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Climate change: what DFIs can do to make a difference
The world turns its attention to climate this week – with the United Nations Climate Action Summit and the 2019 Climate Week. We look at what role a development finance institution can play in tackling this growing threat to development and poverty reduction.
Climate change is the most important challenge facing our generation. The scale of the challenge is vast. Last year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report underscored the importance of limiting temperature rises to 1.5°C for sustainable development and poverty eradication. The 1.5°C goal creates a clear pathway for global action – it means emissions need to be cut by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
And it affects everything that CDC holds dear and is trying to accomplish – poverty alleviation, economic growth, and building a sustainable world. We know that the markets we invest in are already experiencing the effects of climate change. According to the World Bank, climate change has the power to push more than 100 million people back into poverty over the next 10 years. And it will hit communities in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia the hardest.
As well as being core to our development mission, climate change is increasingly being recognised as a major financial risk by the finance sector. Investors are concerned that an investment made today could be worth less than predicted in the future, either because an asset could be hit by an extreme weather event or because changes in technology or policy could prompt a reassessment of the value of a range of assets.
On the flip side, the opportunity is also huge. In 2018, the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate concluded that ambitious climate action does not need to cost much more than business-as-usual growth. Bold action on climate change could yield economic gains of $26 trillion and generate over 65 million new low-carbon jobs by 2030. The shift to clean growth is one of the most foreseeable and significant global economic trends and everyone – including governments, investors, businesses, civil society and individuals – has a role to play to support this economic transformation.
number of people at risk of being pushed back into poverty by climate change
What potential does a DFI have to make a difference?
The case is clear. Every country across the world must transition to a low-carbon economy in the next 30 years. At CDC, with a long history of investing in South Asia and Africa and the ability to deploy patient capital, we are well placed to support this. The key question as a DFI is: how can we not only manage climate-related risks and pursue climate opportunities as they arise, but more fundamentally, how can we support the poorest countries to deal with the economic transformation required to reach 'net zero', and in a way that is socially just?
We think any response has three parts: first, how can we help build the foundations of a carbon-free world given investment decisions today affect emissions tomorrow? Second, how can we support a 'just transition' to a low carbon economy by keeping job creation and skills development at the forefront of that change? And third, how can we strengthen the resilience of communities, businesses and people to the effects of climate change?
We've been committed to climate action for many years and have been implementing a climate policy for the last five years. The work we've been involved in already shows that consuming fewer resources and helping companies adapt to climate change helps to build sustainable businesses. At the same time, it benefits the communities these companies operate in and society as a whole.
What does this work look like?
Firstly, we know that there is significant potential for DFIs to use patient capital to support new cleaner technologies being deployed in developing markets. Investing in renewable energy is a key part of CDC's current approach. In the last two years, we have committed over $500 million in clean power generation – 25 per cent of our annual commitments, up from 5 per cent in 2016. This has included founding the renewable energy platform Ayana to develop solar and wind generation projects across India. And it's also meant investing in off-grid solar power company M-KOPA to provide 90 million hours of kerosene-free lighting a month, to 750,000 households across East Africa.
Secondly, we've been supporting the businesses we invest in – across sectors ranging from food and agriculture to construction and real estate to healthcare – to become climate smart. We've worked with Rainbow Hospitals, an Indian paediatric and maternity hospital chain, to both reduce resource use and utility bills at the same time. We supported Rainbow to gain 'EDGE' green-building certification for its Bangalore hospital, which has helped the hospital reduce its energy consumption by 27 per cent and its water use by 32 per cent as well as saving 1.5 million rupees.
Or there's our work with Big Basket, India's largest e-grocery company, which partners with more than 5,000 smallholders across 10,000 acres of farmland. With our support, Big Basket is piloting sustainable organic farms to be rolled out to 3,000 farmers over five years; and transitioning 2,500 delivery vehicles to electric, facilitating CO2 equivalent savings of 4,800 tonnes.
We also know that developing countries will feel the effects of climate change disproportionately, through increased weather events like droughts or cyclones. So we've been supporting companies to adapt and become more climate resilient. For example, we've worked with Jacoma Estates in Malawi to make its farms more climate resilient through an irrigation scheme for farms and surrounding smallholder farmers. And we're working with Zephyr Power Limited, a renewable energy company in Pakistan, to implement a mangrove rehabilitation programme which will provide increased storm protection capacity along the coastline as well as to their wind farm.
Nonetheless, we know that we need to go further if we're going to meet the scale of the challenge that faces us. We also recognise that this is a rapidly changing field with private sector finance and climate policy moving quickly.
In July 2019, we signed up to the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures and will make disclosures in our accounts following the close of the financial year 2020-2021. Why is this so important? We know that ensuring climate-related risk is assessed and managed properly across the financial sector is vital in tackling climate change.
We're currently working on a new climate change strategy and will share more about what this means for CDC early in 2020. As we're developing this policy, we're asking ourselves questions about the specific role that an institution like ours can play to support the goals of the Paris Agreement in the most effective way and as a complement to the work of others. Both the DFI community and the financial sector are rapidly stepping up their action on climate change, and we're excited to play our part in building an inclusive, low-carbon, and resilient economy.
Nicola Mustetea, Climate Change Manager
Insight is our series of practical lessons on private sector investment and development, based on our experiences. Sign up to our monthly newsletter.


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Old Dakota County Courthouse
Just south of the new, modern bridge that spans the Mississippi river carrying traffic into Hastings sits a historic reminder of the beauty and craftsmanship used in 19th century civil architecture. The old Dakota County Courthouse is likely the first thing people notice as they travel south on Highway 61 crossing the river into the city's historic downtown district. Situated between 3rd and 4th streets on the east side of Hasting's main thoroughfare, Vermillion Street, the old courthouse is an exceptionally beautiful example of Italian Villa style architecture from the late 1860s. Built between 1869 and 1871, the building is the second oldest surviving courthouse in the state behind only Washington County's Historic Courthouse in Stillwater which was completed in 1870. [Go to photo gallery]
Ballot Stuffing Secures the County Seat for Hastings
The building of the courthouse in Hastings might never have happened, however, had it not been for a crooked election held in 1857 to determine the new location of the seat of government for Dakota County.
Dakota County Courthouse circa 1910 (Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society)
In 1849, the Minnesota territorial legislature created nine original counties, including Dakota. The County's original boundary extended only as far south as Hastings, but to the west it went several hundred miles to the Missouri River. The original county seat was first established in 1853 in Kaposia (part of modern day South St. Paul). In 1854 it was moved to Mendota and by the 1870s, due population growth and the ever changing county boundaries, a new location for the county seat was needed. In 1857, the towns of West St. Paul, Hastings, and Empire City faced off in a contest to secure the county seat for their towns, and along with it, potential for improved infrastructure and political influence. The election was held on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1857 – the year before Minnesota entered statehood.
The day of the election, William G. LeDuc, a Hastings flour mill owner, traveled more than 20 miles by horse to West St. Paul to observe the balloting there. He cast the only vote for Hastings at the town's polling station that day and to his surprise found scores of Irish from St. Paul partaking in the voting. Local businesses in West St. Paul had provided liquor to lure voters to the polls. When the votes were counted, they numbered three times the population of West St. Paul's 200 men (women were not yet able to vote). After hearing the vote count, LeDuc hastily rode back to Hastings. Realizing Hastings was some 200 votes short, runners were dispatched across the Mississippi River to Point Douglas in Washington County and even to Prescott in Wisconsin. A free lunch and liquor were used to entice potential electorates. The Hasting's polls remained open until 4 A.M the next day, by which time Hastings had secured enough votes to earn the county seat victory. When the final votes were tallied, Hastings had 1,157 votes, West St. Paul had 802 and Empire City came in third with 534 votes.
Building One for the Ages
After the 1857 election, there were other unsuccessful challenges to move the county seat to other cities in Dakota County. In 1869, in part to ensure that Hastings would remain the county seat, construction of a new courthouse began. One of Minnesota's first architects, A.M. Radcliff, designed the Dakota County Courthouse in the Italian Villa style. Radcliff had established his practice in St. Paul in 1858 and designed many downtown St. Paul business blocks during his career, including the city's Market House at Seventh and Wabasha streets which burned in 1912.
The courthouse was constructed primarily of blue limestone procured from Cromer's Quarry along Falls Creek in Faribault, Minnesota. After being cut, the limestone pieces, some of which were over five feet long, were loaded onto horse-drawn wagons, hauled up a long, steep hill and across the Straight River to a foundry near the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad Depot on Second Street and 7th Ave. N.W. in Faribault. At the foundry, the stones were cut to size and polished if needed. They were then loaded onto rail cars and taken to Farmington via the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad. From there, the cars were hooked to the Dakota and Hastings Railroad to travel the remainder of the trip to the depot in Hastings. Additional railroad track was actually laid to complete the trip from Faribault to Hastings.
