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EPA Proposes Municipal Stormwater General Permit Modifications for New Hampshire Communities

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing targeted modifications to the 2017 Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) general permit for New Hampshire communities.




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Mayor eficiencia en el cruce de la frontera de Nogales mejora la calidad del aire y la salud pública

NOGALES, AZ – Hoy, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE. UU.




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El Programa Ambiental México-EE. UU. Frontera 2020 anuncia financiamiento disponible para proyectos de salud pública y ambiental

SAN DIEGO – Hoy, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés), en coordinación con el Banco de Desarrollo de América del Norte (BDAN), emitió una Solicitud de Propuestas (RFP, por sus siglas en inglés) a través del Programa Frontera 2020.




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EPA Announces Record of Decision for Hastings Superfund Site, Operable Unit 1, in Hastings, Nebraska

Environmental News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




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EPA and Wisconsin Announce Inland Sheboygan County Area Now Meets Federal Air Quality Standard for Ozone

Sheboygan County, Wis. – Today, the U.S.




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EPA and Indiana Announce Indianapolis, Muncie, Lake and Porter Counties Now Meet Federal Air Quality Standards

WASHINGTON (April 28, 2020) —  Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of Indiana announced that recent air monitoring data show the city of Indianapolis, and the areas of Muncie, Lake and Porter counties are meeting federal air quality standards.




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Unhinged man shouts he has HIV, then punches, spits at train operator in Brooklyn

The C train reached its last stop just after 9 a.m. Saturday at the Euclid Ave. station in East New York when the man insisted he needed five more minutes before he could leave the car.




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Unhinged man shouts he has HIV, then punches, spits at train operator in Brooklyn

The C train reached its last stop just after 9 a.m. Saturday at the Euclid Ave. station in East New York when the man insisted he needed five more minutes before he could leave the car.




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Quarantine: 'We're not going to be able to police self-isolation', says Police Federation chair

Metropolitan Police Federation chairman says planned 14-day strategy is unenforceable




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mb 4.5 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA

Magnitude  mb 4.5
Region  HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
Date time  2020-05-10 00:57:26.8 UTC
Location  1.82 N ; 127.46 E
Depth  138 km




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IndyStar sports app: The best coverage of your favorite Indiana teams, all in one place

Now you can read all of IndyStar's sports content in one place with our free INSports app.

       




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Veteran law enforcement officer Robbie Amos, lost to COVID-19, loved serving the public

Robbie Amos, 66, "ate, lived and breathed law enforcement," says his wife. He died on April 3 after contracting the novel coronavirus.

       




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For IMS, Brickyard weekend means several contingencies, but focus is 'May in August' for Indy 500

Decision makers at Penske Entertainment are beginning to chart the course for a historic summer of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

       




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Teen volunteers organize service to help most vulnerable during coronavirus outbreak

Volunteers from six Santa Clarita Valley high schools step forward to help those shut in by the COVID-19 pandemic.




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Messi or Ronaldo? Your best Ballon d'Or winner of Premier League era revealed

In the latest MOTD podcast the experts discussed the top 10 Ballon d'Or winners of the Premier League era - and here's how you ranked them.




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Frigid temperatures, snow showers not enough to stop Brockville food drive

While the weather may have looked like mid-November in Brockville Saturday morning, that didn't stop people from donating to the Brockville community food drive.




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Polar vortex brings 'once in a generation May snowstorm' to US East Coast

A polar vortex has blasted into the northeastern US this weekend bringing rare May snowfall and record low temperatures to some areas.




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News24.com | Covid-19: SAPS joint operational committee in Tshwane self-isolating after member tests positive

Members of the Joint Operational Committee in Tshwane is in self-isolation after one member tested positive for Covid-19, spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo has told News24.




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What it's like to travel on a plane in the era of COVID-19

Flying in Canada during the time of COVID-19 requires a lot extra care, and CTV Senior Political Correspondent Glen McGregor gives a first-hand account on CTVNews.ca.




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101-year-old Oak Bay veteran surpasses $101K fundraising goal

John Hillman - the 101-year-old Second World War veteran who has been walking laps around the courtyard of his Oak Bay retirement home in hopes of raising $101,000 for charity - has surpassed his goal.




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The Rise of China and the Future of Liberal World Order

Members Event

7 May 2014 - 6:00pm to 7:00pm

Chatham House, London

Event participants

G John Ikenberry, Albert G Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University; Eastman Professor, Balliol College, Oxford
Chair: Dr Robin Niblett, Director, Chatham House

Professor John Ikenberry will examine the challenges to global order that are posed by the rise of China and current shifts in global power. He will argue that a liberal-oriented international order, as championed by the United States and Europe over the last century, remains the best hope for stability and growth in the 21st century.

