for Disabled People on numerous occasions to press them on these issues. I have met with countless disabled people and disability charities to understand their needs, taken part in Parliamentary debates on PIP, and challenged the government in the House of Commons over its repeated failures.
Luckily, for people in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to use the powers of the Scottish Government to end the misery faced by PIP claimants. But there is so only so much that the Scottish Government can do. I will therefore continue to fight against the government's chaotic and irresponsible approach to disability support for people in my constituency, in Scotland, and across the UK.
After a long period of inaction from the Conservatives and Labour, my SNP colleague Dr Eilidh Whiteford became the first SNP MP to have a Private Member's Bill pass at Westminster. The SNP initiative, which had my full support, requires the UK government to ratify the Istanbul Convention and take further action to finally eradicate domestic violence. Once ratified, the Istanbul Convention will require the government to protect funding for domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centres, 24/7 helplines and to offer counselling for domestic abuse survivors. The Convention also deals with female genital mutilation and ensures the provision of education on healthy relationships in schools.
RAPE CLAUSE & TWO CHILD LIMIT
The government's new rules, which impose a two-child cap on child tax credits and a vile exemption for children conceived by rape, is a new low for the austerity-obsessed Conservative Party. The move will push 200,000 children into poverty and force survivors of rape to prove that they have been raped in order to feed and clothe their children. In their timid support for this policy, Ruth Davidson and her party have shown their true Tory colours – cruel, callous and shameless. Along with my SNP colleagues, I am actively opposing this policy and standing up for dignity and humanity. We will continue to call on the government to back down from this proposal and hold a public consultation on the issue.
The SNP proposed a new law at Westminster to ensure company bosses are held to account if they breach nuisance call regulations. The measures proposed have now been adopted by the UK government and company directors now face fines of up to £500,000 if found to be in breach of the law on nuisance calls.
It came to light some time ago that certain models of tumble dryer owned by Whirlpool have a mechanical fault which can lead to a risk of fires. At least one family in this constituency lost their home as a result of this dangerous fault causing a devastating fire. Whirlpool themselves have admitted that the machines pose a risk and yet the UK government has failed to take any action and has not issued a full recall of these dangerous appliances. I was deeply concerned by this and have held meetings with relevant parties to discuss what steps can be taken to pressure the government on this issue. I co-sponsored a request for a debate in Parliament, which was successfully granted. In this debate I argued that the safety of the public was at risk and urged the government to take immediate action by recalling the faulty appliances and ensuring that every person affected by fire caused by a Whirlpool machine is adequately compensated.
COMPENSATION FOR VETERANS
SNP MPs in Westminster, working with the Royal British Legion, successfully campaigned to force the UK government to ensure that veterans are entitled to the same compensation for asbestos-related mesothelioma as civilians who contracted the illness.
It is estimated that 10,000 children, displaced by the barbaric conflict in Syria, have disappeared in Europe while searching for safety. The reality is that many of these children will never be found and will most likely have fallen into the hands of human traffickers, criminal gangs, slave traders and rapists. As a parent, and a human being, this is utterly heartbreaking. After the government's shameful rejection of unaccompanied child refugees under the Dubs amendment scheme, my SNP colleagues and I in Westminster have repeatedly pressed the government to reverse their decision.
BENEFITS SANCTIONS
With 20 years of experience at the Department for Work and Pensions, and hours spent listening to stakeholders when scrutinising the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, there is no doubt that benefits sanctions do not work. They are simply a cruel and unnecessary way of punishing people who do not do what the Tory government tells them to do. These people are often in already dire circumstances and desperately need the support of the state. By punishing them and withholding this support for what is often a minor misunderstanding, the government is pushing these families into further debt and misery. Charities and independent organisations have repeatedly shown that sanctions simply make things worse. I have consistently opposed this sanctions regime, speaking out in Parliamentary debates and challenging Ministers to re-think the policy. The SNP at Westminster proposed a Private Member's Bill to reform the system, yet, despite only asking for small changes, the Tories used parliamentary tactics to talk out the Bill.
LION CONSERVATION
With just 15,000 lions left in the wild in Africa, the UK must step up and play its part to help protect this beautiful and iconic species from extinction. While other countries have taken steps to curb the trade in lion carcasses, the UK is lagging behind. I have therefore called on the government to ban the import of lion trophies. I hosted a roundtable discussion with a conservation group and other MPs in order to generate support for the ban and will continue to press the government on this issue before it is too late.
SECURING THE BEST DEAL FOR SCOTLAND ON HEATHROW EXPANSION
SNP MPs in Westminster, working with the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown, have successfully campaigned to secure a deal on airport expansion that will create up to 16,000 jobs and over £200 million in construction-related spend here in Scotland.
MARKETING OF BABY FORMULA MILK
An SNP-proposed Bill won unanimous backing from MPs and will prevent baby formula milk manufacturers making potentially misleading claims by ensuring all health claims are independently researched.
USE OF SCOTTISH LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS FOR TAX EVASION
After pressure from the SNP, the UK government has committed to a review and consultation of the practice of using Scottish Limited Partnership business models to undertake illegal activities and evade tax.
At the end of 2016 a number of constituents contacted me in desperate need after their tax credits had been indiscriminately stopped by Concentrix, the company contracted by HMRC to reduce the tax credit bill. Many of these people had been accused of fraud, with absolutely no basis in fact. HMRC attempted to resolve the situation but struggled to sort through the chaos, leaving people with crucial financial support for weeks at a time. Not only that, but the cost to the taxpayer of sorting this mess was significant. As a result, I took part in a debate on this issue along with many of my SNP colleagues to press the government to review its policy of blindly imposing cuts without considering the impact.
UNIVERSAL CREDIT AND EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE
The government has continued its assault on society's most vulnerable people with cuts to ESA and the roll-out of Universal Credit. Both moves will lead to widespread poverty and more difficulties for disabled people. Vulnerable claimants of ESA now receive £30 less per week, leading to health problems and spiralling debt. I have called out this callous move on numerous occasions and recently protested with disability campaigners outside the Houses of Parliament. I have requested Parliamentary debates on the roll-out of Universal Credit and will continue to fight for a fairer, more humane approach to social security.


