#risk reduction strategies

[manuelnunezmd]

Can Alzheimer's be prevented if caught early? 

Discover the power of early detection in Alzheimer's disease. Learn how timely intervention, lifestyle changes and research advancements can improve outcomes and quality of life.

Introduction  Alzheimer’s disease is a complex, progressive neurological disorder affecting millions worldwide. Characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline and behavioral changes, Alzheimer’s significantly impacts individuals, families and communities. While a cure remains elusive, early detection plays a vital role in managing the disease and enhancing the quality of life for those…

[curiousquill1]

5 Reasons Why Top Portfolio Management Services Are Essential for Financial Growth

Imagine this: You've spent years working to create your wealth, saving and investing carefully. But navigation through stormy waters is a ship that requires the experienced skill to make it safely to the destination. That is where top portfolio management services come in.

Financial Growth Through Expert Guidance

Investment options are becoming increasingly complicated. The space has evolved right from the digital coins to ESG investment and even further to emerging markets, along with complex derivatives – options are too broad to ignore. Professional management of the portfolio is more of an oasis in that desert.

Scientific Strategy in Asset Allocation

Gone are the days of just a few stocks, some bonds, and perhaps some others. The most complex algorithms and data analytics are used to arrive at the best asset allocation in modern top portfolio management services. These services consider a thousand variables, including market conditions, economic indicators, risk tolerance, and the horizon of investment, to produce a perfectly balanced portfolio.

For instance, during the market volatility of 2020, portfolios managed by the best services showed surprising resilience through strategic diversification and timely rebalancing.

Risk Management Beyond the Obvious

Think of risk management as a sophisticated safety net. While amateur investors focus entirely on market risk, a professional portfolio manager is on the lookout for all risks – liquidity risk, concentration risk, currency risk, and even geopolitical risk. They constantly assess the risk exposure using advanced hedging strategies, safeguarding your investment from both obvious and obscure threats.

Special Access to Investment Possibilities

Investment opportunities that are closed to individual investors are made accessible through top portfolio management services. This could be pre-IPO investments, private equity deals, or exclusive real estate investment trusts.

Imagine what would happen to portfolio returns with early access to companies like Stripe or SpaceX through private market investments.

Time-Responsive Portfolio Adjustments

Markets do not wait for anyone. A professional portfolio manager always keeps track of all the market movements, economic indicators, and international events. This allows for swift, well-informed decisions in reaction to changes in market conditions.

When the banking sector became severely disrupted in March 2023, for instance, timely adjustments in the portfolio saved clients from extreme downside risk.

Tax Efficiency and Wealth Preservation

Professionally managed portfolios are built not only to grow the assets but also to preserve it. It includes tax-harvesting strategies sophisticated enough, holding period optimization, and strategic asset locations across different types of accounts to minimize tax implications at maximum after-tax returns.

Try to think how saving 1-2% each year in taxes can build up over decades.

Technology and Human Balance

While advanced technology powers modern top portfolio management services, the human element remains crucial. Experienced portfolio managers interpret data through the lens of years of market experience, understanding nuances that algorithms might miss. They can anticipate market psychology and adjust strategies accordingly.

The Real Value Proposition

The true value of high-level top portfolio management services is to give investors peace of mind. Instead of spending hundreds of hours researching investments, monitoring markets, and worrying about whether they made the right decision, investors can focus on their careers, families, and personal development while their wealth works effectively for them.

Bottom Line: A Road to Prosperity

Professional top portfolio management services have, in the growing complex financial market of today, shifted from being a luxury to a necessity among investors. With a high level of sophisticated analysis, professional expertise, and a tailored strategy, they provide a clear path toward long-term financial growth and security.

It may be the first step toward a more secure financial future through reputable top portfolio management services for those ready to take their investment approach to the next level. After all, in the journey of wealth creation, having expert navigation can make the difference between reaching your destination smoothly and getting lost in the financial storms.

Think of getting the next step toward financial growth optimization by meeting established portfolio management professionals who will help chart your course toward lasting prosperity.

[allaboutforexworld]

Hedging: Forex Trading Strategy Explained

Hedging is a crucial forex trading strategy that aims to minimize potential losses by taking offsetting positions in the market. This strategy provides a safety net against adverse price movements, allowing traders to protect their investments and manage risk effectively. In this article, we will explore the concept of hedging, how it works in forex trading, its various techniques, and the…

[signode-blog]

Mastering Technical Analysis: Strategies to Reduce Noise and False Signals

Introduction Technical analysis is a powerful tool used by traders and investors to make informed decisions based on historical price movements and market data. However, amidst the vast sea of information, it’s easy to get lost in the noise and false signals that can lead to poor trading outcomes. In this guide, we’ll delve into effective strategies to minimize noise and filter out false…

[elitereviwer]

What is cancer? How to prevent Cancer

“Understanding Cancer: Prevention, Insights, and Hope” Imagine a world where we could live without the fear of cancer looming over our heads, a world where stories of survival and prevention dominate the narrative. While we may not be there yet, we can certainly work towards it. In this article, we will embark on a journey to unravel the mysteries of cancer, empower you with knowledge, and share…

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Do I look like him?

Heyy guys, I hope you enjoy this Lewis one-shot inspired by a tiktok I saw :) If you want to read more stories of mine here's my masterlist.

Lewis adjusted the cuffs of his new white racing suit, still unfamiliar with the crisp feel of the fabric. When the team had informed him that Mercedes was switching to white for a portion of the season, he’d shrugged it off. A suit was a suit, and he figured it wouldn’t change much. That was until Qatar.

The sun had been merciless that day, beating down on the paddock as they prepared for the reveal. He stood under the glare of photographers’ cameras, the bright white of the suit reflecting the sunlight, making the whole moment feel surreal. And then he saw her.

His new teammate, YN.

