Application of a decision support system for increasing economic and environmental sustainability of processing tomato cultivated in Mediterranean climate

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  51 Application of a Decision Support System for Increasing Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Processing Tomato Cultivated in Mediterranean Climate D. Massa 1 , L. Incrocci 1 , A. Pardossi 1 , P. Delli Paoli 2 and A. Battilani 3   1 Dipartimento di Biologia delle Piante Agrarie, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy 2 Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori, Venturina (LI), Italy 3 Consorzio per il Canale Emiliano-Romagnolo, Bologna, Italy   Keywords: Solanum lycopersicum , fertigation, nutrient and water use efficiency, water foot print, plant nutrition Abstract Aims of the present study were to assess economic and environmental sustainability and promote the use of alternative technologies, such as decision support systems (DSS), for crop fertigation management. The fertigation management as proposed by the DSS Fertirrigere has been compared with the cropping practices of local growers (Tuscany, Italy). Growers carried out irrigation and fertilisation as usual, while a neighbouring field was managed by Fertirrigere. DSS application increased the mean production albeit without significant statistical effects, while significantly decreased the use of fertilizers and water. Therefore, water and nutrient use efficiency of the crop were significantly improved. The computation of water footprint showed a reduced environmental impact and higher sustainability of crops fertigated with Fertirrigere as compared to the local growers practices. The overall use of water resources and fertilisers resulted more efficient when applying the DSS: nitrogen use efficiency increased up to 102.4%, water use efficiency up to 21.1% and the total crop water footprint decreased 11.5 m 3  t -1  (27.3%), on average. Furthermore, DSS management increased the yield value while decreased the cropping costs thus resulting in an higher average net income of about 700 euro ha -1 . INTRODUCTION Mediterranean countries are historical producers of processing tomato since their favourable climate conditions allow both high yield and fruit quality. Tomato is worldwide more and more representing a significant component of human diet due to its nutritional and nutraceutical properties as it contains vitamins and antioxidant complexes, as lycopene and anthocyans (Giovannucci, 1999). In Mediterranean countries, tomatoes are as well part the local cultural identity due to its close bond with pasta consumption. In spite of that, the increase of production costs and the constraints set by EU regulations (e.g. EU Nitrate Directive) are affecting the local growers capability to compete on the global market. In this scenario, the optimization of non-renewable inputs becomes a crucial key factor for improving crop environmental sustainability and grower’s incomes, supporting local production and market, as well as employment in agriculture and agro-industries. Local grower irrigation and fertilization scheduling are based on a high degree of empiricism very often leading to excess or deficit, while increase either environmental impact and cost production or plant stress with reduced yield. A recent study carried out in Italy (RIANPA – Reduction of the Pollution due to Nitrate emissions from Agricultural Activity) on the use of fertilizers revealed that most of growers are using standard doses of fertilizer without duly taking into account soil analyses, crop rotation or the impact of climate on plant growth and nutrient uptake. As a consequence, the overall tendency is to supply more fertilizers than required, following the rule of thumb “more is better than less”. Fertigation is one of the most valuable agronomical techniques for the optimization of plant nutrition management since nutrient and water supply can be tuned Proc. XII th  IS on the Processing Tomato Eds.: M. Cámara et al. Acta Hort. 971, ISHS 2013  52 on actual plant uptake rates (Bar-Yosef, 1999). Nevertheless, the main difficulty for growers is to estimate in real time plant needs and water/nutrient status in the root zone. It is well known that changes in the root-soil-water continuum occur quite fast, in response to environmental variables (i.e. evapotranspiration, air and soil temperature, soil hydrology, root age, etc). Although many DSSs have been found effective in fertigation control, it is quite common that growers do not trust such a “technological approach”. This project aimed to assess the applicability of a DSS (Fertirrigere; Battilani et al., 2003, 2006), in two experimental fields, as compared with the standard fertilisation and irrigation techniques widely applied by local growers. Aims of this study were to optimize the use of resources, namely water and nutrients, while promoting and disseminating the use of DSSs among growers, in order to enhance their acceptance and application. The effectiveness of the proposed management has been tested against yield, use of fertilizer and water, economic viability and environmental performances. MATERIALS AND METHODS After a thoroughly selection, conducted in collaboration with local agronomists,  belonging to farmer’s associations and extension services, two of the most skilled  processing tomato growers were selected to carry out the experiment. Farms (Field 1 and Field 2) were located in Val di Cornia (Tuscany, Italy), in Mediterranean climate and on sandy soil (80% sand, 10% silt and 11% clay). Tomato plants were transplanted in the first weeks of May (‘Reflex’; 34,000 plants ha -1 ) and lasted 97 days in Field 1 and 114 days in Field 2. Means for daily temperature, global radiation, relative humidity and wind speed averaged 21.4°C, 153.9 W m -2 , 72.5% and 1.9 m s -1 , respectively. A large plot was identified in each of the commercial farms involved in the trial, to apply the DSS management (Fert). A neighbouring field has been monitored to compare the grower’s standard management (Std). Each treatment was the main component of a technical itinerary applied in a plot large enough to allow normal crop practices at farm field scale (Sebillotte, 1978; Dumas, 1990; Meynard et al., 1996). A representative area (0.7 ha) in each plot was chosen to undertake the measurements. The management strategy for applying fertiliser to the Std treatment was determined before the growing season and was based on long-term average fertigation requirements. Std fertigation level was determined by growers from their own experience, with limited knowledge about root zone depth or actual water and nutrients uptake by  plants. The fertilisation strategy for the DSS treatment was based on daily dry matter accumulation and partitioning. A root growth model was applied at a daily time-step to determine the root zone volume for irrigation and nutrient balance. Specific growth stage nutrient contents for aboveground and storage organs were used to calculate the daily fertigation requirement. Soil particle size distribution, soil hydraulic parameters, soil organic matter content, total and mineral nitrogen and carbon were measured before transplant to calculate nutrient balances. Destructive analyses were carried out four times during the growth season to determine nitrogen uptake and to measure plant’s biometric  parameters (four replicates during the cultivation and eight replicates at the harvest time  per treatment with two plants per replicate were collected randomly from Field 1 and Field 2). Each plant was divided into stems, leaves and fruit; then, fresh and dry weight (72 h in ventilated oven at 72°C), number of fruit and flowers were determined. Fruit quality was assessed at harvest: dry matter percentage (%), total soluble solid (°Brix), pH and titratable acidity (expressed as percentage of citric acid), were measured. Tissue mineral content was also assessed, only for total nitrogen, for the plant collected during the last sampling. Nitrogen concentration in root zone soil interstitial was measured both in water extracted by suction cups, and 1:2 (vol/vol) water extraction (Sonneveld, 2000). Water and nitrogen use efficiency (WUE, NUE) were calculated dividing the marketable yield by the total amount of irrigation water or nitrogen, respectively. In Fert treatment, in order to offer a more friendly interface to growers, fertigation schedule was sent as text messages, making use of a widely diffused, well known and cheap method of communication. Simulations were run on a daily base using climate data  53 collected by a meteorological station (Pessl Instruments GmbH, Weiz, Austria) located nearby. Environmental impact was assessed through the computation of green, blue, grey and total water footprint, only considering the cultivation cycle of the crop (Hoekstra et al., 2011). As reported by Hoekstra and colleagues, green and blue water footprint represent respectively the quantity of natural (i.e. rainfall, soil reservoir, etc.) and irrigation water (m 3 ) used to support the crop per unit of final product (t), while the grey water footprint represents the quantity of water bodies (m 3 ) potentially contaminated by  pollutant substances (e.g. nitrates, in this study), produced during the cultivation, per unit of final product (t). To calculate green and blue water, simulations were run using Fertirrigere. Then, the difference of irrigation water volume between Fert and Std was add, in the computation of blue water footprint, as “  LostReturnFlow ”. For the grey water footprint, nitrogen leaching was calculated by Fertirrigere in Fert treatment and by the application of a typical soil nitrogen balance in Std treatment. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Fert treatment started with a pre-planting nitrogen (N) fertilization only in the Field 1 where the initial concentration of total mineral N was deemed insufficient by the DSS (Fig. 1), while Std fertilization schedule started with an abundant pre-planting dose of N (on average, about 70 kg ha -1 ) in both fields. After planting, in the Std treatment, growers continued to supply N with a nearly constant delivering rate of 14.1 and 9.1 kg ha -1  N per application, on average, respectively for Field 1 and 2. DSS calculates soil natural fertility thereby nitrogen supply begun to be significant only around 35-50 days after transplant (DAT) (Fig. 1), when plant growth rate increases to reach its maximum; then, further supplies during the growth cycle were in function of actual plant needs instead of fixed rate. At harvest, the cumulative supply of nitrogen in Fert treatment was much lower (-43.6%, on average) as compared with Std (Fig. 1). Irrigation depth was similar in both Std and Fert treatment, although water savings of 7.3% and 21.1% were obtained applying the DSS management. An in depth analysis, of daily irrigation volume, shows significant differences between treatments (data not shown) due to the dynamic management at daily step operated by the DSS. In fact, as for nutrients, in the Std treatment water was supplied with a nearly constant rate without consideration either of climate parameters or water soil content. Figure 1 shows only N and water supply, while a more complete picture of the fertigation management is given in Figure 2 where the cumulative supply of nutrients and water is reported. The use of the DSS reduced drastically the total amount of N and  phosphorus (P) supplied to both the experimental fields (43.6 and 84.5% less than Std treatment respectively for N and P, on average). The very large differences in P doses were mainly due to Field 1 where in the Std treatment the grower distributed a large amount of P (about 150 kg ha -1 ) although the initial soil analysis showed sufficient P availability in the root zone (data not shown). The use of Fertirrigere reduced potassium (K) doses only in the Field 1 but not in the Field 2 that required an abundant pre-planting fertilization since the initial K availability was insufficient for supporting the crop. For this reason, cumulative amount of K was higher in Fert treatment as compared with Std treatment (Fig. 2).  Notwithstanding the general lower nutrient and water supply suggested by the DSS (Figs. 1 and 2), Fert treatment did not affect the final plant dry biomass and leaf area index (LAI) (Fig. 3). The only significant difference for LAI, in the Field 1, was due to the excessive N fertilization applied to the Std treatment (Fig. 1) by the grower, which stimulated an abundant production of vegetative organs (mainly leaves) as compared to the Fert treatment. However, at harvest, fruit yield and quality (Table 1.), as well as N tissue content of stems, leaves and fruits (data not shown), were not significantly influenced by the different fertigation regimes. Marketable yield averaged 132.1 t ha -1  among treatments and was higher than the regional mean production (+15%). The slight  54  but not significant lower yield reported in Table 1 for Std treatment was probably due to the imbalance between vegetative and reproductive sink caused by the abundant N fertilization, which induced excessive vigour thus less fruit setting. The reduction in water and nutrient supply, but not in yield, in turn improved significantly the use efficiency of nutrient and water in Fert treatment (Table 2). Although the total volume of water supplied to the crops was similar for Std and Fert treatment (Figs. 1 and 2), the application of a fixed fertilization rate in Std treatment resulted in higher N leachate due to overwatering when the soil was water saturated (Vázquez et al., 2006). The amount of N leached out from the root zone was estimated by the computation of N balance (Std) or using Fertirrigere outputs. Then irrigation water volume, N losses and crop yield have been combined to calculate green and grey water footprint as reported by Hoekstra et al. (2011). The environmental impact, as total water footprint, was significantly reduced by the use of the DSS (-27%, on average) due to the lower grey water use of Fert treatment (Table 2). The values reported in Table 2 are in general much lower than those reported by other authors. Nevertheless, literature on this topic is often based on worldwide global data that include third world countries with very low productions and/or not irrigated crops. To better assess the economic self-sustainability of the applied method, a brief and simple cost-benefit analysis was computed to assess possible economic advantages or extra costs. Fert treatment produced a net economic benefit that on average was 702.1 € ha -1  (Table 3). It should be highlighted that about 90% of the net benefit shown in Table 3 derived from the slight increase in yield of the Fert treatment. This means that among costs, fertilizers and water remain marginal expenses and for these reasons growers prefer to apply excessive rates rather than to risk even a slight decrease in yield. The preliminary results of this project were presented in open days at farm level with very positive feed-back from the audience. A follow-up of this study showed that the share of the whole processing tomato fertigated with the support of Fertirrigere in the area increased by 6% in the year following the experimentation. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the positive effects on production costs and environmental impact of appropriated agronomical practices and criteria. Particularly, computation of nutrient and water balance in the soil, when coupled with soil analysis, resulted in higher crop sustainability from both environmental and economic standpoint. To help farmers to reach these goals DSSs can represent valuable tools to boost knowledge transfer from science to the field. On the other hand, it must be highlighted that local institutions and agronomists can play a key role in the diffusion of such a technology. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Project funded by Provincia di Livorno (Italy) (PILOTA CO.N project) and Regione Siciliana (Italy) (AZORT project). Literature Cited Bar-Yosef, B. 1999. Advances in fertigation. Adv. Agron. 65:1-77. Battilani, A. 2006. Fertirrigere V2.11: a multi-target DSS to manage water and nutrients supply at macrozone level. Acta Hort. 724:114-118. Battilani, A., Bussières, P. and Dumas, Y. 2003. Fertirrigere: a simple tool-model for managing water and nutrient supply in drip-irrigated processing tomatoes. Acta Hort. 613:155-158. Dumas, Y. 1990. Systèmes légumieres de plein champ: raisonnement des itinéraires techniques en fonction des objectives. p.151-163. In: L. Combe and D. Picard (eds.), Un point sur les systèmes de culture. INRA, Paris. Giovannucci, E. 1999. Tomatoes, tomato-based products, lycopene, and cancer: Review of the epidemiologic literature. J. Natl. Cancer I. 91:317-331.  55 Hoekstra, A.Y., Chapagain, A.K., Aldaya, M.M. and Mekonnen, M.M. 2011. The water footprint assessment manual: Setting the global standard. Earthscan, London, UK. Meynard, J.M., Reau, R., Robert, D. and Saulas, P. 1996. Evaluation expérimentale des itinéraires techniques. p.63-72. In: ACTA and DERF (Edts), Expérimenter sur les conduites de cultures: un nouveau savoir faire au service d’une agriculture en mutation. Paris. RIANPA. 2007-2009. Riduzione dell’Inquinamento delle Acque da Nitrati Provenienti dall’Agricoltura. ARSIA Toscana (Italy). Sebillotte, M. 1978. Itinéraire technique et évolution de la pensée agronomique. Compte Rendues Acad. Agr. Fr. 64:906-914. Sonneveld, C. 2000. Effect of salinity on substrate grown vegetables and ornamentals in greenhouse horticulture. PhD Thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen (The  Nederland). Vázquez, N., Pardo, A., Suso, M.L. and Quemada, M. 2006. Drainage and nitrate leaching under processing tomato growth with drip irrigation and plastic mulching. Agr. Ecosyst. Environ. 112:313-323. Tables Table 1. Marketable yield and fruit quality parameters determined at harvest. One-way ANOVA was used to test statistical differences between treatments; different letters show differences at 95% of significance (LSD test). Treatment Marketable yield (t ha -1 ) Fruit weight (g fruit -1 ) Dry matter (%) Soluble solids (°Brix) Field 1 Std 121.1 a 46.7a 5.7a 4.5 a Fert 128.6 a 49.4a 6.0a 4.8 a Field 2 Std 135.8 a 51.0a 5.1a 4.2 a Fert 142.9 a 53.2a 5.0a 4.5 a Table 2. Use efficiency of nitrogen and water (NUE and WUE), green, blue, grey and total water footprint (WFP green , WFP  blue , WFP grey  and WFP tot ; see M&M for details). One-way ANOVA was used to test statistical differences between treatments; different letters show differences at 95% of significance (LSD test). Treatment NUE (t kg -1 ) WUE (t m -3  10 3 ) WFP green (m 3  t -1 ) WFP  blue (m 3  t -1 ) WFP grey (m 3  t -1 ) WFP tot (m 3  t -1 ) Field 1 Std 0.41 b 43.6 a 1.5a 23.3a 21.1 a 45.9 a Fert 0.83 a 46.8 a 1.4a 21.2a 9.1 b 31.7 b Field 2 Std 0.64 b 40.2 b 2.5a 25.4a 10.4 a 38.3 a Fert 1.09 a 48.7 a 2.5a 23.1a 3.9 b 29.5 b
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The OECD has developed a practical due diligence guidance to help mining, oil and gas enterprises identify and manage challenges related to undertaking meaningful stakeholder engagement.