In all, forty rail cars of cut limestone were needed to complete the courthouse. The limestone was used not only for the basement walls, quoins, window hoods and window sills, but also for the upper walls themselves. While it appears the building is constructed primarily of red brick, it is actually a stone structure with brick veneer. The building's 30 inch walls are made of large, 28-inch thick pieces of limestone covered with red brick from the Sonderman Brickyard in Hastings.
When completed in 1871, the two-story Italian Villa style courthouse included a square, center cupola and four corner towers with mansard roofs and dormers – all designed in the French Second Empire style that was immensely popular during that time. Both the land that the courthouse was built upon, and the public square on its north side were donated to Dakota County by the City of Hastings. Upon completion, the total cost of construction for the courthouse was $95,000. Over the years, the courthouse was not only the first building in Hastings to have electricity, but also boasted the city's first indoor bathrooms as well. A windmill on the premises provided the building's water supply for drinking, fire protection and horses.
President Rutherford B. Hayes visits the Courthouse Sept. 9, 1878 (Photo Courtesy of the City of Hastings Pioneer Room)
A Presidential Visit
In 1877 LeDuc was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Agriculture by his friend and fellow Kenyon College alum, President Rutherford B. Hayes. On September 9, 1878, seven years after the courthouse opened, President Hayes visited the city of Hastings. After arriving at the depot, his party took carriages to Vermillion Falls and then travelled to the LuDuc residence for lunch. At 3:00 PM that day, Hayes and his party arrived at the Dakota County Courthouse. According to the St. Paul Daily Globe published the following day:
"From the front entrance of the building, a temporary platform had been erected, carpeted and decorated with flowers, evergreens and banners, and above all perched a live American eagle in all his glory."
President Hayes gave a short speech in the decorated public square in front of the courthouse and by 4:30 PM was on his way to Red Wing.
The old Dakota County Courthouse circa 1950 (Photo courtesy of the Dakota County Historical Society)
In 1912, another prominent St. Paul architect, Augustus Gauger, was engaged to design a renovation to the courthouse. As part of the renovation, the original central cupola was replaced by a larger, domed, circular cupola designed in the Renaissance Revival style. Red brick and white stone along with a metal roof were featured in keeping with the original design of the building. The dormers on the corner towers were removed at that time as well. It is also likely that during the 1912 renovation the second floor ceiling was lowered, creating an unfinished third floor space that was used as a holding area for prisoners awaiting a hearing in the courtroom below. Today, a trip up a narrow stairway to the third floor provides an opportunity for one to view years of colorful scribblings and graffiti left by the prisoners while biding their time prior to entering the courtroom.
Dakota County Courthouse Courtroom circa 1900 (Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society)
In 1955, a rather plain office wing addition, designed by Ellerbe and Company, was added to the west facade of the building. This addition, unfortunately, was designed in an entirely different style than the original courthouse and is seen by some as having damaged the building's architectural integrity.
By the early 1970s Dakota County had grown significantly and was in need of more space. As a result, the county moved its court and other offices to a new, $4 million, 98,000 square foot government center on the east side of town, just south of Highway 55. The county's Board of Commissioners held their last meeting in the courthouse in late September 1974.
On July 21, 1978, the courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places and in 1993, the refurbished courthouse opened as the new Hastings City Hall.
In 2007, money was appropriated to repair the peacock window above the north entrance and to replace the original steps on that side as well. When the original stairs and stone were removed, workers discovered that the foundation under the stairway and portico was full of sand and highly unstable. To stabilize the area, sand and fill were excavated down a full story underground revealing a door to the basement. The door had likely been used as a flue to send logs down to the basement for the wood-burning stove originally used to heat the building. At some point, the door had been closed off from the inside and the exterior probably buried with sand when it was abandoned. When the repair work to the steps was completed, employees at the Hastings City Hall filled and buried a time capsule dated 2007 at the top of the new stairway. So, if you're still around in the year 2107, swing by the old courthouse if you're curious to know what's inside.
If you visit….
The old Dakota County Courthouse is located at 101 4th Street East in Hastings, Minnesota and is open 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday thru Friday
Special thanks to the following people who provided help or information for this piece:
Cindy Thury Smith, Hastings City Hall – Pioneer Room Curator
Justin Fortney, Hastings City Planner
Lee Stoffel, Hastings Communications Coordinator
Richie, Larry (2017) Footsteps Along the Straight River, Self-Published, 2017
St. Paul Daily Globe, September 10, 1878 (Page 1)
Adams, Jim "Remembering the 1857 fight for Dakota County's seat", Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 13, 2012
National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form – Dakota County Courthouse (February 2, 1978)
Interview with Cindy Thury Smith, Hastings City Hall – Pioneer Room Curator (May 30, 2018)
Dakota County Website "County History", Retrieved from www.co.dakota.mn.us/About/History
Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: A.M. Radcliff, Augustus Gauger, Courthouse, Dakota County, Hastings, Historic Hastings Architecture, Historic Hastings Buildings, Historic Twin Cities Architecture, Historic twin Cities Buildings, Italian Villa, National Register of Historic Places, Renaissance Revival

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Typhoon Texas is a series of water parks in Texas. The company currently operates two locations in Austin and in Katy.

Typhoon Texas Houston
Typhoon Texas Houston is a 25 acre water park was located  next to Katy Mills in Katy, Texas. Construction began in 2015 and the park opened Memorial Day Weekend in 2016.

Typhoon Texas Austin
Typhoon Texas Austin is located in Pflugerville, Texas. The park was part of the Hawaiian Falls water park chain from 2014-2016. The Park covers 25 acres of land, a majority of which is parking lots, and includes zip lines and rope courses (although these have been closed for years). On December 15, 2016, it was announced that Typhoon Texas, a water park located in Katy, Texas (near Houston), would take over ownership of the park.

References

Water parks in Texas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Stephanie Roche interview: Ireland striker and the homeland hitmakers
by Christian BrookesPosted on March 27, 2016 February 3, 2018
facebook.com/stephroche09
Stephanie Roche's name has spread far and wide over the past couple of years, introducing the Irish international to situations and settings that may once have been inconceivable, although no matter where the ride takes the Sunderland striker, the steady sounds of home remain.
For the Shankill native, her standing in the women's game has developed over time, with her days as a youth international eventually leading to a 2008 debut with the Irish senior squad. Steph's magnificent volleyed goal for Peamount United against Wexford Youths in October 2013 took her all the way to the star-studded FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony last January and has come to be instantly connected to her every mention.
The strike was an online sensation, attracting millions of views and ultimately earning her second place in FIFA's 2014 Puskás Award after an overwhelming wave of support and over a million public votes for the forward. Being a prominent part of the showpiece occasion in Zurich was a spectacular experience to usher in an incredibly eventful 2015 which brought a move to the U.S. with Houston Dash, a later switch to Sunderland, as well as continued involvement in her country's latest on-field pursuits.
While it is true that a lot of the wider footballing world and beyond got to know of Steph for that famous goal, there is so much more to the 26-year-old's story. There have been heartaches to go with the highs and it has been an ever-changing recent picture for her in many senses, with her club career taking in three new countries in the last two years.
Steph became a full-time professional for the first time with France's ASPTT Albi in 2014, and although you now find her in Sunderland, home signifies a consistency for a player and person who is immensely proud of her Irish roots. On top of life on and off the pitch, we discuss the musical side of players on here and how it enjoys its own role in their career. Steph explains how it is a constant backdrop to Ireland's women's national team and representative of familiarity in her life.
"When we're away with the Irish team we've got a few musical talents. One of the girls plays the guitar very well, Karen Duggan, and Julie-Ann Russell plays the tin whistle, which I know a lot of people won't know much about but it's involved in a lot of Irish music.
"When we're away we often have a little céilí…I don't know if you know what that means! It would probably be myself, Karen, Julie-Ann, Áine O'Gorman, Ruesha Littlejohn, and we'd usually at the end of trips have a bit of a sing-song and a bit of a laugh."
A champion in the inaugural Irish Women's National League campaign with Peamount United in 2011/12, Steph was the division's leading scorer in two of the first three seasons. At national team level, she is an undoubtedly experienced player and currently part of a group aiming to deliver Ireland's first qualification for a major women's international tournament as they bid to make Euro 2017.
Of course it is never solely down to the eleven on the pitch in determining a team's success and Steph describes how a duo from the backroom staff recently proved they have multiple attributes at their disposal.
"Two of the staff members when we went away with the Irish team a couple of months ago had an initiation. Obviously it's kind of cringeworthy when people get up and start singing but they were actually really good.
"Our kitwoman, Clare Conlon, sang a song and then the goalkeeping coach, Micheál Schlingermann, got up as well. In Sunderland, there's a young girl who plays for the reserve team, Tyler Dodds, who's actually a very good singer and she does some really good covers and goes around places singing too, so I could see a future for her in singing as well as football."
