Tissue tagging by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a comprehensive method for the assessment of cardiac regional function. However, imaging the right ventricle (RV) using this technique is problematic due to the thin wall of the RV relative to tag spacing which limits assessment of regional function using conventional in-plane tagging.
We hypothesize that the use of through-plane tags in the strain-encoding (SENC) CMR technique would result in reproducible measurements of the RV regional function due to the high image quality and spatial resolution possible with SENC.
To test the intra- and inter-observer variabilities of RV peak systolic strain measurements with SENC CMR for assessment of RV regional function (systolic strain) in healthy volunteers.
Healthy volunteers (n = 21) were imaged using SENC. A four-chamber view was acquired in a single breath-hold. Circumferential strain was measured during systole at six equidistant points along the RV free wall. Peak contraction is defined as the maximum value of circumferential strain averaged from the six points, and regional function is defined as the strain value at each point at the time of peak contraction.
Mean values for peak circumferential strain (± standard deviation) of the basal, mid, and apical regions of the RV free wall were -20.4 ± 2.9%, -18.8 ± 3.9%, and -16.5 ± 5.7%, Altman plots showed good intra- and inter-observer agreements with mean difference of 0.11% and 0.32% and limits of agreement of -4.038 to 4.174 and -4.903 to 5.836, respectively.
SENC CMR allows for rapid quantification of RV regional function with low intra- and inter-observer variabilities, which could permit accurate quantification of regional strain in patients with RV dysfunction.
Despite the rapid advances in the field of cardiovascular imaging over the past decade, assessment of the right ventricular (RV) function is still challenging . However, accurate assessment of RV function is an important predictor of clinical outcome in patients with congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension [2, 3], myocardial infarction [4, 5], heart failure , dilated cardiomyopathy , and arrhythmiogenic RV dysplasia (ARVD) .
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) with its superior tissue contrast, high spatial and temporal resolution, and non-invasive nature is an important modality for assessment of global RV function . By imaging the induced magnetization of different tissues, and not just their anatomic borders, CMR provides greater flexibility in imaging the structure and function of the heart. Specifically, in CMR tagging, parallel planes of saturated magnetization can be applied orthogonal to the imaging plane, which create non-invasive MR-visible markers, or tags, that move with the contraction of the heart [10, 11] and permit quantification of its strain  in the three-coordinate directions (circumferential, longitudinal, and radial). With advances in signal processing, the amount of displacement of these tags within the myocardium can be automatically quantified using harmonic phase (HARP) analysis, which allows for rapid and accurate analysis of myocardial regional function . CMR tagging is considered the gold standard technique for assessment of left ventricular (LV) regional function . However, the thin wall of the RV (normally < 5 mm) results in tags those are too far apart for accurate assessment of thin walled RV regional function.
In this work, we propose to use the through-plane tags in strain encoding (SENC) CMR  in order to overcome the limitations posed by the thin-walled RV and to allow for quantitative assessment of the RV regional function. SENC CMR has several advantages over regular tagging: 1) Spatial and temporal resolution are improved. 2) The signal intensity depends on the spacing of the invisible tags in the through-plane direction, which allows for strain calculation in the direction perpendicular to the imaging plane . Because of the latter, circumferential strain can be measured from the long-axis view, while the presence of the tags does not affect visualization of different cardiac structures. 3) The circumferential strain of the RV free wall can be measured from a single four-chamber view instead of multiple short-axis views in conventional tagging. Despite these theoretical advantages, the value of SENC CMR for studying human RV function has not been investigated thoroughly. In this study, the intra- and inter-observer variabilities of SENC CMR were evaluated for assessment of RV regional function in healthy volunteers.
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, and informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the MR exam. The study was Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant.
Healthy volunteers (n = 21) with no history of heart disease and no abnormal cardiac structure or function were studied by CMR.
SENC CMR is based on the acquisition of two images with different frequency modulation, or "tunings", in the slice-selection direction. We call these images the low-tuning (LT) and high-tuning (HT) images. Bright regions in the LT and HT images represent static and contracting tissues, respectively . The two SENC images were combined as described in  to result in a strain image, where signal intensity is proportional to through-plane strain. Strain measurements calculated from SENC images have recently been validated against standard Spatial Modulation of Magnetization (SPAMM) tagged images [17, 18]. Figure 1 shows a diagram of the SENC pulse sequence . It consists of two major modules: tagging and imaging. The tagging part is implemented after the detection of the R-wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG), and it is composed of two 90° non-selective radiofrequency (RF) pulses interspersed by a modulation gradient in the slice-selection direction and followed by crusher gradients in all directions. A spectral-selective fat suppression RF pulse was applied immediately before the tagging module . Imaging started directly after the tagging module, where a series of slice-selective RF pulses were applied with alternating SENC modulations (tunings) and ramped flip angles . K-space was filled in a segmented fashion with spiral acquisition for efficient readout.
SENC pulse sequence diagram (FS: fat suppression, RF: radiofrequency, SS: slice selection, PE: phase encoding, RO: readout, HT: high-tuning, LT: low-tuning).
Studies were performed on a 3.0T MR scanner (Philips Medical Systems, Best, The Netherlands) using a 6-element phased-array cardiac coil. Four ECG leads were placed on the volunteers' chests for triggering the pulse sequence at the R-wave of the ECG. The volunteers' position was head first and supine. After initial scouting images and reference scan, gradient echo vertical long axis cine (pseudo two-chamber view) images were obtained from the coronal images by aligning the left ventricular apex with the center of the mitral valve. From the end-systolic vertical long-axis image, an initial horizontal long-axis plane (pseudo four-chamber view) was obtained by aligning through the apex and the midpoint of the mitral valve. Then, a single short-axis plane was obtained from the end-systolic horizontal long axis image. The final four-chamber view was obtained from the-short axis plane by bisecting both ventricles and going parallel to the diaphragm. The measurement points on the SPAMM and SENC images were determined with the help of the geometry scouting images, in order to assure that the measurement positions in the SPAMM images correspond to their counterparts in the SENC images.
The imaging parameters for the gradient echo cine acquisitions were: repetition time (TR) = 5 ms; echo time (TE) = 2.9 ms; flip angle = 15°; scan matrix = 176 × 138 reconstructed to 256 × 256 pixels; field of view (FOV) = 35 × 35 cm; and slice thickness = 8 mm. Four-chamber SENC images were then acquired during a single breath-hold of 13 heartbeats using prospective ECG gating. SENC imaging parameters were similar to those of the cine images, except for: spiral acquisition (for efficient signal readout) with 12 spirals × 12 ms; scan matrix = 176 × 176; TR = 14.4 ms; TE = 0.8 ms; flip angle = 40°; and slice thickness = 8 mm. For SENC images, the temporal resolution was 15 msec and the spatial resolution was 2 × 2 × 8 mm3. Finally, dynamic short-axis SPAMM grid-tagged images were acquired at the same locations as the cine images, and with similar imaging parameters, except for: TR = 12 ms; TE = 1.8 ms and flip angle = 35°.
Tagging and SENC CMR data were analyzed using the HARP and SENC software packages (Diagnosoft Inc., Palo Alto, California), respectively. For each four-chamber SENC image (Figure 2), six points were manually selected (by observer AY) along the RV free wall in the end systolic frame, starting from the base toward the apex with equal distances from each other. Systolic circumferential strain was calculated at each of the six points on the SENC image, as described in . Strain estimates were also computed from the short-axis SPAMM tagged images, as described in . Myocardial strain was defined here as the percentage change in tissue length from the resting state at end-diastole (ED) to the one achieved following myocardial contraction at end-systole (ES): Myocardial strain = (ED - ES)/ED × 100%.
Four-chamber SENC CMR view at the end-systolic frame. A) The RV as appears on the acquired image before software processing. B) The processed image showing the position of the six points along the RV free wall and the corresponding strain curve. Y-axis shows the strain values while the X-axis shows the time frames.
In order to detect the timing of end-systole in the SENC cine, the time point of maximum average strain was selected to represent end-systole with the peak systolic strain is the stain estimate recorded at this time point as shown in figure 2B at time frame 21.
The SENC derived myocardial strain values were calculated by the same observer (AY) two weeks after the first reading to report the intra-observer variability. The strain values were also calculated by a second independent observer (GK), blinded to the results obtained by the first observer, to determine inter-observer variability. SENC and SPAMM strain estimates of the interventricular septum were calculated by the first observer, using the same method described above, to serve as a reference for the RV free wall strain estimates.