The OECD is now inviting public comment on the draft guidance to ensure participation from that the widest range of stakeholders possible. Your participation is highly welcome!

The deadline for comment is June 5, 2015. More information is available here.

Global Forum RBCThis article by Prof. Roel Nieuwenkamp was originally published on OECD Insights on April 15, 2015.

The global economy has evolved at an impressive rate over the past several decades. Supply chains spanning dozens of countries are a common feature of businesses large and small. However, global regulatory frameworks have largely not kept pace with these trends. Rule of law remains weak in many developing countries and significant uncertainty and enforcement issues continue to exist in the context of transnational litigation and arbitration.

Some international instruments, such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (the OECD Guidelines) and the UN Guiding Principles for Human Rights and Business (UNGPs) have been important tools for filling these regulatory gaps. For example the OECD Guidelines establish an expectation that businesses behave responsibly throughout their supply chains, not just within their direct operations, extending to activity in potentially institutionally weak contexts where international standards and domestic laws may not be adequately enforced.

Recently domestic law has also begun to follow suit in this regard by introducing legally binding obligations. Section 1502 of the US Dodd-Frank Act represents one of the first examples of legislation incorporating due diligence regarding human rights along the supply chain. Section 1502 provides that companies must report on whether they source certain minerals (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold) from conflict areas. The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas which was adopted as an OECD Recommendation in 2011 was the first instrument to define responsibilities in this context and is explicitly referenced in section 1502. Currently the EU is considering introducing similar obligations in a proposal aimed at regulating the import of conflict minerals into the EU. The proposed initiative will go through three separate reviews within the EU Parliament before being submitted to the EU Council level later this year.