She stood a few meters away, laughing with one of the engineers, her blond hair catching the light like spun gold. Her blue eyes sparkled with the kind of carefree joy that reminded Lewis of summer skies over Monaco. The sight sent a jolt through him—an uninvited rush of memories he hadn’t revisited in years. Nico.

It wasn’t just the physical resemblance, though that was hard to ignore. The sharp blue eyes, the blond hair that framed her face like an artist’s brushstroke—she was like a mirror of the past. But Nico had been more than just a teammate, and calling him that now felt reductive. They had shared triumphs, arguments, and something much deeper that neither of them had dared to name aloud. Seeing her, YN, brought it all back like a wave crashing over him.

Lewis had thought he’d buried those feelings long ago, yet here they were, unearthed by her mere presence.

He tried to ignore it, telling himself it was a coincidence, a trick of the mind. But YN was everywhere. She was always around the garage, her laughter spilling over like champagne at a podium celebration. She moved with an effortless energy that demanded attention, weaving through the paddock like she owned it—or maybe like she belonged in it more than anyone else.

Every time Lewis turned a corner, there she was. Her laugh echoed in his ears when he tried to focus on race simulations. Her voice lingered in his mind when he closed his eyes to rest.

He had dealt with distractions before. Fame, rivalries, the weight of expectations. But this was different. This was personal.

Lewis clenched his jaw and told himself he was imagining things. She was young, far too young for him, and the age gap was an obvious line he couldn’t cross. It would start drama he didn’t want—tabloid headlines, whispers in the paddock, questions he wouldn’t know how to answer. He’d worked too hard to build his reputation, his legacy, to risk it for something that might not even be real.

But the heart was a stubborn thing, unwilling to listen to logic.

He caught himself watching her during strategy meetings, his eyes drawn to the way she furrowed her brow in concentration or bit her lip when she was nervous. She had a way of lighting up a room, even when she wasn’t trying. And that smile—God, that smile—was a weapon, though he doubted she knew it.

It was worse on track.

In the heat of the race, when adrenaline pumped through his veins and he was supposed to be focused on nothing but the apex of the next turn, she crept into his thoughts. She was fast, fearless in a way that reminded him of himself when he was her age. She pushed the car to its limits, and Lewis couldn’t help but admire her for it, even when it meant she was nipping at his heels or overtaking him.

Every time he glanced in his mirrors and saw her car there, he felt something he couldn’t name.

He told himself it was pride, the kind a mentor might feel for a prodigy. But deep down, he knew it was more complicated than that.

She made him feel alive in a way he hadn’t felt in years, and it terrified him.

One evening, after a particularly grueling day of practice, he found himself alone in the garage. The engineers had gone home, and the cars sat silent, gleaming under the fluorescent lights. Lewis stood by his car, running a hand over the sleek lines of the bodywork, when he heard footsteps behind him.

“Long day?”

He turned to see YN standing there, still in her race suit, her blond hair slightly disheveled from the helmet. She smiled at him, and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice rougher than he intended. “Long day.”

She walked over, her steps light but purposeful. “You okay? You seemed a bit... off today.”

Lewis hesitated, searching for the right words. How could he tell her the truth? That she was the reason he was off. That she had unsettled something in him he wasn’t ready to confront.

“I’m fine,” he lied, forcing a smile. “Just a lot on my mind.”

She nodded, her blue eyes studying him in a way that made him feel exposed. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here. Teammates have to look out for each other, right?”

“Right,” he said softly, his chest tightening.

As she turned to leave, Lewis watched her go, the knot in his stomach tightening with every step she took.

He knew he couldn’t let this go any further. It was wrong, it was reckless, and it would only end in heartache—for both of them.

But as she disappeared around the corner, he realized something that scared him more than anything else.

He didn’t know if he had the strength to stop it.

Part 2

[iatrophilosophos]

"Harm reduction for diy hrt" WHAT HARM ??? SHOW ME THE HARM !!!

Years of paying attention and talking w ppl, not ONE "so&so happened to my buddy's metamour's friend" report of a major incident let alone a credible even 2nd or 3rd hand case study.

Actualized negative events associated with DIY hrt i DO have credible reports of: 1) swollen/itchy/painful injection sites in people reusing needles, not sterilizing vial tops, using poor injection technique 2) mild to moderate allergic reactions to carrier oils 3) using an ineffective dose with minor to moderate mood disturbances, flares of some autoimmune conditions, fatigue/weakness/brain fog/pain in people already susceptible to chronic pain, that subside with dosing/cycle adjustments

NONE OF THESE ISSUES are UNIQUE to the DIY element. In the cases of 2 and 3, there are significant pros to DIY bc it is easier/cheaper to access a preparation without an allergen when you are your own compounding pharmacy, and dosage changes can be made without permission/folks aren't stuck on shitty doses that could possibly create more significant health problems down the line for extended periods while waiting for prescriber approval to change.

Injection protocol education for IV NEEDLE DRUG USERS is harm reduction because there is HARM associated with the socio-medical conditions created by the war on drugs to ACTIVELY BLOCK access to safer use knowledge and tools. There is REAL HARM in the REAL WORLD that is REDUCED by addressing politically-introduced risk vectors in a specific class of autonomous medicine use.

Harm reduction is a specific term for a specific socio-medical concept regarding activities that, while involving inherent risk (as most aspects of Being Alive do!), occupy a position of ARTIFICIALLY INFLATED RISK due to criminalization, policing, and specific means of knolwege gatekeeping and/or disruption of transmission. As a term it has a specific history and purpose, to assert that the same risk mitigation and best-possible/acceptable/desirable care options should be available to all people regardless of their participation in stigmatized or illicit activities.