text:
The Racket: How Abortion Became Legal In Australia (Trade Paperback / Paperback)
By Haigh, Gideon
A generation ago in Australia, abortion was a crime. It was also the basis of one of the country's most lucrative and longest-lasting criminal rackets. The Racket describes the rise and fall of an extraordinary web of influence, which culminated in the landmark ruling that made a...bortion legal, and a public inquiry that humiliated a powerful government and a glamorous police force. With forensic skill and psychological subtlety, Gideon Haigh brings to life a story of corruption in high places and human suffering in low, of murder, suicide, courtroom drama, political machinations, and of the abortionists themselves: among them a multi-millionaire philanthropist, a communist bush poet, a timid aesthete and a bankrupt slaughterman. It is the story, too, of Bertram Wainer, abortion's crash-through-or-crash campaigner, and the moral issue he bequeathed which still divides Australians.
Melbourne University Press
Trade Paperback/Paperback
View All (1 other possible title(s) available)
History of Specific Subjects
Social & Ethical Issues: Abortion
363.460994;363.46
Social Issues, Services & Welfare
Short-listed for NSW Premier's Literary Award Gleebooks Award for Cultural & Literary Criticism 2009
There are no reviews for this title.
Born in London and based in Melbourne, Gideon Haigh has been a journalist almost thirty years, and written widely on business, sport, both and neither.
The Racket: How Abortion Became Legal In Australia


Circa 1938 style women's blouse and skirt. The blouse with shirring at the neckline has a small collar gathered at the front. Long sleeves may be attached at the dropped shoulders. The girdle, joined at the lower edge of the blouse, ties at the side. The skirt is made with an inverted pleat or panel in front.


Patient, step-by-step progress to the top.
Concerns with public performance, overstated respect for authorities.
Resistance, diligence, ambition, but also fatigue, pessimistic thoughts, concerns with responsibility or hard work.


text:
\section{Introduction}

In recent years the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter has
become the focus of theoretical and experimental attention. It is
believed that the underlying fundamental theory of the strong
interaction is described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). At finite
temperature and finite densities QCD predicts two different phase
transitions which are associated with two opposite quark mass limits
(for reviews see e.g.~\cite{MeyerOrtmanns:1996ea, Rischke:2003mt}).

For vanishing quark masses, i.e., in the chiral limit, QCD has an
exact global $U(N_f)_L \times U(N_f)_R$ chiral symmetry, where $N_f$
denotes the number of quark flavors. The axial $U(1)_A$ anomaly,
induced by instantons, breaks the axial $U(N_f)_A$ part of the chiral
symmetry explicitly to $SU(N_f)_A$. In addition, in the vacuum the
$SU(N_f)_A$ is spontaneously broken by a finite expectation value of
the quark condensate $\langle \bar q q \rangle \neq 0$. As a
consequence of the Goldstone theorem, $N_f^2-1$ massless pseudoscalar
Goldstone bosons are expected to emerge. For $N_f=2$ the associated
Goldstone bosons are the three pseudoscalar pions and for $N_f=3$ one
has additionally the four kaons and the pseudoscalar $\eta$ meson
which together with the pions constitute the pseudoscalar meson octet.
Once the quark masses obtain finite values, i.e., leaving the chiral
limit, chiral symmetry is broken explicitly and all these Goldstone
bosons acquire masses as measurable in the experiment.
However, at high temperatures and densities this symmetry breaking
pattern changes drastically. In hot and dense matter the $SU(N_f)_A$
symmetry and additionally, if instantons are sufficiently screened,
the explicitly broken axial $U(1)_A$ symmetry will become restored
again. As a consequence, the masses of the pseudoscalar Goldstone
bosons will degenerate with the masses of the corresponding chiral
scalar partners, signaling in this way the restoration of chiral
symmetry. The associated phase transition is commonly referred to as
the chiral phase transition.

