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Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
| Common names: pompano (English), pámpano (Espanol) |
Trachinotus kennedyi Steindachner, 1876
Black-blotch pompano, Silver pompano
Body and head very deep, compressed; very blunt, broadly rounded snout; top jaw extendible; jaw teeth, if present, in narrow bands; gill rakers (excluding rudiments) short 15-19; dorsal fin with VI short, stout, semi-isolated spines (1st often imbedded) before main part of fin; dorsal rays VI + I, 17-19; anal rays II + I, 16-17; dorsal & anal fins without isolated finlets behind, with short pointed lobes at front; base of anal about same length as that of soft dorsal; pectoral fin < head length; tail base without notches above & below; lateral line slightly arched over pectoral region; no scutes (hard, spiny scales) on lateral line; body scales oval.
Silver, sometimes golden or bronzy tinge, especially on freshly dead specimens; large black blotch on the inner pectoral fin base.
Size: to 73 cm, common to 40 cm.
Demersal; common in estuaries.
Depth: 0-72 m.
Central Baja and the SW and central eastern Gulf of California to Peru | <urn:uuid:8f67e67a-13de-4d85-93ba-c4150745b2d6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.eol.org/pages/209956/overview | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395546.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00061-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.74988 | 301 | 3.0625 | 3 |
versión On-line ISSN 2309-9003
Y&T no.13 Vanderbijlpark jul. 2015
Marj BrownI; Charles DugmoreII
The use of thinking skills is gaining ground in many South African schools and the challenge is how to use these tools so that they really assist learners without becoming prescriptive or forced. Over six months, Marj Brown and Charles Dugmore have been using thinking maps with various classes, and have found their worth is palpable. Many of the maps used come from the Habits of Mind (HoM) (Costa & Kallick, 2008)andThinkingMaps (Hyerle &Yeager, 2007), andareusedin conjunction with HoMapproaches to a task, while others have been devisedby the authors, or adapted from the original maps to suit the task. The maps have been used by pupils to preparefor essays, short tasks in class, as well as to summarise or understandconcepts, politicalstands, cause and effect, the flow of events, with examples at each stage, and to compare and contrast people, and groups, or events. The presentation is offered as a way of inspiring possibilities in learners to learn by mindmapping History so that it does not become a series of facts to be rote learnt.
Keywords: Thinking maps; History teaching and learning; Circle Map; Double Bubble Map; Tree Map; Brace Map; Flow Map; Multi- Flow Map; Bridge Map.
The use of thinking skills is gaining ground in many South African schools and the challenge is how to use these tools so that they really assist pupils without becoming prescriptive or forced.
Over the past eight months, History teachers Marj Brown and Charles Dugmore have been using a range of graphic organisers including David Hyerle and Chris Yeager's Thinking Maps (Hyerle & Yeager, 2007) with various classes, and have found their worth is palpable. These Thinking Maps are used in conjunction with Habits of Mind (HoM) approaches to a task (Costa & Kallick, 2008), while others have been devised by the authors, or adapted from the original maps to suit the task. The thinking maps each represent a different cognitive skill and, thus, are not multi-dimensional in approach. They are useful building blocks to a final approach which may use a combination of skills, for example, cause and effect and relationships at the same time. Although the Thinking Maps approach is prescriptive and requires constant use of their eight key maps, allowing for little if any modification of the maps, we have taken a more eclectic approach. We have used the maps in a more creative way, at times using them as intended and, at other times, modifying them or developing entirely new thinking maps, which do combine different factors involved in an event, which has produced interesting results.
Why use Thinking Maps?
The maps have been used by learners to prepare for essays, short tasks in class, as well as to summarise or understand concepts, political stands, cause and effect, the flow of events with examples at each stage, and to compare and contrast people and groups, or events. This article is offered as a way of inspiring possibilities in learners to learn by mind-mapping History so that it does not become a series of facts to be learned by rote and to access a deeper level of learning that makes use of non-textual information to make sense of historical information.
In the sections to follow, reference will be made to the Circle Map, Double Bubble Map, Triple Bubble Map, Multi-Bubble Map, Tree Map, Brace Map, Flow Map, Multi-Flow Map and Bridge Map and the manner in which they can be utilised in the teaching and learning of History. Roedean, an Independent School for girls in Johannesburg, uses all of these eight Thinking Maps prescribed by Hyerle and Yeager (2007).
The Circle Map, or defining in context
When teaching at a grade 8 level, this map is useful to help pupils synthesise information and contextualise it. Earlier this year, the learners learned about the arrival of indentured and passage Indians, and studied the life of Gandhi in SA. As part of this study, we looked at the influences in his early life and his experience in SA that shaped him and his policy of Satyagraha. We asked the learners as a summary of this section, to do the Circle Map. They placed Gandhi and his policies/beliefs in the centre of the circle, and the influences on the outside, with the latter representing his context.
The Double Bubble Map, or compare and contrast
In a later, separate exercise, we used the double bubble map to compare and contrast the passage and indentured Indians. The circles in the middle show the similarities and the circles on the outside the differences.
When using the Circle Map and Double Bubble Map, the results showed that the learners who learn better from visualisation definitely benefitted from this graphic representation of the information.
The Habits of Mind lesson preparation for this section appears in Image 2 below.
The Double Bubble Map is very useful for preparation for compare and contrast essays - and the latter are used widely in the Grade 12 syllabus - especially in the "Civil Society Protests" section. The learners have been asked to compare and contrast different Civil Society Movements such as the Womens Movement and the Civil Rights Movement. This is helpful, but we found that the pupils needed extra bubbles as well, in certain instances, and developed a Triple Bubble Map, or more, to show the overlaps of the different movements. We also asked the Grade 9 learners to indicate similarities between key Nazi leaders and Hitler while also showing their unique attributes, creating a Multi-Bubble Map. The result is seen below in Image 3.
Flow maps or sequencing: The flow map and the multi-flow map
In order to teach the Ante Matric (Grade 11) theme, "The cause and effects of the Russian Revolution", we began by using a flow map to show sequencing of the link between the 1905 revolution, the February Revolution and the October Revolution. The learners could also add aspects of each stage to the blocks below the main block, and, thus, create as many sub-headings as needed. This is a useful map for preparing for an essay where a clear understanding of cause and effect is required. Alternatively, we could have used the multi- flow map, where the context, the main event, and the implications of the event can be arranged. This map is ideal for studying for an extended writing essay, as these are the three aspects learners have to cover around an event: context, nature and effects.
We also developed a graphic visualisation of the different Russian Revolution political parties, to help Grade 11 learners understand the different political and economic views of these parties. For this we used an X and Y axis, and plotted the parties onto it. The X axis represented economic beliefs and the Y axis represented political beliefs. We then encouraged the learners to plot the various political parties across the ideological spectrum from the "Kadets" (Constitutional Democrats) on the right to the Bolsheviks on the far left. This was not linear however, and the learners had to think about political and economic ideology.
The Brace Map
Another useful map is the Brace Map. It is similar to a concept hierarchy where a single concept then "embraces" (using an embracement bracket) several "sub-concepts" or subsidiary concepts which are, in turn, also further sub-divided into supporting concepts, from left to right, across the page. The concepts have to be complete, including all possible concepts and excluding none. For example, the concept "North America" would embrace "Canada, USA and Mexico". Each of these concepts could then be further sub-divided into provinces or states so that all 50 states in the USA would appear after an embracement bracket and all the corresponding provinces would appear after Canada and Mexico.
The Tree Map
This is a useful map for classification purposes but, unlike the Brace Map, a concept is "branched off', from the top to the bottom of the page, into subsidiary concepts below it. It is similar to the Brace Map and a concept hierarchy but it only provides some examples and does not offer a complete range of all the subsidiary concepts (and could feasibly exclude many such subsidiary concepts). For example, the concept "Nouns" when "branched off could include "ball, cat, grass, sky" below it and each of these nouns could, in turn, be "branched of" below ("ball" could be sub-divided into "round", "football", "billiards" and so on).
The Bridge Map
The Bridge Map takes a concept and bridges or links this to another apparently unrelated concept by finding common ground between these concepts using a link referred to as a "relating factor". For example, "Man" and "dog" can be linked using the term "pet" as a "relating factor". The Industrial Revolution can be explained with a series of such bridge maps so that "cotton gin" is linked to "demand for slave labour' while "Spinning Jenny" is linked to "demand for female labour" and so on.
Applying the maps
In all these cases, graphic organisers and the more formal Thinking Maps were used eclectically to aid understanding in the teaching and learning process. We found that the learners enjoyed using these and understood the lessons better than using text alone. Our assessments suggest that learners remembered non-textual representations better and performed well in those sections where these were used. In the process, we have enabled the learners to become familiar with the use of non-textual representations of ideas and historical events so that should we introduce a more rigorous approach to Thinking Maps approach in the future, they will have already "bought into" their use and seen their value in improving their performance.
Finally, we decided to assess both the graphic organisers and the Thinking Maps used by the Grade 10 leaners to represent visually their essays on the causes of political instability or "upheaval" in Southern African in the late 1700s and early 1800s (in what used to be called the Mfecane). These leaners were given the task of synthesising a range of causes in a critical way. They had to respond to a topic that stated: "The Zulu Kingdom was just one of several important African states that had an impact on the instability in Southern Africa in the period 1750 to 1835". Most began by considering the argument that the Zulus were the only or the main cause of the instability (the so-called Shaka as Mfecane Motor argument) and then subjected this to a critique. They then systematically considered the role that other "African states" played.
In the process, the Grade 10 learners noticed that the Ndwandwe under Zwide and the Mthethwa under Dingiswayo were engaged in conflict with one another before the rise of Shaka and the Zulu Kingdom and that it was precisely these wars that Shaka emerged as a military commander. Many of the innovations that are associated with Shaka since as fighting barefoot, the use of the short stabbing spear and the bull-and-horns formation were actually earlier inventions that Shaka refined or adapted. Far from being the "cause" of the Mfecane, Shaka and his Zulu warriors were themselves, the "effects" of earlier causes.
Secondly, the more astute learners also brought in broader factors such as the role played by the environment, for example droughts and trade (ivory, cattle and, later, slaves) with the Portuguese at Delagoa Bay. This introduced a separate vector or cause of instability in the interior. Thirdly, there were many other tribes that also engaged in violence in the interior independently of the Zulus or their neighbouring "tribes". Fourthly, the Boers, Griquas and Kora raiders along the Orange River brought in a separate cause that originated far from the Zulu Kingdom and eventually intersected with it after Shaka's death (under Dingane who engaged with the Voortrekkers at the Battle of Blood River). Finally, Shaka's attacks also set off a "chain reaction" of violence in the interior, notably in the form of Mzilikazi's Ndebele (although more capable learners noted that the Ndwandwe may have caused this separately from Shaka). The resulting essays were highly complex as each had to capture at least five different vectors of causality at different times. The learners were given eight 35-minute lessons to research and write up their essays in which they had to also insert references and a full bibliography. They submitted the final product using software that checks for plagiarism.
The learners' responses
We then asked the Grade 10 learners to take their completed essays and represent them graphically on a sheet of paper, by hand. They were asked to show cause and effect in these mind maps as well as relationships between tribes. Besides this request, they were not given any guidance and left to their own devices although many checked and compared their results with their peers. The result was a fascinating array of different approaches. Many, it should be noted, did not opt for the Thinking Maps approaches but chose graphic organisers such as a simplistic Mind Map with "Instability" in the centre with lines linking to a range of causes. Interestingly, the arrows often projected outwards towards the causes rather than from them and with no links between the causes themselves. This suggests that they had not taken on board the Thinking Maps with which they were familiar and opted instead for a simple diagram (also known as a Spider Map). However, the more able learners produced marvellously complex and thoughtful Thinking Maps that mostly followed the Flow Map that represented sequencing and a few opted for variations on the Multi-Flow Map for cause and effect and several even preferred the Tree Map for classification. The variety suggests that they were thinking carefully about their work and customising it rather than following a prescriptive approach. Furthermore, they adapted the Thinking Map with all kinds of arrows and other graphic representations to create unique, highly dynamic and thoughtful non-textual representations of their essays. (See the examples below in Images 4 to 6).
Our eclectic approach had given learners the confidence to experiment with their own forms of Thinking Maps that produced a better, more accurate version than Hyerle and Yeagers (2007) versions would have produced. The lesson we take from this experience is while prescription has its place, learners are too diverse in their thinking to force them into one of eight "channels" as the Thinking Maps are presented and that our subject, History, is too complex to be accommodated in the straitjacket of a single Thinking Map. Furthermore, if we want learners to think critically and creatively about their own writing and thinking processes to promote adaption, modification, creativity and complexity, it necessarily requires a more flexible, eclectic approach in the teaching of Thinking Maps than the authors prescribe.
Brown, M & Dugmore, C 2014. Teaching and learning History through Thinking Maps (Paper, South African History Teachers 28th Annual Conference, Wits School of Education, 10-11 October): 2-7. [ Links ]
Cary, NC 2011. Thinking Maps Incorporated. North Carolina. [ Links ]
Costa, AL & Kallick, B 2008. Learning and leading with habits of mind: 16 Essential characteristics for success. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. [ Links ]
Hyerle, D & Yeager, C 2007. Thinking Maps®: A language for learning training/resource manual, K-12. [ Links ] | <urn:uuid:a3df3286-4f71-4bcb-9e02-fae5c9bc6e34> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862015000100006&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00178-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961014 | 3,261 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Theatre-speakPosted by Ben Trawick-Smith on October 25, 2011
Subcultural English month continues with a guest post by Ben Trawick-Smith from Dialect Blog. Ben began his dialect fascination while working in theatre. He has worked as an actor, playwright, director, critic and dialect coach. Other passions include linguistics, urban development, philosophy and film. He lives with his wife in Seattle, Washington, in the USA.
All artistic pursuits have their jargon. Creative writers speak of the backstory and the creative metaphor. Film students debate the mise-en-scene and the merits of the auteur. Genres of dance each have their unique vocabulary, sometimes French-inspired, sometimes not. Yet I can think of few creative disciplines with as rich and all-encompassing a language as the language of theatre.
From where does this strange argot derive? First and foremost, from the physical space of the theatre itself, which has given the subculture an endless list of spatial reference points: the proscenium (the arch that frames a stage), the wings, backstage, stage right, stage left, the flies (the area above the stage where scenery is ‘flown’ in), and the pit. This list expands when you consider the different ways a theatre can be configured: as a thrust (a stage surrounded by the audience on three sides), in the round, or as a black box (a large room with adjustable seating).
Still other theatrical terms derive from the various technologies native to lighting, set, and costume design. Many theatre folks will recognize the words gobo (a template put in front of a lighting instrument to create evocative shadows or shapes), cyc (short for cyclorama; a type of curtain or backdrop), and character shoes (a type of danceable but elegant footwear). They will know to avoid knocking over a flat (a piece of muslin stretched over a wooden frame) or where to locate spikes (small pieces of tape indicating where a set piece needs to go). I would not be surprised, incidentally, if there are different technical theatre terms in different parts of the English-speaking world; if so, I’d be fascinated to know what they are.
Of course, the culture of actors has duly lent its vast trove of concepts and terminology to the theatrical lexicon. A thespian may cite the ‘techniques’ recognizable by mere surnames: Meisner, Adler, Strasberg, Stanislavski, Grotowski, LeCoq and Chekhov (Michael, that is, not Anton). These gurus and others have provided the art with a near-cliched vocabulary, recognizable to many laypeople: motivation, objective, in the moment, sense memory, method acting, beat (i.e. a moment), indication (i.e. faking an emotion), and improv.
My interest being accents, it’s worth noting that theatrical language is unusual in this regard as well. After all, this is the only profession where a large portion of its participants have been required to modify their accent in some way or another. The result is that theatre people often speak in a manner startlingly divorced from the surrounding populace.
This would have been most apparent in British theatre up until the 1960s, when UK drama schools scrubbed their students’ speech clean of any pesky regionalisms. You can find scant linguistic evidence, therefore, that great British Shakepeareans Peter O’Toole and Ian McKellan grew up in Northern England, nor that Ralph Richardson spent his early childhood in Gloucester. Until it became apparent to (some) Britons that dialect prejudice is as bad as any other, Received Pronunciation (aka the Queen’s English) seemed almost de rigeur in English theatre.
One might assume America to be more liberal in this regard, yet actor training on this side of the pond has been arguably even less accepting of ‘non-standard’ dialects. Until very recently, many of the great American drama schools taught students to use a peculiar accent termed American Standard when performing classical works. The creation of voice coach Edith Skinner, this artificial accent might best be described a modified version of British RP with a few Americanisms thrown in for good measure. Until the technique went out of style a decade or so ago, American stage actors often used a ‘British’ broad a in words like pass, can’t, and half, even if they grew up in Ohio.
I would argue, then, that theatre’s language is truly subcultural, no mere jargon left at the door when one gets home. The wicked stage is a lifestyle more than anything else, marked by strange hours and inexplicable passions. Whereas painting, writing, and filmmaking appeal to monastic geniuses, toiling in solitude, theatre is profoundly social in nature. Its native tongue is of a different world entirely.Email this Post
[…] Theatre-speak Subcultural English month continues with a guest post by Ben Trawick-Smith from Dialect Blog. Ben began his dialect fascination while working in theatre. He has worked as an actor, playwright, director, critic and dialect coach. Source: http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com […]
Very interesting post, Ben. Some of these terms are completely new to me. I wonder where gobo comes from. It looks like it could be a contraction, but that should make it easier to figure out (cf. gizmo). Is “go-between” a possibility? Or maybe it’s a fanciful out-of-nowhere invention that just stuck, before spreading in the subculture.
[…] Subcultural English Month at Macmillan Dictionary blog, and they celebrated with posts on theatre speak; the language of rap; musical subcultures; and a roundup of the weirdest subcultural English […] | <urn:uuid:fa224d48-e900-4c7e-9bdb-db5a52f3ceb1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/theatre-speak | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00180-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950408 | 1,219 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Dog food allergies and sensitivities have become a common problem for dogs as well as people. While posing an inconvenience, it can be a huge relief to discover that what appeared to be a major health or behavioral problem can actually be resolved with a simple adjustment of diet.
Symptoms of Dog Food Allergies
One of the main symptoms of a food allergy in dogs is itchy skin. This can manifest as
- Excessive scratching
- Foot, leg and tail chewing
- Head shaking
- Hair loss
- Face rubbing
- Anal itching
- Rrecurrent ear infections
Food allergies are often overlooked because skin problems are assumed to be caused by other health issues such as fleas, mange or external allergens including pollen and dust.
Food allergies can manifest symptoms other than skin reactions including:
- Asthma like symptoms
- Behavioral changes
In some cases, an allergy is not suspected because the dog has eaten the same food for years with no reaction. Like people, dogs can suddenly develop a sensitivity or allergy to a particular food that has not previously posed a problem. Additionally, dog food manufacturers sometimes make a slight change in ingredients that will cause a reaction. Food allergies can appear at any age, in any breed and in both males and females whether or not they have been altered.
The most common allergens in dog food include:
- Dairy products
Food allergies are sometimes caused by the chemicals in the food rather than the food itself. Preservatives and pesticides in food are known to cause allergic reactions. The process that occurs within dogs that creates allergies is complicated and not fully understood at this time. It is known that when a substance is fed to dogs regularly for a long period of time, allergic reactions to that substance may begin to develop.
Lamb-based foods were originally created as an alternative for pets with dog food allergies but have become common and now produce allergic reactions of their own. It is a common and unfortunate myth that dogs should eat the same thing everyday throughout their lives. In addition to providing more complete nutrition and food enjoyment, feeding a wide variety of foods can help prevent the development of allergies and sensitivities.
Diagnosing Dog Allergies
Food allergies can difficult to distinguish from other health problems and other types of allergies, but there are some signs to look for. Likely candidates for food allergies are dogs who experience symptoms year round rather than seasonally, dogs who do not respond to antihistamines or steroid treatment, dogs who develop skin problems at a very young age and those who have recurrent ear problems. Allergy tests are available for dogs.
The best way to find the source of the allergy or sensitivity is an elimination diet. This involves replacing all of the foods the dog normally eats for a long enough period of time for the symptoms to subside and then reintroducing the foods one at a time until the symptoms reappear. A diet consisting of duck and potato is the most commonly recommended elimination diet to begin with. Elimination diets take time to produce any results. The offending substances must work their way out, and the dog’s system must recover and stop producing the antibodies that cause the symptoms. This can take anywhere from six to ten weeks. When the original food items are reintroduced, it can take two weeks for symptoms to reappear.
Best Allergy Free Dog Food
For dogs with food allergies, elimination diets remove the symptoms, but are not always nutritionally complete and, therefore, should not be fed long term. A specially tailored home-prepared diet is the best option for dogs with food allergies. For those who cannot, or prefer not to feed a home-prepared diet, the wide variety of?dog foods?on the market today provide a vast selection of alternatives. A careful reading of the ingredients combined with close observation after feeding for at least one to two months will determine whether the food is appropriate and allergen free. | <urn:uuid:3da132c4-6903-46eb-aa77-dc53e7ca1d47> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://thebullybreeds.com/2013/02/08/dog-food-allergies/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00109-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951659 | 797 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Recent research estimates that free-ranging cats in the US kill up to 3.7 billion birds and 20.7 billion mammals each year. A quick Google News search of the term ‘killer cats’ brought back thousands of results, with headlines like, “That Cuddly Kitty is Deadlier Than You Think“. I have to admit, my first reaction was surprise. Not, initially, at the numbers of animals killed, but that this is apparently big news. I think my favourite quote (from the same article) is this one:
“For all the adorable images of cats that play the piano, flush the toilet, mew melodiously and find their way back home over hundreds of miles, scientists have identified a shocking new truth: cats are far deadlier than anyone realized.” – Natalie Angier, New York Times
That is the voice of someone who spends a lot of time on the internet and not much time with cats. Personally, I’m fairly convinced that the domestic cat’s spread and success across the modern world is not borne of their musical talents. In fact, I would say that their ability to catch and kill a large amount of small, furry creatures has more than a fair bit to do with it.
Apologies for the flippancy; it does seem that the numbers provided by this study are significant, if rather broad (there is a lot of difference between the quoted ranges of 1.4–3.7 billion birds and 6.9–20.7 billion mammals). What struck me about the situation, though, was the irony in the idea that the very feature of cats that may have accelerated their domestication – and consequently their success – is now (in some circles) a reviled and unwanted characteristic.
So how did we get here? Well, as with dogs, the prevalent theory is that cats were domesticated by assimilation. They are thought to have first began an association with humans in the near east about 8,500 years ago, possibly drawn to human settlements by the resident populations of commensals – rats, mice etc. – therein.
As is well documented, cats enjoyed significant success in ancient Egypt where they had a variety of mostly positive religious associations; as goddesses (the female cats’ obvious promiscuity may have resulted in their being linked with fertility), as incarnations of the sun god Ra (who was believed to do battle on a nightly basis with the serpent of darkness, as cats would have been observed killing snakes) and as unearthly beings in their own right, perhaps due to the fascinating way in which their eyes react to light.
Their elusive and independent qualities, however, have also led cats to be vilified by humans over the course of our unorthodox symbiosis. In Europe between the 12th and 14th centuries, under the scrutiny of Christianity, cats were associated with heretical sects (who were thought to worship the Devil in feline form) and, later, labelled as the demon familiars of witches; their prevalence as a Hallowe’en costume continues to this day. Even in the 19th century cats’ reluctance to submit to human will – unlike dogs – was seen as malicious and they were little trusted, particularly by those men who saw them as in unfavourable cahoots with ‘womankind’. Their reputation for independence, however, also made them popular with the bourgeoisie of 19th century Europe; it is thought this significantly influenced their adoption as house-pets (in contrast to their previous, much wider role as – yep – rodent catchers). These opposing roles – pets versus pest-control – have caused conflict ever since – I vividly recall waking in the middle of the night to the uneasy scenario of listening to my much-loved cat Jimmy chomping on some unfortunate rodent on my bedroom floor.
There remains today conflict of opinion when it comes to cats. They have enormous (and slightly disturbing) popularity as memes and in viral videos, most of which have little correspondence with ‘normal’ cat behaviour (although Maru, admittedly, is hilarious). Yet they are still not generally kept as pets in countries such as South Korea and, even where common, they are notably less popular than dogs – one survey by Stephen Kellert and colleagues found that 17.4% of the sample US population reported disliking cats (as opposed to 2.6% who disliked dogs). Still, too, they engender hatred: there are several ‘I Hate Cats’ blogs and websites, not to mention a number of books such as the extremely popular 101 Uses for a Dead Cat (which is probably mostly tongue-in-cheek, but rather dark nonetheless).
Behaviourally, cats are talented predators and will hunt a wide range of prey, more varied than their (very close) cousins the European wildcats, though they tend to hunt smaller creatures than wildcats, suggesting they are less skillful hunters. In addition, even feral domestic cats tend to live in the vicinity of human settlements and obtain more food from scavenging than do wildcats (though wildcats will also scavenge from humans on occasion). Interestingly, there is continuous debate as to how different three of the small cat ‘species’ actually are, i.e. African and European wildcats and domestic cats. They interbreed without apparent difficulty. Their lack of significant genetic or behavioural distinctions (with the exception of hunting habits and human-association) suggests to some that cats have retained – as seems fitting to their independent nature – some distance from their human symbiotes, weaving in and out of various levels and types of association with humans.
Now we have a dilemma, though. Sometimes, it seems, the last thing a species should do – unless it is human – is be successful. Domestic cats now inflame debate because they do not fit with certain human ideals of morality, or understand the difference between an endangered robin and an ‘verminous’ rat. Of course, it’s apparently not the pets that are to blame so much as the feral members of the domestic population, those who – for whatever reason – live outside of human control.
Cats are cats. They have changed, a bit, as a result of their enduring association with humans, arguably the world’s most destructive species; and they have prospered and found pastures and prey new as a result. I feel, though, that this new judgement of them is a consequence of our changing, of our inconsistencies, of our transformations and conflicts as to what we value, what is natural and what we should control.
I’m not suggesting that nothing should be done; but I would like to believe that we could approach this dilemma, this domestic with one of our oldest domesticates, in a sensible fashion. That means not being horrified or outraged that cats kill birds, and lots of them, but accepting it as the way of things and moving forward towards a solution – or a compromise. It means acknowledging that the biggest threat to endangered species in the States and the rest of the world is still widely understood not to be cats, but (mostly anthropogenic) habitat destruction. Cats go where humans go; as we have seen, even feral cats remain near human settlements. These studies might provide clues as to how we might best tackle this problem – but please let’s do so with clear thinking and humanity, rather than attributing judgement and blame.
Let’s not turn cats back into ‘demons’ because we have changed our mind about what’s important; let us consider them as cats and make sure that, in equal part, we continue to consider ourselves.
My academic training means I can’t help but reference my sources for some of the above information, however loosely! Some are linked above; those that are not are shown below. Academic Sources:
Turner, D. C. & Bateson, P. 2000. The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. / Podberscek, Anthony (2009). Good to pet and eat: the keeping and consuming of dogs and cats in South Korea. Journal of Social Issues 65(3): 615–632 / Zeder, M. A. 2012. Pathways to Domestication. Biodiversity in Agriculture: Domestication, Evolution, and Sustainability. Ed. P. Gepts, T.R. Famula, R.L. Bettinger et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
News Articles (note the emotive titles):
“Killer cats: deadly pets murder nearly 4 billion birds a year” / “Cats are ruthless killers: should they be killed?” / “The Feline Killer that Stalks the Streets” / “Cats Killing Billions of Animals in the US” / “‘Stone-cold serial killers’: Domestic cats slaughter billions upon billions of animals in US every year” | <urn:uuid:a106a119-c596-476b-8ec5-a08480e172a8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://symbiology.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/breaking-news-cats-are-carnivores/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396875.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00135-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966861 | 1,863 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Mother Earth has been experiencing benefits from 3D printing since the 70s. It’s not that there’s no waste or pollution produced with 3D printing, it’s just that the amounts are drastically lower than with conventional means of manufacturing. This is purposeful; reduced waste is an unspoken tenet of additive manufacturing and that’s one of the most alluring aspects of it all for myself. James Gardiner, Architect at the Australian Sustainable Oceans International, appreciates another characteristic of 3D printing however, and that’s the freedom to create intricate shapes that are similar to those of biologics.
James worked on the method to use large 3D printers to produce unique, natural-looking coral reef. He does this, not because coral makes great home decor (though that’s true), but because of increased acidification and overfishing and several other unfortunate reasons, the real coral around Australia is dying faster than it’s growing. Half of the Great Barrier Reef has died and SOI has been trying to mitigate the damage by placing pre-cast concrete reefs to attract sea life. They’re pretty effective but even tourists can tell that they’re not real, so I highly doubt they’re really pulling one over on the fish. By printing the reefs instead though, it’s rather difficult to discern which are real and which are printed.
Two of these 500kg sandstone reefs are being tested by Reef Arabia off the coast of Bahrain where there are already hundreds of concrete reefs. What’s really great about the new printed ones is they can easily be configured to look like region-specific coral to better trick the local aquatic entities. This is a large ecosystem and its collapse would have far reaching consequences throughout the global food chain, so its protection and restoration are vital to all life on Earth. I’m a fan of life, so I’m happy to see others making efforts to protect it. 3D printing is a valuable tool in the workbench of the environmentalist. No matter your opinion on the state of the planet and how it got there you should understand that waste and overproduction have negative economic and environmental impacts; recycling is nice but it’s not always efficient. It’s better to avoid overproduction in the first place. Save the whales by printing more of your stuff. | <urn:uuid:daa451ea-0192-488b-bdf3-1ec0de7bf685> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.3dprinter.net/fooling-fish-with-3d-printed-reef | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392527.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00151-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955581 | 490 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Retrofitting for Sustainability: Carbon-Smart and Cost-Effective Solutions
- Created: Monday, 21 November 2011
- Kathryn Giblin, Solar Gard® -
As the sustainable design movement continues to grow rapidly throughout the US, architectural engineers, building product manufacturers, and construction business owners must keep up with stringent environmental regulations amidst a quickly changing landscape of new green materials.
Although challenging, these regulations bring great opportunity to the industry, with LEED construction projects on the rise and the overall green building market predicted to reach $96 -$140 billion by 2013.
However, with more than 80% of commercial buildings in the US being at least ten years old, there is also a significant need to retrofit older construction for better environmental sustainability. According to Pike Research, if all commercial space built as of 2010 were included in a ten-year retrofit program, the savings in energy expenses would have the potential to reach more than $41.1 billion each year.
In addition, the overarching trend towards a decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has led to numerous incentives for buildings to increase their energy efficiency which makes the trend towards retrofitting even stronger. The engineering and construction team must evaluate the criteria of retrofitting building products. For example, does the product offer efficiencies in more than one category?
Consider Products with the Biggest Impact
When it comes to updating older construction, understanding retrofitting options is critical. In looking at ways to retrofit existing buildings, the engineering and construction team should consider products that will have the greatest impact on improving environmental sustainability. Choosing to retrofit with an energy-saving product will often improve the subsequent system updates that follow. For example, improving fenestration (windows) offers one of the best opportunities for a solid bottom-line return on investment for energy savings.
Solar energy enters through windows and causes heat to build up inside the building, leading to uncomfortable hotspots and an increased need for air conditioning. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, solar heat gain through windows is responsible for roughly one third of a building's cooling load. The solar heat gain associated with windows makes them an attractive target for efficiency improvements. Retrofitting with window film will bring the following sustainability benefits to existing construction:
Energy savings: With proven heat-rejection properties, Solar Gard® solar control window films help buildings consume up to 30% less energy for cooling by keeping interior temperatures lower and more stable. This reduces the need for air conditioning while moderating peak usage and allowing your cooling system to operate more efficiently.
Reduced carbon footprint: Solar Gard architectural solar control films are, to date, the first and only window films to achieve an Environmental Product Declaration, verifying that they are carbon negative. That means they save more energy when they are installed than it takes to produce them. In fact, on average, when installed on windows, they save 1001 times more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from entering the atmosphere than are used or created during their manufacture.
Systematic benefits: According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, improving window performance will reduce the load on the HVAC system, and in many cases, allow buildings to downsize their HVAC equipment. Another benefit comes from harnessing natural daylight. Unlike other window treatments, Solar Gard window film does not block out all visible light, so offices, homes and other buildings are able to reduce electric lighting by relying on daylighting. In these ways, window film creates synergistic energy efficiency improvements.
LEED benefits: Solar control window films can help buildings achieve points toward LEED certification in categories including energy efficiency, light pollution reduction, glare control, daylighting, and thermal comfort improvement.