Discussion of risk and protocols associated with any form of medicine is vital to building robust, effective, desirable, and sustainable common-knowledge medical strategies; but to be effective at that these discussions have to be as accurate to the data points they describe as possible. Referring to risk mitigation strategies that do not address ACTUALIZED CONDITIONS RESULTING IN HARM as "Harm reduction" is inaccurate and occludes reality. One reason this is bad, among many, is that the fact that widespread negative events unique to the DIY element of DIY HRT are not CURRENTLY actually happening could potentially be an important datapoint in problem solving if it DOES happen in the future. If in three weeks some kid or collective somewhere starts DIYing and getting really sick, it is important for those people to know that THAT IS WEIRD!!!!!! and deserves a lot of detailed exploration of what went wrong, & not just assume that they just got unlucky/didn't Reduce Harm good enough.

Just say "these are what i think are best practices based on xyz evidence," and leave it at that. If for some reason you're uncomfortable saying THAT, it's probably a sign you don't know enough about what you're talking about and need to interrogate your epistemology more before opening your mouth to tell other people what to do.

That is all.

[femenaces]

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research arm, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, according to documents reviewed by Democrats on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

The strategy is part of large-scale layoffs, known as a “reduction in force,” being planned by the Trump administration, which is intent on shrinking the federal work force. Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the E.P.A., has said he wants to eliminate 65 percent of the agency’s budget. That would be a drastic reduction — one that experts said could hamper clean water and wastewater improvements, air quality monitoring, the cleanup of toxic industrial sites, and other parts of the agency’s mission.

The E.P.A.’s plan, which was presented to White House officials on Friday for review, calls for dissolving the agency’s largest department, the Office of Research and Development, and purging up to 75 percent of the people who work there.

The remaining staff members would be placed elsewhere within the E.P.A. “to provide increased oversight and align with administration priorities,” according to the language shared with The New York Times by staff members who work for Democrats on the House science committee.

Molly Vaseliou, a spokeswoman for the E.P.A., said in a statement that the agency “is taking exciting steps as we enter the next phase of organizational improvements” and stressed that changes had not been finalized.

“We are committed to enhancing our ability to deliver clean air, water and land for all Americans,” she said, adding, “While no decisions have been made yet, we are actively listening to employees at all levels to gather ideas on how to increase efficiency and ensure the E.P.A. is as up to date and effective as ever.”

Representative Zoe Lofgren, Democrat of California, said that the Office of Research and Development was created by congressional statute and that dissolving it would be illegal.

Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, the top Democrat on the science committee, said that without the Office of Research and Development, the E.P.A. would not be able to meet its legal obligation to use the “best available science” when writing regulations and considering policy. She also said that the office was created by congressional statute and that dissolving it would be illegal.

“Every decision E.P.A. makes must be in furtherance of protecting human health and the environment, and that just can’t happen if you gut E.P.A. science,” Ms. Lofgren said in a statement. She said that the first Trump administration had weakened the agency’s scientific research in order to relax regulations against polluting industries. “Now this is their attempt to kill it for good,” she said.

The E.P.A.’s science office provides the independent research that undergirds virtually all of the agency’s environmental policies, from analyzing the risks of “forever chemicals” in drinking water to determining the best way to reduce fine particle pollution in the atmosphere. It has researched synthetic playground material made from discarded tires; found that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can contaminate drinking water; and measured the impact of wildfire smoke on public health. The office also helps state environmental agencies figure out how to address algae blooms, treat drinking water and more.

Its findings tend to support stronger regulations to protect against exposure to air pollution, hazardous chemicals and climate change. And that has made it a target of many industries. Eliminating the office would serve the Trump administration’s dual goals of reducing the size of government while potentially easing the regulation of the chemical and fossil fuel industries.

The science office was also criticized by Project 2025, a blueprint for overhauling the federal government that was produced by the Heritage Foundation and written by many who are serving in the Trump administration.

The chapter on the E.P.A. accuses the science office of being “precautionary, bloated, unaccountable, closed, outcome-driven, hostile to public and legislative input, and inclined to pursue political rather than purely scientific goals.”

It calls for eliminating programs within the science office, in particular the Integrated Risk Information System, which evaluates the human health effects of exposure to toxic chemicals and uses that information to form the basis for restrictions on their use. Industries regulated by the E.P.A. often push back against that research. A bill introduced by Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, and backed by industry groups seeks to prevent the E.P.A. from using the research.

“It is an assault on science,” said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, who ran the E.P.A. office under the first Trump administration.

Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the E.P.A., in Altadena, Calif., last month. He has said he wants to eliminate 65 percent of the E.P.A.’s budget.

Shuttering the office would cost jobs across the country, particularly in places like North Carolina and Ada, Okla., two of the places where the agency operates major research labs, she said. In addition to chemists and biologists, the science office also employs physicians, nurses, hydrologists and experts who focus on plants, soils and wetlands.

Chris Frey, who led the Office of Research and Development under the Biden administration, said eliminating it would create a vacuum that would allow an administration to impose any policies it wanted to.

“It’s certainly convenient for certain stakeholders to have O.R.D. silenced,” Mr. Frey said.

The American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers, said in a statement that it supported the E.P.A.’s having the “resources, technical staff and subject matter expertise needed for the agency to meet its statutory requirements.”

More than 40 former E.P.A. officials who served in Republican and Democratic administrations plan to send a letter on Tuesday to Mr. Zeldin warning that steep cuts will render the agency unable to meet its mission.

“Policy changes are to be expected from one administration to the next, but not the dismantling of E.P.A.,” the officials wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Times. “If the administration does not agree with the laws Congress has passed and the programs it has funded, it should work with Congress to seek changes, not unilaterally and recklessly freeze, delay or eliminate funding.”

[cleoselene]

Sharing this on behalf of a Marine Biologist friend, not my words.

Tumblr loves sea creatures, and this is important. Have a cool pic of an octopus before digging into this big post from someone who is in the trenches (but not the really deep ones like the Mariana):

"Hi all! I have a personal request for everyone!

