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Western researchers closing in on treatment for long COVID 

Western University researchers are taking a unique global approach to finding an effective treatment for people living with long COVID. Led by Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor Dr. Douglas Fraser, the projects represent the first multi-continental research conducted on long COVID, with study sites in Africa and North and South Americas. The long-term effects of long COVID – including symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue and difficulty breathing – can be debilitating and greatly impact quality of life. At least 65 million people around the world are affected by the condition. 




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‘The legacy I want to leave': How a Maine teen is helping with concussion research

A high school senior from Bangor, Maine, has decided that when the time comes, he will donate his brain to science. Fionn Parker-Cummings is the youngest person to donate his brain to the University of Pittsburgh National Sports Brain Bank. Researchers will check in with him every year for the rest of his life. Parker-Cummings said he hopes the contribution will advance traumatic brain injury research to protect players like NFL quarterbacks Drake Maye and Tua Tagovailoa, who have recently suffered concussions.




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If my business sponsors an overseas worker on a Temporary Skill Shortage (482) visa, can they work for another employer?

When a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) is granted by the Department of Home Affairs it come with a mandatory condition, Condition 8107. This condition governs the visa holder’s employment arrangements and ensures that they adhere to the requirements of the visa. While holding a TSS visa the individuals work rights were generally […]

The post If my business sponsors an overseas worker on a Temporary Skill Shortage (482) visa, can they work for another employer? appeared first on Australian Visa Experts.




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Handling Spelling Mistakes with Postgres Full Text Search

Background #

Postgres Full Text Search (FTS) is a great way to implement site search on a website running Postgres already, without requiring additional infrastructure.

On a recent engagement with a client, we were deciding between Postgres FTS and ElasticSearch. Ultimately we chose FTS because we could spin it up without having to add extra infrastructure, as we would with ElasticSearch.

Since the project was written in Ruby on Rails, we were able to use the excellent PgSearch gem to implement FTS in ActiveRecord.

Multisearch #

As we wanted a general site search, we needed to utilize multisearch. Multisearch combines multiple ActiveRecord models into one search 'document' table that you can search against. For example, if a user searches for some search term, and the search is configured for multisearch, then every single model that we mark as multisearchable will be searched for that term at the same time. See here for more detail.

Search Features #

PgSearch allows for different search features, tsearch, trigram, and dmetaphone. The default is tsearch, which uses the built-in Postgres Full Text Search.

This was great for our use case, since it also comes with highlighting, a feature that was required. The highlighting is from a field returned by Postgres FTS, where it returns the text around the search term for context and bolds the search terms.

Spelling Mistakes #

Unfortunately, tsearch does not handle misspelled words. However, as I mentioned before, PgSearch allows for other search features!

And trigram is a feature that can be installed via a Postgres extension (pg_trgm) that does just that.

Trigram #

  • The idea behind trigram search is to split pieces of text into sets of three-letter segments, and compare the sets to one another
  • If two trigram sets are similar enough, we assume there was a spelling mistake, and return the document with the correctly-spelled term.
  • As a quick example (ignoring whitespace): Consider the word Viget. Viget would make trigrams:
[vig, ige, get]
  • Now, consider our evil twin agency, Qiget. They would make trigrams
[qig, ige, get]
  • The two trigram sets match very closely, with only one of the trigrams not being the same. Thus, if we were to compare these with pg_trgm, we could reasonably tell that anyone typing 'Qiget' must have been actually looking for 'Viget', and just misspelled it.

Working Trigram into our existing solution #

PgSearch allows us to use multiple search features at once, so we can use tsearch and trigram side by side. Note that we cannot just replace tsearch with trigram due to needing some features in tsearch that are exclusive to it. Here is what an example configuration might look like.

PgSearch.multisearch_options = {
  using: {
    tsearch: {
      prefix: true,
      highlight: {
        MaxFragments: 1
      }
    },
    trigram: { 
      only: [:content]
    }
  }
}

Trigram (and timelines) causing issues #

While it was easy to slot Trigram into our multisearch, it caused a pretty serious performance hit. We were seeing 50x-75x slower searches with both features combined than with just tsearch. We needed to find a way to balance performance with handling misspellings

At the point that handling misspellings became prioritized, the entire search feature was almost fully QA'd and about ready to go out. There wasn't much time left in the budget to find a good solution for the issue.