A more environmentally friendly option: When looking to upgrade windows, it may seem most simple to replace them with newer models. But think of all the waste generated from extracting existing windows; the glass, aluminum, and wood from the removal usually end up in a landfill. Retrofitting with window film generates little to no environmental waste.
In addition to the environmental benefits of a retrofitting building improvement product, consider cost savings. Will the product reduce operating costs associated with utilities like electricity, heating, and cooling? One of the U.S. Department of Energy’s laboratories, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), confirms that window film is the most cost-effective way to upgrade a building’s windows. These cost-saving benefits include:
Peak Load Reduction: In commercial buildings, window film helps balance peak energy usage with climate control and interior comfort. Solar Gard window films reject up to 79% of solar energy to regulate heat absorption and cut air conditioning and cooling costs up to 30%.
A cost-effective alternative: On average, professionally installed window film costs just $6.00 to $14.00 per square foot – only around 5% of the cost of replacement windows. LBNL found that window film tops the ROI list when competing with window replacements, blinds, awnings, shade trees, and reflective roofs.
Improve the ROI of other energy-saving products: Window film multiplies the return on investment of other technologies such as HVAC and refrigeration. For LEED certification, window film can be applied toward five distinct credit categories.
Multiplying Sustainable Benefits
By combining window film with other energy-saving improvements, buildings can achieve even greater energy efficiency. An energy improvement plan that includes window film will often require smaller HVAC capacity than a plan without window film. Likewise, lighting requirements may be altered, compensated for with more natural day lighting. Installing window film can boost energy savings and reduce the overall payback period across multiple technologies. | <urn:uuid:e90dbef7-4879-423e-9c1d-86f932073b08> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/1058-gdm/features/12173-retrofitting-for-sustainability-carbon-smart-and-cost-effective-solutions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00033-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932148 | 1,163 | 2.84375 | 3 |
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When not controlled, pests can cause a great deal of damage to gardens, businesses and households.
They can spread disease, consume vegetables and plants and destroy homes. Thus, various pest control methods have been employed to deal with them. There are two main types of pest control: natural and chemical. Natural pest control employs organic or biological materials to reduce infestation. On the other hand, chemical pest control employs potent chemical pesticides to reduce or eliminate pests. You can use either of the methods, or utilize both pest control methods to manage infestation problems. However, both methods present advantages and disadvantages. That is why it is important to research both methods before you choose the best one for your situation.
Natural pest control methods
Natural pest control methods are employed to effectively reduce or eliminate infestation without harming humans, crops and other organisms. This method often utilizes other organisms such as plants or insects to control pests in an agricultural environment. Such methods include companion planting or planting other crops to draw the insects away from the main crops, or cultivating insects or small animals which feed on the pests. It has little or no harmful effect on humans and agriculture, which makes it useful where other animals such as pets and livestock are present in the surroundings.
Advantages and disadvantages of natural pest control methods
The main benefit of natural pest control methods is that it does not harm the environment. Compared to DDT pesticides, it will not emit harmful toxins which could damage the ozone layer or harm the other organisms living within the agricultural area. Apart from that, they continue to be effective for a long time after they have been introduced to the environment, making them sufficient and cost-effective
The downside of natural pest control method is that they take a long time to produce results and can be very expensive.
Chemical pest control methods
Chemical pest control methods have been used in an agricultural setting and within the household for a very long time. This often employs harsh pesticides that instantly eliminate pests upon application. These can either be applied systematically (targeting where plants are commonly ingested by pests) or to the entire crops as in the case of aerial spraying. While this is effective on large crops and within the household, chemical pesticides have harmful and residual effects on both human and animals living within the area. That is why chemical pesticides must be used with caution to avoid contaminating waterways and killing pets and livestock. Plus, there are regualtions limiting their use in some areas, so be aware of this.
Advantages and disadvantages of chemical pest control methods
Chemical pesticides are less expensive and are readily available, compared to its more natural counterparts. They are also very easy to use. Apart from that, chemical pesticides deliver results instantly right after application. Sometimes, this instantaneous result is what a lot of homeowners need. So it really is a delicate balance between what is needed now versus long-term effects.
One of the downsides of chemical pest control method that should be taken into consideration is that they also harm the beneficial organisms that help your crops grow and eliminate the pests. They can also harm the environment as they release harmful toxins to the surroundings. Apart from that, human exposure to these pesticides can be very harmful. They are even more detrimental to the health of children and older people as they have weaker immune systems.
Lastly, the effects of some pesticides are temporary and can only last in a short time after application. When dealing with chemicals, always follow the manufacturer’s instruction and directions.
© 2012 Pest Control Methods | <urn:uuid:e50bce14-078c-4bc9-9477-966c14ea14d6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pestcontrolmethods.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398869.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00132-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949624 | 717 | 3.09375 | 3 |
So, instead of considering all possible substitutions, we just think about some simple ones: those where we leave the alphabet in order, and just shift by a few letters. Julius Caesar is reported to have used such a cipher with a shift of 3 for his military communications.
The correspondence between plaintext and ciphertext is as follows:
If we encrypt veni vidi vici using the Caesar cipher, we get SBKF SFGF SFZF. To decrypt, we just shift back by 3 letters.
So where's the math? Let's see if we can find it.
First, we assign a number to each letter of the
plaintext alphabet, beginning with 0, so we that have the
Now, we can view our enciphering as taking the number corresponding to the letter, adding 3 to it, and then writing down the letter that corresponds to the sum. If the result is 26 or larger, we subtract 26 so that if falls back in the desired range.
This type of arithmetic is called addition modulo 26 or just adding mod 26. The number 26 is called the base. You are already quite familiar with another type of modular arithmetic, namely working mod 12. When we answer a question like ``What time will it be 4 hours after 10 o'clock?'', we are adding mod 12. Another way to view modular arithmetic is that we do ``regular'' arithmetic, divide the answer by the base, and then only keep the remainder.6 We sometimes also work modulo 7 when we make statements like ``My birthday is on a Friday this year, so next year it will be on Saturday''- here we are using the fact that 365 = 7 x 52 + 1, so . Waiting a year advances the day of the week by one (except in a leap year).
Returning to our encryption problem, we see that applying the Caesar cipher corresponds just to adding 3 (mod 26). To decipher, we can either subtract 3 modulo 26 (remembering to add 26 to the answer if it turns out negative), or we can add 23, which is 26-3. These give exactly the same answer after reducing modulo 26, in the same way that a clock will read the same if you move the hands ahead by 3 hours or back 9 hours.
A useful mental model for modular addition is a ``number circle''. Take the familiar number line and wrap it around a circle so that the base (26) falls on zero. Then adding corresponds to a clockwise rotation, and subtraction to counterclockwise rotation.
Naturally, we don't have to shift by 3 as Julius Caesar did (apparently Augustus Caesar preferred to shift by 1). We have 25 possible ciphers like the Caesar cipher, which are called shift ciphers, or sometimes the general shift cipher is called ``a Caesar cipher''.7If someone says the Caesar cipher, they almost certainly mean a shift cipher with a shift of 3.
Notice that shift ciphers are very easy to break, since you
only have to guess one letter and then you know everything. If you
haven't already discovered it, the title of this note is encrypted
with a shift cipher, leaving the spaces and punctuation in.
So that you don't have to look back, the (encrypted) title is | <urn:uuid:95604b7e-7224-409a-aae0-0ddf9f6d09e2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.math.stonybrook.edu/%7Escott/papers/MSTP/crypto/3Caesar_Cipher.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402746.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00006-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.895496 | 678 | 4 | 4 |
Growing onions in your home garden provides fresh, firm bulbs for cooking and tender green onions for stir-fries and salads. They come in several varieties, from small round cooking onions to large slicing onions used in sandwiches. Onion varieties are classified as either "long day" or "short day," depending upon how early in the growing season they begin to form bulbs. Bulb size is determined in part by the variety you grow, but you can enhanced your onions' size with proper growing techniques.
Select onion seeds that match your preferences in onions. Onions are available in white, yellow and red varieties. Each variety has its own characteristics, size, shape and flavor.
Choose onion seeds of the appropriate day length for your region. Long day onions perform best in northern climates, while short day onions do best in southern growing zones.
Plant onion seeds inside eight to 12 weeks before setting them out in the spring. Onions started from seed and transplanted to the garden produce larger bulbs than onions started from onion sets.
Sow individual seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in trays or cells filled with moist seed starter. Keep the soil evenly moist and place the trays in a sunny location. Keep tops trimmed to 4 inches once seedlings emerge.
Prepare the soil in a sunny location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. Areas that receive full sun for the entire day enhance onion growth. Till to a depth of 8 inches. Add a 3-inch layer of compost or well-rotted manure and work in well with the existing soil.
Apply high phosphorus fertilizer (10-20-10) at a rate of 1/2 cup per 10 feet of row. Mix in well with existing soil.
Plant seedlings 1 inch deep spaced 4 inches apart in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Water to moisten the soil.
Side dress with high nitrogen fertilizer when seedlings are three to four weeks old. Repeat every two to three weeks until the neck of the onion begins to soften, about a month before harvest.
Water once a week or whenever the soil dries. Keeping soil moist promotes rapid growth and produces sweet onions. Onions grown in dry soil develop a strong flavor. | <urn:uuid:1c7bd5dc-d940-4924-b705-e135cda967a3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.gardenguides.com/94832-grow-big-onion-bulbs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00085-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921993 | 460 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Significant, concerted action is now required to stop the continued growth of toxic greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels, says the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on global warming.
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases have increased to levels unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years, the IPCC found.
“CO2 concentrations have increased by 40% since pre-industrial times, primarily from fossil fuel emissions,” the report, released in Stockholm, said, adding it is extremely likely, with at least 95% certainty, that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.
“Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system,” the report stated. “Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.”
In addition to warmer atmospheric and ocean conditions, the report warned of sea level rise, melting glaciers, changes in the global water cycle, reduced volumes of snow, increased droughts, and more extreme weather events.
The report also says that, without significant efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, global temperatures are likely to rise more than 2C by the end of the 21st century, which the international community has pledged should not happen because of potentially horrific consequences.
In reacting to the report, European Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard noted the health of planet Earth is at stake because of global warming.
“Europe will continue to lead the fight against climate change. We have ambitious legislation in place. We are reducing our emissions considerably, expanding renewables and saving energy,” Hedegaard said.
“And we are getting ready for the next step: climate and energy targets for 2030 that the Commission will present before the end of the year. The reality is that others are now following suit. Europe will continue to demand more action from all the emitters.” | <urn:uuid:c1e2b201-9b3f-4a6c-bf12-556fb3a03948> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ewea.org/blog/2013/10/ipcc-fossil-fuels-must-remain-ground-avoid-climate-catastrophe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00086-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937653 | 411 | 3.703125 | 4 |
If Curiosity survives its harrowing descent early next month in one functional piece, it will bring an alien world into focus like no other probe has done before.
HouChron — Five times the size of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers already on Mars, Curiosity is packed with scientific equipment: HD-resolution cameras that can also capture video; a laser than can ignite a spark on rocks 20 feet away to determine what they’re made of; and other high-tech tools including an X-ray diffraction setup, a mass spectrometer, and a gas chromatograph.
For me the most exciting instrument is the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHL). Between the lens and viewing options, the MAHL will be able to magnify samples to near microscopic resolution, roughly 5 to 50 times if my math is right and depending on how the technology actually performs. That’s nowhere near enough to image the average individual bacteria, but clumps of them and by-products from extant or ancient metabolic processes, could be visible at that resolution.
I’ll go out on a limb and predict Curiousity will find tantalizing hints of relatively recent life on Mars. I say that because 1) Mars and earth have exchanged material for eons, 2) at one time Mars had large oceans that would have been quite habitable by the hardy denizens of our own Archeon Eon , and 3) some of that water is preserved as ice and probably as interstatial liquid today. To find life in the solar system, follow the water. | <urn:uuid:9cd58e1d-602c-4f8a-a0bc-f0e1cd015a4d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://freethoughtblogs.com/zingularity/2012/07/09/theres-a-lot-riding-on-the-mars-science-lab/?wpmp_switcher=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00125-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944517 | 317 | 2.875 | 3 |
"For many a female octopus, laying eggs marks the beginning of the end (pdf, 1.11MB). She needs to cover them and defend them against would-be predators. She needs to gently waft currents over them so they get a constant supply of fresh, oxygenated water. And she does this continuously, never leaving and never eating. (via)."
The sex lives of octopuses is often difficult to photograph in the wild, however Dr. Roy Caldwell got very fortunate with a pair in his lab. Here are some very rare pictures of the Abdopus aculeatus octopus mating, with a photo by photo explanation of what is happening.
I am a giant squid. I swam up from the briny ocean depths. I have a computer, with a specially-modified tentacle-friendly interface. I have a fast internet connection. I seek to learn about humans and about the world. I have read much on the internet. Yet still, I have many unanswered questions. And you must have questions of me. We have much to learn from one another. To this end, I have developed the assortment of quizzes, games and activities you find before you. They form part of my ongoing campaign to facilitate improved human-squid relations. Try them out, you will most certainly learn something about squid.
By popular demand, your new resident marine biology nerd has compiled some cool information about the Giant Pacific Octopus.The Giant Pacific Octopus (Octopus dofleini) is one of the strangest animals in the sea- and one of the smartest. Though it is commonly believed that vertebrates are always "smarter" than invertebrates, these guys defy that convention. As this video shows, they are able to easily open jars and retrieve food from inside. They are also, as the "Giant" implies, enormous- the biggest one on record was 30 feet across (according to National Geographic) [more inside]
Camouflaged and Walking octopuses Octopus marginatus and Octopus (Abdopus) aculeatus, that walk along the seafloor using two alternating arms and apparently use the remaining six arms for camouflage. | <urn:uuid:e2903f91-3690-4d4b-8e8b-7eda61286235> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.metafilter.com/tags/octopus+science | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00119-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967687 | 445 | 2.609375 | 3 |
How can you teach all students to achieve at the same high standards and still respect and accommodate their differences? This book answers that question and introduces you to a field-tested framework for teaching that ensures that inclusion and differentiated instruction are in harmony with standards-based education. Explore the six critical elements of instruction that respond to student diversity in the standards-based classroom. And get step-by-step guidance in
If you’re striving to teach a standards-based curriculum in a classroom with English language learners, students from culturally diverse backgrounds, or students with disabilities, this book has the comprehensive approach you need. | <urn:uuid:a3b138f6-1018-4adf-8fa8-2c15aaea8088> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nprinc.com/connecting-teachers-students-and-standards/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00067-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93505 | 123 | 3.65625 | 4 |
11 March 2010 The world’s endangered great apes received a boost from the 2009 United Nations Year of the Gorillas, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said today, citing the funds raised for conservation projects and the increase in publicity on the plight of the animals.
More than $130,000 was raised as a result of the Year for field projects aimed at preventing endangered gorilla species from becoming extinct, UNEP said in a press release issued in Bonn. The Year also generated greater publicity – through articles, interviews, lectures, conferences and films – than similar global species campaigns.
“With the support of innovative gorilla projects the UN Year of the Gorilla has created a permanent legacy. Conserving gorillas not only helps safeguarding their habitat, which is shared by us, but it also addresses the major challenges of climate change and poverty,” said Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of UNEP Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP-CMS).
In November 2009, there were only 720 mountain gorillas left in the world, according to UNEP. Their habitat is threatened by agricultural expansion, mining activities and the exploitation of natural resources, armed conflicts and hunting.
The main focus of the Year of the Gorilla had been on encouraging locals who share gorilla habitat involved to improve protection within their communities. That included supporting the enforcement of wildlife law, preventing illegal logging and reducing the use of firewood and charcoal which are often used for inefficient home stoves at the detriment to the environment.
“We depend on gorillas, elephants and other fruit-eating animals to sustain the African rainforests by planting the next generation of trees. Sustainable management of wildlife and other natural resources not only preserves gorilla habitat, but it provides long-term livelihoods for people and helps secure the future of the planet,” said tropical field biologist and conservationist Ian Redmond, who is also the UN Ambassador of the Year of the Gorilla.
The projects started in the last year include tree nurseries in the buffer zones around the Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest national park in the border triangle of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Planting and management of the trees will continue this year courtesy of the British-run Gorilla Organization.
The mountain gorillas are a national source of pride and income for Rwanda, which will host this year’s World Environment Day, which is observed annually on 5 June. The theme of this year’s Day will be “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.”
On a global scale, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), zoos, wildlife agencies and individuals last year staged various events in the Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australia to educate the wider public on gorillas and the threats they face.
A gorilla rapid assessment report, currently prepared by UNEP, will look more closely into the threats to gorilla populations and will be launched at the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) conference in Doha, Qatar, on 24 March.
The Year of the Gorilla was a joint initiative of UNEP-CMS, the UNEP/UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
News Tracker: past stories on this issue | <urn:uuid:8ef96c8e-9d3c-488c-ba85-ef43b6159eb6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34052&Cr=gorilla&Cr1= | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00159-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.916218 | 720 | 3.375 | 3 |
We are going to test the feasability of getting electricity from the atmosphere. We will use several kinds of antennas to put electricity to work. Just a simple dipole and unipolar antennas.. This is intended this to be just a prototype for a much larger unit you would like to build. The antennas are meant for indoor use so that wet weather will not be a factor in preventing the experments in being completed. Ages 10 and up.
To teach that radio wavet can be captured create electricity.
To teach a basis alternating and direct current.
To educate that we can use natures own power instead of fossil fuel.
To compare student hypotheses with the actual results of the experiment | <urn:uuid:c856a067-cc3e-4889-9548-0bc051307e91> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Antenna-experiment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00167-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925279 | 139 | 3.375 | 3 |
Homosexuality and bisexuality
Estimating the number of
lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the U.S.
Unfortunately, many sexual terms are used by therapists and sexual researchers
in a scientific sense, and by some faith groups as a pejorative term -- as "snarl"
words to denigrate sexual minorities. The term "homosexual" is one example. We
term throughout this website in its scientific/medical sense.
Why nobody knows accurately how many lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults live in the U.S.:
Even if accurate data and universally accepted definitions were available, various groups may well distort the information to better support their belief systems.
- Counting numbers of sexual minorities is made much more complicated because of the lack of a single definition of terms like "heterosexual," "bisexual," and "homosexual:"
- Religious and social conservatives often define these terms according to a person's sexual activity or behavior.
- Lesbians, bisexuals, gays, religious and social liberals, human sexuality researchers, most therapists, etc. tend to define the terms according to a person's sexual orientation -- the gender or genders to which a person is sexually attracted and perhaps about whom they fantasize.
- Whether one uses behavior or orientation as the criteria is important because:
- Some bisexual individuals decide to confine their sexual experiences exclusively to either the same gender or the opposite gender. If a person's sexual identity is defined solely by behavior, then some bisexuals would be viewed as either exclusively homosexual or exclusively heterosexual, even though their orientation and feelings of attraction remain bisexual.
- Similarly, a homosexual person might decide to remain celibate even though their sexual attraction which is only to persons of the same-gender remain strong. Should this individual be considered as an ex-gay or formerly gay person simply because they are not sexually active with members of the same gender?
- A small minority of persons would consider any individual who has experienced a single sexual experience with another person of the same-gender to the point of orgasm to be a gay or lesbian. According to a study by Alfred Kinsey shortly after World War II:
- "... at least 37% of the male population has some homosexual experience between the beginning of adolescence and old age.... This is more than one male in three of the persons that one may meet as he passes along a city street."
- Among those males who remain single to the age of 35, an average of 47% to 59% of them -- depending on their educational attainment -- fall into this category. 1
Thus, if a single same-gender sexual encounter makes a person a gay or lesbian, then a substantial percentage of the population meets this criterion. One might assume that the Kinsey data was based upon males who were willing to disclose their sexual history to an interviewer. The actual values are probably considerably higher, because not everyone with such sexual experience would be willing to reveal it to others.
- Groups differ on the actual number of sexual orientations:
- Many, perhaps most, parachurch groups, individual believers, secularists, human sexuality researchers etc. recognize three sexual orientations among adults:
- Heterosexuals who are attracted only to members of the opposite gender.
- Bisexuals who are attracted to both men and women, but not necessarily to the same degree.
- Homosexuals, who are attracted exclusively to members of the same sex.
- Some groups and individuals recognize only two orientations. They deny or ignore the existence of bisexuals, and acknowledge only heterosexuals and homosexuals. This belief has been strengthened by multiple lab experiments in which volunteers were shown erotic/pornographic movies and their sexual response measured. These studies often failed to detect any bisexual sexual arousal. Yet there is a significant minority of adults who assert that they are bisexual and who are or have been sexually active with both men and women.
- On the other hand, many professionals in the mental health and human sexuality fields use a classification system developed by Alfred C. Kinsey, who was perhaps the most famous researcher of human sexuality. He rated persons' psychological response -- even though it does not necessarily result in sexual activity with another person. He introduced a scale from 0 to 6:
- 0 = entirely heterosexual.
- 1 = largely heterosexual, but with incidental homosexual history.
- 2 = largely heterosexual, but with a distinct homosexual history.
- 3 = equally heterosexual and homosexual.
- 4 = largely homosexual, but with a distinct heterosexual history.
- 5 = largely homosexual, but with incidental heterosexual history.
- 6 = entirely homosexual. 1
Although this scale is often helpful, it can introduce other problems. Everyone would probably agree that a rating of 3 matches that of those bisexuals who are equally attracted to men and women. Also, a rating of 6 matches at least some homosexuals and 0 matches some heterosexuals. But it is not obvious whether a rating of 4 or 5 should be considered bisexual or homosexual. Similarly, it is not clear whether a rating of 1 or 2 should be considered bisexual or heterosexual.
- A few fundamentalist Christian groups promote the belief that there are over 30 sexual orientations. The orientations included:
- The generally accepted three orientations: heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual.
- Two gender identities: transgenderism and transsexualism. A person's gender identity is the gender that they perceive themselves to be. In the vast majority of persons this matches the gender they were assigned at birth and the genetic gender implied by the sex chromosomes in every cell of their body. But a person with gender dysphoria -- a transgender person -- has a conflict between their perceived gender and their assigned/genetic gender.
- Two dozen or more paraphilias such as bestiality, necrophilia, voyeurism and even dendrophilia -- sex involving trees. (Author's note: How this last paraphilia can be actually performed is beyond my ability to imagine. Full disclosure: Although I appreciate the beauty of trees, I am definitely not sexually attracted to any.)
- A few additional behaviors, such as incest, prostitution, were tossed into the mix to bring the total to over 30.
These religious groups found that their novel definition of sexual orientations was quite useful during their battle against a federal hate crime bill. That bill protected people of all sexual orientations without actually defining the term. The authors of the bill apparently assumed that everyone understood that there were three sexual orientations. The bill was signed into law in 2009 and gives higher sentences to violent crimes motivated by hatred of the victim's gender, disability status, sexual orientation and gender identity. The fundamentalist groups argued that the bill not only protect heterosexuals, bisexuals, and homosexuals from attacks, but would also protect people who engage in sex with young prepubescent children, with pubescent children, with dead people, and with family members, animals, trees, etc.
- Some commentators assume that the 10% incidence of gays and lesbians estimated by Alfred C. Kinsey is valid. Others allege that his finding is not accurate because Kinsey's sampling was not truly random. He relied to some degree on prison populations, for example. However, more recent reworking of the data by the Kinsey Institute has found that his estimates are reliable.
- Gallup found in 2011 that some groups of American adults believe that 30% or more of American adults are gay or lesbian. However, actual surveys of the public seem show percentages that are much lower: from 1.7% to 10% of the total population.
- Unfortunately, none of the main U.S. sources of population information -- the Census Bureau’s decennial count, the American Community Survey, the National Health Interview Survey, the Current Population Survey, have included questions about sexual orientation or gender identity. 2 This may change in the future, although collecting accurate information will probably always be difficult because of the lack of generally accepted definitions, and the reluctance of persons to admit their sexual identity to pollsters who are typically strangers.
A related topic about estimates of the size of the LGB population is also in this web site
These information sources were used to prepare & update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- C.A. Tripp, "Incidence, Frequency, and the Kinsey 0-6 Scale," Christian Gays, at: http://christiangays.com Derived from Wayne R. Dynes, "The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality," Garland, (1990). "Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- Gary J. Gates, "Gay people count, so why not count them correctly," Washington Post, 2011-APR-08, at: http://www.washingtonpost.com
How you got here:
Copyright © 2012 & 2013 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Originally written: 2012-JUN-08
Latest update: 2013-JUN-16
Author: B.A. Robinson | <urn:uuid:e9b3f6cb-3f37-4016-b59e-bbae9df804dd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_numb.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395546.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00193-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94866 | 1,845 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Soon after the Fukushima accident last month, I stated publicly that a nuclear event of this size and catastrophic potential could present a medical problem of very large dimensions. Events have proven this observation to be true despite the nuclear industry's campaign about the "minimal" health effects of so-called low-level radiation. That billions of its dollars are at stake if the Fukushima event causes the "nuclear renaissance" to slow down appears to be evident from the industry's attacks on its critics, even in the face of an unresolved and escalating disaster at the reactor complex at Fukushima.
Proponents of nuclear power – including George Monbiot, who has had a mysterious road-to-Damascus conversion to its supposedly benign effects – accuse me and others who call attention to the potential serious medical consequences of the accident of "cherry-picking" data and overstating the health effects of radiation from the radioactive fuel in the destroyed reactors and their cooling pools. Yet by reassuring the public that things aren't too bad, Monbiot and others at best misinform, and at worst misrepresent or distort, the scientific evidence of the harmful effects of radiation exposure – and they play a predictable shoot-the-messenger game in the process.
1) Mr Monbiot, who is a journalist not a scientist, appears unaware of the difference between external and internal radiation
Let me educate him.
The former is what populations were exposed to when the atomic bombs were detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945; their profound and on-going medical effects are well documented.
Internal radiation, on the other hand, emanates from radioactive elements which enter the body by inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption. Hazardous radionuclides such as iodine-131, caesium 137, and other isotopes currently being released in the sea and air around Fukushima bio-concentrate at each step of various food chains (for example into algae, crustaceans, small fish, bigger fish, then humans; or soil, grass, cow's meat and milk, then humans). After they enter the body, these elements – called internal emitters – migrate to specific organs such as the thyroid, liver, bone, and brain, where they continuously irradiate small volumes of cells with high doses of alpha, beta and/or gamma radiation, and over many years, can induce uncontrolled cell replication – that is, cancer. Further, many of the nuclides remain radioactive in the environment for generations, and ultimately will cause increased incidences of cancer and genetic diseases over time.
The grave effects of internal emitters are of the most profound concern at Fukushima. It is inaccurate and misleading to use the term "acceptable levels of external radiation" in assessing internal radiation exposures. To do so, as Monbiot has done, is to propagate inaccuracies and to mislead the public worldwide (not to mention other journalists) who are seeking the truth about radiation's hazards.
2) Nuclear industry proponents often assert that low doses of radiation (eg below 100mSV) produce no ill effects and are therefore safe. But , as the US National Academy of Sciences BEIR VII report has concluded, no dose of radiation is safe, however small, including background radiation; exposure is cumulative and adds to an individual's risk of developing cancer.
3) Now let's turn to Chernobyl. Various seemingly reputable groups have issued differing reports on the morbidity and mortalities resulting from the 1986 radiation catastrophe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2005 issued a report attributing only 43 human deaths directly to the Chernobyl disaster and estimating an additional 4,000 fatal cancers. In contrast, the 2009 report, "Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment", published by the New York Academy of Sciences, comes to a very different conclusion. The three scientist authors – Alexey V Yablokov, Vassily B. Nesterenko, and Alexey V Nesterenko – provide in its pages a translated synthesis and compilation of hundreds of scientific articles on the effects of the Chernobyl disaster that have appeared in Slavic language publications over the past 20 years. They estimate the number of deaths attributable to the Chernobyl meltdown at about 980,000.
Monbiot dismisses the report as worthless, but to do so – to ignore and denigrate an entire body of literature, collectively hundreds of studies that provide evidence of large and significant impacts on human health and the environment – is arrogant and irresponsible. Scientists can and should argue over such things, for example, as confidence intervals around individual estimates (which signal the reliability of estimates), but to consign out of hand the entire report into a metaphorical dustbin is shameful.
Further, as Prof Dimitro Godzinsky, of the Ukranian National Academy of Sciences, states in his introduction to the report: "Against this background of such persuasive data some defenders of atomic energy look specious as they deny the obvious negative effects of radiation upon populations. In fact, their reactions include almost complete refusal to fund medical and biological studies, even liquidating government bodies that were in charge of the 'affairs of Chernobyl'. Under pressure from the nuclear lobby, officials have also diverted scientific personnel away from studying the problems caused by Chernobyl."
4) Monbiot expresses surprise that a UN-affiliated body such as WHOmight be under the influence of the nuclear power industry, causing its reporting on nuclear power matters to be biased. And yet that is precisely the case.
In the early days of nuclear power, WHO issued forthright statements on radiation risks such as its 1956 warning: "Genetic heritage is the most precious property for human beings. It determines the lives of our progeny, health and harmonious development of future generations. As experts, we affirm that the health of future generations is threatened by increasing development of the atomic industry and sources of radiation … We also believe that new mutations that occur in humans are harmful to them and their offspring."
After 1959, WHO made no more statements on health and radioactivity. What happened? On 28 May 1959, at the 12th World Health Assembly, WHO drew up an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); clause 12.40 of this agreement says: "Whenever either organisation [the WHO or the IAEA] proposes to initiate a programme or activity on a subject in which the other organisation has or may have a substantial interest, the first party shall consult the other with a view to adjusting the matter by mutual agreement." In other words, the WHO grants the right of prior approval over any research it might undertake or report on to the IAEA – a group that many people, including journalists, think is a neutral watchdog, but which is, in fact, an advocate for the nuclear power industry. The IAEA's founding papers state: "The agency shall seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity through the world."
Monbiot appears ignorant about the WHO's subjugation to the IAEA, yet this is widely known within the scientific radiation community. But it is clearly not the only matter on which he is ignorant after his apparent three-day perusal of the vast body of scientific information on radiation and radioactivity. As we have seen, he and other nuclear industry apologists sow confusion about radiation risks, and, in my view, in much the same way that the tobacco industry did in previous decades about the risks of smoking. Despite their claims, it is they, not the "anti-nuclear movement" who are "misleading the world about the impacts of radiation on human health."
• Helen Caldicott is president of the Helen Caldicott Foundation for a Nuclear-Free Planet and the author of Nuclear Power is Not the Answer
See, for example, WJ Schull, Effects of Atomic Radiation: A Half-Century of Studies from Hiroshima and Nagasaki (New York: Wiley-Lis, 1995) and DE Thompson, K Mabuchi, E Ron, M Soda, M Tokunaga, S Ochikubo, S Sugimoto, T Ikeda, M Terasaki, S Izumi et al. "Cancer incidence in atomic bomb survivors, Part I: Solid tumors, 1958-1987" in Radiat Res 137:S17-S67 (1994).
This process is called bioaccumulation and comes in two subtypes as well, bioconcentration and biomagnification. For more information see: J.U. Clark and V.A. McFarland, Assessing Bioaccumulation in Aquatic Organisms Exposed to Contaminated Sediments, Miscellaneous Paper D-91-2 (1991), Environmental Laboratory, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS and H.A. Vanderplog, D.C. Parzyck, W.H. Wilcox, J.R. Kercher, and S.V. Kaye, Bioaccumulation Factors for Radionuclides in Freshwater Biota, ORNL-5002 (1975), Environmental Sciences Division Publication, Number 783, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN. | <urn:uuid:42405ca9-fe3a-4f71-8d73-b4556ec16a60> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.newdemocracyworld.org/science/peak_oil/Caldicott.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393442.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00128-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936905 | 1,876 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Many people think of the United Nations as a forum of 193 member states, each of which operates as a free agent, and which coalesces around resolutions depending on national interest. That would be true, up to a point.
In fact, the United Nations is divided into regional groups and blocs that skew the voting, like the “Non-Aligned” nations (120 countries) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (57 countries). Such alignments often work against the notion of independent, fair policymaking by member states, and more in the direction of a herd mentality, which explains the routinely lopsided votes against Israel at the United Nations over the decades.
If all were right in the world, Israel would be a member of the Asia-Pacific Group at the United Nations (known until 2011 as the Asian Group), which includes such countries as Iraq, Saudi Arabia—and Iran and Syria. Cyprus is also a member, as are such countries as Japan, India, and the Philippines. Notwithstanding some friends in the group, Israel’s inclusion has been repeatedly blocked by its incessant adversaries. Until 2000 Israel belonged to no regional group. It was an orphan in an organization whose internal deliberations often center on being able to hang your diplomatic hat inside a group of your neighbors.
