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Waste Minimization In Pipeline Transportation Operations Waste minimization has been proven to be an effective and beneficial operating procedure. You will find that there are many economically and technically feasible waste minimization techniques that can be used in pipeline transportation operations. In fact, many oil and gas operators have implemented waste minimization techniques and have enjoyed benefits such as: - reduced operating and waste management costs; - increased revenue; - reduced regulatory compliance concerns; - reduced potential liability concerns; and - improved company image and public relations. Choosing feasible source reduction and recycling options (i.e., waste minimization) is a smart business decision. Waste minimization is part of the concept of the "Waste Management Hierarchy." The Waste Management Hierarchy sets out a preferred sequence of waste management options. The first, and most preferred option is source reduction. Source reduction is any activity that reduces or eliminates either the generation of waste at the source or the release of a contaminant from a process. The next preferred option is recycling. Recycling is the reclamation of the useful constituents of a waste for reuse, or the use or reuse of a waste as a substitute for a commercial feedstock or as a feedstock in an industrial process. Together, source reduction and recycling comprise waste minimization. The last two options, and least preferred, of the hierarchy are treatment and disposal. This document will provide a general overview of waste minimization techniques for wastes arising from pipeline transportation operations. In addition to a discussion of waste minimization techniques for these wastes, the document provides case histories of successful waste minimization projects and a few useful technical references. The references listed in the bibliography provide information regarding useful waste minimization opportunities. The Railroad Commission also provides the publication Waste Minimization in the Oil Field. Waste Minimization in the Oil Field provides a general overview of waste minimization as a waste management practice and how to include it in an area-specific waste management plan. It also includes chapters on waste generation in oil and gas operations, identification of hazardous oil and gas waste, and the principles of waste minimization.Waste Minimization in the Oil Field is available from the RRC's Waste Minimization Program. Waste Minimization in Crude Oil and Natural Gas Pipeline Operations As noted in the introduction, there are many economically and technically feasible waste minimization techniques that may be applied to crude oil and natural gas pipeline operations. The following discussion will consider the various aspects of a pipeline operation and the associated waste streams. Where appropriate, technical references will be cited. The following will consider various source reduction opportunities for crude oil and natural gas pipeline operations. Preplanning the siting, construction, operation, and maintenance of pipeline used in crude oil and natural gas pipeline operations is an important time to consider waste minimization techniques. Preplanning the pipeline construction should include consideration of pipeline location and access roads to minimize storm runoff and erosion. If possible the pipeline be located along an existing line to reduce construction of new access roads. Product substitution is one of the easiest and most effective source reduction opportunities. Vendors are becoming more attuned to operators' needs in this area and are focusing their efforts on providing less toxic, yet effective, substitutes. Some operators, such as the one featured in the case history on page 10, have found that vendors and suppliers will start offering less toxic substitutes in response to a company establishing inventory control procedures. A few examples of effective and beneficial product substitution for crude oil and natural gas pipeline operations are provided below. - Organic Solvents - Organic solvents, such as trichloroethylene, and carbon tetrachloride, are commonly used for cleaning equipment and tools. These solvents, when spent, become listed hazardous oil and gas wastes and are subject to stringent regulation. Alternative cleaning agents, such as citrus-based cleaning compounds and steam may be substituted for organic solvents. By doing so, a hazardous waste stream may be eliminated, along with the associated waste management and regulatory compliance concerns. Another solvent commonly used is Varsol (also known as petroleum spirits or Stoddard solvent). While most Varsol has a flashpoint below 140oF, which is a characteristically ignitable hazardous wastes when spent, some suppliers may provide a "high flash point Varsol" with a flash point greater than 140oF. Ask for non-toxic cleaners that reduce your regulatory compliance concerns. - Mechanical Cleaning - Mechanical cleaning techniques are probably the best source reduction methods when using cleaning solvents. There are commercial products which use high pressure and/or high temperature water based solvents to clean equipment. This type of equipment in many cases recycles the cleaning fluid to get the maximum use out of the solvent being used and minimize the volume of the waste generated. Also, solvents such as xylene and toluene, which may become hazardous wastes, have been commonly used for dissolution and removal of organic deposits (e.g., paraffin). Chemical vendors have access to non-toxic solvents that will substitute for xylene and toluene. Check with your chemical vendor for these substitute solvents before purchasing aromatic solvents such as xylene and toluene. - Paints and Thinners - Oil-based paints and organic solvents (i.e., thinners and cleaners) are used less frequently today, nonetheless they are still used. These paints and thinners provide an excellent product substitution opportunity. Water-based paints should be used whenever feasible. The use of water-based paints eliminates the need for organic thinners, such as toluene. Organic thinners used for cleaning painting equipment are typically listed hazardous waste when spent. This substitution can eliminate a hazardous waste stream and reduce waste management costs and regulatory compliance concerns. - Replacing High-Bleed Pneumatics - Many devices used throughout pipeline operations use pneumatic devices such as valves and instruments to control and monitor the flow of gas. These devices need a pneumatic supply to drive their operating mechanisms. The most convenient supply is usually gas in the line the device is monitoring or controlling Many of these devices are high-bleed which use a large volume of gas as a driving mechanism and then vent it to the atmosphere. Replacement with a low bleed device can minimize the amount of gas vented, thus the loss of valuable natural gas. Generally low-bleed devices operate slower than high-bleed devices, and a replacement is not feasible in all cases. - Replacing Natural Gas with Compressed Air for Operating Pneumatic Devices - Many pneumatic devices in pipelines are controlled by gas in the line. During operation of the devices gas is vented to the atmosphere. Compressed air should be used as the driving force for pneumatic devices when feasible. - Replacing Reciprocating Engines with Turbines - Turbines are more efficient in their use of natural gas than are reciprocating (e.g., internal combustion) engines. Replacing a reciprocating engine with a turbine unit can reduce the emission of natural gas to the atmosphere. Also, turbines are more efficient than reciprocating engines in driving pumping units. When feasible, consider replacing reciprocating engines with turbines at sites such as compressor stations or pump stations. - Lubricating Oil Purification Units: - A lube oil testing program combined with extended operating intervals between changes is an effective waste minimization technique, as shown by the case history on page 12. (Even though the case history is from drilling operations, the concept may be applied anywhere.) However, an equipment modification also can effectively reduce the volume of waste lubricating oil and filters. Commercial vendors offer a device called a lube oil purification unit. These units use 1 micron filters and fluid separation chambers and are attached to the lube oil system of an engine. The unit removes particles greater than 1 micron in size and any fuel, coolant, or acids, that may have accumulated in the oil. The unit does not affect the functional additives of the lube oil. The lube oil is circulated out of the system and through the purifier. The purified lube oil is then returned to the engine's lube oil system. Many operators have found that use of lube oil purification units has significantly reduced the need for lube oil changes, waste lube oil management, and concurrently, the cost of replacement lube oil. Also, a new engine that has been fitted with a lube oil purification unit will break in better and operate more efficiently over time, in part because bearing surfaces and piston rings seat better due to the polishing by particles less than 1 micron in size. - Chemical Metering, or Dosing, Systems - The occasional bulk addition of treating chemicals, such as inhibitors, can result in poor chemical performance and inefficient use of the chemical. A chemical dosing system that meters small amounts of the chemical into a system continuously can reduce chemical usage and improve its performance in the system. In many instances, this equipment modification can result in cost savings due to reduce chemical purchases and more efficient operation of the system. - Basic Sediment and Water, or Tank Bottoms - Many operators have used simple techniques to minimize the volume of BS&W that accumulates in tanks. Devices such as circulating jets, rotating paddles, and propellers may be installed in crude oil tanks to roll the crude oil so that paraffin and asphaltene remain in solution (or at least suspension). Also, emulsifier can be added to the stock tank to accomplish the same result. Another method used is to circulate the tank bottoms through a heater treater to keep the paraffin and asphaltene in solution. - Conventional Filters - A good target for waste minimization are the conventional filters that typically comprise a large part of an operation's waste stream. An operator can replace conventional filter units with reusable stainless steel filters or centrifugal filter units (spinners). These devices generate only filtrate as waste and eliminate from the waste stream the conventional filter media and filter body. Operators have found that the reduced costs of replacing lost oil, maintenance requirements, new filter purchases, and waste filter management recover the expense of installing these alternative filtering units. If conventional filters must be used, an operator should change filters based on differential pressure across the unit. Differential pressure is a good indicator of the effectiveness of a filter unit and can be used to determine the actual need for replacement. This is a simple change that can significantly reduce waste filter generation. The case history provided on page 11 proves this point. Reduction in Water Use Large amounts of water are used when hydrotesting lines. To reduce water use and water disposal costs operators should, when feasible, reuse hydrotest water to test as many lines as possible. In some instances, reuse of hydrotest water can result in the reduction of significant waste management costs and water purchase costs. Also, some pipeline operators have found the use of ultrasonic ("smart") pigs may reduce the need for hydrotesting. Smart pigs can assess the condition of pipe and, thus, may help in more efficient planning of hydrotesting. Good Housekeeping and Preventative Maintenance - Drip Pans and Other Types of Containment - Tanks, containers, pumps, and engines all have the tendency to leak. A good housekeeping practice that can help reduce the amount of soil and water contamination that an operator has to remediate is installing containment devices. Even though a small investment is required, containment devices save money and regulatory compliance concerns in the long run. Also, they can capture valuable released chemicals that can be recovered and used. Some examples of containment include: drip pans beneath lubricating oil systems on engines; containment vessels beneath fuel and chemical storage tanks/containers; drip pans beneath the drum and container storage area; and containment, such as a half-drum or bucket beneath chemical pumps and system valves/connections. Numerous companies have implemented good housekeeping programs to reduce the amount of crude oil, chemicals, products, and wastes that reach the soil or water. These companies have found these programs to be cost effective in the long run (i.e., less lost chemical and product plus reduced cleanup costs). Also, their regulatory compliance concerns and potential future liability concerns are reduced. - Preventive Maintenance - The companion of good housekeeping is preventive maintenance. Regularly scheduled preventive maintenance on equipment, pumps, piping systems and valves, and engines will minimize the occurrence of leaks and releases of chemicals and other materials to containment systems, or if there are no containment systems, to the environment. Numerous companies have implemented preventive maintenance programs and found them to be quite successful. The programs have resulted in more efficient operations, reduced regulatory compliance concerns, reduced waste management costs, and reduced soil and/or ground water cleanup costs. - Chemical and Materials Storage - Another important aspect of good housekeeping is the proper storage of chemicals and materials. Chemicals and materials should be stored such that they are not in contact with the ground (e.g., on wooden pallets). Preferably, the raised storage area will include secondary containment and be protected from weather. All drums and containers should be kept closed except when in use. It is very important that all chemical and material containers always be properly labeled so that their contents may be identified at any time. Also, material data safety sheets (MSDSs) and other manufacturer information should be kept on file for all stored chemicals and materials. The use of bulk storage, rather than 55-gallon drums or smaller containers is a preferable way to store chemicals and materials. Proper storage and labeling of containers allows quick and easy identification and classification of released chemical or material in the event of a leak or rupture. In some instances, that could save hundreds of dollars in soil sampling and laboratory analysis costs. Inventory control is one of the most effective ways to reduce waste generation, regulatory compliance concerns and operating costs. Especially, when combined with proper chemical and materials storage. The case history on page 10 illustrates the beneficial impact an inventory control system can have on an operation. An inventory control system is easy to implement, especially with the use of computer programs now available. An operator who tracks his chemicals and materials can use them more efficiently and reduce the volume of unusable chemical that must be managed as waste. (Note: Commercial chemical products that are returned to a vendor or manufacturer for reclamation or recycling are not solid wastes. Therefore, it is to the operator's advantage to require vendors to take back empty and partially filled containers for reclamation or reuse.) Selection of Contractors Operators should choose contractors who recognize the value of waste minimization and make efforts to apply it in their service. The operator may consider inspecting the contractors equipment being considered for contract to appraise the general condition of the equipment. The contractor should bring on-site well maintained equipment that will not leak fuel or lubricating oil or that will need maintenance which may generate wastes. Any oil and gas waste generated at the operator's site is the operator's regulatory responsibility. Therefore, an operator that uses contractors who practice waste minimization can expect reduced waste management concerns, reduced regulatory compliance concerns, and reduced operating costs. The contractor may be instrumental in implementing the waste minimization opportunities discussed above. The next preferred waste management option is recycling. Recycling is becoming a big business and more recycling options are available every day The following discussion offers some tips on recycling drilling wastes. - Tank Bottoms - If nonhazardous, tank bottoms, or BS&W, are best managed by sending them to a crude oil reclamation plant. An operator should contact nearby RRC-permitted crude oil reclamation plants to determine if an economically feasible arrangement is possible before considering disposal options. The Waste Minimization Program can help operators locate reclamation plants in their area. Many of these plants also specialize in reclamation of waste paraffin. - Lubricating Oil and Filters - Currently, waste lube oil and waste lube oil filters are generally banned from landfill disposal. Recycling is now the primary method of managing these wastes. Companies that handle lube oil and filters for recycling are located in every area of Texas, so finding one is not difficult. The Waste Minimization Program will provide upon request a listing of these companies. Also, an operator can recycle his waste lube oil by adding it to a crude oil pipeline or storage tank. Amendments to 40 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 279 (regarding standards for management of lubricating oil) provide for this option. There is a regulatory limit of 1% lube oil by volume. An important consideration in choosing this recycling option is the requirements of the crude oil purchaser and the receiving refinery. Make sure they will accept a crude oil and lube oil mixture. (Some refineries are not able to handle such mixtures, and suffer damage to catalysts and other processes.) - Compressor Lubricating Oil - One inventive operator devised a procedure to optimize the use of lubricating oils in compressor units. According to the operator, used lubricating oil from the drive engine was of adequate quality to serve as lube oil in the compressor. So, the operator established a procedure where the used lube oil from the drive engine would be recovered and directed to the compressor. The result of this reuse option was reduced waste lube oil generation and reduced new lube oil purchases, making this a cost-effective waste minimization technique. - Sorbent Pads and Booms - When cleaning up spills of crude oil and chemicals, use recyclable sorbent pads or booms. Try to avoid using granular adsorbent materials that must be disposed of. Several vendors offer sorbent pads and booms that are designed for repeated reuse. - Spent organic solvents and other miscellaneous spent chemicals: Many companies accept spent chemicals for recycling. In many instances the spent chemicals (especially organic solvents) are reclaimed for reuse or blended to make fuels for energy recovery. See "Recycling Information" below to learn how to find these companies. - Paint Solvent Reuse - A simple technique for reducing the volume of organic paint solvents is its reuse in stages. An organic solvent, such as toluene, may be used for cleaning painting equipment, but eventually it will become spent and ineffective. The "spent" solvent is not a waste if it is used for another intended purpose. A solvent spent from cleaning painting equipment is still suitable for use in thinning paint. This simple technique can greatly reduce the volume of waste paint solvent that may be subject to stringent hazardous waste regulation. - Commercial Chemical Products - An operator should implement procedures that recycle any unused chemical products. Whenever a vendor is contracted to supply chemicals, the vendor should be required to take contractual responsibility for unused chemical products and the containers in which they were delivered. As noted under the source reduction opportunity, "Inventory Control," commercial chemical products that are returned for reclamation or recycling are not solid wastes. An operator that manages chemical products properly will avoid the unnecessary generation of chemical waste. In many, instances those chemical wastes would be hazardous and subject to stringent regulation. - Scrap Metal and Drums - Scrap metal is a relatively easy waste to recycle. Many operators have found that scrap metal recycling companies will collect and remove materials such as tanks, drums, and other types of scrap metal from the lease at no charge to the operator. An additional consideration is regulatory requirements. Scrap metal that is recycled is not subject to hazardous oil and gas waste regulations; but it is if disposed of. For example, an old steel tank coated with lead-based paint would likely be determined hazardous if disposed of; however, if recycled it is excluded from regulation as a hazardous oil and gas waste. An excellent way to ensure that steel 55-gallon drums are recycled is to have in the contract with a vendor the requirement that the vendor take back any delivered drum, including drums that still contain some chemical or product. Note that empty drums and commercial chemical product that is recycled are generally excluded from regulation as hazardous oil and gas waste. (Also, see the discussions in "Good Housekeeping" and "Inventory Control.") The RRC's Waste Minimization Program can help operators identify recycling options. More information on Waste Minimization Program assistance is presented on page 13. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) publishes two useful documents: Recycle Texas and RENEW.Recycle Texas is a listing of many of the companies that take various wastes for recycling. Those wastes include many that are typical of oil and gas operations. RENEW is a waste exchange that is published quarterly. RENEW lists companies that have generated wastes and are making them available for recycling, and RENEW also lists companies that want certain wastes for recycling. Recycle Texas and RENEW are available free of charge from TCEQ and can be obtained by calling 1-800-648-3927. Training is probably one of the best waste minimization opportunities. An operator's efforts to minimize waste and gain the associated benefits will only be effective if the people in the field understand waste classification and the concept of waste minimization. Also, people in the field should be empowered to implement waste minimization techniques as they are identified. Waste minimization training is becoming more common. Oil and gas associations have begun publicizing waste minimization successes, and technical societies such as the SPE, are publishing more and more papers on effective waste minimization techniques. Waste Minimization in the Oil Field Manual Waste Minimization in the Oil Field: This manual, developed with the assistance of the oil and gas industry, offers source reduction and recycling (i.e., waste minimization) concepts, cost effective and practical examples of source reduction and recycling opportunities in the oil field, and information on how to develop an individualized waste minimization plan. The manual also presents a discussion on how to identify hazardous and nonhazardous oil and gas wastes as defined by EPA regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. EPA's Natural Gas Star Program An additional source for waste minimization techniques in natural gas pipeline operations is the EPA Natural Gas STAR Program. The Natural Gas STAR Program is a voluntary government/industry partnership designed to accomplish environmental protection through cost-effective measures without regulation. The program was started in March of 1993 and it encourages natural gas companies to adopt "best management practices" that can reduce methane emissions. Natural Gas STAR Partners sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with EPA agreeing to review and implement "best management practices" as appropriate. The company then implements the plan over the next three years. The EPA supports the partners by assisting in training, analyzing new technologies, and removing unjustified regulatory barriers. More information on the Natural Gas Star Program can be obtain by contacting Rhone Resch at (202) 233-9793, e-mail email@example.com U.S. EPA Natural Gas Star Program U.S. EPA APPD (6202J) Washington, DC 20460 SPE Technical Papers Santamaria, et al, "Controlling Paraffin Deposition Related Problems by the Use of Bacteria Treatments", Society of Petroleum Engineers 22851 (October 1991) Whale & Whitman, "Methods for Assessing Pipeline Corrosion Prevention Chemicals on the Basis of Antimicrobial Performance and Acute Toxicity to Marine Organisms", Society of Petroleum Engineers 23357 (November 1991) Wilhelm & McArthur, "Removal and Treatment of Mercury Contamination at Gas Processing Facilities", Society of Petroleum Engineers 29721 (March 1995) Last Updated: 4/8/2016 9:14:02 AM
Picture the bluest hydrangea you’ve ever seen. It’s easy, isn’t it? This vibrant flower is as bright and bold as Elvis’ blue suede shoes. So, how can you get a blue hydrangea? The secret is in the soil, and the power is in your hands. Create a blue hydrangea simply by amending the soil. Most hydrangeas, except white ones, change color based on the pH or acidity levels of their soil. And, it doesn’t stop there. You can continually tweak the soil pH until you get exactly the shade of blue you’ve been dreaming of. Transforming your hydrangeas to a jaw-dropping blue does take a bit of time. For especially big hydrangeas, the color conversion can take months. But, it is definitely worth the wait. Creating breathtaking blue hydrangeas is extremely easy. All you need to do is amend your soil with Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier. Other soil acidifiers contain Aluminum Sulfate, which can be incredibly harsh on plants, and even toxic to some, such as Rhododendrons. To keep your garden organic, all-natural and safe for people, pets and the planet, lower soil pH levels using an organic soil acidifier like Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier. Before changing your pink hydrangeas to blue, check two things. First, are there any other plants growing near your hydrangeas? Make sure they like acidic soil, too. Finally, are your hydrangeas growing near a concrete walking path or patio? Concrete often contains lime, which can make it tough to turn hydrangeas blue. Now let’s make magic happen! To turn new hydrangeas blue, use 1¼ cups of Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier. Or to transform established hydrangeas into blue beauties, apply 2½ cups of Organic Soil Acidifier. Spread evenly around the hydrangea out to its drip line, or the widest reaching branches. Then, water well. Repeat every 60 days until you’ve got the perfect color for you. The intensity of blue hydrangeas is dependent on your soil’s pH levels. For deep blue blooms, aim for a soil pH of 4.5. For a more muted blue, you want your soil pH to be 5. Finally, if you want violet-blue hydrangea blossoms, your soil pH should be 5.5. Perform a simple, DIY soil test if you want to discover your soil’s exact pH levels. Craving hydrangeas super-saturated with blue color? Feed hydrangeas regularly with Espoma Holly-tone. Holly-tone fertilizer for acid loving plants also lowers your soil’s pH. Plus, a well-fed hydrangea will have bigger, better blooms. Let’s get the word out about this gardening magic trick. Tweet if you’re going to magically turn hydrangeas from pink to blue!
By the end of World War II, democratic nations (and some not so democratic) were convinced that an international organization was needed to deal with the after effects of the War (e.g., reconstruction) as well as to provide a forum for discussion of differences between member states. The result was the United Nations. Composed of the General Assembly and the Security Council (and numerous agencies), the U.N. has a charter that member nations must agree to follow prior to being allowed to join. To what extent the U.N. has been successful in "furthering world peace"? Thank you for using Brainmass. the solution below should get you started in this topic. If this is not what you are looking for and wish to focus on a certain topic alone, why not try the listed resources and explore some new avenues? Additionally, you can message me or leave a posting question in the Posting Pool and refer to this solution but also provide your specific enquiry so we can tailor-fit a solution for your particular needs. Good luck with your studies. OTA 105878/Xenia Jones The United Nations: Keeping World Peace? Introduction - Threats to peace World peace is a relative term, a term under constant erasure dependent upon the person giving the opinion according to culture, context, and social experience (even philosophy and politics). Certainly the world we know today is much more 'at peace' that say, during the early decades of and halfway up the 20th century. The 20th century saw 2 world wars beginning in its very first decade then with new impunity the world was divided into Axis and Allied powers breaking out in the fight that was World War II - a human experience of death, violence and wars that lasted from the early 40s to the later part of the decade. But while it should have ended in the fall of Germany and Japan, a new threat to the hard won peace emerged - the battle of ideologies. America and Russia, the emergent and then contesting remaining world superpowers battled it out in a long protracted war of viewpoints in which to rule a country - democracy vs. communism. America fought to keep democracy and Russia fought to push communism in a conflict known as the 'Cold War'. This was fought in proxy wars in war theatres all over the world including the Korean Peninsula (the Korean war), Vietnam (the Vietnam War) and even Afghanistan. In developing and emergent nations, communism had to go underground and became the ideology of rebel groups seeking to throw out then governments. This conflict had fuelled the race to weaponry, including nuclear armaments and even the race to Space as the ante was upped between Russia and the US in terms of scientific and military achievement. It was this conflict that allowed for the Moon landings to happen and for the science of astronomy and physics to push its boundaries. War they say is the mother of invention. It was in the early 90's when the Berlin Wall fell and Russia broke up from the superpower it was - the country imploded due to economic and political issues. While countries turned to capitalism to buoy struggling and non-existent economies, the fuel that was trade hastened the conversion to capitalist tendencies especially in the likes of then solid communist China. Fast forward to now, the economies that were once ruled by communism have turned capitalist and a united Germany has become the engine for European growth and stability and since the Marshall Plan has placed itself as ... The solution is an extensive 1,876-word narrative that provides insight, discussion, notes and ideas in answering the question 'To what extent the U.N. has been successful in "furthering world peace"?'. References are listed for exploration of the topic further. A word version of the solution is attached for easy printing and download.
Many people think that building a set for a school play is a simple and straight-forward process. Just paint several canvases, bang a few pieces of wood and you’re ready! In reality most stage set designs are far too complex to even be built not to mentioned work for a given production. Before you decide to help your school build that set, learn what steps are needed to successfully tackle the project. I’m Jamie Squillare and my passion is set design. Here I would like to share my knowledge with all of you. Study the Play Make sure that you get acquainted with the play. Where is the setting of the story? How many scenes are included in the play and how long is each? Will you need to create an interactive scenery or you can stick to static background and settings? These questions will help you determine the complexity of the set you need to build. Remember that complex scene shifts typically come with movements of scenery. If possible leave scene shifts for play moments which benefit from dramatic scene changes. Talk to the Director Oftentimes, actors and directors start off rehearsing without a clear concept of what the play’s set is going to look like. Although at first this may not be an issue, it can potentially ruin the school play in the latter stages of the production especially if the director has a different concept of how actors will interact with the set. Talk to the director before rehearsals to ensure that you’re on the same track regarding set design, size and interactivity. Don’t make assumptions. Agree on a budget and set a meeting so that you can introduce the director to your ideas. This way, you can deal with any stage set design modifications in a timely manner as opposed to doing them in the last possible moment. Points of View To build a usable, artistic and effective set, you need to consider several things. First it’s the point of view – you want to ensure that the set design won’t block the audience’s view regardless of angle or levels. You also need to make a usable set – one that will enable the actors to play without worrying that their movements will be blocked or limited. Decide what kinds of set areas will match the movements of the characters and the action. Determine what style, design elements, special effects and color schemes will be most suitable for your set. Assemble Set Materials The earlier you start assembling materials the more time you’ll have to change or update your design. Use 5 by 3.9 inches lumber and 0.78 inches plywood jointed with carriage bolts for the platform. For any battle sets you can use foam structure products or batten and canvas flats. Feel free to use canvas and felt to minimise platform noise. Beyond these recommendations, you can use any inventory and furniture to customize your set. Make sure to check garage sales, where you can get your hands on inexpensive and effective hardware, drapery, props and set dressing. Also, consider using out-of style furniture, which can be re-painted and altered to meet your design needs. First and foremost, you need to tape out a floor plan so that the actors can use it immediately during early rehearsals. Next, erect platforms, flats and other decor elements as they’re finished. Add furniture, props and dressing. Prepare a detailed schedule with deadlines for every part of the set, so you don’t forget anything.These useful tips and tricks will help you build the right stage set design. Keep in mind that you may be working with inexperienced volunteers, who may have limited knowledge of how to deal with absolute deadlines. Find the most devoted participants and give them more responsibility to make sure that each aspect of the project will be taken care on time.
posted by Anonymous . A camel sets out to cross the desert, which is 49.8 km wide in the north-south direction. The camel walks at the uniform speed 2.64 km/hr along a straight line in the direction 50.1 north of East (only the camel knows why he chose that particular direction). How long will it take the camel to cross the desert? Answer in units of hr t= 64.91/2.64= 24.59hr
With over a billion users, Facebook is changing the social life of our species. Cultural commentators ponder the effects. Is it bringing us together or tearing us apart? Psychologists have responded too – Google Scholar lists more than 27,000 references with Facebook in the title. Common topics for study are links between Facebook use and personality, and whether the network alleviates or fosters loneliness. The torrent of new data is overwhelming and much of it appears contradictory. Here is the psychology of Facebook, digested: Who uses Facebook? \|Extraverts have more friends on FB but shy people probably use it more According to a survey of over a thousand people, “females, younger people, and those not currently in a committed relationship were the most active Facebook users“. Regarding personality, a study of over 1000 Australians reported that “[FB] users tend to be more extraverted and narcissistic, but less conscientious and socially lonely, than nonusers“. A study of the actual FB use of over a hundred students found that personality was a more important factor than gender and FB experience, with high scorers in neuroticism spending more time on FB. Meanwhile, extraverts were found to have more friends on the network than introverts (“the 10 per cent of our respondents scoring the highest in extraversion had, on average, 484 more friends than the 10 per cent scoring the lowest in extraversion”). Other findings add to the picture, for example: greater shyness has also been linked with more FB use. Similarly, a study from 2013 found that anxiousness (as well as alcohol and marijuana use) predicted more emotional attachment to Facebook. There’s also evidence that people use FB to connect with others with specialist interests, such as diabetes patients sharing information and experiences, and that people with autism particularly enjoy interacting via FB and other online networks. Why do some people use Twitter and others Facebook? \|High scorers in “need for cognition” prefer Twitter\| Apparently most people use Facebook “to get instant communication and connection with their friends” (who knew?), but why use FB rather than Twitter? A 2014 paper suggested narcissism again is relevant, but that its influence depends on a person’s age: student narcissists prefer Twitter, while more mature narcissists prefer FB. Other research has uncovered intriguing links between personality and reasons for using FB. People who said they used FB as an informational tool (rather than socialising) tended to score higher on neuroticism, sociability, extraversion and openness, but lower on conscientiousness and “need for cognition”. The researchers speculated that using FB to seek and share information could be some people’s way to avoid more cognitively demanding sources such as journal articles and newspaper reports. The same study also found that higher scorers in sociability, neuroticism and extraversion preferred FB, while people who scored higher in “need for cognition” preferred Twitter. What do we give away about ourselves on Facebook? FB seems like the perfect way to present an idealised version of yourself to the world. However an analysis of the profiles of over 200 people in Germany and the US found that they reflected their actual personalities, not their ideal selves. Consistent with this, another study found that people who are rated as more likeable in the flesh also tend to be rated as more likeable based on their Facebook page. The things you choose to “like” on FB are also revealing. Remarkably, a study out last week found that your “likes” can be analysed by a computer programme to produce a more accurate profile of your personality than the profiles produced by your friends and relatives. If our FB profiles expose our true selves, this raises obvious privacy issues. A study in 2013 warned that employers often trawl candidates’ FB pages, and that they view photos of drinking and partying as “red flags”, presumably seeing them as a sign of low conscientiousness (in fact the study found photos like these were linked with high extraversion, not with low conscientiousness). Other researchers have looked specifically at how personality is related to the kind of content people post on FB. A 2014 study reported that “higher degrees of narcissism led to deeper self-disclosures and more self-promotional content within these messages. [And] Users with higher need to belong disclosed more intimate information“. Another study last year also reported that lonelier people disclose more private information, but fewer opinions. You might also want to consider the friends you keep on FB – research suggests that their attractiveness (good-lookers give your rep a boost), and the statements they make about you on your wall, affect the way your own profile is perceived. Consider too how many friends you have – somewhat paradoxically, research finds that having an overabundance of friends leads to negative perceptions of your profile. Finally, we heard about employers frowning on partying photos, but what else do you give away in your FB profile picture? It could reveal your cultural background according to a 2012 study that showed people from Taiwan were more likely to have a zoomed-out picture in which they were seen against a background context, while US users were more likely to have a close-up picture in which their face filled up more of the frame. Your FB pic might also say something about your current romantic relationship. When people feel more insecure about their partner’s feelings, they make their relationship more visible in their pics. In case you’re wondering, yes, people who post more selfies probably are more narcissistic. Is Facebook making us lonely and sad? This is the crunch question that has probably attracted the most newspaper column inches (and books). A 2012 study took an experimental approach. One group were asked to post more updates than usual for one week – this led them to feel less lonely and more connected to their friends. Similarly, a survey of over a thousand FB users found links between use of the network and greater feelings of belonging and confidence in keeping up with friends, especially for people with low self-esteem. Another study from 2010 found that shy students who use FB feel closer to their friends (on FB) and have a greater sense of social support. A similar story is told by a 2013 paper that said feelings of FB connectedness were associated with “with lower depression and anxiety and greater satisfaction with life” and that Facebook “may act as a separate social medium …. with a range of positive psychological outcomes.” This recent report also suggested the site can help revive old relationships. Yet there’s also evidence for the negative influence of FB. A 2013 study texted people through the day, to see how they felt before and after using FB. “The more people used Facebook at one time point, the worse they felt the next time we text-messaged them; [and] the more they used Facebook over two-weeks, the more their life satisfaction levels declined over time,” the researchers said. Other findings are more nuanced. This study from 2010 (not specifically focused on FB) found that using the internet to connect with existing friends was associated with less loneliness, but using it to connect with strangers (i.e. people only known online) was associated with more loneliness. This survey of adults with autism found that greater use of online social networking (including FB) was associated with having more close friendships, but only offline relationships were linked with feeling less lonely. Facebook could also be fuelling envy. In 2012 researchers found that people who’d spent more time on FB felt that other people were happier, and that life was less fair. Similarly, a study of hundreds of undergrads found that more time on FB went hand in hand with more feelings of jealousy. And a paper from last year concluded that “people feel depressed after spending a great deal of time on Facebook because they feel badly when comparing themselves to others.” However, this new report (on general online social networking, not just FB) found that heavy users are not more stressed than average, but are more aware of other people’s stress. Is Facebook harming students’ academic work? This is another live issue among newspaper columnists and other social commentators. An analysis of the grades and FB use of nearly 4000 US students found that the more they used the network to socialise, the poorer their grades tended to be (of course, there could be a separate causal factor(s) underlying this association). But not all FB use is the same – the study found that using the site to collect and share information was actually associated with better grades. This survey of over 200 students also found that heavier users of FB tend to have lower academic grades, but note again that this doesn’t prove a causal link. Yet another study, this one from the University of Chicago, which included more convincing longitudinal data, found no evidence for a link between FB use and poorer grades; if anything there were signs of the opposite pattern. Still more positive evidence for FB came from a recent report that suggested FB – along with other social networking tools – could have cognitive benefits for elderly people. And finally, some miscellaneous findings - These are the unwritten rules of Facebook, according to focus groups with students. - Viewing your own FB profile boosts self-esteem. - Emotions are contagious on Facebook (this is the recent study that caused controversy because users’ feeds were manipulated without them knowing). - Surprise! Both male and female subjects are more willing to initiate friendships with opposite-sex profile owners with attractive photos. - People publish posts on FB that they later regret for various reasons, including posting when they’re in an emotional state or misunderstanding their online social circles. - Who needs cheap thrills or meditation? Apparently, looking at your FB account is different, physiologically speaking, from stress or relaxation. It provokes what these researchers describe appealingly as a “core flow state“, characterised by positive mood and high arousal. That was our digest of the psychology of Facebook – please tell all your friends, on and off Facebook! Oh, and don’t forget to visit the Research Digest Facebook page.
Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first woman physician, developed innovative educational approaches based on the way children naturally master knowledge and skills. She discovered that children learn independently and at their own pace, and she created an ideal environment in which students choose among activities appropriate for their developmental level. In 1907, Dr. Montessori opened her first casa dei bambini — or “children’s house” — in Rome, and the Montessori method of education was born. Today, children around the world learn in supportive, spirit-nurturing environments thanks to Dr. Montessori’s insights. The Montessori Philosophy Although the Montessori method feels dynamic and new, children have learned by its tenets for more than a century. Through her scientific observation and analysis, Dr. Montessori found that children have an innate desire to explore their environments and learn about the world. She also discovered that children learn most effectively by enhancing their natural periods of early learning in an environment where they feel supported and secure. The Montessori philosophy encourages a comfortable, productive relationship between children, their teachers and their parents. Dr. Montessori truly was ahead of her time in believing that children are our future. By allowing our youngsters to become responsible, resourceful and peaceful adults on their own terms, we help create a better world for everyone. Montessori in Action At the Primary Montessori Day School, we create the ideal conditions for children to thrive through participation. Our students, ages 2 through 9, develop strong and stable relationships in a non-sectarian, co-educational setting. In our Montessori classes, children learn at their own pace, and they learn through all their senses rather than simply reading, listening and observing. Children choose among hundreds of possible educational activities to make their own discoveries, enhance their motivation and concentration, and develop a lifelong love of learning. In mixed-age groups, younger children learn and receive guidance from older children. Our older students, meanwhile, hone their leadership skills as they share their knowledge. Through our “whole child” approach, children play an active role in their own education as they realize the empowerment of learning.
Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning The posting looks at some simple strategies for implementing active learning strategies during your lectures. It is reproduced with permission, and is from the Tuesday, February 6, 2018 issue of the online publication, Graduate Connections Newsletter [http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/news/articles], from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is published by the Office of Graduate Studies. ©2018 Graduate Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. UP NEXT: Delivering Excellent Course Content from the Outset Tomorrow’s Teaching and Learning ---------- 1,047 words ---------- Active Learning Strategies What is Active Learning? You may have heard the term active learning before, but you might not know what it actually means. “Anything that involves students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing” is a form of active learning. Active learning requires students to meaningfully interact with the course content, think about meaning, or investigate connections with their prior knowledge. Therefore, active learning can include a wide range of experiences and activities such as small group work, debates, problem-based learning, or large class discussions. Active learning is most effective when it involves more than one instructional strategy—rather than being expected to sit and listen, students are encouraged to think critically about the information, interact with others, share their thoughts, and create new ideas. Every college student has attended many, many lectures because it’s very common for instructors to communicate their knowledge to their students in this way. A lecture is often characterized by students passively listening and maybe taking notes. However, by incorporating questions and activities, you can easily involve students in a lecture, making it an active, student-centered experience. This video shows examples of lectures that feature active learning. Note that the students are listening to the instructor, but also practicing problem-solving and teaching their fellow students Benefits of Active Learning Research has shown that active learning experiences improve student learning (e.g., Freeman et al., 2014; Prince, 2004). Something as simple as taking breaks every fifteen minutes during a lecture and allowing students to compare and discuss their notes can improve student comprehension and retention of lecture information (e.g., Ruhl, Hughes, & Schloss, 1987; Ruhl, Hughes, & Gajar, 1990). Allowing students to work on small group activities during class (e.g., Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1998), participate in classroom discussions (e.g., Roehling et al., 2011), and solve problems (e.g., Davidson, Major, & Michaelsen, 2014) are all examples of active learning strategies that are linked with increased academic achievement, such as improved quiz scores or higher course grades. These findings provide compelling evidence for the effectiveness of active learning experiences and the need for instructors to incorporate these strategies into their classrooms when appropriate. In addition to these benefits to your students' learning, many instructors find that students enjoy classes that incorporate active learning. Because active learning asks students to be involved in the class, these strategies can help them feel more engaged in class and more excited about participating in the class. Active learning can often be used to break up a lecture. Most students will struggle to focus on a 50-minute lecture with no interruption, however a short active learning activity can also be used to break up that lecture into more reasonable parts. Strategies for the Classroom Integrating active learning into your classroom doesn't need to take a lot of time or effort. Below are some strategies that instructors in all fields could implement in their classroom. Begin by posing a question to your students. The type of question you ask is important; one that requires considerable thought and reflection is best (as opposed to a simple knowledge question). Give your students sufficient time to THINK about their individual answer. You may want to ask them to write down some of their thoughts. Next, assign students to PAIR up with a fellow student to discuss answers from their notes. Finally, give student pairs a chance to SHARE their answers with the class. This technique can help students feel more comfortable participating, which increases discussion in your classroom. When more students share their thoughts about the content, you can assess how effective your instruction was for helping them understand the material. Midway through a lecture or discussion, ask your students to write (or type) for one minute, summarizing what they’ve learned so far. You can collect the resulting Minute Papers to assess if their learning is on track, or you can ask them to share their answer with their neighbor. It's also appropriate to conduct a Minute Paper exercise at the end of a lesson, either to summarize what they learned or to share with you what’s still unclear. This variation is sometimes called a Muddiest Point. Using this technique allows you to assess the effectiveness of your classroom activities and identify topics which you may need to address. Case studies are situational stories used to show students how theories or concepts can be applied to real-world situations. Present small teams of students with a complex open-ended problem in your field that may have no clear solution. The situations typically start with “What would you propose if...” or “How would you figure out...” Ask the students to answer the question using the theories or concepts they’ve learned about in class. You can give students the problem very early in the class period—in the absence of further information—and encourage them to identify the information they’ll need to solve the problem. This type of approach requires more planning and preparation from the instructor to ensure the problem and other learning materials are sufficient for student success and that the exercise addresses the learning objectives of the course. Fortunately, many case studies are published in texts and online that you can adapt for your students. Imagine you’re starting a new unit of your course that features a multi-step process or multiple viewpoints your students should consider. Using a jigsaw activity helps students learn a topic and then teach one another with your guidance. Begin by assigning students into groups. Members of each group will be assigned to study one part of the larger lesson, discussing it within their group and learning all they can about it. Later that day or during the next class period, new groups are formed. Each new group has one member from each of the old groups. Each member then is responsible for teaching the new group members about what they have learned. This strategy is a form of Peer Teaching. Following the group work, you would conduct a brief lecture or lead a class discussion to review and integrate the main points, and address student questions. Choose a strategy that you feel comfortable with and that would make sense in your classroom and try it out. Boswell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. Washington, DC: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University. Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415. Johnson, D., Johnson, R., & Smith, K. (1998). Cooperative learning returns to college: What evidence is there that it works? Change, 30(4), 26-35. Lang, J. M. (2008). On Course. Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press. Michaelsen, L. K., Davidson, N., & Major, C. H. (2014). Team-based learning practices and principles in comparison with cooperative learning and problem-based learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25(3-4), 57-84. Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223-231. Roehling, P. V., Vander Kooi, T. L., Dykema, S., Quisenberry, B., & Vandlen, C. (2011). Engaging the millennial generation in class discussions. College Teaching, 59, 1-6. Ruhl, K. L., Hughes, C. A., & Gajar, A. H. (1990). Efficacy of the pause procedure for enhancing learning disabled and nondisabled college students' long-and short-term recall of facts presented through lecture. Learning Disability Quarterly, 13(1), 55-64. Ruhl, K. L., Hughes, C. A., & Schloss, P. J. (1987). Using the pause procedure to enhance lecture recall. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 10(1), 14-18.
Boot odor is a common problem with many people. The issue can be tackled easily using at home methods, cleaning products and even following some basic hygiene tips. Before we go into discussing how we can remove odor, let’s try to understand what causes it in the first place. What Causes Boot Odor? Boot odor is caused due to the natural odor produced by the feet that soak up into the boot’s interior. When boots are worn for a long while, sweat is produced by the feet. Due to lack of proper ventilation and the unhygienic condition within the boot, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria break the sweat down and produce odor. The main reason why boots get that stinky odor after being used for a long time is due to feet odor that has gotten subsumed into the boot’s interior. Human feet have around 250,000 sweat glands, more than anywhere else in the human body. Naturally, when the feet are enclosed within boots for a long while without any proper ventilation, sweat is produced by the glands. Thus, within the boot, the environment would be hot and humid and an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria then break the sweat down into scented fatty acids that reek. Therefore, boot odor ultimately depends upon the amount of sweat produced by the feet. Sweat production can increase if feet are not ventilated properly. Also, if the boots are worn too frequently, the sweat can soak into the boot’s inside. This unhygienic condition would result in a perpetual bad odor. Again, sweat can pool inside the boot if no socks are worn with it or if the socks worn are not doing a good job in absorbing sweat. Steel-toe-boots can also conduct heat into the boot’s interior, producing a warm environment for the bacteria to grow. A person’s lifestyle can also affect sweat production, and by extension, boot odor. Stress can cause a condition called hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating. Hormonal changes in adolescents can also cause unwarranted amounts of sweat. Best At-Home Methods to Remove Boot Odor Some methods that can be easily done at home to remove bad odor from boots are to use materials like baking soda, tea leaves and salt that draw out moisture and kill germs. Natural deodorizers like essential oils, citrus peels and kitty litter can be used as a homemade shoe deodorizer. Lastly, boots can be washed with bleaching powder to remove the germs and bad odor. These methods to remove odor from boots are mentioned in more detail below – 1. Using Baking Soda This is a simple method which can be employed to remove boot odor overnight. The main ingredient required for this method is baking soda, which is a natural deodorizer and can be obtained easily from any kitchen. A few teaspoons of baking soda, along with corn starch, can be sprinkled into the shoes and left overnight. This time is used by the baking soda to kill the bacteria that bring about bad odor. The baking soda can be shaken out of the boots on the next day. A mixture of baking soda and white vinegar can also be sprayed into the boot. Reusable baking soda “bags” can be made by stuffing old socks with baking soda and then leaving them in the boots throughout the night. The main drawback of this method is that when baking soda is used too often, leather in the boots may become too dry due to the baking soda drawing moisture out. Teabags can be recycled and used to remove boot odor. The tea leaves present in the tea bags contain a chemical compound called tannin. Tannin is known for its antimicrobial properties. Thus, it is very useful in removing the bad odor-producing bacteria in boots. The tea bags have to be soaked in boiling hot water for five to ten minutes after which they can be cooled and placed in the boots. After one or two hours, they can be removed. Also, any excess juice from the tea bag has to be removed from the boot. Using Fabric Freshener sheets and Dryer Sheets Fabric freshener sheets are known for their pleasant smell and moisture absorbing capability. A couple of these freshener sheets can be taken and placed in the boots overnight. The sheets will completely draw the moisture out of the boot and deodorize them. Dryer sheets can also be used for this purpose. These sheets can be crumpled into boots and worn. They can absorb feet sweat and moisture. Also, they are light in weight and will not cause any discomfort to the wearer. Salt has a natural property of absorbing moisture. A liberal amount of salt can be sprinkled into the boots and left overnight to remove the bad odor. Using baby powder, citrus peels, scented oils, rubbing alcohol and kitty litter Baby Powder is infused with deodorizers. Some baby powder can be sprinkled on the feet before wearing the boots. Several scented oils such as lavender, clove or eucalyptus are available. A few drops of the oil can be put on a paper or tissue and left in the boots overnight to drive the bad odor away. Kitty litter and crushed citrus peels can also be used in a similar way to remove the stink. Rubbing alcohol is another way to remove bad odor. It can be rubbed onto the inner surface of the boot using a paper towel. In addition to driving away the stink, rubbing alcohol is also a good disinfectant. Boots can be left in the sunlight to dry. Sunlight can draw the moisture out of the boots and kill the odor-causing bacteria. The boots (after being checked to be completely dry) can be bundled into a plastic bag and left in the freezer overnight. The bacteria will not be able to withstand the low temperatures and will die. The main ingredients required for this method are water and bleaching powder. The boots can be placed in a sink or a tub. A small amount of bleaching powder can be put into each boot. Then, warm or hot water can be poured into each boot to wash it. The boots can be allowed to sit in the water for a while. Finally, the water can be drained and the boots can be allowed to dry. Care must be taken to not expose the boots to too much heat. Otherwise, the leather might crack and blister. The drawback of this method is that the boots can shrink when soaked in water for too much time. Best Professional Products for Removing Boot Odor Some professional products to remove boot odor are foot sprays, foot deodorizers, antifungal powder, antimicrobial soap and specially treated boot insoles. These products to remove boot odor are discussed in more detail below – Antifungal Powder or Soap An antifungal powder is typically used for treating athlete’s foot and other fungal skin infections of the foot. This powder also comes infused with deodorants. An antifungal powder can be sprinkled into the boots and left for a while to remove bad odor. Specially treated insoles The bad odor from boots can be checked by regularly swapping the insoles of the boots. Some specially made insoles are available which can help in fighting bad odor. These insoles act by absorbing the perspiration from the feet. They also come infused with deodorants that can freshen the boot. Some insoles also come with antimicrobial additives that help in killing the odor-causing bacteria. Foot spray and deodorizer Several foot sprays and deodorizers are available that can be sprayed onto the boots to remove bad odor. These deodorizers are made with several essential oils such as pine, lavender, etc. which lend a hand in masking the bad odor. Some deodorants can also act as deterrents to microbial action. How to Prevent Boot odor? Some ways to prevent boot odor is to wash and dry the feet regularly to remove excess perspiration, using the right kind of socks, changing the socks and insoles regularly and taking care not to use the same kind of boots regularly. One simple way to prevent boot odor is to wash the feet regularly before putting the boots on. As stated before, it is because of the breaking down of feet perspiration by the bacteria that bad odor is produced. Therefore, this odor can be prevented by washing the feet with soap and water to keep them clean and odor free. Using antiperspirants and antibacterial sprays on the feet is also a good idea. The feet must be dried thoroughly before wearing the boots. Using the right pair of socks is also necessary to prevent bad odor. The socks must be light enough to let the feet breathe but also must be able to soak up the sweat from the feet. Moreover, socks must be swapped regularly for fresh ones to prevent the socks from losing their sweat-locking ability and from absorbing the bad odor as well. Changing the insoles of the boots regularly can also check bad odor production. To prevent the boots from absorbing the bad odor from the feet, the same pair or boots must not be worn for over two days or very frequently. It is necessary to give them some time to dry. In the end.. Boot odor is a very common issue and thankfully can be easily prevented with some quick changes. You can also use at home methods or products available in the market to tackle the odor situation. Last Updated on
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Like any other invitation, it is the privilege and duty of the host—historically, for younger brides in Western culture, the mother of the bride, on behalf of the bride's family—to issue invitations, either by sending them herself or causing them to be sent, either by enlisting the help of relatives, friends, or her social secretary to select the guest list and address envelopes, or by hiring a service. With computer technology, some are able to print directly on envelopes from a guest list using a mail merge with word processing and spreadsheet software. The Middle Ages and beforeEdit Prior to the invention of the moveable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1447, weddings in England were typically announced by means of a Town crier: a man who would walk through the streets announcing in a loud voice the news of the day. Traditionally, anyone within earshot became part of the celebration. In the Middle Ages, illiteracy was widespread, so the practice of sending written wedding invitations emerged among the nobility. Families of means would commission monks, skilled in the art of Calligraphy, to hand-craft their notices. Such documents often carried the Coat of arms, or personal crest, of the individual and were sealed with wax. From 1600 onwardEdit Despite the emergence of the printing press, the ordinary printing techniques of the time, in which ink was simply stamped onto the paper using lead type, produced too poor a result for stylish invitations. However, the tradition of announcing weddings in the newspaper did become established at this time. In 1642, the invention of metal-plate engraving (or Mezzotint) by Ludwig von Siegen brought higher-quality wedding invitations within the reach of the emerging middle class. Engraving, as the name implies, requires an artisan to "hand write" the text in reverse onto a metal plate using a carving tool, and the plate was then used to print the invitation. The resulting engraved invitations were protected from smudging by a sheet of tissue paper placed on top, which is a tradition that remains to this day. At the time, the wording of wedding invitations was more elaborate than today; typically, the name of each guest was individually printed on the invitation. The Industrial RevolutionEdit Following the invention of Lithography by Alois Senefelder in 1798, it became possible to produce very sharp and distinctive inking without the need for engraving. This paved the way for the emergence of a genuine mass-market in wedding invitations. Wedding invitations were still delivered by hand and on horseback, however, due to the unreliability of the nascent postal system. A ‘double envelope’ was used to protect the invitation from damage en route to its recipient. This tradition remains today, despite advances in postal reliability. The origins of commercially printed 'fine wedding stationery' can be traced to the period immediately following World War II, where a combination of democracy and rapid industrial growth gave the common man the ability to mimic the lifestyles and materialism of society's elite. About this time, prominent society figures, such as Amy Vanderbilt and Emily Post, emerged to advise the ordinary man and woman on appropriate etiquette. Growth in the use of wedding stationery was also underpinned by the development of thermography. Although it lacks the fineness and distinctiveness of engraving, thermography is a less expensive method of achieving raised type. This technique often called poor man's engraving, produces shiny, raised lettering without impressing the surface of the paper (in the way traditional engraving does). As such, wedding invitations - either printed or engraved - finally became affordable for all. More recently Letterpress printing has made a strong resurgence in popularity for wedding invitations. It has a certain boutique and craft appeal due to the deep impression or bite that can be achieved. It was not the original intent of letterpress to bite into the paper in this way, but rather to kiss it creating a flat print. The bite or deep impression is a recent aesthetic that adds the sensory experience of touch to letterpress printed wedding invitations. Many letterpress printers that specialize in wedding invitations are small start-ups or artisan printers, rather than large printing companies. Laser engraving has also been making headway in the wedding invitation market over the last few years. Primarily used for engraving wood veneer invitations, it is also used to engrave acrylic or to mark certain types of metal invitations. The latest trend in wedding invitations is to order them online. Using the internet has made viewing, organizing and ordering wedding invitations an easy task. There are hundreds of websites that offer wedding invitations and stationery and being online allows the customer to order from anywhere in the world. Etiquette regarding the text on a formal wedding invitation varies according to country, culture and language. In Western countries, a formal invitation is typically written in the formal, third-person language, saying that the hosts wish for the recipient to attend the wedding and giving its date, time, and place. Even in countries like India, where the concept of wedding invitations was acquired through the British, the language continues to follow western traditions. As the bride's parents are traditionally the hosts of the wedding, the text commonly begins with the names of the bride's parents as they use them in formal social contexts, e.g., "Mr. and Mrs. John A Smith" or "Dr. Mary Jones and Mr. John Smith". The exact wording varies, but a typical phrasing runs as follows: Mr. and Mrs. John A Smith request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their daughter Mr. Michael Francis Miller on the first of November at twelve noon Note the seemingly anglicized spelling 'honour'; this derives from a ruling laid down by Emily Post in the 1920s. In the United States, the line "request...presence" is used when the ceremony is held in a house of worship; "pleasure of your company" is used when it is held elsewhere. If the groom's parents are also hosts of the wedding, then their names may be added as well. If the parents are not the hosts of the wedding, then the host's name is substituted in the first line, or, especially if the bride and groom are themselves the hosts, it may be written in the passive voice: "The honour of your presence is requested at the wedding of..." Formal announcements, sent after the wedding ceremony, omit the time and sometimes the place, but usually retain the same general form. Informal invitations, appropriate to less formal weddings, are issued by word of mouth or by hand-written letter. So long as they convey the necessary practical information about the time and place, there is no set form for these invitations. Printing and designEdit Commercial wedding invitations are typically printed using one of the following methods: engraving, lithography, thermography, letterpress printing, sometimes blind embossing, compression plate process, or offset printing. More recently, many do-it-yourself brides are printing on their home computers using a laser printer or inkjet printer. For the artistically inclined, they can be handmade or written in calligraphy. Historically, wedding invitations were hand-written unless the length of the guest list made this impractical. When mass-production was necessary, engraving was preferred over the only other widely available then option, which was a relatively poor quality of letterpress printing. Hand-written invitations, in the hosts' own handwriting, are still considered most correct whenever feasible; these invitations follow the same formal third-person form as printed ones for formal weddings and take the form of a personal letter for less formal weddings. Tissues are often provided by manufacturers to place over the printed text. Originally, the purpose of the tissue was to reduce smudging or blotting, especially on invitations poorly printed or hastily mailed before the ink was fully dried, but improved printing techniques mean they are now simply decorative. Those who know that their original purpose has been made irrelevant by dramatic improvements in printing technology usually discard them. Modern invitation design follows fashion trends. Invitations are generally chosen to match the couple's personal preferences, the level of formality of the event, and any color scheme or planned theme. For example, a casual beach wedding may have light, fresh colors and beach-related graphics. A formal church wedding may have more scripty typefaces and lots of ornamentation that matches the formal nature of the event. The design of the invitation is becoming less and less traditional and more reflective of the couple's personality. Some web-based print-on-demand companies now allow couples to design or customize their own wedding invitations. More recently in 2019, foil stamping and foil sleeking invitations have come back into trend. Foil sleeking is applied by applying a thick layer of toner to a paper using all four CMYK colours and a fifth white colour, next the card is fed through a foil heat transfer machine where the foil sticks to the toner and design. The invitation is typically a note card, folded in half, or perhaps French folded (folded twice, into quarters). Other options include a sheet of paper, a tri-fold, or a trendy pocket-fold design. The appropriate paper density depends on the design but typically ranges from heavy paper to very stiff card stock. Traditionally, wedding invitations are mailed in double envelopes. The inner envelope may be lined, is not gummed, and fits into the outer envelope. The outer envelope is gummed for sealing and addressing. More recently, the inner envelope is often left out in the interest of saving money, paper, and postage. In some cases, a pocketfold takes the place of an inner envelope. In countries that issue them, the envelope may be franked with love stamps. The United States postal service issues a love stamp each year specifically denominated to cover the double weight of the invitation and reply (a rate slightly less than the cost of two regular stamps). In addition to the invitation itself, sellers promote a full panoply of optional printed materials. The ensemble may include an RSVP response card, a separate invitation to a wedding reception, and information such as maps, directions, childcare options, and hotel accommodations. Wedding invitations should be sent out 6–8 weeks prior to a wedding with slightly more time being given for out of town or destination weddings. Guests should be asked to have their reply given between 3 and 2 weeks before the wedding date. Although many couples request RSVPs to be returned up to a month prior to the wedding day. These printers also sell matching pieces intended for the day of the wedding, such as programs, menus, table cards, place cards as well as wedding favors and party favors such as napkins, coasters, cocktail stirrers and matchboxes. As with any invitation, the sole obligation of the person receiving it is to respond, as promptly as reasonably possible, to let the hosts know whether or not he will be able to attend. Receiving a wedding invitation does not obligate the recipient either to attend the wedding or to send a gift. A proper response is written on the recipient's normal stationery, following the form of the invitation. For example, if the invitation uses formal, third-person language, then the recipient replies in formal, third-person language, saying either "Mr. Robert Jones accepts with pleasure the kind invitation to the wedding on the first of November", or "Ms. Susan Brown regrets that she is unable to attend the wedding on the first of November." Pre-printed, pre-addressed, pre-stamped response cards are frequently sent in the hope of encouraging a greater proportion of invited people to respond to the invitation. Some American etiquette experts consider the practice incorrect and ineffective at increasing response rates. In pop cultureEdit - Griffiths, Antony (ed), Landmarks in Print Collecting - Connoisseurs and Donors at the British Museum since 1753, p. 138, 1996, British Museum Press, ISBN 0714126098 - Pennel ER, ed. (1915). Lithography and Lithographers. London: T. Fisher Unwin Publisher. - "Bard Graduate Center". www.bgc.bard.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-16. - Martin, Judith (2005). Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. pp. 390–391. ISBN 0-393-05874-3. - Elizabeth Post, Emily Post on Weddings, page 65. 1987. - Martin, Judith. Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn-of-the-Millennium. Simon and Schuster; 1990-11-15 [cited 17 September 2012]. ISBN 9780671722289. p. 662. - Martin, Judith (1990). Miss Manners' guide for the turn-of-the-millennium. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 436. ISBN 0-671-72228-X. - Martin, Judith; Jacobina Martin (2010). Miss Manners' Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 62, 80–81, 273–274. ISBN 0-393-06914-1.
“A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. If we delve into this phrase, from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it is saying more important is what something IS not what it is named! A bit of a snub to taxonomy really but we can cope! So let’s look into the Rosaceae, which must be one of the most romantic and poetic of plant families? - Nearly 3000 species in 95 genera World-wide - Large family of trees, shrubs or herbs with alternate leaves often toothed and with stipules, maybe hairy or spiny - Actinomorphic flowers with hypanthium (extension of the receptacle) - 4 or 5 free sepals and petals and many stamens, an epicalyx may be present (an extra calyx like whorl) - Ovary variable, may be inferior or partly inferior (perigynous) or occasionally superior - Inflorescence cymose or racemose - Fruits are achenes (as in buttercups), drupes (as in plums), follicles or pomes (as in apples). Example of the Rosaceae: Potentilla reptans (Creeping Cinquefoil) Cinquefoil is the common name given to the whole genus Potentilla because they all have palmate leaves divided into 5-leaflets. Creeping Cinquefoil is a very common plant of grassland and waste ground creeping by means of stolons (above-ground creeping stems rooting at the nodes) and this plant can form large patches – given sufficient space. There are 5 yellow petals and numerous carpels and stamens so actually it looks rather like a Buttercup at first glance. But the eXtreme botanist NEVER relies on first glances and so check more carefully for the presence of the extra calyx under the true calyx (epicalyx) and look for the leafy stipules at the base of the leaf stalk (petiole), all are diagnostic for Rosaceae and will ensure that you never mistake Potentilla and Ranunculus again! Check out Dr M’s “Strawberries in the lawn” post for more Rosacaeous examples!
Highest Standards, Nationally Recognized: Multiple personality disorder (MPD), now called dissociative identity disorder (DID), is the condition in which two or more distinct identities or personality states exist to take control of one individual. The person with this personality disorder also experiences a loss of memory that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by identity fragmentation rather than completely separate personalities. The disorder is not caused directly by psychological effects from a substance, nor by any medical condition. Once a rare condition, DID has become more common and controversial. In 1994, multiple personality disorder was renamed dissociative identity disorder to reflect a better understanding of the nuances of the condition, namely the fragmentation, or splintering of the person’s identity. The disorder reflects a failure to integrate various aspects of identity, memory and consciousness into one single self which is multidimensional. The primary identity carries the individual’s given name and is a passive, dependent and depressed personality. When each different identity is in control, the alter ego experiences a distinct history and self-image, which is characteristically different from the primary identity’s name, reported age, gender, vocabulary, general knowledge and mood. Certain stresses or circumstances can cause particular alter egos to emerge. Various identities may deny knowledge of, be critical of, or be in open conflict with one another. People with multiple personality disorder may feel like they lose time or are left in the dark when another identity “takes over.” Sometimes they hear the voices of their alternate personalities talking to them even when they are their dominant selves. When in an altered state, people with MPD may practice completely contradictory choices, such as smoking, or contradictory ideas, such as conflicting opinions on the job. Sometimes they may speak with different accents or claim to have different birthdays. Avalon Malibu’s experienced staff and therapists practice non-judgmental behavior toward all clients with MPD / DID. We always listen and never insult individuals as we work with specialized treatments and therapies that are specifically geared toward healing MPD. People who suffer with multiple personality disorder have often been through terrible traumatic incidents in their lives and have trouble trusting others, including therapists. They tend to be very fearful, but our professional therapists are specifically trained to speak to each identity in a way that each different personality can handle. For example, in the case of a child, crayons or paints can be introduced to help the client communicate. Therapists might suggest that if an alter ego accomplishes a task, then a note can be left to communicate with the primary identity. Integration therapy, cognitive behavior therapy and psychodynamic therapy are all used for this condition. Our staff is committed to helping the client feel safe and cared for throughout their treatment. We impart empathy that will ensure that each client will be able to trust their therapist and recover from MPD. Avalon Malibu’s Grand House is our primary residence for clients with personality disorders. We’ve incorporated a therapeutic way to refresh and rejuvenate each person as each alter ego transitions into different identities. Because external hardships can create uncomfortable transitional impacts for clients with personality disorders, we strive to maintain calm external surroundings that support healing inner turmoil. With the tranquil and luxurious features at the Grand House, each client experiences a more calming and less anxious situation.
Chapter 2: Epithelium Epithelium is further characterized by several physical features. These include : - The number of layers of cells: an epithelium with only one layer is referred to as simple. When there are more than one layer, the epithelium is referred to as stratified. A confusing exception to this is pseudostratified epithelium which appears to be more than one cell thick since the nuclei lie at different heights within the cell, but all cells are in contact with the basement membrane. - Shape of cells at free surface: Shapes of epithelial cells include squamous (flattened), cuboidal and columnar. - Function of the epithelium - Surface modifications (if present): Surface modifications include cilia and microvilli. Their presence often depend on the requirements of the tissue location where the epithelial cell resides.
By Calvin Blair, Preservation Scholar, Texas Historical Commission This article was originally featured in the September 2018 issue of Main Street Matters. This summer, I was given the unique opportunity with the Texas Historical Commission to spend two months in Austin learning about the agency's different divisions and their roles. As part of the Preservation Scholars program, I visited all the divisions and saw how everyday people are working to curate and preserve our great state’s history for the public. As a history major at the University of Houston and a born and raised Houstonian, the opportunity to work with the Texas Main Street Program on the history of Third Ward and Emancipation Avenue has been a life-changing experience to work with a community that is changing rapidly. In my short time in Austin, I’ve been able to research and find over 2,300 unique businesses and residences along just 17 city blocks making up the Third Ward. Today though, the area is a shell of its former self. The blocks that used to be home to thriving businesses and a vibrant community are empty now, and overgrown lots have no chance of telling the stories that were once housed there. This is where I come in, using cultural history as a catalyst to economically revitalize the neighborhood. At the same time, I’m discovering more and more of the rich history of the neighborhood, and I’m starting to realize that Third Ward’s future is just as uncertain as my own. Not that it’s a bad thing. There is so much history and culture contained in the Third Ward, it’s inspiring me to go beyond just teaching history, but also working at becoming an active participant in the preservation of history. When Houston was first incorporated in 1837, it was divided into four quadrants or wards. The southeast quadrant was named Third Ward. It was originally nicknamed the Silk Stocking District, as it was not home to any railroads. The other three wards were centered on the bayous, industry, and an extensive railroad system that would see Houston nicknamed “Where Seventeen Railroads Meet the Sea.” In 1872, a couple of influential African Americans led by Rev. Jack Yates raised $800 to purchase four acres of land. This land would become Emancipation Park, the site of annual Juneteenth celebrations commemorating emancipation from slavery. The location of Emancipation Park would mark the cultural home of African Americans in Houston. It is speculated that the city was not happy about this and renamed East Broadway to Dowling Street after Confederate hero Richard Dowling. After the end of World War I, the African American community in Houston and the Third Ward exploded. From 1910 to 1930, the census recorded a “colored” population jump from 22,929 to 66,357 in just 20 years. With that growth, businesses sprouted up and down Dowling Street. Community landmarks such as Yates High School, the Covington House, Wesley Chapel, and St. Nicholas were built either on or next to Dowling Street. As the Great Migration was taking place and African Americans were leaving the South for better opportunities in the North, the Houston Chamber of Commerce took out advertisements for “Heavenly Houston,” declaring it a progressive city that was an excellent place for African Americans to create their future. But African Americans were not just settling in Third Ward; Fourth Ward was home to the original Freedman’s town where even today, you can drive on the original handmade bricks laid by freed slaves. In 1866, the Fifth Ward was carved out of northern portions of First and Second Ward. By the 1880s, the Fifth Ward became the first of six wards to be populated by a majority of African Americans. By the 1930s, it had a thriving black business district as well as containing the thriving Frenchtown, made up of Creole migrants from Louisiana after the Mississippi River flood. Third and Fifth Ward became competitors in more than just location, but in high school football. At the height of its popularity, the annual Turkey Day Classic between Third Ward’s Yates High School and Fifth Ward’s Wheatley High School had over 40,000 fans packed into Jeppesen Stadium in 1961. The pride felt by the Third Ward community of their crimson and gold is evident if you talk to anyone in the neighborhood. I had the opportunity to present my research before a group of community leaders representing various economic development corporations and other interested parties. Just mentioning the Turkey Day Classic brought multiple laughs, cheers, and a comical inquiry about whether I knew that Yates won more games than Wheatley. Fifty years since the end of the last Thanksgiving Day game, and the rivalry is still alive and contested. It really taps into a primal feeling we can all relate to: pride. As the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and the Third Ward really took that message to heart. For 21 years, Principal William Holland not only taught kids academically, but also taught them how to be adults. Principal Holland was the leader of Yates High School, having an influence on every student and parent from 7th to 12th grade. A lot of former students under Principal Holland still talk about the motivational speech he would give every morning over the intercom. They also talk about how if you did something bad at school or in the neighborhood, it was not long before your neighbors and parents knew about it. I read several accounts of kids acting out and their neighbors being the ones to give them that first spanking before they told their parents. Everyone pushed the youth to become the best that they could be in an extremely difficult time to grow up. During this time, Dowling Street became the center of the Houston Blues movement. The Eldorado Ballroom, the self-styled “Home of the Happy Feet,” featured artists like Ray Charles, BB King, as well as Houston natives Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, and Jewel Brown, all of whom went on to gain nationwide fame in the blues scene. Up and down Dowling Street were nightclubs and venues where artists experimented and perfected their craft. Oftentimes, the artists’ first chance at playing an instrument was when their high schools implemented band programs. Visitors would travel from all over East Texas and Galveston for a night on the town in Third Ward. It was a place where they could have a fun night and leave with their heads held high. The beginning of the end was actually a moment that should have been one of Third Ward’s greatest triumphs: the Houston Independent School District (HISD) finally decided to build a new Yates High School to replace the over-crowded facility. When the new facility was opened in 1959, HISD moved the principal of Wheatley High School to Yates High School. The move destabilized both communities, as Wheatley High School lost one of its largest community activists to its local rival. Principal Holland was punished for his years of activism and standing up to the HISD administration. In 1952, Jack Caesar became the first African American to stop redlining and bought a house in Riverside Terrace. Integration was in full effect. Wealthy and middle-class blacks started buying property all over town that they previously never had access to. By the beginning of the 1970s, the neighborhood was a shell of what it once was. Businesses failed left and right, and people continued to move out of Third Ward. Today, in all of Greater Third Ward, approximately 33,000 residents remain. The rate of buildings being taken down outpaces anywhere else in the county. To the west, Midtown and the Medical Center have become the hottest markets in the Houston real estate, as more and more people move to the city and back from the suburbs. The residents of the Third Ward were not about to stand by and watch as their neighborhood was overtaken by the forces of gentrification like their neighbors in the Fourth Ward. The traditional black neighborhoods of the Fourth Ward like the Freedman’s Town, which later became the San Felipe District, were overtaken by the development of Montrose and Midtown. Community leaders organized and started to take control of the future of their home. In 2009, a Texas Historical Commission subject marker was placed at Emancipation Park to commemorate its rich history. In 2013, over $33 million in private donations and tax dollars was raised to completely renovate and update the facilities of the park. At Emancipation Park’s reopening at the 2017 Juneteenth Celebration, Dowling Street was renamed to honor the park, and Emancipation Avenue was born. Today, the leaders in Third Ward are working with the Texas Main Street Program to find unique solutions to bring new businesses and developments that protect the rich history and heritage of Third Ward while preparing it for the next 100 years. Emancipation Avenue Main Street Program is a unique attempt at weaving communal heritage into a new physical fabric. This blank slate given to the Third Ward community mirrors my own outlook on history and preservation. Before I started this internship, I was fairly certain I just wanted to go into academia, but as I began to think about how the Third Ward could leverage its history and its talents, all of my preconceptions about what I wanted to happen with my life fell away. Studying and lecturing about history is a fine career path on its own, but without actively working to preserve that history, I would be doing a disservice to a community with which I feel a deep kinship. There are leaders in the Third Ward community that I have come to really admire. One great example is Carrol Parrot Blue. She is an award-winning filmmaker, a research professor at the University of Houston, and a founder of the Friends of Emancipation Park. Ms. Blue’s efforts have helped with the revitalization of Emancipation Park, as well as being awarded a National Endowment of the Arts grant for $100,000. The grant is being used to help renovate and reimagine Palm Center. I think as I start to re-evaluate my own goals and future, people like Ms. Blue show exactly how you can use your talents to bring positive change to your community. That’s the interesting thing about Third Ward. Despite its loss of historical fabric, the people it has inspired might be its greatest continuing asset. Tapping into that renewable resource will be vital for the Third Ward and energizing to someone like myself still trying to plot my path.
Aiming with Assistance: Player Balancing for Differences in Fine Motor Ability A significant barrier to players’ enjoyment of video games is the competitive nature of many multiplayer games. It can be difficult for people with different abilities to enjoy playing together. Player balancing (such as aim assistance) helps people of varying abilities play together by adjusting game mechanics. Player balancing is particularly important in games where differences in fine motor ability can have large impact on game outcomes, and in making games accessible to people with motor disabilities. The focus of this thesis is to determine whether aim assistance can reduce the barriers to group play with children who have cerebral palsy. We did this by evaluating whether aim assistance significantly reduces differences in player performance, and whether aim assistance negatively affects player perceptions of fairness and fun. Our evaluation involved a two-step process. The first step was a six-day study of a novel aim assistance algorithm with eight children with cerebral palsy. We tested the impact of this algorithm on balancing, player behaviour, and player perceptions through its incorporation in a two-player competitive aiming game. Our second step involved a qualitative evaluation with 18 pairs of typically developed adults of a revised game that implemented two improvements to the aim assistance algorithm. Our aim assistance algorithm did not significantly reduce the gap in player performance in a video game for children with cerebral palsy. However, it did reduce the difference in players’ scores in heavily imbalanced (“blowout”) games between players with different levels of fine motor ability levels. Aim assistance was generally viewed positively in social play settings and, players reported it had a positive impact on their play experience. We also found that game elements that draw attention to aim assistance need to be designed with attention to colour. When applying visual effects, players need to be informed of their purpose to make use of them effectively. Aim Assistance, Cerebral Palsy, Game Balancing, Fine Motor Ability How Game Balancing Affects Play: Player Adaptation in an Exergame for Children with Cerebral Palsy Susan Hwang, Adrian L. Jessup Schneider, Daniel Clarke, Alexander MacIntosh, Lauren Switzer, Darcy Fehlings, and T.C. Nicholas Graham Player balancing helps people with different levels of physical ability and experience play together by providing customized assistance. Player balancing is particularly important in exergames, where differences in physical ability can have a large impact on game outcomes, and in making games accessible to people with motor disabilities. To date, there has been little research into how balancing affects people’s gameplay behaviour over time. This paper reports on a six-day study with eight youths with cerebral palsy. Two games incorporated algorithms to balance differences in pedaling ability and aiming ability. Balancing positively impacted motivation versus non-balanced conditions. Even in “blowout” games where one player won by a large margin, perceived fun and fairness were higher for both players when a player balancing algorithm was present. These results held up over six days, demonstrating that the results of balancing continued even after players had the opportunity to understand and adapt to the balancing algorithms. Game balancing; exergame; active video game; player balancing; video game design. Balancing for Gross Motor Ability in Exergaming Between Youth with Cerebral Palsy at Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels II and III Alexander MacIntosh, Lauren Switzer, Hamilton Hernandez, Susan Hwang, Adrian L. Jessup Schneider, Daniel Moran, T.C. Nicholas Graham, and Darcy L. Fehlings Objective: To test how three custom-built balancing algorithms minimize differences in game success, time above 40% heart rate reserve (HRR), and enjoyment between youth with cerebral palsy (CP) who have different gross motor function capabilities. Youth at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level II (unassisted walking) and level III (mobility aids needed for walking) competed in a cycling-based exercise video game that tested three balancing algorithms. Materials and Methods: Three algorithms: a control (generic-balancing [GB]), a constant non-person specific (One-Speed-For-All [OSFA]), and a person-specific (Target-Cadence [TC]) algorithms were built. In this prospective repeated measures intervention trial with randomized and blinded algorithm assignment, 10 youth with CP aged 10–16 years (X – standard deviation = 12.4 – 1.8 years; GMFCS level II n = 4, III n = 6) played six exergaming sessions using each of the three algorithms. Outcomes included game success as measured by a normalized game score, time above 40% HRR, and enjoyment. Results: The TC algorithm balanced game success between GMFCS levels similarly to GB (P = 0.11) and OSFA (P = 0.41). TC showed poorer balancing in time above 40% HRR compared to GB (P = 0.02) and OSFA (P = 0.02). Enjoyment ratings were high (6.4 – 0.7/7) and consistent between all algorithms (TC vs. GB: P = 0.80 and TC vs. OSFA: P = 0.19). Conclusion: TC shows promise in balancing game success and enjoyment but improvements are needed to balance between GMFCS levels for cardiovascular exercise. Exergames; fitness; game mechanisms; clinical training; game therapy Ability-Based Balancing Using the Gross Motor Function Measure in Exergaming for Youth with Cerebral Palsy Alexander MacIntosh, Lauren Switzer, Susan Hwang, Adrian L. Jessup Schneider, Daniel Clarke, T.C. Nicholas Graham, and Darcy L. Fehlings Objective: To test if the gross motor function measure (GMFM) could be used to improve game balancing allowing youth with cerebral palsy (CP) with different physical abilities to play a cycling-based exercise videogame together. Our secondary objective determined if exergaming with the GMFM Ability-Based algorithm was enjoyable. Materials and Methods: Eight youth with CP, 8–14 years of age, GMFM scores between 25.2% and 87.4% (evenly distributed between Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II and III), competed against each other in head-to-head races, totaling 28 unique race dyads. Dyads raced three times, each with a different method of minimizing the distance between participants (three balancing algorithms). This was a prospective repeated measures intervention trial with randomized and blinded algorithm assignment. The GMFM Ability-Based algorithm was developed using a least squares linear regression between the players’ GMFM score and cycling cadence. Our primary outcome was dyad spread or average distance between players. The GMFM Ability-based algorithm was compared with a control algorithm (No-Balancing), and an idealized algorithm (one-speed-for-all [OSFA]). After each race, participants were asked ‘‘Was that game fun?’’ and ‘‘Was that game fair?’’ using a five-point Likert scale. Results: Participants pedaled quickly enough to elevate their heart rate to an average of 120 – 8 beats per minute while playing. Dyad spread was lower when using GMFM Ability-Based balancing (4.6 – 4.2) compared with No-Balancing (11.9 – 6.8) (P < 0.001). When using OSFA balancing, dyad spread was (1.6 – 0.9), lower than both GMFM Ability-Based (P = 0.006) and No-Balancing (P < 0.001). Cycling cadence positively correlated to GMFM, equal to 0.58 (GMFM) +33.29 (R2 adj = 0.662, P = 0.004). Participants rated the games a median score 4/5 for both questions: ‘‘was that game fun?’’ and ‘‘was that game fair?.’’ Conclusion: The GMFM Ability-Based balancing decreased dyad spread while requiring participants to pedal quickly, facilitating interaction and physical activity. Exergames; fitness; game therapy; youth fitness; game mechanisms
To ensure environmental sustainability, development of socioeconomic sectors adapted to climate change, reduction of vulnerabilities and risks, and mitigation of GHG emissions as well as promoting economic effectiveness and efficiency and implementation of ‘green growth’ policies, the Parliament of Mongolia developed the National Action Program on Climate Change (NAPCC) to be implemented, in two phases, within 2021. This sectoral national-wide document will help Mongolia create the capacity to adapt to climate change and establish a foundation for green economic growth and development.To reach the aforementioned overall goal, the Program defines the following five strategic objectives: (i) Set the legal environment, structure, institutional and management frameworks for addressing on climate change; (ii) Maintain environmental sustainability and reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities and risks through strengthening the national climate change adaptation capacity; (iii) Mitigate GHG emissions and establish a low carbon economy through the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies and improvement in energy effectiveness and efficiency; (iv) Enhance the national climate observation, research and monitoring network and strengthen employees’ capacity; and (v) Conduct public awareness campaigns and support citizen and community participation in actions against climate change. The two implementation phases are: 2011 – 2016 a first preparatory phase, and 2017 – 2021 is the time when climate change adaptation measures will be implemented and GHG mitigation actions will commence.In the framework of a policy to improve the resilience of the population to disasters caused by climate change, the NAPCC proposes a series of actions to help agriculture and forestry to be more productive and sustainable. These actions are: (i) extend irrigated agriculture through the use of drought resistant crops, and water saving and soil protection technologies; (ii) pay particular attention to programs targeted at the vulnerable sectors, such as health, livestock, agriculture, water resources and water supply; (iii) improve land use efficiency, increase re-use of abandoned crop lands, impede cultivation of wilderness; (iv) enhance management systems for natural forest conservation and implement key ecological restoration programs; (v) implement activities on restriction of using wood and shrubs for local fuel supply in high desertification areas; and (vi) protect forests from harmful insects, ban illegal logging and implement measures against forest resource depletion.To enable a more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Policy aims at encouraging individuals, community groups, non-governmental organizations and companies to take actions in response to climate change, run ‘green’ businesses, and support the consumption of ‘green’ products.As for the Governance, it is proposed to create a dedicated institution for coordinating inter-sectoral issues related to addressing to climate change as well as a review of the existent legislation and the development of new laws, regulations, policies and measures favorable to GHG mitigation and climate change adaptation activities. An efficient monitoring system needs to be implemented to control the following areas: the hydrology and meteorology systems, the energy consumption, surface and ground water and tropical disease vectors and transmitters. Authors and Publishers The FAO Legal Office provides in-house counsel in accordance with the Basic Texts of the Organization, gives legal advisory services to FAO members, assists in the formulation of
Sepsis is a rare but serious condition, caused by the way the body responds to germs and infection. If sepsis is identified early then it can be treated with antibiotics BUT serious cases will result in admission to ICU and if untreated, can lead to death. Sepsis symptoms include - Slurring speech - No passing of urine - Mottled skin or discolouration in skin tone Sepsis is often diagnosed using simple monitoring of temperature, heart rate and breathing rate. Blood tests can also test for sepsis indicators. Making a Sepsis Compensation Claim Sadly sepsis kills more people in the UK, than those that die of cancer. Babies and the elderly are particularly at risk. Around 100,000 people are admitted to hospital each year with sepsis and over 35,000 sadly die each year. The Sepsis Trust has worked hard to raise awareness in hospitals and care homes about Sepsis and have established the Sepsis 6 guidelines, consisting of three diagnostic steps and three therapeutic steps. Unfortunately, some people are still not having their condition diagnosed quickly or are suffering from poor treatment. The delayed diagnosis or poor treatment of Sepsis can lead to the need to specialist and sometimes costly care with families left feeling the financial burden of medical mistakes.