This thread from the PgSearch repo sums it up pretty well – there were multiple other users that were/are having similar issues as we were. The top-rated comment in this thread is someone mentioning that the solution was to just use ElasticSearch ('top-rated' is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It did have the most likes...at two). We needed to find some sort of middle ground solution that we could act on quickly.

Postgres Documentation saves the day #

In the docs for the Trigram Postgres extension, the writers give an idea for using Trigram in conjunction with Full Text Search. The general idea is to create a separate words table that has a Trigram index on it.

Something like this worked for us. Note that we added an additional step with a temporary table. This was to allow us to filter out words that included non-alphabet characters.

execute <<-SQL
  -- Need to make a temp table so we can remove non-alphabet characters like websites
  CREATE TEMP TABLE temp_words AS
    SELECT word FROM ts_stat('SELECT to_tsvector(''simple'', content) FROM pg_search_documents');

  CREATE TABLE pg_search_words (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    word text
  );

  INSERT INTO pg_search_words (word)
    SELECT word
    FROM temp_words
    WHERE word ~ '^[a-zA-Z]+$';
  
  CREATE INDEX pg_words_idx ON pg_search_words USING GIN (word gin_trgm_ops);
  
  DROP TABLE temp_words;
SQL

This words table is therefore populated with every unique word that exists in your search content table. For us, this table was pretty large.

result = ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM pg_search_words").first['count']
puts result.first['count']
# => 1118644

Keeping the words table up-to-date #

As mentioned in the docs, this table is separate from your search table. Therefore, it needs to be either periodically regenerated or at least have any new words added to search content also added to this table.

One way to achieve this is with a trigger, which adds all new words (still filtering out non-alphabet characters) that are inserted into the documents table to the words table

create_trigger("pg_search_documents_after_insert_update_row_tr", generated: true, compatibility: 1)
  .on("pg_search_documents")
  .after(:insert, :update) do
  <<-SQL_ACTIONS
    CREATE TEMP TABLE temp_words AS
      SELECT word FROM ts_stat('SELECT to_tsvector(''simple'', ' || quote_literal(NEW.content) || ')');

    INSERT INTO pg_search_words (word)
      SELECT word
      FROM temp_words
      WHERE word ~ '^[a-zA-Z]+$';

    DROP TABLE temp_words;
  SQL_ACTIONS

end

Note that this does not handle records being deleted from the table – that would need to be something separate.

How we used the words table #

Assuming for simplicity the user's search term is a single word, if the search returns no results, we compare the search term's trigram set to the trigram index on the words table, and return the closest match.

Then, we'd show the closest match in a "Did you mean {correctly-spelled word}?" that hyperlinks to a search of the correctly-spelled word

Given more time, I would have liked to explore options to speed up the combined FTS and Trigram search. I'm certain we could have improved on the performance issues, but I can't say for sure that we could have gotten the search time down to a reasonable amount.

A future enhancement that would be pretty simple is to automatically search for that correctly-spelled word, removing the prompt to click the link. We could also change the text to something like "Showing results for {correctly-spelled word}".

Ultimately, I think with the situation at hand, we made the right call implementing Trigram this way. The search is just as fast as before, and now in the case of misspellings, a user just has to follow the link to the correctly-spelled word and they will see the results they wanted very quickly.




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Do Smart Research on Keywords for Better Search Engine Optimization

                        Would you like a recipe, if it doesn’t contain salt? Of course not, as it is one of the most important ingredients of food. So does ‘Keywords’ for Search Engine Optimization. This is the reason, that researching keywords is very crucial for your online marketing, as this […]

The post Do Smart Research on Keywords for Better Search Engine Optimization appeared first on WPCult.