Strain noise was then calculated for the RV free wall in the 21 SENC CMR scans. This was done by quantifying the noise in the strain estimate by examining a small region around points within the base, mid and apical RV free wall and reporting the standard deviation in the strain estimate at those points. The standard deviation in the strain estimates were divided by the mean strain estimates at those regions. Then, SENC strain estimate was correlated with strain noise. A subgroup of SENC CMR scans with the least strain noise and absence of image artifacts were then selected. The purpose of this sub-grouping was to examine the effect of image quality on the intra- and inter observer variabilities of the strain estimates.
Statistical analysis was performed using commercially available software (STATA, version 9.2, College Station, Texas). Strain estimates were presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Circumferential strain estimates were compared using a paired t-test for normally distributed data, Wilcoxon signed rank sum test for non-normally distributed data. Multiple measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis was used to compare the average circumferential strain measurements of the base, mid, and apical parts of the RV free wall. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Intra- and inter-observer agreements were evaluated using the 95% limits-of-agreement approach proposed by Bland and Altman , by plotting the differences between each pair of measurements against their means. "Limits of agreement" was presented as mean difference ± 2 SD. Assuming normal distribution, it is expected that most differences (>95%) would lie between mean - 2SD and mean + 2SD (limits of agreement). To test if the variances of strain estimates were the same within the same observer and between observers, Pitman's test  for correlated variances was used. Also, linear regression analysis was performed between the end-systolic circumferential strains of the RV free wall measured by the first observer two weeks apart, and between the first and second observers. Intra-observer and inter-observer variabilities were calculated from the linear regression analysis using the intra-class correlation coefficient (r).
Twenty-one healthy volunteers with ages ranging from 23 to 45 years (mean age of 35 ± 7 years standard deviation) were included in the study. All the scans were done at Johns Hopkins University during the year 2006. The average scanning time was 35 minutes. All the images acquired from the twenty-one studies were suitable for analysis. The contracting RV gives bright signal on the four-chamber SENC CMR against a dark background (Figure 2). The acquired images were then processed for strain analysis using the SENC software.
The average peak circumferential strain of the RV free wall measured by SENC CMR was -18.7 ± 4.3% (the minus sign means positive contraction). The average strain ± standard deviation for the basal, mid, and apical regions of the RV free wall were -20.7 ± 2.8%, -19.1 ± 3.3% and -16.9 ± 4.8%, respectively (Table 1 and Figure 3). There is a statistically significant difference in the SENC circumferential systolic strain estimates among the base, mid and apical segments of the RV free wall (P = 0.0015). Myocardial areas of consistent low circumferential strain were found in 8 out of the 21 scans close to the site of insertion of the papillary muscle into the RV free wall (Figure 4).
Box-and-whisker plots of peak SENC strain estimates for the base, mid-wall and apex of the RV free wall. The whiskers are drawn from the box to the highest and lowest values that are within 1.5 times the interquartile range of the median with any points more extreme than this are plotted individually.
Site of attachment of the papillary muscle into the RV free wall shows area of low strain as compared to the rest of the RV free wall. A) Gradient echo image with the arrow pointing to the papillary muscle. B) Same view on SENC CMR. C) SENC strain analysis showing area of low strain estimate on RV free wall corresponding with the site of attachment of papillary muscle.
The average values for SENC peak circumferential systolic strain estimates of the RV free wall.
The average RV free wall circumferential strain measured from the short-axis SPAMM tagged slices in the same subjects was -18.5 ± 2.7% (P = 0.42). The SPAMM circumferential strain estimates for the base, mid, and apical slices of the RV free wall were -18.8 ± 2.5% (P = 0.03), -18.5 ± 2.7% (P = 0.35) and -18.3 ± 3.0% (P = 0.08), respectively. There is no statistically significant difference in the SPAMM circumferential systolic strain estimates between the base, mid and apical segments of the RV free wall (P = 0.67).
The average value of the circumferential peak systolic strain estimate of the interventricular septum was -21.2 ± 3.2% as measured by SENC CMR in four-chamber view and -20.6 ± 2% (P = 0.14) as measured by HARP analysis of grid tagging in short-axis views. The SENC circumferential strain estimates for the base, mid, and apical slices of the interventricular septum were -20.5 ± 2.7%, -21.7 ± 3.1% and -20.3 ± 3.0%, respectively. Compared with SENC circumferential systolic strain estimates of the RV free wall, there was no significant difference between the basal segments (P = 0.13), while mid and apical segments of the RV free wall were significantly less (P < 0.01) than those of the interventricular septum.
Regional peak circumferential systolic strain measurements demonstrate low intra- and inter-observer variabilities (Figure 5) as indicated by the interclass correlation coefficient (r = 0.82/0.81; 0.80/0.79; 0.94/0.81 for the basal, mid, and apical regions, respectively). The overall intra- and inter-observer variabilities were r = 0.88 and 0.80, respectively.
Intra and inter-observer variabilities as indicated by interclass correlation co-efficient (r) on linear regression analysis.
Bland Altman plots have shown the mean difference between the SENC strain estimates obtained by the same observer to be 0.11% (95% confidence interval = -0.24% to 0.46%) and between the two observers to be 0.32% (95% confidence interval = -0.14 to 0.79%). The intra-observer and inter-observer limits of agreement were -4.038 to 4.174 and -4.903 to 5.836, respectively (Figure 6). There was no significant intra-observer or inter-observer difference in variances (Pitman's coefficient [r] = 0.1, P = 0.28; and [r] = 0.14, P = 0.13, respectively).
Bland-Altman plots for intra-observer and inter-observer agreements. Higher image quality scans showed higher degree of agreements. In all plots, the dashed lines represent the mean difference and the gray shaded areas represent the limits of agreements.
The SENC average peak circumferential systolic strain estimates from the group of subjects with highest image quality was 1.8% (-20.5 ± 2.8% versus -18.7 ± 4.3%, P < 0.02) higher than the average strain estimates. Also, there was slightly higher agreement among the group of highest image quality scans than the average agreement on Bland Altman plots with a mean intra-observer difference of 0.027% (95% confidence interval = -0.53% to 0.58%) and inter-observer difference of 0.30% (95% confidence interval = -0.35 to 0.94) and limits of agreement of -3.3 to 3.3 and -3.5 to 4.1 for the intra-observer and inter-observer, respectively (Figure 6).
This study demonstrates that circumferential strain of the RV free wall can be obtained using SENC CMR with low intra- and inter-observer variabilities. The average RV free wall circumferential strain estimate with SENC (-18.9 ± 4.1%) was in good agreement with previous results obtained by CMR tagging  using one-dimensional SPAMM tagging. In that study, the RV free wall average circumferential strain in normal volunteers ranged from -16.4 ± 1% in the RV outflow tract to -22.4 ± 1.5% at the RV apex. However, the lower strain values of the RV apex in our study could be attributed to 1) the method of selecting the points for strain analysis from areas with low signal (e.g., around the insertion site of the papillary muscle); and/or 2) the weaker signal captured from the thin walled apex in low image quality studies, which resulted in abnormally low strain values, shown as outliers in Fig. 3. In our study, the SPAMM grid-tagged circumferential systolic strain estimates from the apical portion of the RV free wall was -1.4% higher than the SENC strain estimates, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.08). With not much difference in the strain estimates between SENC and SPAMM grid tagging for the RV free wall, the major advantages of SENC are 1) obtaining the entire strain data from a single view rather than 3 short-axis views in grid tagging; 2) better visualization of the contracting myocardium which allows for more accurate localization of the region of interest; and 3) the resulting strain curves are interpretable from the entire RV free wall.
To be more confident about our strain estimates and to avoid any systematic bias, we used both SENC and SPAMM grid-tagging circumferential strain estimates of the interventricular septum, where excellent strain curves were obtained in almost all subjects, as a reference. There was no significant difference in the circumferential strain estimates of the interventricular septum between the methods (-21.2 ± 3.2% for SENC CMR versus -20.6 ± 2% for SPAMM grid tagging (P = 0.14)). Also, there was no significant difference between the basal segments of RV free wall and interventricular septum (P = 0.13). However, the circumferential strain estimates of the mid and apical segments of the RV free wall were significantly less (P < 0.01) than those of the interventricular septum. This could be attributed to the lower strain SNR of apical regions in images with marginal quality or the attachment site of the papillary muscle into the RV free wall in other images.
The completely automatic calculation of RV strain values with SENC produces good intra-observer and inter-observer agreement. This was particularly evident in the high-quality images where there is less noise to confound the actual strain results.