After a sustained campaign over the course of several years, Israel, at the urging of the United States, was granted inclusion in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG, which includes the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, many of the European states and Turkey) – but only for meetings of the group in New York. Much was said at the time about this being a “first step,” with the assumption that Israel could later join the group for deliberations in Geneva, the site of the U.N. Human Rights Council, and other venues. That has not happened, as inclusion requires a consensus of the members, a few of which have blocked Israel from participating.
Being included is not just a matter of symbolism or prestige. Being at the table of fellow democracies (if not regional neighbors) when discussing policy positions on human rights violations in Iran, Zimbabwe, North Korea or Syria is vital. Not being allowed at the table sends a message of exclusion, which fits in with the efforts of the Palestinians and their friends to isolate and delegitimize the Jewish state.
Israel’s marginalization as an effective outsider in Geneva is particularly egregious because the Human Rights Council has been a constant center of Israel-bashing within the U.N. system. Israel is the only country for which a special agenda item (Item 7) is reserved at each Council session. That invective-filled agenda item is constituted of a basket of resolutions relating to charges of human rights abuses by Israel against Palestinians. All this despite past and current efforts to bring Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Moreover, the retention by the Council of Richard Falk, a self-promoter who among other things supports Hamas and incessantly directs vitriol at both Israel and the United States as Special Rapporteur and the Council’s initiation and endorsement of the now-discredited Goldstone Report on the 2009 Israeli counterterrorism campaign in Gaza, have served as political weapons against Israel, resulting in zero objectivity by the U.N.’s primary human rights apparatus when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian divide.
A year-and-a-half ago, Israel, having thrown its hands up in frustration over the cold-shoulder it regularly experiences in Geneva, decided that it would suspend engagement with the Council. By pulling back, it sent a message that it would not continue to be bullied by blocs of antagonistic U.N. members, some of whom would prefer a world without a Jewish state. One result of this pullback was a postponement of Israel’s taking part in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), an assessment of human rights practices which, under the terms of the formation of the Council in 2007, each U.N. member state undergoes – though democracies are frequently scrutinized more harshly than tyrannies.
The rescheduled UPR for Israel is now set for late October. A number of countries have urged Israel to reengage with the Council, and subject itself to the review process, notwithstanding what will surely be especially withering opprobrium. The thinking goes that under the review protocol, Israel has the right to respond, and could do so, as part of the UPR.
Those who opine that it is time for Israel to once again participate in Geneva, if they are to have credibility, should also advocate for Israel to finally be admitted as a full participant in WEOG deliberations in Geneva and be freed from the second-class citizenship that has been thrust upon it by being a group participant only in New York. They should also insist that Item 7 be eliminated. Why should Israel be the only country which is singled out for a special item at the Human Rights Council, while real human rights abusers, from Teheran to Damascus to Pyongyang, manage to wheedle their way through the system without such “special” treatment?
And even if Item 7 were not yet to be eliminated, given the heavy anti-Israel sentiment at the Council, what about pledges from European countries and other democracies not to participate in discussions and voting falling under this discriminatory category? Surely, such a commitment would send a message demanding fairness if the United Nations is to be taken seriously.
The next session of the Human Rights Council begins on Monday. Will it seize the opportunity to stop treating Israel as both an orphan and a pariah? Or will it remain a largely irrelevant, and sometimes damaging, global actor, ignoring the lamentable state of human rights in so many places, while focusing on its traditional punching bag, Israel?
We won’t be waiting long for the answer. | <urn:uuid:4b12feb7-8456-446c-99b0-fb8010be4fca> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/no-place-for-israel-at-the-un-human-rights-council-table/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00031-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959883 | 1,209 | 2.703125 | 3 |
An international team of nuclear astrophysicists has shed new light on the explosive stellar events known as novae.
These dramatic explosions are driven by nuclear processes and make previously unseen stars visible for a short time. The team of scientists measured the nuclear structure of the radioactive neon produced through this process in unprecedented detail.
Their findings, reported in the US journal Physical Review Letters, show there is much less uncertainty in how quickly one of the key nuclear reactions will occur as well as in the final abundance of radioactive isotopes than has previously been suggested.
Led by the University of York, UK, and Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya and the Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, Spain, the findings will help with the interpretation of future data from gamma ray observing satellites.
While large stars end their lives with spectacular explosions called supernovae, smaller stars, known as white dwarf stars, sometimes experience smaller, but still dramatic explosions called novae. The brightest nova explosions are visible to the naked eye.
A nova occurs when a white dwarf is close enough to a companion star to drag matter -- mostly hydrogen and helium -- from the outer layers of that star onto itself, building up an envelope. When enough material has accumulated on the surface, a burst of nuclear fusion occurs, causing the white dwarf to brighten and expel the remaining material. Within a few days to months, the glow subsides. The phenomenon is expected to recur after typically 10,000 to 100,000 years.
Traditionally novae are observed in the visible and nearby wavelengths, but this emission only shows up about a week after the explosion and therefore only gives partial information on the event.
Dr. Alison Laird, from the University of York's Department of Physics, said: "The explosion is fundamentally driven by nuclear processes. The radiation related to the decay of isotopes -- in particular that from an isotope of fluorine -- is actively being sought by current and future gamma ray observing satellite missions as it provides direct insight into the explosion.
"However, to be interpreted correctly, the nuclear reaction rates involved in the production of the fluorine isotope must be known. We have demonstrated that previous assumptions about key nuclear properties are incorrect and have improved our knowledge of the nuclear reaction pathway."
The experimental work was carried out at the Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory in Garching, Germany, and scientists from the University of Edinburgh played a key role in the interpretation of the data. The study also involved scientists from Canada and the United States.
Dr. Anuj Parikh, from the Departament de Fisica i Enginyeria Nuclear at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, said: "The observation of gamma rays from novae would help to better determine exactly what chemical elements are synthesized in these astrophysical explosions. In this work, details required to calculate the production of the key radioactive fluorine isotope have been measured precisely. This will allow more detailed investigation of the processes and reactions behind the nova."
This work is part of an ongoing program of research studying how the elements are synthesized in stars and stellar explosions.
The UK researchers received funding from the Science Technology Funding Council (STFC), and the project received further support from the Spanish MICINN, the EU Feder funds and ESF EUROCORES Program EuroGENESIS.
+44 (0)1904 322029
Dr. Alison Laird
"Is Gamma-Ray Emission from Novae Affected by Interference Effects in the 18F(p,alpha)15O Reaction?" is published online in the US journal Physical Review Letters on 15 January. The paper will be available online from approximately noon US Eastern time at http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.032502
Authors: A. M. Laird, S.P. Fox, B. R. Fulton (Department of Physics, University of York, UK); A. Parikh, J. Jose, R. Longland (Departament de Fisica i Enginyeria Nuclear, EUETIB, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain and the Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain); A. St. J. Murphy, D. J. Mountford (School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, UK); K. Wimmer, (National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University and Department of Physics, Central Michigan University, USA); A. A. Chen, D. Irvine, B. Sambrook (Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada); C. M. Deibel (Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, USA and Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Michigan State University, USA); T. Faestermann, D. Seiler (Physics Department E12, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany and Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory, Garching, Germany); R. Hertenberger, H.F. Wirth (Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory, Garching, Germany and Fakultaet fuer Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Germany).
More information on the University of York's Department of Physics: http://www.york.ac.uk/physics
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC, http://www.stfc.ac.uk) is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and global security. The Council has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise in materials science, space and ground-based astronomy technologies, laser science, microelectronics, wafer scale manufacturing, particle and nuclear physics, alternative energy production, radio communications and radar. STFC operates or hosts world class experimental facilities including:
* in the UK; ISIS pulsed neutron source, the Central Laser Facility, and LOFAR. STFC is also the majority shareholder in Diamond Light Source Ltd.
* overseas; telescopes on La Palma and Hawaii.
It enables UK researchers to access leading international science facilities by funding membership of international bodies including European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). STFC also has an extensive public outreach and engagement program. It is using its world leading research to inspire and enthuse schools and the general public about the impact and benefits that science can have on society. STFC is one of seven publicly-funded research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). | <urn:uuid:a08131a2-84f0-418e-975b-59c5d029f2da> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://spaceref.com/astronomy/supernovas/neon-lights-up-exploding-stars.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399117.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00122-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.880937 | 1,449 | 4.03125 | 4 |
The research of Hoese (1985) suggests that Sea Mullet use this second category of movements to fill the pharyngobranchial organ (an area at the back of the throat) with air.
The trapped air is believed to allow the fish to remain active in water of low oxygen concentration for about five minutes.
Several interesting lines of evidence support this theory. The number of jumps is correlated with the concentration of oxygen in the water. The less oxygen, the more jumps.
Secondly, Sea Mullet feed during the day often in bottom sediments that have low oxygen concentrations. Jumping occurs much more commonly during the day. Sea Mullet rarely jump at night.
via Science Dump. | <urn:uuid:b29128f1-351b-4905-a2cd-494dc57327d0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/33514168010 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396029.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00123-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951015 | 144 | 3.53125 | 4 |
Researchers at Loughborough University in collaboration with the British Geological Survey have developed a sound sensor system that can accurately predict the likelihood of a landslide. The system works by measuring and analyzing the acoustic behavior of soil to determine when a landslide is about to happen so preventative measures can be taken.
The detection system consists of networks of sensors buried in hillsides and embankments at risk of collapse. The sensors act as underground microphones that record all acoustic activity of the soil created by movement under the surface. The movement of soil before a landslide creates increasing rates of noise. Noise rates are created by inter-particle friction and accordingly are proportional to rates of soil movement. Increased noise means a slop is closer to failure. Since each sensor transmits a signal to a central computer for analysis, once a high-enough noise rate is recorded, the system can send a warning via text message to authorities in the area. This early warning will allow them to evacuate the area earlier, close affected transportion routes, and possibly stabilize the soil.
Though this information has been known since the 1960s, this early-detection sound sensor system is the first system of its kind in the world to be able to capture and process the information in real time to provide an early warning. This system may have the ability to save thousands of lives in landslide-prone countries.
Read more about the discovery here | <urn:uuid:ac05fa19-9a7a-4a5d-8a3b-d2a375b93b14> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blogs.bu.edu/otd/2010/10/21/university-research-discovers-early-warning-system-for-landslide-protection/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00146-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949106 | 280 | 3.9375 | 4 |
When You Eat Lunch Today, You’ll Think of This
Can using cash instead of credit make you healthier?
It very well might.
Research out of Cornell University showed that kids in school cafeterias who used debit cards spent more and ate more than kids who used cash to buy their lunch.
Brian Wansink, a behavioral economist at Cornell, researched the eating and spending habits of 2,300 students (grades 1–12) at 287 schools across the country.
“Kids are much, much, much more likely to take desserts and are much less likely to take fruits and vegetables” when they use debit cards, he said. When kids pay with cash, “they not only buy a lot more fruit but they also buy a lot less dessert.”
Wansink said what Dave Ramsey has been saying for years: You spend less when you pay with cash. Why? When you use a card, you delay the payment. In other words, you delay the consequences.
Related: Some Is Better Than None
When it comes to eating, Wansink says the same thing might be happening with the food you buy. “What I put in my mouth doesn’t actually matter, because those consequences are also far off in the future.”
He said that schools could counter obesity issues by making things like desserts and candy more difficult to buy. For example, you only allow kids to use cash to buy the less healthy options.
Also, making simple changes like putting cookies behind the counter. That way, the kids actually have to ask the cafeteria workers for them, instead of simply picking them up on their own.
“Cookie sales dropped dramatically,” Wansink said. “In some cases, as much as 50%, simply because a kid has to wait for 10 seconds to say, ‘Can you please hand me a cookie?’”
One of the best things we can do as parents is to make sure our kids understand that every choice has a consequence, either good or bad.
Your money decisions and your health decisions aren’t as unrelated as you may think. The high school student who spends $10 on every lunch could easily turn into a 35-year-old with high blood pressure and a bankruptcy.
Talk with your kids about money every opportunity you get. Teach them the power of cash. When they’re old enough, help them understand why credit cards are a bad idea.
If you don’t teach your kids about money, somebody will. And you can’t afford to take that risk.
How do you pay for your workday lunches? What will you do to help yourself make better choices? | <urn:uuid:b729b0e3-6d89-42d0-9177-e9aa970fb5cb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.daveramsey.com/blog/when-you-eat-lunch-today-think-of-this?ictid=text1.140306.lunch | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404405.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00115-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965873 | 563 | 2.875 | 3 |
Transcriptional mechanisms governing cartilage formation
Genome-wide identification of Sox9 regulatory system
Graduate School of Engineering / Faculty of Engineering
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have identified modes of Sox9 action during cartilage formation by analyzing big data on Sox9 location, chromatin state, and gene expression over the whole mouse genome. This finding will contribute to the understanding of cartilage diseases caused by genomic mutation and genome-based drug discovery for disease therapies.
Cartilage generated in embryos not only regulates skeletal growth until puberty, but also plays a key role in our locomotion as articular cartilage in our joints. Cartilage formation (chondrogenesis) requires the normal function of Sox9, a protein that regulates the expression of chondrogenesis-related genes. Mutation around the region of the human SOX9 gene, which encodes the Sox9 protein, causes campomelic dysplasia, a congenital disease that is accompanied by skeletal abnormalities and other conditions. Although the mechanisms underlying Sox9-mediated transcriptional regulation during chondrogenesis have been intensively investigated at a certain genomic region, its genome-wide regulation remained unclear.
Project Associate Professor Shinsuke Ohba at the Department of Bioengineering, the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering, identified two genome-wide modes (Class I and Class II engagement) of Sox9 action in transcription during chondrogenesis. In Class I engagement, Sox9 binds indirectly to the DNA and regulates the transcription of genes involved in basal cell activities. In Class II engagement, it binds directly to the DNA in multiple locations and activates transcription of cartilage-related genes.
“This finding will contribute to the understanding of cartilage-related degenerative diseases and congenital abnormalities that are caused by genomic mutation and genome-based drug discovery for treatment of diseases and cartilage regeneration,” says Ohba.
This work was published in the online version of Cell Reports (Cell Press) on July 2, 2015. This research was carried out in collaboration with Professor Andrew P. McMahon at the University of Southern California.
Distinct transcriptional programs underlie Sox9 regulation of the mammalian chondrocyte", Cell Reports Online Edition: 2015/7/3 (Japan time), doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.06.013.
Article link (Publication) | <urn:uuid:b6585127-dd9b-4bfe-9d7a-5aa689316a1a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/utokyo-research/research-news/transcriptional-mechanisms-governing-cartilage-formation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00097-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912839 | 486 | 2.890625 | 3 |
School of Aerospace, Mechanical, and Nuclear Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019
The effects of varying primary air flow rate, secondary air flow rate, and coal feeding rate on the structure of pulverized bituminous coal flames have been studied experimentally. The changes in flame appearance, flame length, axial and radial temperature profiles, and volumetric concentration of particulate matter have been measured by means of color photography, thermocouples and He-Ne laser beam attenuation. Combustion in the near-nozzle region is seen to be diffusion-controlled, whereas heat release in the far-nozzle region is seen to be governed by the heterogeneous oxidation processes.
Estimates and projections of the availability of various energy resources have indicated that even by the end of the present century, when nuclear, solar, and geothermal energies are expected to play a prominent role, fossil fuel combustion should still contribute about 80 percent of the energy used in the United States (1). It is widely recognized that coal will play an increasingly important role as an energy source worldwide and particularly in the United States because of her large coal reserves. Although the recent efforts to develop methods of coal gasification, coal liquefaction, and fluidized-bed combustion appear to be promising, at present their technology is still in its infancy. Hence, at present and in the near future coal used for generation of electricity will be in the pulverized form. Therefore, to provide a short-term solution to the energy problem, it is necessary to devise more efficient and environmentally acceptable methods of burning pulverized coal of different ranks. Some problems that are currently plaguing pulverized coal combustion are (i) necessity of using a large excess of air, which requires considerable amounts of energy to pump and produces much SOx and NOx (2), (ii) stability problems that arise with changes in coal properties when coals of different types are used, and (iii) emission of particulates. To devise solutions to these problems, it is essential to understand the structure and dominant physicochemical processes of pulverized coal flames. Although several studies on large full-scale industrial-size burners can be found in the literature (3, 4, 5, 6), diagnostic experimental investigations, particularly on the flame structure and its effect on gaseous pollutant formation in pulverized coal flames, are largely lacking. Hence, this paper presents the results of the first phase of a detailed experimental investigation being carried out at the University of Oklahoma, which is directed to provide comprehensive information on the effects of operating and fuel variables on the structure of pulverized coal flames.
Figure 1 shows the schematic diagram of the experimental apparatus used for this study. It consisted of a stainless steel cylindrical combustion chamber mounted horizontally on an asbestos-topped table. The chamber had four windows, each 27 cm long and 4 cm wide, mounted two on each side. Primary air that carried the pulverized coal to the combustion chamber was supplied from the laboratory compressed air line through suitable regulators and flow meters. Pulverized coal stored in a hopper was supplied to the primary air line by means of a helical lead screw which was coupled to a variable-speed electric motor. A divergent nozzle was attached to the end of the primary air/coal-carrying tube in order to increase the stability range of the flame. Secondary air required for combustion was supplied by means of a variable-speed air blower through a settling chamber and several holes drilled in the plate mounted on the upstream end of the combustion chamber. The filter medium contained in the settling chamber served to provide a uniform velocity profile of secondary air flow at the entrance to the combustion chamber. A pilot burner fueled with propane gas was mounted near
the coal nozzle. Exhaust from the combustion chamber was led to atmosphere through suitable baffles in order to prevent back flow of outside air.
Coal feeding rate was measured by noting the rotational speed of the feeding screw and using a calibration graph of mcvs speed prepared earlier. Air and propane gas flow rates were measured by means of flowmeters. Flames were photographed in color to document the changes in appearance and flame length with changes in the operating variables. The temperature field was probed by means of a chromel-alumel thermocouple and the readings were corrected for radiation and conduction losses by the method of King and Lynn (7). The total radiation emittance of the flame normal to the axis was determined with a water-cooled heat flux meter. The attenuation of a 4-mW He-Ne gas laser beam while passing through the flame normal to its axis was recorded by means of a laser power meter and the volumetric concentration of particulates was estimated. Bituminous coal pulverized so that 60.8% of it passed through a 200-mesh screen (76 µm) was used in this study. The details of the experimental facility and the instrumentation can be found in a thesis (8).
Flame Appearance and Length
In the absence of coal powder in the primary air, the opposed jet flame formed by the pilot gas burner was highly turbulent, with a yellowish periphery and bluish core. As the coal feed rate was increased, the flame color changed from blue to yellow in the core region while the yellow color at the periphery remained the same. The visible flame length (1) increased with the increase in coal feed rate (mc)(Figure 2). At the largest coal feed rate used in this study, the flame was very turbulent and exhibited a tendency to curve upwards at the tip.
Figure 3 shows the effects of increasing primary air flow rate (mpa)on flame length at two levels of coal feeding rate (mc),while other parameters were kept invariant. At low values of mpathe flames became brighter, more luminous and longer. Flame length attained a peak value at certain mpaand then decreased with further increase in mpa.
Flame length was seen to be significantly decreased when the secondary air flow rate (msa)was increased (Figure 4). At low values of msathe color was bright yellow uniformly all over the flame. With increase in msa,the flame turned bluish near the periphery and remained yellow in the core region.
The variation of temperature along the axis of four typical flames is shown in Figure 5. Curve A is the axial temperature profile in the flame at a set of base conditions and curves B, C, and D are axial temperature profiles in flames in which mc,mpa,and msarespectively were changed from the base conditions. A comparison of curves A and B reveals that an increase in coal feed rate decreased the temperature near the nozzle and caused a peak in the temperature profile. Similar effect would occur if pa were decreased (curves A and C). On the other hand, an increase in sa not only decreased axial temperature in the near-nozzle region but also caused a more rapid decline of temperature profile downstream.
Figure 6 shows the effects of varying mc,mpa,and msaon radial temperature profiles in the near-nozzle region. In the near-nozzle region, either increasing mc(curve B) or decreasing msa(curve C) from the base conditions (curve A) showed the same effect of flattening the radial temperature profile, whereas increasing msa(curve D) caused a more rapid decrease in temperature radially outwards. Also, in the same figure, the radial temperature profile in the far-nozzle region of the flame at the base conditions is shown (curve E), which indicates that a sharper decline of temperature would occur in the radially outward direction in the far-nozzle region than in the near-nozzle region.
The variation of the ratio of volumetric concentration of particulates (W) to that near the burner (WO), estimated from the measured laser beam attenuation readings by the method of Yagi and Iino (9), along the axis of the flame at the base conditions is shown in Figure 7. Although there is a large scatter in the results, caused by the uncertainties in the estimation of instantaneous path length of absorption, the tendency of W to increase along the axis is clear.
The changes in the flame appearance and the quantitative results given above clearly show that the structure of the pulverized coal flame is very sensitive to the coal feeding rate, primary air flow rate, and secondary air flow rate.
The blue region in the core of the pilot gas flame is caused by the highly turbulent mixing between the gas and primary air and gas-phase oxidation reactions are dominant in that region. As the coal feed rate
is increased, the flame turns yellow because of the continuous radiation emitted by the solid particles. The axial temperature in the near-nozzle region decreases with the increase in mcfor two reasons. First, the sensible heat required to raise the solid particles to their pyrolysis temperature is absorbed. Second, the pyrolysis reactions resulting in devolatilization are endothermic. The release and subsequent diffusion-controlled combustion of volatile products of pyrolysis are manifested in the broadening of the radial temperature profiles near the axis. Although sharp off-axis peaks characteristic of pure laminar gas diffusion flames are not seen because of the presence of primary air, the extension of the heat-release zone radially outward indicates that diffusion-controlled heat release is as important as the kinetics-controlled combustion in the near-nozzle region of pulverized coal flames. The flame is also elongated with the increase in mc,because of (i) slower heterogeneous reactions of coal char in the downstream region of the nozzle and (ii) increased mass flow rate of fuel to be burnt. The flame length vs m curve eventually levels off when all air that can be entrained at that particular set of operating conditions is consumed.
A conspicuous difference exists between the structure of the flames in the present study, where a small amount of gaseous fuel (although less than 0.1% of the mass flow rate of coal) was fed to the near-nozzle region, and that in the large-scale flames studied in References 3, 4, and 5. In the flames described by these References ignition of coal particles occurred always at a certain distance (which is called "ignition distance" in those studies) away from the burner nozzle, whereas in the present study the flames always started right near the nozzle. Ignition distance was seen to be considerably affected when operating parameters were changed in those studies. Since combustion in gas flames in the downstream parts of the flame is seen to be markedly affected by the magnitude of the ignition distance and the entrainment of air in that region (10), it is possible that those variables which change ignition distance in pulverized fuel flames also will change the combustion in the subsequent zones. As ignition distance in the present experiment was almost zero and was invariant with mc,mpa,and msa,the influence of these variables on flame stability is minimal in the present arrangement as compared to that in flames of References 3-5.
The effects of primary air flow rate can be attributed to the changes in availability of oxygen and residence time of coal particles in the flame region. As mpais increased, the velocity in the axial direction increases and the residence period of coal particles decreases and thus leads to lengthening of visible flames. On the other hand, increased availability of oxygen accompanying the increase in pa increases the reaction rate and thus leads to shortening of the flames. The combined effects of these two factors are responsible for the peaking of the flame length vs primary air flow rate curve. At low values of mpa,the insufficiency of available oxygen in the near-nozzle region also causes the occurrence of maximum axial temperature away from the burner nozzle. Flattening of radial temperature profiles when mpawas decreased is also caused by the decrease in the oxygen supply in the core, which leads to significant proportions of diffusion-controlled combustion with ambient air.
When secondary air flow rate is increased, the mixing between primary air/coal jet and the secondary air is enhanced and increased entrainment of air occurs. This results in higher rates of oxidation reactions in both homogeneous and heterogeneous processes and leads to a reduction of flame length and increase in luminosity. The increased momentum of the flame jet also counteracts the effects of buoyancy and confines the flame to the axial region. Lower peak temperatures noticed in flames with higher msaare probably caused by the more rapid dilution of the flame. The variation of flame length with msais contrary to that noticed by Loisson and Kissel (5) in their experiments on large flames, primarily because of the difference in the ignition distance and its change with sa between the present study and that of Loisson and Kissel. The more rapid decline of temperature profiles in the radially outward direction further suggests that the extent of diffusion-controlled combustion of volatile decreases at higher msa.
In the near-nozzle region coal particles are suspended in the primary air stream. As they proceed along the flame, they lose
their volatiles content and because of their relatively larger momentum are confined to the axial region. Because of the closely grouped confinement of char particles in the downstream parts of the flame, their volumetric concentration increases with the axial distance.
A comparison of the flame length data at some typical conditions with the flame lengths predicted by the theoretical formulations of Sunavala (11) and Bhaduri and Bandopadhyay (12) shows that the predictions of the latter agree well with measured values, whereas the predictions of the former exceed experimental values by a factor of three.
This study has shown that the structure of pulverized coal flames is strongly dependent on coal feed rate, primary air flow rate, secondary air flow rate, and introduction of additional gaseous fuel into the near-nozzle region. Combustion in the near-nozzle region is seen to be diffusion-controlled, whereas in the downstream region heterogeneous reaction processes are seen to dominate. An increase of coal feed rate increases flame length and shifts the location of peak flame temperatures downstream. An increase in secondary air flow rate decreases flame length and maximum temperature whereas the effects of increasing primary air flow rate on flame characteristics depend upon its magnitude. Injection of small amounts of additional gaseous fuel into the near-nozzle region enhances the stability of the pulverized coal flame and reduces the sensitivity of flame characteristics to the changes in operating variables.
1. A. K. OPPENHEIM and F. J. WEINBERG, Astronaut. Aeronaut.: 22-31 (1974).
2. J. O. L. WENDT, C. V. STERNLING, and M. A. MATOVICH, Fourteenth Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1973, pp. 897-904.
3. J. M. BEER, J. Inst. Fuel 36: 386-413 (1963).
4. J. M. BEER and N. A. CHIGIER, J. Inst. Fuel 42: 443-450 (1969).
5. R. LOISSON and R. R. KISSEL, J. Inst. Fuel 35: 60-73 (1962).
6. E. H. HUBBARD, J. Inst. Fuel 33: 386-399 (1960).
7. W. J. KING and W. LYNN, Trans. Am. Soc. Mech. Engrs. 65: 421-423 (1943).
8. A. PINTO, Combustion of Pulverized Coal, M.S. Thesis, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 1978.
9. S. YAGI and H. IINO, Eighth Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1962, pp. 288-293.
10. S. R. GOLLAHALLI , Can. J. Chem. Eng. 56: 510-514 (1978).
11. P. D. SUNAVALA, J. Inst. Fuel 41: 477-483 (1968).
12. D. BHADURI and S. BANDYOPADHYAY, Combustion Flame 17: 15-24 (1971). | <urn:uuid:e967d1af-d9f4-4456-96d5-a7e5559f358d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://digital.library.okstate.edu/OAS/oas_htm_files/v59/p64_69.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00148-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938515 | 3,389 | 2.875 | 3 |
How we arrived at the island of Tools.
Having well ballasted the holds of our human vessels, we weighed anchor, hoised up sail, stowed the boats, set the land, and stood for the offing with a fair loom gale, and for more haste unpareled the mizen-yard, and launched it and the sail over the lee-quarter, and fitted gyves to keep it steady, and boomed it out; so in three days we made the island of Tools, that is altogether uninhabited. We saw there a great number of trees which bore mattocks, pickaxes, crows, weeding-hooks, scythes, sickles, spades, trowels, hatchets, hedging-bills, saws, adzes, bills, axes, shears, pincers, bolts, piercers, augers, and wimbles.
Others bore dags, daggers, poniards, bayonets, square-bladed tucks, stilettoes, poniardoes, skeans, penknives, puncheons, bodkins, swords, rapiers, back-swords, cutlasses, scimitars, hangers, falchions, glaives, raillons, whittles, and whinyards.
Whoever would have any of these needed but to shake the tree, and immediately they dropped down as thick as hops, like so many ripe plums; nay, what’s more, they fell on a kind of grass called scabbard, and sheathed themselves in it cleverly. But when they came down, there was need of taking care lest they happened to touch the head, feet, or other parts of the body. For they fell with the point downwards, and in they stuck, or slit the continuum of some member, or lopped it off like a twig; either of which generally was enough to have killed a man, though he were a hundred years old, and worth as many thousand spankers, spur-royals, and rose-nobles.
Under some other trees, whose names I cannot justly tell you, I saw some certain sorts of weeds that grew and sprouted like pikes, lances, javelins, javelots, darts, dartlets, halberds, boar-spears, eel-spears, partizans, tridents, prongs, trout-staves, spears, half-pikes, and hunting-staves. As they sprouted up and chanced to touch the tree, straight they met with their heads, points, and blades, each suitable to its kind, made ready for them by the trees over them, as soon as every individual wood was grown up, fit for its steel; even like the children’s coats, that are made for them as soon as they can wear them and you wean them of their swaddling clothes. Nor do you mutter, I pray you, at what Plato, Anaxagoras, and Democritus have said. Ods-fish! they were none of your lower-form gimcracks, were they?
Those trees seemed to us terrestrial animals, in no wise so different from brute beasts as not to have skin, fat, flesh, veins, arteries, ligaments, nerves, cartilages, kernels, bones, marrow, humours, matrices, brains, and articulations; for they certainly have some, since Theophrastus will have it so. But in this point they differed from other animals, that their heads, that is, the part of their trunks next to the root, are downwards; their hair, that is, their | <urn:uuid:91f73c09-3088-4914-98c7-842d2e01157f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/1200/545.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974923 | 782 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Keep the Fire You Want from Starting One You Don’t
Chimney fires don’t have to
Here are some ways to avoid them:
What to Do if You Have a Chimney Fire.
- Have your chimney inspected annually by a qualified
professional and cleaned when necessary.
- Use seasoned woods only (dryness is more important than hard wood versus
soft wood considerations)
- Build smaller, hotter fires that burn more completely and produce less smoke.
burn cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, trash or Christmas trees; these can spark a chimney fire.
- Install stovepipe
thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures where wood stoves are in use, so you can adjust burning practices as needed.
and clean catalytic combustors on a regular basis, where applicable
If you realize a chimney fire is occurring, follow these steps:
- Get everyone out of the house, including
- Call the fire department.
If you can do so without risk to yourself, these additional steps
may help save your home. Remember, however, that homes are replaceable, lives are not:
- Put a chimney fire extinguisher
into the fireplace or wood stove.
- Close the glass doors on the fireplace.
- Close the inlets on the wood stove.
a garden hose to spray down the roof (not the chimney) so the fire won’t spread to the rest of the structure.
more chimney safety tips, visit the Chimney Safety Institute of America. | <urn:uuid:9064004f-1cf5-4c91-842a-adc44750ab3c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.firefreechimney.com/chimney_fire_safety.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397864.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00135-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.827171 | 318 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Highlight in history
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag.
On this date
- 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created.
- 1922, Warren G. Harding became the first president heard on radio, as Baltimore station WEAR broadcast his speech dedicating the Francis Scott Key memorial at Fort McHenry.
- 1940, German troops entered Paris during World War II; the same day, the Nazis began transporting prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.
- 1954, the words "under God" were added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
- 1967, the space probe Mariner 5 was launched from Cape Kennedy on a flight that took it past Venus.
- 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered a ban on continued domestic use of the pesticide DDT, to take effect at year's end.
- 1982, Argentine forces surrendered to British troops on the disputed Falkland Islands.
- 1993, President Bill Clinton chose Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. | <urn:uuid:145d6c14-052d-48b9-b522-1e9521f5b5d9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.goerie.com/article/20130614/NEWS07/306149934/This-Day-in-History-for-June-14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393518.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00084-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933069 | 235 | 3.390625 | 3 |
The concept of Rally and Precision flying started in the Scandinavian countries between the two world wars. The object was to create a set of skills that combined hunting, flying and cross country skiing.
The sport included flying to some remote location, landing in the mountains, skiing to a predetermined spot, shooting a target and then flying off to the next spot, to repeat the exercise.
In the late 1940’s more countries became interested in the concept and over a period of years a set of rules was drawn up that separated out the flying aspects only. A further evolution was to split the sport into two disciplines, Precision Flying and Rally Flying. The main difference between the two is that Precision Flying is a solo effort by a single pilot while Rally Flying is a two crew operation.