In the opposite quark mass limit, the so-called quenched limit of QCD
with infinitely heavy quark masses, QCD reduces to a pure $SU(N_c)$
gauge theory which is invariant under a global $Z(N_c)$ center
symmetry. In contrast to the chiral symmetry, the center symmetry is
spontaneously broken at high temperatures and densities, i.e., in the
color deconfined quark-gluon plasma phase and is restored in the
hadronic phase at small temperatures and densities. The associated
phase transition from the hadronic (glueball) phase to the color
deconfined plasma phase is the confinement/deconfinement phase
transition. The center symmetry is always broken explicitly when
dynamical quarks are present, i.e., when the quenched limit of QCD is
left.

Both phase transitions are conceptually distinct phenomena of QCD. For
the experiment it is important to investigate and understand the
interplay between these phase transitions, in particular, for
realistic quark masses. Based on theoretical models and QCD lattice
simulations a generic phase diagram for $N_f = 2+1$ quark flavors in
the temperature and (baryo)chemical potential $\mu$ plane can be drawn
as in the left panel of Fig.~\ref{fig:columbia}. Here not only the
chiral and deconfinement phase transition from the hadronic fluid
phase to the quark-gluon plasma are shown. The regions probed by some
already running or planned relativistic heavy-ion collision
experiments such as ALICE, RHIC, CBM and SPS are also marked in the
figure. So far, it is still an open issue whether both phase
transitions, the chiral and deconfinement transition, take place at
the same temperatures and densities yielding thus a single transition
or crossover line in the QCD phase diagram as indicated in the figure.
For example, McLerran and Pisarksi suggested that this is not the case
at moderate temperature and large chemical potential. Based on
large-$N_c$ arguments, they concluded that in this phase diagram
region there might be a new, so-called quarkyonic phase which is still
confining but chirally symmetric \cite{McLerran:2007qj}.

\begin{figure}[tb]
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.5\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=qcd_phase_diagram.eps,height=6.5cm}
\end{minipage}
\hspace*{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.4\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=columbia_plot.eps,height=7cm}
\end{minipage}
\begin{center}
\begin{minipage}[t]{\textwidth}
  \caption{Schematic phase transition behavior of $N_f = 2+1$ flavor
    QCD in the ($T,\mu$) plane (left panel) and for vanishing chemical
    potential in the ($m_{u,d}, m_s$) quark mass plane (right
    panel)\cite{Brown:1988qe}.
    \label{fig:columbia}}
\end{minipage}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

The situation is even more sophisticated since some properties of the
chiral phase transition such as its order depend on $N_f$ and the
strength of the axial anomaly. The status for vanishing chemical
potential is partly summarized in the right panel of
Fig.~\ref{fig:columbia}: in the limiting case of two massless light
quarks, $m_{u,d}=0$, and an infinite strange quark mass $m_s$, which
corresponds to $N_f=2$, it is conjectured that the finite temperature
 chiral phase transition is of second-order for a
constant anomaly strength and lies in the universality class of the
Heisenberg $O(4)$ model in three dimensions.

If the anomaly strength is identified with the instanton density, a
temperature-dependent strength of the axial anomaly would arise. It is
supposed that the strength vanishes at high temperatures. This
temperature-dependent axial anomaly can change the chiral transition
to first-order.

The chiral transition will also be of first-order once the strange
quark mass drops below a certain critical value. This critical mass
value is a tricritical end point of the second-order transition line.
For three vanishing quark masses the first-order transition has been
confirmed by a renormalization group analysis and is independent of
the strength of the axial anomaly~\cite{Pisarski:1983ms}. The
first-order region in the ($m_{u,d},m_s$) plane still persists for
small light and strange quark masses and is finally terminated by a
second-order transition boundary. This boundary line separates the
first-order region from the crossover region in the ($m_{u,d},m_s$)
plane. QCD lattice simulations indicate that the physical mass point,
labeled as a red point in the Fig.~\ref{fig:columbia}, is located in
the crossover regime. In contrast to the boundary line at $m_{u,d}=0$,
which lies presumably in the $O(4)$ universality class, the
universality class changes for finite $m_{u,d}$ to the one of the
$Z(2)$ three-dimensional Ising model.