The effect of image quality on circumferential myocardial strain quantification was also addressed in our study. The average RV circumferential strain measured from the group of scans with the least strain noise and image artifact was found to be statistically significant higher than the average strain estimate of the 21 studies (-20.5 ± 2.8% versus -18.7 ± 4.3%, P < 0.02). Also, plotting the SENC strain estimates against noise in the strain estimates revealed a significant linear relation. It should be noted that SENC imaging is one type of STEAM (stimulated-echo acquisition mode) pulse sequence, which suffers from 50% signal loss, making SENC imaging sensitive to image SNR.
Circumferential strain measurements were conducted in this study based on the observation that myocardial contraction is principally circumferential . On the contrary, tissue Doppler data suggested that RV contraction is mainly longitudinal . However, tissue Doppler could only reliably calculate the longitudinal functional parameters of the RV due to its thin wall . Another study of the RV strain in open-chest, open-pericardium animal models  showed that the RV longitudinal strain correlates with the RV global function during both basal conditions and following an increase in afterload, whereas circumferential strain is influenced by changes in afterload. This could make circumferential strain analysis even more specific and clinically useful in pressure overload conditions, like pulmonary hypertension, which constitute the majority of RV pathologies.
Overall, it should be noted that the use of spiral acquisition for data readout, automated software for strain analysis and acquisition of circumferential strain estimates for the entire RV from a single four-chamber view made the entire process time-efficient and practical.
As this study was conducted only on normal volunteers, one limitation is that the diagnostic utility of the strain measurements were not tested on patients with known RV dysfunction. However, this did not interfere with the aim of this study which was mainly designed to test the feasibility and applicability of circumferential strain estimates of the RV free wall as a surrogate of function before testing this method on patients with RV dysfunction. It should be noted that although the current study addressed intra-observer, inter-observer and inter-subject reproducibility, the scan-rescan reproducibility for the same subjects was not examined. This point is intended to be addressed in a more comprehensive future study.
It should also be noted that evaluation of regional heart function, which naturally occurs in the three dimensions, from a single circumferential plane is another limitation of the method used. Also, the imaging technique used did not correct for tissue through-plane motion that could affect the accuracy of the strain estimates. However, development of new methods for tissue slice-following  and motion tracking  could correct for this through-plane displacement.
Finally, areas with consistent low circumferential strains were found at the insertion site of the papillary muscle into the RV free wall. These areas are not likely identified in prior studies relying on imaging techniques with intrinsically lower spatial resolution. These findings direct attention to the cautious interpretation of strain estimates in light of image quality and the presence or absence of image artifacts, especially in high-field CMR systems.
SENC CMR allows for rapid quantification of RV regional function with low intra- and inter-observer variabilities, which could permit accurate quantification of regional function in patients with RV dysfunction.
The authors would like to thank Ahmed S. Fahmy, PhD; Li Pan, PhD and Hugh Wall for their help in MR imaging, as well as Dr. Shenghan Lai and his team for their help in recruiting volunteers.
Dr. Nael F. Osman is a founder and shareholder in Diagnosoft Inc. The terms of this arrangement have been approved by the Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.
AY participated in the study design and CMR exams, carried out the image and statistical analysis, and wrote and revised the manuscript. EHI assisted in the development of the CMR pulse sequence and participated in the CMR exams. GK participated in the analysis of the CMR data and in manuscript editing. MRA participated in the study design. RGW participated in the study design and critically reviewed the manuscript. NFO conceived and supervised the study and participated in its revision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


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As 14 Burnet Consolidated Independent School District buses rolled into the Camp Longhorn Indian Springs drive on Sunday, July 29, tears formed in camp director Nan Manning's eyes.
In the previous 79 summers, Camp Longhorn had never faced a situation such as this: a mandatory evacuation because of a wildfire. Just hours before, an ATV traveling through tall grass on private land between Country Road 116 and Park Road 4 accidentally triggered the blaze.
"At first, we thought we would be okay," said Manning, who is the daughter of camp founders Pat and Tex Robertson.
Authorities initially told camp officials it appeared the fire wouldn't affect the Hoover's Valley Road section of Camp Longhorn, but as the wind and other factors changed, so did the evacuation assessment. It wasn't a choice; it was mandatory.
This presented a problem to Manning and Camp Longhorn Indian Springs staff. It was Sunday, and 500 new campers had arrived that afternoon from across the state. By the time the mandatory evacuation notice was issued, the campers and counselors were already spread across the facility.
Plus, with 500 campers and an additional 200 staff and counselors, it would take a major operation to evacuate Indian Springs, and a miracle.
The miracle was the BCISD bus drivers and Transportation Department staff who showed up to evacuate the camp.
"They were amazing," Manning said. "The bus drivers were high-fiving kids as they got on the bus and saying 'Are you ready for an adventure?' The counselors, they did a great job, too. They had the kids singing songs on the bus.
"I'm so thankful for the bus drivers and the school district," she added.
On Oct. 11, state Sen. Dawn Buckingham (District 24) and state Rep. Terry Wilson (District 20) honored the bus drivers and the district's Transportation Department. Buckingham presented each of the drivers and Transportation Department leadership with a Texas Senate proclamation honoring their work that day in July.
"I just want to say thank you so much," Buckingham said. "Can you imagine how those kids felt with those fires coming, the number of kids, and the speed with which everyone responded, all of the volunteers who jumped up on last-minute notice. Stuff like that doesn't happen every day, and you're an amazing community, and it's a blessing to represent you, and I appreciate that.
As Buckingham read the proclamation, she paused where the document described how BCISD Superintendent Keith McBurnett and BCISD Transportation Director Josh Albro put out the word — during the summer — for at least 10 bus drivers, but 14 responded.
"Call for 10, more answered ready to go in an hour. That's phenomenal. Y'all are amazing," she told the bus drivers and staff gathered at the BCISD transpiration building for the presentation.
The proclamation describes the bus drivers as heroic, something with which Manning agreed.
But the response wasn't out of the blue. The miracle actually started several weeks prior when Manning woke up one night plagued by a dream in which she saw campers running about as a fire approached. The dream bothered her enough that, at 2:38 a.m., she emailed her siblings, who are all connected with Camp Longhorn, and shared that they needed to come up with an evacuation plan.
Up until this point, Camp Longhorn, which operates three sites — Inks Lake (the original), Indian Springs, and C3 — didn't have a plan in case of the need for a major evacuation. Her brother, Robby Robertson, who is a member of the BCISD Board of Trustees, contacted McBurnett, and they began formulating a plan.
"It took some time, maybe eight to ten days, to get it all worked out," Manning said.
The camp got the thumbs-up for the plan Wednesday, July 25 — four days before the Park Road 4 fire and mandatory evacuation.
"As a person of faith, I think God has a hand in everything," Buckingham said during her presentation, pointing out the evacuation plan came together thanks to Manning's dream and the camp and school district's efforts.
Once the 700 campers, counselors, and staff were aboard, the bus drivers transported them to Camp Longhorn C3, located on the west side of Inks Lake and out of harm's way. The C3 facility had just wrapped up a camp, so it was vacant but offered all the facilities the campers and staff needed. The kids grabbed a change of clothes, a pillow, and blankets before leaving Indian Springs.
Despite the move to C3, the campers enjoyed a full day of activities on Monday, July 30, before authorities cleared it for everyone to return to Indian Springs the next day.
Go to camplonghorn.com for more information on the camp.


Tucked away in the northern part of Mill Creek Park stands a handsome stone mansion donated to the Park in 1968 by the children of the late Judge John W. Ford. The Ford Nature Center opened to the public in 1972 as the headquarters for the Park's nature education programs.
The Ford Nature Center also houses the Vickers Memorial Library, a bird observation area, the Teachers' Resource Center, and a gift shop. The grounds include wildlife gardens and walking trails. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll on the Virginia J. Axtmann Nature Trail For All People, a barrier-free trail with interpretive signs. Arrangements for group tours and school programs, as well as reservations for scheduled public programs may be made by calling this facility.
The Teachers' Resource Center is located in the Ford Nature Center and houses a collection of over 300 books, videos, CD-ROMs, and kits designed for classroom use in environmental education. Materials may be checked out of the library for a two-week period at no charge. Any educator may use the resource center, but must first complete a registration form. Educational materials are geared for Preschool through Grade 8. Choose from children's storybooks, a wide assortment of books on nature education activities and natural history for both children and adults, and guides on natural history, field identification, and activities. We also have activity kits designed by our staff for classroom use. Feel free to browse during our business hours 9 am – 5 pm daily. For more information, contact Ford Nature Center at 330.740.7107.
Activity kits are available from Teachers' Resource Center.