I need you to write a letter/email. Please write your congressional representative in support of the value that your state (or state(s) you love) Sea Grant Program means to you personally. Please send a copy of your email/letter to your state Sea Grant director as well. I can tell you for a fact that these messages are critically important and do in fact make a difference.

If you do not want to write your representatives, please still write your Sea Grant directors.

Unsure about what/who the Sea Grant Programs are? The Sea Grant Programs were created specifically to connect science between local, state, and national needs. Sea Grants make sure up-to-date science is informing decisions made in our home states and regions. Each of the State programs conducts marine and coastal research, education, and outreach tailored to their regional needs. If you’ve ever been to the beach and seen rip current education signs, seen disaster readiness material, enjoyed a coastal natural area, enjoyed fishing, ate local seafood, have a military installation near you, and much more, you’ve been positively impacted by your state’s Sea Grant Program.

Economic Benefits: Sea Grant programs provide direct economic benefits contributing to job creation, industry resilience, and sustainable economic growth.

• Works with local businesses, tourism operators, and maritime industries to enhance profitability and ensure longevity of businesses.

• Supports jobs in fisheries, marine engineering, coastal construction, and tourism through workforce development, training programs, and fellowships.

• Provides technical assistance to commercial fishers, shipbuilders, and port workers, including development of new and innovative technology that improves entire industries.

Fisheries & Aquaculture: Sea Grant programs support seafood production and sustainable fisheries management to ensure the health of marine ecosystems and economies.

• Offers training on best practices for commercial and recreational fishers.

• Helps reduce bycatch and overfishing through gear modifications and conservation efforts.

• Advances shellfish farming techniques (e.g., oysters, mussels, clams) to boost seafood production while improving water quality.

• Provides resources to help small-scale aquaculture businesses thrive.

• Monitors seafood safety and waterborne diseases to protect public health.

• Conducts research on invasive species like zebra mussels, lionfish, and green crabs; and, develops early detection and removal strategies to prevent ecological and economic harm.

Public Safety & Community Resilience: Coastal communities face unique challenges, from hurricanes and flooding to rising sea levels and water pollution. Sea Grant programs work to keep people safe through risk mitigation, education, and emergency preparedness.

• Helps communities create hurricane evacuation plans and build disaster-resilient infrastructure.

• Provides flood mapping and modeling to predict storm surges and coastal erosion.

• Develops tools like real-time weather alerts and emergency response strategies.

• Monitors pollution levels in oceans, rivers, and lakes to ensure safe drinking water.

• Identifies and mitigates harmful algal blooms (like red tide) that threaten human and marine life.

• Leads efforts to reduce plastic pollution in oceans, including microplastics research.

• Runs community beach cleanups and educational programs on waste reduction.

• Helps coastal communities upgrade ports, harbors, and public infrastructure to withstand extreme weather.

• Promotes nature-based solutions (e.g., living shorelines) to prevent coastal erosion and property damage.

• Partners with local governments to design smarter zoning laws for flood-prone areas.

Military Readiness & National Security: Sea Grant programs help ensure the safety and effectiveness of naval operations, coastal military installations, and maritime security.

Protecting Naval Bases & Infrastructure

• Assists military installations in climate resilience planning to prepare for sea-level rise and extreme weather.

• Works on coastal erosion control to protect bases and training grounds.

• Supports advancements in sonar, remote sensing, and underwater drones for naval and marine research.

• Provides oceanographic data crucial for submarine navigation and surveillance.

Education & Workforce Development: Sea Grant invests in the next generation of scientists, engineers, and marine professionals.

• Supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education focused on marine science.

• Provides internships and fellowships for students pursuing marine research careers.

• Runs public engagement programs to promote environmental stewardship.

• Helps local governments understand disaster preparedness, flood management, and coastal zoning laws.

State & Regional Sea Grant Programs

East Coast and Caribbean

• Connecticut Sea Grant – University of Connecticut, Director: Sylvain De Guise (sylvain.deguise@uconn.edu)

• Delaware Sea Grant – University of Delaware Director: Joanna York (jyork@udel.edu)

• Georgia Sea Grant Director: Mark Risse (mrisse@uga.edu)

• Maine Sea Grant – University of Maine, Director: Gayle Zydlewski (gayle.zydlewski@maine.edu)

• Maryland Sea Grant – University of Maryland Director: Fredrika Moser (moser@mdsg.umd.edu)

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sea Grant – Director: Michael Triantafyllou (mt@mit.edu)

• (Massachusetts) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Sea Grant – Director: Matthew Charette (mcharette@whoi.edu)

• New Hampshire Sea Grant – University of New Hampshire Director: Erik Chapman (erik.chapman@unh.edu)

• New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium

• New York Sea Grant – Cornell University & SUNY Director: Rebecca Shuford (rebecca.shuford@stonybrook.edu)

• North Carolina Sea Grant – NC State University Director: Susan White (snwhite3@ncsu.edu)

• Pennsylvania Sea Grant – Director: Sarah Whitney (swhitney@psu.edu)

• Puerto Rico Sea Grant – Director: Ruperto Chaparro Serrano (ruperto.chaparro@upr.edu)

• Rhode Island Sea Grant – University of Rhode Island Director: Tracey Dalton (dalton@uri.edu)

• South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium Director: Susan Lovelace (Susan.Lovelace@scseagrant.org)

• Virginia Sea Grant – Virginia Institute of Marine Science Director: Troy Hartley (thartley@vims.edu)

Great Lakes Region

• Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant – University of Illinois & Purdue University Director: Tomas Höök (thook@purdue.edu)

• Michigan Sea Grant – University of Michigan & Michigan State University Director: Silvia Newell (senewell@umich.edu)

• Minnesota Sea Grant – University of Minnesota Director: John Downing (downing@d.umn.edu)

• New York Sea Grant – Cornell University & SUNY Director: Rebecca Shuford (rebecca.shuford@stonybrook.edu)

• Ohio Sea Grant – Ohio State University Director: Christopher Winslow (winslow.33@osu.edu)