Initially the sport was dominated by the inventors, the Scandinavian countries, but later the Eastern European Countries began to dominate. World Championships are held on a regular basis with entries from all over the globe.
The sport of Precision Flying is a single crew operation comprising three sections: Firstly there is a flight planning (theory) test. This is where a route is worked out by the competitor who has to calculate the distance, ground speed, time and heading of each leg of the route based on a constant airspeed and a given wind factor. No aviation or scientific calculators are allowed here and pilots have to use the traditional “Whizz Wheel”. Penalties are allocated for every incorrect calculation of time or heading. Only very small tolerances are allowed.
The second section is a flying test. Pilots have fly along a track at a nominated speed, accurate to the second. Pilots also have to identify photographs and ground markers along the route. These need to be marked on a map. Penalties are awarded for each second early or late over certain unknown check points and turning points as well as for misidentification / misplacement of the ground markers and photographs.
Finally there is the landing section where the pilot has to perform four landings from 1000ft on downwind. Two of the landings are glides (one flapless) and the other two are powered approaches (one over a 2 meter barrier). Pilots aim for a two meter deep stripe painted on the runway. Penalties are awarded for each meter long or short of the line. | <urn:uuid:2edf1a3d-8e2a-4d31-b0ed-1490907e1576> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.fai.org/gac-our-sport/precision-flying | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00169-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967074 | 476 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Landsat 7 Images Show Scale of Tsunami Damage
Indonesia's island of Sumatra suffered from both the rumblings of the underwater earthquake and the tsunamis that followed on December 26, 2004. Within minutes of the quake, the sea surged ashore, bringing destruction to the coasts of northern Sumatra.
The earthquake that created the huge tsunami also changed the Earth's rotation. Using data from the quake, NASA scientists calculated the earthquake decreased the length of day, slightly changed the planet's shape, and shifted the North Pole by centimeters. (+ Read More: NASA Details Earthquake Affects on the Earth.)
Below, this pair of natural-color images from Landsat 7's Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) instrument shows a small area along the Sumatran coast in Aceh province where the tsunami smashed its way ashore. In this hard-hit region, the wave cut a swath of near-total destruction 1.5 kilometers (roughly one mile) in most places, but penetrating farther in many others.
Before the tsunami: 13 December 2004:
After the tsunami: 29 December 2004:
Side by side comparisons of Aceh coast (areas outlined in red above) before and after the tsunami.
Each image shows a 10 kilometer square area.
For more Tsunami images see Earthquake Satellite Iamgery
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | <urn:uuid:5b57c292-287a-4914-a3f5-f23669145d4f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/Landsat_Tsunami.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00067-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.88461 | 283 | 3.875 | 4 |
Texas Minnows Proposed for Listing and Habitat
WASHINGTON (CN) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed two minnow species in Texas for endangered listing status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agency also proposes 623 river miles of critical habitat for the fish in a separate action.
The proposals were spurred by the 2011 settlement agreement between the USFWS and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), which resulted in a five-year work plan to speed listing decisions for hundreds of species across the nation. "The intent of the agreement is to significantly reduce litigation-driven workloads and allow the agency to focus its resources on the species most in need of the ESA's protections," the agency's press release stated.
The sharpnose shiner and the smalleye shiner are minnows that are now found in only one reach of the Brazos River in Texas. During Texas' "worst 1-year drought on record" in 2011, the Brazos River went dry, according to the action. Texas state fish biologists captured sharpnose and smalleye shiners from isolated pools and maintained them in captivity until the following year when they were released into the lower Brazos River. The agency noted that "a similar drought in 2012 would have likely led to extinction of both species."
The fish require unobstructed flowing water during the breeding season to successfully reproduce, as the eggs and larvae remain suspended in the water column until they mature enough to swim on their own. In still water, the eggs, larvae and immature fish sink to the bottom and die. "Experiments have shown that the fishes need flows of 92 to 227 cubic feet per second to reproduce. They also need at least 171 miles of undammed flowing water for the juveniles to reach maturity," the CBD noted in their statement.
"The naturally occurring historical distribution of the sharpnose shiner included the Brazos River, Colorado River, and Wichita River in Texas, while the naturally occurring historical distribution of the smalleye shiner included only the Brazos River," the action said. Because both species are reduced to only one viable population, the fish "lack redundancy." The USFWS defines redundancy as "the ability of a species to withstand catastrophic events by spreading the risk, and can be measured through the duplication and distribution of resilient populations across its range." Both minnow species also lack "resiliency," or the ability to withstand random events, and "representation," or the ability of the species to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Both of these hallmarks of species viability are determined by the extent of habitat.
The USFWS has proposed to designate 623 miles of the upper Brazos River basin, including the riparian areas extending 30 meters on each side beyond the river channel as critical habitat. The proposed habitat would wind through 11 Texas counties.
The 60-day comment period closes Oct. 7. A public information session and hearing will be held Sept. 4. | <urn:uuid:b1bb5775-b46b-4cae-a33e-b9f5356528c8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/08/09/60168.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396224.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00026-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963736 | 614 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Definitions for jaws
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word jaws
the borders of anything which has a mouthlike aspect.
Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The prototypical summer blockbuster, its release is regarded as a watershed moment in motion picture history. In the story, a giant man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers on Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, prompting the local police chief to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter. The film stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as oceanographer Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint, Murray Hamilton as the mayor of Amity Island, and Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife, Ellen. The screenplay is credited to both Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the script during principal photography. Shot mostly on location on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, the film had a troubled production, going over budget and past schedule. As the art department's mechanical sharks suffered many malfunctions, Spielberg decided to mostly suggest the animal's presence, employing an ominous, minimalistic theme created by composer John Williams to indicate the shark's impending appearances. Spielberg and others have compared this suggestive approach to that of classic thriller director Alfred Hitchcock. Universal Pictures gave the film what was then an exceptionally wide release for a major studio picture, over 450 screens, accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign with a heavy emphasis on television spots and tie-in merchandise.
The numerical value of jaws in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
The numerical value of jaws in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
Sample Sentences & Example Usage
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Why the NRC snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, I don't know.
The kids were freaking out because the shark's going around our boat like 'Jaws'.
We were equals once when we lay new-born babes on our nurse's knees. We will be equal again when they tie up our jaws for the last sleep.
We feel that it's a huge win that the charter's going to expire, now we need to make sure that Republican leadership in both the House and the Senate don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Images & Illustrations of jaws
Find a translation for the jaws definition in other languages:
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[Hiroshima and Nagasaki]
This month marked the 65th anniversary of the only nuclear weapons to be used in war, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These anniversaries passed without much notice, although for the first time there was an official American presence at the Hiroshima commemoration. This lack of attention is disquieting, not only to some in Japan, such as this prominent writer, but to others, such as this teacher whose students consider it "ancient history." The further we get from the reality of the damage caused by two atomic bombs of very modest yield by today's standards, the more complacent we seem to be, and therefore the more likely that nuclear weapons will be used again.
What follows is my piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle Outlook section marking the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima in 2005.
On July 16, 1945, the cruiser Indianapolis sailed from Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, carrying one 15-foot crate. Inside were the components for the first atomic bomb destined to be dropped on a city. It was being shipped to Tinian Island in the western Pacific, and its final destination a few weeks later would be Hiroshima. It left San Francisco just four hours after the first successful atomic bomb test in history, in the New Mexico desert.
Sixty years is a long time to keep even such an immense memory alive, but several books published recently bring these events into sharper focus than ever before.
Several are biographies of key figures like Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller, but one is billed as a biography of the bomb itself. "The Bomb: A Life" by Gerard DeGroot (Harvard University Press), professor of modern history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, benefits from newly available records, especially concerning the Soviet nuclear program. But mostly it is a skillfully condensed narrative of the nuclear era, fascinating in the selection of details and riveting in its revelations of how possessing nuclear weapons changed those involved, and changed America.
On the day of that first test in July 1945, no one knew what would happen. About half the scientists didn't think the device would explode at all. Enrico Fermi was taking bets that it would burn off the Earth's atmosphere.
It did explode, with such brightness that a woman blind from birth traveling in a car some distance away saw it. "A colony on Mars, had such a thing existed, could have seen the flash," DeGroot writes. "All living things within a mile were killed, including all insects."
America was now in sole possession of the most powerful weapon in history. The first effect of the bomb was in Potsdam, Germany, where President Harry Truman was conferring with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin, premier of the Soviet Union, then an ally in the war against Japan. After Truman received the news of the successful test, he was "a changed man" and "generally bossed the whole meeting," according to Churchill.
That the second bomb left San Francisco on the day the first was tested suggests the momentum to use it. Whether dropping the bomb was necessary to secure Japan's surrender before an invasion became necessary is still being debated. DeGroot believes that Japan was looking for a way to surrender in June and July. But there were other considerations, mostly to do with demonstrating American power, especially to the Soviet Union.
Using the bomb quickly became a test of patriotism. "For most Manhattan Project scientists the bomb was a deterrent, not a weapon," DeGroot writes. Physicist Leo Szilard had done as much as anyone to try to persuade FDR to develop the bomb because Germany was doing so. But on the day after that first test, he sent government officials a petition signed by 69 project scientists arguing that to use the bomb would ignite a dangerous arms race and damage America's postwar moral position, especially its ability to bring "the unloosed forces of destruction under control."
The petition was ignored, and Gen. Leslie Groves, the senior military official in charge of the project, began making a case that Szilard was a security risk. It's a pattern that would be repeated often.
DeGroot places the decision to drop the bomb on Japan in the context of the brutalization that occurred during the long years of World War II, with an unprecedented scope of savagery on both sides. The bombing of civilians and cities, morally unthinkable in the West before the war, became a major feature of it by its final years, long past the time many military targets were left. Gen. Groves, he writes, was worried that Japan might surrender before the bomb could be dropped.
Hiroshima was selected as the primary target because it had no allied POW camps. However, there were nearly 5,000 American children in the city -- "mainly children sent to Japan after their parents, U.S. citizens of Japanese origin, had been interred." It seems likely some of those children were from San Francisco.
The nuclear era began with the secrecy of the Manhattan Project, which is perhaps partly why it was accompanied throughout its history by lies and denial. It began with Hiroshima. As many as 75,000 people died in the first blast and fire. But in five years the death toll would reach 200,000 because of what the U.S. government denied existed: lethal radiation.
Even after the hydrogen bomb was developed in the 1950s (so powerful that the first test vaporized an island and created a mile wide crater 175 feet deep), the untruths continued. In 1954, Dr. David Bradley reported on 406 Pacific islanders exposed to H-bomb fallout: nine children were born retarded, 10 more with other abnormalities, and three were stillborn, including one reported to be "not recognizable as human." Such information was denied or routinely suppressed through all the years of testing, even on U.S. soil. Groves even told Congress that death from radiation was "very pleasant."
Even after the war, criticizing the bomb in any way became a threat to national security, an act of disloyalty that only helped the communist enemy. And so people were silent and compliant, and streamed into air-conditioned theatres to see movies about monsters created by atomic radiation.
This extreme weapon prompted extreme and contrary emotions, often within the same people. Some of the same Los Alamos scientists who cheered madly at the first news of Hiroshima were later shell-shocked with regret. Gen. Omar Bradley called his contemporaries "nuclear giants and ethical infants." Yet he pushed for developing the hydrogen bomb.
This peculiar combination of denial plus the immense power of thousands of bombs contributed to an era of deadly absurdities: the age of Dr. Strangelove. Yet reality was not so different, right down to the preposterously appropriate names: the head of the Strategic Air Command, Gen. Tommy Power, gave his philosophy of nuclear war in 1960: "At the end of the war, if there are two Americans and one Russian, we win!"
The warp in American political life created by the bomb might be summarized in two statements. "In order to make the country bear the burden," said President Dwight Eisenhower's secretary of state, John Foster Dulles, referring to the Cold War arms race, "we have to create an emotional atmosphere akin to a wartime psychology. We must create the idea of a threat from without."
The second is more famous, but perhaps its connection to the bomb and its effect on America has been forgotten: Eisenhower's farewell address. "We have been compelled to create a permanent arms industry of vast proportions," he said. "We must not fail to comprehend its vast implications. ... We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." | <urn:uuid:3cedee10-e1d4-41b3-8bc3-ad968a326f12> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://kowincidence.blogspot.com/2010_08_22_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00107-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976626 | 1,619 | 3.234375 | 3 |
|Scientific Name:||Aspidoscelis arizonae|
|Species Authority:||(Van Denburgh, 1896)|
Cnemidophorus arizonae Van Denburgh, 1896
|Taxonomic Notes:||This species was treated as a subspecies of Cnemidophorus inornatus (Aspidoscelis inornata) by Wright and Lowe (1993). Crother et al. (2000) and Collins and Taggart (2002) recognized it as a distinct species. Stebbins (2003) included A. arizonae in A. inornata, in which he did not recognize any subspecies.
This species formerly may have hybridized or intergraded with Aspidoscelis inornata llanuras in southwestern New Mexico (Wright and Lowe 1993).
Reeder et al. (2002) examined phylogenetic relationships of the whiptail lizards of the genus Cnemidophorus based on a combined analysis of mitochondrial DNA, morphology, and allozymes. They determined that Cnemidophorus in the traditional sense is paraphyletic and thus in need of nomenclatural revision. Rather than subsume all cnemidophorine species (including Kentropyx) in a single large genus (Ameiva), they proposed a split that placed the North American "Cnemidophorus" clade in the monophyletic genus Aspidoscelis; under this arrangement, South American taxa remain in the genus Cnemidophorus.
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Near Threatened ver 3.1|
|Reviewer(s):||Cox, N., Chanson, J.S. & Stuart, S.N. (Global Reptile Assessment Coordinating Team)|
Listed as Near Threatened because although populations appear to be stable, the small extent of occurrence (less than 5,000 km²) and small area of occupancy (less than 500 km²) may qualify the species for listing in one of the threatened categories (under criteria B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)) if populations begin to decline as a result of habitat changes.
|Range Description:||This species is endemic to the southwest of the United States. Its small range historically included the area in the vicinity of Willcox (Cochise County) Arizona, the vicinity of Fairbank (Cochise County), and the Hackberry Ranch in Whitlock Valley (Graham County), Arizona (Wright and Lowe 1993, Sullivan et al. 2005). Surveys in 2000-2003 found the species near Willcox and near Bonita (where not previously recorded in Graham County) but not at Fairbank or Whitlock Valley (Sullivan et al. 2005). The Fairbank locality appears to be erroneous and probably represents the base of operations rather than the collection locality (Sullivan et al. 2005).|
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||In a range-wide survey, Sullivan et al. (2005) found this species at 12 sites in two general areas. Total adult population size is unknown but probably at least several thousand. Sullivan et al. (2005) noted that "relatively large numbers" were seen at three sites. Extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size appear not to have changed very much from the historical situation (Sullivan et al. 2005). Wright and Lowe (1993) reported that this species is "fairing badly" in Whitlock Valley, where it occurs in syntopy with a healthy population of Aspidoscelis tigris in an overgrazed, shrubby habitat. However, Sullivan et al. (2005) concluded that the overall distribution and probably abundance appear to have been stable at least over the past 50 years.|
|Current Population Trend:||Stable|
|Habitat and Ecology:||This is primarily a grassland species (Wright and Lowe 1993).|
|Major Threat(s):||This species appears to be holding its own despite habitat changes from heavy cattle grazing and the presence of a potential competitor (Aspidoscelis uniparens). Sullivan et al. (2005) found no evidence of replacement of A. arizonae by A. uniparens over the past several decades, even in area subject to heavy grazing. A. arizonae was associated with relatively open grasslands, whereas A. uniparens was often found in habitats with numerous invader shrubs (e.g., mesquite), regardless of grazing activity.|
|Conservation Actions:||Protection status is unknown, but probably most of the occurrences are not well protected.|
|Citation:||Hammerson, G.A. 2007. Aspidoscelis arizonae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2007: e.T64249A12758477. . Downloaded on 26 June 2016.|
|Feedback:||If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please provide us with feedback so that we can correct or extend the information provided| | <urn:uuid:5053230b-d746-48d7-80a0-6f6170c6bc7c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/64249/0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00043-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.868199 | 1,094 | 2.765625 | 3 |
|Share internet between computers, laptops Home|
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A broadband connection can be shared between 2 or more computers using a router . Though wireless connections are becoming popular, a wired connection is usually more secure and faster. The router used for a wired connection is also cheaper. The WAN or internet port of the router is connected to the cable/ADSL modem. The computers on the network are connected to the LAN port. Though most routers can dynamically assign an IP address, for a small network, static IP addresses should be allotted to the computers minimize errors.
How to fix errors in sharing an internet connection between 2 computers :
1. Before changing the computer settings, switch off the modem and router. Then switch on the modem first, then switch on the router. Ensure that the modem signals are synchronous. Reboot your computers and check the internet connection.
2. Connect the first computer directly to the internet through the modem. If you can connect without any problem, there is a problem with the router or cable. Try interchanging the cable, to isolate the problem.
3. Repeat step 2 with the other computers in the network
4. If there is no problem with the direct computer internet connection, there could be a problem with the router settings or the cable connecting the router and modem. Try replacing the cable between the modem and router.
5. If the internet connection still does not work, connect the router to the first computer. Go to the router configuration setting . Ensure that the router is set to use the correct protocol for connecting to the modem. The protocol could vary according to ISP. Also check the user name, password and IP settings.
6. Uninstall the router configuration software and reinstall it again. If you can share files between the 2 computers using network neighborhood, the networking feature of the router is working properly. If not, use the Network Setup Wizard to reinstall the computers on the network.
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Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a Communist sympathizer (Commsymp, in FBI parlance). They also called him a radical, a subversive and what would be called today, a liberal. This according to the dossier kept on his speeches, writings and activities, by J Edgar Hoover.
When Einstein left Germany in 1933, Hitler was on his heels. He came to Princeton, N. J., to do research at the Princeton University-financed, but independent, Institute of Advanced Study.
Princeton was a southern town in northern gown. Segregation of Blacks from whites was widely practiced and enforced. A majority of the students were from the south and they expected and got a recreation of their home life.
Einstein, a German-born Jew and naturalized American citizen, was acutely aware of what racism is and does, and was outraged.
But the people of the Black community in Princeton (who outnumbered the whites), especially the children, knew him as this long-white-haired white man who took his daily walk through their Black neighborhood and talked to them. The adults knew he was famous and the children knew he was friendly to them.
Princeton was the hometown of Paul Robeson, who by the time Einstein arrived had been long gone. They came to know one another (both of course knew of the other) when Robeson came home to perform. Einstein went backstage to introduce himself. There began a friendship of almost 20 years. Through his writings, letters and articles in the Black press, Einstein made known his opposition to the racism that lived right outside his door.
This is the story of an unknown Einstein — the social commentator and activist; the part of Einstein that was almost never reported in the public press, but was well known to social activists and the FBI. He was labeled a Communist sympathizer even as Russia was one of the biggest allies of the United States.
Fred Jerome is an Einstein scholar. And Rodger Taylor is an African American historian. They co-authored “Einstein on Race and Racism.” Taylor’s mother told him that she remembered as a little girl running to the window when Mr. Einstein walked down the street, to watch the passing of this famous white man.
Einstein talked and walked his opposition to racism that he clearly knew first hand was dangerous to a democracy. He wrote letters, made speeches and sent articles to newspapers. If his socialist activity was reported on at all, it was in the back pages. America has chosen to see Einstein as a pure genius with no interest outside the university.
This new and different history of Einstein entails the racial history of America during his time and therefore even more than just what Einstein did then.
No matter what stir he was creating at the Institute and at the FBI, Einstein going out for a walk was always an event for the children who walked with and the adults who watched from their porches in Princeton, N.J.
Opinion > Einstein in the hood. BOOK REVIEW: Einstein on Race and Racism. | <urn:uuid:30bee9e6-69f0-4698-b880-769bf73d7784> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.peoplesworld.org/einstein-in-the-hood-book-review-einstein-on-race-and-racism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403508.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00169-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989251 | 625 | 3.25 | 3 |
On-line version ISSN 2076-3433
S. Afr. j. educ. vol.33 n.2 Pretoria Jan. 2013
Esra Bukova-GüzelI; Berna Cantürk-GünhanI; Semiha KulaI; Zekiye ÖzgürII; Aysun Nüket ElçíIII
IBuca Education Faculty, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Türkiye email@example.com
IISchool of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
IIIEducation Faculty, Bartin University, Bartin, Türkiye
The purpose of this study is to develop a scale to determine pre-service mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge. Firstly, a preliminary perception scale of pedagogical content knowledge was constructed and then administered to 112 pre-service mathematics teachers who were enrolled in a mathematics teacher education programme. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, item analysis, correlation analysis, internal consistency and descriptive statistic techniques were used to analyse the data. Then validity and reliability of the scale were investigated. The analyses resulted in the development of a five-factor scale of 17 items that was proved valid and reliable. We contend that the scale developed has the merit to contribute to pre-service teachers' self-awareness by revealing their perceptions regarding their pedagogical content knowledge.
Keywords: pedagogical content knowledge, pre-service mathematics teachers, scale development
The domains and categories of teacher knowledge that teachers ought to possess were first introduced and identified in detail by Shulman (1986, 1987). Shulman (1987:8) identified seven domains of teacher knowledge: "general pedagogical knowledge; knowledge of learners and their characteristics; knowledge of educational context; knowledge of educational ends, purposes, and values, and their philosophical and historical grounds; content knowledge; pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); and curriculum knowledge". Researchers such as Ball & McDiarmid (1990), Gess-Newsome (1999), Grossman (1990), Marks (1990), Verloop, Van Driel & Meijer (2001) have taken up this framework seriously since then and have conducted many studies in teacher education to date, with a particular emphasis on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). In broad strokes, PCK consists of knowledge of ways to transform subject-matter knowledge into forms that are accessible to and comprehensible by students, and is a complex structure with multiple components. Ernest (1989) points out that two teachers with the same level of subject-matter knowledge of mathematics may present their knowledge in quite different ways when teaching mathematics. Thus, PCK plays an important role in teachers' instruction. Ball et al. (2001, cited in Bütün, 2005) point out that evaluating PCK of a teacher exclusive of observing their practices in classroom is often superficial and missing. Thus, it is essential to focus on pre-service and in-service teachers' instruction in order to properly assess their PCK. However, determining their perceptions regarding their PCK beforehand seems important.
Perception is a conscious awareness derived from the individual's sense-making or interpretation of the stimulus occurred in his mind when the individual is directed to a concept (Akarsu, 1975 cited in Acil, 2011). Perceptions are formed based on individuals' past experiences and knowledge (Binbasioglu & Binbasioglu, 1992), and since individuals' past experiences and knowledge vary from each other and so do their perceptions. Given that individuals learn through perception (Gökdag, 208), determining pre-service teachers' perceptions becomes important to support their learning. In this study, our goal was to develop a scale for determining pre-service teachers perceptions related to their PCK. In addition, such a scale would contribute to pre-service teachers' self-awareness by way of identifying their perceptions regarding to their PCK. Furthermore, such a scale could or may function as a tool to support pre-service teachers' development by identifying the PCK components that pre-service teachers perceive themselves weak and then targeting teacher preparation on those components. Therefore, the scale is valuable for teacher educators as well, since it can inform them about how to revise the courses in their teacher education program and how to better mentor their students in order to meet the needs of their students. In the next section, we present a brief literature review on PCK and its measurement, and then proceed with a detailed explanation regarding the development of the scale.
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
The first four domains of the seven domains of teacher knowledge identified by Shulman can be conceived as generic knowledge - that is, all teachers no matter what subject they teach ought to possess. The last three domains of teacher knowledge are content-specific knowledge (Rowland, Turner, Thwaites & Huckstep, 2009). Although curriculum knowledge, one of the content-specific knowledge domains, was first introduced by Shulman (1987) as a separate domain, later on it has been defined as a component of PCK in almost all of the subsequent studies (e.g. An, Kulm & Wu, 2004; Chick, Baker, Pham & Cheng, 2006; Grossman, 1990; Hill, Ball & Schilling, 2008; Magnusson, Krajcik & Borko, 1999; Marks, 1990; Schoenfeld, 1998). For Shulman (1986), content knowledge refers to what a teacher knows, how much s/he knows and what s/he should know (Ball & McDiarmid, 1990; Leavit, 2008). In Shulman's words, PCK includes knowing:
"Most regularly taught topics in one's subject area, the most useful forms of representation of those ideas, the most powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations - in a word, the ways of representing and for- mulating the subject that make it comprehensible to other" (Shulman 1986:9).
PCK also contains knowing which approaches facilitate or complicate learning of particular subject areas along with knowing what students of different ages and backgrounds bring to the learning environment, including common misconceptions (Shulman, 1986). Curriculum knowledge is defined as being aware of all components of a curriculum designed for teaching a topic at a particular level or a specific subject area, the variety of instructional tools available for that curriculum and under what conditions using a particular curricular tool is applicable or not (Shulman, 1986). In addition, PCK indicates how a teacher uses his or her knowledge of subject matter in the course of instruction within the curriculum (Carter, 1990).
Content-specific knowledge domains for mathematics teachers can be named as mathematics subject-matter knowledge, mathematics curriculum knowledge and mathematical pedagogical content knowledge. The idea that knowing the subject is enough for teaching is well refuted by research (Ball & Bass, 2000; Ball, Thames & Phelps, 2008; Shulman, 1986, 1987) and what is more, the structure and type ofmathe-matical knowledge a mathematics teacher needs to posses has been shown to be quite different than what a mathematician would need to posses (Ball & Bass, 2000; Ball et al., 2008; Noss & Baki, 1996). Those arguments have led the mathematics education community to put emphasis on mathematical pedagogical content knowledge in addition to mathematics subject-matter knowledge. Rowland et al. (2009) describe that teachers' mathematical pedagogical content knowledge enables them to transform their own subject-matter knowledge into a form that is apprehensible to students, draw on resources and effectively use various representations and analogies, understand students' thinking, and explain mathematical concepts well. Ball & Bass (2000), furthermore, argue that mathematical pedagogical content knowledge includes knowing on which aspects of a concept to focus in order to make it interesting to a particular grade level and knowing where students may possibly experience difficulties when problem solving. In addition, it includes being able to modify problems according to students' levels and being able to lead mathematical discussions.
Tamir (1988) identified five components of PCK in his study towards developing a framework for teachers' knowledge: a) orientation to teaching, b) knowledge about students' understandings, c) curriculum knowledge, d) knowledge of assessment, and e) knowledge of teaching strategies. Along similar lines, Grossman (1990) suggested a more elaborated categorization for PCK: a) teachers' knowledge and beliefs about the purposes for teaching a subject to students of different levels, including their conceptions regarding the nature of the subject and what topics are important for students to learn, b) knowledge of students' prior knowledge, preconceptions, possible misconceptions and alternative conceptions, c) knowledge of curriculum and curricular materials, including knowing the relationships both within a subject and between subjects, and d) knowledge of different instructional strategies and representations. Yet Fernández-Balboa & Stiehl (1995) proposed another categorization of PCK as subject-- matter knowledge, knowledge of learners, knowledge of teaching strategies, and knowledge of content and goals of instruction. As it is clear from the above-mentioned studies, researchers have defined the components of PCK differently. After an extensive literature review, Bukova-Güzel (2010) has developed a comprehensive framework of PCK consisting of three main categories and their components as shown in Table 1.
While there is no consensus on how to determine PCK of mathematics teachers and pre-service mathematics teachers alike, we contend that focusing on as different components as possible can generate more comprehensive knowledge about teachers' PCK. We also argue that identifying pre-service mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their PCK will serve as a significant clue for them to improve their PCK by showing them in what areas they need further improvement.
Measuring teachers' perception of PCK
Instruments used in measuring affective characteristics (attitudes, perception, attention, value, etc.) have many benefits and are used to determine the differences between individuals in terms of their affective characteristics or the difference between the responses that the same person gives at different times and situations (Tekindal, 2009). For instance, the perception scale developed in this study can be helpful for identifying the presence, direction and level of the pre-service teachers' perceptions regarding their PCK as they begin to their coursework in the teacher education program. Thus, we also consider that it can be informative for decisions regarding how to improve the implementation of the current teacher education program for mathematics teachers.
When we examined the existing literature, we failed to find an example of perception scale regarding PCK, but found that there are many studies on teacher efficacy scales, instead. The construct of teacher efficacy has been measured in numerous ways during the past two decades. To name a few, Enochs, Smith & Huinker (2000) developed Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI) by adapting the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) developed by Enochs and Riggs (1990). Both of these instruments are based on Banduras' social learning theory and explore self-efficacy in two dimensions as self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancy beliefs. Similarly, Charalambos, Philippou & Kyriakides (2008) developed a scale for teachers' efficacy belief in teaching mathematics by adapting the teacher efficacy scale developed for pre-service teachers by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy's (2001). This scale is also based on Banduras' social learning theory and yielded a two-factor model: efficacy beliefs in mathematics instruction and classroom management.
Some scales are designed for pre-service teachers to evaluate their cooperating teachers in terms of their guidance in instruction during their student teaching. One of such scales is Mentoring for Effective Mathematics Teaching (MEMT), which is designed by Hudson and Skamp (2003) by adapting the Mentoring for Effective Primary Science Teaching (MEPST) scale to mathematics (Hudson & Peard, 2006). The only change made was to replace "science" by "mathematics" when MEPST was turned into MEMT to use with primary mathematics teachers. So, both scales are based on a five-factor model, namely, Personal Attributes, System Requirements, Pedagogical Knowledge, Modeling, and Feedback. Hudson and Ginns (2007) designed the pre-service teachers' pedagogical development scale, with an aim to measure pre-service science teachers' pedagogical development level for teaching science. The scale is composed of four factors: theory, child development, planning, and implementation.
While there are numerous studies on teacher quality such as Kennedy (2010) and Rice (2003), there is a lack of research on scale development measuring pre-service teachers' pedagogical content knowledge for mathematics. Hence, there is a need for research on scale development to that end. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to develop a scale to determine pre-service mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge. In what follows we present our scale development efforts.
In this study, a scale entitled "Scale for Pre-service Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions related to their Pedagogical Content Knowledge" was developed, and then its validity and reliability were investigated. The process of developing the scale included the following steps: constructing the scale's items, consulting for expert opinion for content validity, and running exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis for construct validity.
The participants of this study were 112 elementary and secondary pre-service mathematics teachers who were enrolled in a teacher education programme in a large state university in Turkey in the spring semester of 2010. The sample included final-year pre-service teachers. Of 112 participants, 45.5% of them (n = 51) were male and 54.5% (n = 61) were female.
Constructing the items of the scale
The scale development studies began with reviewing the literature on PCK. Based on an extensive literature review, the components of PCK were determined (e.g. Bukova-Güzel, 2010; Fernández-Balboa & Stiehl, 1995; Grossman, 1990; Tamir, 1988). Then, the sub-dimensions of the scale were formed as the result of the factor analysis. After constructing the preliminary scale, we consulted with two mathematics educators who are experts on PCK with respect to the appropriateness of the items in the preliminary scale to measure pre-service mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge. Following the suggestion of an assessment and evaluation expert, the instrument was structured as a Likert type five-choice scale, with choices being "1: Never", "2: Rarely", "3: Undecided", "4: Usually", "5: Always". Increase in the scale scores indicates that the individual perceives himself or herself as having a high level PCK, while decrease in the scale scores indicates the opposite.
Content validity indicates whether the items constituting the scale are quantitatively and qualitatively adequate for measuring the property that is intended to be measured (Büyüköztürk, 2007). To ensure the content validity, three mathematics educators and two mathematics teachers were asked to express their opinions with regard to the items in the scale and the appropriateness of the scale for the subject to be measured. In the light of the suggestions received, the scale was given its final form by omitting and revising some items. Consequently, the preliminary scale initially included 31 items. The scale contained no negative items.
The data were analysed with the statistical software packages, SPSS 15.00 and Lisrel 8.51. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and internal consistency techniques were used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis is a method used to find factors based on the relationships among the variables. Depending on the relation between the variables, a variable can be correlated by a factor or take load from it. In exploratory factor analysis, the nature of the factor is identified based on factor loads without a priori hypotheses about factors (Sümer, 2000; Büyüköztürk, 2007). We conducted the exploratory factor analysis via SPSS. Confirmatory factor analysis, on the other hand, is used to test a hypothesis or theory identified earlier about the relationship between the variables (Büyüköztürk, 2007). This type of factor analysis is used to determine which measures comprise the predetermined factors. We conducted the confirmatory factor analysis via LISREL 8.51. Confirmatory factor analysis is an effective analysis method in the first stage of scale development process. The preliminary results of the confirmatory factor analysis inform the researcher about the problems in the scale and give hints about potential changes needing to be made to resolve the problems (& SimSek, 2007). Confirmatory factor analysis is also used to examine to what extent the observed variables underlie the predetermined latent factors (Sümer, 2000). Lastly, reliability analysis is used to determine to what extent the measurement results are free of random errors (Tekindal, 2009). In this study, the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was used via SPSS for the reliability analysis.