Another example in the extractives sector where non-binding initiatives have acted as the harbinger for binding law is in the context of revenue transparency. The Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI), founded in 2003 was one of the first efforts to encourage government and private sector reporting on revenue streams of extractive operations as a strategy for battling corruption. Section 1504 of Dodd Frank, passed in 2010, requires that companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must publicly report how much they pay governments for access to oil, gas and minerals. The EU has since mandated similar obligations through Accounting and Transparency Directives and Norway and South Korea have expressed interest in doing the same.

In Drilling down and scaling up in 2015, I mentioned that the trend of hardening of soft law was among the top 5 issues to watch in RBC for 2015. I also noted that the UK, Switzerland and France had proposals in the pipeline to make due diligence regarding aspects of RBC mandatory. Since January, interesting progress has been made on these initiatives.

The Swiss motion, which proposed mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for Swiss corporations was recently narrowly voted down in the Swiss Parliament. The deciding vote was 95 against and 86 in favour. In response to this result, the Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice has announced that it will begin collecting signatures for a popular initiative on the proposal. If they gather 100,000 signatures in 18 months, the measure will be put to a binding public referendum.

The UK Modern Slavery Act was approved and enacted into law in March of this year. This act provides that commercial organisations must prepare a slavery and human trafficking statement annually detailing, among other matters, their due diligence processes in relation to slavery and human trafficking in their operations and supply chains.

The broadest scheme of the three remains the French legislative proposal which aims to mandate supply chain due diligence in accordance with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, thus covering a comprehensive range of RBC issues. Under the law French companies employing 5,000 employees or more domestically or 10,000 employees or more internationally would be responsible for developing and publishing due diligence plans for human rights, and environmental and social risks. Failure to do so could result in fines of up to 10 million euros.

An amended proposal approved by the French National Assembly will now be sent to the Senate, which might turn it down. However, in this case the National Assembly could still overrule the Senate. My assessment is that the proposal is likely to be adopted.

If such a law is passed in France there is speculation that it could generate spillover effects within the EU. The rapporteur for this proposal, Dominique Potier, has indicated that he will push the European Commission to develop a EU directive along similar lines.

The move from soft to hard law is a concern for many businesses. However, when it concerns the more severe issues of responsible business conduct, the jump between the two is not that high. Many companies already have due diligence systems in place. This means that the playing field for the more progressive companies will be levelled. That was one of the reasons why many British businesses supported the Modern Slavery Act. In addition, the UN Guiding Principle 23(c) already provides specific guidance on how companies should manage the risks of the most severe impacts; it says that businesses should “Treat the risk of causing or contributing to gross human rights abuses as a legal compliance issue wherever they operate”.

Another concern that businesses may have is that all these proposals will create a mess of different hard and soft standards. A proliferation of obligations (national, regional and international) has the potential to generate regulatory disarray and create challenges for businesses in navigating their obligations.

Uniformity and clarity around obligations and expectations will be important for establishing a level playing field for business. A large imbalance or contradictions in obligations regarding due diligence or reporting across jurisdictions may unfairly penalise companies operating in multiple jurisdictions or subject to more onerous standards. In ensuring that standards are aligned, administrative burdens for business will be eased and competitive risks will be mitigated.

Additionally such laws must be drafted carefully in order to be practical and fairly enforceable. Presently the language included in both the French legislation and UK law is highly general and therefore the obligations under the law remain somewhat abstract.

In order to ensure that such regulation is realistic, reasonable and effective, the regulations and guidance that will accompany these laws should be developed on the basis of carefully drafted non-binding standards, such as the UNGPs and the OECD Guidelines. They will also need multi-stakeholder input. In the context of the OECD, all due diligence guides interpreting the expectations of the Guidelines are developed in consultation with industry, government, civil society and worker organisations. This process has ensured that recommendations included in the guidance are endorsed by businesses, the ultimate users of the guidance, and that they are ambitious yet reasonable. Additionally, the role of non-binding instruments, as well as the organisations that crafted and implemented them should not be overlooked. The UN and OECD will be important sources of guidance on these issues.


The Obsidian Lord (Japanese: 黒曜の君, Kokuyou no Kimi) is the major antagonist in the Mai-HiME anime and manga series.

He exists through inhabiting the bodies of his hosts and working through them for his own ends. In the anime, he is served by Nagi Homura.

The winner of the HiME Carnival is given the opportunity to marry him.

Hosts Edit

In the anime, the Obsidian Lord resides in the body of Reito Minagi, the Vice President of the Student Council.


What happens if you take drugs?

Upon crossing the blood-brain barrier, which occurs soon after introduction of the drug into the bloodstream, heroin is converted into morphine, which mimics the action of endorphins, creating a sense of well-being; the characteristic euphoria has been described as an "orgasm" centered in the gut. One of the most common methods of heroin use is via intravenous injection.


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Beverage Label Claims & Certifications 101: NON-GMO

GMO Genetically Modified Organism Beverage Labeling

At the same time, consumers are becoming more aware of GMOs and whether they have a place in the midst of a health awareness and functional foods boom.  Today’s market trends, forthcoming government mandates, and customer advocacy are encouraging more companies to seek non-GMO food sources and provide appropriate labeling to make the distinction between GMO and non-GMO-based foods.  Clean label brands  are ripe for growth, but for many consumers and beverage brand owners, GMO is still a mystery.

What is GMO?

In the purest interpretation, a genetically modified organism -- or GMO -- is an organism that has had its DNA altered or modified in some way through genetic engineering.  While this has a wide variety of uses, like creating herbicide-resistant and high-yield crops, GMO creation is often done by taking the DNA from one organism and transferring it to another.  This practice has seen great success in the agricultural industry and has also been used to breed goats that produce spider silk and animals that glow in the dark.

The Rising Case Against GMOs

According to a Pew Research Center poll, around 88% of scientists believe it’s generally safe to eat GMO-based food while 57% of the general public believes that genetically modified (GM) foods are generally unsafe to eat.

However, for the food industry, GM products have saved millions of dollars in lost crops and produced extra profits from higher crop yields.  Before the GMO debate started, the food industry picked up on the benefits of genetic modification.  According to the American Farm Bureau, in 2012, GMOs contributed to a reduction is agricultural greenhouse gasses equivalent to taking more than 11 million cars off the road.

Now, with the recent shift in consumer awareness toward healthier, functional foods, the schism over the benefits and safety of GMO is picking up steam.  In a second survey, Pew found that 55% of Americans believe organically grown produce is healthier than conventionally grown varieties while 39% consider GM foods worse for a person’s health than other foods.

A Demand for Non-GMO Labeling

Despite mixed feeling and charged emotions on both sides of the GM debate, 93% of respondents in a New York Times poll show strong support for labeling genetically-modified foods, which would give consumers a better GM Food Safety Public & Scientist Opinion understanding of exactly what they’re purchasing and how it was grown.

As one study points out, millennials and younger adults are more inclined to believe that GM foods are worse for health than non-GM options and another study indicates that younger adults are more likely to expect GM foods to lead to harm for the population as a whole.

As younger generations enter the consumer market and speak with their wallets, the market has responded to the increased demand for GMO transparency, with analysts predicting a market boom in the coming years as global GMO labeling requirements become mandatory across much of the developed world.

Non-GMO Verification & Labeling

If you walk into a supermarket today and start checking the aisles, you’ll likely find two major labels in the natural and organic food space: USDA Organic and Non-GMO Verified.  The first is the certification seal of the United States Department of Agriculture that food was grown organically.  The Non-GMO Project Verification seal is provided by the nonprofit of the same name which advocates against GMO-based foods.

The way that these two labels intersect has caused some confusion in the marketplace. Purely organic products use ingredients that aren’t treated with synthetic pesticides or chemicals and cannot use genetically-modified seeds. Non-GMO products don’t use genetically-modified ingredients, but do not always contain all organic ingredients. Some consumers who are focused on purchasing non-GMO products mistakenly believe that they’re buying an organically-grown product when, in fact, some of the ingredients may have been treated with chemicals.non-gmo project verfified

In order to obtain the Non-GMO label, a product has to be certified as containing ingredients with less than 1% genetic modification. That certification must come from one of the four independent technical administrators that the Non-GMO Project has authorized to certify products. The auditors will review all of the ingredients and inputs that go into a product to find any that could contain a modified gene. Ingredients that are at risk to have been modified are DNA tested.

Depending on how many ingredients are already non-GMO verified, it may take several months and hundreds of dollars to get a non-GMO label for a product. Once obtained, product verification must be renewed each year.

But can you label your product as non-GMO without going through the Non-GMO Project? The short answer is yes. You can add an unverified, non-GMO statement to your packaging, provided you have documentation from each ingredient supplier that the ingredients are non-GMO.

The Future of Non-GMO

Even as the USDA is just in the early stages of wrestling with disclosure standards for GMOs, or “bioengineered” foods, the demand for Non-GMO verification is on the rise. More than 50,000 products have been through the Non-GMO Verification Process. One market study on the non-GMO food industry points out that the market itself is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.23% from 2017 to 2021.  Regardless of whether the market meets or exceeds demands, one thing is clear: both non-GMO labeling standards and the concerns around genetically-modified foods are here to stay.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended to convey general information regarding beverage regulations and compliance. It does not constitute legal advice. This is for informational purposes only, and we strongly encourage you to seek independent legal counsel for advice on specific legal issues.