1. Discuss the Formula for Credibility and write about the key aspects of Competence, Caring, and Character 2. Explain the FAIR approach to evaluating ethical business communications 3. Why is emotional intelligence so important in logical business tasks? What are the four domains of emotional intelligence? 4. Think about a recent movie or TV episode you watched. Select a scene that involves interesting nonverbal communication – ideally, one that might occur in the workplace. Based on this scene, do the following; A. Summarize the scene in approximately one paragraph. B. Analyze the nonverbal communication. Explain how various body parts sent signals, including the eyes, mouth, shoulders, arms, and hands C. Describe how you can mimic or avoid three aspects of this nonverbal behavior in the workplace and why you would do so.
Note: Cpf1 is also called Cas12a. There’s a new development for CRISPR-Cpf1 genome editing! A recent paper from Feng Zhang's lab describes how to use Cpf1 for multiplex genome editing. For a few reasons, Cpf1 is a simplified system for editing multiple targets compared to Cas9. Read on to learn more about Cpf1 multiplexing. For an in-depth review of Cpf1, check out this blog post or see Addgene's CRISPR guide page for a review of Cas9. For a brief comparison of Cpf1 vs. Cas9, see the table below. Table 1. Comparing the Cas9 and Cpf1 CRISPR Nucleases spCas9: ~4 kb \|crRNA/gRNA length\|\|gRNA: ~100 nt\|\|crNA: ~42 nt\| \|dsDNA cleavage\|\|Blunt end\|\|5' overhang\| \|PAM site preserved?\|\|Usually Destroyed\|\|Yes, Cpf1 cleaves 5' of the protospacer\| Multiplexing CRISPR-Cas9 options before Cpf1 crRNA array Prior to this new Cpf1 multiplexing method, other multiplex CRISPR gene editing methods relied solely on Cas9. Overall, these approaches have two main drawbacks: 1) Most rely on transfection of more than one vector to express the gRNAs and Cas9. Co-transfections can lead to variable expression levels due to differences in copy number. And there are the usual transfection drawbacks: transient expression and needing to work with a transfectable cell line. 2) They require larger expression vectors which are often more difficult to transfect or package into viral vectors. Cas9 multiplexing vectors are larger because they require regulatory sequences to allow for expression of multiple gRNAs (i.e. Csy4 cleavage sequence, tRNAs, multiple individual promoters). spCas9 and its gRNAs are also larger than their Cpf1 counterparts. Table 2. Cas9 Multiplexing Options \|Multiplexing Method\|\|Delivery Method\|\|Advantages\|\|Disadvantages\|\|References\| \|Yamamoto Lab Golden Gate Assembly\|\| One vector expresses Cas9 and up to 7 gRNAs Each gRNA requires its own promoter Multiplexed Lentiviral Expression Cassettes \|One vector expresses Cas9, eGFP, and up to 4 gRNAs\|\|Each gRNA requires its own promoter\|\|Kabadi et al\| \|Csy4-Cleavable Cassettes\|\|transfection\|\|gRNAs expressed from a polycistronic transcript\|\|Requires co-transfection of Cas9\|\|Nissim et al Tsai et al \|PTG Cassettes\|\|transfection\|\|gRNAs expressed from a polycistronic transcript\|\|Requires co-transfection of Cas9\|\|Xie et al\| Multiplexing crRNA expression with Cpf1 The key advantage of multiplexing crRNA expression with Cpf1 is that Cpf1 can process its own pre-crRNA arrays. Zetsche et al demonstrate this by showing that Cpf1 can cleave an array of 4 crRNAs in vitro and when expressed in 293 cells. This allows for a single promoter to drive expression of a crRNA array and doesn’t require the expression of other endonucleases, like Csy4, or the inclusion of processing signals, such at tRNAs, to process the array into functional crRNAs. Cpf1’s ability to process its own pre-crRNA arrays simplifies the crRNA cloning process. For cloning, Zetsche et al used four oligos that consist of direct repeats and crRNA. Similar to a jigsaw puzzle, the oligos were designed with sticky ends that only anneal together in one direction. See the diagram below for an example of how this works. Make sure to order 5’ phosphorylated oligos or treat with T4 PNK. Delivery options for Cpf1 multiplexing: Transfection, lentivirus, and AAV Cpf1’s ability to process its own pre-crRNA arrays eliminates the need to include multiple promoters to drive crRNA expression and sequences that allow for array processing, i.e. tRNAs or Csy4 cleavage sites. This eliminates bulk from crRNA expression plasmids resulting in smaller, more streamlined vectors which are easier to use across multiple expression platforms: transfection, lentiviral transduction, and AAV transduction. In most of Zetsche et al’s experiments, a single vector co-expressing Cpf1 and a crRNA array were used. With transfection, 6.4% of HEK293T cells had edits at 4 of 4 targets when an array of 4 crRNAs, Cpf1, and a GFP tag were transfected on a single plasmid. This is versus 2.4% of cells transfected with a pool of plasmids that contained one crRNA per plasmid plus a Cpf1 expression vector. See the graph in figure 2 for a comparison of editing frequency resulting from transfection of single plasmids vs pooled plasmids; for multiple edits, single plasmids are generally more efficient. Make sure to reverse the orientation of the crRNA’s direct repeats when expressing the Cpf1 multiplex system from a lentiviral vector. Lentiviruses carry a (+) strand RNA copy of the DNA sequence, which is a suitable substrate for Cpf1. This means Cpf1 can bind and cleave the lentiviral RNA, preventing packaging of the virus. Reversing the orientation of the direct repeat protects the (+) stranded lentivirus RNA from Cpf1-mediated cleavage. This reversing would also prevent processing of the crRNA array when expressed in cells, but notice how Zetsche et al reverses the orientation of the promoter driving expression of the crRNA array (bolded red arrow). This undoes the original reversing of the direct repeats, leading to expression of a crRNA array that can be processed by Cpf1. Lastly, an AAV vector was used to multiplex edit 3-4 genes in a primary culture of mouse neurons and in vivo. For these experiments, cells were infected with a 1:1 ratio of two AAVs, one expressing Cpf1 and the other a crRNA array plus a GFP tag. Four weeks post-infection, there was strong expression of Cpf1 and GFP in the targeted brain region and ~75% of neurons were co-transduced with Cpf1 and GFP. Of these neurons, ~15% had indels at all 3 targeted loci. See the chart below for a summary of multiplexing efficiency in vivo. Multiplex gene editing with CRISPR-Cpf1 is one of the latest developments in CRISPR technologies. It’s a simple and effective method with multiple applications (in vitro, in vivo, transfection, viral transduction) for simultaneous multi-gene editing with a single crRNA array. Are you interested in using Cpf1 multiplexing in your research? Check out the Cpf1 multiplexing plasmids available from Addgene. If you have any questions or thoughts about Cpf1 multiplexing, leave them in the comments below. 1. Zetsche et al. "Multiplex Gene Editing by CRISPR–Cpf1 Asing a Single crRNA Array." Nature Biotechnology 35.1 (2016): 31-34. Pubmed PMID: 27918548. 2. Zetsche, B., Gootenberg, J., Abudayyeh, O., Slaymaker, I., Makarova, K., Essletzbichler, P., Zhang, F. (2015). Cpf1 Is a Single RNA-Guided Endonuclease of a Class 2 CRISPR-Cas System. Cell,163(3), 759-771. PubMed PMID: 26422227. PubMed Central PMCID: 4638220. Additional Resources on the Addgene Blog - Cpf1: A New Tool for CRISPR Genome Editing - Which Cas9 Do I Choose for My CRISPR Experiment - A Match Made in Heaven: CRISPR/Cas9 and AAV Resources on Addgene.org - Browse Our CRISPR Multiplexing Resources - Find CRISPR Plasmids for Your Research - Catch up on Your CRISPR Background with Our Guide Pages Topics: CRISPR, Cas Proteins Leave a Comment
Water is an important resource and many homeowners use more of it than realized. It’s important to consider ways to conserve water and help to create positive environmental changes as well as cut costs. There are many ways the average homeowner wastes water without even being aware. In fact some methods homeowners may think save on water use actually do the very opposite, according to the Charles River Watershed Association. For instance, running a dishwasher only when it’s absolutely full doesn’t keep dishes from getting clean, but it does save water quickly and easily. And for those who hand-wash their dishes it’s vital to turn off the tap in between rinsing dishes as a means of saving water. The same is true of brushing teeth and shaving. What about Outside the Home? There are many ways to save water and obtain a healthier lawn simultaneously. The best time to water a lawn isn’t in the middle of the day because that leads to evaporation. Watering the lawn when the sun is just starting to rise or set will give grass the best chance to absorb as much water as possible. People also often water their lawns more than is necessary to keep the grass healthy. There are many ways to maintain a healthy lawn and conserve water simultaneously. For example, leaving grass clippings on the lawn after cutting it will provide more shade and nutrients for the remaining grass. Also, well-fed grass results in a thicker lawn that can withstand the stress of heat and drought. Mowing grass at a higher height (3-4 inches) is another way to conserve water. Properly mowed grass allows for a deeper root system for the grass to find water and soil nutrients. Another Way to Water Your Garden Many homeowners often enjoy cultivating their own gardens, but it is unfortunate that water is often wasted here as well, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Instead of using a watering can or spraying hose multiple times a day, homeowners may wish to consider installing a drip-irrigation system. Not only can this save time – as it doesn’t require gardeners to physically water plants every day – but it can also reduce water costs and potentially yield better crops. Of course, a drip-irrigation system costs money and requires time to set up, but there is a significant return on investment over time. Many modern drip systems also operate on timers that can be scheduled and beat the alternative of having to manually turn them on and off each day. It’s a good idea to use common sense when looking at ways to save water. Most people probably know when they have a little wiggle room to cut their shower times or find other ways to reduce consumption around the house. A little effort and consideration may very well make all the difference. Brought to you by HMS Home Warranty. HMS is an industry leader with over 30 years of creating success for clients and providing peace of mind for customers. To learn more click www.hmsnational.com.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) researchers have developed a self-powered non-mechanical intelligent keyboard that could provide a stronger layer of security for computer users. The self-powered device generates electricity when a user's fingertips contact the multi-layer plastic materials that make up the keyboard. "This intelligent keyboard changes the traditional way in which a keyboard is used for information input," says Georgia Tech professor Zhong Lin Wang. "Every punch of the keys produces a complex electrical signal that can be recorded and analyzed." The intelligent keyboard records each letter touched, and captures information about the amount of force applied to the key and the length of time between one keystroke and the next, which could provide a new biometric for securing computers from unauthorized use. "This has the potential to be a new means for identifying users," Wang says. "With this system, a compromised password would not allow a cybercriminal onto the computer. The way each person types even a few words is individual and unique." The researchers evaluated the authentication potential of the keyboard by asking 104 users to type the word "touch" four times, and recorded the electrical patterns produced. Using signal analysis techniques, they differentiated individual typing patterns with low error rates, Wang says. From Georgia Tech News Center View Full Article Abstracts Copyright © 2015 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA No entries found
Planetary Times Newsletter Classroom Publicity Kit Archived Online Chats Orbital Laboratory® Payload III Current events for April 13, 2013 Return to calendar Events in space history for 04/13: Apollo 13 moon craft oxygen tank two exploded and the spacecraft was stranded more than 200,000 miles from Earth. The ensuing rescue captured the attention of millions on Earth (1970). For more about the Apollo 13 rescue. Click here for an exhibit about this exciting space rescue. For a comic book story about Apollo 13, click here.
Issued by the American Association for the Advancement of Science on July 26, 2012. For more information, contact Natasha Pinol at firstname.lastname@example.org. Biology Professor Mark Bergland's first love as a scientist was being out in nature, observing and tracking the behavior of wildlife, such as the foraging habits of yellow-headed blackbirds. In the late 1980s, however, new interests drew him from wildlife biology to molecular biology. He went from the great outdoors to a computer. He switched his focus from wildlife research to monitoring the educational benefits of a system of online case studies and analysis tools that allow students to explore DNA testing and its reverberations in lifelike applications. He became so intrigued with the potential of that online educational system that he left his wildlife research behind. As one of the creators of that online educational system, known as Case It!, Bergland, and colleagues Karen Klyczek, Chi-Cheng Lin, Mary Lundeberg, Rafael Tosado-Acevedo, Arlin Toro, Dinitra White and Bjorn Wolter, are the winners of the Science Prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI). "With Case It!, students are offered case studies with multiple scenarios, for example tracing a mutated gene back through a family tree," says Melissa McCartney, editorial fellow at Science, "enabling them to come at a problem from different biological, social and ethical perspectives." Science's IBI Prize was developed to showcase outstanding materials, usable in a wide range of schools and settings, for teaching introductory science courses at the college level. The materials must be designed to encourage students' natural curiosity about how the world works, rather than to deliver facts and principles about what scientists have already discovered. Organized as one free-standing "module," the materials should offer real understanding of the nature of science, as well as providing an experience in generating and evaluating scientific evidence. Each month, Science publishes an essay by a recipient of the award, which explains the winning project. The essay about Case It! will be published on July 27. "We want to recognize innovators in science education, as well as the institutions that support them," says Bruce Alberts, editor-in-chief of Science. "At the same time, this competition will promote those inquiry-based laboratory modules with the most potential to benefit science students and teachers. The publication of an essay in Science on each winning module will encourage more college teachers to use these outstanding resources, thereby promoting science literacy." After earning a Master's degree and a PhD in wildlife management at the University of Michigan, Bergland went to teach and research at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where from 1978 to 1986, he concentrated on blackbirds. But because River Falls is a small school, Bergland taught a wide variety of classes. Much influenced by co-author Klyczek, who was chair of the biology department, Bergland got more interested in molecular biology. He also got more involved in computer programming. It was after experiencing the workshops organized by BioQUEST, a group of scientists and educators who support education that reflects real-life scientific practices, that Bergland was completely won over to working on Case It! Whereas many computer simulations for science education and even traditional labs required students to follow procedures in a preordained "cookbook" process, the philosophy at BioQUEST promoted open-ended approaches in which students could "solve their own problems and pose their own questions," Bergland says. "That philosophy is what caused this whole project to blossom." Bergland's attendance at BioQUEST also presented him with a group of colleagues who were interested, not only in inquiry-based learning, but in a case-based approach. Such an approach became the foundation of Case It! What this meant to students was that, instead of looking at concepts with little or no connection to everyday life, students were presented with case descriptions such as a sister who talks her brother into being tested for Huntington's disease. He tests positive for the mutation that can cause the disease, but she is negative. In another case, a woman is diagnosed with HIV during the second trimester of her pregnancy, and it is unclear how she was infected. In both cases, students read the descriptions and use Case It! to run the corresponding tests. As they gather information surrounding the cases, it becomes possible for them to role-play the people being tested, their family members, the health care providers, lab technicians and researchers. "They literally become the people in the case, and they learn more about molecular biology," Bergland says. "They have to look up the answers and respond. They learn things on their own. "It gives students a sense of responsibility." By exploring the bigger picture associated with the testing, students are often profoundly drawn into the science, Bergland says. "It's a way of really engaging students. It's a really powerful tool. It relates science to everyday life." Some students even decide to pursue certain careers based on their experience with Case It!, says Bergland. "I've had students say they'd like to go into genetics counseling or health counseling." Like in real life, the testing results are not always clear cut. Students encounter the kinds of problems and quandaries that scientists find. In the case of the HIV-infected pregnant woman, for example, preliminary screening does not determine definitively whether the woman's baby is also infected. Students then go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site for guidelines on more definitive testing. In some instances, students can use the Case It! software to extend what they do in actual wet labs. Students collaborating on the nationwide Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Education Alliance phage genomics project (HHMI SEA PHAGES)—which enlists students in the discovery of microorganisms in soil—are able to identify phages in actual soil samples, and the Case It! software can help with this identification process. Because Case It! can work on any DNA samples or protein sequences, motivated students, even at the undergraduate level, can use the software to develop their own cases. For example, Department colleagues of Bergland, Kim and Bradley Mogen, along with co-author Klyczek, have begun a project on honeybees related to Colony Collapse Disorder, the phenomenon that has greatly reduced the bees' populations. Using Case It!, student research assistants have developed a case based on the honeybee research. Case It! has been used in such far-flung places as Zimbabwe, where it assisted in HIV education, established many interesting cross-cultural connections between Zimbabweans and Americans, and further drove home the relevance of molecular biology in the world. Bergland hopes to keep sharing it with teachers all over, pointing out the software is downloadable for free. Although the workshops he and his colleagues conduct seem to be the most effective way to introduce educators to the system, the Case It! Web site contains video tutorials. Enthusiastic about the opportunities represented by Case It!, Bergland want to "expose as many people as possible to this kind of learning. "That's why this is so exciting. Students who might otherwise read about these techniques in often outdated textbooks have an open-ended software tool that they can download," Bergland says. "This gives students all over the world a way to learn about molecular biology that's really engaging." To visit Case It!, go to www.caseitproject.org. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science (www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS. See www.aaas.org.
Since 1755 the Carter’s Grove plantation house and grounds has been variously a working plantation, a family home, a house museum and archaeological site owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CWF), and then again, in 2007, a private residence. Sixteen archeological sites have been identified on the Carter’s Grove property. One dates back to around 55 B.C. and many others are from the early 17th century, when the area was Wolstenholme Town, one of the first British settlements. More recently the stately historic mansion, which is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the nation, has been the topic of numerous newspaper and magazine stories focusing on current owner Halsey Minor, his financial affairs, the neglect of the architecturally- and historically-important structure, the attempted foreclosure on the property by the CWF, and the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of the LLC Minor established as owner of the estate. The most recent story published in the Washington Post Magazine sparked outrage among preservationists as the writer detailed a “historic treasure…falling apart,” and “a valuable and once-beautiful piece of American history…being lost.” “What I found on my visit was not a house in ruin or falling apart as just about everything I read has described, but rather a beautiful Colonial era mansion perched on a hill with a view of the James River”. said Dennis Hockman, editor in chief of Preservation Magazine .
Random Forest characterisation of upland vegetation and burning from aerial imagery Chapman, Daniel S.; Bonn, Aletta; Kunin, William E.; Cornell, Stephen J.. 2010 Random Forest characterisation of upland vegetation and burning from aerial imagery. Journal of Biogeography, 37 (1). 37-46. 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02186.xFull text not available from this repository. Aim: The upland moorlands of Britain form distinctive landscapes of international conservation importance, comprising mosaics of heathland, acid grassland, blanket bog and bracken. Much of this landscape is managed by rotational burning to create suitable habitat for gamebirds and there is concern over whether this is driving long-term changes in upland vegetation communities. However, the inaccessibility and scale of uplands means that a practical way to monitor changes in vegetation and burning practices is through the use of remotely sensed data. We develop methods to classify aerial imagery into high-resolution vegetation maps, including the distribution of burns on managed grouse moors. Using the maps, we test for effects of environmental gradients on vegetation cover and its management. Location: Peak District National Park, UK. Methods: We classified colour and infra-red aerial photographs into eight dominant cover classes using the Random Forest ensemble machine learning algorithm. In addition, heather (Calluna vulgaris) was further differentiated into growth phases, including sites that were newly burnt. We then analysed the distributions of vegetation classes using detrended correspondence analysis and managed burning using generalised additive models. Results: Classification accuracy was ~95% and produced a 5 m resolution vegetation map for 514 km2 of moorland. Cover was highly aggregated and strong nonlinear effects of elevation and slope and weaker effects of aspect and bedrock type were evident in structuring moorland vegetation communities. The classification revealed the spatial distribution of managed burning and suggested that relatively steep areas may be disproportionately burnt. Main conclusions: Random Forest classification of aerial imagery is an efficient method for producing high-resolution maps of upland vegetation. These may be used to monitor long-term changes in vegetation and management burning and species-environment relationships and can therefore provide an important tool for effective conservation at the landscape scale. \|Programmes:\|\|CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 onwards > Biodiversity > BD Topic 1 - Observations, Patterns, and Predictions for Biodiversity > BD - 1.3 - Long-term/large-scale monitoring and experiments ...\| \|NORA Subject Terms:\|\|Ecology and Environment\| \|Date made live:\|\|01 Apr 2010 10:13\| Actions (login required)
This course will begin with Native American architecture and extend to the present. Although it will proceed chronologically, course lectures will follow a number of themes that stem from one question: what makes architecture in America "American"? This question will give us a basis for understanding the contributions of some of our greatest architects, the popularity of certain movements, the response to environment and landscape, and the repeated interest in technology and new materials. Please purchase two books: D. Handlin, American Architecture; and P. Johnson, The International Style. You will also be given a reader with photocopied extracts from L. Roth, America Builds. It is very important to read these extracts! Readings on reserve: -W. Cronon, Changes in the Land. -A. Friedman, Women and the Making of the Modern House: A Social and -A. Leopold, A Sand County Almanac -R. Wilson, The American Renaissance. A homepage for this course includes all the images for which you are responsible on exams. Tests. There will be one quiz (worth 10%), a mid-term (worth 20%), a final (worth 30%); questions on these tests will stem from class lectures, the readings, and points of discussion raised in class. Projects. There are two projects for this class (worth 20% each). For the first, you will design your dream house (in any medium you choose!); in the second, you will expand on its location and response to its environment. The details will be provided on a separate sheet. The course includes five field trips. Most of these will occur on weekends--let me know if this is a problem for anyone. SCHEDULE OF TOPICS: Note: Each week you will read regularly from the Handlin book; in addition, I have noted extra readings from the reserve list for each week. You must come to class prepared to discuss the reserve readings! Week One: Introduction and Native American Read: Handlin, p. 9-36; Cronon in its entirety. Week Two: Colonial architecture of Spain, France, the Netherlands, Read: Handlin: p. 39-70. Week Three: Early 19th century. Fieldtrip: Lowell’s Mills Read: Handlin, p. 70-100; Roth handout Week Four: Mid-century. Quiz 1: February Read: Handlin, p. 100-132; Downing handout. Week Five: The American Renaissance Read: Handlin, p. 132-167; Wilson, chapters 1 and 6. Week Six: The Home: the Prairie School and Wright. Guest speaker on 19th century materials Read: Speaker’s handout; Roth. Week Seven: The City: The Skyscraper. Mid-term: March 6 Week Eight: Art Deco and Industrial Design. Read: Handlin, p. 167-197. Week Nine: The International Style. First project due: March Read: Handlin, 197-232; and Johnson, introduction and chapter 4. Week Ten: High Modernism. Guest Speaker on Gender and Architecture Week Eleven: The 1950's. Fieldtrip: Urban Planning Office, Lowell Read: Handlin, p. 232-268; and Leopold Week Twelve: Post Modernism. Guest Speaker on Historic Preservation Read: Handlin, p. 268-279; Roth handout Week Thirteen: Sustainable Design Read: A. Stang, The Green House Week Fourteen: Current work. Second project due: April
All the purple heather growing wild in Great Britain belongs to this species. There are innumerable garden varieties. gardens have become enormously popular in recent years, but heather may also be used in the herbaceous border or as ground cover. Sun or light shade is essential, or the plants will not flower well. Heather requires lime-free, humus-rich, constantly damp conditions. Garden soil must therefore be improved with plenty of peat or conifer-needle. Fromtaken in late summer and grown in cool conditions under glass. Calluna vulgaris: Height 5-70 cm; flowering season usually late summer to mid autumn, with white, pink, salmon pink, purple or violet. Consult a good catalogue for the many named strains. The garden varieties with foliage which turns a beautiful golden yellow in winter are outstanding.
Milk contains water, proteins, minerals, fats and carbohydrates (lactose is the milk sugar). Those who are allergic to milk have a reaction to the proteins, which in cow’s milk are whey found in the liquid portion and casein found in the solid or curd portion. Although more common in infants and children, adults can develop an allergy to milk in their 30s and 40s, according to Allergy Escape. The symptoms induced by a milk allergy can affect the skin, the digestive system and the respiratory system. The symptoms of a milk allergy can occur within minutes from ingesting a product containing milk. Often a rash forms on the skin around the mouth first and then may occur all over the body. The rash may appear red and bumpy as hives or may just be patches of red dry skin similar to eczema. Some of those allergic to milk may react with what is called allergic shiners. This is the appearance of black circles around the eyes that look like a typical black eye. Many people often confuse a milk allergy with lactose intolerance. Although both conditions can cause intestinal discomfort, lactose intolerance is strictly a digestive issue, whereas a milk allergy is an immune response. For those allergic to milk, their body sees milk proteins as foreign invaders, and the white blood cells attack them and produce antibodies against them. The body releases chemicals called histamines, which are what cause the symptoms of the allergy. A milk allergy will cause intestinal cramping and abdominal bloating. Nausea and vomiting also may occur. For those allergic to milk, when milk proteins are ingested, the body’s immune system responds. This triggers inflammation, which can occur in the sinuses. The inflammation causes an overproduction of mucus, resulting in the common symptoms of a stuffy and runny nose. The increase in mucus production can also cause watery eyes. Inflammation of the trachea and bronchi (the tubes that lead to the lungs) can inhibit the flow of air and create trouble breathing. Symptoms can include wheezing, coughing and asthma. Anaphylactic shock, also called anaphylaxis, is a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Although a rare reaction to a milk allergy, it can occur. When the body’s immune system attacks the milk proteins, the large amount of chemicals released in the body can trigger shock. The symptoms include a sudden drop in blood pressure, airway constriction, rapid weak pulse, rash, nausea and vomiting. Because milk is found in so many different foods and it is often hard to determine if something contains milk proteins, if you are allergic to milk your doctor may advise you to carry epinephrine. Epinephrine is a medication used to combat the symptoms of anaphylaxis. Once you use your epinephrine, you should seek immediate medical attention even if your symptoms subside. According to Teens Health, approximately a third of all anaphylaxis reactions have a second round of symptoms that follow a few hours after the first.
A cross-site scripting vulnerability (also known as XSS) is a vulnerability that allows hackers to execute malicious scripts into a web application. Looking at the statistics of Google’s vulnerability reward program -Google rewards hackers for vulnerabilities they report to them- more than 65% of the vulnerabilities reported are XSS vulnerabilities. The basic principle of an XSS is that you insert a payload which then reflects back to you on the same page, for example on your profile page. A blind XSS goes further than that. A blind XSS doesn’t reflect back to you, but it reflects back to systems like a CRM or a Server Administration panel. Since these systems are mostly designed to be used internally, they are not always developed with security in mind. This “No one can reach it anyway” approach, can for a hacker be a ticket to the “holy grail”. If an attacker wants to exploit a blind XSS he needs to do three things: - Detect the vulnerability. - Wait till someone opens the payload on an internal system. - Exploit it. This is an example code, for this to work you also need a working back-end to interact with the script. 192.168.1.10 is open. So, testing your internal (web)applications for vulnerabilities is also very important, even if they are not “reachable” from the outside. Because, as you can see above, they may be reachable anyway. It just takes a little bit more effort. - Olivier Beg
Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2015 Summary of the 2015 Changes - If a casualty is displaying symptoms of a seizure, do not rule out a cardiac arrest. Carefully assess whether they are breathing normally. Agonal breathing (irregular, slow breaths with a characteristic snoring sound) is a sign of cardiac arrest. - It is now recommended that all children should be taught how to perform CPR and how to operate an AED. This is because evidence from overseas has demonstrated that training all school children can drastically improve bystander CPR rates and survival. - An emphasis has been placed on the importance of interaction between bystanders providing CPR and the emergency medical dispatcher. To ensure the swift deployment of an AED, the Resuscitation Council recommends that owners of a defibrillator should register the location and availability of their device with local ambulance services. - The same steps can be followed for the resuscitation of children as adults. If you are not specifically trained in how to perform resuscitation for children, it is better to carry out basic life support rather than doing nothing. - Everyone that is able should learn CPR; “if individuals are willing and able to provide basic life support in a community, the use of these systems may lead to faster response times when compared with emergency service attendance.” What does this mean for imperative training? The changes highlighted in the October 2015 report are very subtle, this means that if you currently have a first aid qualification with us there is no need to worry; the procedure for CPR remains the same and your first aid qualification is still valid. Our mission is to provide our learners with the confidence to save lives. So every five years when new resuscitation guidelines are released we revise our course materials to ensure that they are up to scratch ensuring that our qualified first aiders are taught how to provide the most effective treatment possible. To find out more about our first aid training services read our FAQs or contact a member of our customer service team on 0845 071 0820. We are happy to help with any enquiries you have.
Snow White Cactus Flowering Cacti, like most plants of nature blooms flowers as a way to reproduce and survive. While a cactus with flowers is not often seen, it is quite a sight to behold as a rough looking plant with thorns would have such beautiful and delicate flowers to grow out of them. Each species of cactus plants blooms flowers at different ages of maturity. There are some cacti which would only bloom at 40 years of age, yet there are other species that would start blooming within 1-2 years. Snow White cactus is one of the types that would bloom flowers at a young age. In order to make a cactus bloom its flowers, a close simulation and understanding of its natural habitat is needed to improve the chances blooming. In their natural habitat during the winter months, cactus plants take in very little water and is dormant for the season. This cold season is their time of rest and is very important to not disturb this cycle by giving them too much water.fertilizer or care. Watering once every 4-5 weeks and placed in a bright windowsill is sufficient. When spring is here, now is the time to water your plant with light fertilizer about 3-4 times a month and placed in an area with good sunlight and air circulation. Following these steps will best improve the chances of your Snow White Cactus to flower. If your plant is in the terrarium capsule, caution is needed to ensure moss media is dry within 2-3 days after each watering session as waterlogged moss can damage the roots and plant. Basic Tips to Improve the Odds of Snow White Cactus Flowering 1. Place your plant on a windowsill or location with bright natural light. 2. Water lightly once every 4-5 weeks. (no fertilizer) 3. Let them be dormant and do not disturb. Less care and neglect is good. Spring/ Summer Care 1. Place your plant to in a location with natural sunlight and air circulation 2. Water your plant about 3-4 times a month with light cactus fertilizer ( 1/10 of strength) 3. If your plant is in its terrarium casing, it is recommended to remove the capsule cover for flower bud to extend and mature. 4. In addition with the frequent watering schedule, it may be best to transplant your cactus to normal potting with good drainage to protect its roots and plant itself for the sole purpose of blooming this cactus. Week 1 - Flower Bud Week 3 - Flower Bud extended and developing Week 4 - Flower Bloom
Sustainable Safe Water Supply A commitment to provide a safe, reliable water supply – particularly drinking water – has been a hallmark of modern societies. However, development pressure on ecosystems, a changing climate, and a fraying social contract are combining to pose increasing water supply challenges for the 21st century. At the same time, new technologies and management practices grounded in science, innovative use of green infrastructure, and growing concern for climate justice offer the potential for solutions. Sustainability requires that we take into account - Ecological health. Resource management, particularly water withdrawals, must balance human needs with the requirements of the ecosystems that provide the services. - Financial costs and savings. What are the true costs of supplying water to our communities? What is the most appropriate scale for new water supply infrastructure? What are the most efficient combinations of gray and green infrastructure? Should we use drinking water for purposes that don’t require this quality? What new technologies can save water and cut costs? Where are energy savings possible? - Social justice. Access to safe, affordable, and adequate sources of drinking water is increasingly recognized as a human right. In 2020, Mass Envirothon teams will investigate water supply issues – and the potential for solutions that support both ecological and human health – in their home communities. Background and Strategies for Community Research 2020 1.0*
Frequently Asked Questions Because of the mild climate of southern and central California, we can grow potatoes almost nine months out of the year. Cal-Organic currently grows potatoes in California in the Bakersfield, Cuyama, Tehachapi, Coachella and El Centro areas. We grow about 10 different varieties that are classified as red, white, gold, fingerling, and russet potatoes. A potato seed is simply a regular potato or a piece of a potato containing an eye that has been replanted back into the ground that will sprout and begin to grow again. Depending on the variety and type (red, white, gold, russet) one potato plant can produce 8 to 30 potatoes. It takes about 100 – 120 days to grow a potato to full maturity. Depending on the variety, there can be between 17,000 to 22,000 potato plants in one acre. Organic does not automatically mean pesticide or chemical free. It does mean that any product used must be derived from naturals sources, not synthetically manufactured. The use of any approved product is considered carefully and reviewed carefully prior to application. Organic potatoes should be refrigerated for longest shelf life as no sprout inhibitors are used. The key to using potatoes that have been refrigerated is to take them out of the refrigerator at least 24 hours prior to use. When a potato is refrigerated, the starches turn into sugars; which affects the taste of the potato. By allowing the potatoes to sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours prior to use allows those sugars to convert back into starches. From seed to harvest is 65 – 120 days. The outer leaves can be harvested and the inner leaves will continue to grow allowing for additional harvests from the same plant. Younger leaves will have a lighter flavor and mature leaves will be more pungent and bolder in flavor. “Organic” foods are grown and processed using organic means and must meet or exceed the standards for organic certification as defined by the USDA and other certifying bodies. The guidelines for “natural” are not as well defined. You can certainly freeze our carrots to preserve their freshness. First trim them down, then blanch them to eliminate potentially harmful bacteria before placing them in the freezer. Organic refers to the way produce is grown, and the USDA seal signifies that organic fruit and vegetables were farmed free of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and GMOs. From planting seeds to stocking shelves, every step in the supply chain is certified to ensure the integrity of our organic produce. No, our products do not contain any genetically modified organisms. Great question! It is important to keep your fruits and veggies fresh. Check out the Our Products page on the Cal-Organic Farms website (http://calorganicfarms.com/our-products/) for storage tips on each of the items we grow. You can also check out our Fresh Produce Guide (http://www.calorganicfarms.com/fresh-produce-guide/mobile/index.html) for storage tips, flavor profiles, prep instructions and recipe ideas! Absolutely! Those tops are just as tasty as their tails, and they’re also very nutritious. You can cook them down similar to way you would cook spinach, or you can serve them raw in salads, steamed, boiled or sautéed. Organic farmers build up populations of beneficial insects and spiders to eliminate pests naturally. At Cal-Organic Farms, we often use ladybugs, wasps, hoverflies and lacewings for pest control. While there are organic pesticides available, we are very conservative in our use of even approved organic pesticides as they eliminate the beneficial insects we rely on. Yes—make sure to cut the sprouts out of the potatoes first, then steam them, bake them, grill them or mash them. Be sure to check out a couple of the tasty potato recipes on the Cal-Organic website (links to mustard roasted baby gold potatoes recipe and Greek-style roasted red potatoes recipe). Yes, but we recommend peeling away the green before preparation. Yes, we recommend that you always wash fruits and veggies unless they’re sold as a ready-to-eat product, like shredded carrots and carrot chips. Yes, all of our products are naturally gluten free. Baby carrots are actually not grown bite-size: they’re bred to be long and slender, then they’re cut into 2-inch pieces and peeled to become healthy, ready-to-eat treats.