• Pennsylvania Sea Grant – Director: Sarah Whitney (swhitney@psu.edu)

• Wisconsin Sea Grant – University of Wisconsin Director: Christy Remucal (Interim Director) (remucal@wisc.edu)

Gulf of Mexico

• Florida Sea Grant – University of Florida Director: Sherry Larkin (slarkin@ufl.edu)

• Louisiana Sea Grant – Louisiana State University Director: Julie Lively (julieann@lsu.edu)

• Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium Director: LaDon Swann (ladon.swann@usm.edu)

• Texas Sea Grant – Texas A&M University Interim Director: Laura Picariello (lpicariello@tamu.edu)

West Coast and Pacific

• California Sea Grant – Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego Director: Shauna Oh (caseagrant@ucsd.edu)

• University of Southern California Sea Grant – Director: Karla Heidelberg (kheidelb@usc.edu)

• Oregon Sea Grant – Oregon State University Director: Karina Nielsen (karina.nielsen@oregonstate.edu)

• Washington Sea Grant – University of Washington Director: Kate Litle (Interim Director) (kalitle@uw.edu)

• Alaska Sea Grant – University of Alaska Fairbanks Director: Ginny Eckert (ginny.eckert@alaska.edu)

• Hawai‘i Sea Grant – University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Director: Darren Lerner (lerner@hawaii.edu)

• Guam Sea Grant – University of Guam Director: Austin Shelton (shelton@uog.edu)

Please, if you love the sea critters, do this!! You know this website owes so much to the crabs.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Reference saved in our archive (daily updates!)

Yet another study showing increased complications for women who get covid during pregnancy. The ill effects extended to both the mothers and the infants with an increase in pre-term labor, stillbirth, preeclampsia, and postpartum bleed.

"Just a cold."

Abstract Objectives This study aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and labor, focusing on its effects on maternal and child health. The research explores the relationships between coronavirus infection and clinical and laboratory parameters, as well as the risks of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes.

Methods The study involved 60 pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19. A comprehensive evaluation of clinical and laboratory indicators was conducted, employing correlation, regression, logistic analyses to determine risk factors.

Results There was a strong inverse correlation between carbon dioxide levels and haematocrit (−0.76), and a direct correlation between blood pH and partial pressure of oxygen (0.73). COVID-19 was associated with increased risks of preterm labor (OR=1.82), stillbirth (OR=2.11), pre-eclampsia (OR=1.46), and foetal distress. Multivariate analysis revealed a 200 g reduction in neonatal birth weight and higher risks of hospitalisation (OR=1.8), postpartum hemorrhage (OR=2.3), and preterm delivery (OR=2.5). Comorbid conditions such as cardiovascular abnormalities, diabetes, obesity, thrombophilias exacerbated the risks of complications, including pre-eclampsia, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, venous thromboembolism.

Conclusions COVID-19 infection increases the likelihood of pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes, especially in women with comorbidities. These findings highlight the need for preventive strategies and risk management protocols for pregnant women during future outbreaks, emphasizing the importance of further research in this field.

[lilyblackdrawside]

Leizi, the power of upgrades and performance in alternate game modes

Long post. Click to expand at your own risk. There are no images or sound files to break up the text.

Leizi was released in Stories of Afternoon in the first year of the game alongside Ceobe.

Ceobe was and is a very popular and powerful operator, so a lot of people ended up also getting Leizi in rolling for her and she was widely written off as being terrible.

That is probably what happened. I wasn’t there.

But I do know that she was seen as bad and for a long time really was pretty bad.

She introduced the Chain Caster branch to the game, which at the time was just Caster like everyone else.

This is one of the few branches that underperformed so badly, they buffed it.

The others are Dreadnought Guards and Splash Casters, both of which were graced with some stat buffs when Dossoles Holiday happened.

Chain Casters however got a whole other treatment:

On release, they had a damage falloff of 25% per jump.

A year later when A Walk in the Dust happened, this was buffed to 20% when Passenger came out (who was also widely mocked for being kinda terrible. He wasn’t as bad as people made him out to be, but really not great. I was around for this one.) and then half a year later with Dossoles Holiday this was changed again from 20% to the 15% we still have to this day.

They also upgraded the Slow on hit from 0.2 seconds to 0.5 seconds.

Chain Casters had a ZERO POINT TWO SECONDS SLOW for two years of their existence.

With the right module, they can have a 0.8s Slow now, same as Decel Binders.

Dossoles also brought a roughly 15% increase in base atk for our two Chain Casters, which together with the Slow buff and Falloff reduction made Passenger pretty good and Leizi kinda decent.

Another half year later we got the ChaX Module with Near Light, which further improved the Slow to the aforementioned 0.8s and the damage falloff to just 10% per hit now.

To illustrate the impact the damage falloff reductions had, here are the numbers per jump:

25%: 100% -> 75% -> 56.3% -> 42.2%

20%: 100% -> 80% -> 64% -> 51.2%

15%: 100% -> 85% -> 72.3% -> 61.4%

10%: 100% -> 90% -> 81% -> 73%

The final hit is now doing 50% more damage than it used to after all these improvements.

Passenger’s 5th hit with his S2 deals 31.7%, 41%, 52.2% and 65.7% respectively.

A quarter year after Near Light we got Integrated Strategies 2: Phantom & Crimson Solitaire which introduced the Hand of Diffusion collectible.

This item causes Blast, Splash and Chain Casters to gain 2 sp whenever they hit an enemy.

The intent is obvious: All of these branches can hit multiple enemies per attack, so they can gain a lot of sp to fuel their skills. Certain operators can use this better than others and Passenger is the one who made it infamous with his S3, which places a lingering zone of rapid-fire lightning strikes that just by having three enemies in it for its full duration of 4 will generate more sp than was used for the skill.

Half a year later, Lingering Echoes introduced Module Upgrades to a generally favourable reception.