Understanding Blockchain's Cyber Vulnerability and its Solution

By CIOReview | Friday, February 22, 2019

Blockchain technology has been hyped a lot for its robust security against cyber attacks that it drew billion dollar investment in recent times and a multitude of human workforce in the form of developers, miners, and stakeholders. Unfortunately, developers often do not put in enough efforts into securing their blockchain deployments. It seems that cyber threats are being taken for granted and developers rely entirely on blockchain network for security. But the real-world scenario differs as various onslaughts have already been witnessed on mining software and multiple high profile thefts worth a lot of money.

Cryptojacking activities in which sneaky malware infects enterprise infrastructure have successfully been carried out by hackers and many victims are even aware of the same until it’s too late. Tokens are lucrative targets which hackers siphon carefully without leaving traces behind. Another security pitfall in the crypto realm is the exposure of metadata through everyday activities like checking balance, initiating transactions, and receiving block updates. Metadata might sound harmless but reveals the physical location of sensitive data.

Few Cybersecurity Companies (AppGuard, Critical Defence, CyberHat)

For security one might look up to traditional VPN and firewall security methods. Though these solutions work, but when one digs deeper into the blockchain layers, the framework becomes complex and fragile. With fragile, it means that if any misconfiguration happens doors to vulnerabilities would open. Also, there is a centralized nature of traffic management managed by ISPs who themselves are vulnerable to cyber threats.

So to secure the blockchain network and crypto miners use, one possible solution is to build Marconi protocol. In this protocol framework, by default secure channels are formed for data transport via packet-level encryption. In contrast to using a separate solution like VPN which introduce central authority and requires specialized knowledge to set up and maintain with a single point of failure. Peers in the network must establish these secure connections between all nodes for safe traffic transportation. In support, features like network layer virtualization and traffic proxying built-in will make traffic protection much more comfortable.

Marconi protocol enables routing management and packet processing with rules programmed in smart contracts to automate the process for simple deployment and maintenance. Further, enthusiastic developers can define their own network traffic rules to enhance security and prohibit the user from trapping into luring weblinks.

Top Cybersecurity Companies


First pictures show emergency response after man struck by tram

Pictures sent in exclusively to the Edinburgh Evening News show the emergency response at the scene of an incident at Saughton Mains.

A man is understood to be fighting for their life after being struck by a tram at Saughton Mains this afternoon.

READ MORE: Person ‘fighting for their life’ after being hit by Edinburgh Tram

Witnesses reported seeing CPR being performed on a pedestrian after being struck by the tram just after midday.

Trams are running between York Place and Haymarket and also Airport and Edinburgh Park station tram stops.

READ MORE: In full: The partial route run by Edinburgh Trams following ‘serious incident’

A witness on the scene said a body was seen lying in the grass and a tram driver was nearby “in shock” as a passerby gave CPR.


Fight fading memories in Lost Sphear’s new story trailer

lost sphear key art story

There’s a new story trailer for Lost Sphear, an upcoming JRPG by Tokyo RPG Factory. The Square Enix subsidiary seems to have found their house style as the video bears similarities to I Am Setsuna, their debut effort, although this game does feature a brand-new story and cast.

Here’s the official blurb and trailer:

Lost Sphear is the story of Kanata, a self-taught swordsman who aims to restore the world with his gift of awakening memories. As an ominous power threatens the fabric of reality itself, players must join Kanata and restore the disappearing world around them from being forgotten. In Lost Sphear, players will travel the world from idyllic countryside towns to mysterious dungeons, all in an effort to save the world and protect those around you from being lost forever.”

Gameplay-wise, Lost Sphear characters may equip Vulcosuits, mechanized suits of armor passed down from an ancient civilization. They’ll come into play both in and out of battle, allowing players to avoid certain confrontations, clear obstacles, or receive huge statistics boosts during combat. Since they’re inherited and not manufactured, these Vulcosuits are visually unique and, presumably, sport different abilities from one another.

They published a gameplay trailer back in August, showcasing a revamped ATB (Active Time Battle) system that remolds the classic mechanic for modern audiences.

In fact, Tokyo RPG Factory’s entire existence is a love letter to JRPGs of decades past. While they can’t be expected to stack up against ground-breaking hits such as Chrono Trigger, the studio certainly did their best in recapturing the spirit of these beloved games.

If anything, we’re curious to see how the studio responded to criticisms over I Am Setsuna’s short length and poor variety.

Lost Spear releases for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on 24 January 2018. Pre-ordering the S$59.90 Day One edition on PC or PS4 nets buyers a wallpaper or a dynamic theme respectively, in addition to two free music tracks.

Ade Putra


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Newsmeister has announced that it has reached the 15,000 user milestone in less than three months. The trivia app presents users with three-minute long games that keep them both entertained and up-to-date with current events.

In today’s fast-moving, mobile world, Newsmeister provides a fun and convenient way to stay on top of political and social news. The startup’s goal is to engage people in current events whenever they have time, whether they are on the subway, on their coffee break, or relaxing on the couch at home. Since launching in May, Newsmeister’s user base has grown rapidly in the U.S., as well as in Canada, the U.K, Russia and Italy.

In the app, players battle against the clock to answer questions based on trending news stories from around the world. The quizzes are updated daily, so even the most avid newsreader remains challenged and informed. Gone are the days of answering pub quiz questions about 1980s football champions — Newsmeister tests users’ knowledge about the world around them in real time, and with the added fun of friendly competition.

In addition, Newsmeister provides brief contextual information about each question topic, as well as a link to a related article once they submit an answer. This enables users to conveniently dive deeper into the stories that interest them.

“Reading the news is critically important because it’s how people stay informed about what is going on in their communities and the world,” said Tim Holmgren, CEO and Founder of Newsmeister. “There is this widespread idea that Millennials are not interested in current events, but this is inaccurate. They just have different ways of consuming it. Newsmeister was built for this new paradigm.”

Millennials are voracious consumers of the news. Eighty-five percent of Millennials say that keeping up with the news is at least somewhat important to them, and 69 percent say they read news everyday. According to the American Press Institute, “This newest generation of American adults is anything but “newsless,” passive, or civically uninterested, although their reading habits are ‘strikingly different’ than previous generations.” Unsurprisingly, Millennials lead other age groups in media consumption on smartphones, and they prefer to read the news in “discrete” sessions that are woven throughout their day.

Newsmeister was built with these habits in mind. Moreover, Newsmeister delivers a social experience, as social media’s influence over what people read continues to grow. Users can invite their family and friends to compete via Facebook or email, or play with other members of the Newsmeister community. To show how you stack up, the app shows a percentage of how many players worldwide answered the question correctly.

The app is available for free download on iOS and Android. The Apple App Store rated the Newsmeister app with 4.5/5 after minor beta launch glitches were rectified.


Gampra (Armenian wolfhound)

Armenian wolfhound or gamper is an aboriginal breed that lives in Armenia for more than 22 centuries. Due to the long isolation and variety of climatic conditions, as well as spontaneous crossings and natural selection, the gampra differs from the Caucasian shepherds both in appearance and in character.

History of origin

There are many material traces of the ancient breed in Armenia. These are well-preserved petroglyphs depicting scenes of hunting with dogs dated to the 1st century. BC. and historical documents relating to this period, testifying to the participation in the military campaigns of King Tigran II of dogs, similar to modern gimmers. Gampra (Armenian wolfhound) read the article

Centuries of military and political turmoil in the history of Armenia affected the number and purity of the Armenian wolfhound breed. The war with the Ottoman Empire led not only to the loss of a large part of the population, a significant territory, but also to the annexation of the gampra.

Based on it, several breeds of Turkish dogs were bred, which led to a reduction in the number of gimmers. Despite the fact that most of the northeastern Turkey used to belong to Armenia, the Turks try to rank the Armenian wolfhound to a variety of Turkish breeds and even registered it under the name "Anatolian Karabash".

Armenian wolfhound is not recognized by FCI. However, in 2011, the gumpr is registered in the "working dog" section (No. 204) in the register of the International Cynological Union (IKU). Today, about 2,000 gauges are registered in Armenia.

The largest number of Armenian wolfhounds in America (California). There, the efforts of the immigrants from Armenia and R. Maier created the "Club of Armenian Gumpers in America" (AGCA), which struggles to preserve the naturalness of the breed.

Description of the breed gampr (Armenian wolfhound)

From Armenian "gampr" is translated as "large, strong, powerful." Due to natural selection, the gampra is well adapted to local climatic conditions. It is ideally suited for the main task - guarding the owner and his home, as well as protecting the herds from wolves and bears.

Due to the fact that the grapples were not selected for phenotype, they retained many features of the exterior of the ancient species. The dimensions of the gimp range from 63 cm in females to 70 cm in males. The weight can reach 45-90 kg. The dog looks strong, strong, harmonious. The wolfhound moves easily, smoothly, which, with its considerable size and developed musculature, does not leave an impression of heaviness or awkwardness.

