Written By: Greg Dickson?on?March 16, 2012One Comment
During the last years selling techniques have totally changed. Some orthodox selling techniques are still in operation but their potency has significantly reduced. These day?s videos are highly ranked in promoting techniques. Business personals employ diverse selling techniques with the target of inflating traffic. The usefulness of video marketing technique solely relies on the business methodology. This must be considered that these techniques suits the business objective and marketing plans. This isn't contested that the benefits of such strategies are abounding.
Employing video marketing for small business does not need consistent costs. A video is to be made and uploaded only once. The making of the video is a comparatively tiny investment in comparison to the results it will bring. If the entrepreneur succeeds in making a video that demonstrate its product qualities the video will be in constant usage. This suggests that the video will convey the message to every person viewing it.
Nowadays video marketing is considered amongst the most cost effective promoting techniques. The print method of advertising has a short time span especially in these times of web. With the use of video marketing one can keep control of all of the spectators for example their accurate timings and total number of perspectives. This acts as a freed from cost feedback for the businessman. Small entrepreneurs can benefit a lot from online video marketing. The end results can be constructive and the costs sustained are minor.
Only a video has to be made and there is not any super expensive equipment needed. The person must take into account that the video must be definite and not too long. It also must be capable of transferring the message to the future customer. In making a video often digicams are preferred. A phone camera can also do. There are plenty of telephones with high-definition results.
Video marketing has gained enormous attention after a large amount of research and study on marketing methods. People are using tools like YouTube analytics to understand about the market. Essentially people are most prone to watch a video instead of reading a static article. Watching a video may also be entertaining for the potential customer in comparison to gather info from a text article. Selling classifieds depend a lot on online videos to turn potential ones into proper clients.
Greg Dickson gives useful tips for video marketing. Small businesses relying on video marketing for small business can find many useful tips and tricks here. You will find it easy to learn how meta data influences video SEO apart from mastering YouTube analytics. UK Video Marketing has it all.
Traveling is often undertaken following a great deal of planning so that there could not be any sick taking place in the course of travel but even then it is often unsure that you will not have to undergo any mishap. Whilst wellbeing is the significant problem throughout traveling no person can disregard it. Even for some individuals it is very tough to travel lengthy distance owing to some health problems. Travel wellness insurance policies proves as the basic specifications at this sort of instances.
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Looking for a band for your tech conference, wedding, or launch party? San Francisco startup Hear It Local has just launched a private concert booking and crowdfunding platform that connects you to local musicians. Smaller venues can also use Hear It Local to fill their calendars with great affordable bands. Unique experiences are rising in value thanks to mobile devices and social networks that make it easy to share our attendance. As both individuals and big brands throw more events, and services like EventBrite make them easier to mange, Hear It Local could grow by bridging the divide between promoters and talent.
LAKEWOOD, Washington (Reuters) - Around the home base of the American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians there is a sense of dedication to a tough job, but stress from years of battle in repeated tours in the "sand box" of Iraq and Afghanistan is eating away at troops.
"A lot of the guys, especially those with a lot of deployments, have built up a numbness to people being killed or hurt," said one veteran of six tours abroad, including Iraq and Afghanistan, describing his own reaction to the weekend shooting. "The people who hate us are going to put a bad spin on us no matter what we do."
The 33-year-old sergeant says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He asked not to be identified, since the base has told soldiers not to speak with media.
"These things happen," Vietnam veteran John Haddick, an elder at Lake City Community Church in Lakewood, Washington, said of the weekend killings in Afghanistan.
"It's not going to change individuals that much, this one incident, or their attitude to deployment. They understand it's a hazardous place," said Haddick, who speaks to many serving soldiers and veterans in his role at the church, a 10 minute drive from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and helps them overcome their ordeal.
TROUBLE SPOT
A U.S. staff sergeant from the base has been detained by U.S. authorities after 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, were shot dead at the weekend in what witnesses described as a night-time massacre near a U.S. base in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
A U.S. official said the military flew the soldier out of Afghanistan, and media reports said he was taken to Kuwait.
Lewis-McChord, 10 miles southwest of Tacoma, Washington, is the largest military base on the West Coast, with about 40,000 military personnel, swelled to more than 60,000 by civilians and families.
Currently, 5,955 troops - including 5,400 Army, 500 Air Force and 55 Air Force Reserve troops - are serving in Afghanistan from the base. That accounts for about 7 percent of the 90,000-strong U.S. force in Afghanistan.
"They are not going to be normal again," said Alicia Underberg, 60, a retiree, in an interview at the nearby Veterans Affairs hospital, where she was helping a retired Marine sniper with PTSD who takes 11 medications daily and sleeps away most of his days.
"They serve so many tours," she said. "What is it going to be like when they try to integrate with society?"
There are concerns that the Army does not always take care of soldiers damaged - physically or mentally - by the rigors of war.
"It's like they break them, and don't want to fix them. So they just find anything to shut them out," said the wife of a sergeant who has served multiple tours of duty in Iraq over a 17-year Army career.
FEAR AND LOATHING
More than 4,000 Army combat soldiers from Lewis-McChord's 2nd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, are scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan in April and May.
"If I was to go to Afghanistan, I would be scared," said 23-year-old Alyssa Patrick, a reservist who left her full-time post in the Army in 2010 after serving at a big base in Iraq, which she said felt normal in comparison.
Together the two countries are called "the sand box", she said.
Patrick said a male friend of hers who is single was getting ready to deploy and excited by the prospects of higher pay and a new experience.
"Some people are addicted to war, some are moderate, and some people don't want to go," said a second soldier who declined to be identified.
A third, who once served near the place of the civilian shooting in Kandahar, said his unit had struggled to establish a rapport with locals.