For any lover of the game, the idea that someone could play professional football without being fanatical about it is hard to comprehend, though there are examples of players who've admitted just that. The same is not even close to being true for Steph, who grew up playing the archetypal robust street football back home in Shankill, County Dublin, taking the rough with the smooth as she established an understanding and love of the game's core principles.
The youngest of four children – she has two older brothers, Paul and Eric, and a sister, Sinead – Manchester United fan Steph has found that football is never far from her family. Her mother, Anne, and father, Fergus, have supported her throughout the way, ultimately being able to see her represent her country on the pitch, as well as flying the flag beyond it.
The Irish influences naturally made it into her childhood music choices, although her first ever CD was one from the winners of the UK TV show Popstars back in 2001.
"The first song I ever bought was 'Pure and Simple' (Hear'Say) and I remember buying the single in the shop near where I live. I would've probably been a big Westlife fan growing up, I think everybody in the area was, obviously with them being Irish and being so popular around the world.
"When I got a bit older Black Eyed Peas came out with 'Where Is the Love?' and I loved them at the time as well. I loved all sorts of music and I used to love Eminem and used to own loads of his albums.
"I had a different array of music in my house when I was growing up. I'm kind of open-minded with music; I like listening to everything that's in the charts really.
"Ed Sheeran at the minute's been really good and Justin Bieber's been one of my guilty pleasures, which is the same for a lot of people because he's come out with some classics lately! I listen to all types; rap, hip-hop, pop, whatever has a feel-good thing to it.
"I kind of like the new song '7 Years' (Lukas Graham)."
Joining Sunderland part-way through the 2015 FA Women's Super League, Steph notched her first goal for the club in July as they beat Everton 5-2 in the Continental Cup. Carlton Fairweather's side defied expectations to challenge at the top and ultimately finish 4th in their debut WSL 1 campaign and all efforts for Steph in the early months of 2016 have been focused upon hitting the ground running this season.
Teams will feel this year they are more aware of what Sunderland bring to the league, although the squad will be confident they can be a formidable proposition once again. Behind the scenes, Steph shares some of what can be heard when it comes to the dressing room tracklist on match day.
"Again, anything that's in the charts I suppose. The DJ tends to be whoever has their phone handy; Beth Mead or Brooke Chaplen I suppose would be the ones.
"At Sunderland we listen to music in the dressing room but it's not kind of something they're adamant about, whereas with the Irish team we always have to have a set playlist and people go around getting a song from each player and stuff like that."
Steph (right) with Sunderland goalkeeper Hilde Gunn Olsen. instagram.com/stephanieroche9
In the Irish senior team at present, there are a group of players Steph has been familiar with at both club and international level for a number of years. One of those is a defender who has been plying her trade in Sweden for the last three years and was an integral part of the Eskilstuna United side that finished just a point from Damallsvenskan champions FC Rosengård last year, sealing UEFA Champions League qualification in the process.
The 25-year-old was on Steph's side when Peamount United made the Champions League knockout phase in August 2011 after a 5-1 win (in which Steph scored two) over Estonia's Pärnu JK that lives long in the memory of those who represented Peamount. The group they contested was hosted by Slovenian team Krka, an opponent Peamount beat 7-0 with a brace coming from Steph and a hat-trick from 2013 FAI Senior Women's International Player of the Year, Quinn.
While the footballing aspect may speak for itself, Steph knows another side of her teammate and she was the first of two she mentioned when asked about those who aren't afraid of showing off their musical side, in whatever way that may be!
"Who am I gonna stitch up here?! Louise Quinn is known for a few dances and I've seen her put up a few dodgy videos from her club, Eskilstuna.
"Ruesha Littlejohn is overall a bit mad so she'd be one who wouldn't be shy to get up and dance or sing or anything like that, so I'd say maybe the two of them."
Littlejohn, who rejoined nine-time consecutive Scottish champions Glasgow City this year, is one of the footballing performers Steph singles out, but taking it completely over to music, which artists has she seen in person?
"I went to see Rihanna in Dublin about five years ago and she was a very good performer, I really enjoyed the gig. I also saw Black Eyed Peas.
"At the minute I don't really have much time to go to gigs but they'd be the top two I remember."
It was after a friend's mother noticed her talent that Steph joined her first team, the boys side Valeview FC, although the time came when rules stipulated that she could no longer play on a mixed team. She subsequently went to Cabinteely Girls, and senior Ireland coach at the time, Noel King, told her after a game he was watching that she'd play for the full side one day if she kept up her progress.
Steph still remembers the impact her coaches had on her during her time at next club Stella Maris, and it was there that she and others came to the point as teenagers where it was a case of either drifting away from the game or making sacrifices to carry on. Going on to represent the likes of Dundalk City and Raheny United before Peamount, Steph had played her whole career in her homeland before a completely new challenge with French team ASPTT Albi two years ago.
One of the standout moments was when a French TV station came to training and had Steph recreate her famous goal, which she duly managed to do. Along with the task of staking her claim in a new team and living away from home in a different culture, there was also an initiation to be tackled and she explains the reasoning behind her song of choice.
"I remember when I was in France I had to sing a song and one of the girls told me to sing 'Oh Happy Day' out of Sister Act because obviously a lot of them didn't really know a lot of the music I listen to. It was a bit embarrassing; I'm not a great singer but I suppose it had to be done at the time!"
Steph's first senior international goal was one to remember as she came off the bench to grab the winner on 87 minutes in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Kazakhstan in 2009. Last March saw her take a bouncing cross on the chest before hitting an inch-perfect volley from outside the box to score against Costa Rica in the Croatian-hosted Istria Cup.
As a forward, understandably some of her most vivid and enjoyable memories are of goals, but her part in the Irish team goes comfortably beyond just trying to find the net. Asked about a cover song she'd record with any career teammates, she referred back to the ensemble she mentioned earlier with Julie-Ann Russell, Áine O'Gorman, Ruesha Littlejohn, and also Karen Duggan, who would be driving the group on.
"As I said, Karen's very good on the guitar and I suppose one of the songs we'd sing together would be 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman. She plays that really well and she's actually quite a good singer as well, so we'd all just kind of join in with that.
"A lot of Irish music as well, kind of Irish folk music, 'Dirty Old Town' by The Dubliners, things like that. Overall if someone shouts out a suggestion she'll try and play it and we'll sing along, so it can be a bit of a laugh."
During the 2015 World Cup qualifiers, Ireland ran Germany extremely close in Dublin's Tallaght Stadium. The April 2014 clash with the two-time world champions saw Louise Quinn's early opener cancelled out by a Simone Laudehr penalty before Lena Lotzen gave the visitors the lead on 84 minutes.
Steph levelled at 2-2 on 89 minutes, only for Melanie Leupolz to snatch a German win in injury time. In that qualifying campaign, Steph also got a dramatic winner against Slovakia, but although they won half their games, Sue Ronan's side finished 3rd behind Russia and group winners Germany, who won all ten of their fixtures.
Having competed with the leading nations in her career up to now, Steph's big ambition is to reach a major tournament. Ireland have beaten Portugal away but also suffered defeats to Finland and Spain in the early exchanges of their Euro 2017 qualifying group and in April they will travel to both Montenegro and Spain.
Although just 26 herself, Steph is one who can really offer something to the squad's up-and-coming prospects. Speaking also about her own breakthrough, she gives praise to the youngsters currently making their mark, with a former Peamount colleague who has just won Senior FAI Women's Player of the Year and signed for Steph's old team Houston Dash the first of those she highlights.
"I suppose what sticks out is we've had a lot of good young talents come through. I think the standout player over the last couple of seasons has been Denise O'Sullivan; she came through the Under-17 side that qualified for the World Cup and she's done really well.
"A few of them have come through like Clare Shine, Katie McCabe, and obviously as well as that we still have the likes of Emma Byrne, Áine O'Gorman, and I suppose myself to a certain degree, who've been there a long time. It's that mixture of youth and experience we have that we're hopeful will help us qualify for a tournament, because that's what we want to do.
"I think I was very lucky when I came into the squad because Noel King was the manager at the time and I'd known him for a long time through my football with Stella Maris and obviously with the underage teams. He was always someone who encouraged me, as well as gave out to me when I needed that as well, and I think I learned a lot from him as a coach.
"Obviously I believed in my ability but he kind of reassured me how good I was and I owe a lot to him with how my career's gone."
The smallest decisions and actions can end up shaping something so much bigger and that was undoubtedly the case with Steph's FIFA-nominated goal. It was reported that only around 95 spectators were in Ferrycarrig to see Peamount United beat home side Wexford Youths 6-1 in October 2013, but thanks to someone filming the game, the world was able to see the first of Steph's two goals as she cushioned Áine O'Gorman's cross with her right before flicking over the defender's head and unleashing an outstanding left-footed volley into the net.