In accordance with the standard, the grapples look like this:

  1. The skull is massive with a large cranium, which is 60% of the skull. The total length of the skull is 170-173 mm. The stopper is weakly expressed, the transition from forehead to nose is smoothed out to such an extent that it represents an almost straight line. Forehead flattened and wide, 63-65 mm. The nose is large, pigmented black. Cheek arches flat, slightly pronounced.
  2. Jaws are strong, broad, strong with a full set of white, densely composed teeth. The bite is normal (scissor-shaped), which provides a strong grip.
  3. Eyes are planted deep, medium sized, almond-shaped. The color of the iris is brown. The eyelids have a black pigmented edge, which makes the dog's eyes expressive. Look attentive, intelligent and domineering. This expression of the eye is characteristic of the breed and is noted even in puppies a few weeks old.
  4. The ears are located slightly below the eye line, which visually makes the front of the dog even more powerful and impressive. They are of medium size and freely hang on cartilages. The tip is rounded and pointing to the muzzle. The ears can be stopped. Gampra (Armenian wolfhound) description of the breed
  5. Neck of medium length, conical, equipped with strong relief muscles.
  6. The body is somewhat stretched (108-110). The withers are clearly visible. Back strong, wide, straight. Croup is wide. The abdomen is tightened.
  7. The thorax is deep, wide enough, with well developed musculature. The lower margin is somewhat lower than the elbow joints.
  8. The limbs are strong, muscular, straight. The rear are slightly straightened in the joints, so that when looking at the dog from the side, there is a slight high-pitched appearance.
  9. The tail is set high, thick. In a state of tranquility it is omitted, when moving or excited, it rises above the line of the back. The dog keeps it in the form of a ring or half-ring.

The accepted breed standard describes short-haired gimmers, but there are varieties with long wool.

Wool and possible colors

Both types are characterized by "double" wool. The thick undercoat allows you to not freeze dogs even in the coldest winters in the mountains. The undercoat is so dense that it is not impregnated with thawed water and protects the body when it freezes on the top layer of the shirt.

In short-haired dogs, the length of the psovin on the body does not exceed 2.5-6 cm. The long-haired can reach 15 cm. The hair is shorter on the head and limbs.

Since the breed was formed with the maximum adaptation to the surrounding conditions, the color has a masking value. Any species is allowed, except liver and brown. It is desirable to have a dark mask on the face.

Characteristics of character

The Armenian wolfhound at all times was valued for independence in decision-making, exceptional devotion to the owner and fearlessness. During the wars and genocide of the Armenian population, the number of dogs declined sharply. Since the invaders destroyed gumpers, selflessly defending the host family and its property.

Gampre has a balanced, steady temperament. He realizes his strength and understands how much his appearance causes fear. But the dog also subtly feels love and respect. He will never bark without a reason, as if he understands that his frightening roar and barking can frighten a child.

Even settling on rest, the gampra chooses a place from which the entire protected area can be clearly seen. The well-known Armenian factory owner Gurgen Hakobyan asserts that no person will be able to choose a more favorable position, even on an unfamiliar territory, to keep it all under vigilant control.

Gurgen Hakobyan talks with his pets, as with older sons, as these proud animals arouse respect. Gurgen believes that the intellectual development of his pet Urata exceeds the mental capacity of some people. The dog never blindly does not obey orders. He chooses his tactics and strategy, which allows him to fully perform the main function - to protect and protect. Gampra (Armenian wolfhound) prize-winner

Between the owner and the dog are formed not relations "master servant", but friendly. The dog is difficult to force to attack an outsider, he must assess the degree of threat and decide to protect the owners and family.

The owner must win the recognition and friendship of the dog. Appearing in the family, the gampra initially shows its favor to the weaker members who most need its protection - children and women. From the owner the dog waits respect, recognition of equal relations. If the owner shows indifference and detachment - the dog pays him the same.

With domestic pets, gampre is in a relaxed relationship. He considers them weak and requires his protection.

Education and training

Armenian wolfhound is hard to train. Many cynologists believe that it is not necessary to train a dog, since the instinct of a guard and a guard is laid at her level of genes.

However, the dog needs to be educated from the first days of life. Gumpri late mature, and in "adolescence" they have all the disadvantages of the pubertal period of man. He can be wayward, disobedient, lazy, cunning, reckless.

In order not to get an uncontrolled adult dog of impressive size and strength, it is necessary to begin education and socialization of it as soon as possible. The master must firmly, but without aggression, make it clear who is the "leader of the pack". Dogs are trained in search skills - the search for lost people in the mountains or captured people and pets in the snow.

Gampers breeders believe that it is barbarity to train dogs to participate in dog fights. This spoils the character of the dog, develops aggressiveness towards the species and "breaks" the nature of the animal.

Care and health

Gampra is a working dog that has worked for centuries alongside a person living in harsh conditions. Therefore, the dog is unpretentious and does not need special care. However, this does not mean that you can forget about the dog.

A thick and dense undercoat requires combing out, especially often it needs to be done during seasonal molting. You need to bathe the dogs as they get dirty. If the dog does not have the ability to grind the claws naturally on a hard surface, then they must be cut, inspected, in order to avoid cracks and delamination, injuries to the pads of the paws. Gampra (Armenian wolfhound) puppy

If the ears are not docked, then they also need to be periodically inspected and cleaned. Require the care and cleaning of a dog's teeth. Puppies to this procedure must be taught from a very early age.

Gampra is difficult to maintain in a city apartment. Without the implementation of his "mission" the dog can get bored. It requires a lot of space and contact with a person. If the dog is kept in a city apartment, then it is necessary to walk often and for a long time, giving a metered physical load.

Diseases of the breed

Gampre is distinguished by very strong health, in which the blood of wolves played an important role and the ideal adaptability to local conditions. Dogs are not susceptible to allergic reactions, have strong immunity and good resistance to local parasites.

One of the disadvantages is the propensity to the diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Gampr grows rapidly and gaining weight, which negatively affects the condition of the bony joints. Dogs of this breed are noted:

  • dysplasia of the hip joints;
  • dislocations and subluxations of the elbow joints.

Strong health does not protect gampra from viral and infectious diseases inherent in carnivorous - plague, rabies. Therefore, they need vaccination against these deadly diseases.

Since the dog is most of the time on the street, it needs to be treated with fleas and ticks, periodically inspecting the coat and ears. Gampra sometimes has ear problems, but it's not the faults of the breed, but the negligence of the owner.

How to feed a pet

Armenian wolfhound is unpretentious in eating. He will eat what the owner will give him. However, it should be borne in mind that for a proper formation, taking into account the rapid growth, the dog needs a full-fledged, balanced diet with a high content of proteins and carbohydrates. Proteins should be at least 40% of the total serving volume. It can be low-fat meat, offal. Meat can be given raw.

In addition to meat, the diet should include fish, as a source of phosphorus, a necessary element for the mineralization of bones and the correct structure of the skeleton. The fish must be freed from bones and welded.

In addition to proteins, the body of the dog requires the intake of carbohydrates to ensure the processes of metabolism, regeneration and growth. They will provide porridge in which you can add a little vegetable oil, broth, boiled, stewed or raw vegetables. The frequency of feeding is the same as in other breeds of dogs - twice a day in adults and 3-4 times in puppies. Gampra (Armenian wolfhound) in the mountains

Particular attention in the preparation of the diet should be given to the prevention of joint diseases. For this, the cartilage, tendons, and bones must be introduced into the food. In addition, the diet is supplemented with vitamin-mineral supplements that provide the health of the musculoskeletal system. For prevention purposes, chondroprotectors can be given to the dog, which the veterinarian will recommend.

When choosing prepared feeds, you should choose the ones that are designed for large and giant dogs. They have already introduced all the necessary supplements to ensure the health and longevity of the animal. With proper care, feeding and regular inspection, gamprus can live 14-15 years.

Dog content

Armenian wolfhound is not suitable for keeping in a city apartment. The best place for his dwelling is a country house with a large fenced area, which the dog can guard. To the dog does not freeze and does not overheat, it needs an enclosure or canopy, under which it will rest.

Shelter should not limit the review. The dog breeder told how, wanting to protect the dog from the severe frost (-30 ° C) and the piercing wind, he warmed the pavilion in which the dog slept with blankets. In the morning he saw that the blankets were torn and thrown away from the shelter, as they prevented the dog from monitoring the territory.

If the dog is a long time in the cage, then it needs to provide walks and physical activity. Gampre is happy if he can help the owner - guard the sheep, protect the house. Without the realization of natural instincts, he begins to get bored.

Photo of gampra (Armenian wolfhound) Gampra (Armenian wolfhound) with a childtwo gaipsGamprehuge dumperGampre looksArmenian wolfhound

Video about gampre (Armenian wolfhound)

Where to buy a puppy

The cost of puppies in nurseries is quite high and amounts to 200-1000 dollars. If it was difficult to buy gimpra, as the removal of dogs from Armenia was banned, and in the United States they were expensive, but now there are nurseries in Russia and Ukraine.

In Ukraine there is a kennel "Shamir", in which for a long time and successfully cultivated in the 90th years from Armenia, the gimp. When the Belarusians appealed for the purchase of puppies for protection of agricultural lands and cattle in the Cynological Union of Armenia, they were advised to purchase dogs in the Shamir kennel, as their puppies are not inferior to the Armenian ones. Puppy gimpra in the nursery costs more than 3000 hryvnia.

Kennels "Gampra-legend of Armenia" and "Urmia" in Mineral Waters maintain a close connection with the homeland of wolfhounds, therefore puppies acquired here meet the standards and are purebred.

