Ports across the East Coast of the United States are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Florence – expected to make landfall later this week – with early estimates suggesting the potential economic impact for lost sales in the consumer/retail sector will total US$700m.

Italian auditing firm RINA has defended its actions in the wake of a garment factory fire in Karachi in 2012 where it was alleged to have ignored “fatal flaws” in factory safety systems.

Netherlands based Ecco Leather has developed a technology that could take the industry a step closer to water-free leather tanning by using the moisture already present in the hides.

Parkdale Advanced Materials, the innovative fibres and yarns division of Parkdale Inc, has inked a joint venture with Intrinsic Textiles Group to scale up a new technology to help recuce synthetic microfibre pollution and textile waste.

Chinese textiles giant Shandong Ruyi has inked a US$2bn deal with the Nigerian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment for the country’s first ever cotton value chain from growing to garment making.

With “Sweater Weather,” the first single off the Neighbourhood’s 2013 debut album “I Love You,” the Southern California quintet pulled off the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of a rookie baseball player hitting a grand slam his first time at the plate in the big leagues.

The moody single spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative charts, reached No. 14 on the Billboard 100, and firmly established the group as a buzz band overnight. Nothing like making a good first impression, but then the record company wants another single like that one, and the pressure builds, and what if the next record doesn’t have a hit, and — well, you get the picture.

“I think in the beginning, trying to live up to that song was more on our minds,” says drummer Brandon Alexander Fried a week or so before the Neighbourhood headline the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 18. “What’s most important is the listeners it gave us. All our crazy fans.

“That song opened that world up to them, and just gave us a platform to do what we want to do,” he says. “Now we have enough fans that anyone could ever want. We’re trying to get new fans but also give people who’ve been with us since Day 1 everything they want.”

The Neighbourhood is touring behind its third studio full-length album, a self-titled record that Fried says came together with greater ease than 2015’s sophomore release “Wiped Out!”

“The second album was a little more stressful, says Fried who went to high school in Newbury Park with singer Jesse Rutherford. Guitarists Zachary Abels and Jeremiah Freedman and bassist Michael Margott went to school in Simi Valley, he adds. “We were all living in a house in Malibu during the making of ‘Wipe Out!’ and that was a lot of fun but it ended up being stressful.

“But this one, we went in with an open mind,” Fried says. “It’s the third album and you feel like you have a little more freedom. We went in with a lot more demos that we were making at home rather than an empty slate like we did with the second record.

“We kind of went into the studio for a year and started pumping out songs, whether they were going to be on the record or not.”

This record has a bit of a vintage ’80s New Wave sound in places, especially in its use of synthesizers, a reflection of the revival of that scene at the time the Neighbourhood was recording its songs, Fried says.

“At the time we started making the album I think in ’80s revival things were at the front of pop culture,” he says. “Everybody was watching ‘Stranger Things,’ listening to bands like New Order or the Cure or anything like that.”

Many of the demos were written and recorded on keyboards instead of guitars as in the past, and producer Lars Stalfors had “a crazy collection of stuff to mess around with,” Fried says.

The Neighbourhood put together the track listing for this album as a sort of best-of culled from the EPs the band released before and after the full-length. It’s a way, Fried says, to get more music out to fans and also spread interest out for longer than the normal lifespan of an album.

“The ‘Hard’ EP I think we kind of chose more classic-sounding Neighbourhood songs, more hip-hop influences, stuff you expect to hear when you pick up the Neighbourhood’s new album,” he says. “Then on ‘To Imagine,’ we started getting more into the ’80s synths, electronic drums, arpeggiators.

“The album is sort of a hybrid of the two, classic-sounding songs and more forward-pushing,” Fried says. And soon, another EP will swing back toward the hip-hop influences with features from rappers the band likes, he adds.

At the Greek, the Neighbourhood plans on playing one of its longer sets for the hometown crowd, reaching all the way back to “I’m Sorry …” its 2012 debut EP and possibly including something from the still-to-be-released new EP, Fried says.

“We’re hitting all the stops,” he says. “Probably do certain songs that we haven’t played in a while. I think it’s going to be really sick.”

The Neighbourhood

Where: Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18

Tickets: $29.50-$49.50 plus fees

Information: Thenbhd.com or LAGreektheatre.com

A decade to the day after a train crash changed their lives forever, a handful of the families of the victims who died in the Metrolink crash in Chatsworth joined public officials Wednesday morning at Union Station to remember the lives that were lost.

The daughters of Doyle Sauser, a Camarillo man among those killed when the passenger train collided head-on with a freight train on the border of Stoney Point Park, rang a bell 25 times as their mother, Claudia, read the name of each victim.

The bell, usually on display at Metrolink’s Pomona dispatch center as a reminder, was from that train.

“I don’t know many of you, I don’t know your story,” Claudia Sauser said, speaking to two dozen other family members. “But the emotions we’ve shared are similar.