For finite chemical potential the area of the first-order regime in
the quark mass plane also changes. If it grows for increasing chemical
potential the boundary may hit and pass over the position of the
physical mass point, turning the chiral phase transition from a
crossover to a second-order or first-order transition and as a
consequence, the existence of critical end point (CEP) in the QCD
phase diagram becomes possible. This scenario is denoted as the
standard one.

On the other hand, if the first-order region shrinks for increasing
chemical potential the chiral phase transition sticks to be a
crossover and the existence of a CEP in the phase diagram is not
possible, which is commonly labeled as the non-standard scenario and
has been predicted by de Forcrand and Philipsen \cite{Forcrand2002}.

The existence or exclusion of a QCD critical end point has not yet
been confirmed by QCD lattice simulations. At finite chemical
potential these Monte-Carlo simulations suffer from the notorious sign
problem because the quark determinant in the QCD partition function
becomes a complex quantity which entangles its probability
interpretation. But recently, some progress could be achieved in
extrapolating zero chemical potential Monte-Carlo simulations to
finite chemical potentials \cite{Schmidt:2006us}. However, all these
extrapolation techniques are still limited to small chemical
potentials. Furthermore, both above mentioned scenarios, the standard
and the non-standard ones, are seen on the lattice with different
extrapolation techniques.

So far, only model studies give direct and indirect evidences for the
existence of the critical end point in the whole phase diagram. But
they cannot predict its precise location. The location and even its
existence depend also on the magnitude of the axial anomaly and on
vector-channel interactions \cite{Struber:2007bm, Fukushima:2008is}.
This is plausible because the zeroth-component of the vector-channel
interaction is directly coupled to the quark density which surely
modifies the interactions in the finite-density environment. Due to
the repulsive vector-vector interaction the first-order transition is
weakened. As a consequence a standard scenario could change to a
non-standard one depending, of course, on the strength of the vector
coupling.

In all, the influence of the axial anomaly and also of the
vector-vector interaction on the QCD phase structure is of relevance
and should be investigated in a quantitative manner. Moreover, in
order to bridge the gap between existing lattice data at zero chemical
potential and interesting regions in the QCD phase diagram at finite
chemical potential effective models are useful and inevitable tools.
They share the relevant symmetries with the underlying QCD and allow
the investigations in a simplified framework. One example of such
effective models is the chiral quark-meson model which allows to
explore the chiral phase transition, see e.g.~\cite{Schaefer:2006sr}.

\section{Chiral effective quark-meson models}

Based on a previous analysis within an effective quark-meson model
with two quark flavors \cite{Schaefer:2007ep, Schaefer:2006ds,
  Schaefer:2004en} an extension to three quark flavors is done
straightforwardly which enables the investigation of the chiral
$SU(3)\times SU(3)$ symmetry restoration with temperature and quark
chemical potential including the axial $U(1)_A$ anomaly. Here we
briefly summarize some results of Ref.~\cite{Schaefer:2008hk} where
the three-flavor quark-meson model has been treated in mean-field
approximation. In this approximation the quantum and thermal meson
fluctuations of the grand potential are neglected while the
quarks/antiquarks are retained as quantum fields. The resulting
integration over the Grassmann fields yields finally the $T$- and
$\mu$-dependent quark/antiquark contribution $\Omega_{\bar q q}
(T,\mu)$ of the grand potential wherein the ultraviolet divergent
vacuum contribution has been neglected. After all the total grand
potential is a sum of $\Omega_{\bar q q} (T,\mu)$ and a meson
potential $U(\sigma_x, \sigma_y)$,
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:qmpot}
  \Omega(T,\mu) = \Omega_{\bar q q} (T,\mu) +U(\sigma_x, \sigma_y)\ ,
\end{equation}
where $\sigma_x$ and $\sigma_y$ denote the nonstrange and strange
condensates, respectively. The condensates are the corresponding
chiral order parameters and depend on $T$ and $\mu$. Note, that the
quark contribution also depends on these condensates implicitly via
the quark masses. Since we consider symmetric quark matter a uniform
quark chemical potential has been introduced.