Officially registered a new kennel of Armenian wolfhounds in Tbilisi (Georgia). "ARAX - BRUNASHEN" is the first nursery in the territory of Georgia. Its owner is a doctor by profession and editor of a magazine dealing with the propagation of native breeds. In Russia, the largest kennel of grappers is the "Armenian Lion with Urartu".

Today the motto of the Armenian cynological clubs and breeding nurseries is: "Gampr from the sea to the sea". Armenians are engaged not only in replenishment of livestock, attempts at standardization and recognition of long-haired varieties of gimpra, but also in the wide popularization of these amazing ancient dogs.

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Pastors and Suicide: Galatians 6:2

By Kathleen Patterson, Ph.D.

Why are pastors committing suicide? Three well-known pastors have recently taken their own lives, Teddy Parker, Jr., Ed Montgomery, and now Isaac Hunter. And there are be sure.

What is happening? I cannot even imagine such tragic loss to their individual families, let alone the church family and what this might do to the message of the Gospel.

Why is that we, and especially those in ministry, cannot reveal what we struggle with. The shame or fear is perhaps too much to bear? These three men were dealing with different issues, one with manic depression, one with grief, and one with adultery. While these are all very different issues, the one common denominator is that they were 'inner' issues—meaning the reasons stemmed from the inner life of these leaders. Why is that some leaders can only present a 'nice' picture of who they are not be honest to present the 'not-so-nice' picture, the reality that might exist. Let's face it, we all nice and not-so-nice; ministers are not immune from this humanity.

Why do we feel such shame in our own family—meaning our church family? Are we not all intended to be knit to one another and to bear one another's burdens? Instead of being completely who we are and needing and leaning upon one another, we seem to choose an isolated approach that turns inward (pride does this to us)—and we have no support or shoulder to be carried on.

Galatians 6:2 is the scripture that reminds us to bear one another's burdens, yet in order to be able to do this; we have to share our burden. The church, however, will seemingly not let pastors do this. We are far too judgmental, we start the gossip mill, and we condemn. Instead of bearing the burden we almost add to it, albeit unintentionally.

My prayer is that if you are in ministry—you listen to the inner life of who you are, be open to sharing struggles and challenges, and then be open to honoring the inner life of the leader you are.

My prayer is that if you are around those in ministry—that you honor the leader as a person, that you seek to accept that person as he/she is, and that you also seek to bear their burden in some way.

I pray for folk in ministry—that they find strength in God first, in their families secondly, but also in the body around them.

Kathleen Patterson, Ph.D.Professor

School of Business & Leadership
Regent University

Christian Leadership to Change the World


William Grimley with Rene Miranda, physical therapist assistant

After knee replacement surgery, William Grimley needed rehabilitation to recover and return home independent.

Grimley came to Woolridge Place Nursing Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Feb. 8, 2019, for physical and occupational therapies. When he arrived, he needed some assistance to walk, get dressed, balance while sitting or standing and transfer from one surface to another, such as from a chair to a wheelchair or a bed.

Therapists worked with Grimley five days a week to help him rebuild his strength, endurance, balance and self-care skills. They used the NuStep® and OmniCycle® seated exercise machines to help him work on lower-body, upper-body and core strength and even trained him on stairs when he progressed to the point where he could try them.

“William was very motivated to get better and able to voice the areas he needed to work on, with good carry-over,” said Rene Miranda, physical therapist assistant.

“The therapists were very friendly and helpful,” said Grimley. “I enjoyed being treated by all of them. I am thankful for all they have done for me.”

Grimley successfully returned home on Feb. 18, independent.


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Centrum Bohuslava Martinů

Gotic town fortification

Gothic fortification of the town Polička with its ground plan belongs to the best extant town fortifications in the Czech Republic. The rood lofts of the reconstructed parts of the main barrier with few towers are accessible for public accompanied by a pursuivant. Sight-seeing tour includes authentic interpretation by the town mock-up, which brings near the appearance of the town Polička of the 14th century. Then follows one´s own climb onto the barrier rood loft either from Nová Street or Komenského Street.

It is necessary to buy tickets in the Bohuslav Martinů´s Centre

The town Polička was founded in 1265 at Premyslid Otakar II´s bidding. The original settlers who came here in about 110 families, were mostly of the German origin. The settlers were building houses and culturing assigned lands, that is also why this origin fortification made by wood, was just a provisional protection, which was replaced by a stone barrier in the half of the 14th century.

The fortification was composed of the main barrier reinforced by the two towers, parkan, inner wall, water jump and mound. One could enter the town by four gates (Litomyšlská, Limberská, Kamenecká a Starohradská) and the pond was accessible by the portal. The main wall came down in a whole circle with all its 19 towers.

The fortification was usually enough to discourage enemies only by its existence. The walls of Polička proved good in fights several times. At first during the hussite wars, Polička as a king´s town promoted king´s interests. However when the people of Prague led by Jan Žižka campaigned into the East Bohemia, the town of Polička joined onto the side of Hussites. In the autumn of 1421was the town of Polička captured, probably by betrayal, by the king Zikmund´s troops. The fortification resisted several times during the reign of Jiří from Poděbrady. In 1468 and 1469 the town resisted successfully the attacs of the Hungarian king Maryáš Korvín.

In the time of building stone walls, the fortification of Polička was very effective, however in the process with the developement of army technics, its effectiveness fell. In the time of 30 years war the stone walls had practically no military importance. In the later time they served only as an administrative boundary of the town.

The town preserved its medieval street scheme, even replotting has not been changed since then. Because of the many catastrophes in Polička, there were not enough finances to more expansive reconstruction and modernisation. The citizens had to renew damaged houses after the great fires in 1613 and 1845. In the 18th century there was built an external round street around the barriers, on the South the extention was not possible because of the pond. There was no reason to tear down the barriers, as it was done in other barrier towns. Thanks to this fact, the barriers of Polička are one of the best preserved barriers in Bohemia.

Some parts of the fortification disappeared in the 19th century. In the first half of the century there were gates and barbacanes. Gradually there also disappeared town ditches and at the end of the century even a partly overwhelmed town pond, which protected the whole southern part of the town.
ROP NUTS II EU Investice do budoucnosti


May – 5th agile principle

All agile principles are about the “how” as in “how to get things done”. If there is any principle that touches upon organisational culture, it is this one. We can ask: How do people in an agile team interact and contribute to an organization’s goal? What are the underlying beliefs, values and assumptions of an agile team? So, the fifth agile principle is about the “how” of project management and organisational culture.

There are three propositions in this statement. The first one is to build projects around motivated individuals. Notice that there is no mention of the words team, management, or leadership. The emphasis is instead on individuals and motivation. Individuals carry out tasks and take responsibility. Motivation is the force that propels them. Successful completion of a project is not the outcome of good leadership, good management, and not even a good team. It is achieved because motivated people who work together.

The topic of motivation is very important. At the same time, it is left open where motivation comes from and how individuals are motivated. They may be motivated because they share the same ideas ideas and goals. They may be motivated by the challenge that the projects presents. They may be motivated, because their work allows them grow their understanding and abilities. Or they may simply love the work they do. Whatever the source of motivation may be, it is key to the success of the project. Motivation is also contagious. If team members are highly motivated, they create an environment in which it is hard to stay unmotivated.

The focus on individuals is directly tied to the first of the four agile values: “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.” Individuals bring with them not just motivation, but specific skills and experience that is valuable to others as well as to the overall project success. Individuals are integral parts of a team and are not easily replaced. They inevitably affect group dynamics and leave a personal mark on the work project. Which is why agile teams are often composed of multiple senior developers.

The second proposition is: “give them the environment and support they need.” To begin with, this includes the physical environment. A team obviously needs some sort of space where collaboration takes place. Traditionally, this is a shared office where people come together and communicate face-to-face. Increasingly, this is also virtual space that teams configure to their needs for online collaboration. There are a myriad ways of doing this. Suffice to say that physical shared space is preferred in agile project management. Physical space is conducive to informal and efficient communication.

Besides space, people need workstations, laptops, servers, equipment, software, tools, online resources and other “physical stuff” required to accomplish the given task. The term “environment” extends into the non-physical realm, however. A good work environment entails non-physical attributes, such as being safe, pleasant, respectful, rewarding, encouraging and stimulating. If you find that your work environment has all of these attributes, consider yourself lucky.

The support part of this statement plays in tandem with the environment part. A good environment is always supportive. Apart from financial support, this primarily means providing a platform and structure for cooperation. This could be the way a team organises its workflow, for example. But it is actually much more. Support can again mean physical and non-physical things. A good coffee machine and pleasant offices may be considered just as important as a well-maintained backlog and intellectually inspiring tech talks. At the top of the list, you are likely to find non-physical qualities such as transparency, recognition, and good work-life balance.

The third and final proposition of the 5th agile principle is: “Trust them to get the job done.” This piece of advice is most telling about the organisational culture that goes along with agile development. It is a radical departure from traditional top-down management. In a typical waterfall project, goals and milestones are prescribed by project leads and managers. The fulfilment of these goals is then ensured by implementing measures to gauge and control project progress. Or at least that is the idea.