"I put in blood, sweat and tears, and I mean that literally. It just makes it harder. We can't leave like we left Vietnam, scrambling from the embassy rooftop," he said.
The 33-year-old sergeant who spoke of numbness toward violence said the main hit to morale after the Kandahar shooting was having to deal with more training about PTSD.
"Everyone was like, Really? Are you kidding me?," he said. "Somebody screwed up, and we have to do additional training."
(Additional reporting by Laura Myers; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
LOS ANGELES, March 13 (TheWrap.com) - "Once" was not enough, as a movie. So a Broadway adaptation of the 2006 film officially opens next week, preceded by a soundtrack that has a pair of actors stepping into the vocal parts created so indelibly on screen by the duo the Swell Season.
But is the new release a cast recording, covers album, or both?
It's a bit disconcerting, if you're a fan of Glen Hansard -- the auteur behind the Swell Season as well as the Irish band the Frames -- to hear a seasoned and inevitably slicker thespian take over what amounted to nearly a full album's worth of Hansard lead vocals. Whatever other concessions have been made for the theater, this "score" still consists primarily of one guy (or "Guy," as his character is listed in the credits) performing contemporary singer/songwriter material, with and without the harmonizing of a female lead.
Diehard rockists will inevitably approach the "Once" cast album as something along the lines of "Swell Season Mania ? not the real Swell Season, but an incredible simulation!"
But Steve Kazee, the male lead, at least has no problem duplicating Hansard's vocal fluency and fluidity, effortlessly gliding from a conversational tone to yearning falsetto, even if he inevitably lacks the Irish rocker's edge. There's not very wide of a line to toe between trying too hard to sound like an authentically gritty troubadour and turning these ballads into overly polished show tunes, but Kazee walks it about as well as any pro could.
Still, one of the most remarkable things about Hansard's voice, and what made him such a remarkable screen presence in the movie, is the undercurrent of feisty bitterness he brings to songs that might otherwise be too sweet. There's a world of hurt in Hansard's singing, and he only has to hint at it. You don't hear any of that anger in Kazee's interpretations, just sheer, melodious yearning. Which, maybe, is enough.
The female lead doesn't have as much to do, and when we did hear Hansard's partner, Czech-born Marketa Irglova, singing lead parts in the movie, there was a beautiful inscrutability to her voice that perfectly befit the sometimes mysterious motivations of a character who momentarily holds the purse strings on the hero's heart. On the cast album, Cristin Milioti has a much more knowing quality to her voice, which puts a slightly different, equally valid spin on the material.
The songs you know and love from repeat home-video viewings are here, including, of course, "Falling Down," just about the only Best Song Oscar winner from the last 30 years that anybody can remember or much cares to.
What isn't here, alas, is any fresh Hansard material. The two "new" tracks are a traditional Czech number, which adds some much-needed ethnic zest to a score that otherwise relishes its languor, and "Abandoned in Bandon," a minute-long Irish drinking song performed by some incidental characters in the play's pub setting.
Maybe Hansard was asked to contribute new songs and declined, but it seems more likely that the show's producers felt show-goers would just be pleased to hear those 6-year-old tunes in a live setting. From all reports, the show has been opened up in other aspects, with more attention to supporting characters. So it's a shame that when it came to the music, everyone fell prey to the "recreate the movie" syndrome common to stage adaptations instead of hiring Hansard to add something fresh.
If you're either na?ve or willfully amnesiac enough to approach "Once's" song score as an original one, you'll be suitably impressed. If you're a fan who's already given these songs the once-over many times over, you'll hear the album for what it is: almost swell.
Breakthroughs in Chikungunya research from A*STAR spell new hope for better treatment and protectionPublic release date: 14-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dr. Sarah Chang KC chang_kai_chen@a-star.edu.sg 65-682-66442 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Scientists at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network have made great strides in the battle against the infectious disease
Recent breakthroughs in Chikungunya research spearheaded by scientists at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) have made great strides in the battle against the infectious disease. Working in close collaborations with Singapore clinician-scientists and international researchers , Dr Lisa Ng, Principal Investigator of the Chikungunya research group at SIgN, led the team to discover a direct biomarker which serves as an early and accurate prognosis of patients who have a higher risk of the more severe form of Chikungunya fever (CHIKF). This means that doctors can now quickly and accurately identify patients at risk, facilitating a more targetted treatment and clinical care at the onset of the disease.
Chikungunya fever, caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) , is a mosquito-borne, infectious disease endemic to Southeast Asia and Africa. Since its re-emergence in 2005, CHIKV infection has spread to nearly 20 countries to infect millions . Singapore, for instance, was hit twice by Chikungunya fever outbreaks in January and August 2008.
CHIKV infection is characterised by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by severe muscle and joint pains. Though most patients recover fully within a week, in severe cases, the joint pains may persist for months, or even years. For individuals with a weak immune system, the disease can result in death. With no clinically-approved vaccine or treatment for Chikungunya fever, it remains a worrying public health problem.
To devise strategies to stop CHIKV transmission, Dr Ng's team collaborated with Professor Leo Yee Sin and Dr Angela Chow, clinician-scientists from the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital , to study how the human body responds to CHIKV infection. The team conducted a comprehensive study on the antibody response against CHIKV in patients. They discovered that patients who respond to the disease at the onset with high levels of Immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3), a naturally-acquired antibody, are protected from the more severe form of Chikungunya fever, characterised by persistent joint pains. On the other hand, patients with a delayed IgG3 response generally have less acute symptoms at the start, but are more susceptible to chronic debilitating joint pains at later stage of the disease. Hence, the IgG3 antibodies serve as a specific biomarker of patients with increased risk of the severe form of the disease.