Peamount coach Eileen Gleeson uploaded the clip to YouTube and shared on social media to start what turned into a wave of attention beyond the imaginable. Just over a year later, it was one of ten nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award before making the final three alongside goals from that year's World Cup from the Netherlands' Robin van Persie and Colombia's James Rodriguez.
Although Rodriguez' volley against Uruguay won, Steph managed to poll 33% of the 3.3million public votes to finish in 2nd and there were many well-known figures who believe her goal deserved to win. She was a notable attendee at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich, alongside fellow footballer and long-term boyfriend Dean Zambra, who himself has come up with a stunning strike before, for Bray Wanderers against Athlone.
The ceremony was screened for a large following of friends and family at the pub Brady's back home in Shankill, which also hosted a homecoming party for Steph, with those present including 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning boxer and former football teammate for Ireland, Katie Taylor. The strike was a truly superb example of footballing flair, but beneath all that media attention there was a person trying to adapt to it all as best she could.
This was also a player who'd represented her country on many occasions and played in the Champions League (facing Paris Saint-Germain in the 2011/12 knockout phase) during her career. For an already accomplished footballer in her own right, despite the undoubted greater good of the exposure it brought to the women's game, what were her feelings on having to constantly replay the same moment in interviews?
"I think it kind of showed how little people knew about women's football, for me anyway because people were like, 'Who's this person coming out of nowhere and scoring the goal?' and that just for me showed how much they didn't know about women's football. That's nobody's fault, I think it was just a lack of coverage on it up until maybe two years ago.
"I'd been playing senior international football since 2008 and I obviously played underage football before that, so that was something I knew myself, but I never was going to shout at people because they didn't know it. The exposure that it got was unbelievable and for my goal to be nominated for a FIFA award was something I never thought would happen.
"I had to learn quickly how to deal with it and I was lucky that I had help from the likes of Karla – Karla's my boyfriend's sister – she'd worked in media before so she knew what people wanted to know. She was really good with scheduling the interviews because it was crazy; I was literally on the phone five or six hours of the day trying to do interviews and it was something that I wasn't used to.
"It was a great experience but it was tough at the time. I remember I couldn't sleep because I was having to get up in the middle of the night doing interviews with people all over the world.
"I tried to put women's football under the spotlight as much as I could because I'm not the only female footballer who can score goals like that and I'm not going to be the only one to ever do it either."
Photo: Karla Zambra
In February last year, it was announced that Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League had signed Steph, with head coach Randy Waldrum describing her as 'possibly the best goalscorer to come out of Ireland since Olivia O'Toole' and speaking in very complimentary terms about her technical ability. There was great surprise from many when Steph was waived by the Dash three months later after two sub appearances in the NWSL to free up an international spot on their 20-player roster as they bid to reinforce their backline.
On so many occasions in life it seems that things happen for a reason and much like Steph's goal being captured on video, maybe the same was true with this. She has since returned to the U.S. to play the national team as a starter with Ireland in January with over 23,000 watching in San Diego, as well as facing the Under-23s with the seniors during their time in California.
Would she, however, consider returning full-time with a Stateside club one day in her career?
"I think I'd have second thoughts; I wouldn't be as quick to jump on it the second time. Playing in England, I think it's more suited to the way I play football and I'd be happier to stay closer to home.
"At the same time, if an opportunity arose and it was the right move for me I would consider it, but right now I'd be more inclined to stay where I am. I've said before that I think I would have been stupid not to take the opportunity and I know Randy had to let me go in the end but at the same time he still gave me the opportunity to go over.
"I always said I'm very thankful for that but the football over there as a business is kind of cutthroat and I suppose I never expected what happened to happen. I only started playing professional football in France for a year before and I suppose I was new to that life.
"I think I needed a bit of time to adjust and overall I felt I was doing ok in training, but as I say it's a business and they didn't have the time to let me settle in, I suppose. I've been lucky enough since coming to Sunderland that I've been given that opportunity to settle in and I think that's the difference over here; it's a bit more player-friendly, rather than club-friendly."
Following her time in Houston, there was other NWSL interest in Steph, who briefly spent time with Boston Breakers prior to heading back over the Atlantic. She explains why it was England's North East and not America's that came next for her.
"I was in America still and my flights for home were booked for four weeks or so later. When someone got in touch and asked if I'd like to go down and visit I kind of had already been in talks with Sunderland and was planning to come here anyway, but I just said I'd go, kind of out of courtesy to the person who'd organised it for me.
"I went down for a week and trained with the team for two days, I think it was, because they had a match at the time and I went to watch them play. It was good but I just felt it wasn't the right fit for me.
"I think the manager at the time (Tom Durkin) has gone now and with everything that had gone wrong at Houston I didn't want to experience something bad again, so I felt I wanted to come home, see my family and look at Sunderland before I made any decisions."
The first woman to ever make the final Puskás Award nominations, Steph was a guest of honour at the White House on St. Patrick's Day last year and later received a letter of thanks from President Obama for gifts she gave to his family. Exactly a year earlier, she was marking the day at the celebrations in Bray with her niece and nephew, and even with all the spotlight that has fallen on her since, there has never been a hint of her losing her charmingly grounded personality.
She reflects on how the incredible experiences and the harsh lessons have all gone together, especially in more recent times.
"I kind of have learned how to handle myself better and obviously being trusting to the media. The way I was, I never expected that to happen to me and the way it all came about was very quick and very strange for me.
"I had to handle myself in the best way possible and I had to learn quickly how to do it. I think I've become a better person in the process; I've had to deal with some bad news and some great things that have happened to me.
"I've tried to push on from that and carry on my career here but at the same time I've learned from all the stuff that's happened. I've said before I think everything happens in life for a reason so I'm not the type of person who'll dwell on the past.
"I think I've proven I just want to get on with my life and continue to do well with football."
The footballing seeds were planted in Steph's mind from the beginning by her dad, Fergus, and he was a huge influence in a multitude of ways as she made her way up in the sport. It's a sentiment that doesn't cross our minds when we grow up just wanting every opportunity to play the game but other areas of life do have to be considered as time goes on.
Steph has made undeniable commitments to football, and although she strongly continues to do so, other ideas are certainly in her mind for a day somewhere off in the future. She detailed this when considering what she'd say if she could go back now and talk to the childhood version of herself.
"To concentrate more in school because growing up I was always just mad about football! I'm lucky enough now that I have a profession in football but that's not going to last forever so right now I'm trying to do stuff to get myself a degree in something I can do after football.
"To be honest with you, growing up all I cared about was football and I always wished I'd play for Ireland. I was very lucky that at 14 I went on trial for the 17s and I suppose I was given an opportunity very young so I was focused on becoming a footballer."
Steph has met figures from all kinds of sectors during the last year or so, including fashion, which remains a long-time love of hers. Even when pinpointing interests away from football, however, it still led her back to the game, alongside more than a touch of wanderlust for herself and her boyfriend, Dean.
"We love to travel and we haven't really had chance to do it over the last four years. He was playing in Ireland for a long time and when I was playing there our seasons kind of overlapped so we didn't really have time to do it.
"We've had some really good holidays; we've been to Vegas a few times and we plan to go back there. I'd like to travel a bit more and something we've discussed is going to some football matches in European countries and around the world.
"Obviously that still involves football but we both love football and to get chance to watch a game at the San Siro or the Nou Camp is something we'd love to do."
An elderly neighbour of Steph's when she was growing up, who has sadly since passed, used to call her 'Baggio' in reference to the Italy icon Roberto, so maybe she will smile at that when she does finally visit the San Siro once graced by the former Milan and Inter star. For this last question here, however, it is the fantasy arena she is stepping into.
In the past few years, the players on the site have been asked at the end of their interview to put forward four career teammates they'd have alongside them in a 5-a-side line-up. There is no emphasis on the choices being an outright 'top four' they have worked with, so the player can name their team based on ability alone, friendship, on-field understanding, or whatever they wish.
When Steph was put on the spot, these are the names who came up, with her eventually deciding to take a watching brief from the sideline in this particular game in order to squeeze one more player in there!
"I suppose I'll go first with Emma Byrne – I suppose we need a goalkeeper! I was going to say we'll play 'last man back' as we usually would in that situation!
"Emma Byrne's been in the Irish squad since I got there and been a very good mentor to me and become a friend to me through football. She's got a wealth of experience and if we were losing she wouldn't let it happen for too long!
"I'll go with Áine O'Gorman – she's a player I've played with for a long time with club football as well as with Ireland, since we were 12 or 13 with Stella Maris. She's a hard worker, she never wants to lose and I think when we played the games at the end of training she was always the most competitive.
"That would be the number one reason why she's in the team and also she's a very good footballer and I think we play really well together. I'd have to say Beth Mead – she's obviously a very good finisher and technically one of the better players, so I'd have to put her in as well.