Surface temps not enough to prove global warming I'm not in complete agreement with Arlen Besel's comments about global warming ("Man-made global warming is a myth," Feb. 9) and certainly not with the reporting on global warming research. We must remember that global warming supporters are mostly using surface temperature data, as upper air temperatures are sparse before the 1970s. And surface temperatures are mostly from land areas, yet 70 percent of the earth is a water surface. And these days, most surface temperatures are taken at or near airports, which are at or near urban areas. And airports, urban and suburba n areas have large areas of asphalt. In case you hadn't noticed, asphalt is both heat-absorbing and heat-retaining. So there are other explanations for rising surface temperatures. Besides, most of the world knows that global warming began just after the end of the Cold War. John W. Herman
Last week, my colleague John Wonderlich spoke on a panel about the nature of the Open Government Directive with other transparency leaders inside and outside of government. John commented that transparency needs a lasting structure in government so that it doesn’t become a fad, a la breakdancing in the 80s. The White House’s Norm Eisen responded that transparency would not be a fad and that “the project that the president is taking on is really a 17th century project that dates back to the founding of our democracy, which is a government for and by the people.” Eisen is absolutely correct that the ideology of transparency traces its roots back to the founding of the Republic. There is a direct line that runs from the opening of the House of Representatives to the current transparency efforts that Sunlight and others are currently pursuing. This post is the beginning in a series looking at the history of transparency in the American federal government. (Much of this information is adapted from this previous project.) “However firmly liberty may be established in any country, it cannot long subsist if the channels of information be stopped,” Massachusetts Senator Elbridge Gerry stated in his fierce defense of providing federal subsidies to newspaper postal distribution in 1792. Early on in the founding of the United States lawmakers recognized and debated the importance of maintaining an informed citizenry. In the debate where Gerry so strongly defended the importance of information flow Congress wound up adopting a policy to subsidize the postal delivery of newspapers to keep the public informed of the workings of their government. During the same debate over postal policy, James Madison stated, “In such an one [government] as ours, where members are so far removed from the eye of their constituents, an easy and prompt circulation of public proceedings is peculiarly essential.” In the small republic of the late-18th century, American politicians were seriously concerned with keeping their constituents directly informed of what transpired in the nation’s capitol. Similarly, people were more than interested in obtaining information to express their opinions. The societal shifts that occurred in post-revolutionary America were an early precursor of the types of changes enabled by 21st century mass communications technology. Where we now have the means to express our opinions in almost instantaneous fashion that circumvents the old paths of discourse, ordinary people in the late-18th century all of a sudden found out that the barriers preventing them from expressing opinions at all no longer existed. This began with the liberation of the people from a system of royalty, aristocracy and gentry. As Paul Starr paraphrases James Madison in The Creation of the Media, “liberty granted power in America.” That was power to the middle and lower classes who now, due to the liberty granted them, could voice their opinions on anything, including deriding the upper classes. In The Radicalism of the American Revolution Gordon Wood writes, “In contrast to pre-revolutionary America, the society of the early Republic had thousands upon thousands of obscure ordinary people participating in the creation of this public opinion.” Opinions crave for information. “Republican ideology held up a new standard of good conduct: The responsible citizen was informed and kept up with the times. Self-government, in other words, generated greater demand for information, particularly for news and newspapers. … [B]y legitimating the idea that ordinary people could govern themselves, the Revolution dignified their right to speak up—literally, without self-consciously bending and averting their eyes while addressing people of higher status.” And policy-makers at the time took this revolution in public interaction to heart. The Post Office Act of 1792, and the reenactment of this as permanent policy in 1794, was intended to provide low-cost to entry for newspapers to reach people throughout the country. Similar policies were enacted to open up the work of the Congress to the public. The House of Representatives opened their doors on the first day of their first session. As the only body then to have representatives directly elected by the people this openness policy seemed the perfect way to express the closeness of the body to the voting public. Rep. Alexander White of Virgina later wrote in his diary, “The pleasure which our open Doors, and the knowledge of our Debate obtained by the means, has given the People, can hardly be conceived.” The Senate, however, remained obstinate and cloaked in aristocratic pretensions. Upon establishing itself, the Senate refused to open their doors, mirroring the policy of both the Roman Senate and the Constitutional Congress. This did not sit well with the newly liberated people of the country, particularly those organizing in Democratic-Republican clubs throughout the land. Between 1789 and 1791, the Virginia Assembly, the Maryland House of Delegates, the Pennsylvania Senate and the North Carolina Legislature all debated resolutions demanding the Senate doors be opened. During that same period of time, two attempts to pass legislation opening Senate doors failed by wide margins on the Senate floor. Ultimately, it would take a massive press campaign, led by journalist Philip Freneau, before the doors of the Senate would swing open to the public. In 1791, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Rep. James Madison recruited Freneau, a classmate of Madison at Princeton University, to head the anti-Federalist, pro-Republican newspaper, the National Gazette. Freneau immediately went to work covering the daily workings of Congress, writing that the paper would regularly publish a “brief history of the Debates and Proceedings of the Supreme Legislature of the United States.” Freneau’s decision to publish the records of Congress led him into direct confrontation with the Senate over their closed door policies. For nearly three years, and sparking two failed attempts to open Senate doors, Freneau railed against the “aristocratic junto,” writing, “Secrecy is necessary to design and a masque to treachery; honesty shrinks not from the public eye.” Facing financial troubles due to his unpopular support of a much disliked French foreign minister and the yellow fever epidemic that ran through Philadelphia, Freneau shuttered the National Gazette on October 27, 1793. The efforts by Freneau, Madison and Jefferson to open the Senate’s doors were both principled and political. These three, along with other legislators and printers, shared a starkly differing perspective on the direction that the United States should pursue. To them the Federalists were tyrannical, cloaked in secret societies and interested in crowning a king, not a president. The Senate represented these aristocratic pretensions and became an easy target for the rapidly organizing opposition to the Federalists in the communities of artisans, small businessmen and farmers. Just as many of the fights over procedure and openness today seem to be pursued out of partisan pique, this effort sought to discredit the Federalists and enforce the notion of their elitism. At the outset of the 1794 Senate session, senators were forced to face their closed-door policy after the Federalists contested the seating of Sen. Albert Gallatin, born in Switzerland, for failing to meet the Senate’s residency requirement. Supporters of an open door policy used the incident to advocate for temporarily opening the doors for the duration of the hearings of Gallatin’s eligibility. As Gallatin was elected by the Pennsylvania Legislature, the Senate was put in a situation whereby they could be issuing a secret ruling against the will of the legislature. The Federalists in control knew that to deny the duly elected Senator a seat in secret hearings would prove politically dangerous and acquiesced to temporarily opening the doors. During the debate over opening the Gallatin hearings, Senator Alexander Martin introduced a measure to permanently open the Senate’s doors. After the open hearings contesting Gallatin’s eligibility, Martin’s measure found itself on the floor. Unlike previous attempts to pass a bill, this measure fell by only one vote. However, on a motion to reconsider, Vermont Senator Stephen Bradley switched his vote and brought three more northern senators with him to secure passage of the bill. Three months after Freneau’s Gazette went silent, the Senate voted 19-8 to open their doors to the public at the beginning of the next session. These early efforts to open government to the people relied on the simple revolutionary notion that ordinary people had an equal say in public life and deserved the information to craft informed opinions. The policies enacted may seem rudimentary by our standards today, but postal travel and open congressional sessions provided the meat of the information that fed public opinion and public debate. (Part II will pick up in the 19th century.)
Concentrating our socials classes on the question, “Why do events happen, and what are their impacts?” will create deeper understanding of the cause and consequences our world has faced. By focusing on the domino effect, we will hopefully be able to eliminate any negative repetition, and find insight as to how to better the world of today. When boiling down to the main purpose of studying history, one might say it is to learn from our past mistakes. By learning why certain events happen and how they affected our world, we can do just that. As an example, World War 2 officially began September 1st 1939. German soldiers invaded Poland under the instructions of Adolf Hitler. It is possible that there was no one single point in time when Hitler decided he hated Jewish people, but many events that led up to it. By studying the antisemitism in Vienna at the time when Hitler was growing up, we can provide ourselves with some insight as to what was the core cause of World War 2. It is no mystery to us that World War 2 left large aftermaths on the world, such as the rise of the Soviet Union and United States. However, merely studying World War 2 will not advance our society unless we take preventative actions. Many soldiers and regular innocent people died because of the hate countries had for each other. Being able to recognize why World War 2 started and the negative impacts hate has, will help our society recognize what actions need to be taken in order to prevent another World War. By studying the cause and consequence of historical events, we can continue to improve societal issues, become better decision makers, and hopefully make the world a safer place for everyone.
Batman has Robin. The Lone Ranger has Tonto. And insulin has its own tough little partner: a hormone called amylin. What’s that? You thought insulin worked alone, like Superman or Spiderman? Think again. Those guys only had madmen and criminals to fight. Insulin has the onerous task of keeping blood glucose in check while fending off challenges from food, stress, illness, and a slew of other hormones. However, like most sidekicks, amylin cannot replace or outperform insulin. Instead, it supplements insulin’s actions and allows insulin to do its job more effectively. This is particularly true after meals, when insulin by itself is no match for the blood glucose onslaught brought on by carbohydrates (sugars and starches) in the meal. How it works As most people with diabetes already know, insulin helps transfer glucose out of the bloodstream and into the body’s cells. It is produced by a group of cells in the pancreas called beta cells. But beta cells secrete more than just insulin; they also secrete amylin. People with Type 1 diabetes, whose beta cells have been destroyed by the body’s immune system, secrete no amylin at all. And people with Type 2 diabetes who have progressed to the point of needing insulin injections (or infusions from a pump) have limited beta cell capacity and thus produce insufficient amylin. So why all the fuss about amylin? Those of us with diabetes have survived for years without it. But the goal, of course, is more than just survival. It is to manage blood glucose levels effectively so that we feel good, can perform our daily routines, and live long, healthy, productive lives. The natural hormone amylin, as well as its synthetic equivalent, pramlintide (available since 2005 under the brand name Symlin), helps improve blood glucose control after meals. It does this by prompting the following actions: - Slowing digestion. Amylin slows gastric emptying, or movement of food from the stomach into the intestines. When carbohydrates stay in the stomach longer, they are converted to glucose and enter the bloodstream in a slower, more gradual manner. - Blocking glucagon secretion. Glucagon is a pancreatic hormone that raises the blood glucose level by stimulating the liver to release stored glucose. It is usually secreted in response to stress or hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). Without amylin, most people with diabetes produce extra glucagon when they eat; this can contribute to after-meal blood glucose spikes. When taken with meals, Symlin suppresses the inappropriate release of glucagon by the pancreas. - Enhancing satiety (the feeling of fullness). By helping to limit appetite and thus reduce the amount of food eaten during (and between) meals, amylin limits the potential for huge blood glucose spikes after eating. So put it together: Symlin reduces mealtime glucagon secretion, slows digestion, and leads to decreased food consumption. This makes mealtime (rapid-acting) insulin’s job infinitely easier since there’s no dramatic blood glucose “spike” to deal with after eating. Instead, the blood glucose level tends to hold steady or rise only slightly after meals. Consequently, mealtime insulin requirements tend to decrease with Symlin use by an average of 10% to 20%, although this can vary considerably from person to person. Overall, research shows that regular use of Symlin lowers the HbA1c level (a measure of long-term blood glucose control), the fasting blood glucose level, and blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and increases the percentage of time spent within one’s target blood glucose range. It also reduces blood glucose variability, or fluctuations in blood glucose level, which may be associated with long-term diabetes complications. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Symlin for use in adults with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who take rapid-acting insulin at meals. Although it is not yet approved for use in children, several studies have shown that Symlin is safe and effective when taken by adolescents in a supervised environment. Doctors have the option of prescribing Symlin off-label to children under the age of 18. Many people with diabetes have what could be described as an “insatiable appetite.” This may be due, at least in part, to the lack of amylin’s appetite-reducing effect. As a result, people with Type 1 as well as Type 2 diabetes can find it very challenging to lose unwanted weight. Symlin can be a valuable tool in the “battle of the bulge.” Taking Symlin at meals helps create a sense of satisfaction and fullness, which can lead to eating smaller portions and taking fewer second helpings. And because Symlin’s effects tend to last for 2—3 hours, there is less of an urge to snack between meals. As a result, Symlin users lose an average of about six pounds over the first six months of taking the drug. On the dark side Every sidekick has his issues, and Symlin has its share. To start, Symlin is not available in pill form. It must be injected, just like insulin, at each meal (or whenever its effects are desired). Guidelines for storing and replacing injection pens or vials are also similar to those for insulin. But because it is somewhat acidic, Symlin cannot be mixed directly with insulin, and it may sting a bit when injected. The most common side effect associated with Symlin is nausea. Approximately half of all people who try Symlin experience at least a mildly upset stomach. Symptoms tend to be more pronounced during Symlin’s peak action time, which is 15—30 minutes after injection. The discomfort usually lasts for only a few minutes and tends to subside before dissipating entirely after a few weeks of use. For people who experience hypoglycemia unawareness (lack of low-blood-glucose warning signs) or are prone to severe hypoglycemia, Symlin may present some additional risks. Because food digests much more slowly when Symlin is taken, hypoglycemia can occur soon after meals, as premeal insulin starts working. It may therefore be necessary to reduce or delay mealtime insulin when taking Symlin. It is also not a good idea to take Symlin if your blood glucose level is low (or close to low) at the start of the meal, if you plan to exercise after the meal, or if the meal consists mostly of foods that digest slowly, such as pasta, legumes, or dairy products. If hypoglycemia does occur, treating it can be a challenge. For the first hour or two after injection, Symlin blocks glucagon production and slows digestion considerably. Attempts to treat hypoglycemia with traditional methods may take a very long time to have any effect. Instead, glucose tablets or gel may need to be placed under the tongue so that some glucose is absorbed through the tissues of the mouth; otherwise, a glucagon injection may be necessary. One other concern that comes with using Symlin is the titration process: determining the appropriate dose of Symlin, and then establishing the ideal dose and timing of mealtime insulin. Achieving a stable blood glucose level immediately after and between meals is a process that may take several weeks of trial and error. Another concern is cost: Symlin is not cheap. Each box of Symlin pens costs more than an equivalent box of rapid-acting insulin pens. Most major health insurance plans cover Symlin for people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who take mealtime insulin, but copays usually apply, and preauthorization is almost always necessary. That typically means paperwork, waiting, and more paperwork before coverage takes effect. A patient assistance program is available through the manufacturer of Symlin (Amylin Pharmaceuticals) for people who have difficulty affording the product. Strategies for success Sidekicks often experience a “breaking-in period.” For example, it took a while for Ed McMahon to learn to wait for the punch line before laughing at Johnny Carson’s jokes on the old Tonight Show. Symlin is no different. It takes some practice and effort to get Symlin to work right – but once it does, the benefits can be significant. Through years of personal and professional/clinical experience with Symlin, I have had the opportunity to learn what tends to work and what does not. Here are some recommendations and observations: 1. Start out using Symlin at only one meal, such as breakfast. Once the dose of Symlin and appropriate adjustments to the dose of mealtime insulin are determined, apply the same strategies to your other meals. Unlike insulin, the dose of Symlin does not vary from meal to meal; the same dose is taken regardless of what is eaten. And adjustments made to insulin’s dose size and timing should work consistently whenever Symlin is taken. 2. Take Symlin 5—10 minutes before your meal, and take your insulin 5—10 minutes after finishing your meal. This will help ensure that the Symlin is working at the right time, so that the insulin will not peak too soon and cause post-meal hypoglycemia. If you start to see a drop in your blood glucose level soon after eating followed by a significant rise a few hours later, consider switching to Regular insulin – or, if you use an insulin pump, delivering the insulin bolus over 1—2 hours. (Regular insulin starts working in 30—45 minutes, compared to 10—15 minutes for rapid-acting insulin analogs.) 3. When starting with Symlin, reduce your usual dose of mealtime insulin by about 25%. Symlin’s package insert recommends an initial 50% reduction; however, in clinical practice, most Symlin users settle on only a 10% to 20% reduction in mealtime insulin. A 25% reduction is a safe and reasonable starting point. 4. Settle on a Symlin dose before finalizing your insulin adjustments. Start with the lowest dose of Symlin (15 mcg) and increase in 15-mcg increments until an effective dose is reached. The right dose of Symlin will either cause an unusual “full” or “sour stomach” sensation 15—30 minutes after injection, or result in a reasonably constant blood glucose level for a few hours after eating. If neither of these occurs, the dose of Symlin needs to be increased. Get in the habit of checking your blood glucose level an hour after eating while adjusting your Symlin and insulin doses (or check your trends on a continuous glucose monitor). 5. The Symlin dose may need to be increased over time. After using it for several months or years, many people develop a tolerance to Symlin, and the dose may need to be increased slightly to achieve the same results as earlier. Symlin delivery options Symlin is most commonly given by injection pen. Symlin pens allow giving the drug in 15-, 30-, 45-, 60-, or 120-mcg doses. The low-dose (starter) pen delivers 15, 30, 45 or 60 mcg; the high-dose pen delivers 60 or 120 mcg. Because Symlin needs to be injected just below the skin, it is generally recommended that short (5- or 6-mm) needles be used. Some people require doses higher than 120 mcg or less than 15 mcg; others need doses that are in between the preset pen increments. For these individuals, Symlin is available in vials for injection with a syringe. (One unit on an insulin syringe denotes 6 mcg of Symlin; 2.5 units would be 15 mcg, and so on.) However, the vials will be phased out by December 31, 2010. Some people who use Symlin have opted to deliver it through an insulin pump. Limited research has been conducted on this topic, but available reports indicate that pumps can be a safe and effective method of delivering mealtime boluses of Symlin. However, some basal delivery may be necessary to prevent clogs from forming in the tube and cannula. A partner at last After more than 80 years of going it alone, it’s nice to know that insulin is finally getting some well-deserved help. But is Symlin right for you? That decision is a personal one to be made with your doctor. Symlin certainly warrants consideration if you need to lose weight or if you want better control over your after-meal blood glucose levels. The transition to using Symlin is easiest if you have a doctor or diabetes educator who is familiar and comfortable with the drug. But even if this is not the case, don’t hesitate to ask about Symlin – you and your team can learn about it together. (Amylin Pharmaceuticals offers a free patient support program by phone and e-mail that features a nurse who can answer questions and offer general guidance. To enroll, call 796-5461 or visit www.symlinsupport.com.) Just be prepared to deal with the potential side effects of Symlin, and recognize that some trial and error will be necessary to get it working for you. In the end, you may wonder how you ever lived without such a terrific little helper.
Reading Assignments are Accessible and Relatable with Miguelito Beginning students will meet Miguelito, a 10-year-old Venezuelan mouse who travels from Caracas for a year of adventure in Bangor, Maine with Tomás, an American mouse. Basic vocabulary includes first-year topics such as the weather, after-school activities, sports, holidays and family. Questions are listed after each chapter, along with a complete glossary in the back of the book. With illustrations by Peter Tracy. - Level 1 - Unique Words: 310 - Total Words: 4,059 - Tense(s): present, preterite - Glossary: yes Download the FREE chapter preview located in "Additional Info" ©2009. Level 1. Elementary, middle school, high school. 62 pages. Print Book: Softcover. 5 x 7 inches. No-Prep Activity Pack Enhance the reader experience and your students’ comprehension with our extra, book-related activities. The perfect, no-prep teacher tool for a lively Spanish class! Activity Pack includes: - Student worksheets - Teacher answer key ©2011. Reproducible. 44 pages. Activity Pack Download: PDF. Adobe® Reader® required to view PDF. First-Year Student Response Has Been Amazing! "I used Las aventuras de Miguelito with my brand-new Spanish students and it made an incredible difference in their confidence levels! The chapters are short and use a lot of conversational Spanish vocabulary. I read the narrative paragraphs to the class but ask students to take the roles of the characters and read the actual conversations out loud. I then give my students time to re-read the chapter to themselves and answer the list of preguntas listed at the end of each chapter. The student response has been amazing! My kids are so pleased to be able to easily de-code an entire book in Spanish—and having a real interest in Miguelito’s story has really reinforced their vocabulary skills. I am very happy to have the Cartas a Susana sequel to introduce to my second-year students. Carolyn C., HS Spanish Teacher from Michigan About the Author Fabiola Canale was raised by German parents living in Venezuela. She has lived all over the United States, and currently resides in Colorado. She has been teaching and writing stories for her students for many years. While she truly loves cooking, reading, and watching TV, her favorite free-time activities are working out and hiking with her husband. She wishes she could live in Maine, just like the mice in her books.
Molluscum Contagiosum is a common viral infection of the skin that appears as pink, round, umbilicated bumps. Molluscum are contagious and can spread from person-to-person contact as well as through contact with contaminated objects. Also, autoinoculation is possible when an infected person picks or scratches his/her own MC and thereby spreads lesions further over the body. Molluscum Contagiosum are commonly seen in infants and young children and less often in teenagers and adults. MC tend to be more numerous and more stubborn to treat in children who have eczema or atopic dermatitis due to changes in the skin barrier. Molluscum Contagiosum look like small, round pink or white papules with a central depression called an “umbilication.” They range in size from a pinpoint to the size of a pearl. Each papule contains a central white “ball” or sphere where the contagious viral particles are found. MC can be seen anywhere on the body (except the palms and soles) but tend to favor warm, moist areas such as armpits, groins or behind the knees. There are numerous treatment modalities including physical destruction of the molluscum and topical medications. Some examples of physical destruction include: curettage to physically remove the infectious core, electrodessication and cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen). Some topical treatments are medications like Retin-A, salicylic acid, Imiquimod (an immune modulator) and Cantharidin (which is sometimes referred to as “beetle juice.”) Warts are benign growths on the skin that are caused by an infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV). When the virus infects a cell in the skin, it causes rapid growth of skin cells that results in a wart. HPV is ubiquitous throughout our world. We come in contact with it by shaking hands or touching railings and door handles etc. However, some people are more prone to warts than others because those people have immune systems that are weaker at fighting off the virus. For example, children are more prone because their immune systems haven’t been exposed to HPV as much as adults have and consequently, they are not capable of mounting as strong an immune defense when exposed. Also, one is more likely to develop a wart when they have abraded, inflamed or cut skin. Therefore, people with eczema or who pick their cuticles are more likely to be infected with HPV. Warts present as soft or firm bumps on the skin that can range in color from white or skin-colored to pink or tan. They often have a rough surface with tiny pinpoint black dots on their surfaces. These black dots are actually thrombosed blood vessels. Warts are most commonly found on hands, feet and genitalia. While 50-65% of warts, if left untreated, will resolve on their own within 1-2 years, most dermatologists recommend treating warts to decrease the likelihood of them spreading. Treatment can take weeks to months to be effective and warts can spread or recur. Salicylic acid is a convenient over-the-counter treatment. It comes in numerous preparations and concentrations and when used consistently a wart can resolve in roughly 3 months. Treatments that dermatologists use in the office include cryotherapy, chemotherapy, prescription medications, laser treatment or less often, electrodessication and curettage. In cryotherapy, liquid nitrogen is applied to the skin which causes a blister to form. When the blister breaks, the infected cells slough off. The chemotherapeutic agent, Bleomycin, can be injected into a wart and is another useful treatment. Immunotherapy is another common and efficient treatment option in which an antigen, such as Candida, is used to trigger an immune response from the patient’s body. Prescription medications such as imiquimod, 5-fluorouracil and tretinoin are also efficacious topical treatments. Certain lasers are very effective at destroying warts. Electrodessication and curettage involve burning the wart with a small needle (electrodessication) and then scraping it (curettage). This method is a last resort option as it can cause scarring and should never be used on the feet. *This webpage is for informational purposes and is not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, medical advice. Any medical concerns should be addressed with a physician.
Emails are the preferred way to communicate for all businesses in this digital age. This is why no one, not even an organization would ever want to sacrifice the quality of their email delivery. Your emails ought to be delivered without interruptions, whether it’s private or for business. The SMTP server is an ideal option to ensure secure and reliable email delivery. Gmail along with Outlook are two of the most popular platforms for communicating. They are ideal to communicate one-to-one. An organization or business will have different requirements for email. There may be a need to send automated bulk mails. An SMTP server can do this efficiently. Before getting into the SMTP instance, let’s take a look at what SMTP is and how it functions. What is an SMTP Server? SMTP is also known as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is an application used to transmit, receive and relay outgoing emails between recipients and senders. If an email message is transmitted it’s transmitted over an internet connection from one server to the next via SMTP. In simple terms, the term “email” means that the term “SMTP” refers to an SMTP email is essentially an email that is sent via an SMTP server. In the event that it is the case that the SMTP server can be used to send emails, it is possible to define SMTP relay as the process of moving emails across servers. It is utilized to transfer email from one which is not the domain of the user. This relay service is utilized to solve a variety of issues like delivery of emails, IP blacklisting, and other issues. Understanding The Value Of SMTP Server As we mentioned previously as previously mentioned, as mentioned earlier, the SMTP server is utilized to provide transactional emails and bulk email safely and securely. There are a variety of SMTP service providers on the market. Here are some advantages offered by this SMTP provider: A secure and safe environment to send emails. dedicated IP addresses and flexible APIs and SMTP configuration. The majority of SMTP service providers do not use port 25 for their SMTP port, which means that the emails they send have a low chance of being filtered through the spam folder of users. Flexible and fast email integration that is fast and customizable. Real-time analytics for keeping on top of your email. Therefore, there are many Open Source and Free SMTP servers that are available. In addition, many of the paid SMTP services have trials for free. You can try out various options before choosing the best one for your requirements. Most free plans come with limitations on the number of emails you can send each day or per month. So, if you’re seeking an SMTP service for a business that can send thousands and hundreds of emails it is suggested to select the paid SMTP service. Functions of an SMTP Server The operation of the SMTP server is divided into two steps. So the first step is to verify if the computer’s configuration in which an email is sent as well as give permission to the process. In the next step, it will send out the message and wait for the sending of an email. If, due to a reason, the email is not able to reach its destination the email returns to the sender. The SMTP server can understand simple text commands. The most frequently used commands are: - HELO Introduce yourself - EHLO Introduce yourself and ask for extended mode - MAIL FROM: Indicate the sender - RCPT TO: Indicate the recipient - DATA Please specify the text of your email How Do You Know the SMTP Server of your SMTP Server? Have you ever wondered, “What is my server?” You can find it by following the steps in Command Prompt: Let hit your Windows keys on your Windows machine’s keyboard. In the search box, type “cmd” within search box. Launch the Command Prompt application and type one of the two commands: - Ping smtp.mysite.com - Ping mail.mysite.com So, your server’s name will be shown just after “Pinging”. Let learn SMTP with a Simple SMTP Server Example Let’s examine an example that can help us understand this SMTP protocol and to understand the flow of emails more clearly. Take two individuals who are Tom as well as Jerry. Tom has a Gmail account, [email protected] and Jerry have an account with Yahoo which is [email protected] Tom would like to get an email sent to Jerry. The steps below describe the procedure for the delivery of emails from the account Tom to Jerry’s account. Tom writes an email using the Windows PC. Then, Jerry’s email address, and clicks Send. Tom’s email client is connected to the domain’s SMTP server which sends the email. The server may be identified as smtp.example.com. Tom’s mail server can play the function as being an SMTP client. Tom’s mail server is in contact with Yahoo.com’s mail server. yahoo.com mail server in order to relay messages to Jerry. After all SMTP handshaking has been completed After, the SMTP client transmits Tom’s message to Jerry’s email server. This is where Jerry’s server will assume the function as the SMTP server. Jerry’s SMTP server scans the message and identifies the domain and username of the user. Jerry’s mail server gets the email and it is stored in the mailbox. The email can later be downloaded and read by an email program like Outlook.
New South Wales Animal emblem The earliest badge of this Colony of brand new South Wales had been the Red Cross of St George on a silver industry. This was authorised in an Order-in-Council associated with British Government, dated seventh August, 1869. “His Excellency the Governor is happy, utilizing the advice regarding the Executive Council, to direct that, for the future, the badge of this Colony to be emblazoned in the centre for the Union Jack utilized by the Governor whenever afloat, and to be placed into the Blue Ensign by vessels inside work associated with Colonial Government, shall be as hereinafter explained - Argent, on a mix gules a lion passant guardant or between four performers of eight things additionally or.. A free interpretation of this heraldic description is:“Know ye for that reason we of your Princely Grace and specialized Favour have actually awarded and assigned and by these gift suggestions do grant and assign the next Armorial Ensigns and Supporters for said condition of the latest South Wales in other words for Arms Azure a Cross Argent voided Gules charged at the heart chief point with a Lion passant guardant, as well as on each user with a Mullet of eight points Or between in the first and 4th quarters a Fleece of last banded associated with second as well as in the next and third quarters a Garb also Or: And for the ’Crest on a Wreath of the Coloursa Rising Sun each Ray tagged with a Flame of fire right: And for the Supporters regarding dexter side A Lion widespread guardant: as well as on the sinister side ’A Kangaroo both Or’, as well as this Motto, ’Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites’.” The newest Southern Wales State crest ended up being gazetted on 18th February, 1876. The central red mix, in a more substantial gold mix, could be the Red Cross of St George, the old badge of this Colony. It is also the Navy flag badge therefore recognises the contribution to our discovery and improvement the work of such naval officials as Captain Cook and Governors Philip, Hunter, King and Bligh. The four stars in the cross represent the Southern Cross, from first time a mariner’s guide within the south and described so often inside our poetry and literary works as anational logo. The lion in the middle is the English Lion produced by the British Arms. The initial and 4th quarterings are the Golden Fleece, a reference to our great accomplishment in-the-wool business. The second and 3rd quarterings will be the Wheat Sheaf, representing our 2nd and great primary business. The crest, the increasing sunlight, goes on making use of our very first colonial crest, agent of a newly increasing nation. The livery colours for the Arms, blue and white, mirror the States displaying colours. The right hand supporter, the Lion is a further recognition of Brit origin of our very first settlers in addition to continuing link between New Southern Wales and britain. When it comes to left-hand supporter, using the kangaroo is self explanatory. It is our many distinctive pet, restricted almost completely to Australian Continent and used many times as an emblem of Australian Continent. The motto of the latest South Wales “Orta recens quam pura nites” can be converted “Newly increased just how brightly you shine” and, just like the rising sunshine within the crest, is representative of your continuing development and development. Brand New Southern Wales Floral Emblem The botanical title for this plant, that has been adopted given that Floral Emblem for brand new Southern Wales is (Telopea speciossima), which originates from the Greek “Telopos” – seen from afar; and “Speciossima” from Latin – extremely gorgeous. No one knows the meaning to your local title “Waratah”. The waratah bloom is in fact a collection of little individual blossoms, arranged in a dense group at the top of the stem and in the middle of scarlet bracts. This colour and design attracts numerous indigenous wild birds, which perch regarding blossoms to take in the nectar, and pollinate the plants in this. In Aboriginal misconception, the waratah along with its nectar had been much loved because of the great hunter Wamili. Whenever Wamili ended up being hit blind by lightning the Kwinis, tiny bush spirits, made the cluster of small blossoms associated with the waratah more rigid so that the blind hunter could distinguish it by touch. The waratah’s rigid, elongated leaves improve its beauty. The leaves – like those of gum leaves – change laterally into sunlight to escape the entire blaze of its temperature. The waratah can also be significantly prized by gardeners. Under cultivation, it flowers a lot more richly and it is a favourite at exhibitions. However, it must be mentioned that waratahs are shielded by law no area of the plant is chosen. Share this Post Nambucca Heads, New South Wales Thank you for visiting Eyecare Plus Optometrist Nambucca Heads Local optometrist Eyecare Plus Nambucca Heads target comprehensive…Read More Sydney New South Wales Australia weather A slow-moving storm has actually hammered components of eastern Australia s New South Wales province with damaging winds…Read More
Africa is gradually splitting into two. The Somali and the Nubian tectonic plates are slowly disintegrating from each other, while the Arabian plate continues to pull away. Though that will take between five to 10 million years, with fault lines widening 7 mm every year, the continent will eventually split into two sub-continents, creating a new ocean basin between them. The continental rift, according to a recent study published in the Geophysical Research Letters journal, will happen along the east African Rift Valley, a geologically active region whose formation millions of years ago is similar to that of the tectonic movements that happen at the bottom of oceans. How it started A giant chasm that emerged and quickly developed within days in the Afar desert in Ethiopia in 2005, heralded the coming-to-pass of this long standing theory held by geologists that Africa could at some point in time split into two. This happened when a volcano named Dabbahu erupted at the tail of the east African Rift Valley. It is a result of a three way tectonic movement of the Nubian Plate, Somali Plate and Arabian Plate. Afar sits at the junction of these three plates. In 2018, geologists reaffirmed this theory when a similar crack appeared in Narok, a small town roughly 142 kms west of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, and continued to grow as heavy rains hit the region. And while the generally held belief then would be that it was a result of the rains, the underlying cause, geologists held, was tectonic movements. “The rift is still active and the plate movement at the boundary brings about tension forces. The fact that the mantle where magma comes from is part of the earth’s crust is reason enough for further rifting,” Mercy Buret, a geologist at the Baringo Technical College tells Quartz. Baringo is a county based within Kenya’s rift valley, which, according to Buret, experiences unnoticeable tectonic earth movement daily. “May be we shall find part of the rift separated by an island.” What a coastline for landlocked nations means This means landlocked countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Zambia would inadvertently find themselves with a coastline, and thus, build harbors that connect them to the rest of the world directly. The DRC has a tiny sliver of Atlantic coastline, but it remains unused. Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia would have two territories each. When it splits, the smaller portion containing Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, the eastern parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique where the valley ends may drift away, while the remaining larger Nubian Plate will see a coastline created for the several eastern and southern Africa countries that have traditionally relied on their neighbors for access to sea transport. The DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi have, by and large, relied on Kenya’s Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and Tanzania’s port of Dar es Salaam for their sea freight and transportation. A new coastline just in their front yard would cost the countries millions of dollars in evacuation, but it comes with huge advantages—the reduction in international logistical expenses and creation of shipping and fishing industries that did not exist. It also means the countries can finally be directly connected to sub-sea internet cables if that technology will not have been bypassed by time then assuming that millions of years down the line, nation states will still exist in the form they do now. This article was amended to clarify that the DRC, at present, has a very small stretch of unused Atlantic coastline.
How The Brain Helps Animals Hunt For Food Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles. Most animals have a keen sense of smell, which assists them in everyday tasks. Now, a new study led by researchers at NYU School of Medicine sheds light on exactly how animals follow smells. Published online in the journal eLife on August 21, the study measured the behavior of fruit flies as they navigated through wind tunnels in response to odor plumes from apple cider vinegar blowing past. “Our study begins to dissect the brain functions that enable flies to hunt for food by following odors in the real world,” says senior study author Katherine Nagel, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone Health. “Such insights could have many future applications, from the design of robots that find lost hikers like search dogs, to vehicles that steer themselves based on the combined sensing of odor concentration and wind or water currents.” The new study is the first to come under the auspices of a grant received by Dr. Nagel as part of the National Institute of Health’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative®. Announced by President Obama in 2013, the BRAIN Initiative® seeks to develop tools to better understand the organ’s functions, as well as the mechanisms behind major neurological diseases. Movement toward attractive odors is so basic to life that it occurs in organisms without brains, such as bacteria and plankton, say the study authors. Following odors in turbulent air or water is often difficult, however, because odors travel in plumes, which meander downwind or downstream and break up. Fruit flies make a good model for studying detection of odors, say the authors, because the tools available to dissect brain circuits in flies are exquisite and because these animals likely share circuit mechanisms with humans thanks to evolution. In the current study, experiments showed that flies faced the wind when they sensed an odor on it, used their antennae to determine its direction, and then ran faster upwind toward the odor. When they lost track of a smell, they danced around and cast about for where they had last smelled it, their actions for the moment appearing to be driven solely by the loss of odor, rather than wind direction. Based on these recorded movements, the researchers then built a computer model capable of detecting odor sources as well as the flies could detect them, and of moving toward them in similar trajectories. The results suggest that fly brains mix independent sensing of air flow, differences in odor over time, and differences in odor across their antennae to hunt for an odor source. The researchers say their model captured the process by which sensory signals, like wind felt on antennae and the timing of odor concentration changes, are transformed by brain circuits into changes in forward velocity (walking speed) and angular velocity (turning degree). “Such sensorimotor transformations in every case begin with a sight, sound, or smell and end with muscle movements,” says first study author Efrén Álvarez-Salvado, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Nagel’s lab. “Our work provides the framework for dissecting the neural circuits that generate olfactory navigation using genetic tools.” This article has been republished from materials provided by NYU Langone. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
Patents Sponsored by While both a copyright and a trademark are intellectual property that will be encountered by the formulator, they protect fundamentally different rights. The two stand separately in law, and one does not preclude the other. Copyrights protect the expression of an idea as provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. A copyright gives the owner the following exclusive rights. The exclusive right of the copyright cannot be used against one who independently creates an identical work. Sometimes both a patent and a copyright may be applied for on different aspects of the same work. An example is a computer which may have a patent that protects the hardware and a copyright that protects the program to operate the computer. The current term of a copyright in the United States is 50 years after the death of the author or of the last author if more than one author exists. Trademarks are any word, name, symbol or device used by an individual or corporation to distinguish its product from others. A trademark only prevents use of the trademark not of the invention. A trademark must be distinctive and not merely descriptive or generic. Apple successfully functions as a trademark for computers but is generic to that fruit. Sometimes a trademark becomes generic and is lost. Elevator and escalator were once trademarks, which eventually came to describe the product rather than to identify the source of the product.