Collaborating with computational experts from A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), Dr Ng's team also uncovered that a very small defined segment of the Chikungunya viral protein, named "E2EP3", was able to induce the natural IgG3 protective response in preclinical models. They found that mice vaccinated with the E2EP3 peptides were protected against CHIKV with significant reduction in viral counts and joint inflammation. This finding raises hope for a new effective Chikungunya vaccine that can offer protection against Chikungunya virus in the event of an outbreak.
Dr Ng said, "Long-term treatment required for the chronic joint pain in Chikungunya-infected patients places social and economic burden for both patients and the public healthcare system. We are excited that the mechanistic insights gained through our collaborative research with the local hospitals and international research partners have led to discovery of 'new weapons' to tackle Chikungunya more effectively."
Scientific Director of SIgN, Professor Paola Castagnoli said, "With increasing threat of Chikungunya virus infection, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region, this significant breakthrough is a step forward in enhancing our pandemic preparedness against the infectious disease. This is a testament to the successful collaborations between research scientists and clinicians in translating scientific discoveries into impactful healthcare solutions for the benefit of Singapore and beyond. "
###
Footnotes:
[1] Dr Ng has collaborations with Dr Pierre Roques from CEA, France and Dr Jamal I-Ching Sam from the University of Malaya through the Integrated Chikungunya Research (ICRES) consortium network, which is headed by Professor John K. Fazakerley from The Roslin Institute, Centre for Infectious Diseases, the UK. ICRES consortium, supported by the European Union (EU) Framework Program 7 (FP7), is a platform for international collaborations where significant research breakthroughs in CHIKF can be further expanded into new strategies to monitor, detect, treat and protect the world-wide community from the threat of CHIKV.
[2]CHIKV, an alphavirus that is transmitted by infected Aedes mosquitoes, was first isolated in 1953 in Tanzania from infected patients who often developed a contorted posture owing to debilitating joint pains. The name Chikungunya means 'that which bends up' in the Makonde language of Southern Africa.
[3]http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/chikungunya/ and http://www.promedmail.org/
Notes for editor:
1. Dr Lisa Ng's research group at SIgN focusses on the human body's immune responses to vector-borned diseases that are epidemic or highly endemic in the tropical region. Broadening her scope from the immunological stand-point, Dr Ng works closely with clinicians and public health experts in developing infectious disease preparedness through vaccines, diagnostic kits, and therapeutic antibodies. For her significant scientific contributions to research on infectious diseases, Dr Ng is the first Singaporean and woman scientist to be awarded the ASEAN Young Scientist and Technologist Award in 2008. As Adjunct Professor with the Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, and at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Dr Ng also takes personal interest in mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students.
2. The research findings described in this media release can be found in the 2 March 2012 issues of the following scientific journals:-
I. The Journal of Infectious Diseases under the title, "Early Appearance of Neutralizing Immunoglobulin G3 Antibodies Is Associated With Chikungunya Virus Clearance and Long-term Clinical Protection" by Yiu-Wing Kam1, Diane Simarmata1, Angela Chow2,3, Zhisheng Her1,4, Terk-Shin Teng1, Edward K. S. Ong1, Laurent Rnia1,Yee-Sin Leo2 and Lisa F. P. Ng1,4
1 Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
2 Communicable Disease Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
3 Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
4 Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Full text of the article can be accessed from
http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/02/08/infdis.jis033.full.pdf+html
II. EMBO Molecular Medicine under the title, "Early Neutralizing IgG response to Chikungunya virus in infected patients targets a dominant linear epitope on the E2 glycoprotein" by Yiu-Wing Kam1*, Fok-Moon Lum1,2*, Teck-Hui Teo1*, Wendy W. L. Lee1, Diane Simarmata1, Sumitro Harjanto1,3, Chong-Long Chua4, Yoke-Fun Chan4, Jin-Kiat Wee1,3, Angela Chow5, Raymond T. P. Lin6, Yee-Sin Leo5, Roger Le Grand7, I-Ching Sam4, Joo-Chuan Tong2,3, Pierre Roques7, Karl-Heinz Wiesmller8, Laurent Rnia1, Olaf Rtzschke1, Lisa F. P. Ng1,2
1 Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Biopolis, Singapore, Singapore
2 Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National
University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
3 Data Mining Department, Institute for Infocomm Research, A*STAR Fusionopolis, Singapore, Singapore
4 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5 Communicable Diseases Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
6 National Public Health Laboratory, Communicable Diseases Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore, Singapore
7 Division of ImmunoVirology (SIV), Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (IMETI), CEA, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
8 EMC Microcollections GmbH, Tbingen, Germany
* These authors contributed equally to this work
Abstract of this article can be accessed from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/emmm.201200213/abstract
AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH (A*STAR)
For media queries and clarifications, please contact:
Sarah Chang KC (Dr.)
Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Tel: (65) 6826 6442
Email: chang_kai_chen@a-star.edu.sg
About the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN)
The Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), officially inaugurated on 15 January 2008, is a research consortium under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)'s Biomedical Research Council. The mandate of SIgN is to advance human immunology research and participate in international efforts to combat major health problems. Since its launch, SIgN has grown rapidly and currently includes 200 scientists from 25 different countries around the world working under 20 renowned principal investigators. At SIgN, researchers investigate immunity during infection and various inflammatory conditions including cancer and are supported by cutting edge technological research platforms and core services.
Through this, SIgN aims to build a strong platform in basic human immunology research for better translation of research findings into clinical applications. SIgN also sets out to establish productive links with local and international institutions, and encourage the exchange of ideas and expertise between academic, industrial and clinical partners and thus contribute to a vibrant research environment in Singapore. For more information about SIgN, please visit www.sign.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and six consortia & centres, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis as well as their immediate vicinity.
A*STAR supports Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, and with other local and international partners.
For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.