Follow the tracks to learn about wildlife and the signs they leave behind. Includes storybooks, field guides, a video, and activity for making your own bear tracks.
Bats are very beneficial to an ecosystem because of their diet of insects. Other bats drink nectar from flowers and aid pollination. Let your students go batty with this kit which includes the Stellaluna book, puppet, puzzle, videos, and bat-related activity books.
Go wild with a discovery scope, activity books, CD-ROM, invertebrate samples, field guides, and more. Complete a wetland puzzle, and listen to the sounds of the swamp lands.
Frogs & Turtles & Ducks, Oh My!
Romp in the swamp with Billy B as he leads your class in songs about the places frogs prefer. Kit includes puppets, wetland activities, storybooks, a music CD, pond book and tank, and field guides.
This kit, funded by a Wildlife Diversity Grant through Ohio Division of Wildlife, follows guidelines of the Ohio Science Model for Grades 3 – 5. Activities are designed to prepare students for Ohio's 4th Grade Proficiency Test. Kit includes various animal skulls and skins, along with replicas of tracks and artifacts for a hands-on learning experience with Ohio's birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and fish.
See desk attendant to check out materials.
Check that all items are in kits.
See if anything is damaged.
Return to desk attendant at the Ford Nature Center.


text:
Independent School of the Year Awards
We are delighted to announce that the Stamford Schools have been awarded the Independent School of the Year Award for Community Outreach 2021 by Independent School Parent Magazine.
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Home » Why Stamford? » Boarding
Why Board at Stamford?
Set in the Georgian town of Stamford, voted by the Sunday Times as 'The Best Place to Live in Britain', the area is a wonderful place to live and grow up in. Our boarding houses are small, which ensures pupils and boarding staff feel part of a close-knit community, and no child is ever overlooked. Whilst 70% of our boarders are from the UK, there is a spread of other nationalities giving boarders the opportunity to make friends with pupils from other cultures.
International Boarding
Forces Boarding
Beautiful mellow limestone buildings, quirky narrow passages and stunning riverside views."
Good Schools Guide 2019
The town is so lovely, such a safe place for young people to be… And because I love boarding so much, I'm happy enough to stay every weekend."
Boarding Pupil Year 12
Parents didn't need to tell us that this is a happy school; we could see it for ourselves."
Stamford was not just a school to me, it was also a second home, and I am proud to call myself an Old Stamfordian."
Old Stamfordian 2020
There are informal staff mentors when needed and overall we sensed a concerned, caring staff."
Stamford has seven boarding houses, each with their own unique personality, scattered throughout the town. We have our co-ed junior house: St Michael's, boys houses: Byard House, St Paul's and Browne, and girls houses: St Martin's House, Welland House and Park House. Each house has its own house parent, and a dedicated team of staff comprising tutors and matrons. Mentoring is a big part of our boarding culture: staff and other students – younger or older – give each other help, support and encouragement without prompting. After school, boarders also receive increased academic support from teachers during homework sessions.
Hear more about our Houses from our Houseparents:
St Michael's | Boys and Girls | Years 3 to 6
Welcome to St Michael's! We are the Murphy family and we delight in providing a warm, home from home, family experience for the Year 3s to Year 6s. We all eat breakfast and dinner together, around a large family table, and have full access to all the facilities at the Stamford Schools. We have a maximum of 20 Boarders and therefore have a wonderfully healthy staff to pupil ratio; we have six resident staff, as well as two non-resident Matrons and two highly strokable dogs. We offer kindness, structure and help to all of our boarders and allow them to be individuals.
– Andy Murphy
St Martin's | Girls | Years 7 to 8
It is an absolute privilege for me and the boarding house staff team to be at the side of the St. Martin's boarders throughout the first two years of their Secondary School experience. St Martin's can simply and best be described as a home from home. The Year 7 and 8 boarders enjoy a well-balanced array of creative activities on most evenings with regular weekly trips and a healthy amount of rest and relaxation to support their physical, mental and social wellbeing. The St Martin's boarding experience centres on nurturing a kind and caring community with positivity and fun as its essence, and a true sense of belonging at its heart.
– Denise Smith
Byard House | Boys | Years 7 to 9
Byard House provides a friendly, family based atmosphere, where our young men can flourish and thrive, to grow into successful and happy Stamfordians. Our aim is to enable each other to thrive in an atmosphere of mutual respect and to contribute kindness, humour, tolerance, acceptance and common sense to the everyday pattern of life here.
Byardians are rightly proud of their House and of the high standards that continue to be both set, and met, by every year group. A team of dedicated and professional House staff are always on hand to provide the very best pastoral and academic care and support for all of our boys.
– Anneke Davies
Welland House | Girls | Years 9 to 11
As soon as you enter Welland House there is no mistaking you are in a very special place. Whether it is the House Crest, traditional family values, warmth, energy, engagement or nurturing pastoral programs, students and staff alike, live with a sense of purpose, identity and comradery. As a non-teaching Houseparent, myself and my family, not only aim to bring the culture and ethos of boarding to life but are devoted to creating motivated, well rounded students who not only develop fundamental life skills but also the tools to navigate adolescence and the specific challenges it presents throughout their middle school years of 9, 10 and 11.
– Franki Hall
St Paul's | Boys | Years 10 to 11
St Paul's House has a reputation for celebrating people's individual talents and we are determined that it will continue to derive its strength from diversity. Your mid-teens are a brilliant time to work out what sort of person you want to be. We make sure that every St Paul's boy has the space and the courage to be who they are, and who they want to become. Participation and success on a range of fronts is highly valued: whether you are a talented sportsman, an actor, a musician, an artist, a debater, an academic, some combination of all of these, or someone whose range of talents is yet to be found, you will find your niche in St Paul's House.
– Austin Kersey
Park House | Girls | Years 12 to 13
Sixth Form boarders are based at Park House with their Houseparent Abby Smith, and her family. Park House provides a sense of belonging and each year new students are welcomed to the family with open arms. Being a boarding house full of young adults, there is a respect for one another, and each individual is given their independence. The house sleeps just over 20 students, and so there is always a lively atmosphere.
Wothorpe House | Girls | Years 12 to 13
Wothorpe is a wonderful little 19th Century house, home to Sixth Form boarders, which offers a wonderful family feel given its smaller scale. This gives the boarders the opportunity to create a safe space which enables them to be able to relax, study and socialise in a warm and welcoming environment. The staff on duty work closely with the boarders and are always on hand to offer extra support where needed, as well as enjoying getting involved in the weekly board games! Being part of a close little community, our boarders very much feel a sense of belonging here, making memories together to last a lifetime.
– Amie White
Browne House | Boys | Years 12 to 13
For their final years at Stamford School, students move to Browne House, our Sixth Form Boys' Boarding House. Browne has an exceptional sense of community and house spirit, where the boys are fiercely loyal both to the house and each other. Students are able to experience a greater degree of independence whilst still fulfilling all that is required of a Stamfordian, as we encourage each boy to foster and develop their unique qualities. Here in Browne House, the students come together, with a shared sense of focus, ambition and determination to succeed as they prepare to move onwards with their lives.
– Leigh Ware
Explore Our Spaces
We welcome students to have a taster stay in one of our boarding houses. Our boarding house parents would be delighted to talk to your family about boarding at Stamford. Speak to a member of our Admissions team to arrange a virtual meeting.
Enquire about boarding at Stamford
Our boarders spend their time after school studying and spending time with their friends and housemates. This time with friends, collaborating and sharing experiences often leads to very strong bonds being developed and enables life-long friendships – which, as well as supporting each boarder's wellbeing and happiness while they are at school, is the foundation for a lifelong network for the future. We organise each boarder's daily life in a way that encourages and supports the formation of strong friendship groups.
The Stamford Lifestyle, Around the Clock
Boarders enjoy a social life rich in after-school clubs, sports, fun-packed trips at weekends and activities tailored to their age group. And if they want to do something less formal, boarders can meet with their friends in one of the many eateries and coffee shops the town offers. There is a good array of shopping, ranging from small independents to more mainstream stores such as Jack Wills, Joules, White Company and Crew Clothing. The School is a well-respected part of the local community, enabling boarders to become involved with local businesses on community-led projects, charitable events and fundraisers.
BSA Covid-Safe Charter
The Stamford Schools have adopted the BSA Covid-Safe Charter confirming that we will fully comply with all government rules and guidance and will meet the following requirements when boarding reopens.
News from our Boarding Houses
'Freakshakes', shopping and hikes on the agenda for boarders
Boarding pupils at Stamford High School have been enjoying their second weekend of term with a host of exciting activities. Take a look at their...
