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Profound and multiple learning disabilities: setting standards of care

Through our work at Achieve together – a social care provider organisation – we knew that people with PMLD lack presence and voice. There was under-representation of this group at all levels with little opportunity for networking and advocacy. Discussions with other partners revealed an appetite nationally for greater networking and sharing of best practice with collaborations between families, advocates, and health, education and social care services. Noting the absence of any formal benchmarking of what ‘good’ looks like for supporting people with PMLD, our nurse-led team collaborated with Dr Thomas Doukas, who was then at Choice Support, Annie Fergusson, then senior lecturer at the University of Northampton and editor of the PMLD Link journal, and Joanna Grace, founder of Sensory Projects, to develop core standards (Doukas et al, 2017). We invited family members, health, social care and education professionals to take part in creating the standards with the guiding principle that r

You’re Going About Your Beauty Routine All Wrong! 5 Tips for Limp Hair, Eye Circles, and More

We love the techniques we’ve relied on to solve beauty bothers over the years, but none are without their drawbacks. To the rescue: easy, affordable — some even free! — beauty tips. Make these improvements to your anti-aging repertoire to boost the beautifying results. The old technique:  A face scrub. It removes skin-dulling impurities, but results fade fast. A scrub doesn’t get to the root of the problem, which is slowed circulation. So, do a face massage instead! The technique:  A massage increases circulation and blood flow to skin’s surface for a glow that lasts. Simply apply moisturizer , then starting at the center of the chin, sweep fingers in circular motions along the jawline, up to the cheeks, under the eyes, out to the ears, then along the forehead. Massage each area for one minute. The old technique:  All of us have been taught to spritz dry shampoo onto hair at the roots, because it absorbs volume-sapping excess oil. However, overuse can lead to buildup that weighs hair d

Techno-economic analysis of rooftop solar power plant implementation and policy on mosques: an Indonesian case study

  Indonesia is pushing the implementation of renewable energy to meet its climate action target. Solar energy is abundant, and its utilization is prioritized, including rooftop solar power plant (RSPP). This research presents a techno-economic analysis of an RSPP installed in a mosque in Ngombol subdistrict, Purworejo district, Central Java, Indonesia. This article also introduces and explains the regulation of RSPP and electricity tariffs in Indonesia, which define the economics of RSPP. This study employs an operational and financial model to analyze RSPP in five scenarios. The RSPP design objective is to reduce the annual energy usage of the mosque and yield the highest Net Present Value (NPV). According to the result, RSPP at all configurations based on the type and number of panels yield negative NPVs at the current electricity tariff, costs of components, and regulations implemented concerning RSPP. Proposed policy adjustment modeled through different scenarios provide benefit t

BASF e3 programme joins UN Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network

  BASF says the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network is a United Nations (UN) hosted online platform for industry stakeholders, media, Governments, and UN system entities. The network showcases and enables collaborations that accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Considering the fashion and lifestyle sector’s significant impact on societies and the environment, the Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network fosters transparent, inclusive, and transformative engagement of global stakeholders to drive urgent action for sustainability. The network provides an impartial platform for the industry and the UN system. Its key objective is to mobilise expertise, innovation, technology, and resources towards a sustainable and inclusive Covid-19 recovery, with the Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework. “The e3 Sustainable Cotton programme is an industry-leading sustainable cotton programme that delivers a true farm to fashion story bringing transparenc