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Breakthroughs in Chikungunya research from A*STAR spell new hope for better treatment and protectionPublic release date: 14-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dr. Sarah Chang KC chang_kai_chen@a-star.edu.sg 65-682-66442 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Scientists at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network have made great strides in the battle against the infectious disease
Recent breakthroughs in Chikungunya research spearheaded by scientists at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) have made great strides in the battle against the infectious disease. Working in close collaborations with Singapore clinician-scientists and international researchers , Dr Lisa Ng, Principal Investigator of the Chikungunya research group at SIgN, led the team to discover a direct biomarker which serves as an early and accurate prognosis of patients who have a higher risk of the more severe form of Chikungunya fever (CHIKF). This means that doctors can now quickly and accurately identify patients at risk, facilitating a more targetted treatment and clinical care at the onset of the disease.
Chikungunya fever, caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) , is a mosquito-borne, infectious disease endemic to Southeast Asia and Africa. Since its re-emergence in 2005, CHIKV infection has spread to nearly 20 countries to infect millions . Singapore, for instance, was hit twice by Chikungunya fever outbreaks in January and August 2008.
CHIKV infection is characterised by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by severe muscle and joint pains. Though most patients recover fully within a week, in severe cases, the joint pains may persist for months, or even years. For individuals with a weak immune system, the disease can result in death. With no clinically-approved vaccine or treatment for Chikungunya fever, it remains a worrying public health problem.
To devise strategies to stop CHIKV transmission, Dr Ng's team collaborated with Professor Leo Yee Sin and Dr Angela Chow, clinician-scientists from the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital , to study how the human body responds to CHIKV infection. The team conducted a comprehensive study on the antibody response against CHIKV in patients. They discovered that patients who respond to the disease at the onset with high levels of Immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3), a naturally-acquired antibody, are protected from the more severe form of Chikungunya fever, characterised by persistent joint pains. On the other hand, patients with a delayed IgG3 response generally have less acute symptoms at the start, but are more susceptible to chronic debilitating joint pains at later stage of the disease. Hence, the IgG3 antibodies serve as a specific biomarker of patients with increased risk of the severe form of the disease.
Collaborating with computational experts from A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), Dr Ng's team also uncovered that a very small defined segment of the Chikungunya viral protein, named "E2EP3", was able to induce the natural IgG3 protective response in preclinical models. They found that mice vaccinated with the E2EP3 peptides were protected against CHIKV with significant reduction in viral counts and joint inflammation. This finding raises hope for a new effective Chikungunya vaccine that can offer protection against Chikungunya virus in the event of an outbreak.
Dr Ng said, "Long-term treatment required for the chronic joint pain in Chikungunya-infected patients places social and economic burden for both patients and the public healthcare system. We are excited that the mechanistic insights gained through our collaborative research with the local hospitals and international research partners have led to discovery of 'new weapons' to tackle Chikungunya more effectively."
Scientific Director of SIgN, Professor Paola Castagnoli said, "With increasing threat of Chikungunya virus infection, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region, this significant breakthrough is a step forward in enhancing our pandemic preparedness against the infectious disease. This is a testament to the successful collaborations between research scientists and clinicians in translating scientific discoveries into impactful healthcare solutions for the benefit of Singapore and beyond. "
###
Footnotes:
[1] Dr Ng has collaborations with Dr Pierre Roques from CEA, France and Dr Jamal I-Ching Sam from the University of Malaya through the Integrated Chikungunya Research (ICRES) consortium network, which is headed by Professor John K. Fazakerley from The Roslin Institute, Centre for Infectious Diseases, the UK. ICRES consortium, supported by the European Union (EU) Framework Program 7 (FP7), is a platform for international collaborations where significant research breakthroughs in CHIKF can be further expanded into new strategies to monitor, detect, treat and protect the world-wide community from the threat of CHIKV.
[2]CHIKV, an alphavirus that is transmitted by infected Aedes mosquitoes, was first isolated in 1953 in Tanzania from infected patients who often developed a contorted posture owing to debilitating joint pains. The name Chikungunya means 'that which bends up' in the Makonde language of Southern Africa.
[3]http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/chikungunya/ and http://www.promedmail.org/
Notes for editor:
1. Dr Lisa Ng's research group at SIgN focusses on the human body's immune responses to vector-borned diseases that are epidemic or highly endemic in the tropical region. Broadening her scope from the immunological stand-point, Dr Ng works closely with clinicians and public health experts in developing infectious disease preparedness through vaccines, diagnostic kits, and therapeutic antibodies. For her significant scientific contributions to research on infectious diseases, Dr Ng is the first Singaporean and woman scientist to be awarded the ASEAN Young Scientist and Technologist Award in 2008. As Adjunct Professor with the Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, and at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Dr Ng also takes personal interest in mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students.
2. The research findings described in this media release can be found in the 2 March 2012 issues of the following scientific journals:-
I. The Journal of Infectious Diseases under the title, "Early Appearance of Neutralizing Immunoglobulin G3 Antibodies Is Associated With Chikungunya Virus Clearance and Long-term Clinical Protection" by Yiu-Wing Kam1, Diane Simarmata1, Angela Chow2,3, Zhisheng Her1,4, Terk-Shin Teng1, Edward K. S. Ong1, Laurent Rnia1,Yee-Sin Leo2 and Lisa F. P. Ng1,4
1 Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
2 Communicable Disease Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
3 Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
4 Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Full text of the article can be accessed from
http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/02/08/infdis.jis033.full.pdf+html
II. EMBO Molecular Medicine under the title, "Early Neutralizing IgG response to Chikungunya virus in infected patients targets a dominant linear epitope on the E2 glycoprotein" by Yiu-Wing Kam1*, Fok-Moon Lum1,2*, Teck-Hui Teo1*, Wendy W. L. Lee1, Diane Simarmata1, Sumitro Harjanto1,3, Chong-Long Chua4, Yoke-Fun Chan4, Jin-Kiat Wee1,3, Angela Chow5, Raymond T. P. Lin6, Yee-Sin Leo5, Roger Le Grand7, I-Ching Sam4, Joo-Chuan Tong2,3, Pierre Roques7, Karl-Heinz Wiesmller8, Laurent Rnia1, Olaf Rtzschke1, Lisa F. P. Ng1,2
1 Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Biopolis, Singapore, Singapore
2 Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National
University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
3 Data Mining Department, Institute for Infocomm Research, A*STAR Fusionopolis, Singapore, Singapore
4 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5 Communicable Diseases Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
6 National Public Health Laboratory, Communicable Diseases Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore, Singapore
7 Division of ImmunoVirology (SIV), Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (IMETI), CEA, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
8 EMC Microcollections GmbH, Tbingen, Germany
* These authors contributed equally to this work
Abstract of this article can be accessed from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/emmm.201200213/abstract
AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH (A*STAR)
For media queries and clarifications, please contact:
Sarah Chang KC (Dr.)
Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Tel: (65) 6826 6442
Email: chang_kai_chen@a-star.edu.sg
About the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN)
The Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), officially inaugurated on 15 January 2008, is a research consortium under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)'s Biomedical Research Council. The mandate of SIgN is to advance human immunology research and participate in international efforts to combat major health problems. Since its launch, SIgN has grown rapidly and currently includes 200 scientists from 25 different countries around the world working under 20 renowned principal investigators. At SIgN, researchers investigate immunity during infection and various inflammatory conditions including cancer and are supported by cutting edge technological research platforms and core services.
Through this, SIgN aims to build a strong platform in basic human immunology research for better translation of research findings into clinical applications. SIgN also sets out to establish productive links with local and international institutions, and encourage the exchange of ideas and expertise between academic, industrial and clinical partners and thus contribute to a vibrant research environment in Singapore. For more information about SIgN, please visit www.sign.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and six consortia & centres, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis as well as their immediate vicinity.
A*STAR supports Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, and with other local and international partners.
For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.
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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) ? The Arizona Cardinals, for decades the laughingstock of the NFL, find themselves in the running for the services of one of the game's greatest quarterbacks.
Peyton Manning spent nearly 6? hours at the Arizona Cardinals' headquarters and training facility on Sunday in meetings designed to lure the superstar to the desert.
The session followed a meeting of nearly six hours Manning had at the Broncos' facility in Denver on Friday night. The two sessions were evidence that, for the time being at least, Arizona and Denver appear to be the top two contenders.
After his Arizona visit, Manning headed home to Florida, where he may or may not meet with the Miami Dolphins and return to his workouts as he comes back from a series of neck surgeries.
Manning waved and smiled at cheering fans as he walked from the Cardinals' facility to coach Ken Whisenhunt's white SUV. With the coach at the wheel, Manning waved again as the SUV pulled through the security gate and past the loud supporters.
Titans owner Bud Adams told The Tennessean on Sunday that he has contacted Manning's agent, Tom Condon, to express his interest and ask for the quarterback to visit the Titans. The 89-year-old Adams said he will be upset if he doesn't land the former Indianapolis Colts star.
Multiple reports on Sunday had Manning declining visits to Seattle and Kansas City.
Cardinals President Michael Bidwill, son of owner Bill Bidwill, left immediately after Manning and Whisenhunt did. It has been under the younger Bidwill's leadership that the franchise has shed its penny-pinching image and found success on the field.
Larry Fitzgerald, one of the best receivers in the game and considered a prime reason why Manning might choose Arizona, spent about three hours at the Manning sessions before leaving to make a flight to Australia for a vacation.
General manager Rod Graves and most members of Whisenhunt's staff, including offensive line and assistant head coach Russ Grimm. Wide receiver Andre Roberts spent several hours there, as did Lisa Manning (no relation), the Cardinals' vice president for marketing.
Bidwill arrived about an hour and a half after Manning did.
"Get it done, Michael," a fan yelled. "Come on, buddy."
Among the earliest of the few dozen fans who came to the facility to try to get a glimpse of Manning was 26-year-old Jarred Light, a Colts fan who moved to the Phoenix area 1? years ago.
"I pretty much grew up around him," he said. "When I was 12 is when he came to Indy. Now I'm 26, so pretty much ever since I've been interested in football he was my favorite everything. I've seen him a couple of times in Indy from living there so many years, and now I just wanted to come out here and see if he will come to the Cardinals."
There were several other people there in Colts' No. 18 jerseys.
A couple of fans wore Broncos jerseys and were loudly booed when they were interviewed by television crews.
Manning, who turns 36 on March 24, reportedly wants to make a decision in the next few days. Time is of the essence for the Cardinals, who are scheduled to pay quarterback Kevin Kolb $7 million if he is on the roster Thursday.
Manning was released by the Colts as the lead move in the team's massive restructuring of its roster. With Manning out the entire season while undergoing a series of neck surgeries, Indianapolis had the worst record in the NFL and is expected to select quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Manning has reported good progress as he works to regenerate nerves in his neck and regain his throwing form.
In addition to having Fitzgerald to lure the quarterback, the Cardinals have a coach who reportedly has a long friendship with Manning.
In addition, Whisenhunt is flexible in his approach to the game. He built a team around Kurt Warner and gave the veteran quarterback free rein to change the plays at the line of scrimmage. As a result, the long-suffering Cardinals franchise made a surprise run to the Super Bowl in the 2008 season and captured the NFC West title again the next year.
Warner said on Saturday that it's a measure of how far the Cardinals have come as a franchise that they have made such a full-court attempt to land Manning.
The Cardinals also have a state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof and a natural grass field. The addition of Manning might prompt the franchise to follow through on earlier plans to build a practice bubble so players can escape the stifling heat during summer mini-camps and early season practices.