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Researchers Use Augmented Reality to Teach Kids About Climate Change

By The University of British Columbia While Pokémon Go has helped to bring augmented reality to everyday life, UBC researchers are using similar technology to teach high school students about climate change. Based on the community of Delta B.C., the … Continue reading




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The Way of the Haida ~ Land, Sea, People

“In the beginning of time, there were supernatual beings that lived in the ocean and could come out to be with us and go back into the ocean at will. That is how close we were to the supernatural beings, … Continue reading




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Getting the Urban Into Nature: New Research and New Thinking

By Susan Bales Courtesy of Children & Nature Network Some years ago, I worked as a “nature lady” at a Y camp in the San Bernardino Mountains above Los Angeles. Urban kids who had no experience in nature came to … Continue reading




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The Complete 2022 Guide to Search Engine Optimization

Starting an SEO campaign in 2022 can be a daunting task. Many SEO landscapes are highly competitive, SEO campaigns take a long time to gain returns, and many different types of optimization can be done. But don’t worry, we’re here to help! This guide will give you all the information you need to get your […]

The post The Complete 2022 Guide to Search Engine Optimization appeared first on Snap2objects.




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How to Boost Search Visibility With Life Science SEO

In today’s constantly evolving digital landscape, search engine optimization (SEO) has emerged as a critical tool for enhancing online visibility and bringing more eyes to your content.  Implementing SEO strategies in life science marketing goes beyond simple rankings and clicks, though. It’s about providing valuable, user-focused content that resonates with the target audience you want […]

The post How to Boost Search Visibility With Life Science SEO appeared first on 3.7 Designs.




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From Research to Revenue: A Complete Guide to B2B Software GTM

Launching a new B2B software product requires a different approach than traditional go-to-market strategies. The business model you choose should align with varying types of products and market conditions, as it significantly influences overall sales success and the structuring of sales teams. The software space is crowded, and your potential customers are likely already using […]

The post From Research to Revenue: A Complete Guide to B2B Software GTM appeared first on 3.7 Designs.




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Searching For a Premium WordPress Theme? Use This Checklist

WordPress boasts thousands of free themes, some of which are pretty darn good. But it also offers the option of installing premium themes. They say that you get what you pay for, and this often holds true with premium themes. Your website’s design is your company’s virtual storefront. To mark your presence in the real […]




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NRC Teams Up With Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)

NRCgov posted a photo:

NRC staff members are #OnTheJob with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) staff members touring the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock facilities, where ship and submarine research and development are done for NAVSEA. This partnership explores how 3D printing might be used to create parts for nuclear reactor.

Visit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's website at www.nrc.gov/.
Photo Usage Guidelines: www.flickr.com/people/nrcgov/
Privacy Policy: www.nrc.gov/site-help/privacy.html.
For additional information, or to comment on this photo contact us via e-mail at: OPA.Resource@nrc.gov.




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Low Manganese Levels Worsen Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Scientists have found a link between manganese deficiency and both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and increased inflammation and damage in the intestine.



  • Cell &amp; Molecular Biology

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Researchers Discover Aberrant Proteins That Trigger Lupus

These novel insights will hopefully lead to better treatments for lupus patients, now that we may know why the body attacks itself in this disease.



  • Cell &amp; Molecular Biology

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NASA and ISS National Lab Collaborate on $4M Grant for Space-Based Disease Research

The International Space Station (ISS) has been a beacon of scientific and medical research ever since the station’s first module was launched in 1999



  • Space &amp; Astronomy

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SETI Institute and Partners Pioneer Search for Extraterrestrial Signals Beyond the Milky Way

Are we alone in the universe, and could we find intelligent life beyond the confines of our Milky Way Galaxy? This is what a first-of-its-kind study conduc



  • Space &amp; Astronomy

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NASA Discovers a Global Electric Field After Decades of Search

A team of scientists has used data obtained from a suborbital rocket used in the NASA Endurance mission a to reveal an electric field that is as widespread



  • Space &amp; Astronomy

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SETI Institute and Partners Pioneer Search for Extraterrestrial Signals Beyond the Milky Way

Are we alone in the universe, and could we find intelligent life beyond the confines of our Milky Way Galaxy? This is what a first-of-its-kind study conduc