The resulting phase diagrams with explicit $U(1)_A$ symmetry breaking
for three different values of $m_\sigma$ are shown in the left panel
of Fig.~\ref{fig2}.
\begin{figure}[tb]
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=mwmf_phasediag_muB2.eps,height=6cm}
\end{minipage}
\hspace*{3cm}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=mwmf_phasediag_muB_mpiK.eps,height=6cm}
\end{minipage}
\begin{center}
\begin{minipage}[t]{\textwidth}
  \caption{ Left: Phase diagrams with axial anomaly for different
    values of the sigma mass: $m_{\sigma} = 600$ MeV (lower lines),
    $800$ MeV and $900$ MeV (upper line). Right: Phase diagrams with
    axial anomaly for $m_\sigma =800$ MeV but different pion masses
    $m_{\pi}/m_{\pi}^{*}= 0.49$ (lower line), $0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2,
    1.36$ (upper line) where the ratio
    $m_{\pi}/m_{K}=m_{\pi}^{*}/m_{K}^{*}$ is kept fixed with
    $m_{\pi}^{*}=138$ MeV and $m_K^{*}=496$ MeV. \label{fig2}}
\end{minipage}
\end{center}
\end{figure}
For certain values of $m_\sigma$ a CEP is found. Compared to recent
lattice simulations, this point is located at smaller temperatures and
larger chemical potentials. Anyhow, its exact location in the phase
diagram cannot be predicted by effective models. The mass of the
$\sigma$ meson is one model input parameter which is poorly known
experimentally. We therefore use different input values for $m_\sigma$
in order to study its mass dependence. One sees for increasing
$m_\sigma$ that the location of the CEP moves towards the $\mu$-axis.
Already for $m_\sigma=900$ MeV the CEP disappears and the chiral phase
transition is a smooth crossover over the entire phase diagram.
Without axial anomaly almost no difference of the phase boundary and
hence of the location of the CEP is seen.

In Ref.~\cite{Struber:2007bm} a gauged chiral $U(2)\times U(2)$
symmetric linear sigma model without quarks within the 2PI resummation
scheme has been considered. If the influence of the vector mesons are
neglected the opposite behavior of the chiral transition as a function
of $m_\sigma$ is observed: at $\mu=0$ a crossover is found for a small
$\sigma$ mass and a first-order transition for a large $\sigma$ mass.
On the other hand, if vector mesons are incorporated the transition
leads to a more rapid crossover and brings one closer to the
second-order critical point.

Independent of the $U(1)_A$ symmetry breaking a first-order phase
transition in the chiral limit is expected. This behavior is shown in
the right panel of Fig.~\ref{fig2} where the phase diagrams including
the anomaly for varying pion and kaon masses are shown for
$m_\sigma=800$ MeV. For this figure a path in the $(m_\pi, m_K)$-plane
through the physical mass point towards the chiral limit has been
chosen by varying the pion mass while keeping the ratio $m_\pi/m_K$
fixed. On the one hand, for a pion mass $1.36$ times larger than the
physical one, the CEP lies exactly on the $\mu$-axis (for $m_\sigma =
800$ MeV) and the chiral transition is a smooth crossover over the
entire phase diagram. On the other hand, for decreasing pion masses
the location of the CEP moves towards the $T$-axis and for a pion mass
below half of the physical one the chiral transition turns into a
first-order one for all densities and no CEP exists any longer.

This behavior of the CEP excludes the nonstandard scenario described
in the introduction. The chiral critical surface which is defined by
the value of the critical chemical potential of the CEP for a given
mass pair ($m_\pi, m_K$), is evaluated in Fig.~\ref{fig3} as a
function of the pion and the kaon masses with (left) and without
(right) $U(1)_A$ symmetry breaking. For values of the chemical
potential above the surface the chiral transition is of first-order
while for values below the surface the transition lies in the
crossover region. With or without anomaly the surface grows out
perpendicular from the mass plane at $\mu=0$ and the tangent plane to
the critical surface has a decreasing slope for larger masses.
Consequently, the first-order region grows for increasing chemical
potentials. Since the critical chemical potential cannot grow
arbitrarily the surface must have a boundary at larger pion and kaon
masses which is not shown in the figure.

\begin{figure}[tb]
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=mwmf_pset1003_matte_2.eps,height=7cm}
\end{minipage}
\hspace*{3cm}
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=mwmf_pset3_matte_2.eps,height=7cm}
\end{minipage}
\begin{center}
\begin{minipage}[t]{\textwidth}
  \caption{Chiral critical surface as a function of the pion and kaon
    masses for $m_\sigma = 800$ MeV with (left) and without axial
    anomaly (right). The arrow points to the critical quark chemical
    potential at realistic pion and meson masses and is denoted as
    physical point.\label{fig3}}
\end{minipage}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

Furthermore, the effect of the $U(1)_A$ anomaly on the shape of the
surface is rather marginal for kaon masses greater than $400$ MeV.
This is reasonable since for larger kaon masses the strange sector
decouples effectively from the light nonstrange sector and the chiral
transition is basically driven by the light nonstrange particles. For
kaon masses smaller than $400$ MeV a considerable influence of the
anomaly on the shape of the critical surface is seen: without anomaly
the region of first-order phase transitions at $\mu=0$ is considerably
reduced.