A concern could be Arizona's inconsistent offensive line that could lose left tackle Levi Brown, who is expected to be released because he is due a big payday and wouldn't return unless he signed a new contract.
Less than a year ago, shortly after the lockout ended, Arizona traded cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick to Philadelphia for Kolb, then signed the quarterback to a big contract. But Kolb had trouble adjusting to the new offense and missed eight starts with injuries. Second-year pro John Skelton wound up starting half the games and having more success than Kolb did.
If Manning doesn't come to Arizona, the Cardinals will be faced with assuring Kolb that his services are still coveted, that the pursuit of the star was nothing personal.
Virginia Commonwealth University basketball fans said Sunday they liked VCU?s chances in their NCAA tournament opener, but several were disappointed that the game will be in Portland, Ore.
VCU will play Wichita State on Thursday in the tourney?s South region.
?Haven?t these people heard that Portland, Oregon, ain?t in the South?? said Debbie Coberly, 56, of Chesterfield County.
She was geared to go pretty much anywhere east of the Mississippi River to see VCU play, she said.
?I?ve got a new truck and (travel) trailer. We were ready,? said her son, Martin, 21.
Sporting a VCU ballcap with rams? horns, Debbie added, ?I?m sort of glad we?ll be saving money.?
They spoke outside the Champps sports restaurant in Stony Point Fashion Park, where about 300 VCU fans gathered to watch big-screen broadcasts of tournament pairings and hear a live broadcast from radio ESPN 950?s Greg Burton.
Several fans were happy to see the Rams paired against Wichita State, which VCU beat last year 68-67 in a BracketBusters game.
?That kind of kicked off VCU?s great season,? when the Rams reached the tournament?s Final Four, said Buddy Noland, 64, of Chester. ?It?s kind of a rematch.?
?It?s a very winnable game, in my opinion,? said Peter Mooney, 24, of Henrico County.
Jake Meador, 13, of Hanover County said he was looking forward to the big game. He has been going to VCU games since he was a baby.
?They?re real exciting,? he said, ?and I like watching them play.?
New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use
If you?re looking for some ways to keep fit and stay healthy, you are in the right place. In this article you?ll get to know three simple ways to improve your health and fitness. As a result, you?ll also improve your quality of life. Here are the tips:
1. Eat less processed food and more natural food
Processed food such as products made from white flour (white bread, pasta), fast food (French fries, hot dogs etc.) and unhealthy cookies, cakes and other sweets are packed with calories, yet they provide little nutritional value. Consequently, eating these foods leads to obesity.
Natural foods such as vegetables and fruits will not only help you maintain healthy weight (or help you lose weight) ? they will also help you improve your cholesterol levels and decrease your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Your diet is one of the most important things influencing your overall well-being. Change your eating habits and you?ll quickly see positive changes.
2. Become fitter thanks to regular exercise
If you don?t have enough exercise, then there?s no wonder that you don?t feel fit, healthy and vibrant. Exercise not only keeps your body strong and young-looking ? it also affects your mental health which is also very important for overall well-being.
People who exercise on a regular basis are fitter, healthier and better-looking. If you want to slow down the aging process and maintain health even in the old age, you have to make exercise a part of your life. Find something that gives you joy and practice it often!
3. Reduce stress
Chronic stress is a very dangerous health condition which can lead to many health problems including chronic diseases such as depression, high blood pressure, insomnia and even such health problems as suicidal thoughts. If you are overstressed, you should immediately learn how to deal with this problem.
How to reduce your stress level and become a more relaxed person? Firstly, you should take a break and either relax a few days at home or take a vacation. Secondly, you should think about stressors in your daily life. How can you get rid of them? Last but not least, learn how to deal with stress and how to relax. Buy some books about relaxation techniques.
As you can see, it isn?t complicated to improve your health. It isn?t complicated ? but it doesn?t mean that it?s easy! However, you can be sure that if you really dedicate yourself to it, you?ll achieve success. Good luck!
Read about health benefits of peaches to read more about how to improve your health by eating fruits.
Different trips. My first one, I didn't recognize the visuals at the time and I smoked a bunch of weed that day with friends so I thought it wasn't even real acid--didn't know what it felt like. My second trip, I took a lot, and saw overlapping patterns of giant eyeballs on the walls, but I knew it was just hallucinations. I've never even come close to losing touch with reality, I can't imagine how much it would take to be unable to tell when something impossible happening (like foot-wide eyeballs opening and closing in diagonal rows on the walls) isn't real. Oh, it looks real, but you can say to yourself, "this isn't possible, so it's not real". The real trick is when something that would normally be crazy happens, like a car accident happening outside your house. It takes hard thought to be able to figure out if that's real or fake, and it ain't always real--a closed door can sound like a car crash, and then you look at the car and it's got a dent, but you hallucinate the dent is the whole front of the car, and then you run outside shouting, "oh my god is everyone okay?!" and then the people react to you shouting and then it looks like a crisis situation which just reinforces that an accident happened even though it didn't and now a couple people who just got out of the car have some guy running at them shouting half-coherent questions and--well, you can probably see how stuff can get out of hand. You have to have the presence of mind to think through all that stuff while you're more fucked up than you've ever been in your entire life.
The insights only came when I actually sat down and introspected while tripping--most of the time, I just used it as a party drug. That said, I don't think there's a significant difference between your 2nd and 40th trip. As another poster mentioned, there's a near 100% tolerance from one day to the next, but if you wait a couple weeks it goes away completely. Your first is different because a lot of people, their first time, don't even recognize that they're being affected until they're already on the way down. Strong visuals only happen when you're tripping hard, and the basic visuals (tracers, subtle movements in patterns, etc.) are easy to overlook because the mind-fuck is much stronger than the hallucinations at low-medium doses. You're more worried about the meaning of time and whether drinking orange juice is going to make you permanently insane than whether a leaf on the wallpaper might have moved a little.