“We’ve all had to deal with an empty chair and empty bed, an empty room. We think, ‘What would life have been like if this hadn’t happened.’ “

Along with the 25 killed, more than 100 others were injured in the accident on Sept. 12, 2008, the worst train collision in recent California history.

Metrolink hosted the remembrance on the north patio of the downtown Los Angeles train station.

Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, choking up, said he remembered having to tell “a mother and father that their child wouldn’t be coming home.”

Villaraigosa and others reflected on the carnage of the accident, between that Metrolink train with three coaches and a Union Pacific freight train. Federal investigators determined the cause of the crash was a contracted engineer operating the Metrolink who missed a red signal while texting on his cell phone.

In the years after the crash, Metrolink officials said they worked to make the train system the safest in the country. Several spoke about becoming the first railway in the country to adopt positive train control, a computerized system that tracks trains’ locations to prevent collisions.

“Each and every day you have been in the minds of people at Metrolink,” Keith Millhouse, a former chairman of the rail agency, said to the families. “You were the inspiration for these changes. People you don’t know have suffered, grieving for your families.”

Later Wednesday afternoon, another memorial will be held, this one near the crash site.

Alexandra Law crossed the finish line with a big smile splashed across her face.

She was hooked.

Alexandra’s mom, Chi Law, thinks back to that first triathlon a few years ago, when they had no idea how the competitive scene worked. They simply showed up to do the Newport Beach course, and after her then eight-year-old daughter finished the race, they packed up and went home.

Out of curiosity, they looked up Alexandra’s results online later that night. Turns out, Alexandra missed the awards ceremony where she would have learned she took first place in the girls division. In fact, her time was better than that of all the boys.

That was just the start.

Alexandra is gearing up for her 26th triathlon this weekend at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. She has become a veteran when it comes to the run, bike and swim courses held around Southern California.

And she’s only 13.

A newfound love

Alexandra first got a glimpse of triathlon racers doing the Pacific Coast Triathlon during a family camping trip at Crystal Cove, when she was 8. By then, she had already been swimming half her life, and swam competitively in pools.

Chi, who calls her daughter an “old soul,” scoured online for nearby races she could try after she showed an interest.

It was a few months later at the Newport Beach Triathlon, when Alexandra beat all the others in her kids division, that she declared: “That was awesome! Find me another one to do!”

“I thought I did pretty good,” Alexandra said on a recent day. “It was a lot easier than I expected. It was really fun.”

Within a year, Alexandra found the kids races were too easy, so she started entering the adult categories. Chi, who lives in Newport Beach, was surprised by her daughter’s newfound love.

“When she was little, she was scared of everything,” Chi said. “She was very shy, she got freaked out by everything.”

But as Alexandra has competed in longer and more complex races, it has been her mother that is the fearful one.

“I’m always a little nervous when she tries something new, especially when it’s a new race with a new course,” Chi said.

Race with a view

Alexandra, who is a Newport Beach junior lifeguard during the summer, likes the diversity that comes with triathlons. Athletes have to be skilled and fast at all three disciplines, and need to know how to do quick transitions between the races.

Picking a favorite course over the years is no easy task. She said she loves the Crystal Cove event because of the ocean views, but has also competed in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Redondo Beach, even at the military base in Los Alamitos.

She’s also done several Alcatraz open water swims in chilly San Francisco waters.

“People are pretty rough in open water, compared to pool swimming,” she said.

Alexandra said she’s learned many life lessons while racing – the biggest being the value of perseverance.

“You can’t give up and once you’ve started something and committed to doing it, you can’t turn back,” she said. “I’ve also realized that you can do a lot more than you think you can, once you’re doing it.”

If you go

The Nautica Malibu Triathlon is Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 16. The event is a benefit for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

On Saturday, an Olympic Distance Race — a 1.5k swim, 40k bike ride, and 10k run — will test racers. Sunday, the classic distance race will be held, with a half-mile swim, a 17-mile bike ride and a 4-mile run.

The Zuma Beach parking lot opens at 4 a.m. with races starting at 7 a.m. both days. There will also be sand castle demonstrations and exhibits. On Sunday, a Nautica Kids Run and Tot Trot starts at 9:45 a.m.

For more information, go to auticamalibutri.com

Q. I recently returned from visiting a friend who is in the memory care section of an assisted living facility. He has Alzheimer’s disease. I was depressed seeing my friend so immobile and unable to communicate as well as seeing others in a room with a television no one was watching. What can I do to protect myself from such an existence? Many thanks. S.B.

Dear S.B.

You have asked a question that is challenging the greatest minds in the country, and perhaps the world. To date, scientists don’t fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease.

Here is what they do know: A genetic component plays a role for those who begin to get the disease their 30s through the mid-60s, affecting less than 10 percent of the cases. This is considered early onset. Late-onset, the most common form, generally affects individuals after age 65 and likely is due to a complex series of brain changes occurring over decades that include genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors, according to the National Institute on Aging. Additional possible causes include inflammation in the brain and vascular risk factors. There is no cure.