It also introduced Stationary Security Service to a generally unfavourable reception.

Yeah we used to only have the basic modules a long time ago. Can you believe it? And even longer ago there were no modules at all!

Anyway.

When it comes to module upgrades, there are two employees at Hypergryph who handle them.

There’s Good Module Guy and Bad Module Guy.

Bad Module Guy brought us all-time classics like May’s and Utage’s modules, Dusk X,Fartooth Y and Archetto X.

Good Module Guy got us Hellagur X, Dusk Y, Passenger X, Bibeak’s, Gladiia X, Aak’s, Greyy’s and of course Leizi’s.

Leizi’s talent makes her do 123% damage to unblocked enemies.

Her module upgrades this to 126% damage and gain 1 SP when attacking unblocked enemies at level 2

and 129% damage and gain 1 SP at level 3.

The level 2 upgrade is the critical point here. She basically gets half a Hand of Diffusion always.

This means up to 4 sp per attack!

At this point, I should probably go over her skills. What little there is to go over anyway.

As the first Chain Caster, she is very simple. The most simple among them to this day still.

Her S1 is ATK Up Gamma, it’s whatever.

Because her S2 is Thunderclap: +150% ATK, damage falloff negated. That’s it.

It also turns her lightning from blue to red, which is rad.

As a year 1 operator, the +150% ATK buff is massive. It’s on the level of operators like Mostima and SilverAsh.

It’s not like these days where you get +260% ATK on a 25 sp cost skill and also fifty other bonus effects.

And that’s the sticking point, really. Because Leizi’s S2 lasts for 35 seconds and costs 80 SP.

You’re paying 80 SP for - these days - pretty much just +150% ATK, because after all these buffs the damage falloff of 10% is very manageable.

Of course, back in the day the falloff negation was much, much better than now (I don’t want to underplay it, but compared to on release it doesn’t amount to nearly as much of a damage increase).

Instead of doing 273.5% damage on a fully-chained hit, she’d do the full, proper 400% with S2 active, so under the best conditions it presented a damage multiplier of x3.7.

Nowadays with module, it’s „just“ x2.9. So all these trait buffs really made a difference.

But yeah, the cost is atrocious. Real Year 1 design right there.

And her module helps a lot with patching it up. With an attack interval of 2.3s, she can generate a lot of SP with proper placement and busy enough lanes, so now she can use her skill more than once per stage!

This has made her quite adequate for regular gameplay, but where she really shines is in certain alternate game modes.

Specifically SSS.

Now, I actually really like SSS. I’m the one SSS fan on the planet. I’ve enjoyed it from the start in its first incarnation, thought the Danger Level nerfs weren’t needed and really just want them to make the old dungeons available for playing. Or bring some of the bosses back. A lot of them could work really well even outside of the mode.

Anyway, in SSS you can give operators +200 ASPD quite easily and Leizi does a lot with it.

This much ASPD lets her attack every 0.77 seconds, which is just under her 0.8s Slow duration, so that’s permanent now. It also makes her generate sp three times as fast and now her skill has like no downtime anymore.

SSS also loves to throw a ton of enemies at you, so a Chain Caster’s Splash-Caster adjacent nature really shines in this mode and she can always make the most of her chain attacks.

I always bring her and she’s always the core of my strategy.

They’ve tried to stop me from using Leizi and other arts-damage operators, but even in the currently-running Leithanien dungeon she’s viable. Even on Emergency mode.

You cannot stop Leizi.

She’s really the SSS all star, which is kinda poetic since the update that introduced the mode also gave her the upgrade that she really needed.

Integrated Strategies also makes it easy for her to shine, since some of the versions also make it really easy to get attackspeed increases. Unlike Passenger, she already has The Hand! (Though he obviously vastly outperforms her if you get it)

Lastly, I also want to touch on her personality. I quite like her constantly harsh tone, her aggressive and confident nature and expressions. It’s very charming.

The way her 3 star victory line makes it sound like you didn’t even clear the stage properly, how her 4 star victory line is „Well done.As my standards are quite high, you should be proud of yourself.“ so she’s still hardly praising you and more going on about how hearing so little from her is basically worth as much as other operators exploding from the sheer joy of clearing a Challenge Mode stage.

Both of her portraits are also excellent, the E0 one displaying her stoic, untouchable stature and the E2 one flaunting her superiourity.

And then they FUCKED IT UP with her alt outfit by giving her a soft expression. YOU CANNOT DO THAT! Imagine seeing that artwork with her 3 star victory line IT DOESN’T WORK!!!!

Leizi went through a very unique progression over the course of the game’s lifespan, going from barely functional, to kinda okay to being a solid operator in the regular game and excellent in some side modes.

Maybe there are other operators like her, who look just alright on the surface, but just need a little something to stand out that an alternate game mode might give them. Could be worth giving someone you’ve been setting aside until now a second look.

[darkmaga-returns]

The Trump administration directed the USDA to remove climate change references from its websites, signaling a move away from climate-focused regulations seen as burdensome to farmers.

USAID’s climate initiatives, like "$150 billion net-zero strategies" and projects in developing nations, are criticized for prioritizing ideology over practical agricultural productivity and food security.

Programs aimed at reducing carbon emissions or promoting "climate-smart" agriculture are deemed counterproductive, as CO? is essential for plant growth, and such measures often hinder farming efficiency.

U.S. farmers risked losing competitiveness due to restrictive climate policies (e.g., methane reduction mandates), while countries like China and India prioritized high-yield, fossil fuel-based agriculture.

Trump’s withdrawal from agreements like the Paris Accord is framed as a win for U.S. farmers, ending costly, impractical climate mandates and refocusing on productivity and rural economic needs.