In this section, the findings of exploratory factor analysis related to the validity of the scale, confirmatory factor analysis and reliability studies are presented.
Exploratory factor analysis
The goal of factor analysis, the most powerful technique for investigating construct validity, is to reduce "the dimensionality of the original space and to give an interpretation to the new space, spanned by a reduced number of new dimensions which are supposed to underlie the old ones" (Rietveld & Van Hout, 1993:254). Therefore, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the sub-constructs of the pre-service mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge and to ensure the construct validity. Before conducting factor analysis, we first examined whether or not the sample was appropriate for factor analysis. To determine this, we calculated the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index. For the sample of this study, the KMO index was found to be 0.837, which suggests that the sample is sufficient for conducting factor analysis.
Additionally, the diagonal amounts of Anti-image Correlation Matrix were also calculated to check the sufficiency of the sample (Akgul & Cevik, 2003). Furthermore, Bartlett's Spherecity Test was run to check whether the data represent a multivariate normal distribution. The test resulted in Approx. Chi-square: 1600.837 and p < 0.01, which shows that the results are significant.
Exploratory factor analysis was initiated with 31 items, and the first analysis suggested that the items were grouped into 8 factors whose eigen value was higher than 1. However, on the Scree Plot graphic (see Figure 1), the line was clearly broken after the fifth point that, in turn, suggests that five factors exist above that point.
Investigation of the correlation between items showed that the items were correlated above 20% with each other. Therefore, Direct Oblimin rotation was conducted. The Direct Oblimin rotation also resulted in five factors. Two criteria were considered when deciding whether or not to keep an item in the scale after the rotation: a) an item must have at least 0.3 factor loading in only one factor, or b) an item partaking in more than one factor must have at least 0.1 higher factor loading in one of the factors than its factor loading in other factors. As a result, 14 items were eliminated from the scale because the analysis showed that those 14 items took part in more than one factor but did not satisfy the second criterion; that is, for those items the difference between factor loadings of the item in different factors was less than 0.1. Hence, in its final form, the scale includes 17 items. Table 2 presents the distribution of the items by factors, Factor 1 loadings of the items before the rotation and factor loadings and factor common variances after Direct Oblimin rotation.
As seen in Table 2, the first factor explains 7.41% of total variance concerning the scale, the second does 6.33%, the third does 9.16%, the fourth does 7.8% and the fifth does 33.77%. In total, the five factors together explain 64.47% of the variability. By and large, the factor loadings of the items in the dimensions were found above the accepted limit and the total variance that the factors explain were found satisfactory. After the rotation, it was determined that the first factor consists of three items (1, 2, 3), the second factor consists of two items (8, 9), the third factor consists of three items (14, 15, 16), the fourth factor consists oftwo items (12, 19), and fifth factor consist of seven items (22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 30, 31).
Since the items in the first factor highlight pre-service teachers' perceptions related to their knowledge of teaching strategies to present mathematical concepts, the first factor was named "Knowledge of Teaching Strategies (KTS)". The second factor was called "Knowledge of Mathematical Language and Symbols (KMLS)" because the items in this factor stress participants' perceptions related to their knowledge of using mathematical language and symbols to present mathematical concepts. The third factor, "Knowledge of Misconceptions (KM)", includes items that highlight pre-service teachers' perceptions related to their knowledge about students' misconceptions in mathematics. The fourth factor was named "Knowledge of Learners (KL)" because the items in this factor emphasize pre-service teachers' perceptions related to their knowledge about students' developmental levels and prior knowledge. Lastly, the fifth factor, "Knowledge of Curriculum (KC)", includes items that highlight pre-service teachers' perceptions related to their knowledge of curriculum and curricular materials. The items of each factor are presented in Table 3.
To investigate the reliability of the determined dimensions, corrected item-total correlations were calculated first. Secondly, a t test was run to test the significance of the difference between the item scores of upper 27% and lower 27% groups of total score (see Table 4).
The corrected item-total correlations vary between 0.373 and 0.667, which, in turn, suggests that the scale has high internal consistency (see Table 4). Therefore, the scale has construct validity since the corrected item-total correlation coefficients are not negative, zero or close to zero (Tav°ancil, 2005). The results of the t test showed that for all items there was significant difference between the item scores of upper 27% and lower 27% groups of total score. This result suggested that all of the items in the scale were distinctive. Furthermore, we investigated the correlation between factors to determine the relationship between the factors of the scale. Correlation is often used to examine the construct validity (Tekindal, 2009). The results are presented in Table 5. There are positive and significant relationships between the scale's factors and between the factors and the total point (see Table 5). These correlations provide support for the multidimensionality of the scale.
Confirmatory factor analysis
We continued the study by modeling the relations between the factors identified through exploratory factor analysis and by considering the theoretical structure and their related items. To test the fit of the created model, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted by using Lisrel 8.51 program. For confirmatory factor analysis, various fit indexes are examined to evaluate the goodness of fit of the proposed factorial structure model. There are several criteria which considered as an indication of good fit of the factorial structure (Hooper, Coughlan & Mullen, 2008; Kelloway, 1998; Kline, 2005; Sümer, 2000, Simsek, 2007 cited in Cokluk, Sekercioglu & Büyüköztürk, 2010): (a) 2.5 or lower value for %2/df ratio, (b) higher than .90 value for Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) and (c) .08 or less value for Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), Root Mean Square Residual (RMSR) and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMSR). However, GFI > . 85, RMSR and RMSEA < .10 are also considered acceptable criteria for evaluating the goodness of the fit of the model (Anderson & Gerbing, 1984; Cole, 1987).
With confirmatory factor analysis, we investigated the power of the items to represent and to what extend the sub-dimensions of the model relate to PCK, by examining the relations between the sub-dimensions and the relation of each sub-dimension to the PCK construct. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is presented in two parts: a) examining first order and second order CFA and b) comparison of two models. We begin interpreting the results of the confirmatory factor analysis with the review of the five-factor model (first order CFA) as shown in Figure 2. In the figure, the circles represent the latent constructs, and the rectangles represent the measured variables. One-way arrows give information about how well each item represents its implicit variable (Simsek, 2007).
When Figure 2 is examined, it is seen that path coefficients (standardized regression coefficients) varies between .45 and .78. The range of path coefficients for each sub-dimension is as follows: .72-.78 for KTS dimension, .62-.70 for KMLS dimension, .54-.74 for KM dimension, .51-.64 for KL dimension, and .45-.66 for KC dimension. The goodness of fit indices of the model were found at an acceptable level (χ2 = 151.53, df = 107, x*/df = 1.42, CFI = 0.90, GFI = 0.86, RMSEA = 0.061, RMSR = 0.041 and SRMSR = 0.070). In addition, based on the modification indexes, item 24 (Iplan my lessons so as to relate the purposes of the mathematics curriculum with students' needs) and item 25 (When designing my lesson plans, I consider the goals of the topic), as well as item 22 (I have knowledge about the purposes of the mathematics curriculum) and item 28 (I can use the assessment tools presented in the mathematics curriculum) in Knowledge of Curriculum dimension were found more related to each other than the model predicted. Therefore, error covariance between those items was also included. It is natural for those items to be in the same factor and correlate with each other more than expected.
The proposed model was tested with second order confirmatory factor analysis. The model generated in this part illustrates a second-level model in which five sub-dimensions represent the PCK construct with significant relations. Confirmation of this model would indicate that the characteristics of pedagogical content knowledge can be measured in multiple ways and that the measured characteristics would be related to a higher-level factor (PCK). With this in mind, we ran the second order confirmatory factor analysis. The results are presented in Figure 3.
There are five first-level factors and one second-level factor in the last model. The path coefficients (standardized regression coefficients) for the first-level factors vary between .47 and .79 (see Figure 3). In addition, these five sub-dimensions found to represent the overall dimension of PCK at a high level (.80-.99). The goodness of fit indices of the model was found at an acceptable level (χ2 = 155.45, df = 111, x2/df =1.40, CFI = 0.90, GFI = 0.86, RMSEA = 0.060, RMSR = 0.040 and SRMSR = 0.070). In addition to the modifications in the first-order confirmatory factor analysis, item 12 (I know students' prior knowledge about a topic) and item 14 (I can anticipate students' possible difficulties about a topic) were found more related to each other than expected, and it was shown in the second order confirmatory factor analysis. The figure shows the relation between those items of different factors. Indeed, each item is about knowing students. For those items being correlated with each other more than expected is also supported by several studies in the literature. For instance, Bukova-Güzel (2010) defines knowing students' prior knowledge and possible student difficulties as knowledge of learners based on her literature review.
Although both the five-factor model and the second-order hierarchical model generated acceptable fit indices, there was a need to compare these two models in order to determine which model provided better fit to the data. Some procedures are recommended for comparing the models such as Akaike's informational criteria [AIC] (Akaike, 1987; Maruyama, 1998), consistent Akaike's informational criterion [CAIC] (Bozdogan, 1987), and expected cross-validation index [ECVI] (Browne & Cudeck, 1993). Lower values of AIC, CAIC and ECVI are generally associated with better model fit in comparing models (Maruyama, 1998). The five factor model yielded the following results: AIC = 243.53; CAIC = 414.59; ECVI = 2.19, and the second-order hierarchical model resulted in the following indices: AIC = 239.45; CAIC = 395.63; ECVI = 2.16. The second-order model generated lower values. Therefore, the second-order hierarchical model is considered a better model although both models are found to be acceptable. Consequently, the five-factor perception scale, composed of 17 items, on pedagogical content knowledge is confirmed as a model.
After exploratory and confirmative factor analysis, the reliability of the factors and the whole scale were examined by calculating the Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient. The results of the reliability test for each factor are presented in Table 6. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of the whole scale was found to be .87. Furthermore, four weeks later the scale was re-administered to 78 of the participants in order to test the consistency of the scale. The Cronbach apha reliability coefficients of each factor and the whole scale were then calculated (see Table 6). Test-retest reliability of the scale was found to be .88. As seen in the table, the scale was found to be very consistent.
In addition to Cronbach's alpha reliability check, the reliability of the scale was also investigated with Split-Halves model. The scale was divided into two groups, and then the alpha value of each group was calculated. The alpha value of the first group with 9 items was found to be .78 while the alpha value of the second group with 8 items was found to be .83. The correlation between the halves was found to be .617, suggesting a positive linear relationship between the two groups of the scale. The reliability for the total scale was found to be .763 by using Spearman-Brown prophecy formula, and Guttmann's split-halve coefficient was found to be .763. These findings suggest that the validity and reliability of the scale are high.
The pre-service teachers' responses to the scale items were interpreted by determining the width of the score interval in groups. Group interval coefficient value is obtained by "dividing the difference between the largest value and the smallest value in the measurement results by the determined number of groups" (Kan, 2009:407). In this study, group interval coefficient value is found to be and thus the following intervals were used to evaluate the responses given to the scale items: 4.21-5.00 "Always", 3.41-4.20 "Usually", 2.61-3.40 "Undecided", 1.81-2.60 "Rarely", 1.00-1.80 "Never". In this scale, the highest possible score is 85 and the lowest possible score is 17.
As seen in Table 7, while the pre-service teachers' perceptions regarding four dimensions of PCK (KTS, KMLS, KM, KL) correspond to "Usually" interval, their perceptions regarding KC dimension corresponds to "Always" interval. These findings suggest that the pre-service teachers have a positive perspective on their PCK and that they perceive themselves highly capable of fulfilling those skills outlined in the scale.
Discussion and Conclusion
In this paper, we present our efforts for developing a scale to determine prospective mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge. Following the statistical analyses, a five-factor scale composed of 17 items was developed. The factors of the scale are as follows: a) Knowledge of Teaching Strategies, b) Knowledge of Mathematical Language and Symbols, c) Knowledge of Misconceptions, d) Knowledge of Learners, and e) Knowledge of Curriculum. After constructing the scale, we proceeded to the validity and reliability analyses. As a result, the factors of the scale were found to be reliable with Cronbach's α value of 0.78, 0.60, 0.73, 0.64, and 0.83, respectively. The reliability of the whole scale was found to be .87. When the scale was re-administered to a subgroup of the sample, the scale was found to be reliable with α value of .88. In sum, the findings of the study showed that the generated scale is a valid and reliable instrument for determining the prospective mathematics teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge.
When the literature on this domain is reviewed, it is seen that the factors of the scale suggested in this study are compatible with other studies as well. For instance, Knowledge of Teaching Strategies, the first factor of the scale, has been addressed in various studies (e.g. Ball & Sleep, 2007; Bukova-Güzel, 2010; Fernández-Balboa & Stiehl, 1995; Grossman, 1990; Schoenfeld, 1998; Tamir, 1988; Toluk U?ar, 2010; Ye°ildere & Akko9, 2010; You, 2006). In several studies Knowledge of Mathematical Language and Symbols, the second factor of the scale, has been defined as a component of PCK (e.g. Ball, 2003; Ball & Sleep, 2007; Rowland et al., 2009). Similarly, there are a number of studies in which Knowledge of Misconceptions is defined as a component of PCK (e.g. Ball & Bass, 2000; Ball & McDiarmid, 1990; Bukova-Güzel, 2010; Grossman, 1990; Schoenfeld, 1998, 2000, 2005; Kovarik, 2008; You, 2006), as well as Knowledge of Learners is deemed as part of PCK (e.g. Fernández-Balboa & Stiehl, 1995; Grossman, 1990; Leavit, 2008; Schoenfeld, 1998; Tamir, 1988). Lastly, Knowledge of Curriculum is considered as an important component of PCK by many researchers (e.g. Bukova-Güzel, 2010; Grossman, 1990; Leavit, 2008; Schoenfeld, 1998; Tamir, 1988). It is clear that the factors of the scale encompass the components of PCK defined by relevant studies. In this sense, it is plausible to assert that the scale is very comprehensive.
The scale is considered as a useful tool for both pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers, as it provides them valuable information about their pedagogical content knowledge. It is a promising instrument to inform teachers about in which areas they need to improve. The scale can also be a useful tool for researchers in their- investigation of prospective mathematics teachers' perception of their pedagogical content knowledge and the related variables. Nevertheless, further studies in which the scale is administered to different samples and the dissemination of the related findings are recommended, as those would greatly contribute to the applicability of the scale. Taking different PCK frameworks into account, the scale can be elaborated further by increasing the number of items. Furthermore, given that assessing teachers' knowledge without observing their practices in class would be incomplete and superficial (Ball et al., 2001 cited in Bütün 2005), we strongly recommend that prospective teachers are given abundant opportunities to practice teaching in classrooms, particularly focusing on improvement-needed areas, once their perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge are ascertained with the scale. Consequently, we conceive that the scale can be used as a guide for studies aiming at determining pre-service teachers' perceptions related to their pedagogical content knowledge. It can also be used as a framework for qualitative studies to assist observations and interviews, as it gives ideas about what to focus on. In addition, this scale can be of use to studies aiming to determine in-service mathematics teachers' perceptions regarding their pedagogical content knowledge, and thus, to design professional development for teachers based on their needs.
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Tekindal S 2009. Duyussal özelliklerin ölçülmesi araç olusturma. Ankara: Pegem Akademi Yayincilik. [ Links ]
Toluk Uçar Z 2010. Sinif ögretmeni adaylarinin matematiksel bilgileri ve ögretimsel açiklamalari. In proceedings of 9 Ulusal Sinif Ögretmenligi Egitimi Sempozyumu, 20-22 Mayis, Elazig, 261-264. [ Links ]
Tschannen-Moran M & Woolfolk Hoy A 2001. Teacher efficacy: Capturing and elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17:783-805. [ Links ]
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You Z 2006. Pre-service teachers' knowledge of linear functions within multiple representation modes. Doctoral Dissertation. Texas: A&M University. [ Links ] | <urn:uuid:7a1fa640-0ea6-4ab7-9074-375380d65a30> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002013000200007&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00067-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917402 | 10,662 | 2.59375 | 3 |
It is possible to perpetrate a hoax by making only true statements using unfamiliar wording or context, such as in the Dihydrogen monoxide hoax. Many hoaxes are motivated by a desire to satirize or educate by exposing the credulity of the public and the media or the absurdity of the target. For instance, the hoaxes of James Randi poked fun at believers in the paranormal and alternative medicine. The hoaxes of Alan Abel, Chris Morris, and others satirize people's willingness to believe the media. Political hoaxes are sometimes motivated by the desire to ridicule or besmirch opposing politicians or political institutions, often before elections.
The demarcation between hoaxes, fraud, tricks, fiction, rumours, and black propaganda is not sharp.
A hoax differs from a magic trick or from fiction (books, theatre, radio, television, etc,) in that the audience is unaware of being deceived, whereas in watching a magician perform an illusion the audience expects to be tricked.
Deception with the intention of depriving the victim of money or valuables is fraud or a confidence trick rather than a hoax. A hoax is often intended as a practical joke or to cause embarrassment, or to provoke social or political change by raising people's awareness of something. Journalistic scandals overlap with hoaxes to some extent.
A borderline case between fiction and hoax is a 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles describing a Martian invasion of earth. Many people who tuned in without hearing the introduction of the program as fiction were concerned that the invasion was real. It has been suggested that Welles knew the schedule of a popular program on another channel, and scheduled the first report of the invasion to coincide with a commercial break in the other program so that people switching channel would be tricked.
Governments sometimes spread false information to assist them with aims such as going to war; examples are the Ems telegram and the "dodgy (Iraq) dossier"; these often come under the heading of black propaganda. There is often a mixture of outright hoax and suppression and management of information to give the desired impression. In wartime and times of international tension rumours abound, some of which may be deliberate hoaxes.
Examples of hoaxes for political purposes:
Hoaxes vary widely in their processes of creation, propagation, and entrenchment over time. These possess frequently one or more of the following:
The essential characteristic of a hoax is that it convey information that is, although false, at least somewhat credible. The subjective intent of hoax perpetrators varies, with the intent determining the content the perpetrator chooses and/or the content affecting the perpetrator's intent regarding whom to deceive: A person seeking to deceive the public as a whole may propagate a hoax consisting entirely of objectively credible claims, often bolstering it by including claims that are true or have a basis in fact. A person seeking to deceive only a specific person or set of persons (as by means of a a practical joke) will likely select a premise that is subjectively plausible in the eyes of the victim(s), treating whether others will fall for the hoax as a secondary concern. Treated as such, the hoax's objective or intersubjective plausibility or implausibility can cut both ways: On one hand, a person may construct a hoax out of only credible information in order to prevent sympathetic outsiders from "catching on" and informing the victim in advance; on the other, he or she may include implausible information in order to heighten the victim's eventual embarrassment at having "fallen for" the hoax (along with the enjoyment observers feel when watching the victim being deceived).
Some sets of claims popularly labeled hoaxes are better categorized as allegory, fable, satire, or parody: If a person describes a situation or event with the intent to illustrate a principle but without the desire that his audience believe his assertions' literal meaning to be true, the assertions likely form an allegory or a fable. (Note that these claims may eventually develop into an apocryphal hoax or an urban legend if their literal meaning gains belief as they are passed from person to person.) If a person makes statements that have some basis in fact but are in some respects patently absurd, with the intent that the audience notice the similarity between the patent absurdities in the statements and absurdities latent in statements widely accepted in the real world, the person engages in satire. Parody does not require any basis in fact or the intent that any part of it be accepted; rather, its essence is the partial but not total imitation of the thing parodied, along with the elicitation of humor from the simultaneous occurrence of similarities and differences between the parody and its subject.
During certain events and at particular times of year, hoaxes are perpetrated by many people and groups. The most famous of these is April Fool's Day.
Many Spanish-speaking countries have Innocent's Day, on December 28, to make hoaxes against an "innocent" (person). The origin for the pranking is derived from the Catholic feast day Day of the Holy Innocents for the infants slaughtered by King Herod at the time of Jesus' birth. | <urn:uuid:26cce173-fc18-4856-8f49-7f85d437a932> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.thefullwiki.org/Hoax | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00083-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954005 | 1,049 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Crawley Borough Council’s Environmental Health Team is helping local people steer clear of bugs for Food Safety Week.
The council’s environmental health experts have compiled useful information which will be available in the Town Hall foyer during National Food Safety Week (June 16-22) and will be available to answer questions.
This year the focus is on the most prolific cause of food poisoning, Campylobacter, which can be spread around the kitchen through washing raw chicken.
Angela Tanner, Head of Planning and Environmental Services, said: “Four out of five cases of Campylobacter poisoning are caused by poultry and washing it first just makes contamination more likely, potentially splashing the harmful bacteria around the kitchen.
“Despite the facts, Food Standards Agency research shows 38 per cent always wash poultry and 58 per cent say they do it at least some of the time. Our aim for the week is to let more Crawley people know they shouldn’t wash their raw chickens!”
Campylobacter poisoning generally presents itself a few days after infection, causing abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea and vomiting and lasting up to 10 days. The highest risk of severe symptoms are seen in the under fives and over 60s but there’s also a spike in cases of people aged between 25 and 44.
To find out more visit the Town Hall between 16 and 20 June, visit www.crawley.gov.uk/foodsafety or www.food.gov.uk/chicken | <urn:uuid:15ea6157-7b52-4861-bd1f-dc2baa9a354d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/news/local/crawley-council-offers-advice-on-avoiding-food-poisoning-1-6116004 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00119-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943728 | 313 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Duodenal atresia is a condition in which the first part of the small bowel (the duodenum) has not developed properly. It is not open and cannot allow the passage of stomach contents.
The cause of duodenal atresia is unknown. It is thought to result from problems during an embryo's development, in which the duodenum does not change from a solid to a tube-like structure, as it normally would.
Many infants with duodenal atresia also have Down syndrome. Duodenal atresia is often associated with other birth defects.
Symptoms of duodenal atresia include:
- Upper abdominal swelling (sometimes)
- Early vomiting of large amounts, which may be greenish (containing bile)
- Continued vomiting even when infant has not been fed for several hours
- No urination after first few voidings
- No bowel movements after first few meconium stools
Exams and Tests
An abdominal x-ray may show air in the stomach and first part of duodenum, with no air beyond that. This is known as the double-bubble sign.
A tube is placed to decompress the stomach. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are corrected by providing fluids through an intravenous tube (IV, into a vein). Checking for other congenital anomalies should be done.
Surgery to correct the duodenal blockage is necessary, but not an emergency. The exact surgery will depend on the nature of the abnormality. Other problems (such as those related to Down syndrome) must be treated as appropriate.
Recovery from the duodenal atresia is expected after treatment. Untreated, the condition is deadly.
These complications may occur:
- Other birth defects
After surgery, there may be late complications such as:
- Swelling of the first part of the small bowel
- Problems with movement through the intestines
- Gastroesophageal reflux
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your health care provider if your newborn is:
- Feeding poorly or not at all
- Vomiting (not simply spitting up) or if the vomit is green
- Not urinating or having bowel movements
There is no known prevention.
Applebaum H, Sydorak R. Duodenal atresia and stenosis-Annular pancreas. In: Coran, AG, Adzick NS, Krummel TM, et al. Pediatric Surgery. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:chap 81.
Bales C, Liacourus, CA. Duodenal obstruction. In: Kliegman, RM, Behrman RE, St. Geme III JW, Schor NF, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2011:chap 322.
National Organization for Rare Disorders. Duodenal atresia or stenosis. Available at: www.rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/duodenal-atresia-or-stenosis. Accessed July 23, 2015.
Reviewed By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. | <urn:uuid:10391b33-4cbf-4ae4-9a48-83a0d19e792a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://westernbaptist.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=117&pid=1&gid=001131 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00017-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.870817 | 745 | 3.046875 | 3 |
—All areas of the Prairies are at risk. Geography does not provide immunity to this disease.
—Prevalence of sclerotinia stem rot has a direct correlation to above-average moisture. If a field has regular rains or high humidity or both from two weeks before flowering and through flowering, then infection will occur. If these conditions continue after flower, severity of the disease will be high and yield loss will be significant.
—If these conditions are present and canola has yield potential of 30 bu./ac. or greater, then a fungicide application at 20-30% flower is warranted. Fungicide may also pay for yield potential below that level.
—Assess disease levels before choosing a swathing date. Swath based on the best time for the healthy plants, not the diseased plants. Swathing sclerotinia infected canola too early can reduce yield further and increase the potential green seed count, adding unnecessarily to the losses on the crop.
Sclerotinia stem rot: What is it?
Sclerotinia stem rot is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The fungus overwinters as sclerotia, either in the soil or in stubble at the soil surface. With moisture and warm weather, these sclerotia germinate to each form up to 15 apothecia, tiny golf tee shaped mushrooms. After a rain it takes 10-12 days for apothecia to grow to a point where they release ascospores into the air.
Wind spreads ascospores all over the countryside, but only those that land on canola petals concern canola growers. Ascospores cannot infect plants directly. They need dead tissue, such as fallen petals adhering to leaves and stems, to continue their cycle. Decaying petals give ascospores the energy to produce hyphae that release oxalic acid and other infection agents, which the fungus needs to invade healthy plant tissue and infect the plant. Once inside the plant, the fungus grows up and down the stem, eventually cutting off moisture and nutrient flow and killing the plant.
The next generation of sclerotia are produced within the white mass of fungal hyphae growing inside and, in extreme cases, outside the stem. Because most fungicide sprays do not effectively penetrate the stem tissue to eradicate infection, living flowers are the best targets for fungicides to prevent sclerotinia infection.
Sclerotinia risk factors
With widespread sclerotinia infection in past years and with widespread canola production, all regions of the Prairies are at risk. The following factors will determine the level of risk based on field conditions this year.
Moisture is the key factor in sclerotinia stem rot risk. Good soil moisture and a few rains in the period starting two weeks before flowering and carrying through to infection after flowering will greatly increase the sclerotinia stem rot risk. (Alternatively, low rainfall and low humidity through these stages will greatly reduce the disease risk, and fungicide applications rarely provide a benefit in these conditions.)
Moisture can come from rain, relative humidity in the high 80s, or morning dew. High humidity and dew are often enough for the disease to form. Keep in mind that humidity is often higher in the canola canopy than at the local weather station or in the farm yard, so consider this when estimating disease risk. Interestingly, heavy rain can actually reduce the risk if the timing is right. Heavy and frequent rains can inhibit ascospore release by covering up apothecia, and heavy rains can wash petals off the plants.
One big rain. If a region had been dry for a couple weeks leading up to flowering, had one large rain, then turned dry again, this one big rain event will not increase the sclerotinia risk much. However if that one big rain is followed with high humidity, lots of dew (wet legs every morning you walk through the field) this may be enough to sustain the fungus. Note that if conditions stay wet after a few weeks of dry, it will take about two weeks before the release of spores from apothecia germinated by this rain will infect petals. If flowering is close to wrapping up within that time, a fungicide spray may not benefit the crop.
Moisture has a much larger influence than temperature, however temperature can influence severity. Night and morning lows of 15 C are ideal for sclerotinia, especially with heavy dew. Infection may not advance during the heat of the day, but it will grow at night.
Infection can be high in hot weather as long as the moisture is there. Hot days can reduce sclerotinia stem rot infection rates if heat causes infected petals to dry up and blow off the plant. Heat may also cause canola plants to drop lower leaves at an accelerated pace. If infected leaves drop before infection spreads to the stem, the heat will have indirectly stopped the infection.
3. Canopy conditions
Sclerotinia disease level is highly dependent on the microclimate within the field. Factors that result in moisture-laden canopies include:
Variety selection – Higher disease levels will occur in varieties that have more leaf area (which usually means high yield potential, more area for falling petals to land on, and greater canopy closure which tends to trap moisture in the canopy), tall stature, and/or poor standability.
High fertility levels – Higher nitrogen rates or the addition of manure results in heavier, more dense and thick canopies, which tend to increase humidity in the canopy.
Degree of lodging — Lodged crops tend not to dry out quickly, and increased direct plant-to-plant contact will increase disease spread from infected to healthy tissue.
Seeding date – Neighbouring canola fields with different seeding dates and maturities may have different levels of sclerotinia damage depending on how their flowering stages coincided with weather conditions conducive to disease infection and development.
High plant populations – Dense stands are good for competition with weeds and earlier, more uniform maturity, but they tend to result in moist canopies. In addition, higher plant populations usually result in plants with smaller, weaker stems that are more prone to lodging. However, thin stands are not immune either. Conventional wisdom would be that with fewer plants per square foot, the canopy would be more open, less humid and at lower risk of infection. This might be true for a thin canopy with low yield potential, but if a canopy of 2-3 plants per square foot fills in, it will have very large plants with lots of leaf material, lots of branches, and a longer flowering period. This could actually increase the risk of yield loss from sclerotinia because the crop is flowering longer and dropping petals into the canopy over a longer period. With larger leaves and more branches, these plants have more surface areas for petals to land.
In general, growers can’t bank on wider row spacing and low seeding rates to reduce risk. Any risk reduction from these strategies requires the weather conditions to cooperate. If winds move dry air through the canopy and keep the crop dry for much of the day, then a more open canopy may be beneficial. But if wet conditions predominate throughout flowering, then any risk reduction will be minimal. And once plants are infected, a few hours of hot and dry each afternoon may stop the pathogen for a short part of the day, but it will restart again in evening with cool humid conditions.
Because environment is such a large factor in sclerotinia infection rates, and with so many acres of host crops (e.g. canola, beans, lentils, sunflowers) across the Prairies, rotation on any one field does little to reduce the sclerotinia risk.
The risk assessment score card. The score card (see below), developed in Sweden, outlines the risk factors that can increase the incidence and severity of sclerotinia stem rot in canola. Fill out the checklist for each field shortly after first flower — when 75% of the canola plants have at least 3 open flowers. The greater the risk score for a field the higher the probability of a positive economic return from a fungicide application. Results in Sweden have suggested that fields scoring 40 or higher will likely benefit from a fungicide, but canola prices are higher and fungicide prices are lower than when the score card was developed, so a score of 30 to 35 might be a better starting point. When filling in the card, score at least a 5 for rotation risk no matter the rotation on a particular field. Even if one field has a one year in 4 canola rotation, odds are some fields close by are in a tighter rotation.
The hail factor. Hail cannot cause sclerotinia stem rot and there is no evidence that this pathogen will enter plants directly through a hail wound. However, hail can move petals and stripped leaves — the food source for the germinating sclerotinia spores — down into the canopy which may increase the level of infection. Alternatively, hail could move those petals off the leaves onto the ground, reducing infection. Hail at flowering can extend the flowering period, which extends the susceptible period for sclerotinia.
Will it pay to spray?
If the above risk factors are present, then yes, spray will quite likely pay, and may pay very well. Payback is not guaranteed, however, so growers who are unsure could leave a few check strips and compare yields for treated versus untreated parts of the field.
Fields sprayed with fungicide in the 20% to 50% flower window can still have sclerotinia. Fungicides reduce the severity of infection but will not eliminate sclerotinia completely, especially if conditions are favorable all through flowering. Spraying twice will help prolong the protection when the flowering period is extended, but even that will not completely eliminate the disease when pressure is high.
Sclerotinia tolerant varieties. Growing sclerotinia tolerant varieties may reduce infection level, but sclerotinia stem rot will still occur in these varieties. With extended moisture through the sclerotinia risk period, fungicide will often provide a return on investment even when these varieties are grown.
When to spray?
Petals are the spray target. Spraying is not effective until the flowering stage. Fungicides do not cure infection, but are used to prevent spores from growing on petals after petals have fallen onto leaves and stems and started to decay. Since it is easier to spray petals at the top of the canopy rather than after they’ve fallen, this is why living flowers are the target.
Timing should be within the window from 20% to 50% bloom. (Some products are registered for only 20% to 30% bloom.) At 20% bloom, no petals have dropped and no pods are forming. At 30% bloom, petal drop has just begun and side branches are just starting to bloom. Canola can reach 20% flower 4 to 5 days after first flower, so prepare to assess the sclerotinia stem rot risk as soon as flowering starts.
Spraying at 20% to 30% bloom ensures that a large number of flowers have opened and the spray will cover petals before they drop. Split applications — two lower rate applications 7 to 14 days apart — can be worthwhile if conditions are good for fungal growth and the crop flowers for a long period. Split applications might also be best for crops with plants at multiple stages. The first application can be made when first plants reach recommended staging. If necessary, a second application can be made when the remaining plants are ready to be sprayed. Not all products are registered for a split application.