Professor Ikenberry will contend that, while non-Western rising states seek greater voice and authority in the global system, they – perhaps surprisingly – still embrace the basic principles and institutions of liberal world order. Thus, the United States and Europe have powerful incentives to work together to reform the world’s governance institutions to accommodate new stakeholders and tackle problems of rising economic and security interdependence.

ASK A QUESTION: Send questions for the speaker by email to questions@chathamhouse.org or using #askCH on Twitter. A selection will be put to him during the event.

This event will be followed by a reception.

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL AND REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED.

Event attributes

Livestream




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Angola as a Global Influence: Priorities for International Cooperation

Research Event

13 June 2014 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Chatham House, London

Event participants

Dr Maria Ângela Bragança, Secretary of State for Cooperation, Ministry of External Relations, Angola

Reaping the benefits of more than a decade of stability and fast economic growth, Angola increasingly wields global influence. Angola seeks to diversify its bilateral partnerships and improve existing ones, and is well-placed to exert its influence in multilateral fora. 

At this roundtable event, Angola’s Secretary of State for Cooperation, Hon Dr Maria Angela Bragança, will discuss Angola’s international priorities and how Angola is helping to shape key issues of global importance in a multipolar world.

Department/project

Christopher Vandome

Research Fellow, Africa Programme
+44 (0) 20 7314 3669




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Nigeria’s Priorities for Progress: Imperatives for Stability and Inclusive Growth

Research Event

24 July 2014 - 2:30pm to 3:30pm

Chatham House, London

Event participants

Dr Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the President of Nigeria 

Nigeria’s prospects, with its rise to international prominence as Africa’s largest economy, are tempered by the many development and security challenges the country faces. While essential reforms in the power and agriculture sectors are underway, such efforts are balanced against the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, significant concerns around youth unemployment, and an increasingly contentious political environment in the run-up to the February 2015 elections. 

Dr Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan, will discuss what steps the presidency is taking to address the country’s most urgent challenges, and how the political environment can be managed to overcome tensions that may impede progress.

Department/project

Christopher Vandome

Research Fellow, Africa Programme
+44 (0) 20 7314 3669




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Peace and Cooperation in Northeast Asia

Invitation Only Research Event

6 October 2014 - 8:30am to 7 October 2014 - 1:45pm

Seoul, Republic of Korea

The overarching theme of this event will be Korea’s changing role as a global power and its effect on the country’s relationships, including with the UK and Europe. It will aim to raise awareness of these issues to an audience of key decision-makers, and to encourage experts to think together strategically about areas of mutual interest, as well as practical ways to achieve deeper cooperation. 

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

This event is held in partnership with the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.

Event attributes

External event

Joshua Webb

+44 (0)20 7314 3678




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Turkey’s Post-Coup Reverberations Are Just Beginning

21 July 2016

Fadi Hakura

Consulting Fellow, Europe Programme
President Erdogan’s harsh crackdown is causing severe damage to the country’s political and social fabric.

2016-07-21-Erdogan.jpg

People wave Turkish flags in front of a billboard displaying the face of Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a rally in Ankara on 17 July 2016 in Ankara. Photo by Getty Images.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has responded with an iron fist to last Friday’s failed military coup attempt in Turkey by detaining, dismissing or suspending, so far, 60,000 military officers, police and intelligence officials, judges, teachers, academics and civil servants, and imposing a widespread travel ban and a three-month state of emergency. He is vowing to reintroduce the death penalty, abolished in 2004 as part of reforms required for opening EU accession negotiations.

This uncompromising approach in the post-coup period will have profound negative implications on Turkey’s domestic politics, security and foreign policy in the foreseeable future to the detriment of its stability and prosperity.

Fractured politics

Erdogan’s indifference to the unprecedented political unity against the coup is, regretfully, a missed opportunity to dilute the deepening polarization and divisiveness bedeviling Turkish politics. His determination to use the putsch to consolidate political power in the presidency and to erode or eliminate the secular character of the Turkish state by means of a new constitution will widen the ideological and ethnic divide between, respectively, secular and conservative Turks and Turks and Kurds. Just a few months ago, Ismail Kahramam, speaker of the Turkish parliament and Erdogan ally, exhorted that ‘secularism cannot feature in the new [religious] constitution’.