In reality, both planning and measuring progress are often flawed. For example, the plan may contain a high degree of ambiguity, or the measurement does not regard code quality. By contrast, agile development operates on the assumption that the desired outcome (project success) follows naturally from providing the right conditions. This means, if there are motivated people working in an environment that is conducive to cooperation and if they receive adequate and sufficient support from management, then they will automatically get the job done. In fact, they will even get the job done in suboptimal conditions as long as they remain motivated.

The advise to trust people to get the job done comes from a place that has embraced a non-autocratic style of management. Responsibility and decision making is delegated to the individuals who work on a project. Managers assume the role of mentors and coaches rather than that of a dictatorial leader. Much emphasis is put on intrinsic motivation instead of extrinsic rewards and control mechanisms.

April – 4th Agile Principle

Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

We are now getting to one of the most widely ignored principles of agile development. It is clear, succinct and quite definite. It says that business people and developers must work together daily. Note that it doesn’t say business people and developers should work together daily. The keywords are must and daily. Why is this principle often ignored? Because business people are often too busy to talk to developers. There are several reasons for that. First of all, they usually have other responsibilities than managing software development. Second, they may simply not be available every day. Third, business people and developers often don’t understand each other. It’s almost as if they speak a different language. Developers speak about technology and business people speak about goals, opportunities, and strategies.

Before we go into these issues, let’s briefly elaborate why it is important that developers and business people cooperate on an ongoing basis. Unlike the waterfall method or any other method that is based on a grand plan, agile development relies on a progressive formulation of requirements. This is the same feature that makes agile development adaptive and open to change. The drafting of requirements happens incrementally and thereby mirrors the development process. Specifications evolve throughout the project. There is no single prescribed method for how business requirements are being translated into detailed technical specifications. It can be done in a number of ways. However, it is understood that business people and developers must be in an ongoing dialog to make this happen.

Frequently, requirements begin with a high-level road map or whitepaper. This document contains a description of the overall goals and high-level functionality of the project. It is generally too abstract to be used for technical implementation. However, it may be followed a description of the envisioned architecture. The next step consists of defining different large-scale features (epics) that touch upon distinct aspects of functionality. This step again requires a dialogue of business people and developers. Epics are still too abstract and too large to be worked on directly. The entire process of requirements gathering can be seen as a successive refinement of specifications to the point where specifications can be encoded in computer language. Epics are broken down further into units of work that agile teams consider appropriate for concrete implementation, so-called user stories.

A user story is a conceptual tool of agile development. It describes a software feature from the perspective of a user. For example: “As an administrator, I want to be able to approve new comments before they are posted.” This is a proper user story containing a user role and a feature description. During the course of technical planning of a user story, further details are specified, such as the user interface particulars for that specific story. Diagrams, tables and UI mockups may be created during this phase. This implies again that there is dialogue between those who provide specifications (business) and those who implement them (developers). Without continuous cooperation, requirements end up being too vague and software artifacts end up being incomplete or flawed. The requirements refinement process runs parallel to implementation and testing. It requires management from the business side. Together, they make up a sort of pipeline that runs from high-level specifications to usable software.

In a typical Scrum team, there is an appointed manager (called “product owner”) who leads the requirements refinement process. The product owner acts as a sort of intermediary between business and development. On the other hand, a typical Kanban team is cross-functional and has no appointed roles. Members from business provide guidance directly without a project manager. Project management is often handled on demand by individual team members, depending on the nature of the task. In a Crystal team, project management depends on team size. There may or may not be an appointed project manager, often an executive sponsor. Business and development come together for Blitz planning sessions to define tasks and schedules. The refinement process is informal and relies on other methods such as co-location, daily meetings, or brief review-and-feedback loops with expert users. The problem of translating business requirements into software features and codeable functions can be solved in many ways. The one thing that all the different agile methods have in common is that business people and developers work together on an ongoing basis.

What can be done to improve communication between business people and developers? The problem of allocating sufficient time for exchanges can be solved in different ways. Appointing a product manager who works face-to-face with the team works well. Setting up regular meetings, such as feature planning, iteration planning, reviews, and backlog refinement meetings also works well. Having an executive sponsor working with the team is likewise a good solution if the sponsor is approachable and dedicates enough time to the task. Even informal communication can succeed if business people and developers are co-located at the same work space. The language problem can at least partly be tackled by developing a domain-specific vocabulary. Organisations usually have quite specific structures, roles, workflows, service offerings, etc. It is important to agree on a fixed terminology for these when phrasing requirements. This helps eliminating ambiguity, because ambiguity and vagueness are the principal obstructions to a successful implementation.

In summary, the 4th agile principle describes one of the most important factors to determine success or failure of software development projects.

March – 3rd Agile Principle

You might wonder how the third agile principle differs from the first. The first principle talks about “early and continuous delivery” of software. This sounds a bit similar to “delivering software frequently”. However, there is a significant difference. The first principle is all about customer satisfaction. It is realised by continuously delivering value to customers. The third principle is all about method. The principal method used to achieve the goals of the first principle is development in iterations. An iteration is a defined time span during which the entire software development life cycle (SDLC) is traversed. An iteration starts with requirements analysis and ends with software delivery. It can be modeled as a closed and repeating cycle.

If we recall the waterfall model, there are some major differences. Mot importantly, the waterfall model traverses the software development cycle only once. This usually takes a much longer time. It is common that the duration of this long-term traversal cannot be predicted exactly. For that reason, deadlines are often postponed. Another major difference is that roll out/deployment and maintenance phases are periods at the end of the waterfall SDLC, whereas agile methods do not stipulate predetermined phases for these activities at all. Agile teams carry out maintenance “on the go”; it is part of the normal development work.

The time frame of an agile iteration is more rigid, by contrast. It is commonly fixed and takes anywhere between a few weeks and a few months. For example, teams that use Scrum often work in cycles of 2-4 weeks. There is no delay or postponement. Instead, if a feature is not ready, it is moved to the next iteration. The quantity of work completed within this relatively short amount of time is of course much smaller. So, at the beginning of each cycle, the team continues to build upon the foundation laid in the previous cycles. The process is therefore also incremental. This has certain advantages for both developers and clients.

Let’s state again that the agile process is both iterative and incremental. This is important. At the end of each iteration, new features and fixes are demonstrated to the stakeholders. In many cases, the iteration also results in a release, which means that software is deployed to production at the end of a single iteration. However, this is not written in stone. For example, a team may decide to work in 2 weeks iterations while adopting a release cycle of 4 weeks to match maintenance windows. Another team may prefer a continuous delivery model where features are released to production as soon as they become available.

It does not matter, as the iteration is not strictly coupled to the release plan. What matters is that software is delivered frequently and that the time span of an iteration is kept as short as practicably possible. This makes for a short feedback loop which allows stakeholders to intervene quickly. It increases the control of business stakeholders and allows for an amount of flexibility that is impossible to attain with the traditional waterfall process. For example, change requests and bug fixes can often be implemented and released within a single iteration making for a time to market that can simply not be achieved with any other method.

From what has been said, it follows that the agile process is also evolutionary and adaptive. Because large scale features are built incrementally over the span of multiple iterations, developers build on the foundation of existing architecture and functions. New blocks of software are added to existing blocks. Existing blocks are sometimes refactored or changed. It is therefore possible to test concepts in practice before a feature is completed. It is also possible to improve concepts and functions over the span of multiple iterations. The end result is always working software.

This means that software features, especially large scale features (called “epic” in Scrum methodology), are not typically conceived at the drawing board. Instead, prototypes and proof-of-concepts make their way into working software long before the planning and implementation of a large scale feature is completed. This is another major difference to the waterfall model. The key advantage provided by a short feedback loop is that bugs, logical errors and flawed concepts can be spotted and corrected early. This keeps the cost of such improvements to a minimum.

Because the evolutionary and adaptive nature of the agile software development process, planning and design is often restricted to a relatively small time frame and is open to change. For example, the requirements for implementing an epic could change midway during one of the many iterations it takes to complete the epic. In some cases, these requirement changes necessitate rethinking and altering existing features or even rethinking architecture. Code refactoring, the restructuring and improvement of existing code without changing its functionality, is therefore very important in agile development. Without continuous refactoring, agile projects are in danger of accumulating technical debt.

Continuous refactoring is perhaps the price that has to be paid for the extreme flexibility and quick time to market that agile development affords. A team that follows an adaptive approach must guard against code smells and software entropy. Only with sustained attention to these problems, software will stay maintainable and extensible in the long run.

The Open Closed Principle Revisited

An interesting discussion came up in a recent code review. Looking over the OOP implementation of a menu class, a colleague remarked that classes should always be designed open for extension and closed for modification. Sounds right, as it reflects generally accepted OOP practices. The open-closed principle, the “O” in SOLID, is an essential principle of sound object-oriented design. You probably already knew that. Here is the initial design of that class.

class Menu {
private constructor()

static createForUser(user: User) : Menu
static createForLegacyUser(user: LegacyUser): Menu

public getThisMenu(): MenuData
public getThatMenu(): MenuData
public getAnotherMenu(): MenuData

The menu class can be instantiated in two different ways, either with a regular user or with a legacy user. Both user objects provide authorization via ACL. The menu class has several getters that return different menus. The dynamically created MenuData contains only the menu options the user has access to. The private implementation methods are omitted. These perform authorization using the user objects and also translate the menu items into the user’s UI language. The menus themselves are configured in external YAML files and their structure can be changed as long the expected YAML format is maintained.