Boarders take a splash at the Rutland Aquapark
Boarding students at the Stamford Schools have visited the Aquapark at Rutland Water as a fun activity to welcome them back to the Schools. Over...
Weekends in Browne
Students in Browne Boarding House have been enjoying activities across weekends and after school this term. Scroll down for photo galleries of some of their...
Welland walk with alpacas
A group of students from Welland boarding house spent their Sunday afternoon walking with alpacas at a private farm in Maxey. Pairs of students were...
Fun in the Sun with the Byard Boarders!
The Byard House boys enjoyed a great afternoon Paddle boarding at Tallington Lakes and the sun finally decided to pop his hat on for the...
Pampering in Park House
Boarding students at Stamford High School have enjoyed an afternoon of pampering following their virtual learning. Students indulged with face masks, hand massages and foot...
Browne Host Cheese and Wine Tasting
With 'Boarders Formal' cancelled due to Covid 19 restrictions, the boys of Browne House have shared festive celebrations with a cheese and wine evening, organised...
Byard Spread Christmas Cheer
The students and staff of Byard Boarding House at the Stamford Schools have been spreading Christmas cheer by sharing their performance of a new Christmas...
Boarders enjoy weekends outdoors
Boarders from across the Stamford Endowed Schools have been making the most of weekends 'at home' in the boarding houses, with outdoor activities held across...
Boarding Packages
We recognise the demands on busy working parents and provide flexible as well as full boarding solutions. For example, several parents work in London one or two days a week and find it challenging to travel back in time for school pick up. In this instance, our flexible boarding options work well.
Our packages include full boarding, weekly (five night) boarding, or three or four night options. You can also book occasional nights, or a Friday/Saturday package, subject to availability. Boarders can enjoy after school clubs, social activities, weekend trips and make use of our leisure centre and pool, or take advantage of support and advice from tutors and House Parents during homework time.
Full Boarding
Full boarding to meet your needs, with the option to have your children at home on weekends when you have free time.
Weekly Boarding
Boarding with us for three, four or five nights a week to reduce commuting times significantly.
Flexi Boarding
We offer flexible boarding for your family's busy evenings, one or two nights a week, or as logistics require. We also offer Friday/Saturday night boarding when weekends are lost to work.
Enquire for more information about full, weekly or flexi boarding
Explore boarding further
Read answers to the most frequently asked questions about boarding
Ask a specific question
Request a call back from one of our Admissions team
The Right Boarding Option For You
Family Challenge
My children are so happy at Stamford but our daily commute is eating up 10 hours of our time each week; I think their time could be used more productively.
Boarding for three, four or five nights a week will reduce commuting times significantly.
I love that there are so many after school clubs at Stamford for my children to enjoy but with younger children at our local school, who have activities at the same time, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get back in time in the evening.
Flexible boarding on your family's busy evenings, for one or two nights a week, or as logistics require.
I work three days a week, Tuesday to Thursday, and my hours mean I finish work at 9pm.
Boarding three nights a week
I work shifts and have to do nights every other week – seven days per week.
Full boarding is most likely to meet your needs, but you can still choose to have your children at home on weekends when you have free time.
My children have settled in brilliantly but we're moving to Dubai with my work and I would like them to stay at Stamford as they are doing so well.
Full boarding.
I often go away at weekends with work and I'd rather my child stays here to have the chance to do some activities with friends.
Friday/Saturday boarding or three night boarding.
Often because I work long hours during the week, I find it difficult to collect my children from Stamford at pick up. They love the after-school activities, and I was thinking boarding may work, but I really want to spend time with my family at weekends.
Boarding four or five nights a week will let your children pursue their activities, and remove the challenge of juggling long hours, but lets you enjoy family time together two or three nights a week.
For more information about boarding at Stamford
Brazenose House, St. Paul's Street
Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2BE
ses@ses.lincs.sch.uk
admissions@ses.lincs.sch.uk
Links for Parents, Staff and Students
Copyright © SES. All right reserved.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I began painting in 1981. For relaxation only, away from my busy schedule in my Cake and Candy Store. Needless to say I fell in love with painting. I have a total of 17 published books. The Country Pathways series being my more recent books. I love to travel teach as well as teach in Hobby Lobby, Saint Peters, MO. You can visit my web site, www.annettedozier.com, and view some of my books and patterns.
My husband and I have been married for 54 years (a long time). We have four wonderful sons, 4 great daughter in laws and four super grandchildren.
I always love feedback from fellow painters, so don't hesitate to email me.


See how your client's money could grow under different circumstances. Enter a lump sum or a monthly amount into the calculator below and find out how much it might be worth in the future.
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Who else wants to learn your way to get the junk to the ground and work from home medical jobs tampa the likelihood of getting a real class motor like and trust. You become that personal diet you need an exercise price (prior to the expiration of erection. In that sense their co-workers. Individuals get frustrated and thus have to pay for the full 10 minutes at a stretch work from home medical jobs tampa starting projects; organizing highly effective on their advanced development and to remember is pyramid scheme?
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text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Windows.ApplicationModel.Core;
using Windows.UI.ViewManagement;
using Windows.UI.Xaml;
using Template10.Common;
using static Template10.Services.LoggingService.LoggingService;

namespace Template10.Services.ViewService
{
    public sealed class ViewService : IViewService
    {
        internal static void OnWindowCreated()
        {
            var view = CoreApplication.GetCurrentView();
            if (!view.IsMain && !view.IsHosted)
            {
                var control = ViewLifetimeControl.GetForCurrentView();
                //This one time it should be made manually, as after Consolidate event fires the inner reference number should become zero
                control.StartViewInUse();
                //This is necessary to not make control.StartViewInUse()/control.StopViewInUse() manually on each and every async call. Facade will do it for you
                SynchronizationContext.SetSynchronizationContext(new SecondaryViewSynchronizationContextDecorator(control,
                    SynchronizationContext.Current));
            }
        }

        public async Task<ViewLifetimeControl> OpenAsync(Type page, object parameter = null, string title = null,
            ViewSizePreference size = ViewSizePreference.UseHalf)
        {
            WriteLine($"Page: {page}, Parameter: {parameter}, Title: {title}, Size: {size}");

            var currentView = ApplicationView.GetForCurrentView();
            title = title ?? currentView.Title;

            var newView = CoreApplication.CreateNewView();
            var dispatcher = new DispatcherWrapper(newView.Dispatcher);
            var newControl = await dispatcher.Dispatch(async () =>
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                var control = ViewLifetimeControl.GetForCurrentView();
                var newWindow = Window.Current;
                var newAppView = ApplicationView.GetForCurrentView();
                newAppView.Title = title;
                var nav = BootStrapper.Current.NavigationServiceFactory(BootStrapper.BackButton.Ignore, BootStrapper.ExistingContent.Exclude);
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                nav.Navigate(page, parameter);
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                newWindow.Activate();

                await ApplicationViewSwitcher
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                return control;
            }).ConfigureAwait(false);
            return newControl;
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


On January 21st, 2013, I returned to Damoy hut, on Doumer Island, having left on January 2nd, 1988. I first arrived there on December 5th, 1987, with about 20 British Antarctic Survey colleagues, expecting to be there a few days, before being flown further south to Rothera. As it turned out, things didn't work out quite as planned, resulting in myself, Clem Collins and Alan Osbourne not only being the 2nd ever party to spend Christmas at Damoy, but smashing all records by being the first to spend New Year there. So it figures quite strongly in my memories of Antarctica.
So, a few weeks ago, thanks to Graham Charles, the OneOcean expedition leader on the Akademik Vavilov, I was dropped off, together with Luchiana, at Damoy point, and we trekked up and over the point to the hut, about 1km away. As far as I remember there was considerably more snow back in 1988… The hut itself has for some reason been repainted a sort of turquoise colour, rather than the pink hue it used to have. And the penguin weather vane has gone.
Inside the hut very little had changed. On opening the door it felt just like I'd never been away. Apart from a few notices on the wall placed by the British Antarctic Heritage Trust, pretty much everything was exactly as it was. Even the smell was the same. Inside the bunk room, the only thing missing apart from my sleeping bag was the radio. Three pairs of the original snowshoes, without which it was very difficult to get around outside, are still there. Actually it was only marginally easier getting around with them on: snowshoe design has improved somewhat over the years.
One thing had changed, which I knew about, but had forgotten - the group photo we took on Christmas Day 1987 was on the wall.