His policies and rhetoric, in other words, will undermine even more the almost imperceptible presence of ‘interpersonal trust’ in Turkish society - the willingness of one party to rely on the actions of another party – seen as incongruent with a robust polity and cohesive society. According to a 2010 OECD survey Turkey’s levels of interpersonal trust are considerably lower than OECD averages and it stands out among the 20 surveyed countries as the only one where higher educational attainment correlates with lower feelings of trust. That posture can only breed even more discord and mistrust between the different segments of the Turkish electorate and entrench personality-based and top-down politics, the root cause of political turmoil in Turkey.

Diminished state capacity

Turkey’s NATO partners fear that the purges of experienced military and security personnel have the potential to diminish its capability to thwart the threat posed by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other militant groups and to better manage its long and porous borders with Syria and Iraq. Thus far, Turkish authorities have incarcerated nearly one-third of Turkey’s senior military commanders and more than 7,000 police and intelligence officials. This constitutes a major loss of expertise and institutional memory at a time of heightening security challenges. After all, Turkey witnessed 14 bomb attacks over the last year, many of them carried out by ISIS or the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Similarly, the removal of tens of thousands of school teachers, both in private and state schools, university academics and education ministry officials will severely disrupt the provision of adequate educational services to enable future generations to succeed in an increasingly complex global economic environment. This ‘cleansing’ operation did not spare even the elite and renowned state and private universities considered bastions of liberalism and cosmopolitan values in Turkey.

In all probability, the government’s replacements of key staff with less qualified loyalists will rupture the institutional integrity and professionalism of the military establishment and the state institutions. Such a hollowing out process was already underway prior to the coup but post-coup decision-making has greatly accelerated the speed. Sadly, under the best case scenario, it will take Turkey years, if not decades, to restore a modicum of rule of law and public services’ delivery at pre-coup standards to which the Turkish citizenry have been accustomed.

Foreign policy challenges

Erdogan’s endorsement of the death penalty might signal the end of Turkey’s (already nearly non-existent) EU accession prospects and a more troubled relationship with Europe and the US. He was, before the coup, a prickly and challenging partner for the US and NATO to handle, a recalcitrant member of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition and vociferously against the US cooperation with PKK-affiliated Syrian Kurdish fighters targeting ISIS in northern Syria. After the coup, he will probably become more disagreeable to US and European foreign policy and security objectives.

His disagreeability will probably extend to Turkey’s deal with the EU to stem the flow of Syrian migrants across the Aegean Sea and Greece into mainland Europe, which looks increasingly unsustainable. A pugnacious Erdogan may utilize the forthcoming EU refusal to abolish visas for Turkish travellers to the Schengen borderless zone by end-October to wring out more concessions from an Erdogan-sceptical Europe. Despite their exasperation, they should decipher from his rapprochement with Israel and Russia that he tends to compromise with muscular diplomacy as opposed to diplomatic niceties.    

Turkey will be so convulsed and self-absorbed by internal political machinations and its security and military capabilities so compromised that it cannot afford to deploy sizeable assets to promote regime change in Damascus. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers are, naturally, the prime beneficiaries while the armed largely Sunni opposition are the biggest losers. Arguably, Assad must now feel very secure in power and confident that he will enlarge his territorial acquisitions at the expense of the Sunni groups. Equally, the Syrian Kurds will seek to strengthen and, perhaps, extend the quasi-autonomous zone along the Turkey−Syria border commensurate with Turkey’s declining influence in the Syrian quagmire.

Europe’s lesson

Turkey is a bitter testimony to the ill-effects of sacrificing progressive values to political expediency, fear and interests. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy demonstrated a lack of strategic foresight by stymying Turkey’s desire to join the EU in 2005. Had the EU engaged Turkey in a credible accession process, however arduous it may have been, the coup would probably have never occurred. Turkish political leaders would have been forced to implement deeper and wider reforms to strengthen democracy, secularism, human rights and a functioning market economy. Instead, Europe is reaping what it sowed: a coup-rattled and more unstable Turkey on its doorstep.

To comment on this article, please contact Chatham House Feedback




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The federal government finally announced initial plans to distribute Gilead's coronavirus drug remdesivir after days of confusion

The government said it's distributing the promising coronavirus drug, remdesivir, to some hard-hit states. Eventually, all 50 states should get it.