Check out our pet info Heat stroke can occur when body temperature rises to 104-106 degrees F (greater than 40 degrees C) and usually involves exposure to high environmental temperatures. Exertional heat stroke occurs when internal heat generated by exercise cannot be adequately dissipated, with body temperature rising to a dangerous level. Causes can be split into two groups. Those that decrease the dog’s ability to lose heat and those that increase heat production. External factors that decrease heat loss include confinement in a poorly ventilated space (eg locked in car), high environmental temperatures, increased humidity, and limited access to water. Internal factors include obesity, thick coat and jackets, and upper airway and heart disease. Factors that increase heat production include prolonged seizures, exercise and fever. Panting and high temperature (hyperthermia) are most common, but can progress to weakness, collapse, coma or convulsions. Breathing may be very noisy and the gums can become bright red or blue. Some dogs may have vomiting and diarrhoea. Delayed signs may develop 3-5 days after apparent recovery due to damage to internal organs and can include reduced volumes of urine (kidney damage), jaundice (liver damage) and sudden death from heart failure. Diagnosis is based on finding an extremely high body temperature, a history of exposure to heat, and consistent clinical signs. Often lab tests will aid in assessing damage to internal organs and degree of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. This is an emergency! The goals of treatment are to lower body temperature, treat shock and other organ damage and correct any predisposing factors. As soon as you realize your dog has heat stroke soak him in cool water, wrap in a cool, wet towel and get into air-con and to a vet as soon as possible. Cooling methods at the vet include immersion in a lukewarm bath, applying ice packs to feet and groin (hairless skin) and using fans. Care must be taken to avoid body temperature dropping too low (hypothermia) Treatment for shock may involve intravenous fluids, oxygen therapy, and treatment for seizures or brain swelling. Follow Up and Prognosis Most animals with heatstroke require intensive monitoring for several days after the incident, and prognosis depends on the severity and duration of the hyperthermia, and how much damage has been done to internal organs. Sadly comatose dogs have a poor survival rate, and animals that have an episode are prone to recurrences. Whilst most pet owners in Hong Kong are aware of this condition, many forget high air humidity is a risk factor. Dogs only sweat from their pads and rely on evaporation by panting to lose heat. In high humidity evaporation is of course compromised. At Acorn we would strongly advise caution on too much exercise on very sunny or humid days, or if possible choose the beach over the Twins!
Usually, it would mean that the army took the land (forcefully if the owner resisted) after going through the formal process of issuing a "requisition order" or similar. So there is both formality and (potential) force involved, which is perhaps why dictionaries "seems to have both meanings". A similar word is "commandeer" where there no formality involved. Here is an example: - The police car would not start, so the police commandeered my car so that they could chase the thief. In time of war, I suspect that the army would have commandeered the land from your unfortunate owner since there would have been no time for formality.
Science Fair Project Encyclopedia Northern Bank, is a commercial bank in Northern Ireland. The bank is considered as one of the Big Four in Northern Ireland, and issues its own banknotes. Since 1 March 2005 it has been owned by Danske Bank. Until 1988, the bank was a subsidary of the Midland Bank. In 1987, the bank's operations in the Republic of Ireland was re-organised into a separate subsidary called Northern Bank (Ireland) Limited. In 1988, Northern Bank was acquired by National Australia Bank, upon which the operations in the Republic of Ireland were renamed National Irish Bank. Northern Bank then introduced a new logo, a stylised "N" in a hexagon shape. In 2002, the banks logotype (the word "Northern") was changed to match that of the National Australia Bank. On 1 March 2005 the sale of Northern Bank to Danske Bank took effect, following regulatory clearance. As part of this process, Northern Bank will be separated from National Irish Bank in the Republic of Ireland and given its own dedicated management team. Northern Bank will also move over to Danske Bank's technology platform, and also adopt a variation of the Danske Bank logo as its corporate identity. Main article: Northern Bank robbery On 20 December 2004 the money centre at the bank's headquarters in Belfast was raided, and £26.5 million stolen. The bulk of this consisted of uncirculated Northern Bank notes, as well as some circulated notes. There was also over a million pounds in other currencies. Both in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, police, government, and political figures (with the notable exception of Sinn Féin) alleged the Provisional Irish Republican Army as being responsible. The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
Scientific Name: Felis Lynx Size: Head and body, 32 to 40 in (80 to 100 cm); Tail, 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) Weight: 22 to 44 lbs (10 to 20 kg) Top Speed: 80km/h (50mph) Life Span: 12-20 years Protection status: Threatened What does a lynx look like? As a member of the cat family, lynx share many of the same characteristics as other cats, such as tigers, jaguars, leopards and even the family cat, acute hearing, sharp eyesight and excellent climbing ability. Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during frigid winters. Their large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes. Where do lynx live? The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts the remote northern forests of North America, Europe, and Asia. Humans have had a profound effect on the status of lynx in the wild. The Spanish lynx once roamed over large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, possibly as far north as the Pyrenees. Today, they are very rare and can only be found in restricted and confined wetlands of southwest Europe. The Spanish lynx is now protected by law. The Eurasian lynx made its ancestral home in mixed forests. Due to human activity this East Asian animal has been forced to find new ways of living in open woods and on rocky mountain slopes. Even with conservation efforts, the lynx is struggling because of hunting by farmers, who view them as pests, road kills and a mysterious loss of male cubs possibly caused by a genetic problem. What does a lynx eat? All lynx are skilled hunters that make use of great hearing (the tufts on their ears are a hearing aid) and eyesight so strong that a lynx can spot a mouse 250 feet (75 meters) away. Canada lynx eat mice, squirrels, and birds, but prefer the snowshoe hare. The lynx are so dependent on this prey that their populations fluctuate with a periodic plunge in snowshoe hare numbers that occurs about every ten years. Bigger Eurasian lynx hunt deer and other larger prey in addition to small animals. What are the natural enemies of the lynx? Humans sometimes hunt lynx for their beautiful fur. One endangered population, the Iberian lynx, struggles to survive in the mountains of Spain, far from the cold northern forests where most lynx live. Did you know this about the lynx? The Canadian lynx depends almost exclusively on the snowshoe hare as prey. A regular fluctuation in the snowshoe hare population every 10 years directly impacts the lynx. The lynx's large, padded paws are an adaptation to walking on snow, which allows them to travel and hunt in their snowy, high altitude habitats. These stealthy cats avoid humans and hunt at night, so they are rarely seen. Download free Lynx wallpapers, click on the image to open the large version. Lynx wallpaper 1 Lynx wallpaper 2 Lynx wallpaper 3 Lynx wallpaper 4 Lynx wallpaper 5 Lynx wallpaper 6 Lynx coloring pages Download free Lynx coloring pages, click on the image to open the large version.
Biology4kids.: cell structure: cell walls, Cell wall - what's it for? cell membranes surround every cell you will study. cell walls made of cellulose are only found around plant cells and a few other organisms.. Plant cell structure - biology, Plant cell structure is a topic within the cell biology and is included in a-level biology. this page includes a diagram of a plant cell together with notes about the. Interactive eukaryotic cell model - cells alive!, This exploration of plant and animal cell organelles and cell structure is presented in a mobile-friendly interactive model with detailed descriptive text.. Plant cell structure parts explained labeled, Plant cell structure parts explained labeled diagram. plants time immemorial part day--day life, . http://www.buzzle.com/articles/plant-cell-structure-and-parts.html Biology4kids.: cell structure, Biology4kids.! tutorial introduces cell structure. sections include plants, animal systems, invertebrates, vertebrates, microorganisms.. http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell_main.html Plant cell anatomy - enchantedlearning., The cell basic unit life. plant cells ( animal cells) surrounded thick, rigid cell wall. glossary plant cell anatomy terms.. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/plants/cell/
VuforiaTags: Control and Software Task: Use Vuforia to enhance autonomous We use Vuforia and Open CV vision to autonomously drive our robot to the beacon and then click the button corresponding to our team's colour. We started this by getting the robot the recognize the image below the beacon and keep it within its line of vision. Vuforia is used by the phone's camera to inspect it's surroundings, and to locate target images. When images are located, Vuforia is able to determine the position and orientation of the image relative to the camera. To start setting up our robots vision, we watched Team 3491 FixIt's videos on Vuforia to help us understand how to set it up. After finishing the code for following the image, we went to go test it out. We found out that we had accidentally coded the robot to follow the picture by moving up and down, as we had coded the phone for portrait mode instead of landscape. After fixing that, we tested out the robot and it ended up attacking Tycho by running at him and the image at full speed. Apparently, we had accidentally told the robot to go much farther than it was supposed to go by placing a parenthesis in the wrong spot. We tested the code one more time, only this time I held the picture while standing on top of the chair. Luckily the robot worked this time and was able to follow the image both ways. We would like to explore the uses of Vuforia+OpenCV. We are considering using it to determine particle color as well as using it to view the images beneath the beacons.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will do well to take more than 10% of global light duty vehicle market share by mid-century, writes research scientist Schalk Cloete. This is because BEVs with the large battery pack needed for broad consumer acceptance will remain more expensive than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. According to Cloete, this price premium is unlikely to be accepted by the mass market even under optimistic future BEV integration scenarios. He adds that currently emerging data is starting to support this argument. Electric drive has numerous advantages over the internal combustion engine such as high efficiency over a wide range of power output, regenerative breaking and no tailpipe emissions. These advantages make electric drive very attractive, particularly when it comes to stop/go city driving. This promise combined with rapid cost declines has led to great optimism about the future of BEVs, spearheaded by the great success of Tesla motors. However, BEVs will always have to deal with a large competitive disadvantage: the battery pack. Even under optimistic assumptions of future technological developments, a sufficiently large battery pack will make a BEV substantially more expensive and heavier than a similar ICE or hybrid vehicle. Much of the cost saving hype surrounding electric vehicles is based on oil exceeding $100/barrel with some heavy gasoline taxes added on top Ultimately, pure electric drive should be about 2.5x more efficient than an ICE vehicle. As will be illustrated below, this efficiency advantage does not bring significant savings when accounting for real energy provision costs, whereas a sufficiently large battery pack will continue to put BEVs at a cost disadvantage. For this reason, BEVs do not offer a large scale solution to the global sustainability problems we must (very rapidly) overcome during the 21st century. BEVs will have to achieve a range exceeding 200 miles as standard before broad consumer acceptance can be achieved. Another less often stated requirement is that this range will have to be maintained after at least 10 years of driving and through all seasons. Modern ICE vehicles can operate smoothly for 20 years without bringing any range anxiety issues with age or temperature. As a result, future BEVs will have to come equipped with a battery pack of about 80 kWh which will cost a hefty $8000 even assuming optimistic future Li-ion battery pack costs of $100/kWh (figure below). This $8000 is a good proxy of the expected price difference between an ICE vehicle and a BEV which will be accepted by the mass market. An argument can be made that the BEV drivetrain (motor, simple transmission, inverter, step-down converter and charger) will be cheaper than an ICE drivetrain (engine, transmission, stop & go system and exhaust). According to numbers in this paper, the total 2013 costs of a 70 kW electric drivetrain is about €2640 while a gasoline drivetrain will cost about €2950. However, the electric drivetrain costs could decline to €1600 with future technological advances. The potential future BEV could therefore enjoy roughly $1500 price advantage over an ICE vehicle due to the simple drivetrain. For most people, however, this advantage will be cancelled out by the fully installed costs of a home charging station, so we will consider the $8000 cost difference in this article. Just imagine the queues during rush hour at filling stations taking 6x longer to give cars a 3x shorter range than conventional filling stations A high-BEV future will also feature a large number of additional chargers to further reduce range anxiety and enable longer travels. Many parking spots will include public 10 kW level 2 chargers (giving about 30 miles of range per hour) for about $5000/charger. Highways will also require regular 100 kW level 3 chargers (giving about 300 miles per hour) for about $60000/charger. (Costs from this link.) Let’s say that we need 1 public level 2 charger for every 5 BEVs and 1 level 3 charger for every 100 BEVs. This will add another $1600 per vehicle (without charging station maintenance costs). On the positive side, conventional wisdom states that a BEV should have lower fuel costs than an ICE vehicle because it is so much more efficient. However, ICE vehicles still have a lot of headroom for efficiency improvement and are projected to exceed 50 miles per gallon by 2025 (see below). Further improvements yield steadily diminishing returns (as will be shown in the calculations below). In addition, much of the cost saving hype surrounding electric vehicles is based on oil exceeding $100/barrel with some heavy gasoline taxes added on top. When looking at real energy production and distribution costs (which must be done when considering the disruptive potential of a technology), gasoline is actually surprisingly cheap. As discussed in this article, the actual production cost of oil is about $35/barrel and we can still extract substantially more oil than the human race has extracted to date below this price point. When assuming a rather high value of $1/gallon for refinement and distribution costs, the actual production and distribution cost of gasoline amounts to only $1.83/gallon. Electricity, on the other hand, costs about $0.13/kWh (US residential electricity prices – tax free), about half of which is transmission and distribution costs. When accounting for 10% charging losses, this amounts to $4.83/e-gallon. It therefore becomes clear that, when accounting for total direct costs carried by the overall economy, BEVs need to be about 2.6 times more efficient than ICEs to break even – almost exactly the projected situation in 2025 (figure above). Wireless charging roads and parking spaces sound very cool, but also rather expensive Real fuel cost savings from the BEV of the future are therefore negligible, but the up-front cost difference will remain. In other costs of ownership, lower maintenance costs are cancelled out by higher insurance costs. Furthermore, BEVs may well depreciate significantly faster than ICE vehicles because the battery pack will degrade faster over time than the ICE drivetrain. The figure below shows the ownership costs (insurance and maintenance excluded) of future ICE, hybrid and BEV technologies (with fuel efficiencies as projected for 2025 in the figure above). Costs assumed were $25000 for the ICE, $27000 for the hybrid and $33000 for the BEV. Capital costs were calculated over a 5 year ownership period (with a 5% discount rate) during which the car depreciates by the percentage indicated in the graph (60-80%). Fuel costs were calculated for 15000 miles driving per year. The graph shows that the yearly ownership costs of a BEV acceptable for the mass market (>200 mile range in all seasons even after 10 years) would cost $1140/year more than an equivalent ICE vehicle under similar depreciation assumptions and as much as $2660/year more if it depreciates faster. The law of diminishing returns with regard to fuel efficiency is also clearly illustrated by the small contribution of fuel costs relative to capital costs. This price premium should be acceptable to a significant percentage of consumers in developed nations, but this will not be the case in the developing world which will increasingly dominate the global car market over coming years. For example, even after decades of incredible growth, average Chinese wages are still under $10000/year, making a $1000-3000/year price premium unacceptable. It is not surprizing that the most popular car in China starts at $7000 – a price that will be doubled by a battery pack large enough for broad consumer acceptance. In case the self-driving car ideal becomes a reality, ICE vehicles are likely to benefit more than BEVs Lastly, a carbon price will also not have a sustained positive impact on BEV sales. The largest current and future car markets (US, China, India) have electricity mixes where a carbon price will make EV charging more expensive than ICE refuelling, especially if ICE efficiency moves towards 50 MPG. See the map below. It is true that the carbon intensity of electricity will gradually reduce in the future, but this will increase the electricity price faster than the inevitable steady increase in the real extraction cost of oil. The possibility of carbon-neutral synfuels for ICEs should also be kept in mind for the long-term future. Justifying a BEV price premium For BEVs to disrupt ICE vehicles, people will have to be willing to pay this substantial price premium. Tesla has shown what can be achieved with electric drive in terms of performance and driving experience and this is something that customers may be willing to pay extra for. Wireless charging also offers a potential BEV future where you never need to think about refuelling or charging (e.g. wireless charging roads). However, even though the EV driving experience may fetch a price premium, it is doubtful that this will count for much outside of the small luxury/performance vehicle segment. Wireless charging roads and parking spaces sound very cool, but also rather expensive and, if you think about it, it does not offer such a meaningful improvement over two visits to the filling station every month. In the absence of a very fast and convenient charging solution at almost no additional cost, ICE vehicles will maintain a price premium over BEVs. Even Tesla’s supercharging stations will need to become much faster before they can offer a real solution to this challenge. Just imagine the queues during rush hour at filling stations taking 6x longer to give cars a 3x shorter range than conventional filling stations. Yes, home/public charging can substantially reduce this burden, but this adds the costs of home and public level 2 charging stations to the costs of a vast supercharger network. BEVs may also be able to fetch lower fuel prices by charging only during off-peak hours, but, as shown in the above graph, even a substantial reduction in fuel costs for BEVs will not really alter this situation. In addition, a baseload-dominated power system is the only really practical way in which this can be implemented. Smart charging with politically popular, but variable solar/wind will most likely be impractically complex and expensive. Even though this article paints a bleak picture for the future of BEVs, I’m actually fairly optimistic about this technology. I just think that the greatest potential for disruption comes not from cars, but from smaller vehicles Lastly, in case the self-driving car ideal becomes a reality, ICE vehicles are likely to benefit more than BEVs. As discussed above, actual fuel costs are similar between BEVs and ICEs, thus offering no increasing value with increased use. In fact, much more free-flowing traffic resulting from a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles will significantly boost the efficiency and longevity of ICEs relative to BEVs. Smooth traffic flow combined with an optimized computerized driving style may well allow ICEs to exceed highway economy in town and rack up half a million miles before being scrapped. Furthermore, ICE vehicles will be able to refuel much faster, thus giving them more time on the road and lower refuelling infrastructure costs. Evidence to date The US probably offers the best example of the attractiveness of BEVs in the real world. Gasoline is not taxed at such high levels as most other developed nations and electricity is not taxed, thus providing a fairly good fuel cost comparison. The federal and state incentive programs also combine to cut more than the aforementioned $8000 price disadvantage from the cost of new BEVs (most sales are in states with additional incentives such as California). BEV sales as a percentage of the total are given below (data available here). The black line is a 12 month moving average. As shown above, even though sales are increasing, the current market penetration is low, even with generous incentives. It should also be noted that only about half of BEV sales come from models in a price range targeting the mass market. The other half are up-market offerings from Tesla and BMW which cannot cause significant disruption in the overall auto industry. The data therefore shows that, when incentives eventually fall away, sub-100 mile BEVs will have to drop $10000 in cost to achieve a fraction of a percentage point of market share. In addition, they will have to contend with much more efficient ICEs finally entering the notoriously inefficient US vehicle fleet. Higher-priced BEVs with a longer range might be able to secure larger market share, but it is difficult to see market penetration exceeding 10% in the affluent US market – let alone the developing world where per-capita GDP is an order of magnitude lower. Disruption of a different kind Even though this article paints a bleak picture for the future of BEVs, I’m actually fairly optimistic about this technology. I just think that the greatest potential for disruption comes not from cars, but from smaller vehicles where the advantages of battery electric drive over the internal combustion engine really come to the fore. These vehicles are fully compatible with a future where the global middle-class quadruples in size while environmental and space constraints force society to do away with blatant inefficiencies like short-distance-single-person-in-car travel. More about this line of thought in part 2 of this article, which will follow soon. This article is a slightly modified version from the original version published earlier on The Energy Collective. Modifications include: - Assuming future fully installed battery pack costs of $100/kWh instead of $125/kWh. - Discussion about consumer price sensitivity in developed vs. developing nations. - Mentioning of carbon-neutral synfuels in a low-carbon future based on ICEs. - More discussion on the advantages of ICEs in smooth autonomous vehicle flow. Schallk Cloete describes himself as “a research scientist searching for the objective reality about the longer-term sustainability of industrialized human civilization on planet Earth. Issues surrounding energy and climate are of central importance in this sustainability picture and I seek to contribute a consistently pragmatic viewpoint to the ongoing debate. My formal research focus is on second generation CO2 capture processes because these systems will be ideally suited to the likely future scenario of a much belated scramble for deep and rapid decarbonization of the global energy system.”
A GROUP dedicated to preserving the memory of a Second World War battleship is trying to collect as many photographs as possible of the sailors who died aboard her. In the early hours of May 24, 1941 - almost 60 years ago - HMS Hood was lost in action to the German battleship Bismarck. More than 1,400 men died and just three survived. It was Britain's greatest single-ship loss of life of the war. To commemorate the anniversary, the HMS Hood Association has launched an appeal to collect pictures of the men who died. It is thought some could be in family albums in Coventry and Warwickshire. The association has just 150 photographs. Chief researcher Paul Bevand, from Worcester, said: "All pictures received will be displayed in the Memorial Gallery section of the association's website at www.hmshood.com . "They may also be included in a book about the ship to be published later in the year. "Biographical information on the men is also sought as this builds up a better picture of those made the ultimate sacrifice." Mr Bevand can be contacted by e-mail at paul.bevand @btinternet.com or by post at 98 Monarch Drive, Worcester, WR2 6EU.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a condition in which the force of the blood against the artery walls is too high. It usually has no signs or symptoms, so the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have yours measured. However, a single high reading does not necessarily mean you have high blood pressure. You have to take a number of blood pressure readings to see that it stays high over time. Have you checked your blood pressure lately? If it is on higher side, take these effective, drug-free steps that can help you to control high blood pressure and improve your health. HAVE A HEART HEALTHY DIET Eating a heart healthy diet is very important if you want to control high blood pressure. Diet should be rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry, fish, nuts and legumes. Limit your intake of saturated, trans fat, sugar and sodium. A diet that includes at least 35% of fruit and vegetables means that you don’t consume extra salts. Make a habit to read labels. By knowing serving size, you know how much sodium you are getting per serving. Instead of having fried foods, try to grill, steam, roast, or poach your food. Eat important nutrients, such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. Remember, the more healthy your eating habits are, the lower your blood pressure will be. WATCH YOUR WAISTLINE If you’re obese, the threat to your health is even greater. Losing weight is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling high blood pressure. Apart from weight loss, keep an eye on your waistline because carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure. Generally, Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches and women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches.(numbers may vary among ethnic groups.) To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. But don’t go on a crash diet. Keep this in mind – ‘EAT RIGHT, DON’T DIET’. Cut back 500 calories/day, by eating less and being more physically active, you can lose about one pound in a week. Losing weight improves the overall functioning of your body. ALSO READ : Weight Loss Secret – Must Read Benefits of exercise can be achieved with workouts of just 30 minutes a day. Regular exercise routine can help medications work more effectively. Exercise itself can reduce blood pressure readings by as much as 5-15 mmHg. One of the best and easiest exercises you can do is walk. You can walk anywhere, and it doesn’t require any equipment except a pair of sneakers. You can indulge in any activity of your choice like jogging, jumping rope, bicycling (stationary or outdoor), high- or low-impact aerobics, swimming, and water aerobics. You can also do Pranayam, all these activities help stabilise your blood pressure and bring it back to normal. GO TOBACCO-FREE AND AVOID ALCOHOL Not only does smoking or chewing tobacco but drinking too much of alcohol can make blood vessels constricted, which leads to high blood pressure. You can’t always prevent but you can control high blood pressure by quitting smoking and moderating your alcohol consumption. That means no more than one alcoholic drink per day for women, and no more than two drinks per day for men. Research shows that this may help to lower systolic blood pressure levels by as many as 3 mm Hg. People who quit smoking, regardless of age, have substantial increases in life expectancy. ALSO READ : Easy Ways To Cure A Hangover REDUCE SALT INTAKE Too much of salt is known to raise blood pressure because it makes your body retain water. When there’s extra sodium in your bloodstream, it pulls water into your blood vessels, increasing the total amount (volume) of blood inside your blood vessels. With more blood flowing through your blood vessels, blood pressure increases. Most of the salt we eat every day is “hidden”. Monitoring salt intake begins with avoiding packaged and processed foods because that’s where most of the sodium in your diet comes from. Try to avoid foods like bread, biscuits, breakfast cereals, and prepared ready meals or takeaways. Instead of adding salty things like soy sauce, curry powders and stock cubes, get extra flavour with herbs and spices, and from salt-free seasonings like chili, ginger, lemon or lime juice. Even a small reduction of sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. REDUCE STRESS TO CONTROL HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE In a stressful situation, your body produces a surge of hormones. These hormones temporarily increase your blood pressure, causing your heart to beat faster and your blood vessels to narrow. Try to manage stress by getting enough sleep, learn relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga. Increase your social circle, do what you enjoy; walk, swim, ride a bike or jog to get your muscles going. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed and eliminate it. Letting go of the tension in your body will help you feel better.
This lesson introduces the novel "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes through the use of a prezi, which include video clips and visuals. Prezi is similar to a power point presentation, but better in so many ways. 34 slide prezi Worksheet that follows the prezi - 2 pages I have used this lesson with my 8th grade students, both mild/moderate sped., EL, and general education students. The video clips and visuals make this more accessible for a variety of learners, hitting many modalities. My students had a lot fun with this and enjoyed the lesson. I have 49 minute periods and used 1 period for this lesson. This lesson would also be appropriate for 6th and 9th grade students. I hope this helps your students get excited about reading Bronx Masquerade. **This is a zip file, so you will need to know how to unzip. I have a free download on how to do this and tpt also provides instructions on how to unzip. If you are using a PC, getting the prezi downloaded may take several minutes, so please be patient. If you are on a mac it is almost instantaneous.
Schema therapy is a form of cognitive-behavioural therapy that is effective when individuals suffer from long standing difficulties with anxiety, depression and relationship difficulties. The concept of a ‘schema’ is used to describe a blueprint that the individual has developed about themselves, the world and other people and which are often at the core of their emotional difficulties. In schema therapy, the main focus of the therapeutic work is to identify core schemas and how they might have contributed to maladaptive patterns that are present in the person’s life and which prevent them from having a meaningful life and meaningful relationships. Some of the core schemas that this therapy focuses on are ones of abandonment, defectiveness, emotional deprivation, mistrust and social isolation. Another term used in schema therapy is ‘modes’ which are defined as self states or parts of the self that might often not be integrated. When working with modes in schema therapy the therapist tries to understand how a frustration of childhood needs might have led the person to develop a range of coping modes to survive and manage their experience which might be preventing them from leading a fulfilling life and having meaningful relationships. Schema therapy developed for individuals who might not benefit from traditional CBT due to the more ongoing nature of their difficulties. Schema therapy is an evidence based approach and is particularly effective in the treatment of personality disorders. It is an integrative approach that blends cognitive, behavioural and experiential techniques. The therapeutic relationship in schema therapy is one of limited re-parenting in that the therapist tries to offer an antidote to the client’s early experiences by tailoring the relationship to help them get their unmet needs met. What can I expect if I receive schema therapy - Your therapist will give you various questionnaires to complete to formulate your early maladaptive schemas and modes. - You and your therapist will develop a shared understanding of your difficulties called a case conceptualisation. - You and your therapist are likely to form a close bond. - The therapy tends to be of medium to long term duration often ranging from six months to two years.
Nozick's Subjunctive Conditional Account Of Knowledge Nozick in Philosophical Explanations (1981) posited nascent ideas regarding personal identity, free will, the nature of value and knowledge, as well as the meaning of life. Nozick is also noted for his epistemological system which posited a manner to deal with the 'Gettier problem' as well as those posed by scepticism. This argument has been considered highly influential purportedly eschewed contention or justification as a necessary and important requirement for the acquisition of knowledge (Schmidtz 210). Subjunctive Conditional Account of Knowledge with Gettier-style Problems and Scepticism Nozick established certain additional conditions for knowledge and suggests that each condition should be necessary so if there is a situation that fails to meet the criterion, an individual would be able to clearly ascertain that the condition is not a circumstance or subscribed to the notion of knowledge acquisition or knowledge itself. In addition, for Nozick the conditions for knowledge should be in and of themselves so that if all conditions are satisfied will be equated with knowledge (Nozick 172). According to Nozick as cited in Schmidtz (2002), the "Four Conditions for S's knowing that P: (1) is true; (2) S. believes that P; (3) if it were the case that not P, S would not believe that P; and (4) if it were the case that P, S would believe that P" (Schmidtz 211). The third and fourth conditions put forth by Nozick are referred to as counterfactuals, meaning subjunctive conditional or an "if then" consideration to suggest that if that were the case then what follows would be determined true. He refers to his epistemological theoretical process as a "tracking theory of knowledge" (Schmidtz 211), arguing that the subjunctive conditionals elicit critical aspects of an individual's intuitive understanding of the concept of knowledge. As such, for any fact that is given, the individual's method has to reliably and consistently track the truth regardless of various conditions determined to be relevant; which has been considered to be closely aligned with reliabilisim or justified belief. Further, in Nozick's theory as cited in DeRose (1995) he asserts that "if P. weren't the case and S. were to use M. To arrive at a belief whether or not P, then S. wouldn't believe via M. that P." Moreover, "if P. were the case and S. were to use M. To arrive at a belief whether or not P, then S. would believe, via M, that P" (DeRose 1). In this philosophical equation, M represents the method according to which S. arrives at a belief regarding P (whether or not).The subjunctive condition, accordingly, is considered unrelated to the condition determined to be causal. In situations where P. is the partial cause of an individual's beliefs, Nozick ascribes a causal necessity for the individual having the belief absent cause and as such the effect would not occur. For Nozick, in a situation such as this, the subjunctive condition would be satisfied although not considered equivalent to the causal one (Nozick 173). Nozick considers the subjunctive condition to be both intuitive and powerful and difficult to satisfy. The power the subjunctive condition has, however, does not mitigate or rule in such a way that everything regarding knowledge cannot be questioned. Scepticism suggests that an individual does not know what he thinks he knows which according to Nozick's estimation, leaves the individual more confused if not convinced. This assertion regarding scepticism, in Nozick's estimation undermines the concept of knowledge which would summarily make knowledge and the acquisition of knowledge virtually impossible. Nozick's offerings regarding subjunctive conditioning are posited to quiet the skeptics through connectivity and hypothesis that determine the possibility for knowledge to exist even in the light of the questions raised by skeptics. However, Nozick maintains that the hypothesis and the conditions to determine knowledge should be so in order that the questions raised by skeptics can be considered logical. What is known must be known in such a way that one can intelligently and convincingly squelch the possibilities raised by scepticism (Nozick 174). Nozick posits a historical relationship between scepticism and knowledge that philosophy has attempted to contend with and primarily refute scepticism based on the notion that in arguing against knowledge, he refutes what scepticism suggests. Still others who consider knowledge and scepticism ascribe to the notion that scepticism is not reasonable as the skeptics' ideas are considered extreme and conclusions to be false (Nozick 188). Further, Nozick maintains that the sceptics' argument is bolstered by intellectual and theoretical attempts to refute what the sceptic puts forth. The sceptic is not to be taken lightly nor his arguments considered tobe without reason. Furthermore, those arguing on the side of the acquisition of knowledge and knowledge itself should not take for granted that sceptics' would be reckless and simply cavalier in the arguments in which they put forth. Moreover, the subjunctive condition determinedly excludes instances of the kind described by Gettier, according to Nozick. Gettier in "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?" posits an argument from a premise that the conditions outlined in the Four Conditions by Nozick and other theoretical formulas are false and insufficient to determine the truth of what is being argued (Gettier 121). His argument entails the following: First in that sense of "justified" in which S's being justified in believing P. is a necessary condition of S's knowing that P, it is possible for a person to be justified in believing a proposition which is in fact false. Second, for any proposition P, if S. is justified in believing P. And P. entails Q. And S. deduces Q. from P. And accepts Q. As a result of this deduction, then S. is justified in believing P (Gettier 232). Forbes refers to Gettier's and those arguments like it as operating from a position of inference which operates from a false belief (Forbes 45). He further argues that Nozick recognized as Harman suggested the requirement of the "lemmas be true" as a means of excluding such beliefs from the concept and realm of knowledge could not be done. Both Harms and Forbes use the example of the vase in the box as a means of refuting what Nozick has posited regarding subjunctive conditioning. Forbes argues that because Nozick's only remark of the consequence the example shows is that it is "somewhat counterintuitive" (as cited in Forbes 45) is insufficient as an explanation to refute the probability of the scepticism put forth. In this situation, Forbes maintains that this case is not managed by theory being considered over intuition because the hologram produces a false belief that the vase is actually true resulting in the individual believing it to be real. Further, Forbes argues that the case presented by Gettier demonstrates that 3 and 4 of the four conditions do not sufficiently supplement 1 and 2 in the acquisition of knowledge in general. The "transmission principle" as he refers to the four conditions, if correct, demonstrates that statements 3 and 4 are not required either as they fail to speak to kinds of knowledge. The relative notion of knowledge Nozick introduces through the use of method M, that the theory asserts an individuals' belief via M. somehow satisfies the conditions in 5 and 6, Forbes argues the inoperativeness of what has been suggested. He maintains that the 5th condition is one preferential to the 3rd because S. may know that P, in particular circumstances where an inactive failsafe mechanism is available generating the belief that P. In S, which could only be true if P. were determined to be false. However, Forbes insists that the kinds of mechanisms that would be necessary to make the aforementioned work out as Nozick originally suggested in the absence of the use of M. fails to mediate the 5th even if the 3rd is determined to be false (Forbes 46). Rather, he suggests that in order to make the statement correct with the right mechanisms in place, the correct situation would posit that'd really doesn't know Forbes outlines an example to explain how this last statement is correct. In the scenario he puts forth, a man believes he is talking to his friend on the telephone, but an actress is actually imitating the friends' voice. The actress didn't get through to the man before the friend did, and even if the man isn't really talking to his friend, he believes it to be so. According to Nozick, the man doesn't know he is not talking to his friend, which Forbes maintains is true, as there is an alternative that is relevant as the man was unable to distinguish his friend from the actress. For Forbes, the arguments that Nozick offers in the utility of 5 and especially 6 are problematic and inconsistent and unnecessary for knowledge. He further argues that Nozick's theory leaves out the possibility that knowledge can result from opportunity and circumstances that present themselves as even the smallest change may actually impact the kind of knowledge an individual acquires.
Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved. Morse code was invented by an American called Samuel Finley Breese Morse, (1791-1872). He was not only an inventor but also a famous painter. Before the invention of the telegraph, most messages that had to be sent over long distances were carried by messengers who memorized them or carried them in writing. These messages could be delivered no faster than the fastest horse. Messages could also be sent visually, using flags and later, mechanical systems called semaphore telegraphs, but these systems required the receiver to be close enough to see the sender, and could not be used at night. The telegraph allowed messages to be sent very fast over long distances using electricity. The first commercial telegraph was developed by William Forthergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in 1837. They developed a device which could send messages using electrical signals to line up compass needles on a grid containing letters of the alphabet. Then, in 1838, Samuel Morse and his assistant, Alfred Vail, demonstrated an even more successful telegraph device which sent messages using a special code - Morse code. Telegraph messages were sent by tapping out the code for each letter in the form of long and short signals. Short signals are referred to as dits (represented as dots). Long signals are referred to as dahs (represented as dashes). The code was converted into electrical impulses and sent over telegraph wires. A telegraph receiver on the other end of the wire converted the impulses back into to dots and dashes, and decoded the message. In 1844, Morse demonstrated the telegraph to the United States Congress using a now famous message "What hath God wrought".. Samuel Morse Telegraph Receiver Smithsonian National Museum of American History Morse's original code was not quite the same as the one in use today as it included pauses as well as dahs and dits. However, a conference in Berlin in 1851 established an international version, which is shown below: \|A\|\|. -\|\|N\|\|- .\| \|B\|\|- . . .\|\|O\|\|- - -\| \|C\|\|- . - .\|\|P\|\|. - - .\| \|D\|\|- . .\|\|Q\|\|- - . -\| \|E\|\|.\|\|R\|\|. - .\| \|F\|\|. . - .\|\|S\|\|. . .\| \|G\|\|- - .\|\|T\|\|-\| \|H\|\|. . . .\|\|U\|\|. . -\| \|I\|\|. .\|\|V\|\|. . . -\| \|J\|\|. - - -\|\|W\|\|. - -\| \|K\|\|- . -\|\|X\|\|- . . -\| \|L\|\|. - . .\|\|Y\|\|- . - -\| \|M\|\|- -\|\|Z\|\|- - . .\| The most well-known signal sent using Morse Code is: . . . - - - . . . and is the distress signal SOS. Morse code requires the time between dits and dahs, between letters, and between words to be as accurate as possible. A Dit takes - 1 unit of time A Dah takes - 3 units of time The pause between letters - 3 units of time The pause between words - 7 units of time The speed at which a message is sent in Morse code is normally given in words per minute (WPM). The word "Paris" is used as the length of a standard word. How long does this take? (Answer is given at the end of the article). An experienced Morse code operator can send and receive messages at a rate of 20-30 WPM. One of Morse's aims was to keep the code as short as possible, which meant the commonest letters should have the shortest codes. Morse came up with a marvellous idea. He went to his local newspaper. In those days printers made their papers by putting together individual letters (type) into a block, then covering the block with ink and pressing paper on the top. The printers kept the letters (type) in cases with each letter kept in a separate compartment. Of course, they had many more of some letters than others because they knew they needed more when they created a page of print. Morse simply counted the number of pieces of type for each letter. He found that there were more e's than any other letter and so he gave 'e' the shortest code, 'dit'. This explains why there appears to be no obvious relationship between alphabetical order and the symbols used. Paris = 34 time units.