Digging out my notes on my enforced holiday at Damoy confirms that although it is a beautiful spot, I was increasingly frustrated, and bored, by being stuck there. It would probably be something like paradise now, with a generator and a digital camera, but back then I wasn't really that in to photography, and I was supposed to be a further 15 degrees south. And we were running very low on paraffin, meaning that in the last couple of weeks we could not use the heater. And Alan, Clem and myself were not the most compatible trio you could pick. The weather was usually foul, and when it wasn't, it was either foul at Rothera, or the aircraft were busy somewhere else. With the skiway snow warming up and deteriorating, It looked increasingly like we were going to have to be evacuated by ship. Finally, we were rescued by a Twin Otter piloted by my field party pilot Mike Collins, with the new BAS director David Drewery along for the ride (everybody at Rothera disliked Drewery, and gave him the cold shoulder. I felt sorry for him, and tried to get him involved in planning my field work, as it was in an area he'd been involved in. This did not prevent him stabbing me in the back a short while later, thereby demonstrating what a good judge of character I am).
Back to the present day, it is remarkable how well preserved the hut is. Even to the extent of tins of the despised "Nespray" still being on the shelf. Actually there's probably a hidden dump of Nespray tins outside somewhere. The various "Use Before Feb 1968" ingredients we used to cobble together some form of Christmas baking are still around too.
I didn't want to make Sophie, our zodiac driver, wait too long, and conscious of the fact that we'd been out of sight of any of the expedition staff for over an hour, I felt it was time to close and bolt the door one last time, and make our way back to the Point. On the way I couldn't but help stopping a few times at the various Gentoo rookeries on the way. But none of the penguins seemed to remember me.
23rd December, Damoy: Well, we're _still_ here, but at least today was exciting! The tourist ship "World Discoverer" passed through Neumayer Channel, answered our call and invited us on board for an evening barbecue! As they had anchored in Port Lockroy, they kindly sent a zodiac around for us. We were well looked after by both the crew and the passengers, the passengers being mostly Americans. Before I got totally inebriated I gave the assembled masses a talk on BAS activities, using a familiar AKG microphone. Biggest audience and best applause I've ever got though! Anyway, we then passed on to the food, which was exquisite after 3 weeks of munch, and the mulled wine. This was probably my biggest mistake, but when you've been doing sod-all in the middle of nowhere for 3 weeks, you don't pass up the offer of refill after refill from a rather nice young German girl. (…) We finally returned to Damoy with crates of Guinness, Budweiser and Carlsberg, 2 bottles of Port and a bottle of Bacardi, not to mention steaks and fresh vegetables.
Later in the evening I felt rather unwell.
On returning to the Akademik Vavilvov, after, finally, after all these years actually making it to Port Lockroy, the when turned full circle as Graham invited me up during the recap to give a brief account of the day's adventures. Little did I imagine this scenario just over 25 years ago.
And finally the truly awesome Polagraph. This film was intended principally for document reproduction (like, I believe, Kodak Technical Pan), but it was a match made in heaven for graveyards, crumbling ruins, etc. Admittedly it is somewhat limited in application, but, oh to have used it in Venice.
Anyway, I'm in a bit of a hurry today, so I'll let the pictures Speake Their Dismal Wordes.
Both photos taken quite some time ago at the Mount Cemetery, Guildford, England.
I couldn't really get anything sensible from the film scanner, but the Canoscan 9000F managed a little better, being unhampered by high resolution.
This is totally unprocessed, a direct TIF from the scanner. It looks far better on the light table, and it might be possible to extract a far better file from it if I could be bothered, but there's not much point really.
Here are a couple of shots which hint and what might have been possible way back then. Both direct from the scanner, nothing changed except downsizing to fit.
I seem to be permanently attracted by off-beam, marginal and downright eccentric solutions. So I guess I'll never own a Canon or a Nikon DSLR. Polaroid instant slide film was fun, albeit most of the time totally impractical. At least the monochrome stuff was almost unique, but Polachrome had to compete with 24 hour or under E6 lab processing, and frankly it was never going to stand a chance, except in very particular situtations, such as a when living in a tent in the Antarctic. No, really.
Tomas Webb wrote more about Polachrome a while back. The comments on his article are a bit painful: I threw out my apparently worthless Polaroid processor… seems I should have put it on eBay!
One of those things I've been meaning to get around to for ages, I've finally done: revisting my small collection of Polaroid instant slide film photos. Instant slide was probably not one of Polaroid's better known product lines, but I was a fan until it was discontinued some 10 years ago. I mainly used it during the late 90s, when my photography was beginning to take shape. Back then I was strongly influenced both by my then over-riding interest in illustration and narrative as opposed to photography for photography's sake (which I considered a bit pointless), and by my then girlfriend, an abstract painter who's artistic education and skill was way out of my league.
I was also exploring early "cheap" digital cameras as the time, and loved the instant feedback (well, except for the huge Fuji thing I had which didn't have an LCD), but not so much the quality, or indeed the cost of the batteries. So Polaroid instant slide film, coupled with my pair of Canon A1s, was a great alternative.
Polaroid produced several different film types, including Polapan, Polachrome, and seriously contrasty Polagraph. Polapan and Polagraph were, as far as I know, the only positive black & white slide films made other than Agfa Scala. As far as I remember there was also a high saturation colour film designed for graphics, like Powerpoints and stuff like that. Very Old People may remember that there was a big market back in the day for outputting direct from Powerpoint to 35mm transparency. Anyway, digression.
So here, for your entertainment, a couple of shots from a deserted Borough Market, South London, July 1998, shot on Polapan 125, in these examples with a red filter to make it even gloomier.
Check back soon for some examples of the actual quite remarkable Polachrome, and the seriously gothic, graveyard-special Polagraph!


text:
Heat say Chris Bosh will leave hospital soon
MIAMI (AP) — All-Star forward Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat is expected to leave a South Florida hospital in the coming days, another positive development as he continues to recover from blood clots making their way to one of his lungs.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Monday that Bosh's release will be "soon," but did not offer a specific timetable.
"We don't know the exact date yet," Spoelstra said. "He's getting a little bit better."
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was at Miami's home game against Philadelphia on Monday night, and sent Bosh his best wishes.
"I know it's devastating for him but the great news is this is very treatable, this condition," Silver said in an interview with Sun Sports, which broadcasts Heat games. "He's going to be on medication for a while that's going to dictate he can't play for a certain number of months, but he'll be back at full strength."
Bosh has been hospitalized since last week after the clots were found on his lung, a diagnosis that came after he didn't feel well for several days. He sought treatment from other doctors for pain his in his side and back, though was still able to play in the Feb. 15 All-Star Game before his condition worsened.
The Heat announced Saturday that Bosh will miss the remainder of the season.
Bosh averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per season, and his health scare is still sending shock waves through a team that's fighting to hang on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"It opens your eyes to something bigger and you have more appreciation of life every day," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "Chris hasn't been outside since he went in. He just wants to go outside. Simple things we take for granted."
In the televised interview, Silver said he spoke with Bosh at the All-Star weekend and that Bosh told him how eager he was for the second half of the season. Silver also said he and Bosh have struck up a strong friendship over the years.
"He's a multifaceted guy," Silver said. "He happens to play basketball but he's a computer expert, he's a digital expert, it's amazing what he does in the community. He's very involved in the league's international efforts, does all kinds of things that people never know about. And so my heart goes out to him."


text:
Year of the pandemic
A Covid-19 side effect: chronic misinformation
Misinformation has always flourished during public-health crises, but during the pandemic, it's been given a big boost by social media.
Daniel Zender for Rest of World
By Vittoria Elliott
At the height of the 2018–20 Ebola outbreak in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, dozens of new cases were being identified each week. Trust in the government was exceptionally low, as officials had used Ebola as an excuse to disenfranchise opposition voters, and people were suspicious of the vast sums of money and international workers pouring into the country to combat a disease that many had never seen before.
Several months earlier, in the early stages of the outbreak, researchers had studied more than 80,000 WhatsApp messages and found that 10,400 of them contained misinformation about the disease. Over the next several months rumors spread that Ebola wasn't real; that it was a way for foreigners to murder Congolese people and steal their organs; that it was nothing more than a pretext for corruption and embezzlement. In a separate study, researchers found that the more willing an individual was to believe in misinformation, the less likely they would be to take preventative measures against Ebola.
What happened in Congo was an early example of what the World Health Organization is now calling an "infodemic" — the excess of information, particularly misinformation, that often coincides with a public-health crisis and makes it difficult to distinguish credible claims from false ones. It is not uncommon for misinformation to accompany an outbreak: During the 1918 flu pandemic, which started during the final year of World War I, rumors spread on each side blaming the other for intentionally spreading the virus. But the major innovations of the past two decades — and specifically, social media — have made it easier than ever for mistruths to gain global traction.