Recently, Congress increased funding for Alzheimer’s disease research by $414 million, bringing the total amount of funding to $1.8 billion. This investment is considered critical to help reach the national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer’s disease by 2025 — not a moment too soon.

A little background: The disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, he noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who died of an unusual mental illness characterized by memory loss, language problems and unpredictable behavior. After she died, he examined her brain and found abnormal clumps now called amyloid plaques and tangled bundles of fibers called tau or tangles.

Plaques and tangles are still considered main features of the disease, as is loss of connection between neurons. These are nerve cells that transmit messages between different parts of the brain and from the brain to muscles and organs in the body. Scientists indicate that it is likely that damage to the brain starts about a decade before symptoms of memory loss and cognitive changes become noticeable.

Prevention (to the extent possible) can be summed up in two words: Healthy habits. Add to that a little luck, and still that is no guarantee.

A Harvard Health letter (January 2017) recommends the following healthy habits:

Exercise: A review by scientists at the University of Southern California found that as many as one in three cases of Alzheimer’s disease were preventable through lifestyle changes. One step in prevention was physical exercise. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends individuals aged 65 and older to engage in 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise every week. Regarding vigorous aerobic exercise, WHO recommends 75 minutes a week. Add to that muscle-strengthening activity. These recommendations are part of a report indicating the research is based on a few meta-analyses that yielded some conflicting results on the benefits of exercise on Alzheimer’s disease, perhaps due to lack of adherence to methodological standards. Yet the National Institute on Aging finds convincing evidence that physical exercise helps prevent the development of Alzheimer’s or slows the progression in people who have symptoms. My perspective – regardless of conflicting research, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose, so let’s get moving.

Eat a Mediterranean diet: This has been shown to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease or slow its progression. Partial adherence to such a diet is better than nothing, according to the Harvard Health Letter. The diet includes fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, legumes, fish, a moderate amount of poultry, eggs, and dairy, as well as moderate amounts of red wine and a sparing amount of red meat.

Get enough sleep: “Growing evidence suggests that improved sleep can help prevent Alzheimer’s and is linked to greater amyloid clearance from the brain,” says Dr. Gad Marshall of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital (as quoted in the Health Letter). Aim for seven to eight hours per night.

Other research indicates the importance of stress management, learning new things and being socially engaged.

S.B., Your question is an important one. The recommendations by the National Institute of Health of exercise, diet and sleep are fundamental to healthy living and healthy aging.  Although the research may not be conclusive, integrating these lifestyles into our daily lives can only serve us well. So, let’s all give it a try.

LOS ANGELES — Fresno State could be a late red-zone interception away from a 2-0 start. Now the Bulldogs will try to push UCLA to its first 0-3 start since 1971 on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

The Bulldogs, who had their would-be overtime-forcing touchdown pass intercepted in the end zone against Minnesota last weekend, were the second team in FBS history to go from double-digit losses to double-digits wins in one year under first-year head coach Jeff Tedford.

After 10 wins last year, Fresno State (1-1) was picked to win its conference division in the preseason media poll.

Marcus McMaryion, the former Oregon State quarterback, has thrown for 412 yards and two touchdowns during two games with a 72.4 percent completion rate with a deep rotation of receivers at his disposal.

KeeSean Johnson, a 1,000-yard receiver in 2017, has nearly half of the team’s 459 total receiving yards with 207 on 12 receptions. The Bulldogs also have Oklahoma transfer Michiah Quick and Jamire Jordan, a senior from Lancaster who ranked third on the team in receiving last year.

Quick was the No. 4 athlete in the country out of high school, according to Rivals, but transferred to Fresno State after three years and just 34 receptions with the Sooners.

The UCLA secondary is likely the best unit the Bruins have, but it is wounded after the Oklahoma loss when receivers Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb beat what looked like sound coverage with perfect passes from quarterback Kyler Murray. Cornerback Nate Meadors, who gave up a passing touchdown for the first time in more than a year, said the Bruins are better for having faced the challenge.

“It was real good for us to have it early in the season, especially for me to kind of humble me down and get me right,” Meadors said. “Even though I’m in my fourth year, it’s always a learning curve.”

Quick hits

There was no change in quarterback Wilton Speight’s participation during the viewing period of Wednesday’s practice. He continued to not take part in any drills that required him to throw on the run. … Linebacker Jaelan Phillips did not appear on the field during the viewing period. The sophomore suffered an undisclosed injury during Saturday’s game, but practiced Monday and Tuesday. … Linebacker Leni Toailoa participated in practice with a no-contact jersey. … Linebackers Elijah Wade and Je’Vari Anderson were limited to individual conditioning. … Linebacker Mique Juarez, who sustained an undisclosed injury Sept. 3 during practice, did not appear to be on the field during the viewing period.