"Ruesha Littlejohn – again, she's technically a very good footballer and has a good football brain. Playing 5-a-side, you have to be quick with your feet and with your head so she'd definitely be there.
"I suppose Carli Lloyd would have to go in there! I don't know who I'm going to take out to make room…you can take me out of it!"
To catch each of these interviews you can follow me: @chris_brookes
You can also like the site on Facebook and stay updated
Posted in InterviewsTagged FA WSL, Ireland women's national team, Stephanie Roche, Sunderland AFC Ladies
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Marco Längst is a yoga teacher, who devoted himself entirely to the practice and teaching of yoga. Marco developed his own program as a result of his experience suffering from back and shoulder pain for years. His own body and own experience with pain were his best teachers.
As a yoga teacher and Thai massage therapist, Marco developed the concept of yoga therapy to effectively and permanently relieve his clients of pain. Being a yoga teacher means liberating people from physical ailments to him.
Marco's mission is to teach yoga as a tool to experience life in the abundance that it has to offer. To open the door to a philosophy that supports and accompanies your whole life, and to increase satisfaction, health, freedom and happiness.
In this episode, Marco shares with us his journey from bodybuilding and functional fitness, into becoming a yoga practitioner and teacher. Marco explains how yoga has changed his life perspective, and empowered him to see beyond the physical. He also goes into why you should be aware that you'll die soon, and much more.
Marco Längst is a practitioner and teacher of iyengar yoga, a form of hatha yoga that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture and breath control. Before getting into yoga, Marco was a personal trainer, who did bodybuilding and functional fitness.
After training his body for years, he has a realization that the physical body is limited. He fell in love with yoga after he had a deeper experience, which was beyond physical. He discovered awareness, and training the mind became more attractive to him.
Take deep breaths and dive deep — If something annoying or irritating happens to you, stop and breathe. Instead of being angry at a situation or a person, think about why that thing is annoying to you.
Emotional healing and body healing are interrelated, but they don't occur at the same pace — You may experience an emotional release by going to Training Camp for the Soul, Landmark Forum, from a psychedelic experience, or what not, which can happens in a matter of a few days or a few hours. Although, if you've been sad about something for 10 years, which got you into bad positions often, it's going to take a while until your body can undo the bad patterns and rebuild healthier ones.
The power of savasana — Savana a.k.a corpse pose, is a yoga pose, where you just lay on the floor without doing anything. One of the main benefits of the pose is that it teaches us how to behave in a moment of death. The point is to fully release and be free of everything, and be ok with the fact that you are going to die soon. Soon because life is short.
Perspective on death — In the western world, it's not accepted to talk about death, but rather than avoiding it, we can learn how to work with it. It turns out people who practice dying and embrace death, get more comfortable in their own skin on this life, and live more fully.
Posture impacts hormones — If you stand up straight with good posture, you will create good hormones. If you are in bad postures, bad hormones. That's why working out, working in, and specifically doing yoga feels good. Ideally we all have a daily practice of movement that enhances posture, and creates a nice straight spine, opens the heart, opens the chest, and makes you stand tall. For max results, it's best to combine opening the body up with yoga and opening the mind with emotional work.


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Manitowoc Public School District » District » About the MPSD
In the Manitowoc Public School District, we believe that learning should give students the tools to make their dreams come true. Our focus on "high quality" instruction starts with the basics but is far more than a checklist of skills. We want students to develop a depth of understanding that will serve them now and equip them for a future that will surely amaze and challenge them.
New mission and vision statements, and core values were adopted in 2017 to help guide the MPSD in becoming the best district in the universe.
Mission Statement: The Manitowoc Public School District commits to educate, engage and inspire all learners to thrive in a global community.
Vision Statement: Inspiring Education-Empowering Community-Unleashing Potential
Core Values: Relationships-Compassion-Collaboration-Dedication-Integrity-Inspiration
The MPSD is a caring and supportive community of staff, students and parents
Every child is an individual and learns in different ways. Children of the same age and in the same grade may have different levels of achievement and that is why MPSD teachers use a wide variety of teaching methods. It is our responsibility to:
Value the individuality of each student
Analyze the unique needs of each student
Differentiate instruction — teach with student variance in mind
Scaffold instruction to meet the student at the right level while using an appropriate delivery model
Provide early and ongoing assessment and intervention to meet the needs of struggling students
Communicate regularly with parents and students
Encourage all students to reach their full potential
The MPSD has a strong leadership team
The district operates under a Board of Education, which consists of seven citizens elected at large by voters of the district. The Board members are responsible for administrative supervision of all public schools in the district.
Superintendent Mark Holzman was appointed to head the district in July 2015. He works collaboratively with the following six central-office based directors.
Director of Education Pamela Lensmire
Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment Jason Bull
Director of Business Services Shawn Alfred
Director of Pupil Services Joanne Metzen
Director of Human Resources Joyce Greenwood-Aerts
Director of Buildings and Grounds Chris Dupre
The MPSD is proud to share their statistics
The MPSD is a unified school district established in 1910 that includes the City of Manitowoc and some of the bordering rural area - a total of 93 square miles. The district has the 28th largest enrollment among the 426 public school districts in the state.
The third-Friday-in-September enrollment count on Friday, September 21, 2018 was 5,156.
The MPSD has the following ethnic enrollment in 2018-2019: 0.52% American Indian, 9.2% Asian, 4.2% Black, 14.16% Hispanic, 66.4% White, 0% Pacific Islander, 3.92% Two or More.
In 2018-2019, 49% of students qualified for free or reduced meals.
The MPSD has one comprehensive high school, an alternative high school (operating as a charter school), two middle schools, five grade K-5 elementary schools, and one elementary school that serves 4K-5th grade and Head Start students.
The district employs around 895 people — approximately 390 teachers, 20 administrators, 140 paraprofessionals, 40 secretaries, 50 custodians/maintenance, 30 support staff, and 225 subs and coaches.
The MPSD believes in non-discrimination
The Manitowoc Public School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, creed, religion, marital or parental status, or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability in access or admission to programs, services, or activities, in treatment of individuals, or in any aspect of its operations.
The Manitowoc Public School District provides access to all courses, including Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. CTE programs include, but are not limited to, career exploration activities or courses, job shadowing, work experience, youth apprenticeships, business/community partnerships, and GED02 programming.
The lack of English language skills shall not be a barrier to admission or participation in the district's activities and programs.
The Manitowoc Public School District does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices.
This notice is provided as required by:
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964)
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973)
Title IX of the Education Amendments (1972)
Title II of the ADA (1990)
Questions concerning this policy should be directed to Superintendent Mark Holzman at holzmanm@mpsd.k12.wi.us or 2902 Lindbergh Drive, P.O. Box 1657, Manitowoc WI 54221-1657.


Autor: Ambu E., Ghiretti R. , Laziosi R.
A traditional radiography is a two-dimensional image of something that actually has three dimensions. At last, thanks to 3D radiological system with a small field of view we have the missing dimension, which exponentially amplifies our knowledge.
The CBCT (Cone Beam Computed Tomography) is a real breakthrough for dentistry because it offers many advantages: low radiation dose to patients, high definition with very small voxels, the possibility to see the tooth and the surrounding structures in three different planes, overcoming any anatomical overlapping.
It opens a new frontier, and allows us to make precise diagnosis where traditional tools were insufficient.
The introductory chapters provide the reader with the knowledge and basic tools to understand the CBCT.
Everything else is an atlas, highly enjoyable, which includes the use of CBCT in both clinical and surgical dentistry, and describes in details not only the diagnostic phase but also the operational use to program the individual case, and control the future outcome.


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Lindsay Hall awarded prestigious WH Pierce Prize by the Society for Applied Microbiology
Dr Lindsay Hall has won the prestigious W H Pierce Prize, which is awarded by the Society for Applied Microbiology to a young microbiologist who has made a substantial contribution to the science of applied microbiology.
Lindsay and her team are studying the interactions between our bodies and the microbiome in early life. Her goal is to better understand how microbial communities programme the immune system, fight off disease-causing bacteria, and digest our food. Her research is highly interdisciplinary, combining microbiology, computational biology and applying this to the development of new microbiome-based treatments, in collaboration with researchers at QI and with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
The award was instituted in 1984 by the directors of Oxoid to commemorate the life and works of the late WH (Bill) Pierce, former Chief Bacteriologist of Oxo Ltd and a long-time member of the Society.
"I am thrilled and honoured to have been awarded the WH Pierce Prize. I have to say it came as a complete shock and I feel very humbled to have been nominated and selected for this prestigious prize awarded by the Society for Applied Microbiology," said Lindsay.
"The prize, and the recognition from the wider research community, has further cemented my desire to continue our applied microbiology research, and push forward to see what other exciting findings are on the horizon, with a long-term focus on trying to make a difference in the context of human health."