  • Earth &amp; The Environment

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NASA Discovers a Global Electric Field After Decades of Search

A team of scientists has used data obtained from a suborbital rocket used in the NASA Endurance mission a to reveal an electric field that is as widespread



  • Earth &amp; The Environment

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From Seagrass to Antibiotics: The Breakthrough Potential of Small Molecule In situ Resin Capture

How can oceanic microbes help produce antibiotics? This is what a recent study published in Nature Communications hopes to address as a team of researchers



  • Earth &amp; The Environment

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A Name Change & New Insights for a Common Type of Liver Disease

A colorized scanning electron micrograph depicts a Kupffer cell. / Credit: Thomas Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, UC San Diego.




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Low Manganese Levels Worsen Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Scientists have found a link between manganese deficiency and both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and increased inflammation and damage in the intestine.




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Researchers Discover Aberrant Proteins That Trigger Lupus

These novel insights will hopefully lead to better treatments for lupus patients, now that we may know why the body attacks itself in this disease.




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Organoids Reveal a New Player in Huntington's Disease

Scientists have used an organoid model to gain new insights into Huntington's disease, a fatal genetic disorder that causes neurodenegeration ...



  • Genetics &amp; Genomics

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Promising New Drug Target for Autoimmune Diseases Like MS

Increased expression of gene PRDM1-S triggers loss of immune regulation seen in autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS)



  • Genetics &amp; Genomics

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Low Manganese Levels Worsen Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Scientists have found a link between manganese deficiency and both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and increased inflammation and damage in the intestine.



  • Genetics &amp; Genomics

sea

Organoids Reveal a New Player in Huntington's Disease

Scientists have used an organoid model to gain new insights into Huntington's disease, a fatal genetic disorder that causes neurodenegeration ...




sea

Promising New Drug Target for Autoimmune Diseases Like MS

Increased expression of gene PRDM1-S triggers loss of immune regulation seen in autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS)




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Low Manganese Levels Worsen Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Scientists have found a link between manganese deficiency and both inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and increased inflammation and damage in the intestine.



  • Health &amp; Medicine

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Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Reduces Gum Disease Inflammation

Two weeks of an intensive diabetes treatment can improve periodontal disease inflammation among patients with type 2 diabetes.



  • Health &amp; Medicine

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Researchers Discover Aberrant Proteins That Trigger Lupus

These novel insights will hopefully lead to better treatments for lupus patients, now that we may know why the body attacks itself in this disease.



  • Health &amp; Medicine

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A Faster, Better Way to Diagnose Lyme Disease

Although spending time in nature can reduce stress and generally improve health and well-being, insects like mosquitoes and ticks also pose a risk.



  • Clinical &amp; Molecular DX

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Catching up on Sleep on Weekends Lowers Heart Disease Risk

Using weekends to catch up on lost sleep may lower your risk of developing heart disease by about 20%.



  • Clinical &amp; Molecular DX

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Blood Test Can Predict 30-Year Heart Disease Risk in Women

If people can get advanced warnings that they are at high risk for certain diseases, they might be able to implement lifestyle changes that can reduce ...



  • Clinical &amp; Molecular DX

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High Cholesterol Early in Life Raises Risk of Artery Disease

Eating an unhealthy diet when young could accelerate the risk of developing artery disease.



  • Clinical &amp; Molecular DX

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From Seagrass to Antibiotics: The Breakthrough Potential of Small Molecule In situ Resin Capture

How can oceanic microbes help produce antibiotics? This is what a recent study published in Nature Communications hopes to address as a team of researchers




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Direct PCR: Streamlining Respiratory Disease Testing Research

In this report, we highlight that direct PCR, an extraction-free workflow: Can serve as an alternative to an extraction-based workflow for simpler, streaml




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A Faster, Better Way to Diagnose Lyme Disease

Although spending time in nature can reduce stress and generally improve health and well-being, insects like mosquitoes and ticks also pose a risk.