As you can gather from the design, this class is not designed with extension in mind. It is possible to add other menus, but only by extending it and adding a getYetAnotherMenu() method. Unfortunately, inheritance is not very practicable here. Extending for other types of users isn’t possible at all, because the respective authorisation code would have to be added to the implementation. Let’s summarise:

  1. Very easy: adding or removing menu options and sub menus to the existing menus
  2. Possible, but not that easy: adding or removing menus
  3. Not possible: adding other types of users

An obvious weakness of the above design is the redundancy in the getters and the fact that the menus themselves are fixed. This can be improved quite easily:

class Menu {
private constructor()
static createForUser(user: User) : Menu
static createForLegacyUser(user: LegacyUser): Menu

public getMenu(menuIdentifier: string): MenuData

Instead of invoking it with menu = Menu.createForUser(user).getThisMenu() to obtain menu data, this class is now invoked with menu = Menu.createForUser(user).getMenu(‘thisMenu’). The identifier is associated with the respective YAML file from which the menu data structure is created. Let’s summarise again:

  2. Very easy: adding or removing menus
  3. Not possible: adding other types of users

At this point, I was quite happy with the simplicity and flexibility of the design. We’ve made it both easy to extend menu options as well as menus themselves. My colleague, however, wasn’t happy. He insisted that the open-closed principle must also be applied to user types. And this is where it gets philosophical. Of course, it is possible to do that. But it requires significant changes and a further abstraction. We need to remove the authorisation implementation from the menu class, create an Authoriser interface and provide Authoriser classes for regular users and legacy users that implement Authoriser.

class Menu {
static create(authoriser: Authoriser) : Menu
public getMenu(menuIdentifier: string): MenuData

interface Authoriser {
boolean authorise(role: AclRole)

class RegularUserAuthoriser implements Authoriser {
constructor(user: User)
authorise(role: AclRole)

class LegacyUserAuthoriser implements Authoriser {
constructor(user: LegacyUser)
authorise(role: AclRole)

Why philosophical? Because, while this is a textbook implementation of the open-closed principle, we have never added any other user types in years. The system has only two types of users: regular users and legacy users. The likelihood of having other types of users in future is almost nil. This raises two questions: First, is the cost of extensibility and extra abstraction justified? This change obviously makes the code more complex. Second, how do you know what kind of extensibility will be required in future?

I would answer the first question with “no”. It is not worthwhile complicating the design to achieve extensibility if this extensibility is not needed. Doing so would constitute a YAGNI antipattern. YAGNI stands for “you aren’t gonna need it” and originates from the core principles of extreme programming (XP). According to XP, features should be implemented as simple as possible and without making unwarranted assumptions about future use cases. This is very much related to the KISS principle, which in turn has its foundation in philosophy: Occam’s razor and the law of parsimony. In practical terms: the simplest implementation for a given requirement is the best implementation.

If you paid attention, you might already see the dilemma. There seems to be a contradiction between YAGNI and the open-closed principle. If we design a class that is open for extension and closed for modification, this usually means we have to define additional interfaces that formalise the extensible behaviour. This is to say, the open-closed principle results in increased complexity, contradicting KISS, YAGNI and Occam’s razor. So, what should we do?

Consider the second question we have asked before: how do you know what kind of extensibility will be required in future? Simply speaking, if you don’t know, then don’t build it. Classes usually contain more than a sinlgle dependency and a single behaviour. Designing extensibility into each dependency and behaviour is a very bad idea, because it would make the design extremely complex. The open-closed principle should be applied in situations where the need for extensibility is either established or very likely. The “O” in SOLID must not be applied indiscriminately..

Contemplate the following quote of former US secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld:

There are known knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know.. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don’t know.

At first, this statement sounds a bit perplexing, but it makes perfect sense. It can be applied to our OOP problem as follows:

The known knowns are the features described in the functional and technical specifications. They are spelled out unambiguously and can therefore be translated directly into concrete implementations. The known unknowns are the features that we can predict, but their concrete implementation is unknown. This is where the open-closed principle applies. For example, if we write a printer spooler, we know that the spooler should work with all sorts of printers, although we don’t know the concrete printer models. Therefore, we provide an interface that can be implemented for any concrete printer model which he spooler then uses to perform its function. Finally, the unknown unknowns are the sort of features that we cannot predict at all.

As mentioned, designing extensibility for unknown unknowns results in unneeded complexity. The same is true for the known knowns since they are fixed. There is no need to design an interface for a class if we already know that there will be only one concrete implementation. Hence, the open-closed principle makes sense only for the known unknowns, namely the situations where feature extensions can be predicted with some degree of certainty.

February – 2nd Agile Principle

The second agile principle can be expressed in two words: embrace change. It is an appeal in opposition to the traditional fixed cost waterfall model. The waterfall model makes change as hard as possible. Every time a requirement changes, the waterfall model prescribes that specifications are rewritten, the estimate is updated and the contract renegotiated. As this involves considerable administrative effort, there is a high barrier to change. This barrier is intentional, because change is considered detrimental. The waterfall model attempts to eliminate uncertainties and perceives change a risk to project success.

However, if you have worked in project management for any length of time, you will know that change is inevitable. Organisations and businesses are not static. They grow and evolve. Their external environment puts them under constant pressure. Markets, competitors, changing regulations, and new technologies force organisations to respond and adapt. Likewise, internal changes happen all the time. When an organisation expands or takes on new projects, for example, internal structures and procedures often require overhaul. This in turn means that software requirements change. Because the degree to which organisations are computerised is increasing, the rate of software requirements change is also increasing. Consequently, we can expect that change is a constant and that the pace of change accelerates.

This is were the second agile principle comes in. The agile philosophy accepts change and uncertainty as “facts of life” so to speak instead of creating an artificial bulwark against it. The very meaning of agility is defined by this principle and this is a major departure from traditional project management. It is important to understand the implications of embracing change. What does this mean for the software development lifecycle and how does it affect the planning process? One can’t deny that welcoming change implies welcoming uncertainty, because change is hardly ever predictable. The farther one tries to look into the future, the less predictable it becomes. But how do you welcome uncertainty in project planning? The agile answer to this question is temporal focus.

In agile frameworks such as Kanban and Scrum, project goals are well defined only for the present and for the immediate future. For example, Kanban is like a pipeline where the focal point is narrowed on the tasks that are currently flowing through it. These tasks are described in detail, whereas the tasks that are queued receive less attention. Scrum is an iterative framework where the focus is on the current iteration (Sprint), whereas the backlog is out of focus. This means that tasks in the intermediate future are less defined. The degree of detail is limited and the time and effort estimations are rough. Tasks in the farther future are even more fuzzy. There may be large scale goals, roadmaps and ballpark estimates, but these are open to change. So, an important difference to the waterfall model is that projects are not determined from beginning to the end.

The fuzziness of long-term and indefinite future projects is not necessarily a disadvantage. It is the price of agility, so to speak. It affords nimbleness and the ability to harness change, which brings us back to the phrasing of the second agile principle. What exactly does it mean to “harness” change? Wasn’t change something that traditional project management tries to avoid? At the basic level, harnessing change means not being overwhelmed or overrun by external events. This is something that happened all too often in the past. Because agile methods are lightweight by definition, the agile team can respond and adapt to external changes quicker and more gracefully, even if such changes entail undesirable aspects.

At a more advanced level, change is proactive and initiated by the project team. For example, the project team might decide to adopt a new technology, or it may decide to include new features, or it may respond to a specific competitive challenge. The possibilities are endless. Because the cost of rethinking and overturning things is low in comparison with traditional project management, agile methods excel in responsiveness. This is especially relevant in environments that develop at a fast pace, such as emerging markets and technologies. Which brings us to the last term of the second principle: the customer’s competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is created when an organisation gets ahead of its competitors. Being the first to release a new feature or a new technology, for example, creates a competitive advantage. Agile project management is uniquely suited to such achievements.


Chinese title: 周末父母 /Zhou mo fu mu
English title: Full Love

Yu Zhi Yuan and Zhao Jia Ni have been married for five years with a 3 year old son. They are weekend parents, working five days a week and leaving their son with the grandmother until they take him home for the weekend. The two eventually come to cherish the importance of being there for their child and they strive to make a better home.

Zhao Zhu Di and Shao Jie are the second pair of parents putting their daughter’s education above everything else with the mindset that she can never lose out in life.


Portrait started out as an experiment in drawing a display typeface that was both beautiful and brutal, classical and modern in its minimalism. While its lighter weights are quietly elegant, the heavier weights show the influence of chiseled woodcut forms. Portrait draws its primary inspiration from the Two-line Double Pica Roman attributed to the French punchcutter Maitre Constantin, cut around 1530 for the printer Robert Estienne in Paris. This was the earliest Roman typeface with a lower case to be cut in such a large size, and its light, delicate forms were a major influence on the large types cut by many punchcutters of the era including Augereau and his apprentice Garamont. Portrait replaces the delicately modelled serif treatments of Constantin’s original with simple, triangular Latin serifs, reimagining the Renaissance forms in a contemporary light.