As well as receiving the prize, Lindsay will give a lecture on her work at the SfAM and Fems Congress 2019 in Glasgow.
Quadram Institute Director Professor Ian Charles said "This award is very well deserved. It recognises Lindsay's contributions not only to understanding the microbiome, but also to applying new knowledge in ways that will benefit health. On behalf of the Quadram Institute, I'd like to congratulate her and her team on the award."
Alongside her pioneering science, Lindsay is also passionate about communicating about her research and microbiology. This has included developing a giant interactive gut to the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition and the Norwich Science Festival that gave visitors a unique chance to interact with the microbiome.
Read more on the Society for Applied Microbiology website
Dr Lindsay Hall
Related Targets
Understanding the Microbiome
Related Research Groups
Lindsay Hall
Gut Microbes & Health
Keep up to date with our latest research news, activities and events by signing up to our email newsletter
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Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7UQ, UK
info@quadram.ac.uk
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Happiest thing is when we can enjoy the sweet tea and cookies with a mate in the porch of the house, because we can talk about many things there. Beautiful and elegant garden will add the aesthetics of the building. Therefore, we present some examples of yard design landscaping with a friendly budget that can be a reference for you.
Stone is a very cheap material for landscaping your garden because you can find it in the nature.
Natural stones with various shapes and sizes can be arranged into elegant and harmonious paths. Moreover, the beauty of the colorful flowers also adds the beauty and charm of the garden. You can make the boundary of the road lane with the flowers on the edge. Because beautiful boundaries always change as they grow that can create a natural nuances. The neat layout of the pot and garden path also determines the beauty of your garden. You can use a pot that isn't too large, so it doesn't look too full, and make sure that the pot doesn't interfere the way when you normally walk. Remember that the pot doesn't have to be placed on the floor or ground, but also on the wall or hanging. The combination of shrubs and tall trees will add the beauty of the yard. The placement isn't necessary in the middle of the yard, but may be adjusted to the view that you want to see. Don't forget to always keep the life of the plants. Water the plants every day to keep growing. If you have more budget, you can add some interiors such as garden lights and fountains to add to the aesthetics of your garden. Good Luck.


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Naval Education and Training Command: Hospital Corpsman 1 & C: August 1986
Chapter 7: Clinical Laboratory
Common Bacteria
Bacteriologic Methods
Gram's Stain
Reading and Reporting Smears
Serology
Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) Card Test for Syphilis
Monosticon Slide Test for Infectious Mononucleosis
Fungus (Pl. Fungi)
Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) Preparation for Identification of Fungi
Blood Grouping
Agglutination
Rh Factors
Technique for Blood Grouping and Typing
Responsibilities in the Clinical Laboratory
Ethics in the Laboratory
In this chapter we will discuss the classification of bacteria, some of the more common pathogens, and the preparation, staining, and examination of specimens. Also included are basic serologic tests, such as the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) card test for syphilis and the Monosticon slide test for infectious mononucleosis, the potassium hydroxide (KOH) preparation for the identification of fungi, and the principles and procedures for blood grouping and typing.
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. Of primary interest to hospital corpsmen is medical bacteriology, which deals with the bacteria that cause disease in man.
Bacteria are prokaryotic microorganisms of the kingdom Protista. They reproduce asexually by transverse binary fission in which the cell divides into two new cells. They are found almost everywhere, with the human body harboring vast numbers. Many bacteria are beneficial and essential to human life, only a few are harmful to man.
Since there are thousands of different bacteria, a method of classification is essential. Bacteria are classified according to their (1) disease-producing ability, (2) growth requirements, (3) morphologic characteristics, (4) colonial morphology, (5) biochemical activity, (6) toxins, and (7) Gram's stain reaction.
The disease producing ability is termed as either pathogenic or nonpathogenic. Pathogens are bacteria that cause diseases and nonpathogens are the harmless bacteria. Many bacteria that are essential to our body are called common or normal flora in their proper environment. For example, alpha streptococcus in the throat is common flora, but when it is found elsewhere, such as in the blood stream, possibly as a result of tooth extraction, it may cause septicemia and endocarditis.
The four growth requirements are (1) temperature, (2) oxygen, (3) nutrition, and (4) moisture. Temperature requirements are divided into three categories.
Psychrophilic-those that reproduce best at 15° to 20° C
Mesophilic-those that reproduce best at 20° to 45° C
Thermophilic-those that reproduce best at 50° to 55° C
The oxygen requirements vary according to the amount of oxygen needed for an organism to grow or reproduce. Aerobes are those organisms that reproduce in the presence of oxygen. Obligate aerobes are those that grow only in the presence of free oxygen. Anaerobes are organisms that do not reproduce in the presence of oxygen, and obligate anaerobes are those that grow only in the absence of free oxygen and are killed if exposed to free oxygen. Facultative organisms are those that grow both in the presence of free oxygen and in an oxygen-free atmosphere. Microaerophilic organisms are those that grow only in reduced amounts of free oxygen.
Nutritionally, different bacteria require different foods that their particular environment must provide. Autotrophic bacteria are self- nourishing and heterotrophic bacteria are not self-sustaining. Moisture is indispensable for bacterial growth.
Morphologic characteristics are based on three distinct shapes or categories:
Coccus (p1. cocci)-spherical, appearing singly, in pairs, chains, clusters, or packets.
Bacillus (pl. bacilli)-rod-shaped, appearing singly, in chains, or in palisades.
Spirillum (p1. spirilla)-spiral-shaped, corkscrew-shaped, or comma-shaped, appearing singly only.
A colony is a cohesive mass composed of many millions of bacterial cells, growing on or in a medium, such as blood agar, as a result of the multiplication and division of a single cell. The size, color, shape, edge, topography, consistency, and odor of the colony vary with each organism.
Three special structures assist in the classifica tion of bacteria. The capsule is a gummy, gelatinous, or mucoid structure surrounding certain bacteria. The spore is an inactive, resting, and resistant form produced within the organism, usually as a result of unfavorable environmental conditions. The third and final special structure is the flagellum, which is a hairlike structure that provides motility.
Toxins generally are waste products of metabolism in a bacterial cell. Some bacteria produce toxins that attack red blood cells in a medium such as blood agar.
Alpha hemolysin-produces partial hemolysis and changes the medium to a green color.
Beta hemolysin-completely lyses the RBC, leaving a clear zone of hemolysis.
Endotoxin (low potency)-comprises part of the cell wall and is released by autolysis of the bacterial cell.
Exotoxin (high potency)-is a soluble protein poison that is secreted by the living cell.
Gram's stain reactions can either be positive or negative. Gram-positive reactions will stain dark blue-black. Gram-negative reactions will stain deep pink or reddish.
Bacteria are named by genus and species. The first word (capitalized) indicates the genus; the second word (not capitalized) indicates the species, which is a subdivision of the genus.
GENUS SPECIES
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Gram-positive cocci (stain dark blue with Gram's stain)
Streptococcus pneumoniae-causes pneumonia
Streptococcus pyogenes (Beta Streptococci Group A)-causes strep throat
Staphylococcus aureus-most common cause of boils and furuncles as well as osteomyelitis, pneumonia, septicemia, endocarditis, and impetigo
Gram-negative cocci (stain dark pink with Gram's stain)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus)-causes gonorrhea
Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus)-causes meningitis
Bacilli
Gram-positive bacilli
Corynebacterium diphtheriae-causes diphtheria
Clostridium (all are anaerobic and spore formers)
C. perfringens (welchii)-causes gas gangrene
C. septicum-causes gas gangrene
C. tetani-causes tetanus or lockjaw
C. botulinum-causes food poisoning (botulism)
Gram-negative bacilli
Yersinia (Pasteurella) pestis-causes bubonic or pneumonic plague
Brucella abortus-causes undulant fever (brucellosis)
Bordetella pertussis-causes whooping cough
Intestinal (Enteric) Gram-Negative Bacilli
S. typhi-causes typhoid fever
S. paratyphi A & B-causes paratyphoid fever
S. newport (S. enteritidis)-causes gastroenteritis
Shigella-all of these cause bacillary dysentery (shigellosis).
S. dysenteriae (group A)
S. flexneri (group B)
S. boydii (group C)
S. sonnei (group D)
Vibrio cholerae (comma)-causes cholera
Escherichia coli-normally a nonpathogenic organism in the intestine, but if it gets into the abdominal cavity it can cause peritonitis. E. coli has also been known to cause urinary tract infections and diarrhea.
A smear can be made of almost all body discharges, lesions, or sediments obtained by centrifugation of spinal fluid.
Preparation of Smear
Smear specimen on a glass slide previously cleaned with alcohol or acetone and polished with lens paper. A thin and evenly spread smear is preferred for easier reading of the smear and identification of various organisms. Emulsify specimen with saline if thick.
Label the smear and circle material to be stained with a diamond point pen for easier identification and location of the material after staining.