\section{Emulating the Polyakov-loop dynamics}

So far only the chiral phase transition has been considered. Recently,
the quark-meson model could be combined with the Polyakov loop which
allows to investigate both, the chiral and the deconfinement phase
transition. In general, the Polyakov loop $\Phi$ is a complex scalar
field and serves as an order parameter for the
confinement/deconfinement transition in the quenched limit. Since it
is related to the free energy of a static test quark, it vanishes in
the confined phase where the free energy of a single quark diverges
and takes a finite value in the deconfined phase. It is linked to the
$Z(N_c)$ center symmetry of the $SU(N_c)$ gauge group. Thus, the
confining phase is center symmetric, whereas the center symmetry is
spontaneously broken in the deconfined phase.

\begin{figure}[tb]
\begin{minipage}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=mwmf_pset_121002_pd.eps,totalheight=6cm}
\vspace*{0.0mm}%
\end{minipage}%
\hspace*{3cm}%
\begin{minipage}[b]{0.3\textwidth}
\epsfig{file=mwmf_lp_pressureer.eps,clip=,totalheight=6.5cm}
\end{minipage}
\begin{center}
\begin{minipage}[t]{\textwidth}
  \caption{\label{fig:4}Left: Phase diagram for the three flavor PQM
    model with a logarithmic Polyakov loop potential. Right: Scaled
    pressure for the PQM model for three different Polyakov loop
    potentials (labeled as pol, log and Fuku) in comparison with
    recent lattice data for $2+1$ flavors \cite{Cheng:2007jq}. The
    scaled pressure without the Polyakov loop dynamics (QM) is also
    shown. }
\end{minipage}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

In the presence of dynamical quarks and nonvanishing chemical
potential it is not clear whether the Polyakov loop still serves as an
order parameter. In this case, the free energy does not diverge
anymore and the order parameter is always nonzero. Because the free
energies of quarks and antiquarks are different in the medium, $\Phi$,
related to quarks, and the Hermitian (charge) conjugate $\bar\Phi$,
related to antiquarks, will differ.

In pure Yang-Mills theory the real mean values $\Phi$ and $\bar\Phi$
are given by the minima of an effective Polyakov loop potential
$\mathcal U (\Phi,\bar\Phi)$ which can be constructed from lattice
data. Finally, the dynamical quark sector of QCD is included by
coupling the Polyakov loop to the quark sector of the quark-meson
model which leads to the Polyakov-quark-meson (PQM) model with an
interaction potential between quarks, mesons and the Polyakov loop
variables. For two quark flavors the PQM model has been introduced in
~\cite{Schaefer:2007pw}, wherein a polynomial ansatz for the Polyakov
loop potential has been used. Here, we extend the two flavor PQM model
to three quark flavors together with three different realizations of
the Polyakov loop potential $\mathcal U (\Phi,\bar\Phi)$
\cite{Fukushima:2008wg, Schaefer:2007pw, Roessner:2006xn}.

For three quark flavors the total grand potential of the PQM model is
a sum of three contributions
\begin{equation}
  \Omega(T,\mu) = \Omega_{\bar{q}{q}}(T,\mu;\Phi,\bar{\Phi}) +
  U(\sigma_x,\sigma_y) + \mathcal{U}(T;\Phi,\bar{\Phi})\ ,
\end{equation}
where the quark/antiquark contribution $\Omega_{\bar{q}{q}}$ is
modified by the Polyakov loop variables. The mesonic contribution
$U(\sigma_x,\sigma_y)$ is the same as for the quark-meson model,
Eq.~(\ref{eq:qmpot}).

In Fig.~\ref{fig:4} (left panel) the resulting phase diagram of the
PQM model with three quark flavors for a logarithmic Polyakov loop
potential, adopted from~\cite{Roessner:2006xn}, is shown. The phase
boundaries are extracted from the peak in the temperature derivative
of the corresponding light nonstrange condensate and the Polyakov loop
variable. The model parameters are adjusted in such a way that both
phase transitions, the chiral and the deconfinement transition,
coincide at $\mu=0$ as is indicated by recent lattice
simulations~\cite{Cheng:2006qk}. In general, the chiral transition
temperature is shifted to higher values if the Polyakov loop is
included and a more rapid crossover is observed.