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Affinity maturation, humanization, and co-crystallization of a rabbit anti-human ROR2 monoclonal antibody for therapeutic applications [Immunology]

Antibodies are widely used as cancer therapeutics, but their current use is limited by the low number of antigens restricted to cancer cells. A receptor tyrosine kinase, receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 (ROR2), is normally expressed only during embryogenesis and is tightly down-regulated in postnatal healthy tissues. However, it is up-regulated in a diverse set of hematologic and solid malignancies, thus ROR2 represents a candidate antigen for antibody-based cancer therapy. Here we describe the affinity maturation and humanization of a rabbit mAb that binds human and mouse ROR2 but not human ROR1 or other human cell-surface antigens. Co-crystallization of the parental rabbit mAb in complex with the human ROR2 kringle domain (hROR2-Kr) guided affinity maturation by heavy-chain complementarity-determining region 3 (HCDR3)-focused mutagenesis and selection. The affinity-matured rabbit mAb was then humanized by complementarity-determining region (CDR) grafting and framework fine tuning and again co-crystallized with hROR2-Kr. We show that the affinity-matured and humanized mAb retains strong affinity and specificity to ROR2 and, following conversion to a T cell–engaging bispecific antibody, has potent cytotoxicity toward ROR2-expressing cells. We anticipate that this humanized affinity-matured mAb will find application for antibody-based cancer therapy of ROR2-expressing neoplasms.




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The Escherichia coli cellulose synthase subunit G (BcsG) is a Zn2+-dependent phosphoethanolamine transferase [Glycobiology and Extracellular Matrices]

Bacterial biofilms are cellular communities that produce an adherent matrix. Exopolysaccharides are key structural components of this matrix and are required for the assembly and architecture of biofilms produced by a wide variety of microorganisms. The human bacterial pathogens Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica produce a biofilm matrix composed primarily of the exopolysaccharide phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) cellulose. Once thought to be composed of only underivatized cellulose, the pEtN modification present in these matrices has been implicated in the overall architecture and integrity of the biofilm. However, an understanding of the mechanism underlying pEtN derivatization of the cellulose exopolysaccharide remains elusive. The bacterial cellulose synthase subunit G (BcsG) is a predicted inner membrane–localized metalloenzyme that has been proposed to catalyze the transfer of the pEtN group from membrane phospholipids to cellulose. Here we present evidence that the C-terminal domain of BcsG from E. coli (EcBcsGΔN) functions as a phosphoethanolamine transferase in vitro with substrate preference for cellulosic materials. Structural characterization of EcBcsGΔN revealed that it belongs to the alkaline phosphatase superfamily, contains a Zn2+ ion at its active center, and is structurally similar to characterized enzymes that confer colistin resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. Informed by our structural studies, we present a functional complementation experiment in E. coli AR3110, indicating that the activity of the BcsG C-terminal domain is essential for integrity of the pellicular biofilm. Furthermore, our results established a similar but distinct active-site architecture and catalytic mechanism shared between BcsG and the colistin resistance enzymes.




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Structural basis of substrate recognition and catalysis by fucosyltransferase 8 [Protein Structure and Folding]

Fucosylation of the innermost GlcNAc of N-glycans by fucosyltransferase 8 (FUT8) is an important step in the maturation of complex and hybrid N-glycans. This simple modification can dramatically affect the activities and half-lives of glycoproteins, effects that are relevant to understanding the invasiveness of some cancers, development of mAb therapeutics, and the etiology of a congenital glycosylation disorder. The acceptor substrate preferences of FUT8 are well-characterized and provide a framework for understanding N-glycan maturation in the Golgi; however, the structural basis of these substrate preferences and the mechanism through which catalysis is achieved remain unknown. Here we describe several structures of mouse and human FUT8 in the apo state and in complex with GDP, a mimic of the donor substrate, and with a glycopeptide acceptor substrate at 1.80–2.50 Å resolution. These structures provide insights into a unique conformational change associated with donor substrate binding, common strategies employed by fucosyltransferases to coordinate GDP, features that define acceptor substrate preferences, and a likely mechanism for enzyme catalysis. Together with molecular dynamics simulations, the structures also revealed how FUT8 dimerization plays an important role in defining the acceptor substrate-binding site. Collectively, this information significantly builds on our understanding of the core fucosylation process.




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US drug costs are rising faster than overall health spending, officials report




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South Dakota illegally placed disabled people in nursing homes, federal investigation finds




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Disease modifying therapies for relapsing multiple sclerosis




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Opportunities for Transatlantic Cooperation on International Migration

The EU-U.S. relationship is one of the most significant partnerships among wealthy nations. Interconnections between the two on migration issues make dialogue necessary and inevitable, as each relies on each other to attain a number of policy objectives, most clearly in the case of travel and border security.