Let the smear air dry. Forced heat drying will distort bacterial cells and other materials.
Fix the smear by passing it through a flame (smear side up) 3 to 4 times. DO NOT BURN SMEAR.
Let slide cool and then stain.
The most common and useful staining procedure used in bacteriologic work is that of Gram. It is most likely to yield valuable information and should be done in all cases when staining is indicated. It is also used for the examination of cultures to determine purity and for purposes of identification.
Hucker's Modification of Gram's Stain Solution
Crystal violet/ammonium oxalate solution (primary stain):
Yeast contamination is common and the stain must be filtered before use. Use only certified crystal violet. Gentian violet and methyl violet are not recommended because they contain impurities.
Solution A:
Crystal violet (certified) 2 gm
Ethyl alcohol (95 percent) 20 ml
Solution B:
Ammonium oxalate 0.8 gm
Distilled water 80 ml
Mix solutions A and B, store for 24 hours, filter, and store at room temperature, in a dark bottle, in a dark place, away from direct sunlight.
Iodine solution (mordant):
Iodine crystals (USP) 1 gm
Potassium iodide 2 gm
Distilled water 300 ml
Grind iodine and potassium iodide in mortar. Dissolve potassium iodide in a flask in as small amount of water as possible. Add iodine crystals to potassium iodide solution. When dissolution is completed, add remainder of distilled water. Mix and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Filter and store in a dark bottle, away from direct sunlight.
Decolorizer:
Acetone 1 volume
Ethyl alcohol (95 percent) 1 volume
Mix 1 volume of acetone with I volume of ethyl alcohol and store in a tightly sealed bottle.
Safranine 0 counterstain:
Safranine 0 0.25 g
Dissolve dye in ethyl alcohol, then add distilled water to dye solution and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Filter and store away from direct sunlight.
Procedure for Gram's Staining
After the smear has been dried, heat-fixed, and cooled off, proceed as follows:
Place slide on staining rack and cover specimen with crystal violet. Let stand for 1 minute.
Wash briefly in tap water and shake off excess.
Cover specimen with iodine solution and let stand for 1 minute.
Wash with water and shake off excess.
Tilt slide at 45° angle and decolorize with the acetone-alcohol solution until the purple color stops running. Wash immediately with water and shake off excess.
Cover specimen with safranine and let stand for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Wash with water, shake off excess, and gently blot dry. The smear is now ready to be read. (Use oil immersion lens.)
Principle of Gram's Stain
The crystal violet stain is the primary stain, which stains everything in the smear blue. The Gram's iodine acts as a mordant that causes the crystal violet to penetrate and adhere to the gram-positive organisms. The acetone-alcohol mixture acts as the decolorizer that washes the stain away from everything in the smear except the gram-positive organisms. The safranine is the counter-stain that stains everything in the smear that has been decolorized: pus cells, mucus, gram-negative organisms. The gram-negative organisms will stain a much deeper pink than the pus cells, and mucus will stain even lighter pink than the pus cells.
Place a drop of oil in the slide and, using the oil immersion objective of the microscope, read the smear. All body discharges contain extraneous materials, such as pus cells and mucus. Of interest, however, are the types of bacteria that may be present. The stained smear reveals only two things: the morphology and the staining characteristics of the bacteria present. Positive identification requires cultures and further studies.
The hospital corpsman reports only what he or she sees.
Example: "Smear shows numerous gram-negative bacilli." If two or more types of bacteria are seen in a smear, the rule is to report them in order of predominance, for example:
Numerous gram-positive cocci in clusters
Few gram-negative bacilli
Gram-positive organisms are easy to see because they stain a deep blue or blue-black. Gram-negative organisms stain a deep pink, but since the background material is also pink, minute and detailed inspection is necessary before reporting the results.
In the presence of gonorrhea the smear will reveal large numbers of pus cells with varying numbers of intracellular and extracellular gram- negative, bean-shaped cocci in pairs. Such a finding can be considered diagnostic. It is important to point out that only a few of the thousands of pus cells on the slide may contain bacteria, and sometimes it requires considerable search to find one.
Serology consists of procedures by which antigens and reacting serum globulin antibodies may be measured qualitatively and quantitatively. Serologic tests have been devised to detect either antigens present or antibodies produced in a number of conditions. Most are based on agglutination reactions between an antigen and a specific antibody.
Antigen is a substance that, when introduced into an individual who does not already possess that substance, may stimulate the individual's cells to produce specific antibodies that react to this substance in some detectable way. The four basic characteristics of an antigen are it must be foreign to the body, it must possess a high molecular weight, it must gain entrance into the body, and it must have a high specificity to stimulate tissues to produce a defensive protein substance called antibody.
Antibodies are the specific defensive proteins produced when an antigen stimulates individual cells. They are produced by the host in response to the presence of an antigen and are capable of reacting with antigens in some detectable way.
The antigen-antibody reaction takes place as a result of a reaction between specific antibodies in the plasma and antigen present on cell surfaces.
The RPR test is a sensitive, easily done screening test for syphilis. It is performed on unheated plasma or serum. Everything needed for the test is in a kit that is available commercially. This is very useful aboard ship and at small stations not equipped to do the VDRL.
Principle of the Test
The RPR test is a nontreponemal testing procedure for the serologic detection of syphilis. The RPR card antigen suspension is a carbon- particle cardiolipin antigen that detects reagin, an antibodylike substance present in the sera from syphilitic persons and occasionally in sera of persons with other acute or chronic conditions. When a specimen contains antibody, flocculation occurs with a coagglutination of the carbon particles of the RPR card antigen, which appear as black clumps against the white background of the plastic-coated card. Nonreactive specimens appear to have an even light-gray color.
RPR Card Test Antigen
The antigen consists of cardiolipin, lecithin, cholesterol, EDTA, Na2HPO4, KH2PO4, charcoal, choline chloride (10 percent), distilled water, and the preservative thimerosal (0.1 percent) (supplied in kit).
Store unopened vials at 40C. Stable to expiration date.
Store "in-use" antigen suspension in dispensing bottle at 4 degrees C. Stable for about 3 months, or until expiration date if it occurs sooner.
Record antigen lot number and expiration date on dispensing bottle.
RPR Card Test Control Cards
The card consists of three labeled test areas containing lyophilized specimens with designated patterns of reactivity: Reactive, Reactive-Minimal- to-Moderate, and Non-reactive.
Store unopened foil-sealed envelopes at 4 degrees C. Stable to expiration date.
Not supplied with the kit and must be purchased separately.
Supplied in kit
Adjusted to deliver 60 drops, plus or minus 2 drops, per milliliter of antigen.
Dispensing Bottle
Used to store in-use antigen
Rotator-Adjusted to 100 r.p.m.
Dispenstir
Manufactured to dispense 0.05 ml of serum
Diagnostic Cards
Plastic-coated cards, with 10 rings, for testing patient specimens.
Preliminary Preparation for Testing
Remove antigen suspension vial and one control card envelope from the refrigerator. Allow to adjust to room temperature.
Resuspend contents of vial by vigorously shaking the antigen vial.
Snap the neck of the vial.
Attach the needle (provided in the kit) to a 1 milliliter tuberculin syringe. Slowly draw up into the syringe approximately 1 milliliter of the antigen suspension from the vial.
Hold the syringe perpendicular to the surface, and count the number of drops dispensed from a 0.5 ml volume. Allow the drops to fall into the antigen vial. The needle is accurate if 30 drops, plus or minus 1 drop, are dispensed from the 0.5 ml volume.
Slowly expel the remainder of antigens in the syringe back into the antigen vial.
Remove the needle from the syringe; place the needle on the tapered fitting of the plastic dispensing bottle (provided in kit).
Slowly withdraw all contents of the antigen vial by collapsing the dispensing bottle and using it as a suction device.
Allow the rotator to warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; adjust to 100 r.p.m.
Open foil package and remove control card.
Reconstitute each control card circle with 0.5 ml of distilled water by use of a dispenstir.
Using the broad end of the dispenstir, mix until the dehydrated control specimen is dissolved. Spread specimen over entire area of circle. Use a separate dispenstir for each circle.
To draw the patient's sample, hold the dispenstir between the thumb and forefinger near stirring or sealed end and squeeze; do not release pressure until the open end is below the surface of the specimen. Release finger pressure to draw up the sample.
Hold the dispenstir in a vertical position, directly over the card test area to which the specimen is to be delivered; squeeze dispenstir, allowing 1 drop to fall onto the test area.
Invert the dispenstir, and, with the sealed end, spread specimen within the confines of the circle. Discard the dispenstir.
Continue the above steps until one or two test cards are filled with patient's samples.
Gently shake the antigen dispensing bottle before use. Hold in the vertical position and dispense several drops into the dispensing bottle cap to ensure that the needle passage is clear. Allow 1 "free-falling" drop to fall onto each test area. Do not stir; mixing of antigen suspension and specimen is accomplished during rotation.