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Friedman School Speaker Series: Eliminating Labor Abuses at Sea to Achieve Sustainable Seafood

Nov 20, 2024, 12:15pm EST

Speakers:

Bruno Ciceri, Stella Maris



Chris Williams, Fisheries Section Coordinator of the International Transport Workers' Federation



Noel Adabblah, Fisherman



Moderated by Jess Sparks, Assistant Professor, Friedman School

Online Location Details: Details provided via email
BuildingJaharis Family Center for Biomedical and Nutrition Sciences
Campus Location: Boston Health Sciences campus
City: Boston, MA 02111
Campus: Boston Health Sciences campus
Location Details: *Jaharis 118 and Online, Please note that this Speaker Series event will NOT be held in Behrakis Auditorium
Wheelchair Accessible (for in-person events): Yes
Open to Public: No
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate)
Event Type: Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Diversity/Identity/Inclusive Excellence, Health/Wellness
Event Sponsor: Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
RSVP Information: No RSVP necessary
Event Admission: Free



  • 2024/11/20 (Wed)

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Sappho Overseas with Barbara Graziosi (Princeton)

Nov 15, 2024, 12pm EST

All are welcome to come to Sophia Gordon Hall, Room 100 (15 Talbot Avenue, Medford), on Friday, November 15 at noon to hear Professor Barbara Graziosi from Princeton University discuss the impact and interpretation of Sappho. This event will be moderated by Gregory Crane, chair of the Tufts Department of Classical Studies.

Graziosi is the Ewing Professor of Greek Language and Literature and the department chair of the Department of Classics at Princeton University. Her research focuses on ancient Greek literature and the ways in which different readers, through time and across the globe, make it their own.

This event is available in person and on Zoom. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

BuildingSophia Gordon Hall
Campus Location: Medford/Somerville campus
City: Somerville, MA 02144
Campus: Medford/Somerville campus
Location Details: Room 100
Open to Public: Yes
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate), Students (Postdoctoral)
Event Type: Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Humanities, Innovation
Event Sponsor: School of Arts and Sciences
Event Sponsor Details: Tufts University
Event Contact Name: Amanda Pepper
Event Contact Emailamanada.pepper@tufts.edu
Event Contact Phone: 2037639353
RSVP Information: No RSVP needed
Event Admission: Free
More infohumanities.tufts.edu…



  • 2024/11/15 (Fri)

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Search Page added to the IWMW 2006 Web site.

A search Page for searching all the Institutional Web Management Workshops has been added to the IWMW 2006 Web site. [2006-01-16]




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Search Page now available

A search page for the IWMW 2007 site is now available. It uses a Google search box and a Google Coop Search Engine. [2006-12-11]




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B4: Search Technology within the University Environment

William Mackintosh, Web Manager, University of York and Damon Querry, Senior Web Development Officer, University of Newcastle upon Tyne will be looking at Search Technology within the University Environmen. The University of Newcastle upon Tyne has implemented a Google Search Appliance. The University of York is committed to the purchase of the Google Mini. The session will discuss the reasons for selecting these products and how they add value to an institution's Web site.




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Signed, Sealed, Delivered: New Jersey Implements Long-Delayed Landmark WARN Law

On January 10, 2023, Governor Philip D. Murphy signed into law S3162 / A4768, which makes the 2020 amendments to NJ WARN effective 90 days from his signature, irrespective of whether a State of Emergency still exists.

As previously reported, under these amendments:




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Seattle Paid Sick Time and Paid Safe Time Ordinance




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Regulatory Compliance in a Post-Chevron World: Fasten Your Seatbelts

Alex MacDonald says the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Chevron will likely impact regulatory bodies and the employers they oversee.

Corporate Compliance Insights

View




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Biden's DOL Pick Walsh In The Hot Seat: What To Watch For

Michael Lotito shares his predictions for workplace training and labor management under Marty Walsh’s leadership.

Law360

View Article (Subscription required.) 




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New York Bans Consideration of Sealed Convictions in Employment Decisions

Michael Paglialonga and Stephen Fuchs discuss New York’s new Clean Slate Act, which will prohibit employers from inquiring about sealed records or discriminating against applicants or employees based on sealed records.

SHRM Online

View (Subscription required.)




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Littler Austin’s 2022 Holiday Season Lunch and Learn