[mariacallous]

Tariffs, another chaotic venture of the barely four-month-old Trump administration, are set to rollick every sector of the economy and nearly all the goods and services people use across the world. But tariffs could also cause the tech in your phone and other devices you use every day to stagnate as supply chains are hit by the rise in costs and companies scramble to balance the books by cutting vital development research.

Let’s get a couple important caveats out of the way here, starting with the possibility that the US might just come to its senses and back down on tariffs after all. President Trump promises he won't, of course, but he has now enacted a 90-day delay on higher tariffs for all countries except China, which has had its tariffs hiked from 34 to 145 percent.

While the tariff reprieve may ease pressures elsewhere, it is terrible news for Big Tech, which has supply chains that rely heavily on Chinese companies and Chinese-made components. Some companies have already gotten very creative about trying to dodge those additional costs, like Apple, which Reuters reports airlifted about 600 tons of iPhones to India in an effort to avoid Trump’s tariffs.

Whether tech leaders more broadly can yet negotiate special exemptions that allow their products to swerve these costs remains to be seen, but if they don’t, sky-high tariffs are likely to limit what new technologies companies can cram into their devices while keeping costs low.

“There's absolutely a threat to innovation,” says Anshel Sag, a principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategies. “Companies have to cut back on spending, which generally means cutting back on everything.”

Smartphones in particular are at risk of soaring in price, given that they are the single largest product category that the US imports from China. Moving the wide variety of manufacturing capabilities needed to produce them in the US would cost an amount of money that’s almost impossible to calculate—if the move would even be possible at all.

The trouble tariffs cause smartphone makers will come as they try to battle rising costs while making their products ever more capable. Apple spent nearly $32 billion on research and development costs in 2024. Samsung spent $24 billion on R&D that same year. Phone companies need their devices to dazzle and excite users so they upgrade to the shiny new edition each and every year. But people also need to be able to afford these now near essential products, so striking a balance in the face of exponentially high tariffs creates problems.

“As companies shift their engineering teams to focus on cost reductions rather than creating the next best thing, the newest innovation—does that hurt US manufacturers?” asks Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at the trade association IPC. “Are we creating an environment where foreign manufacturers can out innovate US manufacturers because they are not having to allocate engineering resources to cost reduction?”

If that’s how it goes down, the result will be almost the exact opposite effect of what Trump claims he intended to do by implementing tariffs in the first place. Yet sadly it’s a well-known fact of business that R&D is one of the first budgets to be cut when profits are at risk. If US manufacturers are forced to keep costs low enough to entice customers in this new regime, it’ll more than likely mean innovation falters.

“Rather than focusing on some new AI application, they might want to focus on reengineering this product so that they're able to shave pennies here and pennies there and reduce production cost,” DuBravac says. “What ends up happening is you say, ‘Ah, you know what? We're not going to launch that this year. We're going to wait 12 months. We’re going to wait for the cost to fall.’”

Sag says that a lower demand—likely caused because people will have less money as we potentially careen toward a recession—also leads to a slowdown of the refresh cycle of a product. Less people buying a thing means less need to make more of the thing. Some products may get to the point where there is just no market for them anymore.

He points to product categories such as folding phones, which after six years of adjustment and experimentation at high price points have finally started to come into their own. The prices have come down as well, meaning folding phones are nearly at the phase of being at an attractive price point for more regular buyers.

It has been rumored that Apple has a folding phone close to debuting, but who knows how that plays out in a world where Apple is subject to the same trade tariffs as everyone else with a heavy reliability on China production? A complicated or potentially risky device might be delayed, or be deemed too ambitious, because tariff costs forced budgets elsewhere.

“It definitely affects product cycles and which features get made—and even which configurations of which chips get shipped,” Sag says. “The ones that are more cost optimized will probably get used more.”

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

In the past few months, some of the largest banks and asset managers in the United States have quit net zero networks, the climate groups that encourage their members to set ambitious carbon reduction targets and collaborate internationally on sustainability efforts.

But the week after Donald J. Trump won re-election in November, NYCERS, a pension fund for New York City employees, went in the opposite direction. It joined a United Nations-affiliated climate action group for long-term investors, the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance.

The timing wasn’t intentional, said Brad Lander, the comptroller who oversees the city’s finances, including the pension fund, and is now running for mayor. But, he added, “we were pleased that the timing sent an important signal.”

“It is far more important than it was for pension funds and other big asset owners to take collective action at this moment,” Mr. Lander said.

At a time of growing backlash to environmental, social and governance goals and investment strategies, pension funds, particularly in blue states and Europe, have emerged as a bulwark against efforts to sideline climate-related risks.

The funds, which sit at the top of the investment chain, have stepped up engagement with asset managers and companies on climate goals and have kept public commitments to use their fiscal might to reduce carbon emissions. In some cases, that has meant shifting to European asset managers, which have not backed off on climate commitments as much as their American counterparts have.

Mr. Lander’s office oversees investments for five public pension funds for 700,000 of the city’s current and former employees. The funds are pushing ahead with engagement, bringing more shareholder resolutions to banks to disclose the ratio of their fossil fuel investments versus clean energy and to utilities companies on their climate targets.

They have been emboldened by a court decision earlier this month that upheld a dismissal of a lawsuit against three of the funds for divesting from some fossil fuel investments.

Mr. Lander and other pension fund managers say they aren’t motivated by political beliefs or a purely environmental agenda. Instead, their investments, which need to provide long-term sustainable returns for people who might not retire for many decades, keep climate risks at the forefront of their minds.

[aliceoverzero]

Well I finally cleared SL-EX-7's challenge mode during the So Long, Adele rerun and made the decision that I'm just not gonna bother with EX-8. And thinking on why has allowed me to make a connection on the kinds of arknights mechanics that I despise trying to navigate. The Steam mechanic is Chapter 10's artillery cannon come back to haunt me. Gameplay rant under the cut.

For context I'll briefly describe both mechanics.