Late applications. If conditions are dry at early flower and then it rains at 40% to 50% flower, spraying at the end of the window may be effective — especially if branching or strong plant recovery from heat or drought stress extends the flowering period.
Applications after 50% flower are not on fungicide labels, and may be inside the pre-harvest interval for some fungicides.
In general, late applications are not as effective as applications at 20% flower since the main stem flowers first, and these flowers are more likely to drop on main leaves and against the main stem. These main stem petals lead to infection that girdles the main stem. Also, earlier infections have more time to develop and cause more damage to the plant. At or after 50% flower, most of the flowering is on side branches. These petals tend to drop onto upper leaves and side branches, causing minimal damage to the main stem. However, if the crop lodges, infection on side branches can spread to main stems. Using spray volume and pressure that drives fungicides down into the canopy may still provide some protection at these stages.
Remember that fungicide does not provide a curative benefit, so any infection present before application will not be stopped. A late application may stop subsequent infection, but infection that is already present can spread throughout the plant and from plant to plant in cases of extreme lodging, reducing the effectiveness of this late application.
Spraying hailed crop. Canola beat down by hail at early flowering can recover, and start to bolt and re-flower again. In that case, growers may see a benefit from spraying for sclerotinia again if yield potential is above 25-30 bushels per acre, and conditions are moist (rain, humidity and/or dew). Keep in mind that some fungicides are registered for only one application per year. If you already sprayed that product, switch to a different one.
What to spray?
There are many fungicide groups available, and growers are recommended to rotate fungicides.
Adding insecticide. Tank mixing insecticide with sclerotinia fungicide can work when insects are also at thresholds. If the insect threat to crop yield is low, this insecticide treatment can actually have a detrimental effect on yield. That’s because pollinators are especially active during the flowering stage — the sclerotinia fungicide stage. Some studies have shown pollinators can contribute 13-16% to canola yield. Taking out pollinators with insecticide will reduce this yield benefit, and the spray may also eliminate many beneficial insects that could prevent future outbreaks.
Sclerotinia and swath timing
In fields badly infected with sclerotinia stem rot, swath when the healthiest plants are ready. These plants will provide most of the yield. Swathing early will not preserve seeds in badly infected plants — those seeds are unlikely to mature no matter when you swath — and swathing healthy plants before 30% seed colour change, for example, may not allow those healthy seeds to mature and fill fully.
Swathing in a little rain or in the evening dew will limit shattering of mildly infected plants that may have some yield but have dried down prematurely. Fields with a large percentage of diseased plants may be poor candidates for straight cutting due to the increased shattering risk.
Pre-harvest disease assessment
Pre-harvest is a good time to scout canola fields for disease severity. Identifying diseases at this stage is part of next year’s disease management planning.
When looking for sclerotinia stem rot, look for areas in the field with lodged or prematurely ripened plants. Examine the basal (bottom) to middle of the stem. Sclerotinia leaves a bleached or tan lesion on the stem. In serious cases, white, downy growth appears on green stems, and as the stem dries, it will be bleached or brown (like a bone) and shredded typically around the entire stem. Hard, black sclerotia bodies (typically similar in appearance to mouse droppings but larger) can be found inside the stem or on the ground near the stem. (Click here for more on how to identify various diseases, including blackleg, that may be present and visible at this stage.)
Planning for next year: For infested fields, think back to the risk profile in the field when you were making the fungicide decision. If you didn’t spray, what made you decide not to spray? If you did spray and sclerotinia infection rates are still high, at what stage did you spray? At what rate? What were the conditions (some fungicides lose efficacy if sprayed above 25 C)? Answers to these questions will help with the spray decision next year. | <urn:uuid:add9091f-dd2e-461b-8e41-7c6422e63f46> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.canolawatch.org/2013/01/09/sclerotinia-stem-rot-management/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403502.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00171-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930131 | 3,407 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Stroke is a deadly disease if not immediately dealt with quickly and appropriately. Both the heart and stroke patients, for his help about the same. The Following First Aid In Stroke Patients :
• Reassure the patient and yourself. Do not panic.
• Do not leave the patient alone.
• Ask the patient to rest, stop all activities and lie down on a half-sitting position.
• Ensure the patients airway open properly. Give oxygen supply using an oxygen tank, if any. Loosen any clothing that binds to the patients body.
• Do not give food or drink.
• If the patient is unconscious, give cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This action is for the provision of artificial breathing and external cardiac massage.
• Take the patient immediately to the nearest health institution. | <urn:uuid:83364e39-7ba7-4ad0-88e5-3ba50b7f81e3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://healthylogica.blogspot.com/2012/06/first-aid-in-stroke-patients.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397744.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00026-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.891613 | 168 | 3.171875 | 3 |
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Principles of Learning
Below are three universal principles of learning. This means they apply to all human beings.
(1.) Learning is a stratified process
The first principle of learning is that human learning does not take place on a single level, but is a stratified process. This is accepted all over the world as a didactic principle. The way in which school systems throughout the whole world are organized and structured is an acknowledgement of this. One cannot send a child to university first. He must start in the first class and then progress year after year to the higher levels of education. Unless he has mastered a sufficient amount of the knowledge to form a firm enough base on which to build the knowledge of the following year, he will not make progress in the next class.
Another simple and practical example is the fact that one has to learn to count before it becomes possible to learn to add and subtract. Suppose one tried to teach a child who has not yet learned to count, to add and subtract. This would be quite impossible, and no amount of effort would ever succeed in teaching the child addition and subtraction. This shows that counting is a skill that must be mastered before it becomes possible to learn to do calculations.
This means that there is a sequence that is to be observed in teaching. Certain things have to be taught first, before it becomes possible to teach other things.
The main objective of the Edublox programs is to practice and automate the skills that underlie reading, spelling, writing, mathematics and the learning of subject matter.
(2.) A “pyramid of repetition” has to be constructed
The importance of repetition in the learning situation cannot be denied. There is not a single person on this earth who learned to speak a language, learned to swim, skate, play golf, or drive a car, without repetition.
In recent years, neuroscientists have discovered that repetition is important in the “wiring” of a person’s brain, i.e. the forming of connections or synapses between the brain cells. Without these connections, the brain cells are as useless as batteries standing in a row next to a flashlight. Only when the batteries and flashlight are connected, can they make a shining light.
Mere repetition, however, is not the end of the story. A “pyramid of repetition” has to be constructed. This means that a learner must start by repeating a limited amount of material many times over and over. Gradually, less and less repetition will be necessary to master new skills and new knowledge. Without building this “pyramid of repetition” first, later learning will always be time consuming and prone to failure.
Edublox programs practice and automate the foundational skills of reading, spelling, writing and mathematics by systematically creating a “pyramid of repetition.”
(3.) Opportunities for application
The third principle is that there must be opportunities for application. While a person is learning to master the skills that form the basis of reading and mathematics, he should already be given opportunities to apply these skills. This greatly speeds up the process of automation.
An important point is that these three principles should be looked upon as a whole and should not be viewed in isolation.
|Home A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z| | <urn:uuid:7a10d7e4-4476-4442-b967-7babfb286042> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.learninginfo.org/principles-of-learning.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00040-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960446 | 718 | 3.53125 | 4 |
The term engineering is generally understood to be a systematic application of scientific knowledge during the design and production of solution of practical problems at an effective price. If we use this common definition of engineering in the web domain, then we can define the term web engineering as the application of systematic, disciplinary, qualified access to the development, operation and maintenance of web applications.
Design and implementation of application on the web come without any doubt from the basic theory of computer, of information and database systems, computer networks and software engineering. However, they also require the knowledge of special computer technology, which are specific to concrete web applications. Extreme examples can be the use of graphics, videos or virtual reality. The design of web application of course requires the knowledge of other disciplines, which do not directly belong to the domain of information technology, such as pedagogy, banking, business etc. This connection and integration of disciplines close to the information technology (IT) on one side and disciplines totally different on the other side constitute a unique challenge for research and development.
On a number of conferences, starting on 1998, emerged that web begins to be an independent discipline, especially for a number of important and specific attributes of web applications; the term web engineering appeared. This term includes among others:
- New types of application for web processing.
- Access to heterogeneous information on web and new technology for information searching.
- Standardization of web application interface and platforms (including graphic design).
- Security, legal, social and ethical effects of distributed environment of the web.
- Daily maintenance and update of web pages, documents and bindings among pages.
- Effect of the principle of the web hyper-textual structure on information structuring.
- Adaptation of access to web information to user types and requirements.
- Independent behavior of connected distributed networks.
Particular web services, including standards, protocols and other tools for running the web, etc.
The main concern of a web user is a quick and efficient access to information. However, it is not only a matter of networks technical parameters, communication protocols or mobile media, but also of “intelligence”, friendliness and intuitiveness of user access to information on web. By that we mean the situation of a standard user, which though he has a high performance equipment, but gets lost when searching for information on the web, gets irrelevant or redundant information as answer to his queries, acquired information are not understandable from the users point of view, according to his knowledge irrelevant. The solution of “orientation” in information flooding is to find such methods and approaches, which in a user-oriented interface help the user to find his bearings in the web environment according to his ability and his needs.
Among investigated areas belong especially:
- Research on intelligent and heuristic technique to support information searching in web environment.
- Research on searching methods on the web with consideration to the semantics the information sought.
- Investigation on adaptability of access to information on web according to the user requirements, types and possibility (also appropriate to support individually oriented education).
Formulation of integrated access to heterogeneous type of information on the web.
About research group ∞
Researches cover three basic areas of the web engineering and eight of its subdomains:
- Intelligent methods of information searching on the web:
- Semantic Web and Searching on the Web.
- Web Access Prediction.
- Web Information Extraction.
- Semantic P2P Search Engine.
- Semantic Data Retrieval on the Web.
- Web metrics.
- Adaptation of information of hypertext documents:
- Adaptive Navigation on the Web.
- Adaptive Information Extraction from the Web.
- A general model for personalized web design.
- Unification of access to information on the web:
- Methods of Detection and Prevention of Potential Errors in Web Software Systems.
- Methods and Technology for Web Software Systems Testing.
- Unified Access to Information on the Web.
- Integrated Access to Information on the Web. | <urn:uuid:31e5256a-7bf5-4df0-abae-aa640f4a884f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://webing.felk.cvut.cz/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00187-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.882998 | 832 | 3.28125 | 3 |
The times we are living in are fast moving and hectic. Modern technology is altering the way we live, work and consume, supporting a fast and superficial lifestyle. A way to cope with these new challenges is hard to find. Nowadays it seems more and more important to critically reflect on one’s behavior in order to define a viewpoint and find a healthy way to live.
The consumption of music has changed in the recent years, mainly influenced by technological development of media and playback devices. In many situations, music listening has shifted from a main-activity to a side-activity (H. Weber has coined the term passive listening). Music is no longer in the center of our attention, but is heard while focusing on other things. Subsequently, due to the change in perception, music is in danger of degenerating into an unnoticed background noise.
Listen Carefully is a sensitive headphone that reminds the user to focus and concentrate while listening to music. The headphone lowers the playback volume on juddering movements, thus “forcing” the user to sit still and relax. By intervening into the user’s musical enjoyment, the principle of conditioning is used, rewarding the user on “right behavior” and facilitating a learning effect. In the long term, Listen Carefully supports qualitative and focused music-consumption in an appropriate environment. | <urn:uuid:24225a6d-7629-4c6e-acf6-5884d0f151d3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.jonasbreme.de/portfolio/listen-carefully/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393518.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00077-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951403 | 274 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Smoke-Free Parks and Rec Centers
On May 23, 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order that made recreation centers in Philadelphia 100% smoke-free. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on recreation center property, including playgrounds, ball fields, courts, parking lots, lawns, and pool areas.
On April 29, 2014, Mayor Nutter signed a second executive order that expanded smoke-free recreation spaces to include all City-owned parks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of smoke-free parks and recreation centers to children?
Reducing children’s exposure to adults who smoke.
- Tens of thousands of children use Philadelphia’s parks and recreation centers every year. Children are more likely to smoke if they see others smoking, especially adults. These policies reduce children’s exposure to watching adults smoke and reinforce anti-smoking norms in our community.
Protecting children and adults from exposure to secondhand smoke.
- According to the US Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
- When people inhale cigarette smoke, either directly or secondhand, they are inhaling more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds of these chemicals are hazardous and at least 69 are known to cause cancer.
- Outdoor secondhand smoke is often an irritant to non-smokers and can be both an acute and chronic health hazard to some individuals.
How do smoke-free parks and recreation centers help the environment?
Providing a cleaner environment by reducing littered cigarette butts.
- Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. Smoke-free policies help to reduce litter, ease sanitation demands, and lower the risk of fire.
What are the benefits for smokers?
Reducing smoking rates and promoting quit attempts among smokers.
- Public smoke-free policies have been shown to give smokers additional motivation and support to quit.
To report a smoking complaint in City-owned parks or rec centers, please contact us
If you are a Recreation Center Manager and would like to request smoke-free signs
(see below) or other education materials, please contact Amna Rizvi. | <urn:uuid:569abedb-2e5b-4532-a0f3-caa3421075d8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.smokefreephilly.org/smoke-free-spaces/smoke-free-rec-centers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00188-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94129 | 446 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Weeks before U.S. pilots took to the skies above Afghanistan last October, they had a pretty good idea what they would see there. Already they had logged many hours doing virtual fly-throughs over the rugged mountain terrain, using a mission rehearsal system known as Topscene (for tactical operational scene). Built for the U.S. Department of Defense by Anteon Corp., Fairfax, Va., Topscene combines aerial photos, satellite images, and intelligence data to create high-resolution three-dimensional databases of a region.
Seated at computer consoles running on Silicon Graphics Onyx processors, pilots could visualize flying from ground level up to 12 000 meters, at speeds up to 2250 km/h. The detailed renderings, showing roads, buildings, and even vehicles, helped them plot the best approach, scout for landmarks, and identify designated targets.
Topscene is just one of many powerful new simulation tools that the U.S. military is using to prepare soldiers and their leaders for battle. Over the last three decades, sophisticated computer modeling and graphics, faster processor speeds, and advances in artificial intelligence have gone into building simulation technology that can create a reality that stops just short of war.
In turn, the use of simulators has helped bring about a sea change in military training. Troops today practice exhaustively, taught by simulators not only how to use their ever more complex equipment, but also how to work in teams, move efficiently through a battlespace, and negotiate a wide range of conflicts, which may or may not involve military force.
Simulation also gives military and political leaders insight into potential conflicts. Commanders can now recreate on computer the complex choreography of thousands of soldiers, weapons, vehicles, and aircraft moving across a battlefield that extends over thousands of square kilometers. In this way, military decision-makers can test strategic options before launching a campaign in earnest. They can also assess the performance of new weapons systems under consideration.
The result has been nothing less than remarkable. Low U.S. casualties in Desert Storm, the Balkans, and now Afghanistan stem in large part from the growing use of training simulators, according to a task force of the U.S. Defense Science Board, whose 35 civilian members advise the Secretary of Defense on matters of military R&D. In its 2000 report, "Training Superiority and Training Surprise," the task force concluded that "the new combat training approach invented 30 years ago develops, without bloodshed, individuals and units into aces."
The push toward training simulation has also spawned a huge industry. According to the trade publication Military Training and Simulation News, the U.S. Department of Defense spends about US $4 billion each year on simulation and training equipment. No other country has invested nearly as much.
And that is just the beginning. Today, the Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation 2 game consoles are being adapted for distributed and networked military gaming. Meanwhile, an Army-sponsored group of artists, Hollywood special-effects experts, and researchers at the University of Southern California are working on the next generation of military trainers: immersive virtual-reality environments akin to the "Star Trek" holodeck, in which real soldiers interact with synthetic yet life-like actors.
"The shift from live range training to computer-based training is fundamentally changing the way we prepare our soldiers for the future," noted W. H. ("Dell") Lunceford Jr., director of the Army Model and Simulation Office in Arlington, Va. "Every soldier today needs to understand the value and the pitfalls of simulation, just as he or she must understand military science." | <urn:uuid:2314b7da-6a9a-42c3-8f0e-8aaae8976872> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gaming/games-soldiers-play/5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00068-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95199 | 733 | 2.859375 | 3 |
The Water Cycle - Terrarium
Terrariums are wonderful projects: they’re easy to plant, easy to care for and they look wonderful. They also recycle their moisture, so they rarely need to be watered, requiring almost no attention. Often, a closed terrarium can be left for a month or more between watering.
Discussing the water cycle is a great introduction for this project. What are clouds? What are they made of? What is rain? What does the sky look like when it rains? Why does it rain? Where does the rain go after it falls? What happens to puddles after it rains? These questions will start a discussion about evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Discuss each of these things as you put your terrarium together. (You may want to check out the animated diagram of the water cycle from the US Environmental Protection Agency.)
Any clear container can be made into a terrarium; just make sure that your container is watertight. Choose something large enough to accommodate the plants, and has a cover, lid, or door to keep the moisture from escaping. Jars, bottles, and aquariums are commonly used and each works great. Whatever the container, you can now easily bring nature into the classroom.
Many plants do well in terrariums, and it is best to choose the ones that will fit the size of the container. Slower growing plants require less trimming, and are less likely to take over. If you are willing to pay more attention to them, you can experiment with more aggressive plants. They require more frequent trimming, but will allow you to have more variety in your terrarium.
Some plants suitable for terrariums are: Pilea (Aluminum Plant ) Fittonia ( Nerve Plant ) Ardisia Podocarpus ( Buddhist Pine ) Aeschynanthus ( Lipstick Plant ) Baby Tears ( Very aggressive grower! ) Very small ferns Miniature African Violets Coffee Plant Creeping Charlie Boxus (Boxwood) Wandering Jew (Aggressive Grower) Creeping Fig (Aggressive Grower) Moss
Planting Instructions:1. Place a 1/2 inch layer of small gravel in bottom. 2. You may choose to sprinkle activated charcoal on top of the gravel, but this is optional. It will help to filter the water as it drains through the layers. 3. Test your potting soil before using it by squeezing a handful. If it clumps easily, add some Perlite or Vermiculite to help with drainage. These can usually be found in garden shops. Add a 2-inch layer of potting soil, or possibly a little more depending on the size of your container and the size of the plants you intend to use. 4. Add your plants, again taking into account the size of the space you have to work with inside the terrarium. Be careful not to overplant – you need to leave plenty of room for your plants to grow. Push the soil aside, place a plant in the depression, and gently replace the soil around the roots of each plant. Water lightly.
Care: Neglect It! Water lightly only when the soil is dry. You should only need to water, at the most, every couple of weeks, depending on conditions. Be very careful not to overwater! Place in a bright area, but not in direct sunlight. You should have enough light to read by. When plant gets as big as you want, pinch off the newest growth to encourage bushier growth.
Do not fertilize. As the nutrients found in the potting soil get used up, the plant’s growth will slow, helping to keep the plant from overgrowing the terrarium. Over time the soil can be “refreshed” by scraping off the top layer of soil, and adding some fresh potting soil. This will add a small amount of nutrient, and will spruce up the look of your terrarium as well.
Small rocks, moss and dried twigs make good decorations and add to the look of a micro-world of plant life. A terrarium can also be an ideal place to observe insects, but you will want to return them to the outside world after a few hours so they can survive in their natural habitat.
When your terrariums are finished, discuss the following: We only watered the soil in our terrariums once; how did the water get on the lid? Take your lid off the terrarium and feel the soil. Why is the soil still wet? Do you think that any water has evaporated from the soil? Why? If water evaporated, where did the evaporated water go? Did it ever rain in your terrarium? How do you know? Where did the rain come from? Is there anything in your terrarium that reminds you of a cloud or cloud drops?"
You may want to make a connection between the water cycle in the terrarium and in the real world with a discussion using the following: "If the terrarium is a model of the real world, what do you see outside that reminds you of the plant in our terrarium? reminds you of the soil in our terrarium? reminds you of the small water droplets on the lid? The soil in our terrarium stays moist, the ground outside never dries out completely. Why? What keeps it moist? Water collects on the lid of the terrarium, water also collects in the sky as clouds, where does the water in the clouds come from?
Keep your terrarium after the lesson is over and enjoy it for many months to come!
Copyright © 1995-2007. All rights reserved. Teachnet.Com 120 Kodiak Kechi KS 67067 U.S.A. | <urn:uuid:eef6e746-183d-49b5-bfe2-05594423c877> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://teaching.monster.com/training/articles/1092-the-water-cycle---terrarium- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00075-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931429 | 1,185 | 3.546875 | 4 |
Youth mentoring is the process of matching mentors with young people who
need or want a ... The goal of youth mentoring programs is to improve the well-
being of the child by providing a role model t...
Youth mentoring - a consistent, prosocial relationship between an adult or ... as
providing mentoring services to underserved and at-risk populations of youth.
Young Adults Who Were At-Risk for Falling Off Track But Had a Mentor Are: 55%
more likely ... Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are: 46% less likely ...
4-H National Youth Mentoring Program provides mentoring programs to 4-H ...
juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, truancy, and other problems and high-risk ...
OJJDP's Juvenile Mentoring Program. (JUMP) is designed to reduce delin-
quency and improve school attendance for at-risk youth. Mentoring is also one.
Learn how to determine if a mentoring program is what you need. ... in a
mentoring relationship; Roles of non-familial adults in the lives of at-risk children
the Role of Risk: Mentoring experiences and outcomes for Youth with Varying
Risk Profiles iii the Role ... to mentoring programs nationally and internation- ally.
Children in our mentoring programs show improved self confidence, better
decision making skills, improved academic performance, an improved sense of
Describes at-risk and high-risk juveniles, outlines guidelines for effective
mentoring of struggling young people, and introduces the graphic novel, Makin' It.
The Youth Justice Mentoring Program (YJM) serves youth aged 11-19 who are ...
in San Francisco Juvenile Hall and are at-risk of further justice involvement, ... | <urn:uuid:26e2bf96-ba08-4741-bcb2-a5c1b318a65b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ask.com/web?q=Mentoring+Programs+for+at+Risk+Youth&oo=2603&o=0&l=dir&qsrc=3139&gc=1&qo=popularsearches | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00081-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.840159 | 375 | 2.78125 | 3 |
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Use massive, thin, ground-tethered airships to lift enormous thin film solar arrays above cloud level, where they could enjoy more direct sunlight, and send the generated electricity to ground via the tethers - a bit like Glaser's orbital solar power stations, but much cheaper and easier
And the airship can move in or out of position on solar power as well.
This vehicle runs on sunlight, and thus can fly as long as the sun shines (which, of course, it always does above the clouds). You can see the panels inside (see hyperblimp.com for more info). It's made it with off-the-shelf materials, for about $1,000. [James Newton, Aug 04 2010]
Even without thin film panels, a large enough body can lift an array
A group of French engineering students want to see what their solar blimp the helium-filled, solar-panel-studded Sol'r can do. [James Newton, Aug 04 2010]
If the blimp is made of clear material, it can focus the sun as well.
Our inflated solar concentrators, on the other hand, are shaped like balloons and are primarily made of inexpensive and free materials. [James Newton, Aug 04 2010]
||Do you live in a cloudy climate? I think that a miniature prototype is in order. This is necessary to see if it can withstand gale force winds.
||Interesting idea - also, the sun rises earlier and sets
later when you are high up, so as well as getting
above many clouds this would also extend the
operational time a little.
||These blimps would have to be at 100,000 ft (maybe
more?) to effectively avoid weather. That's one big
electrical cable. If someone could solve those
engineering issues, it would be neat.
||Also at those heights, it may be better to have a
wind powered blimp that's tethered to the ground
and getting wind power from 100 km/h+ winds 24/7
in the jet stream.
||If the panels are mounted at the correct angle,
they can be made to track the sun by turning the
||high tech cables would be required, but the
tethers could conduct the power to ground as well
as hold the ship in position.
||Another possibility is beaming the energy to
ground via microwaves... although there are
significant problems with that: Danger on the
ground due to misalignment, losses, cost, and I
think clouds dissipate microwave energy to some
||All in all, this idea is only useful in areas where
intense sunlight is regularly obscured by clouds
and no other energy source is available.
||//Another possibility is beaming the energy to ground via microwaves...//
||Blimps of destruction. Excellent for frying primitive populations that can be found conveniently near the equator. | <urn:uuid:63b6e1b8-0674-4e06-a68c-b9238f5f1e62> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Blimp_20solar_20power_20station | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393332.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00048-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.915364 | 668 | 3.03125 | 3 |
The glossy, deep yellow flowerheads of Helichrysum foetidum catch the eye. This hardy, water-wise plant could enhance many gardens.
This Helichrysum is a robust, biennial, strong-smelling herb, the stem is simple or sparsely branched from the base, 0.3-1 m tall, and young parts are thinly white-hairy. The leaves are grouped at the stem base, but they wither at the time of flowering. They are up to 120 x 150 mm and elliptic with a clasping base. The upper surface is sparsely hairy, whereas the lower one is thinly white-woolly. Many flowerheads are borne in a large, leafy, spreading, umbrella-like inflorescence. The i nvolucral bracts (surrounding the flowerheads ) are in 8 to 9 series, imbricate, the inner ones much longer than the flowers. The achenes (fruits) are 0.75-1 mm long and glabrous. Each has a set of pappus bristles whose bases cohere lightly by means of tiny hairs.
H. foetidum is much confused with H. cooperi which has leaves that are decurrent on the stem and lack the white wool underneath. It is also mistaken for H. decorum which overlaps in distribution from the Cape Peninsula to the Bashee River mouth on the Transkeian coast and inland to the Baziya mountains in the Engcobo District. H. decorum is slightly aromatic when fresh but lacks the strong, persistent, foetid odour of H. foetidum. The flowerheads of the latter are smaller than those of H. decorum. H. foetidum leaves are always thinly white woolly below, whereas those of H. decorum are woolly on one or both surfaces. The flowering time is from October to May.
According to the Southern African plant Red Data Lists (Golding & Mössmer 2002), the species is not threatened. However, its status can change as it grows mostly along the coast where much development is taking place.
Distribution and habitat
H. foetidum has been recorded from the Umtentu River in Eastern-Cape, to the hills around Komga, King Williams's Town and Stutterheim, the Amatola Mountains and Katberg, thence along the coastal mountain ranges to the Cape Peninsula and northwards through Worcester and Tulbagh to the Cederberg. The plants are generally adapted to resist both drought and frost and thrive in rocky, well-drained slopes in the mountains or hills. They are also found particularly in damp places along streams or on forest margins. The biomes include Sub-Escarpment Grassland, Drakensberg Grassland, Sub-Escarpment Savannah, Indigenous Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Albany Thicket and Fynbos-Renosterveld. The habitat ranges in altitude from 5 to 1 670 m.
Derivation of name and historical aspects
The genus Helichrysum Mill. was named by Phillip Miller (1691-1771), a British gardener, who was superintendent of the Society of Apothecaries, Chelsea Physick Garden from 1722 to 1770. Helichrysum comes from the Greek word helios meaning sun, and chrysos, gold. Most helichrysums have golden yellow flowers, thus the name describes this genus well. The specific name foetidum (Latin), means evil smell. The species name was first published by Linnaeus (1707-1778), the famous Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist who was a professor of medicine and botany at Uppsala from 1740 to 1778. He was also the founder of modern plant systematics and nomenclature. He used the name Gnaphalium foetidum in Species plantarum (1753). It was combined later by Conrad Moench (1744-1805), a German botanist, chemist and pharmacist, and professor of botany at Marburg University (1785-1805), with Helichrysum as H. foetidum in Methodus plantas (1794). Helichrysum has 600 species largely in Africa and Madagascar, but also in Europe, Asia and Australia. In southern Africa there are 245 species which are widely distributed. There is a considerable variety of form and habit in this genus which includes annuals, perennials and dwarf shrubs. They all bear the glossy, papery flowers, that are found in a wide range of colours and in single and double forms.
H. foetidum is pollinated by bees, wasps, butterflies and yellow spiders that match the flowerheads exactly in colour. The fruits have pappus bristles, so are easily dispersed by wind. H. foetidum leaves are roughly hairy above and thinly white woolly below. This may help reduce water loss. The woolliness may also make the plant unpalatable to most herbivores, especially sheep. These plants are fire ephemerals in fynbos patches. They grow rapidly, flower profusely in the first few years and produce large numbers of tiny seeds. These are capable of persisting in the soil until the next fire; whereafter they germinate. Hence fire is unlikely to interfere with their reproduction.
Uses and Cultural aspects
The leaves of Helichrysum foetidum are said to make an excellent dressing for a festering sore and are used as a circumcision wound dressing. The plant is also used traditionally by some young girls to relieve menstrual pains. In East Africa roots are used for eye complaints and the leaves for influenza. Together with H. decorum and H. stenopterum, H. foetidum is inhaled by traditional healers to induce a trance. Chemical constituents: involucral leaves contain helichrysin (Watt & Breyer-Brandwijk 1962).
H. foetidum is easily confused with H. cooperi, an ointment of which is made from dried leaves, and is applied to the body as a love charm by men. If the flowers are dried well, they keep their colours for winter decoration. Horticulturally helichrysums are hardy plants, have many uses and create lovely displays: an example is the ground cover H. argyrophyllum. This plant has attractive felty, silvery grey leaves that show up beautifully where it trails over an embankment, walls or stones.
Growing H. foetidum
Plant it in a warm, sunny position in well-drained, sandy soil, adding plenty of compost. Do not overwater. If conditions are too moist and the drainage is bad, this plant tends to die back in large patches. If cut back by frost it will recover rapidly in spring. Propagate from seed or by lifting rooted runners. After flowering, the flower stalks should be cut back. Snails are a common pest and can be removed by hand.
References and further reading
- Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. 2003. Plants of southern Africa : an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria,
- Goldblatt, P & Manning, J. 2000. Cape plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa, Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute and Missouri Botanic Garden Press, St Louis.
- Golding, J.S. & Mössmer, M. 2002. Southern African plant Red Data Lists. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 14.
- Hilliard, O.M. 1983. Asteraceae, Gnaphaliinae (first part). Flora of southern Africa 33, Part 7, Fasc. 2. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- Hutchings, A., Scott, A.H., Lewis, G. & Cunningham, A.B. 1996. Zulu medicinal plants: an inventory. University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg.
- Joffe, P. 2003. Easy guide to indigenous shrubs. Briza Publications, Pretoria.
- Smith, C.A. 1966. Common names of South African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 35.
- Van Wyk, B-E. & Gericke, N. 2000. People's plants. A guide to useful plants of southern Africa. Briza Publications, Pretoria.
- Watt, J.M. & Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. 1962. The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa. Livingstone, Edinburgh and London.
National Herbarium, Pretoria | <urn:uuid:e75a393c-53d7-4bad-a188-b785430cfe90> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.plantzafrica.com/planthij/helichryfoet.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00111-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.914853 | 1,838 | 3.078125 | 3 |
EAST LANSING — Michigan State University researchers have found that the emerald ash borer, the subversive green beetle that has feasted on ash trees around the country for more than a decade, actually arrived in the early 1990s – at least 10 years before it was first officially identified in North America.
"We suspect they arrived inside wood crating or pallets imported from Asia where the beetle is native," Deb McCullough, MSU professor of forest entomology, said.
The scientists studied the cores of over 1,000 ash trees around southeast Michigan and used the trees rings to determine when they were killed. The study found that some of the trees were killed as early as 1997, five years prior to the official "discovery" of the bug in North America.
The study concluded that since it takes years for the beetle population to become large enough to kill ash trees, the bugs had been in southeast Michigan as early as 1992.
"Emerald ash borers are killing trees so fast across such a large geographic area, that nobody actually knows how many trees are dead," McCullough said. "We do know there are tens of millions of dead ash in lower Michigan alone."
Since it was first discovered in North America, the emerald ash borer – a name coined by MSU scientists – is found in 22 states, along with the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
The bug can be transferred from infested trees and firewood. And some ash borers can fly up to a half-mile from tree to tree.
The ash borer was originally found in Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea and it is presumed that it came to North America on cargo ships.
"There were probably only a few live beetles that arrived, but ash trees are common in urban landscapes as well as in forests," McCullough said, adding that there are tens of millions of dead ash trees because of the bugs. "Emerald ash borers are killing trees so fast across such a large geographic area, that nobody actually knows how many trees are dead," she said.
"We do know there are tens of millions of dead ash in lower Michigan alone." For more information on the emerald ash borer, you can visit MSU's ash borer website.