For increasing chemical potential both transition still coincide
initially but then start to deviate before the chiral critical point
is reached. The chiral transition always occurs below the
deconfinement transition. For small temperatures the chiral transition
becomes of first-order and both transitions are well separated. This
separation might be related to the existence of a quarkyonic phase but
work in this direction is still in progress.

The coupling of the quark dynamics to the Polyakov loop improves the
equation of state in the chirally broken phase at low temperatures and
densities. This is demonstrated in Fig.~\ref{fig:4} (right panel)
where the scaled pressure, normalized to the Stefan-Boltzmann
pressure, is shown at $\mu=0$ for three different realizations of the
Polyakov loop potential. In comparison, recent $2+1$-flavor lattice
data for $N_\tau = 6$~\cite{Cheng:2007jq} are also included and are in
reasonable agreement with our results. The suppression of the quark
contribution in the confined phase is clearly visible compared to the
pure QM model calculation.

\subsubsection*{Acknowledgments}
BJS is grateful to the organizers of the 30th International School of
Nuclear Physics in Erice, Italy, for the invitation and acknowledges
the European Physical Society (EPS) for the scholarship. MW was
supported by the BMBF grant 06DA123.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Legendary Gospel Singer, Duranice Pace Is Dead
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'Nigeria Is Proud To Have You' – Tinubu Hails Akande At 82
Boko Haram: We Have Recaptured The North-East From Terrorists – Military
Only God Can Give Nigeria Victory Over Insecurity – Adesina
US Food and Drug Administration approves Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it authorized the use of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in the United States where the pandemic has killed more than 292,000 people.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech, which was shown to be 95% effective in preventing the disease in a late-stage trial.
The FDA said the vaccine can be given to people aged 16 and older. Healthcare workers and elderly people in long-term care facilities are expected to be the main recipients of a first round of 2.9 million doses.
"The first vaccine will be administered in less than 24 hours," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a video posted on Twitter. "I am proud to say we have made sure this vaccine will be free for all Americans."
The U.S. government has said it will begin distributing the vaccine around the country immediately after FDA authorization, and that the first inoculations would happen early next week.
Millions of Americans could begin getting vaccinated this month, especially if a second vaccine from Moderna Inc is quickly approved.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was first approved in Britain earlier this month, and UK residents began receiving the shots on Tuesday. Canada also authorized the vaccine and expects to start inoculations next week.
Mexico and Bahrain have also approved the vaccine.
The FDA authorization, known as an EUA, comes at a time when infections, hospitalizations and deaths are soaring to record levels in the United States, which has failed to mount a coordinated effort to slow the spread of the virus. Earlier this week, the one-day COVID-19 death total topped 3,000, while hospital intensive care units across the country are nearing capacity, threatening to overwhelm healthcare systems.
READ Coronavirus: Spain's death toll tops 9,000 with 864 more fatalities in 24 hours - another record
"The EUA was anticipated and it is one step in a sequence of steps that will bring this pandemic to an end," said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
"I'm not going to feel that there is an EUA tomorrow when I'm taking care of COVID-19 patients. A lot of people will be infected, a lot will be hospitalized and a lot will die before the vaccine is able to have a meaningful impact on spread," he added.
Others with vaccines in advanced development include Moderna, which could win emergency U.S. authorization as soon as next week, AstraZeneca Plc with Oxford University, and Johnson & Johnson.
America's FDA approves Pfizer vaccination
BioNTech began developing the vaccine in January, using a technology called synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) that had yet to produce an approved product. The technology uses a chemical messenger to instruct cells to make proteins that mimic part of the new coronavirus, which the immune system learns to recognize as an invader. BioNTech struck a development deal with Pfizer in March.
The vaccine comes with complex distribution challenges as it must be shipped and stored at -70 Celsius (-94 F), requiring specialized ultra-cold freezers or supplies of dry ice.
Moderna's vaccine employs the same technology but does not need to be stored at sub-Arctic temperatures.
The first shots
Pfizer has developed a special shipping container that will be filled with dry ice to keep the vaccine from spoiling. Many states are concerned about whether there is enough dry ice for shipments to rural areas that lack the specialized freezers, but Pfizer believes there should be sufficient supply.
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The U.S. quest for a vaccine has been the central response to the pandemic from a Trump administration that has mostly otherwise left states to fend for themselves. It has said it will have enough to supply all of the 330 million U.S. residents who wish to be vaccinated by the middle of 2021.
The government has ordered 100 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine – enough to inoculate 50 million people – through its Operation Warp Speed virus development program and could negotiate for more. The status of those talks are unclear.
Pfizer board member and former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in an interview with CNBC earlier this week that the company had offered to sell the United States more doses as recently as last month but had been turned down.
The United States has agreed to buy 200 million doses of Moderna's two-dose vaccine. The government also has supply deals with J&J and AstraZeneca, but authorization of those vaccines are not imminent.
Top U.S. infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said if distribution goes well and enough Americans agree to get vaccinated, relief for a pandemic weary nation may be on the horizon.
"If we do it efficiently enough by the second quarter of 2021, and by the end of summer or end of third quarter, we may actually have enough herd immunity protecting our society," he said. "And as we get to the end of 2021, we could approach very much some degree of normality that is close to where we were before."
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text:
Yoo Seung Ho Reveals The Heartbreaking Reason Why He Thinks He Can't Date
It's far from the truth though.
During an interview, actor Yoo Seung Ho revealed that he yearns to date and have girlfriend. When he explained why he hasn't been dating, however, fans hearts broke everywhere.
He explained the reason why he thinks the reason he isn't dating anyone is because no girls like him.
I really want to date, but there are no girls, so I can't date. I'm not lying, there are seriously no girls out there who likes me. Seriously.
Fans everywhere immediately came to his defense, saying that he has a bunch of female fans who love and adore him.
When Yoo Seung Ho was asked what he'd like to do with a potential girlfriend, he said that he hasn't really thought of activities he'd like to do.
I've tried thinking about it, but I can't think of anything. I just think it would be fun meeting up and simply talking to each other.
Yoo Seung Ho, you have many fans who'd gladly be your girlfriend!
Source: TheQoo