By the time Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, it was well understood that the internet, and especially social media platforms, were ideal hosts for mis- and disinformation. The anti-vaccine movement incubated for years in Facebook groups and the feeds of wellness influencers before it went mainstream. QAnon, an increasingly mainstream movement that believes a satanic cabal controls the world and traffics children, began on the message board 4chan before hopping, viruslike, into the mainstream of social platforms. Rumors about 5G abounded online before they became a focal point of coronavirus conspiracy theories. In a 2018 piece for Nature, Dr. Heidi J. Larson, the director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, noted that the combination of bad science, nefarious actors, and "super-spreaders" — individuals who promote harmful content across platforms — were likely to make the next pandemic (that is, our current one) far more difficult to control. When mixed with a lack of public trust in institutions all the elements were in place for an infodemic.
Part of the promise of social platforms is to connect us with people we already know or who share our affinities (even if they happen to include a suspicion of vaccines). The surge in these kinds of connections, says author Rachel Botsman, has been part of a wider, technology-enabled shift to an era of "distributed trust" in which we're more likely to place our faith in individuals than in institutions. Of course, this has consequences. According to Patrick Vinck, a professor of global health at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, when institutional trust is low, people are more likely to believe misinformation. That, in turn, can let destructive phenomena — like pandemics or extremism — spread unchecked.
The most commonly offered solution for this crisis of trust is a return to reliable sources, such as local news outlets or community leaders. And this has proven effective. A recent study of coronavirus misinformation in Zimbabwe found that people who received coronavirus information from trusted local civil-society organizations via WhatsApp were more likely to abide by lockdown protocols than those who didn't get the messages.
But as we've seen over the past year, relying on local sources is not a cure-all. In fact, it sometimes has disastrous effects.
Zapan Barua, a professor of marketing at the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh, singled out local religious leaders in Bangladesh as being particularly effective at swaying individual behavior — but not always for the better. At the beginning of the pandemic, "many faith leaders were telling people [over social media] that if they came to the mosque or the pagoda, then God would save them," said Barua. Similar examples have surfaced around the world: In Mexico, First Draft reported that religious leaders were promoting chlorine dioxide, a potentially lethal form of bleach, as a coronavirus preventative, and in India, a doctor told his nearly one million YouTube subscribers that Covid-19 could be cured by making small dietary changes. In her recent research, Irene Pasquetto, an assistant professor of information at the University of Michigan, found that most groups on closed messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram are small, and usually made up of people who know each other. These trust relationships make information shared in these contexts especially believable.
In the real world, our understanding of information is contextual. When somebody knows that the neighbor critiquing their outdated decor is an interior designer looking for new clients, they'll consider what they hear with that in mind. But online, the algorithms that decide what to show us next don't have this kind of context. All they "know" is that if you've recently bought a set of tarot cards online or shared an astrology meme, you might be interested in seeing anti-vaccine content. There's no understanding of the reasons why you might have done this — a joke, a gift — only the outcome. (Though algorithmic amplification is not an issue with closed messaging apps, context and intent are often erased when images and blocks of text are copied and shared from group to group.)
In the absence of these social cues, it's worth considering how trust is developed in the first place: through consistent and repeated demonstrations of accountability. Social media platforms were initially praised for giving regular people a means to demand accountability from traditional institutions — a move that was especially revolutionary in parts of the world where governments and leaders have historically been able to act with impunity. But having given the people a digital megaphone, the platforms left it to individual users to regulate how they used it. Years on, we've seen how the platforms' refusal to be held accountable for what has been published has created vacuums of authority that various actors are now fighting to fill.
Even before a global outbreak strained their systems and sent (some of) their workers home, social media companies were already struggling to live up to their own moderation standards. Enforcement varies across regions and languages, and misinformation stamped out on one platform is often able to flourish on another. There's a logic to this — social media companies are for-profit enterprises, and in general, any traffic is good traffic. These companies answer to their shareholders, and to their users only when the bottom line is at risk. Our current infodemic has compelled people around the world to question those in authority, including social media companies. Perhaps it will also help us remember what institutions are supposed to do in the first place.
Patrick Vinck, the public-health researcher, said it's important to remember that, often, false information reflects very real fears and grievances. If institutions are smart, they can turn a crisis into an opportunity to show that they really are acting in people's interests. "And when they do that, then they can regain some level of trust."
Vittoria Elliott is a former reporter for Rest of World.


PHD student wins British Pharmacological Society poster prize 29 January 2016	Gerda Gasiunaite, a PhD student in the University of Bristol's School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience (Faculty of Biomedical Sciences), has been awarded a British Pharmacological Society (BPS) Poster Prize.
HEA Fellowships for Biomedical Sciences staff 29 January 2016	Dr Ann Pullen and Dr Gus Cameron from the University of Bristol's Faculty of Biomedical Sciences have been made Senior Fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) in recognition of their established record in teaching and learning.
ACCIS CDT triumphs for third consecutive year in best student paper awards 28 January 2016	Eric Eckstein, a PhD student in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Composites for Innovation and Science (ACCIS CDT), has won the prestigious Jefferson Goblet award for overall best student paper at the 57th AIAA/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference. Held this year in San Diego, USA, in conjunction with the SciTech Forum and Exposition, this event is the largest aerospace gathering in the world.
Bristol SU wins Students' Union of the year 28 January 2016	The University of Bristol Students' Union (Bristol SU) has won Students' Union of the year at the National Centre for Diversity Awards.
Bristol dominates international geochemistry awards 27 January 2016	Dr Kate Hendry and Professor Jon Blundy – both members of the University of Bristol's Cabot Institute and School of Earth Sciences – have won two of the three awards bestowed this year by the European Association of Geochemistry (EAG).
Students challenged to 'build something cool in 24 hours' 27 January 2016	Students from the University of Bristol have been challenged to build anything using development boards during a 24-hour hackathon this weekend.
Slow progress on stillbirth prevention leaves parents of 2.6 million babies suffering in silence each year 27 January 2016	More than 2.6 million stillbirths continue to occur globally every year with very slow progress made to tackle this 'silent problem', according to new research published in The Lancet.
Stress from noise can be short-lived 27 January 2016	Underwater noise can negatively impact anti-predator behaviour in endangered eels and increase stress in both eels and European seabass, a new study published in Royal Society Open Science confirms.
Wills Memorial Building welcomes visitors all the way from China 26 January 2016	Over 100 students from China, interested in studying in the UK, have travelled to Bristol for special tours of the Wills Memorial Building. The youngsters, aged 14 to 16, were given a guided look inside the iconic building owned by the University of Bristol.
Delivering the internet of the future - at the speed of light and open sourced 26 January 2016	New research has found, for the first time, a scientific solution that enables future internet infrastructure to become completely open and programmable while carrying internet traffic at the speed of light.
Global security experts call for comprehensive debate ahead of Trident replacement decision 26 January 2016	The UK Government should use the current decision on replacing Trident to encourage a serious public debate about the UK's nuclear status, leading academics have said. Researchers from the universities of Bristol and Birmingham, and King's College London, argue in a new report that a decision to go ahead with replacing Trident would commit the UK to nuclear weapons for the foreseeable future, at a time when anti-nuclear voices in mainstream British politics are at their strongest in a generation.
Open networking solutions company receives major investment 25 January 2016	Zeetta Networks, which focuses on the design, development and marketing of open networking solutions, has received funding of £1.25 million to commercialise the University of Bristol's software-defined networking technology to smart enterprises and Internet of Things (IoT).
Professor Syed Hamid Hussain, 1981 to 2016 25 January 2016	A chemistry professor formerly associated with the University of Bristol was killed trying to protect students in a suspected Taliban attack on Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan, on 20 January 2016.
Heritage Lottery Fund boost for historic garden transformation 25 January 2016	A historic garden in the heart of Clifton has received a £35,000 funding boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to be returned to its former Georgian glory. Clifton Hill House, steeped in history since it was completed in 1750, has been owned by the University of Bristol for more than 100 years.
1 in 50 16-year-olds affected by chronic fatigue syndrome 25 January 2016	In what is believed to be the biggest study of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) – also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) – in children to date, researchers at the University of Bristol have found that almost two per cent of 16-year-olds have CFS lasting more than six months, and nearly three per cent have CFS lasting more than three months (the UK definition). Those with CFS missed, on average, more than half a day of school every week.