MSU researchers Nate Siegert and Frank Telewski and Andrew Liebhold of the U.S. Forest Service helped coordinate the study. | <urn:uuid:61d6f393-9810-42fe-8014-b9e842cf950b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2014/05/msu_researchers_discover_emera.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00146-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979752 | 496 | 3.359375 | 3 |
© 2010 Osoyoos Lakeview Motel | AdminOsoyoos Photographs by Okanagan BC Photography
Canada's only desert extends past Osoyoos Lake to Skaha Lake, and west up the Similkameen Valley towards Keremeos, approximately 24 km. (15 miles). This area receives an average rainfall of less than 12 inches per year. The desert plants and animals of this area are found nowhere else in Canada.
Daytime temperatures during the summer months average around 38C/100F and dropping to 16C/60F at night.
The name Osoyoos (O-sue-use) is an Okanagan Indian word meaning "the narrows" or "the place where two lakes come together". Nomadic tribes appear to have been the Osoyoos region's first visitors around 1066. Early records indicate that no permanent Indian residents were in the area prior to 1800.
The only historical records of this early time period are pictographs on mountain walls and in caves. David Stuart and a French companion, Montigny, are credited with being the first white men to enter the Osoyoos district in September 1811. Employed by the Pacific Fur Company, these explorers were en-route to Fort Kamloops looking for a better trade route through the interior of British Columbia. They noted that Osoyoos was an ideal campsite.
After the Hudson's Bay Company bought out the Pacific Fur Company, the Hudson's Bay Company Brigades used the area as a trading route from 1812 - 1848. The British Columbia gold rush in the 1860s helped to further open the Osoyoos area. A customs house was built in 1861. Customs collector John Carmichael Haynes, justice of the peace for Osoyoos and Kootenay districts, was a pioneer settler at Osoyoos and accumulated 8900 hectares of land for cattle and a horse ranch.
The first commercial orchard was established nearby in 1890. The South Okanagan Irrigation Project brought an irrigation canal to the area by 1919. Osoyoos was incorporated in 1946. Agriculture and tourism are now the community's largest economic sectors.
For more information please visit www.destinationosoyoos.com | <urn:uuid:32c24ae7-e590-473e-931e-6c23ace5d389> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://osoyooslakeview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392159.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00107-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94306 | 468 | 2.953125 | 3 |
The Next Mass Global Killer: Urban Air Pollution
Replacing such mass health hazards as poor sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water, the report predicts that "by 2050, there could be 3.6 million premature deaths a year from exposure to particulate matter, most of them in China and India." The news isn't much better for developed countries either, as exposure to ground-level ozone will severely impact public health.
The report is seen as a call to action to head off the anticipated effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity, strains on water supplies and the health impacts of pollution.
According to Harvey, "the OECD study alsos [sic] said that there are some actions that governments can take quickly to tackle some of the key problems. For instance, many governments treat diesel fuel for vehicles differently than petrol for tax purposes, with tax breaks that encourage the take-up of diesel. But although diesel vehicle fuel produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than petrol, it is far worse for spewing out small particulate matter, which is bad for urban pollution." | <urn:uuid:5ef84ce4-e8af-4495-b0cb-18be707d5880> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.planetizen.com/node/55415 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00065-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951469 | 217 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Clementine Lunar Data Processing
MSSS produced processed and reduced data products from the Clementine HiRes images, using advanced, automated processing, mosaicing, and archiving techniques. Clementine was the first U.S. mission back to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, and was a U.S. Navy project (not NASA).
|Launched: 25 January 1994||Lunar Orbit Insertion: 21 February 1994||End of Mission: 3 May 1994|
MSSS Delivers High-Resolution Maps of the Moon (Press Release, 19 July 1999)
Clementine Image Browser, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
|Clementine Home Page, U. S. Naval Research Laboratory||Clementine Image Catalog, NASA NSSDC| | <urn:uuid:7f0cd73a-2a1a-4f04-8e1c-d3d216949684> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.msss.com/all_projects/clementine.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394987.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00201-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.848349 | 162 | 2.75 | 3 |
It has been almost 20 years since the Soviet Union officially dissolved. While the nation of that name no longer exists, its legacy continues influencing political thought and practices in many places in the world. The glorification of the Soviet Union by American intellectuals from the 1920s onwards helped spur the creation of federal programs that continue plaguing the United States to this day. After 9/11, the Soviets provided the model for the most controversial aspect of the war on terror.
Franklin Roosevelt’s Brain Trust were confident of their ability to forcibly improve other Americans lives, in part because of the supposed success of Stalin’s Five Year Plans. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Rexford Tugwell, in a 1934 book that praised the Soviet Unions economic management, captured the spirit of the New Deal: We have developed efficiency and science in the art of government. Our administrative, executive, and judicial bodies have proved competent to handle the most difficult matters. Tugwell informed America, We must now supply a real and visible guiding hand to do the task which that mythical, non-existent invisible agency [i.e., Adam Smiths invisible hand] was supposed to perform, but never did.
The Roosevelt administrations guiding hand paid farmers in 1933 to slaughter 6 million baby pigs (at a time of widespread hunger) and plow up 10 million acres of cotton fields (at a time when millions were wearing rags). The Agriculture Department was ridiculed for solving the paradox of want amidst the plenty by doing away with the plenty. Tugwell did concede that a major impediment to government planning in the United States was the unreasoning, almost hysterical attachment of certain Americans to the Constitution. Many of the farm programs launched during Tugwell’s term in office continue to this day.
The Soviet Union was routinely portrayed as a moral leader. Academics, politicians, and others habitually ignored or understated the coerciveness of government throughout the 20th century. American churchman Sherwood Eddy wrote in 1934, All life [in Russia] is … directed to a single high end and energized by such powerful and glowing motivation…. It releases a flood of joyous and strenuous activity.
American philosopher John Dewey visited the Soviet Union and proclaimed upon his return, The people go about as if some mighty, oppressive load had been removed, as if they were newly awakened to the consciousness of released energies.
In 1978, members of the American Political Science Association voted to cancel contracts for their annual conference in Chicago the following year to protest the fact that Illinois had not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment at the same time they voted in favor of sending delegates to an International Political Science Association meeting in Moscow.
Government power vastly expanded in the past century in part because of a presumption that government is incapable of exploiting the governed. Authors Sidney and Beatrice Webb, two of the founders of British socialism and authors of a 1936 book, The Soviet Union: A New Civilization? discussed Soviet ethical doctrines: Paramount is the injunction to abstain from and to resist exploitation, meaning any employment of others at wages for the purpose of making a profit out of their labor. The Webbs observed that abstention from exploitation is the ethical duty that is … most forcibly and frequently impressed on the youthful mind. The Webbs’ comment exemplifies the tendency to presume that all private contracts are exploitative and all political commands just. Making money off someone else’s labor is the worst sin regardless of the wages that a person might receive even if that job is the best option available to the worker.
The Webbs wrote in the aftermath of a five-year plan during which Stalin intentionally slashed the living standard of his subjects to finance state investment. The Webbs had no problem with the minuscule wages paid by the Soviet state because those wages were dictated by an institution that supposedly incarnated justice and thus was incapable of exploiting people. And the proliferation of vast slave-labor systems and the gulags was not a moral issue because the internees were merely being forced to labor for the good of society. (Leon Trotsky captured the meaning of Soviet employment ethics: In a country where the sole employer is the State, opposition means death by slow starvation…. [Who] does not obey shall not eat.)
When Stalin forcibly collectivized the farms, he sent execution squads to kill peasants who had a few bushels of grain hidden in their hovels. Hoarding even of ones own property was an unforgivable sin. In 1934, when Roosevelt ordered all Americans to surrender their gold to the federal government, he denounced anyone who resisted being pilfered as a hoarder. His executive order defined hoarding as the withdrawal and withholding of gold coin, gold bullion or gold certificates from the recognized and customary channels of trade. He was not concerned with the gold that was in the customary channels of trade; instead, he wanted government to possess all the gold. And the notion that someone was withholding his gold merely because he did not rush to the nearest Federal Reserve bank to relinquish it was political logic at its best. Roosevelt was kinder and gentler than Stalin, seeking only 10-year prison sentences for any citizen who retained more than five Double Eagle gold coins.
The reigning principle of legislation in the Soviet Union was Everything is prohibited which is not specifically permitted. The American Planning Association recommended a similar rule to subjugate American citizens: As a matter of legislative drafting, it is good practice to include a general violations section in zoning regulations that, in part, says, It shall be a violation of this ordinance to make any use of property not expressly permitted by this ordinance or a permit or other approval granted hereunder. This is the situation already existing in many areas in the United States.
Denunciation and justice
In the 1930s, the Soviet regime rewarded young children who betrayed to the authorities words of criticism their parents had spoken about the great Stalin. As Robert Conquest noted in his classic history, The Great Terror: Stalin’s Purge of the Thirties, Stalins idea of a good young Communist demanded … the qualities of an enthusiastic young nark. Some critics allege that public schools are now adopting some of Stalin’s methods. Many American children have turned in their parents to the police after receiving federally funded anti-drug education (taught by cops) in their government-school classrooms.
After 9/11, the U.S. government constructed an interrogation program in part by copying Soviet interrogation methods long used in training American servicemen to withstand capture, the New York Times reported in 2007. The Pentagon and CIA reverse engineered many Soviet interrogation techniques that the United States had long denounced as torture. Policymakers looked at the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training American aviators received to endure Soviet interrogation for leads on how the United States could break the will of Muslim detainees. A 1956 Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry article entitled Communist Interrogation described how the Soviets used isolation, anxiety, fatigue, lack of sleep, uncomfortable temperatures on their targets. The Bush administration adopted the same techniques at Guantánamo and the U.S. secret prisons scattered throughout the world. The methods provided a bounty of false confessions that were trumpeted to sanctify the war on terrorism.
There were also close comparisons between how the United States treated detainees at Guantánamo and how the KGB treated suspects. The New York Times noted that under the Soviet system prisoners are tried before military tribunals, which are not public courts. Those present are only the interrogator, the state prosecutor, the prisoner, the judges, a few stenographers, and perhaps a few officers of the court. The Soviets routinely dictated new rules for its administrative convenience. As the 1956 Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry article noted, when the Soviet interrogators desired to use torture against a prisoner or to obtain from him a propaganda statement or confession, it simply declared the prisoner a war-crimes suspect and informed him that, therefore, he was not subject to international rules governing the treatment of prisoners of war.
Those were not the only Soviet-style shams the Bush team relied on. After 9/11, Bush administration officials boasted that the feds had arrested more than 1,200 people as part of their response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They thereby brought the same mentality to locking up suspects after 9/11 that the Soviet Union used for the potato harvest from collective farms. It didnt matter how many bushels of potatoes were rotten, or how many bushels were lost or pilfered along the way, or how many bushels never really existed except in the minds of the commissars who burnished the official reports. All that mattered was the total number. In the same way, the success of the immediate federal response to 9/11 was gauged largely by the number of people rounded up, regardless of their guilt or innocence.
These parallels do not mean that current or former U.S. policymakers or politicians are or were communists. But Americans should be wary when their government embraces methods or standards used by a regime that Ronald Reagan derided as the evil empire. Practices that were horrendous abuses when carried out by the Soviets do not become triumphs of democracy when carried out in America.
This article originally appeared in the July 2011 edition of Freedom Daily. Subscribe to the print or email version of Freedom Daily. | <urn:uuid:ce593390-ede2-4543-acea-5efb5783f5f5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://fff.org/explore-freedom/article/soviet-unions-continuing-influence-america/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00066-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966387 | 1,911 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Earth Day is a great time to commit to protecting the environment and saving money and energy at home. This year, April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
In spring 1970, Sen. Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day to "force this issue onto the national agenda." Addressing the Earth Day 1970 audience in Denver, Colo., Nelson said, "Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human being and all living creatures."
I think Sen. Nelson would be proud of the current level of enthusiasm surrounding energy efficiency and renewable energy. At EnergySavers.gov, we've spent a lot of time talking about tax credits and rebates for ENERGY STAR appliances.
The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Earth Day Web site includes a lot of other money- and energy-saving tips and information, including:
- An interactive animation that lets you discover what you can do to save energy and money in your home, learn how energy is being used more efficiently in communities, and see the different sources of energy being used across the country
- Ways to use solar, wind, and geothermal technologies in your home
- Inexpensive strategies for saving energy and money through the warm spring and summer months
- Stories about how clean energy is helping people all across America
- Ways the federal government is improving its energy efficiency while reducing the threat of climate change, sustaining the clean energy economy, and encouraging innovation in new technology.
Also, like our EERE and Energy Savers Facebook pages, our Earth Day poll provides another opportunity for you to interact with us. Log on to our Earth Day Web site and tell us how you'll recognize Earth Day, or, as always, we encourage you to leave a comment on this post.
Happy Earth Day! | <urn:uuid:cbf0edfa-0523-4d97-adfa-37a425935a66> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/celebrate-earth-day | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00145-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92289 | 384 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Arvydas (Arv) Grybauskas, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Maryland; email@example.com
The question has come up after the tremendous rainfall and damage caused by hurricane Irene whether or not one should spray their soybeans with fungicides. There was also a question just before the hurricane as to whether or not it was advisable to throw in a fungicide since many fields were to be sprayed for insects like podworm and stinkbugs. The answer to both those questions is highly dependent on each individual situation and a blanket recommendation cannot be made, especially because soybean rust is not going to be an issue this season.
Before we discuss the factors that play a part in determining fungicide need let me briefly explain why we rely on statistics and statistically valid research to answer these questions. Most of you are familiar with yield monitors and their output either because you have equipped your combine with one, or the custom combining operation that does the harvesting has one, or you have seen sample maps in a trade publication. If you haven’t then I’m sure you are still aware of the issue of variability in a field because of all the hoopla associated with any precision Ag equipment article or ad. These have been invaluable tools as they have really shown that an apparently uniform 40 acres is really quite variable. The obvious reasons for the variability are variations in soil type, depth, moisture and fertility just to name a few. But there are also many other less obvious reasons associated with pests since they are not uniformly distributed across any field as well. Some fields are more variable than others but every field is to some degree not uniform. The fact is if you took any production field and arbitrarily split it in half the average yield in each half would not be identical. In fact I would suspect that the vast majority in our area would easily have about 3-5 bu/A yield difference between each half. Again some might have greater uniformity and a smaller difference and some might have more. It is this variability that illustrates the need for statistics. Think of it this way. If the same field that we split arbitrarily in half produces yields that are different by 3-5 bu/A without a treatment then how do we know if we put a fungicide (or anything else) on half that it did anything? We use statistical tools and design experiments following certain statistical rules to answer that question. Two of the most important rules are replication and randomization. We will replicate so that we test a treatment more than once and get a measure of the variability in the response. We will randomize where each replicate of each treatment goes in the field to make sure they all have an equal chance of being in a high yield spot or low yield spot in a field. By using these and other tools we can then use the variability that is there to say whether or not a treatment has a certain probability of having an effect. The point is a bigger number doesn’t always mean that the treatment has a real or significant effect for those conditions. Sometimes a 3-5 bu yield difference could just be chalked up to being part of the background variation.
Ok, getting back to should we spray fungicides on soybeans after this heavy rainfall and wind damage. Let’s start with the damage. There are have been no independent scientifically sound experiments that show a consistent and reliable yield advantage to spraying fungicides in the absence of diseases. Physical damage by itself is not going to be corrected by a fungicide. Some fungicides reportedly have a positive effect on plants by counteracting components of plant stress responses. However, there is no proof from independently conducted field trials that this affect is large enough to affect yields in the field in non-diseased plants.
Stands that are lodged, leaning or matted down because of high winds tend to favor the development of certain diseases because the canopy remains closed and therefore remains wet for longer periods. Also, the distance a fungus needs to move either from leaf to leaf or soil to leaf in lodged or leaning stands is generally less. Heavy rains play a more important role than the stand damage in driving disease development. The rain from Irene provided two main avenues for greater disease development: spread of disease-causing agents if they were present; and a wet or humid environment that favors pathogen growth and infection of plants. A key that cannot be ignored is there has to be a pathogen around and in a form capable of being moved.
There are soybean diseases that will not respond to foliar fungicides. Bacterial blight and Bacterial pustule are diseases that are favored by hard driving rains. They look very similar to several fungal diseases, but because bacteria cause these fungicides cannot control them. Don’t get talked into spraying just because there are some leaf spots. There are also some fungal diseases that will not respond to foliar applied fungicides. The stem and root diseases in particular, Charcoal rot, Fusarium wilt, SDS and Phytopthora all are fungal diseases that cannot be controlled either preventatively or curatively at this time of year. One on-line source of brief disease descriptions with pictures is http://cipm.ncsu.edu/ent/ssdw/soyatlas.htm .
The soybean diseases that can occur in Maryland that can have an impact on yield, and can be managed with foliar applied fungicides are primarily: soybean rust, frogeye leaf spot and brown spot. Soybean rust due to the earlier drought in the South is not likely to be a problem this year. Its reestablishment and increase on kudzu has been severely delayed and is at the lowest level of infestation in August since monitoring for this disease began in 2005. Hurricane Irene therefore was highly unlikely to pick up enough spores from Florida and deposit them in Maryland to be an issue. Of the remaining two diseases Frogeye appears to have more potential for damage but is fortunately less common than Brown spot. Brown spot is the most common foliar disease but tends to be a lower canopy problem. Both are much more likely to develop if the previous crop was soybeans. I cannot find any data that would indicate there is much of a chance of getting a yield response from a fungicide by controlling frogeye or brown spot when the fungicide is applied after the R3 growth stage. The reproductive growth stages are: R1 initial flowering, R2 full flower, R3 small pods are formed at upper nodes, R4 full pod, R5 beginning seed, and R6 full seed. One on-line source for soybean growth stages can be found at: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/soybean/production_growthstages.html . There are other common diseases that tend to form late in the season and tend to be considered seed quality issues. Another way to understand these late season diseases is that fungicides reduce them but without a significant change in yield. Only seed quality is improved. Although seed size is often improved, only rarely does that translate to significant yield increases. The most common of these diseases are purple seed stain, pod and stem blight, and anthracnose. There is a third category of generally late appearing diseases that are reduced by fungicides but we have little evidence that they respond to the fungicide with a yield increase, for example Phyllosticta leaf spot. In short as a general rule it takes a fair amount of foliar disease that starts early in the reproductive period, if not before, to cause enough damage to reduce yields that can be countered with a fungicide.
With regard then to our current post-Irene situation, here are my thoughts on fungicides in soybeans.
● Scout first. If you know there is a specific problem that is starting then you can much more easily decide on the need for a fungicide.
● If you are a seed producer and the soybeans are between R1-R3 then consider spraying. You will protect some seed quality and have the potential for managing brown spot or frogeye if present and in that case may see a yield benefit. If the beans are between R4 and R5 then consider spraying if you haven’t sprayed earlier. However, expect only a seed quality improvement.
● If you are growing soybeans for general production and are between R1-R3. Scout first! If you have symptoms of frogeye leaf spot or of brown spot in the middle of the canopy then a fungicide application may be warranted. This is much more likely to occur if the soybeans were planted no-till into soybean stubble. If the field is at R4 and symptoms of frogeye or brown spot are evident then spraying is much less likely to improve yields. If the soybeans are at R5 then there is little evidence that you will get your money back from a fungicide application especially if it is just brown spot. If there is frogeye, it’s R5, and it continues to be wet the disease will get worse but there is no evidence that you will get a return on the fungicide. If you are not comfortable with not spraying then consider spraying in strips. In essence run your own test. It will cost you less and you will have a better basis for making the decision next time.
● Knowing the field history and rotation history are helpful. If you have soybean planted no-till into soybean stubble (it could be wheat-bean or barley-bean stubble) then you have the best chance of having diseases that can be reduced with fungicides and therefore get a yield response with a fungicide. The next level of risk based on crop rotation is when soybeans are just a year apart in the rotation, e.g., full-season beans followed by corn followed by wheat or barley and then double-crop beans. The lowest level of risk is there is a two-year or more rotation to soybeans. The most likely thing to happen with a fungicide application at R3 to R4 is improvement of seed quality (for example reduced purple seed stain or improved test weight) but not necessarily improve yields. The higher the risk based on rotation then the higher the chance a yield improvement will be attained. In my opinion, you have a 30-50% chance of getting a yield boost (3-5 bu/A) in soybeans with the higher chance coming from the higher risk situation and spraying at R3.
● Last point. Spraying for yield protection without knowledge of what is out there has already led to the development of a strain of frogeye that is resistant to strobilurins (Headline, Quadris, etc.). This has been confirmed in IL, KY and TN. It’s not a very good insurance program to spray against diseases when you just spray for yield boost because you are destroying one of the best tools you might need later on. | <urn:uuid:7faedc88-2589-44d4-b0b8-e1b6476083c1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://agdev.anr.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?tag=soybean&paged=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00036-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962624 | 2,248 | 2.609375 | 3 |
In Austria, around 15,000 people a year develop a venous thrombosis, the occlusion of a vein that can result in a pulmonary embolism. A clot breaks free from a vein and travels via the bloodstream to the lungs, where it blocks vessels. People who have survived one thrombosis or pulmonary embolism are at risk of the event happening again. Researchers at the MedUni Vienna have now developed a "risk calculator" that enables doctors to estimate this risk more accurately.
The new prediction model (known as the Vienna Prediction Model) will be used at the anticoagulant clinic within the University Department of Internal Medicine I at the MedUni Vienna and the Vienna General Hospital and works on the basis of three key factors: "The patient's gender, the location of the thrombosis and a bio-marker known as the D-dimer," explains Sabine Eichinger-Hasenauer from the University Department of Internal Medicine.
D-dimers are the products of protein separation. The D-dimer level in the blood is of major significance in the diagnosis or exclusion of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms, but also in predicting the risk of the condition recurring.
World's largest thrombosis study
The recurrence of a venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism can only be prevented through intensive treatment with clot-preventing medications. Many patients are therefore advised to take long-term therapy. This therapy, however, means the daily and in some cases lifelong consumption of medications which also entail a major risk of bleeding, which can sometimes even be fatal.
With the risk calculator developed as part of the world's largest study on thrombosis, the Austrian Study on Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism (AUREC), it is now possible to estimate – and shorten – the duration of treatment more precisely and forecast the risk of thrombosis or embolism recurring more accurately. Shorter courses of treatment with clot-preventing medications are then possible, thereby reducing the risk of bleeding.
The presentation of the results of the current study at the MedUni Vienna, for which test subjects are currently still being recruited (for information, call 40 400 – 4496/Lisbeth Eischer, University Department of Internal Medicine I), was also one of the most well-attended presentations at the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis held last July in Amsterdam.
Explore further: Aspirin may prevent recurrence of deep vein blood clots | <urn:uuid:f35689e0-738b-4cf9-9eb4-b9d0d6d17286> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-08-venous-thromboses.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931645 | 541 | 3.140625 | 3 |
Could the British vote mean the end of the world order as we know it?
By Frank McKissack, Jr.Here is the fabled Thanksgiving image: The extended family gathers around a roasted turkey set on a table of assorted vegetables and starches, gravy boat at the ready, glasses filled with refreshing beverages. Father leads the family in a prayer. “Dear Lord,” Dad says in a somber tone, “please aid those people, particularly children, around the world who are hungry so that they might know your love and bounty.”Today, many of those hungry children are right here at home.According to World Hunger Education Service, 14.5 percent of American households in 2010 could be classified as “food insecure,” the highest ever recorded in the United States since the government began gathering this statistic in 1995. (The government defines “food insecurity” as the “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” It shies away from the word “hunger,” but semantic niceties do not fill a stomach any better than using the word that best describes the condition.)Last year, more than 16 million children lived in food-insecure households. Twenty percent or more of the child population in 40 states and the District of Columbia lived in food-insecure household. The highest were D.C. and Oregon, both with more than 30 percent of their child population going underfed or unfed more times than imaginable in a country that sees itself as the Shining City on the Hill.We are at the precipice of creating Generation Hungry.There is a mountain of evidence that underfed and malnourished children do more poorly in school and are less likely to achieve academically.Even the most callous person can see the damage the spiraling rate of hungry children will have on this country. To remain competitive in the global marketplace, the United States can ill afford to see so many children hampered by a lack of food.In giving thanks for what we have, we need to commit ourselves to the principle that no child should go hungry in the land of plenty.Fred McKissack is a former Progressive magazine editor and editorial writer who lives in Fort Wayne, Ind. He can be reached at email@example.com.You can read more pieces from The Progressive Media Project by clicking here. | <urn:uuid:463af9a9-cc13-40c0-b7c9-e0a49ca5dc02> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.progressive.org/remember_hungry_kids_in_america_thanksgiving.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00017-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955424 | 500 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Just in time for Halloween, researchers in Siberia have identified a new species of vampire moth. Scratch that, make that two species of vampire moth, both discovered by Jennifer Zaspel from the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The moths are remarkably similar to a strictly vegetarian moth called the Calyptra thalictri, leading Zaspel to speculate that this blood sucking relative represents a new evolutionary direction.
For the love of God, just stop…
Regular fruit eating moths often possess hooked/barbed tongues used to get under the skin of different fruits in order to get to the nectar inside. Over time, these tongues can…
…turn to more sinister uses. In this article on nationalgeographic.com, Zaspel explains how an animal that eats only fruit can evolve to crave virginal blood, “We see a progression from nectar feeding and licking or lapping at fruit juices to different kinds of piercing behaviors of fruits and then finally culminating in this skin piercing and blood-feeding.” Coincidentally, the same description could be used to explain how perfectly good little kids end up becoming Goths in high school!
Has anyone seen Sookie? I do believe I have a gift for her.
Amazingly, only the male moths appear to eat blood and because the behavoir does not seem to prolong their lives, Zaspel is speculating that it is a way for the males to pass along salt to the females while they are copulating, which in turn can be passed to the larvae and increase their chances of survival. Zaspel calls this a “sexual gift.” In the interest of good taste, I’m going to refrain from making one of about one thousand possible jokes here. | <urn:uuid:66beecf0-c713-4362-b0a5-3baca4801cab> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2008/10/29/horror-alert-vampire-moths/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398209.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00121-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.924213 | 364 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Slow-cooling super Earths could lack life
Sep 27, 2012 4 comments
Rocky exoplanets with masses that are between 2–10 times that of the Earth may not have the long periods of volcanic activity that are thought to be essential for life to evolve. That is the conclusion of a new study by scientists in the US and Germany into the rate with which these "super Earths" cool. The research also suggests that understanding the behaviour of a super planet's interior over long periods of time can provide important information about conditions on its surface.
Astronomers have so far found more than 600 super Earths orbiting stars other than the Sun – and many more are expected to be discovered by the Kepler space telescope and other future missions. Super Earths currently offer astronomers the best opportunity to look for signs of extra-terrestrial life because they are easier to find and study with today's telescopes than are Earth-sized exoplanets.
If a super Earth were in the habitable zone of its star – where, in principle, the surface of the planet could be at the right temperature to have liquid water – such an exoplanet could sustain life. Being in the habitable zone alone is, however, not enough because the conditions on the surface of the super Earth must be conducive to life.
The new study is by Vlada Stamenkovic of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleagues from the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin. It suggests that super Earths are unlikely to have the long periods of volcanism that is believed to play an important role in making the surface of a planet suitable for the emergence of life. In the case of our own planet, heat transferred from deep within the Earth via convection in the mantle makes the continents shift round like large plates, with this "plate tectonics". This triggers long periods of volcanic activity, which spews out so much CO2 that it leads to greenhouse warming. This keeps the Earth's surface cosily warm, with most of the water being liquid rather than frozen.
Ongoing volcanism also plays an important role in the geological carbon cycle, whereby CO2 held in rocks is put into the atmosphere by volcanoes and then incorporated back into the planet's interior via rock weathering and plate tectonics. This cycle is believed to contribute to Earth's relatively stable climate, which in turn is believed to be a prerequisite for life.
Stamenkovic and colleagues have looked at a number of different factors that could affect the conditions on the surface of a super Earth. They began by considering the viscosity of the interior of a super Earth, which determines how quickly heat moves via convection from the hot centre of a planet to its much cooler surface. Planets with high-viscosity interiors transfer heat more slowly than those with low viscosity.
Most calculations to date have used a formulation for viscosity that is dependent only on temperature but not pressure – a formulation that doesn't even work for the Earth, according to Stamenkovic. Instead, the team argues that at the greater pressures found in super Earths the correct formulation for viscosity should also include a term that is a function of pressure. The result is a much larger viscosity than used in previous studies of super Earths.
The team then looked at how the temperatures within a super Earth would change over its lifetime – because both the temperature and pressure define the viscosity inside a planet. They first calculated what would happen if super Earths were as "cool" as generally predicted by previous studies. At these relatively low temperatures Stamenkovic and colleagues predict that there will be no convection in the lower mantle. In this "stagnant" scenario, the exoplanet cools slowly.
However, more recent studies suggest that super Earths are much hotter when they first form – perhaps even molten. Under this hot-formation scenario, the team found that convection will occur, albeit at a sluggish rate. In both cases the cooling of the mantle and the core would be inefficient, according to Stamenkovic.
Armed with this information, the team then looked at the implications of this sluggish cooling on the habitability of a super Earth. In both cases, the slow cooling of the core and mantle of a super Earth suggest that plate tectonics is less likely to occur. Stamenkovic points out, however, that the water content of the lithosphere also plays an important role in determining whether plate tectonics will occur, and might reverse such trends.
Laboratory experiments needed
According to Stamenkovic, this latest research shows the importance of understanding the time evolution of super Earths, rather than trying to calculate their steady-state properties. To gain a better understanding of how heat is transferred in super Earths, Stamenkovic says that more high-pressure experiments need to be done in labs here on Earth and that more data on the densities and atmospheres of super Earths is required. To gather this information, he supports a number of low-cost space telescopes that would each focus on one nearby super Earth for the long periods of time needed to gather enough data. Such a project has been proposed by a team at MIT led by Sara Seager and is called ExoplanetSat.
About the author
Hamish Johnston is editor of physicsworld.com | <urn:uuid:cdb436ac-f83c-43a1-b35c-eaeb4eac5d29> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2012/sep/27/slow-cooling-super-earths-could-lack-life | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00184-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951081 | 1,098 | 3.765625 | 4 |
There is a play called Potted Potter which is a parody about all seven Harry Potter books.
What is the meaning of potted in this context?
It means shortened or compressed. For example, potted history is a frequently used phrase that means a history that is abridged.
As the website you link to says:
So [Harry] Potter has been potted.
Potted in this sense is recorded as chiefly British usage.
Literally, a method of cooking or preserving (in a pot), but often used to refer to a condensed form of e.g. a book. | <urn:uuid:4ece1efd-bc6b-495a-aa03-f59b813e8d68> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/67919/what-does-potted-mean-in-potted-potter/67920 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971235 | 124 | 2.59375 | 3 |
|Lesson Plan ID:
After a discussion and work on sequence, students will apply this knowledge to sequencing comic strips through group work.
|ELA2015(2) ||5. Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. [RL.2.5] |
|ELA2015(3) ||17. Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison; cause and effect; first, second, third in a sequence). [RI.3.8] |
|Primary Learning Objective(s):
Students will apply knowledge of sequence to appropriate reading material.
|Additional Learning Objective(s):
|Approximate Duration of the Lesson:
|| 0 to 30 Minutes|
|Materials and Equipment:
Comic strips from the newspaper (color), scissors, laminating materials, envelopes with directions on the outside, overhead projector, transparency of sequence words, and reading material.
|Technology Resources Needed:
The teacher must have introduced sequence in a lesson using discussion and modeling of sequence. This lesson requires minimal preparation by the teacher. Cutting, laminating, and providing envelopes for pieces of comic strips are the main preparation for the activity.
1.)The teacher will initiate a discussion on sequence to foster background knowledge of the students.
2.)Using an overhead projector, the teacher will model sequence as used in reading. S/he will provide clues to use when finding sequencing in reading material.
3.)The teacher will then discuss the activity the students are about to do. S/he will give directions and review the objectives for the activity.
4.)The teacher will then divide the students into groups of 4 or 5. S/he will give each group 4 envelopes of cut and laminated comic strips.
5.)As the teacher observes the students in groups, s/he can gain information about group cooperation, the students' ability to sequence, and monitor peer coaching in each group.
6.)As each group masters all four of its envelopes, it will pass them on to the group on its right. This will continue until all groups have completed all of the envelopes.
7.)After returning to their seats, the teacher will reinforce the objective by providing additional material to check for understanding. Review as necessary.
|Attachments:**Some files will display in a new window. Others will prompt you to download.
Assessment is accomplished by watching each group as they proceed to place comic strips in order. Also, the teacher may use reading material that uses sequence to further assess students' understanding of sequence.
This lesson can be modified for those students with an understanding of sequence by taking reading material from the basal reader and making strips from sequence patterns, then cutting those apart for reassembly.