I'm a nervous, introspective, pessimistic person, so tripping was always an ordeal for me. But, I'm also a pretty strong personality, so when I felt stuff slipping away I held on harder. Some people trip and fall over that edge, and act like someone in a fugue state, where there's no self-control, and that's the "bad trip" stuff you hear about--I bet a couple of times I had as much internal turmoil as some of those people who ran down the street naked, but I just sat in the corner blowing my cheeks out and scrubbing my hand through my hair every 2 minutes for 16 hours. Not that I'm particularly special or anything, I just never took enough to throw me over that edge, but I definitely got close a few times. I think a fair portion of the people who have the freakouts are looking for an excuse to act crazy, and LSD is one hell of an excuse. And then once you start acting weird, it's easier to keep acting weird and blame it on a bad trip than it is to just pull things together and go "woah, sorry dudes, I was freaking out, I'm good now." But, you've got the mind-fuck going on, so it's hard to rationally say, "oh man I'm taking this too far, it's time to own up to it."
But anyway, no single trip was a massive life-altering experience like I've heard of other people having. It just helped me look at stuff from a different angle, be more objective, and for some reason I can't explain, coming to the exact same conclusion while on acid had a much stronger effect than it would otherwise, but I always felt like the same person the next day and nobody ever said I'd changed or anything. I just actually felt like I really believed the conclusion I came to. Like, you say to yourself, "I need to get over this girl", but it doesn't stop you from missing that person. But, when I said that to myself while tripping... I don't want to say I stopped missing the person, but it didn't hurt as much after that. The only way I can explain it is to say that I internalized the decision in a way that I couldn't while sober.
I know I went off on like 6 tangents here, but you seemed curious about the experience itself. For what it's worth, I don't think I could intentionally reproduce any of the positive stuff I got out of it, and that increased plasticity probably comes with increased risks, so if you're pursuing some goal other than general experience I wouldn't count on achieving anything in particular. I had positive experiences because I was in a positive environment, and had experienced people guiding me through things. If you're thinking of trying it out, do it with someone supportive, trustworthy, and experienced, because you're pretty much putting your brain in their hands. And for God's sake don't start out with more than 1-2 hits or 2-4 friends. If you want to challenge yourself, fine, but wait until you know what to fight and what to ride.
The stars came out in Birmingham on Thursday for the opening of the second annual Uptown Film Festival, a celebration of Michigan-made films and filmmakers.
The three-day festival runs through Saturday at the Birmingham 8 and Palladium 12, and is capped off by the third annual Michigan Film Awards at the Palladium 12.
The Uptown Film Festival has expanded during its second year, with half a dozen premieres and three days of short and feature-length films. The festival has partnered with Gleaners Food Bank this year, as well as Defeat the Label, a national anti-bullying nonprofit.
Thursday night was highlighted by the Michigan Filmmakers Reception at the Birmingham 8, followed by the premiere of Brothers on the Line from Michigan-born filmmaker Sasha Reuther.
Making the rounds at the reception was one of the co-executive directors of the Uptown Film Festival, Jeffrey Spilman. Also the founder and managing partner of Ferndale-based S3 Entertainment Group, Spilman said this year's film festival is in a different league.
"Filmmakers are coming in from all over the country," Spilman said. "People are happy ... we're here to show the world what Michigan can do."
One of those filmmakers was Reuther, whose family has led the United Automobile Workers (UAW) for half a century. Reuther ? a Detroit native who now lives in New York City ? said he wrote, directed and produced Brothers on the Line, which tells the story of the UAW, social activism and his family's legacy.
Reuther said this was his first feature film and it means a lot for the world premiere to be in Michigan.?"To have it in Michigan is a really big deal," he said. "It means so much to this audience."
The festival also means a lot to 21-year-old aspiring filmmaker Keith Leigh-Monstevens, a Rochester Hills native who graduated from film school in 2010.
Leigh-Monstevens said he returned to Michigan after graduating from college to take advantage of the state's film incentives and work in his home state.
However, after Gov. Rick Snyder capped the incentives at $25 million a year in his 2012 budget, Leigh-Monstevens saw many of the jobs dry up and said he's had a hard time finding work.
At the reception Thursday so that he could network, Leigh-Monstevens said he's still optimistic about the future of Michigan's film industry.
"They were saying Michigan was going to be the next Hollywood," he said. "We still hope that we can fight and get those incentives back."
With the Uptown Film Festival expanding to three days this year, Spilman noted the festival was also able to spill out into surrounding Birmingham businesses. Three afterglow parties were scheduled Thursday through Saturday at Birmingham's what's crepe, Barrio and South Bar.
"I think the (festival) is a really great event for Birmingham," Birmingham City Manager Bob Bruner said on his way into the reception Thursday. "It's getting people downtown, especially during a time when some people might not be out."
The Birmingham community and its merchants have welcomed the festival during its second year, said Laura Bayoff-Elkins, event director for Uptown Entertainment. Select restaurants, such as Zazio's and Salvatore Scallopini, are even offering special deals for those with ticket stubs from the festival.
Bayoff-Elkins said for those behind the festival, Thursday night is a relief and celebration.
"Everyone has worked really hard," she said. "Now it's time to sit back and relax."
Catch up with Birmingham Patch's coverage of the 2012 Uptown Film Festival by checking out all the stories we've published at Uptown Film Festival 2012. Then, stay tuned for Patch's coverage all weekend at our Facebook page and by following us on Twitter.
The project that would have created thousands of jobs, carrying oil from Canada to U.S. refineries in the Gulf Coast, fell several votes short in the Senate. NBC?s Brian Williams reports.