Identify A, B and C in the schematic diagram of an antibody given below and answer the questions.(i) Write the chemical nature of an antibody.(ii) Name the cells that produce antibodies in humans.(iii)Mention the type of immune response provided by an antibody. A-Antigen binding site,B-Light chain, C-Heavy chain (i) Antibodies are proteinaceous in nature.(ii) B- lymphocytes (iii) Humoral immune response
“Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” Last October, I wrote a blog post about a federal court of appeals decision requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen regulations on ballast water discharge from ships into the Great Lakes under the Clean Water Act to require technology-based requirements. The U.S. Coast Guard, Canada and various states also maintain requirements for ballast water discharge. Those representing shipping interests do not appreciate the variety of regulations and have pushed for a single standard, preferably limiting regulatory authority in the Great Lakes to the Coast Guard. Responding to shipping industry concerns, members of Congress introduced the “Vessel Incidental Discharge Act” in both houses of Congress. That legislation first prevents the EPA from regulating ballast discharge under the Clean Water Act. Instead, it proposes giving that authority to the Coast Guard and establishes current Coast Guard rules as the standard. It also creates uniform national standards for all navigable waters, whether Great Lakes waters or ocean coastal waters. And, unlike the court’s decision last October, the legislation sets numerical standards for organisms, rather than basing requirements on available ballast water control technologies. A bipartisan group of legislators sponsored the legislation, but none of the senators supporting the bill came from Great Lakes states. Representatives from Illinois, Indiana, New York and Ohio were among the co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. No single Michigan senator or representative supported the bill. Introduced in the House and Senate in 2015, the bill went nowhere. In May, the House of Representatives slipped the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act into another bill, the National Defense Appropriation Act of 2017. Defense appropriation is essentially a must-pass bit of legislation. If passed as is, House and Senate conferees will need to reconcile both chambers’ bills, which may mean that the ballast water bill may become law – without study or debate. A Michigan newspaper and an Ohio newspaper have already come out against passing this piece of legislation in such a surreptitious manner. So, what’s at stake? Some studies have estimated the negative impact of invasive species in the Great Lakes to be in the range of $138 million to $800 million on an annual basis, compared to estimates of $170 million annually for the costs of compliance. But, of course, none of this was discussed in either house of Congress. Recent reports document the decline of Michigan’s salmon fishing industry that is related to the influx of invasive species. Considering the significant economic engine that the Great Lakes and its natural resources represent to Michigan and the other Great Lakes states, reversing a federal court decision and technologically-based ballast controls deserves at least a public hearing and debate. Referencing Otto von Bismarck’s quote above, if passed, this legislative sausage will be made of whatever organism is the next zebra or quagga mussel that hitches a ride to the Great Lakes in ballast water. - Senior Attorney A senior attorney in Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, Saulius K. Mikalonis leads the firm's Environment, Energy and Resources Law and Cannabis Law industry groups. Mr. Mikalonis focuses his practice on all aspects of ... Add a comment SubscribeRSS Plunkett Cooney LinkedIn Page Plunkett Cooney Twitter Page Plunkett Cooney Facebook Page - Environmental Regulation - Environmental Legislation - Environmental Liability - Regulatory Law - Environmental Protection Agency - Clean Air - Clean Water - Renewable Energy - Public Policy - Waste Water - Greenhouse Gases - Underground Storage Tanks (UST) - Solar Energy - Hazardous Materials - Great Lakes - Climate Change - Oil & Gas - Solid Waste - Natural Gas - Zoning and Planning - Commercial Liability - Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Lead-based Paint - Invasive Species - Shareholder Liability - Michigan Environmental Protection Act - Land Use - Real Estate - Cannabis Operations Require Compliance With Environmental Regulations, too - Assessing Impact of Michigan’s Cannabis Industry on State’s Electric Grid Requires Data, Planning - New Administration Moves Quickly on Environmental Front - New Administration Delays Sewage Overflow Rule for More Study - Michigan Lawmakers Ease Access to Underground Storage Tank Clean-up Funds - Renewable Energy Poised to Thrive Under any White House - HUD Proposes New Lead-based Paint Rule to Protect Kids - EPA Turns to Mandatory Victim's Restitution Act to Recover Costs - Great Lakes Compact Worked as Designed in Diversion Approval - Ballast Water Bill at Risk of Becoming Law Without Debate
In a previous post you saw the facts and statistics in regards to the failing rate of success in school for males compared to females; is it possible the school environment is a significant factor? Research has made it apparent that the typical school environment has not been conducive to a thriving and healthy development for modern-day boys. Your child spends a significant portion of every day at school, so it is important to be aware of where they may be lacking in their development. If you have a deeper understanding of your child’s needs, you can have the tools to impact real change and evolution – not just in your son, but in the educational system as well. Here are 4 important areas where schools are lacking: 1. Physical Activity Recess and breaks have been cut drastically to leave more time for meeting academic standards. Yet more classroom time does not necessarily correlate with more academic knowledge. In fact, both boys and girls would benefit from movement, and the exercise would make them more focused and receptive to the lessons. By forcing them to sit all day, they are expending more energy and stress on discomfort and pent-up energy, rather than using their mental functions at their highest capacity. Physical activity is essential for clarity, nourishment, and growth. According to a research summary by Science Daily, since the 1970s, schoolchildren have lost close to 50% of their unstructured outdoor playtime. Thirty-nine percent of first-graders today get 20 minutes of recess each day — or less. – Time After being deprived of physical movement and forced to take in large amounts of information, it is not surprising that confidence and self-esteem would plunge. Our demand for more and earlier skills, of exactly the type that boys are less able to master than girls, makes them feel like failures at an early age,” says Jane Katch. “The most tiring thing you can ask a boy to do is sit down. It’s appropriate to expect for kids to sit still for part of the day, but not all of the day.” – PBS, Joseph Tobin If you feel your son may be lacking physical activity, do your best to make sure he gets it in the morning before school, or after school in the evening. Integrate daily walks for exercise as well as bonding and communication. 2. Hands-On Learning Gone are the days of home economics, auto-shop, and even woodworking. Learning is almost entirely based on reading and writing, which generally resonates more strongly with females, while boys really need that balance of “doing” and participating. There is evidence boys learn best when learning is hands-on. Boys may be disadvantaged when they don’t get to learn through their bodies, by touching and moving. PBS, Joseph Tobin If your boy seems frustrated and stunted in his learning, make sure you are integrating hands-on learning experiences in his life. From baking a pie to helping with the family car, allowing your son to manipulate objects with his hands and to build, problem solve, and use his body will help empower him to grasp new ideas. and help him focus when it does come time to sit down and read. Schools repress humor, creativity, and freedom of expression. “Doodling” is frowned upon, jokes in the classroom are taboo, and bizarre imaginative stories and concepts are discouraged in favor of personal narratives and poetry, when all of it should be embraced. There is certainly a time to be serious and a time to play, but forbidding playfulness and creative expression in the context of a classroom is damaging. Since almost all teachers of young children are women, books they are most enthusiastic about are generally more feminine than masculine in taste. It’s not that boys aren’t interested in a good story, but their non-narrative interests are not always supported and female teachers are often uncomfortable with the narrative themes boys find more interesting, like science fiction, robots, machines, etc. If you feel your son’s imagination is being stifled at school, encourage freedom of expression at home through art, music, and play. From acting out dramatic sword fights to doodling a strange comic strip. Anything that fuels the imagination is positive and healthy. 4. Role Models and Teachers The majority of elementary school teachers are female. Male teachers tend to gravitate toward older kids, while females are often the primary teacher figure in the life of a young student. Many young male students do not have many male role models in their early education, and with the absence of a positive father figure, this could be even more detrimental to their development. From an article “Why Men Don’t Teach Elementary School” from ABCNews: “The gap and discrepancy between girls’ performance and boys’ performance is growing ever more marked,” said Massachusetts psychologist Michael Thompson, co-author of the groundbreaking 2000 book “Raising Cain,” which argues that society shortchanges boys. “There are lots of explanations for it,” he said. “One is the nature of the elementary classroom. It’s more feminized and it does turn boys off, perhaps because they are in trouble more or because the teaching style is more geared to girls’ brains. Try to involve him in extracurricular activities that may expose him to leaders and educators that will inspire him to learn and grow. Keep him surrounded with positive male influences. “Prohibited from the physical activity they need, criticized for the content of their minds, and required to do work they cannot do as well as the little girls around them. It is not surprising that some of these boys get off to a bad start, giving up before they have begun.” – Jane Katch, M.S.T., Author, Under Deadman’s Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children’s Violent Play. Thank you for visiting my site. Let’s connect. I’d love to hear your story. Want more? Check out my latest book. Busting the Boys Will Be Boys Myth: A Guide to Raising Conscious and Confident Men in Today’s World
Addicts need addict help when addiction to substances is used to counteract depression. Often addicts fail to realize that they have depression. People often think that depression is when we feel sad and unhappy about some life event. People who cry and feel sad in fact are actually in the process of relieving their emotions about a sad event. This process of grieving or mourning, feeling a sense of loss, is perfectly natural and healthy – expressing our grief and our pain enables us to relax and to move on with our lives. Depression is caused by circumstances about which we feel unhappy, but can see no possibility of relief. Depression can sometimes feel like we are being compressed into doing something that we don’t want do, acting in ways that don’t feel comfortable with. If depression becomes chronic, our feelings of depression can intensify. Depressive thinking eventually takes away all of our capacity to get ourselves out of the situation. Feelings of depression can, if there is intense pressure, sometimes lead to feelings of suicide, as means to get relief. People who regularly use drugs or alcohol to alleviate bad feelings often do not realize how dependent they have become. Tension and stress can explode if a person is deprived of their substance of choice. A common way of trying to overcome feelings of depression is to raise our anxiety levels, and sometimes to become angry. When faced with an overwhelming, and difficult task, we might become angry about it, and feel resentful. Anger and resentment mask the fact that about the situation, we really feel depressed. Anxiety levels can be raised by procrastination. People with depression often don’t get around to doing the things that they “should” do. When panic and alarm set in because we are late or have not completed a task – it provides the motivation to get us past the post. However, if we give in to the lethargy of depression, dishes pile up in the sink, bills remain unpaid – soon it becomes too hard to sort out the mess we are in. It is too easy for people who are feeling depressed to turn to drug use for relief. Drugs will reduce the symptom of depression and anxiety. People with depression who have become addicted to drugs need immediate addict help for both depression and their drug use. Unfortunately society often feels that with the symptom of depression medicated away – that is the end of the problem. Doctors don’t ask – are you well, but are you feeling functional. People sometimes take antidepressants for many years, failing to deal with the issues that cause depressive symptoms. Depression is all about conflict – and the way we think that things should be. Holistic counseling for depression helps us to identify the reasons for emotional conflict and finds ways that they can be resolved. Resolving emotional problems we have leads to peace of mind – and addiction recovery. Without the tension or the emotional pressure – the demand for drugs decreases. Physical symptoms of drug withdrawal are best handled using holistic drug free methods. Using holistic methods for drug detox – you can become totally drug free. Using holistic counseling and support you can become completely free of depression. Get holistic addict help for drug use and depression and you can start to live in a way that feels healthy – and free. Leave a Reply
A local area network (LAN) is a group of smart devices connected together to create a network within the same location. A home is a good example of LAN consisting of a few computers, tablets, smartphones and IoTs devices over the physical wires and through the Wi-Fi. A LAN can be as small as connecting 2 devices or as large as enerprise network interconnecting thousands of computers, servers and smart devices. A few other examples of LAN include offices, buildings, schools, and corporations. The characteristic of a LAN is "local", meaning it is limited to a single local location. A purpose of the LAN is to create an isolated private network, and share resources such as the files, printers and wireless access points without tightening security. In 1980s and 1990s, only the larger corporations used the LANs but with wide deployment of Wi-Fi technology, smaller areas such as homes, coffee shops and small offices also deployed LANs. With cost of DSL and Cable Modem services coming down drastically in the 1990s, the deployment of LANs in consumer homes became commonplace. Also, advancement in wireless technology and introduction of smart devices such as smartphones, tablets and IoT devices contributed toward wide deployment of LANs in consumer homes. A consumer leases a line from an ISP, terminates the line with a router (layer 3 device) and create a LAN by connecting switches (layer 2 device), access points, computers, printers and smart devices to the router. Companies having multiple locations sometimes create a virtual LANs by interconnecting individual LANs into a single virtual network, called intranet. Virtual LAN is created by using the VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology and the devices within the virtual LAN share resources as if they are local. What are WAN and MAN? Wide Area Network (WAN) and Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) are both networks that connects LANs. A MAN is a metropolitan network interconnecting LANs within the same city or metropolitan area. A WAN is also interconnecting many LANs but it spans area greater than a single city. An ISP may deliver a DSL, Cable Modem, or Fiber service through a MAN to a consumer, and the end user will create his own LAN from it. The LANs, MANs and WANs connected together is making up the Internet. A LAN is a small private network created to share computing resources within a local location. The devices connected to a LAN are usually assigned private IP addresses and do not consume globally unique public IP addresses reducing stress of IP scarcity. With prosperity of wireless technology, smartphones and IoT devices are also connected to a LAN. Leave a comment All comments are moderated. Spammy and bot submitted comments are deleted. Please submit the comments that are helpful to others, and we'll approve your comments. A comment that includes outbound link will only be approved if the content is relevant to the topic, and has some value to our readers.
- Adriano dos Santos 4 Low Carb Tips For People With Type 2 Diabetes Here are 4 tips to help people with Type 2 Diabetes to stay healthy and maintain better blood sugar while on a low carb diet. Over 29 million (9.3%) of Americans have diabetes, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those with diabetes, one in four doesn’t know he or she has it. According to the National Diabetes Statistic Report, 1.7 million people 20 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes just in 2012. The most common form of diabetes is Type 2 Diabetes, which causes the body not to produce insulin properly. Many diets have been proposed to help cope with the disease, but studies published by the National Institute Of Health and on Diabetesjourals.org have shown that diets low in carbohydrates have proven to be more effective at weight loss among people with Type 2 Diabetes, as well as effective at maintaining blood sugar levels. The reason for this is pretty simple. Your body converts carbohydrates into glucose, which raises your blood sugar. Refined carbohydrates, like white bread or white flour, is processes basically in your body as refined sugar, and converts faster into glucose than unrefined carbs, like whole grains and fruit, which slow the conversion process down. So if you consume lots of carbs, particularly refined carbs, you may produce more glucose than your body needs, and that glucose is converted into fat. This is especially dangerous for diabetics, not just because it can cause a spike in blood sugar, but once the body begins converting glucose into fat, the blood sugar can then quickly drop again. 1. Do The Numbers According to the CDC, most Americans consume about 50 60 percent of their calories in carbohydrates. Therefore, for a 2,000-calorie diet, that would be about 275 grams in carbs. Try cutting down to 30 40 percent of your calorie intake, so about 125 grams of carbs for a 2,000-calorie diet. This will not only help keep the fat off, but will keep the blood sugar from dropping. 2. Choose Carbohydrates Wisely Stay away from refined carbohydrates, as they will cause your body to produce more glucose quickly than it has insulin to keep up with it. That extra glucose will become fat. So skip the pasta course, and focus instead on fiber rich fruits and vegetables, like blackberries or leafy greens. Also, choose whole grains, which contain important minerals like selenium, potassium, and magnesium, and avoid refined sugar as much as possible. Replace that delicious candy bar with some equally delicious raw almonds. Ok, maybe they’re not delicious in exactly the same way. 3. Eat Lots Of Low Fat High Protein Foods Go to bean town. That means all kinds of beans navy, black, pinto, lentils, all are high in protein and low in fat. Tofu is an excellent choice, as are lean meats, like chicken and fish. Salmon is particularly good choice because it also contains high levels of good omega3 fats. Also of these choices don’t contain any carbs. Nuts make a great high protein snack, which also contain rich omega3 fats. You can also try dairy and yogurt as good protein options. While not technically a food choice, exercise is extremely important for the diet to work and for you to maintain healthy. Studies have shown that sedentary lifestyles can actually worsen diabetes, as well as heart disease, and weight gain, which only makes it worse. Exercise helps you lose weight, relieve anxiety, and speed up your metabolism. All of which will help you keep the fat off and keep the blood sugar stable. Exercise is also a great energy booster. Even moderate exercise like regular walking is one of the best things you can do to maintain a healthy diet.
Are you new to the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies? Do you want to read our blog articles with a complete understanding? We have prepared part 1 of a glossary for “cryptocurrency begginers”! Check out it below: In simple words, it is a virtual currency which – as its name indicates – uses cryptography to secure financial transactions. The main advantage of a cryptocurrency is that it is decentralized unlike “traditional” currencies (i.e., FIAT currencies – check out the definition in the later part of the article). Due to this fact, cryptocurrency transfers are secure, anonymous and transparent. Currently, there are over 4000 existing cryptocurrencies. Most cryptocurrencies are based on blockchain technology. It is a decentralized and distributed database in the open source model. It works in a P2P network, and it is not controlled by any third party, i.e. there are no central computers and there is no centralized data storage space. It is an anonymous and verifiable ledger that anyone can access. As its names indicates, blockchain is a chain of blocks. This chain is a list of records with information which is linked thanks to cryptography. Blockchain saves transactions in a permanent and secure way. Bitcoin and Ether are some of the cryptocurrencies which are based on blockchain. Earlier we also prepared blockchain explained article, where you can find more info about this topic. It is the most well-known and the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. It was created in 2009 by the anonymous person using a name Satoshi Nakamoto. It is considered to be the first decentralized cryptocurrency. Generally, the price of altcoins is directly related to the price of Bitcoin. When Bitcoin grows, the market goes up (bull market), analogically when the price of Bitcoin falls, the market goes down (bear market). It is called “a younger brother of Bitcoin”. It is the second most well-known cryptocurrency platform, currently ranked in top 3 at the market capitalization ranking. It was created by Vitalik Buterin. Ether (ETH) is a name of cryptocurrency in Ethereum platform. Ethereum provides a decentralized virtual machine, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), and it was designed to feature Smart Contracts (check out its definition later in our glossary). In opposite to Bitcoin, on Ethereum there is a possibility for users to create their own cryptocurrencies and run blockchain projects (for example blockchain ICO and blockchain STO – check definitions below). It is a total value of all company’s shares of stock. For example, a company with 1 million shares with a price of $10 for a share possesses a market capitalization equal to $10 million. One of the most famous sites where you can check the current market capitalization ranking of cryptocurrencies is CoinMarketCap It is a currency which is not based on material goods, such as gold or silver. Its value usually comes from political regulations, and its value is set by goverments or because involved parties agreed on its exchange value. The history of FIAT money dates back to 11th century. It was created in China and started dominating in the previous century. After US president R. Nixon decoupled USD from gold in 1971, FIAT currencies started to become popular all over the world. In opposite to cryptocurrencies, FIAT currencies are controlled by financial institutions and may greatly lose value due to inflation. In simple words, we call altcoins the all cryptocurrencies except for Bitcoin. Tokens and altcoins are mistakenly used as synonyms as their structure is different. Altcoins possess their own separate blockchain. The most well-known altcoin today is Ethereum. Together with altcoins, tokens are two subsets of cryptocurrencies. In simple words, token is a cryptocurrency which depends on another cryptocurrency as a platform to operate. Unlike altcoins, tokens operate on a top of the blockchain. They were designed to facilitate the implementation of decentralized applications. Cryptocurrency tokens are much easier to create than altcoins and therefore, about 80% of circulating coins today are tokens. To mention an example, Ethereum supports the development of additional cryptocurrency tokens, and crypto platforms such as TRON and EOS began as Ethereum-based tokens. Satoshi Nakamoto is an anonymous pseudonym of a person who created Bitcoin in 2009. There have been many suspicions about who is “hidden” behind this name, but none of them are confirmed. It is claimed that Nakamoto is a male, was born in 1975 and comes from Japan. Satoshi Nakamoto, when inventing Bitcoin, implemented the first blockchain, and deployed the first decentralized digital currency. ICO is the abbreviation of Initial Coin Offering. It is a type of funding using cryptocurrencies. In simple words, when someone creates a new crypto project, he can receive funds from investors by selling tokens in exchange for legal tender or other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. For example, during ICO, Ethereum raised $18 million, and EOS platform as much as $185 million. STO stands for Security Token Offering, and it is a different form or raising funds than ICO. In STO, users can buy crypto tokens, which are backed by an asset or a revenue of a company. STO, as its name indicates, features security tokens, and therefore, STO provides financial security, also because it is subject to federal trade regulations. You can think of utility tokens (ICO) as a chance for a future reward in case the new crypto project succeeds, while investing during STO is more financially stable. As its name indicates, Stablecoin holds stable values, and one of the examples of Stablecoins is cryptocurrency Tether (USDT), which value is equal to about 1 USD. Overall, the value of Stablecoin can be attached to traditional currencies (i.e. FIAT money) or material goods such as gold and silver. Smart Contracts are a digital form of traditional contracts. They are simply programs that operate on many crypto platforms, for example, Ethereum and NEO, and they are designed to ensure that all parties which take part in transactions are secure regardless of trust. Cryptocurrency mining is a process in which new cryptocurrency transactions are added to the blockchain. People who are responsible for verifying this information and therefore, updating the ledger are called miners. You may have heard already of making money by mining Bitcoins. Remember that today you need very advanced and specialized hardware to make a significant profit by being a miner. Decentralized application (dApp) is an application that runs on a P2P (peer-to-peer) network on many computers rather than just one single computer. Decentralization means that any third party does not control these applications. Decentralized applications use Smart Contracts to run. In simple words, blocktime is the time during which a network generates one extra block. In the case of Bitcoin, it is 10 minutes, however for example in EOS, it is just 0.5 seconds. Firstly, you need to understand that most cryptocurrencies possess a limited supply, therefore, there can’t be created an infinite amount of units. Total supply is the maximum amount of coins of the cryptocurrency which can be created. Circulating supply is the current amount of coins of the cryptocurrency which have been mined and therefore, there are in circulation. For example, Bitcoin’s total supply is equal to 21 000 000 BTC, and its circulating supply is today (9th January 2019) equal to 17 470 112 BTC. After reading our glossary, you should have a basic understanding of what we are discussing on our blog. However, it’s not everything what we have prepared for “cryptocurrency dummies”! Stay tuned for a part 2, where we will be introducing you to more advanced concepts, such as consensus mechanisms. See you soon! Copyright © Coincasso LT UAB 2018-2022
Kenyah or Apo Kayan people Finial for house or funerary vault early-mid 20th century Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia Sculpture, wood, paint 185.0 h x 305.0 w x 32.0 d cm Accession No: NGA 2010.345 The largest island in maritime Southeast Asia, Borneo is home to an artistic tradition synonymous with the veneration of ancestral deities and spirits of nature. Objects and textiles made for ritual and everyday use are rich in curvilinear ornamentation and motifs of animals and supernatural creatures—including birds, serpents, dragons and ferocious beasts. Such imagery signifies rank and also invokes favour from benevolent ancestors and spirits while deterring malevolent forces. This architectural finial created by the Kenyah or Apo Kayan people of Kalimantan epitomises the role of art as an indicator of status and a conduit to the supernatural realms. Composed of an intricate network of spiralling forms representing the sinuous aso—an amalgamation of dog and dragon—and the rhinoceros hornbill or kenyalang, the monumental finial would have been installed within a traditional longhouse or atop a communal dwelling, rice granary or funerary structure containing remains of the dead. From this position, the aso and kenyalang guarded the structure's occupants, living or dead, from dangerous supernatural forces. Symbolising aristocratic rank, the combined serpent and bird imagery also represents an auspicious pairing of the heavenly upper and lower worlds. An inhabitant of the watery underworld, the aso is a female motif associated with fertility and abundance. The aso is depicted throughout Borneo with menacing jaws and limbs that are considered fearsome only by malevolent beings. In contrast, the kenyalang is a male symbol and the revered messenger of the ancestors and deities of the upper realm. Once employed as a spiritual weapon against enemy headhunters, kenyalang images with distinctive curvilinear casques are now used to attract fame and fortune for wealthy patrons. This monumental finial, exhibited for the first time during the recent exhibition Life, death and magic: 2000 years of Southeast Asian ancestral art, now takes pride of place near the entrance to the Gallery's permanent displays of Asian art, where it can also be admired from the NGA Cafe. Niki van den Heuvel, assistant curator, Asian Art in artonview, issue 65, autumn 2011 in artonview, issue 65, autumn 2010
Suppose – rather reasonably – that soups which taste like garlic have garlic in them. You observe two people eating soup; one of them says to the other, “There is no garlic in this soup.” Do you think it’s likely that the soup taste like garlic? If you said yes, then congratulations! You’ve just committed a logical fallacy (from the premise “if p then q” and “not q,” you have inferred p) so absurd that it’s only very recently been given a name. But don’t feel bad – this absurd inference, known as modus shmollens, can actually be elicited from a majority of adult human subjects when the situations are just right. One such situation was demonstrated by Bonnefon & Villejoubert in 2007. They point out that, conversationally, human speakers are likely to make negative statements when they will correct the erroneous inference of a listener. That is, unless there is a good reason to believe (for example) that it might be snowing, there is little reason to state that it is not snowing. In this example, why might a speaker believe that it might be snowing? One straightforward possibility is that both the speaker and listener have access to some other information – information we might call “p” – that supports the inference that it is snowing – which we might in turn call “q”. So, in a case where a speaker does bother to say that it is not snowing, or that a soup doesn’t taste like garlic (i.e., “not q”), one might intuitively guess that p is in fact true. Indeed, why else would the speaker bother to negate q? Bonnefon & Villejoubert gave 60 young adults a series of situations just like this, which varied in whether the conditional “if p then q” premise was explicit in the situation or merely implicit, and whether the categorical “not q” premise was framed as an utterance by a human speaker or merely a fact of the world. In the situation where both the conditionals were explicit and the categorical premises were utterances, 55% of undergraduates actually endorsed the modus shmollens inference with high confidence. In a second experiment, the number was even higher – 75% of undergraduates endorsed the patently absurd modus shmollens inference. To their credit, Bonnefon & Villejoubert do not tout this behavior as a new logical fallacy. Their view is much richer. They view their work as deriving from an infamous and often-criticized schism in psycholinguistics research, where “core” psycholinguistic phenomena are investigated independent of what are viewed as merely “pragmatic” phenomena which do not reflect a core language system. The obvious criticism of such an approach is that psycholinguistic theories which do not actually work in practice can be redefined so as to refer only to a small subset of situations where putatively “core” processes can be observed, and all other mere “pragmatic” phenomena swept under a rug. Bonnefon & Villejoubert suggest that for such an approach to be viable, we must take those pragmatic phenomena seriously as well, and begin to derive novel, falsifiable predictions based on them. As such, their demonstration of the problematic modus shmollens inference represents not merely a surprising and counterintuitive addition to the list of logical fallacies regularly committed by humans, nor merely insight into the context dependence of such fallacies, but also represents a more comprehensive approach to psycholinguistic theorizing.
"People always think speech therapy is related to speech and not to assistive technology or swallowing disorders," says Sharon Veis, a speech-language pathologist at the Voice, Speech and Language Service and Swallowing Center of Northwestern University in Chicago. Veis says she doesn't mind being called a "speech therapist," but she and other speech professionals prefer the term used by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, which is "speech-language pathologist," or simply SLP. \|The many muscles involved in speaking and swallowing can weaken in neuromuscular disorders. Speech-language pathologists can help people compensate for such weakness.\| ASHA says SLPs are "professionals educated in the study of human communication, its development and its disorders. By evaluating the speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing skills of children and adults, the speech-language pathologist determines what communication or swallowing problems exist and the best way to treat them." Or, as another SLP puts it, "We do more than just teach little kids to say 'r.'" SLPs and neuromuscular disease In many neuromuscular disorders, the muscles that control speech and swallowing weaken, either because the muscles themselves or the nerves that control them are affected. In the vast majority of people with these disorders, the brain and its language-processing centers are intact, and the problem is only one of moving the mouth and tongue or the throat muscles to form words and use the voice. In some disorders, respiratory function is compromised enough to adversely affect speaking ability. Speech or swallowing are often affected in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, inclusion-body myositis, myotonic muscular dystrophy (especially the severe, congenital form), other congenital muscular dystrophies, nemaline myopathy, myotubular myopathy, Friedreich's ataxia, the myasthenias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy. In some children with early-onset muscular dystrophies or mitochondrial disorders, the brain may also be involved, complicating the speech problem. When speech muscles are weak or when weak respiratory muscles interfere with the breath support needed for speech, exercises may not do any good, Veis says, but slowing the rate of speech can be learned with practice and can increase speech intelligibility. "I ask them to say fewer words per breath, to enunciate syllables, pausing between phrases, maybe even pausing between words," she says. "There are pacing methods, where you tap on a table to pace yourself." Another technique favored by Veis and her colleagues at Northwestern is the alphabet board. "The person touches the first letter of the word that they're saying, which slows down speech and also helps the listener get an idea of the first sound in any word, which is often the most important thing." Touching a letter eliminates misinterpretation of sounds. "There may be confusion, for example, between a 'd' and a 't' or between a 'k' and a 'g' sound," which the alphabet board can overcome, Veis says. Veis is skeptical that much can be done, particularly in severe neuromuscular disorders like ALS, to improve the range of motion of the speech organs. "If the tongue only goes so far, it only goes so far," she says. If speech can't be made intelligible, with or without the help of simple devices, the next step, which is to get a high-tech device, can be taken. Such devices, known these days as AAC, for augmentative and alternative communication, can substitute for speech. Veis says the philosophy at her clinic, and of today's SLPs in general, is that learning such "compensatory" techniques is just as important as learning techniques to help improve natural speech. In severe and progressive disorders like ALS, Veis thinks some advance planning is essential. "It's important to anticipate some of the progression, so that if and when the need arises for an augmentative communication system, one has already explored with the client some of the basic information. They should know what kinds of devices are available — small versus large, portable versus nonportable, simple versus complex computer technology. "It's better to have that discussion before you need to, to find out the patient's background with the use of devices, their comfort level, whether they have computer knowledge or not, their finances," Veis suggests. "Of course, some needs may change along the way. They may need to change devices if they can't use a typing system anymore. If you're talking about a progressive disease, needs change over time. In a more static disease, needs may also change but because of different issues." \|Speech-language pathologist Jeff Edmiaston at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis shows Keith Vinyard, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, how to tuck his chin during swallowing.\| \|Edmiaston and Vinyard work on a DynaVox 3100, a computerized speaking device.\| \|A mirror helps the speech therapy client see how exaggerated mouth movements can improve speech intelligibility.\| Cathy Lazarus is also an SLP at the center at Northwestern, but her specialty is swallowing disorders. Because the same muscles are involved in voicing as in swallowing, she also specializes in disorders involving sound production. To diagnose the nature of a speech or swallowing problem, "we get most people down to X-ray," Lazarus says. They're given water mixed with liquid barium (which shows up on X-ray film), a barium paste and a quarter of a cookie covered with barium paste to examine how they swallow different substances. "You can get information about the oral phase of a swallow just with the person sitting in front of you," Lazarus says, "but not about the pharyngeal [throat-related] phase." She and other SLPs are intimately involved in seeing that swallowing tests are done and properly read. Early in the course of a disease, some techniques to improve the safety of swallowing can be put into place. "We can do some posture modification and also modify their diet," Lazarus says. But later on, "we may need to discuss the need for nonoral feeding. We do a lot of counseling." SLPs, Lazarus says, "are the most well versed in the anatomy of the oral cavity, pharynx [throat] and larynx [voice box] and are the most well equipped to evaluate and treat swallowing problems." Getting that language piece in When children have neuromuscular disorders that interfere with their speaking, language development itself can be threatened, says Sydney Mason, an SLP who specializes in treating young children through Hope Children's Services in Rockledge, Fla. "The big piece of who I am is that I get that child to communicate through language," Mason says, adding that there are a variety of ways to do that. "In children with muscular dystrophy, we look at the musculature," Mason says. "If the speech musculature is not there, then we think about how we would go about getting the sound. Different sounds can be produced in lots of ways. "For example, take the 's' sound. [Most people] produce a clear 's' with the tip of the tongue behind the teeth. But if a child can't do that, we can try to use the sides of the tongue, to get the sound approximately. A lot of times it's trial and error." When respiratory support is insufficient for voicing, Mason looks at improving it. "You look at respiratory mechanisms, working with occupational and physical therapy to activate the rib cage muscles as much as possible," she says. Recalling a child who had a mitochondrial disorder and poor breath support, she says, "We did a lot of blowing activities, to get good respiratory support. Vocalization comes after that many times." For Mason and her early-childhood team, even if a child can't learn to speak, communication and language development are still vital, and alternatives to speaking have to be found. "In our practice," Mason says, "the emphasis is on birth to age 5. We may introduce an augmentative communication system, and then, after the child goes to school, they would fully implement this." Another alternative system is sign language, if the child's hand muscles are working well enough for this. The child with the mitochondrial disorder learned the signs for "eat," "more" and "all done," while also learning other ways to communicate. "The point is not necessarily for the children to be signers, but for them to have a visual complement to verbal language," Mason says. "It's absolutely important for the child to learn early that 'when I do something, something happens. When I make eye contact with my mommy, she does something.' Those are the earliest lessons that we try to get parents to understand." Even if finger and hand function is later lost in a progressive disorder, the early boost to language makes learning some signs worthwhile, Mason believes. The Hope center also uses picture systems and computerized devices, with the same underlying goals. "Communication," Mason says, "is the one thing that is going to open up the child's world to him or her. You've got to figure out a way to help the child communicate and interact with others in his environment." Special concerns with trachs and vents It's a fairly common belief, perhaps aided by television dramas, that tracheostomies and ventilators put an end to normal speaking and swallowing. That's simply not so, says SLP Marta Kazandjian, who specializes in helping ventilator users at Silvercrest Extended Care Facility and the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, both in New York. "The role of the speech pathologist, whether the patient is vent-dependent or not vent-dependent, is to be sure the patient can communicate during their waking hours," says Kazandjian. "If the patient is able to voice during periods of the day, you try to facilitate voice production. If you're unable to do that, you use alternative means of communication to make sure they can make their needs known." Many tracheostomy tubes, Kazandjian explains, have an inflatable plastic cuff that keeps air that flows into the throat from the ventilator from flowing back up toward the larynx and vocal cords. Instead the air is directed downward into the lungs, where it's needed for breathing. When the cuff is fully inflated, with many types of tubes, no air can get to the vocal cords, and no sound can be made. An inflated cuff also interferes with swallowing reflexes. Fortunately, Kazandjian says, most people with neuromuscular disorders don't need to have the cuff fully inflated all the time. "It's rare that patients with neuromuscular disease can't tolerate cuff deflation," she says. "Frequently, what we're able to do is at least get them to tolerate partial deflation. The goal is, despite the degenerative condition, to get the patient to tolerate full cuff deflation, so that we can then use other tools." \|Deflating the tracheostomy cuff allows air to flow upward toward the vocal cords, making speech possible. Additional techniques, such as speaking valves, which block the exit of air through the trach tube during speech, and holes in the top of the trach tube (fenestrations), can also be employed.\| The other tools include speaking valves, such as the popular Passy-Muir valve, which add to the vent user's speaking ability by stopping any air from flowing out through the tracheostomy tube while the person is trying to speak. A deflated trach cuff may allow some air to flow up to the vocal cords, Kazandjian explains, but enough air may still be leaving the throat through the open trach tube to keep one's voice from being effective unless the tube is plugged with a closed valve during speaking attempts. Of course, other methods of communication, such as computers and alphabet boards, can also be used by people on ventilators who have limited speaking ability. But even the ability to say "yes" or "no" with one's own voice "can be very powerful," Kazandjian notes. Ventilator settings can be adjusted to help a person get upper airway flow for speech and still maintain adequate pressures for respiratory function, Kazandjian says. "Sometimes you have to get the ventilator to work for the patient as opposed to the patient working for the ventilator. It's a balancing act to ensure that the patient is being adequately ventilated, that they maintain normal carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, while at the same time being able to use upper airway flow. You can frequently make changes to the ventilator settings that assist the patient in tolerating cuff deflation, like giving them more volume or maybe more pressure support or changing the rate on the ventilator. There's no cookbook approach." A similar balance can be struck when it comes to eating and drinking, Kazandjian believes. She warns against a misconception that an inflated trach cuff means food can't go down into the lungs. It usually slips down around the cuff, she notes, while at the same time the cuff interferes with the person's normal swallowing reactions that would direct the food down the esophagus. A better solution, in Kazandjian's experience, is to allow some food to be taken by mouth, if that's important to the person, with safety measures in place to guard against inhaling food. "We try to give them at least a leak of the cuff, if not full cuff deflation, and do whatever we can to facilitate safer swallowing," she says. "There are a lot of techniques you can use to get secretions and food out if you do have a problem." So, how do you find an SLP, and how do you pay for the services and equipment? "Getting reimbursement for adult care in speech pathology, for service or equipment, is difficult," says Jeff Edmiaston, an SLP at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. But, says Edmiaston, it may be getting easier, at least for speech devices, because Medicare is changing the way it classifies these devices, which his clients so often need. In the meantime, many private insurance plans will help with payment for at least some speech therapy or devices for adults, and many companies that make the devices have departments that assist clients with this funding. The DynaVox company, Edmiaston says, has about a 50 percent success rate in getting insurance to help with payment for its AAC devices. For children, there are more options, because speech and language are integral parts of the federally mandated "free and appropriate public education" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As a result, speech therapy is relatively easy for children with disabilities to get through their school systems or through an early intervention program before they start school. Speech services have their roots in schools and have long been tied to education, says Sydney Mason. That makes it somewhat easier to get services for children, but harder for adults, because medical insurance may not take speech services quite as seriously as it does other therapies. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) ASHA Action Center www.asha.org; click on Public Information ASHA can help you find an SLP in your area. Communication Independence for the Neurologically Impaired (CINI) CINI is a nonprofit organization co-founded by Marta Kazandjian that specializes in helping those with ALS and related disorders to use augmentative and alternative communication devices.
October is National Fair Trade Month! Throughout the month, The Kitchn will be exploring different Fair Trade products such as cocoa, honey, vanilla, and wine. To kick things off, we thought we'd take a look at the meaning of Fair Trade and Fair Trade Certified. The Fair Trade movement strives to empower and offer better conditions to marginalized farmers and workers throughout the world. It is a partnership between producers, manufacturers, importers, and consumers. As described by TransFair USA, the principles of Fair Trade include: • Fair prices: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit. • Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited. • Direct trade: With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. • Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues. • Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification. • Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers' health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations. An international group called Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) certifies Fair Trade products by tracking them from farm to finished product and verifying compliance with standards set by producers, workers, traders, and other labor specialists. In the United States, FLO member TransFair USA monitors suppliers and manufacturers of coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, sugar, rice, vanilla, flowers, honey, and wine. Items that meet economic, social, and environmental standards may display the Fair Trade Certified label. Labels vary by country; the one shown here is used in the US. For more information about Fair Trade Month and Fair Trade Certified, visit: • TransFair USA's Fair Trade Month site And let us know if there's something in particular you'd like to know about Fair Trade products this month! What's the Deal with Fair Trade? (Tea image: Kaare Viemose, Fair Trade Certified image: TransFair USA)
Researchers from the U.S. Forest Service now believe some urban trees may reduce property crimes and acts of violence. The study, recently published in Science Daily, is based on research from neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon. By analyzing two years worth of police reports, and recording various neighborhood characteristics from aerial maps and on the ground observations, researchers concluded that areas with large trees in both front and backyards experience lower levels of crime. “We believe that large street trees can reduce crime by signaling to a potential criminal that a neighborhood is better cared for, and, therefore, a criminal is more likely to be caught,” explains Geoffrey Donovan, one of the study’s researchers. While large trees are associated with reduced crime however, the researchers also found that smaller trees, which act as view obstructers, might encourage lawbreaking because they make criminal acts less easy to detect. Nevertheless, if an improved quality of life is what you’re searching for, it may be worthwhile to take this correlation between large, old trees and lower rates of criminal activity into consideration.
Technology Review of March/April 2011 has an article about the Arduino written by Erica Naone. As electronic devices got more complicated in the past few decades, it became increasingly difficult and expensive to tinker with hardware. The 1970s garage engineers who built their own computers gave way to geeks who programmed their own software. But now the rise of open-source hardware is paving the way for a return of build-it-yourself electronics. Creators can start with devices such as the Arduino, an inexpensive control board that’s easy to program and can hook up to a wide variety of hardware. People can create projects that range from blinking light shows to more sophisticated efforts such as robotics. The Arduino started with designers in Italy, who license the boards to manufacturers and distributors that sell official versions for less than $50. The Arduino designers freely share the specifications for anyone to use, however, and third-party manufacturers all over the world offer versions of their own, sometimes optimized for specific purposes. Magazine stories are paid, so unless you subscribe you won’t have the pleasure to read the article.