Put card(s) on rotator and cover with humidifying cover.
Rotate for 8 minutes at 100 r.p.m. Following rotation, to help differentiate Nonreactive from Reactive results, a brief rotating and tilting of card by hand (3 to 4 to-and-fro motions) must be made.
Then immediately read Card macroscopically in the "wet" state and under the high-intensity lamp.
The Reactive control should show characteristic strong clumping; the Nonreactive control should show smooth, grayish appearance of unclumped particles. The Reactive Minimal-to- Moderate control should show minimal-to- moderate clumping. The patients' tests should be compared to the controls for correct interpretations.
Report test as:
Reactive if specimen shows agglutination or flocculation.
Nonreactive if specimen shows no agglutination at the end of 8 minutes rotation.
If the RPR test is reactive, an FTA-ABS (Flourescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption Test) must be run on the specimen.
The main reason for including this test is that mononucleosis imitates many diseases so well that diagnosis is confirmed only by selective serologic testing.
Absorption of serum with a suspension of a guinea pig or horse kidney antigen removes antisheep agglutinins in the serum of patients with serum diseases and various infectious diseases.
In some serum of patients with infectious mononucleosis, a substantial part of the antibodies remains after absorption.
Absorption with a suspension of beef cells removes the antisheep agglutinins in infectious mononucleosis, but leaves them in other infectious diseases.
Rapid slide tests for infectious mononucleosis are based on these principles. Suspensions of guinea pig kidney and beef erythrocyte stomata result in satisfactory instant absorption of antibodies and clear differentiation between infectious mononucleosis and noninfectious mononucleosis sera. Infectious mononucleosis antibodies may be demonstrated as early as the fourth day of illness and practically always by the twenty-first day. Positive results may continue for several months.
On a clean slide (supplied with kit) place 1 drop of guinea pig antigen, reagent I, into box number 1.
Place 1 drop of the beef erythrocyte stomata, reagent II, into box number 2.
Add 1 drop of test serum on plasma to both boxes. Mix each with separate sticks.
Add 1 drop of horse erythrocyte antigen (supplied with kit) to both boxes. Mix each with separate disposable sticks.
Rock slide back and forth for 2 minutes so that liquid flows slowly over the entire area of the boxes.
Read results after 2 minutes.
Agglutination in box 1 is positive for infectious mononucleosis.
Agglutination in box 2 is positive for noninfectious mononucleosis.
No agglutination in either box is negative for mononucleosis.
A positive control is included in each kit for the purpose of checking the effectiveness of the reagents.
Fungi are heterotrophic, chlorophyll-free, thallophyllic organisms. They reproduce by spores, which germinate into long filaments called hyphae. As the hyphae continue to grow and branch, they develop into a mat of growth called the mycelium (pl. mycelia). From the mycelium, spores are produced in characteristic arrangements. These spores, when dispersed to new substances, germinate and form new growths. Reproduction is often asexual, usually by budding, as in yeast, but certain fungi have sexual reproduction.
Common superficial infections of the skin caused by fungi are athlete's foot and ringworm of the scalp.
Fungi are seen in clustered round buds with thick walls accompanied by fragments of mycelia. Scrapings from the affected area of the skin are mounted in 10 percent KOH for positive laboratory diagnosis.
Demonstration of the fungi in infected tissue can be accomplished by the following method:
Place skin, hair, or nail scrapings from the affected area on a slide and add a drop of 10 percent KOH. Dissolve 10 g of KOH in 100 ml of distilled water.
Place a coverslip on the preparation.
Warm the preparation gently over a flame, being careful not to boil it, and allow it to stand until clear. Do not allow the preparation to dry out.
Read preparation, using a high-power objective with subdued light.
Fungi in the skin and nails appear as refractile fragments of hyphae.
In the hair, fungi appear as dense clouds around the hair stub or as linear rows inside the hair shaft.
Blood transfusion, the term used for the process of transferring blood from one person to another, is often a lifesaving remedy, especially in cases of severe hemorrhage, anemia, and infection.
In 1900 Landsteiner discovered the first blood group system that initially comprised groups A, B, and O. Later the AB system was added.
The work showing that blood can be classified into these four groups was done by random cross matching of the bloods of a large number of people. Two specific antigens (also called agglutinogens) were found on the red cells. These were called A and B. One group of red cells contained no A or B antigen and was called O. A fourth group contained both A and B antigens and was called AB. Antibodies (agglutinins) were found in the serum of blood. These were called anti-A and anti-B antibodies. A person of group A blood (A antigen) has anti-B antibodies (agglutinins) in the serum. A group B individual has anti-A antibodies; a group O individual has both anti-A and anti-B antibodies; and group AB individuals have neither antibody in the serum. With the exception of certain patients with autoimmune diseases, individuals do not have antibodies against their own blood type.
Landsteiner's rule states that when an antigen is on a red blood cell, the corresponding antibody is never present simultaneously. Instead, the reciprocal red cell antigen is present in the plasma or serum. For example, if an individual has blood cells of group A, anti-B antibodies are always present in the serum but never anti-A.
Blood grouping is accomplished by comparing the effects of agglutination by the antibodies on the corresponding antigens within the red cells.
To determine the group to which blood belongs, it is necessary to mix separately a suspension of its red cells with serum of a known group A and a group B that contains agglutinin B and agglutinin A, respectively. The resulting agglutination or absence of agglutination determines the group to which it belongs and is a necessary procedure with the blood of both the donor and the recipient. Only compatible blood is selected for transfusion. One of the four combinations of reactions shown in the table 7-1 will result.
Table 7-1.-Agglutination Reactions of the Red Cells of the Four Blood Groups
International Blood Group
Anti-A
Anti-B
O - -
A + -
B - +
AB + +
The most important Rh factor is factor D. Approximately 85 percent of the population is D positive (also called Rh positive), and 15 percent is D negative (also called Rh negative). Agglutinin for Rh + does not normally occur in the blood. Consequently, Rh + corpuscles do not produce reactions in first transfusions. However, the agglutinogen, when present in large amounts in the blood of recipients, may produce reactions upon transfusion with Rh + corpuscles. Consequently, it is mandatory to select compatible donors whose corpuscles are Rh - for transfusion of Rh - individuals. This is especially important in those who have had previous transfusions (especially with Rh + corpuscles).
Determination of the A and B agglutinogen is called grouping, while determination of the Rh agglutination is called typing (fig 7-1.) Color-coded Anti-A (blue), and anti-B (yellow), are available through the Navy Supply System.
Blood grouping for the A-B-O system is performed at room temperature. A blood specimen is drawn and allowed to clot. The erythrocytes are resuspended in the serum by mechanical agitation, and single drops are placed on a clean glass slide by a dropper. Colored specific sera are added, and each drop of blood and antiserum are individually mixed with a clean applicator stick. The preparation is observed for agglutination. If agglutination takes place, the red cells gather in clumps. If there is no agglutination, the red cells will be evenly distributed over the field (see fig. 7-1).
The rouleaux formation is another phenomenon that causes trouble in blood typing. It is caused by sera with high globulin content and appears as "red cells stacked up like a pile of coins." Rouleaux formation can easily be confused with true agglutination. CAUTION: Droppers must be used only in their respective sera and cell suspensions to prevent cross-contamination. Applicator sticks used for mixing anti-A and the cell suspension must not be used for mixing anti-B and the cell suspension, and vice versa.
As a hospital corpsman, you need to know how to perform the tests discussed in this chapter, especially when you are on duty independent of a medical officer. Although you are not expected to diagnose or treat a patient based on the test findings, you must be able to convey a clear clinical picture to your supporting medical officer to effect prompt, efficient, and professional patient care.
It is very important that the patient, as well as the specimens received, be promptly and properly identified to prevent errors and to minimize future embarrassment and medical complications.
Another important facet of clinical laboratory is the proper use of laboratory forms. Use separate forms for each patient and each type of test. The forms must be filled out completely, accurately, and legibly to ensure expeditious disposition of completed reports. In addition, they must be properly filed and recorded.
In the laboratory you constantly will be dealing with the numerous laboratory forms associated with the tests being performed. These forms when used properly will minimize confusion and reduce chances for errors. For a complete listing of these forms and their purposes, refer to MANMED, chapter 23.
You are expected to treat all laboratory tests and their results as a confidential matter. Interpretation of the results must be left to the attending physician. Refrain from discussing laboratory results with the patient. It is your ultimate responsibility to safeguard laboratory results from unauthorized access by persons not directly involved. Remember that knowledge of the tests and their results are accessible only to the patient, the attending physician, and you-the performing technician.
Technical Manual (AABB), 8th Edition
Lennette, Halows, Hansler, Truant, Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 3rd Edition
RPR Card Test & Control Cards, Hynson, Wescott & Dunning
Monosticon Dri Dot, Organon Diagnostics