>>>on
capitol hill
an attempt by republicans in the senate to bypass
president obama
and fast-track approval of that keystone excel pipeline project. it failed as they fell four votes short of the 60 votes they needed. the president ordered a delay in the project as you may recall, which would run from canada all the way to the
gulf coast
to give more time to review the impact of the pipeline on the environment.
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Job Title: Manager, Small Business Employer: Scotiabank Group Location: Toronto, ON Position: Full-Time Number of Positions: 1
Salary: To be determined Hours of Work: To be determined Travel Required: No
POSITION SUMMARY: As a leader of a small business sales team, the incumbent is responsible for contributing to the overall success of the branch. This includes meeting financial objectives related to the profitable growth and retention of your individual and your team's assigned portfolio of small business customers and professionals as well as achieving other individual and team objectives related to customer service, human resource management and operational effectiveness. He/she provides direction to team members in a manner consistent with the overall Domestic Bank strategy of developing a customer-focused sales culture.
QUALIFICATIONS: Manage an assigned portfolio of high value and/or complex small business owner relationships and develop new and expanded banking relationships with small business owners to meet customer needs and negotiated objectives by: - Developing and maintaining a knowledge of assigned customers including the nature and progress of their business, their financial position and the terms and conditions of financial services used - Providing business/finance advice which increases the small business owner's ability to succeed in their business - Planning and completing relationship building activities with assigned customers - Identifying prospective customers by asking for referrals from existing satisfied customers, developing a network of community business contacts and participating in marketing/educational seminars - Discovering business and personal financial needs/preferences across all four cornerstones - Developing, presenting and selling customized financial solutions which address identified business needs - Referring customers to the appropriate retail sales officer or other Scotiabank Group member as appropriate - Negotiating compensation for financial products and services, as applicable and in accordance with Bank policy - Delivering the desired customer experience during all customer interactions - Manage an assigned credit portfolio at an acceptable level of risk by: - Completing credit reviews in a timely and sufficiently detailed fashion - Authorizing, renewing or declining customer requests within standard Bank policies and authorized limits - Preparing and/or ensuring all documentation is properly prepared - Ensuring accounts adhere to the conditions of authorization - Identifying and resolving deviations from the conditions of authorization - Identifying and taking appropriate action on deteriorating and/or unsatisfactory trends affecting the loan portfolio - Lead and develop a team of small business sales officers by: - Providing direction, guidance and support to team members, resolving issues/negotiating compromises. - Planning and leading weekly one-on-one coaching sessions, to recognize success, help overcome obstacles and set a weekly focus. - Recognizing and rewarding success and managing non-performance - Developing and obtaining agreement on individualized development plans for all team members - Recruiting, hiring and promoting team members in accordance with standard Bank policies - Contribute to achievement of branch's business objectives by: - Developing a clear understanding of the branch's financial and non-financial goals - Negotiating and establishing individual and team goals with the Branch Manager - Establishing and monitoring goals for team members. - Ensuring that daily and periodic management controls are in place and effective - Manage and minimize the Bank's exposure to risk by: - Adhering to and ensuring team members' compliance with regulatory activities and guidelines including Privacy, Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing, FCAC, Know Your Customer, CDIC, Occupational Health & Safety - Ensuring strict adherence to Bank security procedures, including assigned authorities and limits - Escalating fraudulent activities, unusual occurrences, issues /deficiencies/trends to Branch Manager and/or applicable Shared Services Department as appropriate - Where applicable, comply with MFDA rules and regulations, as well as SSI guidelines/processes
EDUCATION AND ACCREDITATIONS: Effective sales management skills are essential, along with the ability to influence and motivate others. The incumbent must set a positive example of change leadership and encourage others to do the same.
The incumbent requires a detailed knowledge of Small Business products and services to meet customers' financial needs across the four cornerstones. To complement this knowledge an understanding of small business life cycles, owner characteristics and legal structures, professional associations and business industries is required.
A high degree of flexibility is required to adapt to a wide variety of tasks and functions. Strong PC skills are essential as the incumbent uses a PC for a variety of sales, sales management and customer correspondence activities.
He/she must be able to effectively articulate their views to team members, customers and prospective customers. Strong verbal communication skills are essential.
In particular, the following functional competencies are required: - Expert knowledge of the applicable branch systems (e.g., Sales Builder, Intralink,) - Thorough knowledge of sales management activities and techniques - Thorough knowledge of the features and benefits of small business products and services - Thorough knowledge of applicable credit/risk management policies and processes - Thorough knowledge of legal and security documentation for small business products - Thorough knowledge of interviewing, solicitation and business development techniques - Thorough knowledge of applicable branch procedures, processes and workflows - Thorough knowledge of small business legal structures, financial statements, life cycles and owner characteristics, professional associations and business industries - Thorough knowledge of regulatory compliance related to Privacy, Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorist Financing, FCAC, Know Your Customer requirements, CDIC and Occupational Health & Safety - Thorough knowledge of the marketplace in which the branch operates - Working knowledge of the features and benefits of retail products and services - Working knowledge of other products and services provided by the Bank's specialized sales forces and other delivery channels such as. Wealth Management, Enterprise Solutions. - Working knowledge of competitor offerings and alternate sources of financing - Working knowledge of Shared Services processes
External education and/or licensing prerequisites: - Basic university/college courses in accounting, finance, business law, and economics, or equivalent work experience - Other training requirements reasonably required by the Bank from time to time
The Scotiabank Group is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all interested parties. We thank you for your interest, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No agencies please.
If interested, please apply online at http://track.tmpservice.com/ApplyClick.aspx?id=1401172-1796-10079
Looking for a band for your tech conference, wedding, or launch party? San Francisco startup ![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 14-Mar-2012
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