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After travelling for funeral, elderly siblings stuck in US yearn for home

When siblings Norma and Warren Williams left Jamaica to attend the funeral of a relative in Margate, South Florida, in February, they had no idea that a rapidly developing COVID-19 outbreak would have crippled global travel, leaving them stranded...




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CRIPPLED - Several St Catherine businesses hobbling as lockdown jitters linger

At least 10 stores inside the Portmore Mall have fallen casualty to the economic chokehold brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, with several others struggling to stay afloat as St Catherine businesses grapple with revenue losses. And with a 14-day...




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Language Access and Schools: Federal Requirements and School Experiences

This is the latest in NCIIP’s language access webinar series exploring the policy and program implementation imperatives for government and community agencies serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations.




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Language Access and Schools: Federal Requirements and School Experiences

This webinar from the MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services program explores federal requirements for providing interpretation and translation in schools and how select school districts in Minnesota and Colorado have managed these requirements.




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Federal Update: A Conversation on Language Access with the U.S. Department of Justice

This MPI webinar features U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials discussing the department’s efforts to improve communications with Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities in federal and federally-funded programs and activities.




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Federal Update: A Conversation on Language Access with the U.S. Department of Justice

This MPI webinar features U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials discussing the department’s efforts to improve communications with Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities in federal and federally-funded programs and activities.




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A neural pathway that erases memories

The discovery of an inhibitory memory circuit could lead to novel treatments for conditions such as PTSD

In order to remember, we must forget. Recent research shows that when your brain retrieves newly encoded information, it suppresses older related information so that it does not interfere with the process of recall. Now a team of European researchers has identified a neural pathway that induces forgetting by actively erasing memories. The findings could eventually lead to novel treatments for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We’ve known since the early 1950s that a brain structure called the hippocampus is critical for memory formation and retrieval, and subsequent work using modern techniques has revealed a great deal of information about the underlying cellular mechanisms. The hippocampus contains neural circuits that loop through three of its sub-regions – the dentate gyrus and the CA3 and CA1 areas – and it’s widely believed that memories form by the strengthening and weakening of synaptic connections within these circuits.

Related: Light switches memories on and off | Mo Costandi

Related: The Homer Simpson effect: forgetting to remember

Continue reading...




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[ Politics ] Open Question : Why was that conservative Yosemite Sam always after that liberal Bugs Bunny?

Why did right-winger Yosemite Sam have problem with the leftist Bugs Bunny?




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[ Polls & Surveys ] Open Question : Girls, what do you think of guys in general?




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Tesla sues California county as Musk threatens to move operations

Tesla filed a lawsuit Saturday against Alameda County, Calif., and CEO Elon Musk threatened to move the company's headquarters and operations out of state.




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Danger Ahead for Aspiring Citizens as New Federal Workforce Law Is Implemented

Ahead of National Citizenship Day, this commentary examines how regulations for the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) at state and local levels could jeopardize citizenship preparation services for millions of immigrants across the United States.




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It is Time for Federal Agencies to Do More to Improve the Provision of Language Access Services

Whether driven by pragmatism, local laws, or federal civil-rights provisions, state and local governments and agencies across the United States increasingly have designed and implemented language access services (i.e. translation and interpretation) in response to growing Limited English Proficient populations. This commentary argues it is time for the federal government to follow suit.




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Winnipeg teens were ready for 'grittier rock 'n' roll' of Little Richard, recalls veteran musician

Drummer Owen Clark, 81, said in the 1950s, Manitoba teenagers would dance to Little Richard all night long. The 87-year-old rock pioneer died on Saturday morning.



  • News/Canada/Manitoba

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Zoa donates blood for COVID-19 plasmatherapy

Producer Karim Morani's daughter Zoa Morani donated her blood for plasmatherapy trials for COVID-19 treatment at Mumbai's Nair hospital today.



  • IMC News Feed

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Record low temperatures for Windsor and much of Ontario as Arctic front moves through

An Arctic cold air mass brought record low temperatures in Windsor and other cities around the province last night



  • News/Canada/Windsor

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Anxious about COVID-19? Get creative with routines, call a friend, says new pandemic therapist

For the past few weeks, Windsor's new pandemic response therapist Dana St. Jean has been spending her time fielding phone calls and speaking with people over video chat to find ways to help them cope with the stresses of COVID-19.



  • News/Canada/Windsor

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Acceleration in Turkey

Ministries in Turkey experience acceleration through wide sowing, building projects, and church planting.