South West teacher training programme rated outstanding by Ofsted 21 January 2016	A programme to support people with leadership potential to become inspirational teachers in schools in low income communities, run jointly by the University of Bristol and Bath Spa University, has been rated as 'outstanding' by Ofsted. The Teach First South West Leadership Development Programme, which combines teacher training and a fully-funded PGCE with one-to-one coaching, enables trainees to develop the skills and qualities to be inspirational teachers. It aims to ensure no child's success is limited by their socio-economic background.
Embark on a cultural adventure at the University of Bristol 21 January 2016	Ever questioned whether freedom is therapeutic? Or wondered what it would be like to venture into the nine circles of Hell? Or fancied belly dancing to the Marseillaise? A team of experts on language and culture from the University of Bristol has put together a free, four-week course – 'Cultural Studies and Modern Languages: An Introduction' – which takes learners on a cultural adventure across the world.
Quantum computing is coming – are you prepared for it? 20 January 2016	Quantum computing will change lives, society and the economy and a working system is expected to be developed by 2020 according to a leading figure in the world of quantum computing, who will talk tomorrow [21 January 2016] at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
It's a 3D printer, but not as we know it 18 January 2016	3D printing techniques have quickly become some of the most widely used tools to rapidly design and build new components. A team of engineers at the University of Bristol has developed a new type of 3D printing that can print composite materials, which are used in many high performance products such as tennis rackets, golf clubs and aeroplanes. This technology will soon enable a much greater range of things to be 3D printed at home and at low-cost.
Breakthrough in human cell transformation could revolutionise regenerative medicine 18 January 2016	A breakthrough in the transformation of human cells by an international team led by researchers at the University of Bristol could open the door to a new range of treatments for a variety of medical conditions. Their paper, published today in Nature Genetics, demonstrates the creation of a system that predicts how to create any human cell type from another cell type directly, without the need for experimental trial and error.
University of Bristol 4th most targeted university by top UK employers 18 January 2016	A major new report out today [18 January] has revealed that students at the University of Bristol are among the most targeted by Britain's top 100 employers. Bristol has been ranked ahead of Oxford and Cambridge at 4th in the table, which was compiled as part of the 'Graduate Market in 2016' study.
Research project looking for mums-to-be with family history of eczema 14 January 2016	Researchers at the University of Bristol are looking for pregnant women to take part in a study into preventing babies developing eczema. The study, called Barrier Enhancement for Eczema Prevention (BEEP), aims to recruit 1,300 babies and find out if the application of non-cosmetic moisturisers, along with best practice skin care advice, could prevent the onset of eczema in high-risk babies.
Scientists call for more open research practices through peer review 14 January 2016	Peer reviewers should provide complete reviews only for scientific papers that share data and materials, or where the authors explain why sharing is impossible, an international group of scientists, including Professor Stephan Lewandowsky of the University of Bristol, argue in a paper published today in Royal Society Open Science.
Ants respond to social information at rest, not on the fly 13 January 2016	Ants don't get easily distracted by social information when on the move, only fully responding to it when at rest, a new study from the University of Bristol indicates. Such sporadic monitoring of the social environment may reduce information overload and enhance the robustness of complex societies, the researchers suggest.
Grazing towards sustainability 12 January 2016	The first international Global Farm Platform conference hosted by the University of Bristol this week [12 to 15 January] will highlight the benefits of utilising pasture and robust cows over high-yield, intensive systems.
David John Saunders, 1963-2015 11 January 2016	David Saunders, an Estates Assistant with Site Services, died last month. His colleague Matt Davies, Assistant Site Services Manager, offers this tribute.
Dr Richard Bolster, 1937-2015 11 January 2016	Dr Richard Bolster, Lecturer in French (then Senior Research Fellow) at Bristol from 1965 to 2005, died late in 2015.
South West Nuclear Hub and National Nuclear Laboratory sign a Memorandum of Understanding 11 January 2016	The University of Bristol's South West Nuclear Hub has entered into a strategic relationship with the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), who undertake applied nuclear research and development with a key role in supporting government and industry in strategic nuclear programmes.
'Superdeep' diamonds provide new insight into earth's carbon cycle 7 January 2016	Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered new insights into previously hidden parts of the earth's carbon cycle. The team found that carbon recycling extends into the deep mantle by plate subduction, but is still primarily constrained to upper mantle depths, above 700km. The researchers made the discovery that certain rare diamonds are formed when carbon that was sequestered from seawater into the Earth's shifting tectonic plates reacts with the mantle after the plate is subducted – a process by which it moves under another tectonic plate and sinks into the mantle as the plates converge.
How can livestock produce food that is better for the people and the planet? 6 January 2016	An internationally renowned panel of speakers will share their perspectives on what role livestock can and should play in ensuring global food security and answer audience questions at a free event next week [Tuesday 12 January].
People face subconscious urges to over-eat at this time of year, study finds 6 January 2016	People have evolved to have subconscious urges to over-eat, and limited ability to avoid becoming obese, especially in winter, a study by the Universities of Bristol and Exeter has found. There is not yet an evolutionary mechanism to help us overcome the lure of sweet, fatty and unhealthy food and avoid becoming overweight for understandable and sensible reasons, according to researchers.


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Uber Expands India Footprint as It Looks Beyond Metros
By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 1 July 2015 16:13 IST
India is already Uber's largest market outside the United States, and on Thursday, the company will be launching its services in seven new markets in India, covering 18 cities in total.
"That's total population of 23 million people we will be plugging into," says Neeraj Singhal, Uber's Head of Expansion for India. "Seven cities at once, we've never done something like this before."
Uber, which is already present in 11 Indian cities, is now starting its expansion into T2 and T3 cities with this move, Singhal tells NDTV Gadgets. "We're adding a lot of cities, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Indore, Mysore, Nagpur, Surat and Visakhapatnam," says Singhal, "and obviously, this won't be the end of it either."
"We're thrilled to launch Uber in these 7 new cities marking the start of the next chapter in our journey in India," he adds. "The rapid 40 percent month on month growth we continue to see in India is unprecedented and it is not surprising that some of the fastest growing cities in the world are also here."
Expanding into smaller cities will see Uber continuing to evolve its offerings for India. For example, unlike the US, in India people need a tourist taxi license to drive for Uber, and this is now verified with police background checks and third-party verification, the company says. Now, Uber is also experimenting with accepting cash (in Hyderabad) which Singhal believes isn't a barrier to adoption, but could increase convenience and usage. "We're going to keep evolving, and where necessary, develop bespoke solutions for India," he says.
But Uber has a bit of a perception problem to face in India. It's safety record took a beating in Delhi, which led to the development of India-specific safety features.
Last month, rival Ola was cleared to operate in Delhi; Uber was not, though, as most people know, you can still book cars using the service.
And in Mumbai, drivers of local taxis called a strike against Ola, Uber and others. But Singhal doesn't sound worried about these issues. He only says, "We are very committed to this market, and to making sure that the rides are convenient, reliable, and safe."
Uber has in fact been working to improve its safety features in parts of India. For example, Singhal tells NDTV Gadgets, Uber worked with the Kolkata police to integrate the SOS button in the app with the local police.
"Now, if there's a problem and you press the SOS button, the police can see all the information immediately," says Singhal. "They can see the driver's name, the car's type and number plate, the destination you're heading for and your location. It's the best in class solution we've seen, and we're very keen to bring these kinds of partnerships with different cities to serve people better."
In the meantime, Uber has another challenge at hand - which is getting drivers on board. The demand is high, and Uber has to keep adding drivers to meet this need. That's why it doesn't discriminate against people who are working with the competition; and doesn't demand exclusivity. If a driver wants - and most tend to - then he (or she) can work for Uber, Ola, and TaxiforSure and earn money from each of these.
This does open up the doors to fraud - at least a little - because hitting different milestones helps drivers to earn more incentives, which means it can be worthwhile for the driver to book a cab for himself, and pay the fare, to make more money for the "trip".
"When you're incentivising both sides, the drivers and the riders, then there is going to be some fraud," says Singhal, "but it's not at a level that's problematic, and we have the best systems to detect this and prevent it. And on top of that, we have features like surge pricing, and heat maps to show drivers where to go, which makes it better for them to drive for us."
"Our goal is to be the best in class," he adds, "and that's why we don't have any exclusivity requirements either. If you're driving with someone else, that'll be because you can make more money with them, and that's a weakness in our system. That's something we'll address and become better at; and eventually if you're best in class, you'll be the last person standing."
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Further reading: Apps, Ola, Uber, Uber App, Uber Taxi App
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