STAND up for yourself! Melnik Resources can help you work standing up to avoid some of the perils of extensive sitting cited in the article "Sitting - Might be killing you? by Taylor'd Ergonomics" The word,"cathisophobia" refers to the "fear of sitting"(actually, a fear of being motionless). Is sitting really worthy of its own phobia? Lately, we've heard a lot of bad news about sitting. We already know that sitting burns fewer calories per hour than standing, and by quite a margin. This means that when people who are used to standing or walking or generally moving about take an office job that involves primarily sitting, they will need to eat less. If they continue to eat at their usual rate, they will gain weight. We also knew that sitting places higher loads on the low back than standing. The lumbar (low back) curve is flattened in a seated position, even with a well designed chair. This places strain on the discs of the back. Muscle atrophy (weakening) also occurs with prolonged, day-after-day sitting, because sitting doesn't require the muscle "exercise" that standing involves. Here are some new stats, that we found at http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/sitting-kills/ - Sitting six or more hours per day makes you 40% more likely to die in the next 15 years, in comparison to someone who sits less than three hours. Even if you exercise. - People with sitting jobs have twice the risk of cardiovascular disease than people with standing jobs. - Those who watch three or more hours per day of TV are 64% more likely than average to die from heart disease. After three hours per day, every extra hour of TV leads to an 11% higher risk We're hoping that these figures scared you right out of your seat! Cathisophobia just might save your life! Taylor'd Ergo Times, September/October 2013, Issue 103 www.taylordergo.com
Of all the planets in our neighborhood, Earth has a surface temperature that is uniquely friendly to life. That friendliness is the result of a balancing act between incoming sunlight and outgoing thermal energy—the heat radiated back to space by everything in the Earth system, from land to oceans to clouds and, especially, by the gases in the atmosphere. Everything from sea ice concentrations, to plant productivity on land and in the oceans, to the strength of tropical cyclones is influenced by Earth’s surface temperature. The global surface temperature ranked among the top 10 warmest years on record. Over land and ocean combined, 2012 was between 0.14° and 0.17° Celsius (0.25°and 0.31° Fahrenheit) above the 1981–2010 average, depending on the analysis. The globally averaged annual temperature over land was 0.24°–0.29°C (0.43°-0.52°F) above average. And averaged globally, the 2012 ocean temperature was 0.10°–0.14°C (0.18°-0.25°F) above average. The most prominent warmth during the year was seen across the Northern Hemisphere higher latitudes, specifically the contiguous United States, the eastern half of Canada, southern Europe, western Russia, and the Russian Far East. However, Alaska, the western parts of Canada, eastern Australia, and parts of central Asia all saw cooler than average temperatures during the year. Nearly all of the ocean surface was warmer than average with the exception of parts of the northeastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean, parts of the southern Atlantic Ocean, and some regions of the southern oceans. The beginning of 2012 did see some of the lingering cooling effects of La Niña, but they dissipated quickly. Temperatures in 2012 were slightly higher than those of 2011. This is a partial article, published on the NOAA website, www.climate.gov for the full article see here. NOAA Climate.gov provides science and information for a climate-smart nation. Americans’ health, security, and economic well-being are closely linked to climate and weather. We have 17 guests and no members online
When the nerve of your tooth becomes infected, a successful root canal treatment lets you keep the tooth rather than having to pull it out. Keeping your tooth helps to prevent your other teeth from drifting out of line and causing jaw problems. Saving a natural tooth avoids having to replace it with an artificial tooth. What is a root canal? Root canal treatment, also known as endodontic treatment, is the process of removing infected, injured or dead pulp from your tooth. The space inside the hard layers of each tooth is called the root canal system. This system is filled with soft dental pulp made up of nerves and blood vessels that help your tooth grow and develop. When bacteria (germs) enter your tooth through deep cavities, cracks or flawed fillings, your tooth can become abscessed. An abscessed tooth is a tooth with an infection in the pulp. If pulp becomes infected, it needs to be removed. An abscessed tooth may cause pain and/or swelling. Your dentist may notice the infection from a dental x-ray or from other changes with the tooth. If left untreated, an abscessed tooth can cause serious oral health problems. How is a root canal treatment done at our Winnipeg dental centre? The dentist gives you a local anesthetic and to protect your tooth from bacteria in your saliva during the treatment, the dentist places a rubber dam around the tooth being treated. The dentist makes an opening in the tooth to reach the root canal system and the damaged pulp. Using very fine dental instruments, the dentist removes the pulp by cleaning and enlarging the root canal system. After the canal has been cleaned, the dentist fills and seals the canal. The opening of the tooth is then sealed with either a temporary or permanent filling. After a root canal treatment, your tooth has to be restored (fixed) to look, feel and work as much like a natural tooth as possible. If an endodontist performed your root canal treatment, he or she will fill the opening of the tooth with a temporary filling and send you back to your dentist or prosthodontist for tooth restoration. Your dentist or specialist may use a permanent filling or a crown to restore your tooth. The choice of restoration will depend on the strength of the part of the tooth that’s left. A back tooth will likely need a crown because chewing puts a great deal of force on back teeth. If there is not enough of the tooth left, posts may be used to help support the crown. Contact our office today to book your preferred treatment date and our Winnipeg root canal experts at Kildonan Crossing Dental Centre will look after you.
Date of Award Master of Arts (MA) William J. Chadwick This project first started as part of an internship when researching and recording structures at the Allegheny Portage Railroad Historic Site (ALPO) using a Leica Scan Station C10 to provide detailed digital records for the National Park Service (NPS). The Allegany Portage Railroad located in Cambria County, Pennsylvania is a National Historic Site and part of the Mainline Canal connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The use of 3D modeling is a new form of historic property documentation and this document helps illustrate how this technology can assist future archaeologists and historians. Through the 3D scans taken at the site, an opportunity was seen to apply the information gathered from the processed data to utilize it as a way to promote an interest in archaeology and historic preservation by sharing the imaginings on a virtual platform. The processed data taken from the scans were used as the basis for creating realistic reconstructions of the three structures at the historic site and placed them in a virtual landscape. This new material provides an additional resource of baseline information for others interested in the historical landmark by showcasing a bygone era through the virtual platform. Smeltzer, Marion, "Using 3-D Scanning to Create Virtual Landscapes for Historic Sites" (2016). Theses and Dissertations (All). 1437.
Geomorphology of mesophotic coral ecosystems: current perspectives on morphology, distribution, and mapping strategies - First Online: - Cite this article as: - Locker, S.D., Armstrong, R.A., Battista, T.A. et al. Coral Reefs (2010) 29: 329. doi:10.1007/s00338-010-0613-6 - 575 Downloads This paper presents a general review of the distribution of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) in relationship to geomorphology in US waters. It was specifically concerned with the depth range of 30–100 m, where more than 186,000 km2 of potential seafloor area was identified within the US Gulf of Mexico/Florida, Caribbean, and main Hawaiian Islands. The geomorphology of MCEs was largely inherited from a variety of pre-existing structures of highly diverse origins, which, in combination with environmental stress and physical controls, restrict the distribution of MCEs. Sea-level history, along with depositional and erosional processes, played an integral role in formation of MCE settings. However, mapping the distribution of both potential MCE topography/substrate and existing MCE habitat is only beginning. Mapping techniques pertinent to understanding morphology and MCE distributions are discussed throughout this paper. Future investigations need to consider more cost-effective and remote methods (such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and acoustics) in order to assess the distribution and extent of MCE habitat. Some understanding of the history of known MCEs through coring studies would help understand their initiation and response to environmental change over time, essential for assessing how they may be impacted by future environmental change.
Audience participation through technology is extremely important, whether you are running a company or delivering a seminar. There are lots of reasons why employees or students should be involved in a process of feedback and discussion. Why is audience participation so important? Audience Participation Allows People To Express Their Opinions The most important part of audience participation is that they can express their feelings. They might be part of a test screening for a Hollywood film that is currently under production. They will critique the film as they are watching it and then they will be able to take note. Using a quality audience response system in the cloud, they will then be able to deliver an anonymous yes or no vote to various questions that are posed. This can have a direct influence on how the film is altered or marketed. Universities and training services can use this system to great effect so that students can rate the experience that they have had whilst a lecture was being delivered. The data that is collected through this system can then be studied. People will feel more comfortable when they are allowed to express their opinions, rather than feeling that they are unable to affect serious change in an organisation. Audience Participation Allows People To Learn More People do not stop learning once a training session or a lecture has been delivered. People will want to follow-up in order to learn more. This means that something like a question and answer session is extremely important. It allows the audience to delve further into the subject. A question and answer session is a great way to clear up any confusion that has occurred. Makes Even The Lowest Person In An Organisation Feel Like They Are Valued When managers want some feedback about the way a company is run, it is a mistake to only consult people who are at management level. With an audience response system, everyone in the organisation will be able to express their views anonymously and they will not feel like they are going to be singled out for attention. When everyone feels like they are valued, they are much more likely to stay in their current job rather than seeking employment elsewhere. Allows People To Affect Real Change Change is important in all aspects of life. Companies may be looking to improve the way that they deliver health and safety training and universities may be looking to improve the way that they deliver courses to their students. People who participate in audience response, whether they are filling out a survey or engaging in a live chat, are incredibly important because they are having a direct impact through the choices that they are making or answers that they are giving. Audience response is crucial, and organisations which ignore this fact can find themselves struggling with no idea of how they are going to implement some positive change.
Disposing of or donating electronics properly require a few steps, but it's not difficult once you're familiar with the process and the options. Back up all of the data on your old smartphone to your computer. Then, you need to remove all of your personal information from the phone. Many manufacturers allow you to "wipe" your device and clear almost everything from the memory by doing what is sometimes called a "hard reset." Check the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website to learn how. Next, remove your SIM and SD cards, because even when you "wipe" your device, the cards might still have information stored on them. Cut your SIM card in half. If your phone is obsolete, many places collect phones for recycling, including your local dump and some retailers. If you're just looking to upgrade, some companies will recycle your old phone and give you credit toward a new one. Just as with your cellphone, the first step is to back up your data to an external hard drive, flash drive or online program. To effectively "wipe" your computer, Earth911.com recommends that PC users download a program such as Nuke (DBAN) or KillDisk and burn it to a CD or DVD. Once you've made a CD or DVD using one of these programs, boot your computer from the disk. Best Buy's Geek Squad offers a helpful video explaining this process. For Mac users, Apple provides detailed instructions for how to securely erase your data. Electronics that don't have memory, such as televisions, stereo equipment, old VCRs and DVD players, monitors and printers, can be recycled at the local dump. Dumps will also take old DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, cassette tapes and yes, even floppy disks. Best Buy will also recycle many electronic devices at in-store kiosks. Donating or selling If you have electronic gadgets that still work and are not completely obsolete, a local school or nonprofit organization might be interested in them. Televisions, printers, computer monitors and keyboards can often be repurposed. If you're interested in selling your old gadgets, an online company called Gazelle is gaining popularity. You simply locate your device on the site, gazelle.com, ship the items to the company for free (as long as the value given on the site exceeds $1), and Gazelle will send you a check or an Amazon gift card, or reimburse you via PayPal.
A review of With Malice Toward Some: Treason and Loyalty in the Civil War Era by William A. Blair (University of North Carolina Press, 2014) and Secession on Trial: The Treason Prosecution of Jefferson Davis by Cynthia Nicoletti (Cambridge University Press, 2017). Was the act of secession in 1860-61 treason? This is one of the more important and lasting questions of the War. If so, then the lenient treatment of Confederate officers, political figures, and even the soldiers themselves following the War was a great gesture of magnanimity by a conquering foe never seen in the annals of Western Civilization. If not, then the entire War was an illegal and unconstitutional invasion of a foreign government with the express objective of maintaining a political community by force, an act that represented the antithesis of the American belief in self-government regardless of Abraham Lincoln’s professed admiration for government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” With Malice toward Som… Best Price: $11.75 Buy New $17.00 (as of 02:15 EDT – Details) Until recently, the modern academy has not given the topic much scholarly attention. Post war discussions of secession and treason were best addressed in what is now classified as “Lost Cause Mythology.” Historians regularly cast aside works by Albert Taylor Bledsoe, Jefferson Davis, and Alexander H. Stephens as examples of special pleading written by sore losers determined on refocusing the narrative away from slavery. Most mainstream historical literature considered it a foregone conclusion that the War was a “righteous cause” to forge a new union, as many of the Radical Republicans professed during Reconstruction. The South had been defeated, its…
OUR MEETING HOUSE A simple but beautiful brick ‘preaching box’ that reflects the Puritan origins of its congregation The Meeting House was built in 1717 by a congregation of Protestant Dissenters. The structure is a simple but beautiful brick ‘preaching box’ that reflects the Puritan origins of its congregation. The original interior arrangement was described in 1834 as having galleries on three sides (only one remains). At some point in the 19th century the interior was ‘turned’, i.e. the pulpit was switched from the long side wall to the short end wall (a change reversed in the 2010/2011 restoration); the original box pews were replaced with bench pews; two galleries were removed and a window and a door were blocked. The door has now been reopened. Although the present pulpit is unlikely to be original, a point of interest is the naive carving of a dove representing the Holy Spirit. Memorials from the Unitarian Chapel in Bedfield (closed in 2010) can be seen in the gallery. The burial ground behind the Meeting House was used from 1792 to the mid nineteenth century. The house next door to the Meeting House is the old manse (purchased in 1757) but it is no longer in Unitarian ownership. (Based on words of former Framlingham minister, Rev. Cliff Reed) Please note that our building has disabled access and toilet facilities with disabled access. Unitarian Site Links To sample some other ‘religious’ and ‘non-religious’ movements, too – try these: World Pantheism Movement Taoism Initiation Page The Sufi Way International Association for Religious Freedom Framlingham Unitarian Meeting House Bridge Street, Framlingham, Suffolk IP13 9AJ
My American undergraduate students and I emerge from taking tree measurements and doing species counts alongside local village residents in a closed-canopy, ten-year fallow forest in northern Thailand. A woman is waiting by the edge of the path, motioning urgently for our group to follow her up a hill. As we slip and scramble up the steep trail, I wonder what she wants to show us. Reaching the top, she sits down to watch. A moment later, we see smoke billowing up from the bottom of the mountain opposite us, then another wisp from the center, and a third at the top of the mountain. She has beckoned us up here to watch the pre-planting burning of a cut, dried fallowed forest much like the one we just measured, in this region’s most common agricultural system — a practice variously known as swidden, or shifting cultivation, or slash-and-burn, depending on what one wishes to convey about this farming practice. Photo: Preparing a swidden field with fire. Moments later, we see three lines of raging flames converge toward the center of the mountainside, hear the din of popping bamboo and crackling branches, and feel a wall of heat strong enough to physically knock us backward from across the valley. Yellow and grey plumes of smoke billow upward, and soon we can see the charred tree trunks in the wake of the self-extinguishing fire. Just twenty-two minutes after our arrival, the entire mountainside opposite us is burned out, with only a few wisps of smoke still rising from the area. The fire clears the leaf and branch litter enough to enable planting, and the ash provides short-lived fertilizer. In more than a decade of working in areas of Southeast Asia where this agricultural practice dominates, I had never seen a field-forest burned quite like this. My first personal experience with swidden farmers was while working with an Indonesian state university’s community development program in Papua, Indonesia, on the rugged, rainforested island of New Guinea. A young woman named Domi, perhaps fifteen years old, wanted to show off her forest garden, and invited me to go with her. After several hours walking through the dark forest, we arrived at a tiny garden opening, where she had planted root crops, bananas, hot peppers, and a range of local leaf vegetables. She had worked incredibly hard to clear this little patch herself with her machete, and she laughed as she told me about the “burning” process—waiting for a respite in the near-constant rain, and trying to set little clusters of damp vegetation alight, only to have rain put out the little fires. “Slash-and-burn” in this area could more accurately be termed “slash-and-rot,” I thought. I later conducted my dissertation research in the northern drylands of Timor island, on customary (the system of local kings and ritual authorities) and government institutions involved in land and forest regulation. The vegetation cover in this region was so sparse that burning a cut swidden field consisted of setting small fires all around the prepared area, and walking around in the burning field dragging any dried material across the ground with a palm leaf in a desperate attempt to scrape together enough leaves and stems to produce enough ash fertilizer to harvest a crop of maize, upland rice, and native grains intercropped with a diverse array of vegetables. I marvel at the challenges these farmers encounter, and the creativity they muster to make their livelihoods in these difficult environments. Photo: This is in northwest Thailand. The forest in the background was a rice field like the one in the foreground about 20 years ago. I began working in tropical agriculture as a young scientist, eager to combine my passions for plants and conservation in an academic discipline that could bring fullness of life to people living in situations of malnutrition and food insecurity. God has special concern for the vulnerable at society’s margins, and I wanted to focus my professional energies on understanding and addressing basic, critical human needs. Small-scale tropical farmers live a precarious existence in nutritional and economic terms, and their diverse livelihoods are often intertwined with using common forest resources, so I focused my attention at this level. I sought practical training in the technical and community development aspects of such agricultural work, and I anticipated that most of my time would be spent with farmers — around their fields, learning about their issues and aspirations, and assisting them in finding ecologically and economically sustainable ways to grow food. Early on, I assumed that most constraints to adequate food supply were agronomic. I did not critically examine the socioeconomic circumstances that led people to farm in extremely marginal conditions in the first place. Among the first assignments I received in Indonesia was to teach interior, upland Papuan villagers like Domi to grow carrots, a rare and high-value product in the lowland hot tropics. To help me with my assignment, I visited various government agencies around town to learn what projects and resources they had for the valley where I was to teach carrot-growing. This was an enlightening, valuable exercise: one department planned a plywood factory; another had ambitions for a state-owned cattle ranch; one program hoped to relocate the native residents and bring in outside workers for a planned oil palm plantation; and since the area was designated a national park, one official informed me that no people actually lived in the region. To my astonishment, not one government agency had any plans for the region that acknowledged or included the presence of the local people who had well-defined, clan-level claims to all the land and forest in that region. When I asked why the official map for the area did not show the eleven dispersed villages that were home to the 1500 people with whom I was to work, an administrator calmly told me that there were no villages, and that no people lived in the region. This experience with officials denying the existence and relevance of local people transformed me from an agronomist brimming with ideas on how to improve local farming systems into a political ecologist/environmental anthropologist concerned with how questions of land and forest access played out in remote landscapes. Though swidden farmers get a large measure of the public blame for forest loss in Southeast Asia, the lion’s share of deforestation in many areas is linked to plantation agriculture and associated large-scale extraction industries. In the Papuan case, this refocused my duties to working with sympathetic university and government authorities and a local legal aid society to take advantage of brand-new laws that recognize forest dwellers’ existing claims to land. Later, during my dissertation work in the new nation of Timor Leste, this commitment to resource justice led me to work with legislators drafting land laws that recognize rural people’s access to land and forests, where their livelihoods were dependent on natural resource use. While still focused on addressing human needs in tropical agriculture, my work shifted from working in fields to offices, from alongside farmers to interacting with officials and lawyers. Much research demonstrates that exemplary forest use and conservation is that which substantively includes — rather than vilifying or excluding — local residents in land use planning and practices. At present, I teach about agricultural systems and forest resources in university-level courses termed “Political Ecology of Forests” and “Human-Environment Interactions.” A goal in my teaching is to bring issues of resource justice to the forefront, in circumstances that students have not considered. My eagerness to bring my students along this path of understanding has come from my own professional conversion as a budding environmentalist, very concerned about protecting the world’s forest cover from a technical standpoint, to striving to incorporate larger issues of land justice. In my classes we examine agricultural systems on various levels, beginning with a comparison of factors students consider important components of sustainability in their own food — locally produced, free from reliance on commercial fertilizers and pesticides, perhaps using minimum tillage methods of soil management. On these counts, swidden agriculture usually comes out ecologically ahead of what my American students know of their own food systems. We then query the land and forest access issues of most swidden farmers, finding that they are among the most economically and politically vulnerable people in society — often officially deemed “squatters” in recently established government-designated conservation areas, without recognized political status or citizenship, and at risk for being relocated if a more powerful party wants access to the timber, water, minerals, or other resources in the area they have inhabited for generations. Students also learn that for soil fertility to be naturally replenished in swidden systems, the fallow periods need to be sufficiently long (usually eight years or more), but that state agencies may lay claim to long-fallowed land as conservation areas, thus forcing farmers to practice shorter, less sustainable swidden rotations. Most of my environmental studies students come to the course with a clear sense of ecological catastrophe wrought by slash-and-burn farming in the tropics. Expanding the window through which they view this issue to include matters of political and economic justice alongside comparison to the sustainability of their own lifestyles tempers their wholly negative perception of swidden agriculture. Swidden forest farming of this type is declining among the villages in Thailand where I currently perform research and lead groups of undergraduates, as many villagers expect that their children will get urban-based jobs. However, there is still much to learn from an agricultural lifestyle so intimately connected to forest use. My professional challenge and the challenge I give to my students is that we may do justice and love mercy (Micah 6:8) as we strive to understand and to bridge the worlds of marginal farmers and officials in politically contentious areas of forest control.
The news keeps getting worse for the the world's greatest coral reef system. Fresh on the heels of news that most of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has bleached comes the announcement that more than half of the coral in the reef has died this summer. Prospects look grim for most of the rest. When corals are stressed by disease, pollution, or overheating, they expel their symbiotic microalgae. Microalgae give corals their beautiful colors. Without them, they become bright white in a process known as bleaching. Bleached corals are in danger, but not yet dead. If the source of their stress passes quickly, they can absorb new symbionts – sometimes finding microalgae more resistant to the stressor. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of the University of Queensland, who has studied coral for over three decades, told IFLScience Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg of the University of Queensland, who has studied coral bleaching over the last three decades, told IFLScience: “The symbionts are crucial to corals, passing on 90 percent of the energy they trap from sunlight to their host. Without its principal food source, coral is outcompeted by other organisms.” If the bleaching event lasts too long, the corals become overgrown by opportunistic species that form the basis of far less productive ecosystems, which can be hard to displace once established. “The white corals become a scuzzy brown-green,” Hoegh-Guldberg said. The contrast between a dead coral and one that is bleached but still alive is very clear. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Global Change Institute, University of Queensland Bleached corals are so bright that aerial surveys show 93 percent bleaching. Picking up signs of coral death is harder, but Hoegh-Guldberg told IFLScience: “Dive teams have been looking at sample locations and are seeing well over 50 percent coral deaths.” The extent of the damage varies with how far, and how long, temperatures exceeded normal maxima. “Inshore reefs where water has ponded have higher mortalities,” Hoegh-Guldberg said. “Where there are more currents, temperatures have been lower, but even a lot of the outer edge reefs have been very affected.” The southern winter will bring relief, but it may come too late to save more than a small fraction of what was once a wonder of the world. “From the tip of Cape York to the Whitsundays, the Great Barrier Reef in the east to the Kimberleys in the west and Sydney Harbor in the south, Australia’s corals are bleaching like never before,” Hoegh-Guldberg said in a statement. “This is the worst coral bleaching episode in Australia’s history, with reports of coral dying in places that we thought would be protected from rising temperatures.” Bad as the news is, Hoegh-Guldberg does not think the reef is beyond salvation. “We will definitely see a degraded reef,” he told IFLScience. “However, if the world stops pumping out more CO2, temperatures will stabilize. Corals will be rare, but if we have not wiped them out entirely, they will eventually come back.” Hoegh-Guldberg has led past studies protecting small reefs using shade cloth, something he said may be viable around tourist resorts, and replanting reefs with coral bred for heat tolerance. “The Great Barrier Reef is the size of Italy, so to contemplate replacing corals that have been lost is unrealistic,” he said. “However, if we grasp the problem of stopping our emissions, the problem is soluble.”
The Andromeda galaxy, a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way, is the most distant object in the sky that you can see with your unaided eye. The visible fuzzy patch of stars stretches about as long as the width of the full moon, and half as wide. In 964, the Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi described the galaxy as a “small cloud” in his Book of Fixed Stars. When Charles Messier labeled it M31 in 1764, he called it a nebula, or the remnants of an exploded star. Until the 20th century, all objects in the night sky were believed to be part of the Milky Way, which was thought to be the entire known universe. In 1925, Edwin Hubble, using new distance measuring techniques, discovered that the fuzzy patch was too far away to lie within the Milky Way. Indeed, it was a separate galaxy, at a distance of 2.5 million light years away. Suddenly the universe was immensely bigger and the Andromeda Galaxy is just one of billions of galaxies in the known universe. But Andromeda remains the only galaxy like ours that you can just look up and see with the naked eye. This makes it a tiny window to the rest of the universe. When Andromeda was first explained to me, it amazed me to the point of disbelief. When I first saw it with my own eyes, I literally lost my mind. The actual image is just a blob of fuzz located in the constellation Andromeda. But the image combined with the knowledge of what it IS (or more correctly, WAS) sent me on a life-long trip that made LSD seem like de-caf coffee. Seeing it in a telescope just magnified the experience, giving detail to the image and the knowledge. The light hitting my eyes from Andromeda started out 2.5 million years ago. I’m seeing the galaxy as it was 2.5 million years ago. What were we doing 2.5 million years ago? When I look up and see this tiny cloud of distant light, I enter another realm. In this realm, all living things are related. All of our petty concerns are irrelevant. No species, animal or plant, is more important than any other. Our existence is a miracle. The fact that ANYTHING exists is an absolute miracle. Who Are We? When someone asks, “Who are you?” the answer is usually what you do or are called (job, nationality, race, sex, family, tribe, clan etc) or where you are from, etc. We live in a sea of descriptions, each one wrapped tightly around us. Some of these don’t even apply to us anymore. IE “I won a piano competition when I was 12” or “In grade 2, I wanted to be a priest”. We name and describe everything and everyone. But are any of those descriptions who (or what) they actually are? Let’s take any person on earth, a man let’s say, named Bob. There’s only one really true thing I can say or know about Bob and it’s that Bob had two parents. Bob also has 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents etc. Parents 2 25 (years ago) Grandparents 4 50 Great Grandparents 8 75 GG2 16 100 GG3 32 125 GG4 64 150 GG5 128 175 GG6 256 200 GG7 512 225 GG8 1,024 250 GG9 2,048 275 GG10 4,096 300 GG11 8,192 325 GG12 16,384 350 GG13 32,768 375 GG14 65,536 400 GG15 131,072 425 GG16 262,144 450 GG17 524,288 475 GG18 1,048,576 500 GG19 2,097,152 525 GG20 4,194,304 550 GG21 8,388,608 575 GG22 16,777,216 600 GG23 33,554,432 625 GG24 67,108,864 650 GG25 134,217,728 675 GG26 268,435,456 700 GG27 536,870,912 725 GG28 1,073,741,824 750 GG29 2,147,483,648 775 GG30 4,294,967,296 800 (Estimated population in 1200 AD = 300-400 million) This leads to a paradox (see Paradox: Living in a Contradictory Universe ) . The ancestors add up so fast that they far surpass the number of people alive. IE… 800 years ago, in 1200, Bob has over 4 billion ancestors. It would be 8 billion the generation before; more people than are on the planet today! Part of the answer to this puzzle is “Kissing Cousins”. If enough 1st cousins had children together, the number of ancestors would be far fewer. 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousin pairings reduce the number as well. Another part of the answer lies in the fact that many couples had large families, each sibling sharing the same set of ancestors. Yet another factor is the “bottleneck” situations. These are large-scale, catastrophic exterminations caused by war, disease and natural disasters. These cause further “reproductive isolation” where the only people of the opposite sex available for marriage are cousins. So instead of having more and more ancestors we actually have fewer and fewer. In fact only a few males and females from, say 8000 BC, are actually common ancestors of today's world population. The majority left no long-term descendants, largely because of those recurring bottleneck situations. But… everyone alive today is related to everyone else! We all have the same common ancestors. Every one of our ancestors had to survive birth, grow to maturity and give birth in spite of disease, hunger, disasters, war and untold other hardships. If we go back 6 million years there are no humans yet but there are the ape-like animals that evolved into all other apes, including humans and chimpanzees. Each early hominid had parents and grandparents etc. And Bob is there! This ape-like creature evolved into chimpanzees on the one hand and humans on the other. The reason for differences between humans and chimpanzees was caused by the rapid evolution of the chimps, not the humans. And the differences are very few. When evolution was first discussed, church leaders and others proclaimed, “Humans definitely did NOT come from apes”. Turns out they were right! Human beings didn’t COME from apes, They ARE apes! We are all one big family and are closely related to all other apes. Now, if we go back 70 million years, our ancestors are tree shrews… Small, insect eating, squirrel-like animals from which all primates evolved. At this time there are not yet any apes, including humans. These tree dwellers evolved from others that had survived several disasters, including mass extinctions, like the one that killed all the dinosaurs! Five mass extinctions have threatened all life on the planet, but our ancestors have survived each one! Long before that shrew (about 170 million years ago) was a reptile, about the size of a dog, with the very beginning of what we call mammalian features. It was the precursor to ALL living mammals, including Bob! Recently, a fossil was found in China of a tiny worm, about one millimeter long, which is believed to be the common ancestor of all vertebrates including everything from fishes to birds and bats to whales, including humans. The fossil dates to over 500 million years ago. Here’s what the animal might have looked like. EVERY living thing on earth has had millions of ancestors before them. If we go back 3.5 billion years, there are only single-celled beings. At first these were not even plant or animal but were merely single-celled beings that were the precursors to all life…. including Bob. This cell is known as LUCA or the Last Universal Common Ancestor. ALL of life is related to this common ancestor. All life can be seen as a manifestation of DNA, the molecules that contain our genetic code. Life is the history of DNA and DNA is the history of life. Before ‘life” there was just DNA… and RNA before that. Once RNA formed from organic chemicals it began the pursuit of duplicating itself. This, through much trial and error, led to the formation of DNA. Self-reproduction succeeded AND failed but some DNA survived. DNA slowly mutated over millions of years. Some mutations were caused by the environment, some by direct exchange with other DNA strands. Viruses had an essential role in changing the DNA of cells. Since DNA replication was mostly successful, some species survive to the present, precisely how they were billions of years ago. Most though, have gone extinct. From the formation of earth to the first life there was a billion years of chemical activity Each chemical reaction had a pre-cursor… the elements that preceded. All of the elements at play existed in one form or another when the earth was formed. The earth was formed at the same time as the sun and the pre-cursor for the whole solar system was the remnants of another star that blew up in our neighbourhood! Its very explosion created all of the elements that are now in the solar system, indeed all the elements in living things. So, all life on earth is directly related to the explosion of a star in our area. And that star was born of those that lived and died before. The stars have ancestors too! Where Are We? The earth rotates once every 24 hours, and its circumference is roughly 40,075 kilometres. Thus, the surface of the earth at the equator moves at a speed of roughly .5 K per second, or 1,800 KPH. The earth is moving about our sun at a speed of nearly 30 kilometres per second, or 108,000 KPH. In addition, our solar system, Earth and all, whirls around the center of our galaxy at some 220 kilometres per second, or 800,000 KPH. We are moving with respect to the CBR (Cosmic Background Radiation) at a speed of 390 kilometres per second, or 1.4 million KPH. Look up into the night sky and find the constellation known as Leo (the Lion). We’re moving in the direction of Leo at the dizzying speed of 390 kilometres per second! Everything in the past is gone and can’t be changed. The future is unknowable. In fact, the past is mostly unknowable and subject to the limits of our memories. We are precariously placed in the present moment…always moving and always changing. These three: past, present and future don’t actually exist! They are merely convenient constructs of our own making. The expression, “Live in the present moment” is based on a false premise; there is no present moment to live in. Everything we perceive in the “now” is actually a recent memory of the past and/or an expectation of the future. Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells. Each one lives and dies and replaces itself. Every cell contains our entire genetic code, passed down by billions of previous ancestors. Our bodies are also host to trillions of bacteria, which actually outnumber our cells. Most of the functions of the body are involuntary. The heart beats. The lungs breathe. The eyes blink. The stomach digests food. The blood circulates etc. If we sit quietly we notice that thoughts are also involuntary. Except for when we purposefully “think” something, thoughts just arise. We do not even know the source of our thoughts. So our experience of “ourselves” is simply thoughts and sensations that arise in our minds, last for a time, then pass away. So it is with ALL things… arise, last for a time, then pass away.
Hermann Name Meaning & Origin Looking for the perfect name? Try the Name MatchMaker to find the perfect baby name for you! Sister & Brother Names Know a Hermann? What are his siblings named? Name Lists Featuring Hermann Contribute your knowledge to the name Hermann - Comments and insights on the name Hermann - Personal experiences with the name Hermann - Nicknames for Hermann - Meanings and history of the name Hermann German form of Herman. - Famous real-life people named Hermann Arminius, also known as Armin or Hermann, 1st-century ruler of the Germanic Cherusci who led a rebellion against the Roman Empire. Hermann Hesse, German-born Swiss poet and novelist. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Hermann Göring, leading German Nazi official. - Hermann in song, story & screen
“Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs.” Nelson Mandela Inherent to the purpose of language is its primary function to share things with another human being. Language is a social event. That said, it is not restricted to one-on-one speech therapy sessions, but rather it grows when modeled, used, and expected across all settings and with as many people as we wish to share our thoughts with. Our kids here at CTC have various language challenges. Encouraging them to access language, whether through speech, a voice out-put language app on an iPad, typing, or a combination of all these supports, is the mission of the speech department and the school. We invite families to touch and use devices as some of our children do. The children who are functionally non-verbal are testament to what amazing ideas exist in a human being. They have taught us, as a whole, to make the conversation fair by using the device as they would. This forces the speaking partner to slow down, this honors their way of accessing language, this levels the playing field which reduces anxiety and improves spontaneous speech production. The families who actively take part in sharing conversational moments with their children see the most gains, as the kids want most of all to share their ideas with their family. Eighty percent of predictive outcomes for all human beings becoming successful in life (with or without disability) are family support. Celebrate the Children is the child’s extended family and so we look to support them throughout the day and we wish to collaborate with families on how to extend that into the home. Problem solving natural, fun interactions with the child, which is layered with language validates their relationships with the family and empowers them to try what they have learned at school with their most important persons. Group discussions, family discussions, and one-on-one discussions with our children build the language competence so that we can share the hopes and savor the songs of our most amazing children. -Speech Therapists, Related Services Department, Celebrate the Children Leave a Reply. Contributions to this blog are made by Celebrate the Children's highly talented, interdisciplinary team and wonderful families.
Brown dwarfs are neither planets nor stars. They’re “substellar objects,” too low in mass to sustain hydrogen fusion reactions in their cores, unlike normal stars. They range in size between the heaviest gas giants (think Jupiter) and the lightest stars, with an upper limit of around 75 to 80 Jupiter masses (MJ). Brown dwarfs heavier than about 13 MJ are thought to fuse deuterium. Those above ~65 MJ, fuse lithium as well. Despite their name, brown dwarfs are rarely brown and come in an array of colors. Many brown dwarfs would likely appear magenta and orange/red to the naked eye. There is a debate as to whether brown dwarfs have experienced fusion at some point in their history. Some planets are known to orbit brown dwarfs. The nearest known brown dwarf was discovered by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE survey), named Luhman 16 and part of a binary system of brown dwarfs, at a distance of about 6.5 light years. If WISE found the brown dwarf in our Solar System, which many serious scientists have calculated exists in a binary orbit with our own Sun, they’re not telling. This theoretical object is often referred to these days as “Nibiru,” based on the writings of Zechariah Sitchin. It is also popularly referred to as Planet X and Hercolubus and has been called Nemesis in scientific literature. The strong belief by many that this object exists and that it’s moving towards our outer Solar System and is predicted to disrupt – if not entirely extinguish all life on our planet is the subject of many YouTube videos and if nothing else a symptom of how completely distrustful of any authority that many people have become during our post-9/11 era.
Every year, new advancements in technology are being released. From the newest iPhone to developments in the aviation industry, technology is on the up and up. Want to learn more about the improvements being made to the aviation industry? Here are some technology trends to keep on your radar. Autonomous Flight Systems Usually when you think of autonomous flights, the first thing to come to mind are drones. Afterall, implementing autonomous technologies has been a growing trend across several industries over the past few years. Drones have gained in such popularity that the FAA has even had to implement new regulations for their use. However, it’s not just drones the aviation industry has been developing. Drone technology will need to be scaled-up before it’s ready for passenger planes and longer flights. The aviation industry’s end goal is to launch fully human-free flights. While these developments might be years away, we might be seeing planes being cut down to just one pilot in the coming years. It’s no secret that the aviation industry is one of the largest consumers of fuel. Because of this, airlines have been trying to find ways of more sustainable air travel. One of the biggest advancements in recent years is the development of electric propulsion systems. While larger airlines are trying to be more environmentally friendly, smaller companies are partnering with NASA to develop new technologies and craft through the many programs associated with the Electrified Aircraft Propulsion research. Rolls-Royce’s Accelerating the Electrification of Flight (ACCEL) division successfully launched their Spirit of Innovation electric plane this past September. The Spirit of Innovation is expected to make a run for the record books later this year with a target speed of 300+ MPH. Many of the electric aircraft currently under development are for the emerging regional and urban air mobility markets. Smaller aircraft means a decrease in carbon emissions, engine noise, and takeoff space. Maybe air-taxis are a closer reality than you think. Gone are the days of planes being made of primarily aluminum. As the industry strives for lighter, stronger materials for aircraft bodies and fuselages, they are steadily replacing aluminum. The new materials of choice are composites and alloys, such as titanium, graphite, fiberglass, reinforced epoxy, and ceramics. Not only are these materials stronger and stiffer than aluminum, but they are also resistant to chemicals and corrosion. They will be able to more easily maintain their superior qualities, even in in extreme conditions. They are even working on new cost-effective, lightweight, and recyclable bio-composites made from biomass, biowaste, plants, crops, and micro-organisms. They will be able to be used alone or integrated with carbon or glass fiber. The exterior of airplanes aren’t the only thing being made of new materials. Over the past decade, 3D printing has been gaining in popularity. The aviation and aerospace industries have not been exempt from this growth. At first it was just nonessential plastic parts, but over the past few years, there have been advancements in 3D metal printing. From replacement parts throughout the cabin to more essential commercial and military components, 3D printing can do it all. With 3D printing, experts can create engine parts, wingtip fences, bearing housing, combustion chamber protective jackets, and more! 3D printing is also a great way to make new parts for older aircraft whose parts may be hard to come by. Whether it is because of the new demand for lightweight components or replacement parts, 3D printing is here to stay. Structural Health Monitoring An increase in new materials also means an increase in new ways to analyze the structural integrity of aircraft. With aluminum, damage- from small dents to large bends in the body of the aircraft- was easy to spot. However, the newer composites require ultrasonic scanning. Because aircraft accidents are often fatal, innovations in structural health monitoring of the greatest importance. Structural health monitoring (SHM) involves the observation and analysis of the systems of the aircraft overtime to make sure there are no changes in the materials or their properties. Airplanes aren’t the only structures that undergo SHM- bridges and buildings go through it too. Over the last decade, researchers have made significant advances in developing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) sensors. These sensors are either embedded or attached and technicians are able to use the data they gather to assess the state of the structure. These advancements in SHM mean that airlines are going to need more specialized equipment and skilled employees to perform diagnostic tests. Because of this, the aviation maintenance field is on the rise! There is currently a shortage of aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs). If you’d like to learn more about what it takes to be an AMT, contact NCI today!