The Londinium Secondary Defense Artillery is an off-map attack that charges over time then strikes at the current target, dealing 3k true damage to both enemies and allies in range. The reticle is a 5x5 square with the corners removed, and it centers on the targetable ally with the highest block count (favoring the most recent deployment in the case of ties). This is intentionally paired with Reborn Creations, a weak enemy that has 90% damage reduction and grants +1 block count the ally blocking them (capped at 6 total), allowing them to alter the artillery's targeting while also encouraging the player try to catch those enemies in the blast.

Steam is a tile modifier that comes in two modes. White steam grants allies 75% damage reduction while increasing enemy damage taken by 50%. Carmine steam instead swaps these effects, bolstering enemies and making allies vulnerable. It also inflicts 250 arts damage and 350 burn damage to allied units that are in the tile the moment it appears. The player has means of propagating white steam while enemies have a couple of ways of producing carmine steam, notably the most basic enemy marks the tile they die on with carmine steam.

These mechanics share some of the same dynamics with how the player interacts with them. They greatly benefit the player when used correctly: Keeping white steam properly placed makes lane traffic management trivial, and properly positioning a "bait" blocker for the artillery lightens the DPS demand of a map.

But they're also brutally punishing when the mechanics are mismanaged: Carmine steam puts any blocking ally into a losing fight and makes it easy for the ranged enemies to tear them apart, and the artillery firing in the wrong spot can wipe out enough allies to ruin a plan. 3k true damage will pop almost any ally that isn't a guard or defender with very good HP scaling.

It eliminates most of the room that arknights has for "soft mistakes", situations where a breached lane or an impending leak can be managed with a quick deployment of a new unit or clever skill use. Placing a blocker onto carmine steam is a dire situation if you have to do it, and an artillery misfire can wipe out so much of your team in one go that there's no salvaging the strategy.

Then you add in enemy interference. The enemy abilities present the threat of your passing engagement with the mechanics suddenly inverting into a full fail state. Reborn Creations actively modify the block count of allies blocking them, which can cause the artillery to rapidly retarget based on enemy action instead of player input (defeating the artillery bait gets the same result as well). The sheep that make carmine steam on death can force a traffic jam into a much more even fight, or carmine up their blocker if they've been shifted to count as on the same tile. The Whirlwind/Tornado sheep do both when they pop, suddenly enabling the caster sheep to potentially fire carmine-into-carmine shots at three allies at once. The Big Fella sheep can fire a basic carmine-on-death sheep to occupy the same tile as their blocker. You are under constant threat of pink mist turning your team into pink mist in the blink of an eye.

To throw a further wrench into things, the maps for both of these mechanics are very eager to make use of deploy-banned ground tiles. Positioning is vitally important for both mechanics so they squeeze your options in taking advantage of them. In Chapter 10 this restricts the viable locations to place your artillery-baiting tank that don't also put your other units at risk, and in SL this results in a lot of ground tiles where steam bottles can't clean up the carmine steam and require massive/global range from allies placed in geysers. Bonus points when you're reminded that the geyser is an optional feature that they sometimes entirely withhold on some maps.

I get the impression that the design work for both of these map sets were working on similar ideas, possibly even led by the same people. It's possible there might be other events that have these same flaws, I haven't done the full EX stage dive on most events that did their reruns before I started playing. I suspect that I might have tilted in a similar way if I tried to deal with the highest difficulty stages that use Who Is Real's Hui-Ming attribute mechanic.

[l1brarian1999]

How Do Shields Work? And why do they have Gates?

In Warframe, Shields are-

Have you ever played a Halo game? Or Payday 2 (Armour)? Like that.

Shields are the blue one on your health bar. If your Shields break, then your Health starts taking damage.

Player Shields have a fixed 50% damage mitigation, meaning in more than half of the Warframes in the game, Shields are generally preferable to Health.

With one notable exception; Toxin damage (mostly from the Infested) will bypass your Shields (That said, it also bypasses enemy shields too).

They'll regenerate if you go a few seconds without taking damage.

Currently, Inaros, Kullervo, and Nidus have NO shields, and cannot GAIN shields from any known source.

While Armour doesn't apply to Shields, Damage Reduction usually does. Various Warframe abilities can add Damage Reduction, as well as the Adaptation Mod.

Shield Gating

When your Shield Breaks, that's when you get the Shield Gate - a minimum of 0.33 seconds if you have very little shields, to a Maximum of 2.5 Seconds if you have a lot of shields (Hildryn's passive gives her 3.5 seconds) of Invincibility. This then prevents any damage spilling over from your Shields to you Health (thus the Payday 2 reference above). Say you have 1150 shields (this is minimum amount to get the full 2.5 seconds, and 100 health, and you get hit with a bullet that deals... 1 Million Damage. You will lose 500 shields, and no Health. You've got 2.5 seconds to get to safety before you get shot again (or restore your shields somehow).

That, is Shield Gating. There's a variety of strategies to turn this into an entire survival strategy rather than a Safety net. The trick is generally to stack Shield Regens, or mods like Brief Respite & the Augur set, or even other means like Topaz Archon Shards, the Rakta Dark Dagger, or Warframe abilities like Hildryn's Pillage. Using these, to quick restore your Shields, will reset your Shield Gating window - as well as ending that invulnerability window early so timing is essential. Thank you @definitelyblanc for the reminder and correction.

Also worth noting is the Catalyzing Shields mod. This mod created following changes to the Shield Gating system, that made an old playstyle unusuable where players would specifically run a teeny tiny amount of shields, and stack shield regen. This makes that playstyle usable again, essentially a high risk high reward thing going. It does this by massively nerfing your Shield Capacity, but hard locking your Shiel Gate at 1.33 seconds. Not quite as good as the proper way but you might find it fun.

I personally, being old school, am not the biggest fan of Shields in general since they were basically worthless Back In My Day. But, I do recognise that Shield Gating is very heckin' useful and can be fun, plus it opens up more options for folks to use.