You need our USB Stick included to transfer designs from your computer to PE770. Other retailers do not include this transfer device. You an use PED Basic Box to convert any existing Brother cards to .pes files on your computer to transfer to the machine with the same USB stick included.
Brother PE770 Embroidery Machine Scoress Consumer Digest Best Buy Awards.
The Perfect Embroidery Machine To Add To Any Sewing Room! Brother PE-770 5x7" Embroidery Machine PE770 + USB Stick, Card Port, Touch Screen Edit, 136 Designs, 120 Border Frames.
The Brother PE-770: the Perfect Embroidery Machine To Add To Any Sewing Room!
"AllBrands is a Brother Authorized Dealer and ASC Authorized Service Center for warranty repairs. We give unlimited tech support by email, fax, phone, text and cell, plus service in our shop or referral to nearest ASC (your choice). Mass merchants do not have tech service or repair departments for your equipment like we do. They are unable to help you directly, referring your operational, mechanical or electronic questions back to Brother customer service desk (not their mechanics) instead of taking care of the problems themselves. Brother and customers should expect that any problems you might have will be taken care of by the dealer who sold you the equipment, not simply by referring your requests back to the manufacturer."
The PE770 is the latest computerized embroidery machine that is compatible with USB Memory Sticks! Import designs up to a maximum of 5" x 7", and utilize the Brother Memory Card Library for even more designs. Now you can embellish everything from home décor to T-shirts with one of 136 built-in embroidery patterns which include delicate scroll work, intricate florals, classic quilt patterns and so much more.
Create high-quality embroidery designs quickly and easily with the PE-770 embroidery-only machine. Import designs easily from your USB memory stock or utilize the Brother Memory Card Library for even more designs. Now you can embellish everything from home décor to T-shirts with one of 136 built-in embroidery designs which include delicate scrollwork, intricate florals, classic quilt patterns and so much more.
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PE-770 by Brother™. The machines you love, by the name you trust.
Warranty: 25 year limited warranty; see limited warranty for details.
Manufacturer's US warranty To view the warranty for this combo, please view specific warranty information on the individual product pages.
Embroidery Hoops 5" x 7"
Buy a machine with an aluminum frame versus, I guess, plastic; With regard to the PE770, does this machine have an aluminum frame? Phyllis, yes the Brother PE770 has a solid aluminum metal casting for holding top and bottom shafts and linkages. If fact, all the Brother dealer model machines including PE770 and PE780 embroidery only machines have this feature. It is only the low end mass merchant machines that that have plastic front and back covers for holding top and bottom shafts and linkages in place. Vibration is not as much of a problem with embroidery only machines with fixed center needle positions (no zigzag mechanisms inside) and no feed dog mechanisms underneath.. All Brother machines are smooth running with less vibration and decibel ratings than other major brands of the same type. .
If you repeat multiple images in the hoop (like small fsl earrings), will the machine cut the threads automatically when it goes from one image to the next? (Sort of like a jump stitch cut setting). I know it has an "automatic" thread cutter, but that doesn't always mean it cuts without someone pushing a button to tell it to do it.
Yes, the machine will cut the thread at the end of each design entered in the stitch field.