“Our plants and animals are quite robust” 6 May 2019 You cannot be the best at everything. A plant can be visible and very aromatic to attract pollinators or maintain a lower profile to avoid being eaten by herbivores. A new research study published in Science confirms that plants excel at adaptation. This can happen quickly, too. Jon Ågren, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Genetics, has conducted extensive research on pollination and the ability of plants to adapt to different climates. In the latest issue of Science, he discusses a new study from another research team that has experimented with the wild turnip, investigating how this plant adapts, depending on the circumstances confronting it. The researchers minimised the time bumblebees were released for pollination and subjected the wild turnip to herbivorous insects. How does a plant attract pollinators? “For example, a plant can produce aromas or large flowers that can be seen from a long distance. But if a plant exposes itself with aromas and large flowers, it also risks becoming easy prey for herbivores.” What was the most important thing the researchers concluded in the experiments described in Science? “That not only pollinators but also herbivores affect how the traits of flowers evolve. The study also shows that this can happen quickly, provided there is genetic variation in the population. After six generations, genetic differences among plants subjected to different treatments already had evolved.” Plants also seem to have the ability to change genetically in a rather short time to better succeed. In his own research Ågren has studied bird’s-eye primroses growing at Alvaret on Öland. There are bird’s-eye primroses with both long and short stems, and Jon and his colleagues followed the primroses for many years to see what happened to the flowers that grew where there were grazing animals compared with those that grew where no grazing animals were present. In simple terms, the results showed that the primroses with long stems, which make them more visible to pollinators, are more successful where no animals graze and vegetation grows tall, while the primroses with short stems do better in grazed areas. None of the variations are best in both areas and how well they manage depends on grazing pressure and access to pollinators. With the climate changes under way, is it good that plants are capable of change? “Yes, plants have a good potential for adapting. But that requires genetic variation in the population. “Within a species with many individuals, there are often many different variations in genes, resulting in large genetic variation in the population. If the climate becomes colder, for example, there may be those that are better equipped for that, and if it gets warmer, there are individuals who can tolerate that better. But if all individuals have similar genes, the genetic variation is low, and the population becomes very vulnerable to changes in the habitat.” The number of pollinators is declining, the climate is changing and humans are using the land in different ways. What should we worry about most? “We need to understand how these factors affect the ability of plants to survive and reproduce in the long term. Will the plants be able to spread to a more suitable habitat? Do such places exist? Will they have time to genetically adapt to the new conditions? We need to record not only the species that decline, but also what this means for interaction among species. Our plants and animals historically have proven to be quite robust, but what concerns many is the speed at which climate change is happening now.” Jon Ågren (2019) Pollinators, herbivores, and the evolution of floral traits, Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.aax1656 Published in the Perspective section. Subscribe to the Uppsala University newsletter Search all Uppsala University news
Human being is a characteristics species among all living species that distinguish itself from all other living species by its ability to magnify and extend its own capabilities. Earlier, the human being has been described as a tool utilizing other animals for carrying out the work generally ascribed by him for himself. The capabilities of man along with his desire for knowledge and improvement leads to the development of a device called “A machine”. A machine, as per one of the definitions given in ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ is “An apparatus for applying mechanical power consisting of a number of interrelated parts, each having a definite function.” The evolution of machine is attributed to the propagating power of machine which is inherited from its ancestor machines. Existing machine tool makes the pathway for the manufacturing of more advanced machine tools which successively serves to accelerate the evolution of new machine tools. On the Giza plateau stands the one and only great sphinx. The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock of the Giza plateau, the Sphinx is a mysterious marvel from the days of ancient Egypt. With the body of a lion and the head of a king or god, the sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom. Depression has been described as the common cold of mental health problems (Hotopf, 1996) and 90 % of depression is managed in primary care (Mann, 1992). The National Service Framework (NSF, DoH, 1999) identifies cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a major component of primary mental health care services, as it has a strong effectiveness research tradition (Salkovskis, 2002). CBT is a short term, structured form of therapy that provides clients with a rationale for understanding their problems (Blackburn & Davidson, 1990). CBT requires a sound therapeutic alliance; the therapist should demonstrate warmth, genuine regard and competence (Beck, 1995). It follows the premise that psychological problems arise as a direct consequence of faulty patterns of thinking and behaviour (Maphosa et al, 2000). In mild depression the person ruminates on negative themes and CBT examines the effects of people’s thoughts on how they feel and what they do (J. Williams, 1997). It is now common to draw out the central elements of CBT to offer a more condensed intervention (Teasdale, 1985). Self-help materials are usually given to clients as homework (Richards et al, 2003). Bower et al (2001) found that self-help techniques can have considerable impact on a broad range of mental health problems. Guided self-help should be considered for clients with mild depression. It is a collaborative form of psychotherapy; the client learns new skills of self-management that they can put into practice in their daily lives (DoH, 2003). The following analysis examines the role-play of a primary care graduate mental health worker (PCGMHW). These workers were part of a government plan to enhance mental health services in primary care (DoH, 2000). Throughout this analysis strengths and weaknesses of the therapist will be discussed and what improvements can be made to the demonstrated clinical skills.
Hypatia 26 (4):762-782 (2011) \|Abstract\|\|This paper argues that there is ethical and practical necessity for including women's needs, perspectives, and expertise in international climate change negotiations. I show that climate change contributes to women's hardships because of the conjunction of the feminization of poverty and environmental degradation caused by climate change. I then provide data I collected in Ghana to demonstrate effects of extreme weather events on women subsistence farmers and argue that women have knowledge to contribute to adaptation efforts. The final section surveys the international climate debate, assesses explanations for its gender blindness, and summarizes the progress on gender that was made at Copenhagen and Cancun in order to document and provoke movement toward climate justice for women\| \|Keywords\|\|No keywords specified (fix it)\| \|Through your library\|\|Configure\| Similar books and articles Duane Windsor (2009). Global Justice and Global Climate Change. Proceedings of the International Association for Business and Society 20:23-34. Melany Banks (2013). Individual Responsibility for Climate Change. Southern Journal of Philosophy 51 (1):42-66. Paul G. Harris (2008). Implementing Climate Equity: The Case of Europe. Journal of Global Ethics 4 (2):121 – 140. Sarina Keller (2010). Scientization: Putting Global Climate Change on the Scientific Agenda and the Role of the IPCC. Poiesis and Praxis 7 (3):197-209. Dan C. Shahar (2009). Justice and Climate Change: Toward a Libertarian Analysis. The Independent Review 14 (2):219-237. Tim Mulgan (2012). The Future of Utilitarianism. In James Maclaurin (ed.), Rationis Defensor. Tim Mulgan (2012). The Future of Utilitarianism. In Rationis Defensor. Petra Tschakert & Mario Machado (2012). Gender Justice and Rights in Climate Change Adaptation: Opportunities and Pitfalls. Ethics and Social Welfare 6 (3):275-289. S. Matthew Liao, Anders Sandberg & Rebecca Roache (2012). Human Engineering and Climate Change. Ethics, Policy and Environment 15 (2):206 - 221. Jonathan Pickering & Christian Barry (2012). On the Concept of Climate Debt: Its Moral and Political Value. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 15 (5):667-685. Rosemary Lyster, Chasing Down the Climate Change Footprint of the Public and Private Sectors: Forces Converge - Part I. Holly L. Wilson (2010). Divine Sovereignty and The Global Climate Change Debate. Essays in Philosophy 12 (1):8-15. Joseph F. DiMento & Pamela Doughman (eds.) (2007). Climate Change: What It Means for Us, Our Children, and Our Grandchildren. The Mit Press. Anders Nordgren (2012). Ethical Issues in Mitigation of Climate Change: The Option of Reduced Meat Production and Consumption. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 25 (4):563-584. Lindsay F. Wiley (2010). Mitigation/Adaptation and Health: Health Policymaking in the Global Response to Climate Change and Implications for Other Upstream Determinants. Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 38 (3):629-639. Added to index2011-06-17 Total downloads8 ( #123,161 of 549,122 ) Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,361 of 549,122 ) How can I increase my downloads?
The First man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, has died following complications from cardiovascular surgery. On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission. He is perhaps best known for his iconic words as he stepped from the landing capsule and onto the surface of the moon: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Since that historical moment Armstrong has been heralded as one of America’s greatest heroes. In the wake of his passing on the 25th of August, media tributes have flowed steadily. Examples of (extensive) New Zealand media coverage include: MSN News: Tributes for ‘man on the moon’ Armstrong Radio New Zealand: Obama leads tributes to Neil Armstrong New Zealand Herald: Astronauts mourn loss of ‘space pioneer’ Armstrong Otago Daily Times: First man on moon Neil Armstrong dies Stuff.co.nz: Neil Armstrong: Modest man who became global hero
Report an inappropriate comment Tue Nov 27 12:02:32 GMT 2007 by Ian Wilson [quote] Why isn't water vapor ever mentioned? It accounts for up to 99% of heat retention in the atmosphere.[/quote] It is not mentioned because Dr Michael Mann (famous for authoring the now discredited 'Hockey Sitick' graph ) has stated that 'water vapor precipitates out of the atmosphere in 12 hours so can be disregarded. There does not appear to be any proof of this apparently wild assumption. Nevertheless, it is almost solely responsible for the current 'carbon footprint' frenzy by politicians and the media. It would be possible to hypothesize that rising temperatures caused by the trigger that ended the ice ages (accepted above as NOT being CO2) causes the oceans to warm and hold less CO2. Thus as the warming continues, more CO2 enters or stays in the atmosphere as both a lagging indicator and a minor positive feedback to the warming (in comparison to methane and water-vapor). Unfortunately, science and open honest challenge of hypotheses has been forgotten. It is now just as much a heresy to question CO2 as 'the main cause of global warming' as it was to question that the sun orbits the earth.
Using a supplemental poverty measure that incorporates everyday expenses like child care and out-of-pocket medical expenses, the Census Bureau determined that 49.1 million Americans, or 16% of the population, live below the poverty line. The supplemental measure, which is still considered experimental and will not be used to determine who is eligible for federal aid, was introduced in response to growing criticism that current poverty measurements are out of date. It is based on recommendations from a government-mandated panel, which found that the official poverty measurement fails to adjust for the rising cost of living, does not account for expenses crucial to holding down a job, like child care, and doesn’t factor in medical costs that vary due to age, health status and insurance coverage. The supplemental measurement accounts for these added expenses and also factors in an individual or family’s housing status – whether they rent, own a home or carry a mortgage – to determine the poverty threshold. Under the new measurements, poverty thresholds for a family of four increased to $24,344 when not accounting for housing status. That breaks down to $25,018 for homeowners with mortgages, $20,590 for homeowners without a mortgage, and $24,391 for renters. Comparatively, the official measure, established in the 1960s, defines poverty as an annual income of $11,139 for an individual or $22,314 for a family of four. The formula is based largely on food costs. Americans 65 and older saw the largest increase in poverty when using the new metric, with the rate raising from 9% to 15.9%, largely due to medical expenses. Adults 18-64 also saw increases (13.7% vs. 15.2%) due mostly to commuting and child care costs. Even without considering added expenses, official poverty estimates released in September found that 46.2 million Americans are living below the poverty line – the highest level since 1993. The Census Bureau says it will continue to release data using each measure until further research is conducted to determine whether formal changes need to be made to them. —For the best rates on loans, bank accounts and credit cards, enter your ZIP code at BankingMyWay.com.
By Steven Reinberg MONDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Children of parents who survived childhood cancer are unlikely to suffer from birth defects, finds a new study that should allay some concerns about long-term effects of treatment. It appears that DNA damage done by chemotherapy and radiation of the reproductive organs doesn't increase the risk that children will inherit those damaged genes, researchers say. "We found that DNA damage from radiation and chemotherapy with alkylating agents are not associated with the risk of genetic birth defects in the offspring," said lead researcher Lisa Signorello, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. "This is really reassuring," she said. "This is one less thing for childhood cancer survivors to worry about." The prevalence of birth defects among the children of cancer survivors is similar to that of the general population, added Signorello, who's also a senior epidemiologist at the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Md. While life-saving in many cases, radiotherapy and chemotherapy with alkylating agents, such as busulfan, cyclophosphamide and dacarbazine, can damage DNA. Signorello noted that childhood cancer survivors have a higher rate of infertility and a greater risk of having miscarriage, preterm birth and low birth-weight infants. Although cancer treatment can cause DNA damage to the sperm and eggs, "it may be that these damages get filtered out," she said. Genetic-based birth defects are rare, accounting for about 3 percent of births. Although earlier research found little or no increased risk for birth defects among the children of cancer survivors, the studies were small in size and lacked detailed data about radiation and chemotherapy, such as radiation doses to the testes and ovaries, the researchers noted. The report was published in the Dec. 12 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. For the study, Signorello and colleagues collected data on more than 20,000 children who had survived cancer. The data were taken from the 1970 and 1986 Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Fifty-seven percent of them had been treated for leukemia or lymphoma. The researchers also looked at the health of nearly 4,700 children of these survivors. Of the parents treated for cancer, 63 percent had radiation therapy and 44 percent of men and 50 percent of women had chemotherapy. Among their children, 2.7 percent had at least one birth defect such as Down syndrome, achondroplasia (dwarfism), or cleft lip. Three percent of the mothers exposed to radiation or treated with alkylating chemotherapy had a child with a genetic birth defect, compared with 3.5 percent of mothers who survived cancer, but weren't exposed to these treatments, the researchers found. Only 1.9 percent of children of the cancer-surviving fathers had these birth defects, compared with 1.7 percent of children of fathers who did not have chemotherapy or radiation, they said. "This is very encouraging, because there has been a worry," said Dr. Michael Katz, senior vice president for research and global programs at the March of Dimes. Dr. Jeanette Falck Winther, a senior researcher at the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology at the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen and co-author of an accompanying journal editorial, said the study findings should address some of the reproductive concerns of childhood cancer survivors, geneticists and pediatric oncologists. "Our hope is that this reassuring information will be used by the physicians in counseling childhood cancer survivors who desire and are able to have children," she said. For more information on childhood cancer, visit the American Cancer Society. SOURCES: Lisa Signorello, Sc.D., associate professor of medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., senior epidemiologist, International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, Md.; Jeanette Falck Winther, M.D., senior researcher, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Michael Katz, M.D., senior vice president for research and global programs, March of Dimes; Dec. 12, 2011, Journal of Clinical Oncology Last Updated: Dec. 13, 2011 Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved. May 23: Catching Cancer Early Screening for lung cancer with low dose CT instead of chest x-ray can save lives, a new study finds.
Growth Strategies by Type of Farm Traditionally, Midwestern agriculture farming operations have been relatively standardized with each operation made up of a land base producing commodity crops and feed that was fed to commodity livestock on the farm. However, modern agriculture has seen the proliferation of different types of farms. The four prevalent types are outlined below. Each type of farm needs to follow a different strategy to be successful. Below is the typical growth strategy for each of four different types of farm, along with how operations are organized and income generated and what resources are required. A discussion of other Farm Business Strategies in addition to the growth strategy is available. - Commodity Farms -- These are traditional farms that sell crops and livestock into commodity markets. - Growth Strategy - Capacity Expansion - Commodity farms expand horizontally with more acres, more head of livestock, etc. The premise is to accept the low margins typical of commodity production and maximize returns by increasing the number of units and spreading fixed costs over more units. - Operations Organization - Specialization - A key to the success of capacity expansion is to specialize by having just a few large scale enterprises so that management is just focused on a few enterprises. - Income Sources - Few - The income sources consist of a small number of enterprises. - Resource Requirements - Capital Intensive - Commodity production requires large capital investments in land, machinery and other assets. So access to capital is critical. The balance sheet is built on land and machinery. - Value-added Processing/Commodity Farms - These are traditional commodity farms that are involved past the farm gate by investing in the processing of agricultural commodities. An example is a corn farmer investing in an ethanol plant. - Growth Strategy - Integration - The growth strategy of commodity farms involved in value-added processing is a vertical strategy moving up the supply chain past the farm gate into processing. Capital is invested in processing rather than the expansion of commodity production. This growth strategy is essentially an investment decision. There is little change in how the farm business is operated. - Operations Organization - Specialization - Because this is a commodity business and the processing aspect is just an investment decision, operations are usually specialized in just a few enterprises. - Income Sources - Multiple - Although the farming operation consists of just a few enterprises, there are multiple income sources because the business is involved in both production and processing. - Resource Requirements - Capital Intensive - Because this is essentially an investment decision in processing, the growth strategy is very capital intensive. The balance sheet is built on land and value-added processing. - Growth Strategy - Increase Profit Margin - Instead of growing by increasing units of production, the focus of this strategy is to grow by producing higher value crops and livestock with a larger profit margin. - Operations Organization - Specialization - Specialty product farms often specialize in just a few enterprises so operations are also specialized. - Income Sources - Few -The income sources consist of a small number of enterprises. - Resource Requirements - Management Intensive - Because of the management skills involved in specialty production, specialty product farms tend to be management intensive. Capital is less important than in commodity farms. - Growth Strategy - Increase Profit Margin - Profit margin is increased by participating in activities past the farm gate. - Operations Organization - Diversification - Although one or just a few products are produced, the operation is quite diverse because the farm business is involved in processing and marketing. The operation strategy tends to cover many activities. - Income Sources - Multiple - Although just a few products are produced, income is generated by participating in multiple levels of the supply chain (production, processing, marketing.) - Resource Requirements - Management Intensive - Because of the management skills needed for production, processing and marketing, these farms tend to be management intensive. Capital is less important than in commodity farms. , retired extension value added agriculture specialist,
Learn about ocean animals alphabetical order worksheet for kids. Kids are asked to put the names of the ocean animals in alphabetical order. Children will have fun while learning about ocean life with this printable worksheet. Click on the image to view and print the .pdf version of this kids worksheet. View and Print Your Ocean Animals Worksheet All worksheets on this site were done personally by our family. Please do not reproduce any of our content on your own site without direct permission. We welcome you to link directly to any pages on our site without specific permission. We also welcome any feedback, ideas or anything you want to share with us - just email us at firstname.lastname@example.org.
When Trista was an elementary school student, technology didn't have much of a priority in school. "We used the computer for mostly playing games like Oregon Trail," she says. "I don't think that the school must have felt that computers were here to stay, because they put them into a storage closet that was shared with the custodian of the school." But as a new teacher - this is her second year teaching - Trista uses technology every day. She keeps in touch with parents and colleagues with email, creates classroom presentations with PowerPoint, brainstorms with her students using Inspiration, and tailors worksheets to her students' needs with office software. Trista teaches fourth and fifth graders in a self-contained classroom. This year, her students completed a get-to-know-you activity with a digital twist. They paired off, took pictures of each other with a digital camera, and then interviewed each other. Trista then helped her students put together a PowerPoint presentation of information about everyone in the class. "They are really proud when they show their parents what they did," she says. On using technology to reach students more effectively: "I have been using Inspiration, which uses webs and graphics. It helps students who are different kinds of learners (visual, auditory, and so on)... the students are excited to use technology and also amazed by it."
Many users become frustrated by Word’s proofing tools, especially the spelling checker. It doesn’t recognize words they know are right, or it insists on recognizing U.S. spellings when they want U.K. spellings, or they want Word to ignore certain kinds of text that aren’t really words at all. They become understandably exasperated with Word’s know-it-all attitude. Who’s in charge here, anyway? The question is, who is to be master,* and it is possible to get the upper hand! Let’s start with an explanation of how Word’s spelling checker works. It is not really very sophisticated. Essentially, Word has a very large (but not infinite) list of words to which it compares each “word” you type. If it doesn’t find a match, it tells you that the word is misspelled. In compounding languages such as German or Dutch, Word's lexicon contains possible components of compound words, and the spelling checker verifies these individual components in much the same way that the English spelling checker looks at the separate parts of hyphenated words. The lists used by the spelling checker are in “lexicons” (files with the .lex extension) identified by language. For example, Mssp3en.lex is the lexicon for most varieties of English; there is a separate lexicon for Australian English, Mssp3ena.lex. These files are in a proprietary format and cannot be read or edited by users. The importance of language The lexicon Word uses depends on what language you have selected for the text. By default, the English edition of Word comes with proofing tools (spelling and grammar checkers, a thesaurus, and a hyphenation file) for English, French, and Spanish (several flavors of each). Other languages are included in other editions. If you want to check spelling and grammar in a language not included with your edition, you must purchase the Office Proofing Tools package for your version of Office. These are usually available from Microsoft only for the most recent version of Office, but currently (2016) it is possible to get them for both Office 2013 and Office 2016. For Office 2013, they can be downloaded free here. For Office 2016, get them here. The language applied to text is selected in the Language dialog. Access it as follows: In Figure 1, note that you can tell from the list in this dialog which languages have proofing tools installed (those with the ABC+check icon). In this example, you could format your text as Estonian, but you would not be able to check spelling or grammar because the proofing tools for Estonian are not available. If the language of your text doesn’t match the language of the proofing tools being used, then obviously you won’t get very good results. A common complaint of British users is that Word insists on using U.S. English instead of U.K. English, even though they have selected U.K. English as the default. There are two issues here: In addition to the built-in “lexicon” in a given language, Word can use user-defined “dictionaries,” to which you can add words of your choice. The default user or custom dictionary is the Custom.dic file. When you right-click on a “misspelled” word and choose Add to Dictionary, this is the file to which it is added. It’s a simple text file that you can edit. For all practical purposes, you can have as many custom dictionaries as you like (although there is a maximum number, it is very unlikely that you will exceed it). For example, you might have a number of specific technical terms that you use only for certain documents. You could create a separate dictionary for these terms and load it as needed. To create such a new dictionary, follow these instructions: Some add-in dictionaries, such as dictionaries of medical and legal terms, are available for purchase. You can add such a dictionary by clicking Add in the Custom Dictionaries dialog, navigating to its location on your hard drive, selecting it, and clicking OK in the Add Custom Dictionary dialog. If you have created an exclusion dictionary, you can use this method to add it to the Custom Dictionaries list to make it more easily accessible for adding or removing entries. In recent versions of Word you have a number of options about how Word checks spelling. If you have “Check spelling as you type” checked in the Spelling & Grammar Options or Proofing Options dialog (see Figure 2), Word will put a wavy red underline under words it doesn’t recognize. If you opt not to check spelling as you type, you can still run the spelling checker explicitly by pressing F7 or through the menu or Ribbon as follows: If no words are being marked as misspelled, even though you have "Check spelling as you type" enabled, it may be that you are an extremely good speller and not using any words that Word doesn't recognize. More likely, there is something wrong. Check the Spelling & Grammar Options or Proofing Options to make sure that "Hide spelling errors in this document" is not checked (see Figure 2). If it is not, the usual problem is that the text has been formatted as “Do not check spelling or grammar” (see Figure 1). To correct this, select the entire document (Ctrl+A), apply the desired language to it, and clear the check box for “Do not check spelling and grammar” in the Language dialog. While clearing the check box for “Do not check spelling and grammar” for all the text in the document will provide a solution for the currently selected text, there are two caveats to be aware of: If you have Word 2007 or above and find that the spelling checker just does not work at all—that is, it doesn't mark any words as misspelled, and running the spelling checker with F7 doesn't find any errors—there are two more steps you can try: Sometimes, even though “Check spelling as you type” is enabled and some words are marked as misspelled, you will type or see a word that you know is misspelled, but Word does not mark it or find it when you run the spelling checker. The usual reason for this is that that portion of the text has been formatted as “Do not check spelling or grammar.” You may even get a message from the spelling checker that "The spelling and grammar check is complete. Text marked with 'Do not check spelling or grammar' was skipped." Remember that language is a character format that can affect even small selected portions of your text. Although most of your document may have the correct language applied, it's possible for certain portions of it to be formatted as "Do not check spelling or grammar." You can use this to your advantage, but when you do want it checked, select the problem text (or the entire document) and clear the check box for "Do not check spelling or grammar" in the Language dialog. Occasionally you will right-click on a misspelled word and choose Ignore All, then later think better of it. Once you’ve told Word to ignore the word, though, how do you get it to see the word as misspelled again? Go to: and click Recheck Document. You will get the message box shown in Figure 7. Answer Yes and your ignored word will again be marked as misspelled. Sometimes you would like Word to call attention to a word that you frequently type when you intend to type a different, similar word. For example, suppose you often type “abut” when you mean “about.” “Abut” is an actual word, so it isn’t misspelled, but chances are that in most cases it’s a typo. You could add “abut > about” as an AutoCorrect entry, but there may be times when you would actually have a use for the word “abut,” so you don’t want to burn your bridges—just make sure that you have some warning that you may have used the wrong word. You can accomplish this by adding the word to an “exclusion dictionary.” This is also an effective way to deal with variant spellings that, while they may be generally accepted as correct, you prefer not to use. If you have Word 2007 or above, you will probably find you have less need for an exclusion dictionary, as the contextual spelling checker in that version will handle many of the “errors” that you would have added to an exclusion dictionary in previous versions. This should be an easy one to troubleshoot: clearly the language of the text doesn’t match the language of the proofing tools. If you’re typing in French and spell-checking in English, there may be a few words that will overlap, but for the most part you’ll have “misspellings.” Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document; then, in the Tools \| Language \| Set Language dialog (Review \| Proofing \| Set Language in Word 2007; Review \| Language \| Language \| Set Proofing Language in Word 2010), select the correct language if proofing tools are available. If you don’t have proofing tools for the language installed, you can hide the spelling errors. There are at least four possible reasons for a word to be marked as a misspelling even though you think (or know) it is spelled correctly: There are times when you don’t want to see spelling errors in your document, or you don’t want others to see them. There are several approaches to this problem, with varying effect on other documents and systems. The options can be summarized as follows: Sometimes you will have a document in which certain kinds of text will always be “misspelled.” Even if you have exempted words in UPPERCASE, words with numbers, and Internet and file addresses (see Figure 2), there will still be text that the spelling checker will mark because it is in another language (for which you don’t have proofing tools) or because it is not a real language (programming code, for example, or equations that don’t contain numbers). This is an issue, for example, for an author writing a book about programming who must include code snippets. Or the issue may be just a lot of unusual names. The solution to this problem is to format the text as “Do not check spelling or grammar.” Remember that we said that the language applied to text (and this includes the “(no proofing)” language) is a character format. It can be applied to a unit as small as a single letter, so it can certainly be applied to specific words or paragraphs. The easiest way to apply this formatting is to apply a style that is formatted as “Do not check spelling or grammar.” If the text of this type will be complete paragraphs, this can be a paragraph style; if the text will be included in paragraphs of ordinary text, a character style can be used. To add the “Do not check spelling or grammar” property to an existing paragraph style (such as Plain Text, often used for code snippets), in the Modify Style dialog, click Format \| Language and check the box for “Do not check spelling or grammar.” Often you will want to create a "no proofing" character style to apply to selected text. Such a style should be based on “Default Paragraph Font so that you can apply it to any style of text without changing the font formatting. Word’s built-in proofing tools have the ability to recognize all tense forms of an included verb, plurals and possessives of nouns, and any combination of caps and lowercase. Custom dictionaries don’t have this ability. If you add a noun all in lowercase, Word will recognize it when capitalized, but if you capitalize it in the custom dictionary, it will not be recognized when lowercased. Nor will it be recognized if you make it plural or possessive; you must add all these variant forms individually. To remove a word from a custom dictionary, open the Custom Dictionaries dialog, select the appropriate dictionary, and click Modify. Select the incorrect word, click Delete, then click OK. If you right-click on a “misspelled” word and choose Add to Dictionary and get the error message, “The custom dictionary is full. The word was not added,” this can indicate that the dictionary is corrupt or the spelling checker files are damaged; see this Microsoft Knowledge Base article. In no case does the message actually mean that the custom dictionary is full—at least not in recent versions of Word (there is a maximum size of 64 KB, but it's unlikely you'll reach that, though you might experience performance issues if the dictionary becomes very large). If, however, the Add to Dictionary command is unavailable (dimmed on the shortcut menu), this indicates that the language of the default dictionary differs from the language applied to the word you’re trying to add. By default, Custom.dic is set to All Languages; if you change it to, say, French, you will not be able to add an English word. This error might easily arise if you had created an additional custom dictionary for specific terms, set the language to something other than All Languages, set it as the default temporarily, and forgotten to reselect Custom.dic as the default. *Astute readers will recognize the allusion to this passage from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass: This article copyright © 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016 by Suzanne S. Barnhill. I am grateful to Stefanie Schiller, Thierry Fontenelle, and Lisa Decrozant of Microsoft's Natural Language Group, whose comments helped me make this article more accurate. Any errors that remain are my own.
Two new studies in the New England Journal of Medicine rocked the world of celiac research, both proving that scientists have a ways to go in their understanding of celiac disease, which affects about 1% of the population, whether they know it or not. One Italian study wondered if the age at which gluten is introduced into the diet could affect a person's likelihood of developing the autoimmune disease—so they kept gluten away from newborns for a year. To the shock of the researchers, delaying exposure to gluten didn't make a difference in the long run. In some cases it delayed the onset of the disease, but it didn't stop people from developing the disease, for which there is no cure. The second study, of almost 1,000 children, introduced small amounts of gluten into the diets of breastfeeding infants to see if that fostered a gluten tolerance later on in those who were genetically predisposed to celiac disease. No such luck for them, either. Though both studies were excellently designed and executed, says Joseph A. Murray, MD, professor of medicine and gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, each was "a spectacular failure." See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis What is it about gluten that causes so many people to double over in pain? How could the innocent, ancient act of breaking bread be so problematic for some? It’s a question researchers are actively trying to answer. “I think of celiac disease now as a public health issue,” Murray says. He's been researching the bread protein for more than 20 years and has seen the incidence of celiac disease rise dramatically; celiac is more than four times as common as it was 50 years ago, according to his research, which was published in the journal Gastroenterology. Even though awareness and testing methods have dramatically improved, they can’t alone account for all of that increase, he says. About 1% of Americans have celiac disease, and it's especially common among Caucasians. There's a strong genetic component, but it's still unclear why some people get it and other people don't. It seems to affect people of all ages, even if they've eaten wheat for decades. And you can't blame an increased consumption of the stuff; USDA data shows we’re not eating more of it. Something else in the environment must be culpable, and theories abound about possible factors, from Cesarean sections to the overuse of antibiotics and the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that as our environment has become cleaner, our immune system has less to do and so turns on itself—and maybe particular foods like gluten—as a distraction. Or maybe there’s something different about gluten itself. The wheat seed hasn't changed all that much, but the way we process and prepare gluten products has, Murray says. "There have been some small studies looking at old forms of bread-making...that have suggested it’s not as immunogenic, it doesn’t drive the immune response as strongly as more modern grain or bread preparations," Murray says. A small 2007 study found that sourdough bread, when fermented with bacteria, nearly eliminates gluten—but we need much more research before the truly allergic should be reaching for a slice of the stuff. Dr. Alessio Fasano, MD, director of the Center for Celiac Research and chief of the division of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Mass General Hospital for Children, was a co-author of that recent study about breast-feeding and timing of gluten introduction. He says he found the “major, unpredictable results shocking. The lesson learned from these studies is that there is something other than gluten in the environment that can eventually tilt these people from tolerant to the immune response in gluten to developing celiac disease,” he says. He suspects it may come down to how the modern, hyper-processed diet has influenced the makeup of our gut bacteria. “These bacteria eat whatever we eat,” Fasano says. “We’ve been radically changing our lifestyle, particularly the way that we eat, too fast for our genes to adapt.” Fasano hopes to explore the microbiome in his next study, in which he says he'll follow kids from birth and search for a signature in their microbiome that predicts the activation of their gluten-averse genes, which leads to a child developing celiac disease. The hope, then, is that a probiotic or prebiotic intervention will bring the troubled guts back from "belligerent to friendly." “That would be the holy grail of preventive medicine,” he says.
History: In the late 1880s, Architect/Engineer Gustave Falconnier [1845-1913] of Nyon, Switzerland, invented a novel type of glass building block or "glass brick" (German glasbaustein or glassteine, French brique de verre). Falconnier's bricks were blown in a mold (BIM) like bottles, but had the original feature of being sealed air-tight with a pastille of molten glass while hot (see right); after cooling, the hot air trapped inside contracts, forming a partial vacuum. Glass blocks by Deutsche Luxfer Prismen-Gesellschaft Marke Faust glass blocks by Glass blocks by Siemens of Dresden The other early type of glass brick, made by Deutsche Luxfer Prismen-Gesellschaft, Deubener Glaswerke and Siemens (these last two very similar, see above) were unsealed and shaped (and sized) like traditional masonry bricks, but lacked a bottom surface. They had problems with condensation and dust collection on their interior surfaces, which could never be cleaned. Falconnier's air-tight design, a prize-winner at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and 1900 Paris Exposition, corrected these defects: "By making such bricks or blocks hollow, especially when they are made air-tight, they possess several advantages over other materials, being cheap, light, durable, and ornamental. Further, by reason of their inclosing and confining air in a state of rest they serve as non-conductors of heat." —US Patent No. 402,073 Falconnier's briques were manufactured by Albert Gerrer of Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin), S. Reich & Co. of Vienna and others. Their sides were recessed to take mortar and they were laid up like ordinary masonry bricks, with or without embedded metal reinforcing. Haywards Ltd. bought the patent and marketed them in England for vault and window walls. Despite initial interest from important period architects such as Auguste Perret and Le Corbusier, and some (La Mission d'Algérie, house of Mumm, etc), Falconnier's design was apparently not a great commercial success. The bricks are rare today, and existing installations even rarer. They suffered from the same defect as early vault lights: damaged glass could not easily be replaced. Falconnier briques are sometimes mistaken for fishing net floats. \|Partial bricks: For finishing square openings, each pattern was also made in ¾, ½ and ¼ sizes. A ¾ brick finished the long side, a ½ brick finished the short side, and a ¼ brick finished a corner. Markings: Falconnier bricks are embossed a number of different ways; here are a few: (// separates panels, / separates lines on same panel) - Usually "FALCONNIER // DEP FRANCE / BELGIQUE +n" where n is the style#. - The seal often reads "FALCONNIER / D.R.P / 41773" where DRP is Deutsches Reichspatent and 41773 is his German patent number. - Just "FALCONNIER", nothing else (on my cobalt and amber #7s) - "FALCONNIER // 5" (on a light aqua #6 brick). Seal: "FALCONNIER / DR 10708". I don't know what the 5 refers to, but this is the flat-faced varation of the #6, so maybe the #5 is just not shown in the catalog. - "FALCONNIER // IMPORTE D'ALLEMAGNE // ADLERHÜTTE / PENZIG" (on my green #7½) - "FALCONNIER // No 9. ¼ // DLERHÜTTEN / PENZIG" on a clear #9¼-brick. Note, the 'A' from ADLERHÜTTEN is missing due to lack of room and the N is cramped; who planned that? - Just "GLASSHÜTTE GERRESHEIM" on a light aqua #9; the seal is unmarked. Colors: Most bricks were light aqua, the usual color of glass made from sand with iron contamination (which is most sands, as any child who's played in a sandbox with a magnet can attest), but other colors were available at extra cost: clear for improved light transmission, and decorative colors amber, green, blue and (opal) milkglass (all colored in the mass). A red brick was made by casing a clear brick in a thin layer of expensive, gold-based ruby glass. The patent mentions coloring "either in the mass or by coating or covering them inside or outside in full or in part with layers of metal or paint", Additional ornamentation by sand-blasting, cutting and engraving, or acid etching is also mentioned, but I have yet to see these variations. Value: Despite rarity, prices are low since there are very few collectors of early glass bricks (basically, me), so there is little demand. The most common brick, a #8 in light aqua, is difficult to sell at any price. I have seen hundreds for sale (often in large lots), and would price them at about US$5 in quantity, more singly. Rarer patterns, colors, and partial bricks are all worth more. The high end is about US$150. Finis: Modern-style two-part fused glass blocks were perfected in the 1930s, more than forty years after Falconnier's bricks were introduced. Around the same time, Belgian company Etablissements Gaston Blanpain-Massonet of Bruxelles was still producing bricks in the #8 pattern (always the most popular), as well as the glass bricks of style Glasfabriek Leerdam. Siemens in 1933 was also still also making Falconnier-pattern bricks in the #8, #9 and #10 patterns (which they call types 1, 2 and 3), but with sides modified to interlock.
Please click the section titles below to view details. U.S. Dollar $USD Mountain Time (MT) 6200 ft elevation (high desert); Spring storms/wind. Heat, rain, wind, unexpected temperature changes (bring layers), extreme swings; Rainfall likely from July – September; average high in September is 77° F. Enter sacred sites with a respect for the local artifacts, environment, and spirit of the site. Native American influence - Be respectful to local native cultures. Archaic – Early Basketmakers, small bands descended from nomadic Clovis big-game hunters who arrived in the Southwest around 10,000 BC; Clovis culture is a prehistoric Paleo-Indian culture. Clovis people are considered to be the ancestors of most of the indigenous cultures of the Americas. Ancestral Puebloans - A small population of Basketmakers remained in the area. By 850, the Ancient Pueblo population—the Anasazi – rapidly expanded into this area. Athabaskan succession - Nomadic Southern Athabaskan speaking peoples, such as the Apache and Navajo, succeeded the Pueblo people in this region by the 15th century. In the process, they acquired Chacoan customs and agricultural skills. Ute tribal groups also frequented the region, primarily during hunting and raiding expeditions. The modern Navajo Nation lies west of Chaco Canyon, and many Navajo live in surrounding areas. Native American crafts, textiles, and jewelry, Southwestern art and crafts. Other Places of Interest Native American ruins and pueblos; Aztec Ruins National Monument; Mesa Verde National Monument; Shiprock; Salmon Ruin; Four Corners Monument Food/Beverage: 20% for good service Hotels: Baggage assistance: $1-2 per bag; Housekeeping: $5/day; Room Service: 20% Sun/heat, inherent dangers of being in a natural environment. Drink a lot of water and wear sunscreen. See Travelers' Health for more information. The best thing to pack for your trip year-round is casual light layers, a brimmed hat, comfortable sturdy shoes, sunscreen, and a camera.

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