Each area below is a direct link to general teaching strategies/classroom
for students with identified learning and/or behavior problems such as: reading
or math performance below grade level; test or classroom assignments/quizzes at
a failing level; failure to complete assignments independently; difficulty with
short-term memory, abstract concepts, staying on task, or following directions;
poor peer interaction or temper tantrums, and other learning or behavior problems.
|Presentation of Material
||Using Groups and Peers
|Assisting the Reluctant Starter
||Dealing with Inappropriate
Be sure to check the student's IEP for specific accommodations.
|Variations Submitted by ALEX Users: | <urn:uuid:0ce6166f-f187-49d5-b1cd-effe4a83cb21> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=4149 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397636.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00169-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.886976 | 736 | 4.28125 | 4 |
By LINDSAY WELBERS
When monarch butterflies leave the Midwest every year, millions of them head to a small place in Mexico that was hidden until 1976.
A new movie showing in the Omnimax theater at the Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr., explores the story of how it was proved that monarch butterflies make the annual 3,000-mile journey from Mexico to the United States and Canada.
“Flight of the Butterflies” will show at MSI through the summer. The film was produced by SK Films, with funding from the National Science Foundation and presented with help from the Mexico Tourism Board.
The vividly-colored film tells the story of Fred Urquhart, who worked for 40 years to study the migration patterns of the monarch from his home in Toronto.
Urquhart began studying the monarchs in the 1950s after he engineered a method of tracking them using numbered tags. He enlisted thousands of “citizen scientists,” everyday volunteers who would help track butterflies they found by writing letters back to Urquhart with what butterflies they had seen.
The film also describes the migration patterns of the monarch. The trip from Mexico to Toronto and farther north can span 3,000 miles and takes place over three generations in one calendar year.
By 1976, the “citizen scientists” included Catalina Aguado, who searched over two years for monarchs in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. She was among the first people to find five colonies where the monarchs spend the winter, millions in one place, at the top of a mountain.
They found the site late on a cool January afternoon. They found millions of snoozing butterflies covering tree trunks up to the canopy.
Aguado described seeing the monarch colonies for the first time as “a quiet, quiet experience, almost fearful,” Aguado said. “I passed my hand over trunks (covered in butterflies) and they fluttered.”
“I was wishing that everyone in the whole world would see that sight through my eyes,” Aguado said.
She said she theorizes that the reason the site where millions of butterflies gathered at the top of a mountain every winter remained hidden for so long was due to its rural setting.
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
This year marked the lowest recorded number of migrating monarchs on record.
Orley “Chip” Taylor, founder of Monarch Watch and a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas, said the biggest problem for monarchs is the use of Roundup Ready in farming, resulting in the decline of the milkweed population.
Milkweed is where monarchs lay their eggs and is the only plant that its caterpillars can eat.
Taylor said the best thing people can do is plant milkweed seeds in their gardens. Monarch Watch offers milkweeds to schools and nonprofits free of charge. | <urn:uuid:2fd73327-35b7-4038-8233-65981e58f79d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://hpherald.com/2014/03/05/monarch-butterflies-star-in-a-new-msi%E2%80%88movie-about-their-travels/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958255 | 622 | 2.9375 | 3 |
In the thirty years leading up to the Civil War, tensions in the country mounted over the issue of slavery. By 1830, there were more than 2 million slaves in the United States, worth over a billion dollars (compared to annual federal revenues of less than 25 million). And their numbers were growing. During the 1830s alone, the migration of slaves to the lower South increased the slave population in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas from 530,404 to 943,881.
Even with this enormous expansion of slavery, 75 percent of white southerners did not own slaves. Of those who did, the vast majority owned no more than 20. The bulk of the enormous wealth produced by slave-grown cotton rested in the hands of a few planters. A significant portion of the Northern industrial economy rested on slave-grown cotton as well, and this contributed to northerners' hostility to the abolitionist movement.
The abolitionists gained momentum in this period, however. Freed and escaped slaves spread their stories through publications and speeches at local and national antislavery meetings. As the country expanded westward to Kansas and Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico and California, pushing out Native Americans and Mexicans, the question of whether slavery should exist in the new territories fueled the growing divisions in the nation.
Strong differences of opinion over the slavery question led to violent clashes, culminating in the raid on Harpers Ferry. After the election of President Lincoln in 1860, seven southern states seceded and Civil War broke out, followed by four years of bloody fighting and the loss of 617,000 American lives. The Union survived, however, and with the end of the war in 1865, long after the Emancipation Proclamation had pronounced slaves in seceded lands free, all African Americans finally emerged from their 250 years of bondage into their freedom as citizens of the United States of America.
Next: Antebellum Slavery
1830s: Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act forcibly removes five Indian nations from the lower South to less desirable land in the West, thus opening roughly 25 million acres to cotton cultivation.
1850s: The nation's capital is a center of the domestic slave trade; many lawmakers were slaveholders. Slavery is not abolished in Washington, D.C. until 1862.
1838: The Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women, in Philadelphia, is cut short by a rioting mob that stones the women as they leave arm-in-arm and then sets fire to Pennsylvania Hall.
1845: Slaveholding Texas is annexed into the United States, sparking the Mexican War. By 1848, Mexico cedes more than half of its territory to the U.S., including New Mexico and California in addition to Texas.
1850: Its population swelled by the recent Gold Rush, California enters the Union as a free state. In return, slaveholders in the South are given a stringent Fugitive Slave Law for the recapture of runaways.
1854: The Kansas-Nebraska act divides the Nebraska Territory in two, and soon proslavery and antislavery proponents come head-to-head in a fight over Kansas.
1854: When escaped slave Anthony Burns is captured in Boston under Fugitive Slave Law, a huge protest ensues.
1859: 429 slaves belonging to Pierce Butler are auctioned off in Savannah in the largest slave sale in U.S. history.
Harpers Ferry, (W) Virginia
1859: Militant abolitionist John Brown's raid on the Federal Arsenal in order to arm slaves in a revolt ends in bloodshed and defeat.
Charleston, South Carolina
1861: South Carolina's attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, and Lincoln's subsequent defense, mark the beginning of the Civil War.
1863: The Emancipation Proclamation ends slavery in the Confederacy on January 1, 1863, but many slaves are not freed until the end of the war in 1865. Introduction
Map: From Coast to Coast
Fugitive Slaves and Northern Racism
The Civil War
Part 4: Narrative | Resource Bank Contents | Teacher's Guide
Africans in America: Home | Resource Bank Index | Search | Shop
WGBH | PBS Online | © | <urn:uuid:4d73a711-a0b6-43b7-8bdd-cffab6ad41ea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/map4_txt.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926271 | 882 | 4.25 | 4 |
gcsescience.com 31 gcsescience.com
Products from Oil
The Combustion of Hydrocarbons - Chemistry.
The Incomplete Combustion of Natural Gas - Methane.
Incomplete combustion means burning in a lack of
(not enough oxygen). If there is not enough oxygen
available for all the carbon to turn into carbon dioxide
(see complete combustion), then some or all of the
carbon turns to carbon monoxide. This happens with
any hydrocarbon. We shall take methane as an example.
During incomplete combustion
methane gas burns with a
(unlike the clear blue flame seen in complete combustion).
Carbon particles (sooty marks) may also be seen.
carbon monoxide +
2CH4(g) + 3O2(g) 2CO(g) + 4H2O(l)
What is Carbon Monoxide?
monoxide is a very poisonous
It can not be seen or smelt.
Faulty gas fires or boilers may produce carbon monoxide
and poison the air in a room without anyone knowing.
Every year, people die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Why is Carbon Monoxide Poisonous?
monoxide acts as a poison by combining with
haemoglobin in the blood. Haemoglobin normally reacts
with oxygen from the air and transports the oxygen to
the parts of the body which need it. Carbon monoxide is
much more reactive with haemoglobin than oxygen is.
It combines to form a stable compound with haemoglobin,
preventing the transport of oxygen around the body.
The person dies by suffocating from the inside (nasty!).
Combustion of hydrocarbons, whether
complete or incomplete, have environmental
and health concerns, see environmental issues.
Links Hydrocarbons Revision Questions
gcsescience.com The Periodic Table Index Hydrocarbons Quiz gcsescience.com
Home GCSE Chemistry GCSE Physics
Copyright © 2015 gcsescience.com. All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:0dea1eca-76bf-4498-8bc9-8e54a217cdf4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.gcsescience.com/o31.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00080-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.807431 | 433 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Flunking works in Florida, concludes Marcus Winters, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and an assistant professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. To pass from third to fourth grade, students must pass a test. Those who are held back “eceive a rigorous remediation regime aimed at improving their long-term performance.”
By studying the long-term performance of children who just barely passed the test, as well as those who were just barely left behind, it was possible to compare two essentially identical populations: one set of students who moved forward despite only borderline understanding of the material; and another set who stayed behind a year and received tutoring, mentoring, and other remedial interventions.
On average, the students who were remediated did better academically, in both the short and long term, than those who were promoted. Tellingly, the benefits of the remediation were still apparent and substantial through the seventh grade (which is as far as the data can be tracked at this point).
Previous research has found “strong negative consequences” for retention, Winters concedes. He thinks prior studies have used flawed methods.
I’d like to know more about what Florida does for kids who are held back.
I’m tutoring a first grader who’s having a lot of trouble with reading. The teacher thinks she should repeat the grade — she’s one the younger kids — but school policy forbids it because English is the girl’s second language. | <urn:uuid:45323084-6130-407b-b904-9ed5d69cb63b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.joannejacobs.com/2012/04/study-retention-works-in-florida/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403825.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00004-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979621 | 313 | 3.171875 | 3 |
|Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin (NASA)|
Born August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Neil Armstrong designs model planes as a boy. He gets his pilot's license before his driver's license. In the Korean War, he flies 78 combat missions. Then he becomes a test pilot. After John Glenn orbits Earth, Armstrong says, "Space is the frontier, and that's where I intend to go."
Armstrong's first flight into space is almost his last! In 1966, Armstrong makes a swift recovery from a near-disaster aboard a spacecraft in Earth orbit. The craft splashes down safely. Armstrong has proved that he can handle an emergency situation in space the kind that might arise while trying to land on the moon for the very first time.
Edwin Aldrin is born in Montclair, New Jersey, on January 20, 1930. His baby sister gives him his nickname she calls him "buzzer" instead of "brother." Aldrin is a top student, and graduates third in his class at West Point. Like Armstrong, he flies combat missions in the Korean War. Afterwards, he goes back to school, to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, he studies rendezvous how two vehicles can find each other in space.
In 1963, Aldrin becomes the first astronaut to have a Ph.D. The other astronauts call him "Dr. Rendezvous." His math skills come in handy during a spaceflight in 1966. The radar fails, and the computer can't read their location. Aldrin computes the maneuvers himself. The rendezvous is a success. He shows he has the right skills for a complex lunar landing mission.
Not your typical hotshot pilot, Michael Collins likes to paint, take care of his roses, and read. He doesn't care much for computers. Collins is born in 1930, on October 31 in Rome, Italy. He earns his science degree from the U.S. Military Academy.
Collins is hired by NASA in 1963. In July 1966, Collins and astronaut John Young dock their spacecraft to a booster in space. They ride it to a record altitude of 476 miles. Collins is scheduled for a later moon crew, but in a twist of fate, becomes Command Module pilot for Apollo 11. | <urn:uuid:db2b747f-954d-4eaf-8421-9dc39c836b65> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://teacher.scholastic.com/space/apollo11/crew.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00153-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968306 | 475 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Presumably, when people buy antibacterial soap, the idea is to kill bad germs and promote health. But over the years, scientists and public health advocates have worried that triclosan -- a common chemical in antibacterial soap -- may actually do more harm than good.
The latest warnings come from a team of researchers who ran a series of tests that showed that triclosan hindered muscle performance in isolated cells and in animals. Writing Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UC Davis toxicologist Isaac Pessah and colleagues reported that exposure to the chemical in doses similar to what a person or animal might encounter in everyday life, impaired isolated muscle cells' ability to contract; decreased heart function and grip strength in mice; and slowed swimming activity in fathead minnows.
The team suggested its results should encourage regulators including the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the rules allowing use of triclosan, which is used in antibacterial soaps, toothpastes and mouthwashes, deodorants and even germ-resistant items such as cuttings boards and ice machines.
But the researchers also warned that determining whether triclosan has the same effects on people would require further study.
Concerns about triclosan aren't new. According to a statement released by UC Davis, Pessah's team has previously linked the chemical to problems with reproductive hormones and brain activity. In a 2010 article from the Los Angeles Times, writer Jill U Adams reviewed the case against the chemical. One big problem, she wrote, is that antibacterial soaps that contain triclosan don't do any better killing germs on your hands than plain old soap and water. Another: Physicians and scienctists worry that widespread use of antibacterial soaps might contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. | <urn:uuid:5f35227c-4efa-4eca-a041-834e40c29421> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/13/news/la-heb-triclosan-antibacterial-soap-20120813 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00091-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941945 | 381 | 3.125 | 3 |
Heat stroke can cause several problems including the ones that can last a life time even if you just have the stroke once. American researchers of the Chicago Medical Centre studied 58 subjects who were chosen from nearly 3,000 patients who had heat-related conditions and were admitted to Chicago hospitals in 1995.
All the participants in the research more or less experienced some or all symptoms of heat stroke. Each person was interviewed during their discharge from the hospital, and was asked to return for a followed up interview a year later.
12 participants died during the same year the research was conducted and most of them from that 12 died within the first three months. The remaining survivors who suffered heat stroke earlier had some amount of a brain or nervous system disorder. Approximately half were suffering from kidney related problems and blood clots. Nearly 10 percent of the same group of people experienced some kind of malfunction of the lungs because of inflammation.
A point to be noted is that all the participants of the research had no other physical illness when they were inducted for the research. So, the researchers concluded that all participants were suffering from conditions that were a direct result of the heat stroke.
One of the most significant revelations was that age was not at all a factor for the subjects who died, and this was in spite of knowing that the elderly were generally at a higher risk of getting heat stroke. People who participated in the study ranged from 25 to 95 years in age, and with the average age being around 67.
This research clearly shows that heat stroke has profound long term effects.
More Articles :
- Factors Of Heat Exhaustion
- Heat Exhaustion And Sugar
- Heat Stroke And Hot Shower
- Heat Stroke Damage
- Heat Stroke Faq
- Heat Stroke Treatment
- Historical Facts On Heat Stroke
- How Long Does Heat Exhaustion Last ?
- How Many People Die Each Year From Heat Stroke ?
- Long Term Effects Of Heat Stroke
- Risk Factors Of Heat Exhaustion
- What Can Happen If You Get Heat Stroke ?
- What Is The Definition Of Heat Stroke ?
- After Effects Of Heat Stroke
- Heat Stroke Symptoms | <urn:uuid:5ba1fd8f-ce0a-4855-a154-b8c32596f7d0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.rocketswag.com/medicine/first-aid/heat-stroke/Long-Term-Effects-Of-Heat-Stroke.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397562.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00140-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979001 | 448 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Conservation: Cultivating Sensible Solutions
The U.S. Farm Bill’s conservation programs are sound investments, yet they’re at risk as Congress considers slashing funding for the law
ON A SUNNY DAY IN MAY, Matt Stuber carefully climbs a giant old cottonwood on the banks of Michigan’s Portage River. In a nest high in the gnarled branches, he finds his quarry—two gray-brown balls of down and fluff with sharp beaks and fierce yellow talons. Bald eagle chicks. The nestlings are living symbols of a remarkable resurgence of the species, once almost wiped out by DDT in the 1960s. “This is the first successful nest we know of in Jackson County, Michigan, since the bad old days,” says Stuber, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The eaglets also are the poster chicks for another story: the need for federal farm conservation programs. The cottonwood tree that holds their nest stands in a wetland created by one such program. Meanwhile, other efforts are helping farmers reduce the nutrient pollution in rivers and lakes, improving the environment nationwide. Yet these U.S. Farm Bill programs are themselves endangered. In its quest for deficit reduction, Congress has proposed slashing more than $1 billion from the law’s $6 billion annual farm conservation budget. Even larger cuts are possible. With high prices for corn and growing demand for corn ethanol, many members of Congress argue, there is far less need for a Farm Bill program that pays farmers to take fields out of production and put them into so-called conservation reserves. “The situation is grim,” says Julie Sibbing, NWF director of agriculture and forestry programs.
That’s why environmental groups are arguing that Farm Bill conservation programs are essential, but they’re not lobbying just for money. They’ve also realized the programs could be improved, getting more environmental—and economic—bang for each taxpayer dollar. With Congress now questioning all federal spending, “we have a unique opportunity to reshape the Farm Bill,” says Gildo Tori, policy director for Ducks Unlimited’s Great Lakes region office. “We can do it in a more innovative way.”
How? Consider first the eaglets’ story. The wetland where they hatched once was enormously productive farmland. But cheap vegetables from California and periodic floods had made it hard for owner Tom Bury to make a living growing onions and other crops. So he enrolled most of his 500 acres in the Farm Bill’s Wetland Reserve Program, which pays farmers to take flood-prone fields out of production and restore them as wetlands. Bury dug out the tile drains and planted prairie grass. “It was just amazing what it looked like after just one year,” he says. Almost magically, the fields became a rich landscape of grasses, cottonwoods and seasonal ponds teeming with aquatic plants and creatures like muskrats, mink, otters—and, now, eagles.
Other farmers in this south-central region of Michigan used Farm Bill conservation programs to protect more than 2,400 acres along the Portage River. Combined with an adjacent Audubon wildlife sanctuary, these restored wetlands have become a boon to local wildlife—and a key staging area for waterfowl. “This is a farm program that is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing,” says Lathe Claflin, the sanctuary director.
Even more important: The benefits go far beyond better habitat for wild critters. Participating farms no longer need taxpayer bailouts because there are no crops to lose. The ponds and marshes absorb floodwaters, reducing flood damage—and federal crop insurance payments to flooded farmers.
The wetlands also gobble up nutrients such as phosphorus from fertilizers, reducing blooms of toxic algae downstream in rivers and lakes. Beaches are cleaner and safer. Fishing is better. Water treatment plants spend less money. Tourism and other industries get a boost. In fact, tour companies are busing in bird-watchers to Jackson County from as far away as Canada to see the flocks of sandhill cranes. “These programs are beneficial beyond their effect on the environment,” says economist June Moss at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “They also create jobs.”
Similar benefits can be seen across the country as farmers from New York to California use Farm Bill money to set aside land, create buffer zones that keep nutrient pollution out of creeks, improve their manure storage and fertilizer use, and plant trees that protect fish habitat and reduce flooding. “We could be spending a lot more, and it would pay for itself,” says Ohio NRCS conservationist Steve Davis.
Yet despite these success stories, farms still are the main source of the nutrient pollution spilling into creeks, rivers, lakes and coastal waters, causing massive algal blooms that close beaches, kill fish and hurt local businesses. It is a crisis that is getting worse, not better.
So why haven’t the Farm Bill conservation programs been more effective? The main reason: They don’t reach the right farmers. Studies show that most of the pollution comes from a small percentage of farms—those that don’t typically sign up for the programs. “Getting people to participate in the programs is a problem,” explains Roger Knight, Lake Erie fisheries administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Fortunately, there are clever solutions. One idea is to tie farm subsidies to conservation. In order to receive price supports or crop insurance, farmers would have to protect wetlands or reduce the runoff of nutrients. Another is to deny crop insurance for new fields created by destroying habitat, thus making farmers bear the risks of cultivating marginal land. And still another is to actually measure levels of pollutants in streams to spot the problem farms—and then to work cooperatively with those farmers to fix the problems.
The approach works. An innovative pilot project in Wisconsin first proved that a small percentage of the farms were responsible for more than half of the phosphorus in the Pecatonica River. The project found simple solutions that farmers were willing to implement, using federal conservation dollars. For instance, planting rye on fields right after the corn harvest “not only keeps water, soil and nutrients in place, it also provides an economic benefit to farmers,” says Steve Richter, The Nature Conservancy’s director of conservation for southwest Wisconsin. “It’s been a real eye-opener.”
Such successful examples offer environmental groups a powerful message to take to Congress as lawmakers consider funding for the next version of the Farm Bill, says Sibbing: “Farm conservation programs targeted to the real problems are not a drain on the U.S. Treasury, they are a productive investment in America’s environment and economy.”
Keeping Wildlife Down on the Farm
Some of the nation’s most successful voluntary conservation programs take place under the U.S. Farm Bill, and NWF is actively involved in efforts to maintain those programs as Congress debates reauthorization of the law.
“With the increasing demands we are putting on our farmland to produce food, fiber, feed and fuel, conservation shouldn’t be an afterthought, it should be a priority,” says Julie Sibbing, NWF director of agriculture and forestry programs. “We are working to convince Congress that an investment in conservation not only makes our water cleaner, our wildlife more abundant and our food production more sustainable, it also saves both farmers and taxpayers money.”
As part of that effort, NWF recently released a report, Future Friendly Farming: Seven Agricultural Practices to Sustain People and the Environment. For more information, including the report, visit www.nwf.org/farmbill.
Writer John Carey is based in Virginia. | <urn:uuid:071d25f0-73e9-48a0-b4ad-4a63c1d09300> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2012/Farm-Bill.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393442.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00130-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94299 | 1,657 | 2.609375 | 3 |
|About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us|
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
noun: Propriety, decorum.
verb tr.: To adorn, grace.
From Middle English menske (honor), from Old Norse mennska (humanity). Earliest documented use: before 1525.
"Auld Vandal! ye but show your little mense,
Just much about it wi' your scanty sense:
Will your poor, narrow foot-path of a street,
Where twa wheel-barrows tremble when they meet."
Robert Burns; The Brigs Of Ayr; 1787.
These lines are from a poem Burns wrote about a dialog between two bridges when the construction of a new bridge began over the Ayr in Scotland in 1786. The Auld Brig retorts to the above mocking by New Brig that one shouldn't get carried away in vanity and pride:
"I'll be a brig when ye're a shapeless cairn!"
The poet's words proved prophetic when in the 1877 flood the New Brig collapsed into a heap of stones while the Auld Brig still stands.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:We sometimes congratulate ourselves at the moment of waking from a troubled dream; it may be so the moment after death. -Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer (1804-1864) | <urn:uuid:50aa62d4-a7ee-4c85-8ebe-afb75b86f4fa> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://wordsmith.org/words/mense.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00090-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.833895 | 300 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Experts are convinced that a cyber attack on a U.S. electric grid that could cut off power to millions is a near certainty.
The question is, what comes next?
A report by the Bipartisan Policy Center, “Cybersecurity and the North American Electric Grid: New Policy Approaches to Address an Evolving Threat,” devoted a chapter to what authorities may need to do in the event that a terrorist group, nation state or insider successfully switches off electricity in a major U.S. city.
“In the early phases [of the attack], it may not be possible to identify either the origins of an attack or its implications for the broader system,” said the report.
The example experts cite most often had nothing to do with terrorism. The 2003 multiday blackout in the Northeast that affected some 55 million customers in the United States and Canada was caused by a software bug in an Ohio control room and some unpruned trees. But it took almost a year for investigators to find out exactly what happened.
“Ten years ago we would have this conversation and say, ‘What if?’ Today … I think the question is, ‘When?’” Curt Hebert, former chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and co-chair of the committee that wrote the report, said of a cyber attack on a grid.
More recently, Hurricane Sandy in 2012 pointed out further shortcomings in power delivery recovery efforts. Since then, utilities and other companies with grid assets have been working to strengthen their recovery plans, the report said.
“That said, the disruptions associated with a large-scale cyber attack are likely to challenge utilities’ operational abilities,” the report said.
There are two frameworks in place that are intended to guide federal agencies in such an event. One is the National Response Framework, developed by the Department of Homeland Security and the other is the 2010 Interim National Cyber Incident Response Plan.
“It is incumbent on policymakers to clarify how these two response systems can operate in a mutually supportive manner and to resolve ambiguities that may exist under the two frameworks with respect to roles, responsibilities and authorities for federal agencies,” the report said.
In the aftermath of an attack, a hacker could further manipulate monitoring tools and data, and cause more disruptions on command-and-control centers and to communications systems, the report said.
Actions to safeguard utilities from such an attack are needed, said retired Air Force general and former CIA director Michael Hayden, because agents have already infiltrated computer systems that control the nation’s power grids.
The supervisory control and data acquisition computer programs that run power plants do not contain trade secrets or information of interest to a cyber spy. Infiltration could only be for two purposes: a recreational hacker in there just for the challenge; or some agent who wants to conduct what the military calls IPB — intelligence preparation of the battlespace.Photo Credit: Thinkstock | <urn:uuid:81f0fadb-463e-4850-81cf-ffbcb60ec4e0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2014/April/Pages/ReportPondersWhatFollowsaCyberAttackonElectricGrid.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402516.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00039-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95229 | 610 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Find out how to get your kid excited about being back at school. more
Bedwetting: why you shouldn’t panic
Based on the huge amounts of research and information around about bedwetting, there a couple of assumptions worried parents can make – it’s as common as fussy eating and very, very rarely a sign of anything psychologically or physiologically sinister.
Bed wetting fact file to stop the panic
- About half of all three-year-olds and about 10 percent of five-year-olds wet their beds.
- Bed wetting is more common in boys than girls.
- It’s genetic – if one parent was a bedwetter, then there is 40 percent chance that their child will be a bedwetter. If both parents were bedwetters, then there is a 70 percent chance. There is often a family history of bedwetting.
- Only two percent of bedwetters have a physical condition like a bladder infection or diabetes.
- It is rarely a sign of any psychological issue – although it can cause them, with research showing that kids who wet the bed can feel ashamed, embarrassed and panic about situations like sleepovers and school camps.
- Most adults will not wet the bed - studies place adult bedwetting rates at between 0.5 percent to 2 percent.
What causes bed wetting?
There are several reasons a child may continue to wet the bed well past becoming toilet-trained during the day – and many are outside anybody’s control.
While family history plays a major role in whether a child is a bedwetter, research has shown that it’s often caused by the part of the brain that communicates the bladder is full has not fully developed yet. Like all developmental milestones, kids can develop this at different times.
Other causes can include:
- Smaller bladder capacity – some kids simply cannot hold as much urine.
- Constipation – quite a lot of research has linked bed wetting to having a large build-up of stools in the rectum.
- Hormone issues – some children produce too little of an antidiuretic hormone which controls the production of urine at night.
- Deep sleepers – while the jury is still out on this, some studies have found that kids who wet the bed regularly can be harder to rouse from deep sleep, although incidents of wetting have been found to happen in all stages of sleep.
Can it be treated?
Because it’s an unconscious behaviour, bed wetting usually something kids need to grow out of. In the meantime, parents are encouraged to be calm, patient and supportive and take measures to minimise the middle of the night impact, such as:
- making sure yoour child goes to the toilet before bed
- using waterproof sheets
- having spare pyjamas and sheets next to the bed just in case
Many experts do agree that with older children it’s okay to get them to help change their beds – not as a punishment but to help them learn to deal with the situation.
There are behavioural methods like bedwetting alarm systems which manufacturers claim are effective. And for kids who may be deemed to have a hormonal imbalance, sometimes medications can be prescribed.
Here are two treatments which are not advised because they don't allow your child's body to develop the required skills to hold a full bladder and then wake independently to empty it:
- Restricting your child’s daily intake of fluids.
- Waking your sleeping child for a toilet visit.
When to seek help
According to the Royal Children’s Hospital Westmead, parents should take their child to see a medical professional if:
- your child is still wetting the bed after the age of about six or seven, and the child is unhappy or uncomfortable about it
- your child has persistent daytime wetting
- it is causing problems in the family
- your child has been dry at night for over a year and suddenly starts to wet the bed again
Find more bedwetting articles
This article was written by Fiona Baker for Kidspot, Australia's best parenting resource. Sources include The Children's Hospital at Westmead. | <urn:uuid:34ac7d94-81d6-4b8f-912e-36df80da20df> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.kidspot.com.au/schoolzone/Bed-wetting-Bedwetting-why-you-shouldn%E2%80%99t-panic+7080+412+article.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00198-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953946 | 871 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Scanning electron micrograph images of the nut (A,B)
and screw (C, D) in the leg joint of a Papuan weevil
What’s the News: Biologists spend lots of time poring over nature’s nuts and bolts. Now, for the first time, they’ve found a biological screw and nut—previously thought to be an exclusively human invention. The legs of beetles called Papuan weevils, researchers report today in Science, have a joint that screws together much like something you’d find in the hardware store. | <urn:uuid:0070455d-57fc-4d92-b4d5-b9ffdf90a7ff> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/tag/simple-machines/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403502.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00186-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921481 | 121 | 2.796875 | 3 |
MORAVIA - A HISTORICAL SKETCH
This page is the first easily accessible and
reasonably comprehensive on-line introduction to the
history of Great Moravia - the first Slavic state in
Central Europe. Sources used in compiling this timeline
include contributions by various Czech and Slovak authors
to the catalogue of the Europas Mitte um 1000
travelling exhibition published by Mannheim University,
and a few online resources in English, Czech and Slovak.
A more detailed bibliography of the major sources used
appears at the bottom of this page.
The history of Great Moravia is a
subject that, in English at least, seems to appear on the
web only in connection with the Slav Apostles, SS
Constantine/Cyril and Methodius; it is hoped that this
contribution will go someway to restoring a bit of
historical balance. Any comments, corrections, additions,
alterations or suggestions for decent resources that you
think I might want to add can be sent to me here. Thanks!
The timeline includes a little background
information, to help give some context to the period.
Note that the name "Great Moravia" was not
contemporary - it was apparently coined by the Emperor
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus ("Megali Morava")
some 100 years after the entity had ceased to exist.
Lastly, please note that I subscribe to the generally
held theory that the core of Great Moravia lay in what is
now the eastern part of the Czech Republic, and not in
Pannonia or in what is now Serbia.
This page and all its
content © Alastair Millar, 2000-2002. The text may be
copied in whole or in part for ANY personal, educational,
or non-commercial purpose, provided that the author and
source are credited. Details of how and where this
material is used would be appreciated.
Establishment of what would later become the
administrative centres (major settlement agglomerations)
of Great Moravia.
Charlemagne issues a ban on the export of
weapons to the Slavs
Charlemagne issues a second ban on the export of weapons
to the Slavs
Charlemagne adminsters the coup-de-grace ending the Avar
khaganate. Synod of Bavarian bishops convened to discuss
Christianisation of the newly-subjugated areas.
Charlemagne issues a third ban on the export of weapons
to the Slavs
Charlemagne issues a fourth ban on the export of
weapons to the Slavs. Siege of
"Canburg" (somewhere on the Elbe in Bohemia) by
Charlemagne's son Charles (Moissac Chronicle). Prince
Vratislav is mentioned as lord of what is now Bratislava
- after Samo (d.665), he is only the second Slavic
historical figure known from the Middle Danube region.
Charlemagne issues a fifth ban on the export of
weapons to the Slavs
The anonymous Bavarian geography, Descriptio,
Civitatum et Regionum ad septentrionalem plagam Danubiti
mentions the existence of 30 centres in the Nitrian
Principality, 11 in Moravia and 15 in Bohemia.
Louis II the Pious subjugates Moravia, making it an
Imperial fief. Ambassadors of the Bohemians (Boheimorum)
and Moravians (Marvanorum) appear at the Imperial Diet at
Frankfurt am Main.
830 - TRADITIONAL
FOUNDATION DATE OF GREAT MORAVIA
Moravian princes acknowledge Mojmir
I. as their Prince, effectively seceding.
Bishop Adalram of Salzburg dedicates a church at Nitra
According to the 13th century chronicles of the Bishops
of Passau, Bishop Reginhar "baptised all the
Moravians". (Corroboration: in 900, the Bavarian
Bishops protest to Rome about Passau having exercised
ecclesaistical authority over Moravia since its
Prince Pribina ejected from Nitra by Mojmir I, and the
Nitrian Principality becomes part of Great Moravia.
Pribina becomes a lord in Transdanubian Pannonia
Elsewhere, the Treaty of Verdun divides the
Frankish Empire. Subsequently, Louis the German seeks to
extract tribute from Moravia and influence its internal
Elsewhere, 14 Bohemian princelings are baptised
at Regensburg, perhaps assuming that Louis the German
would not assault Christians. The faith does not seem to
have been actively supported within Bohemia at this time,
however (no churches known archaeologically, no
ecclesiastical appointments recorded etc.)
Louis the German attacks Christian Moravia, seeking to
regain control of the area. Mojmir deposed in favour of
his cousin Rastislav (who may have been living in the
Empire as a hostage until this time). Louis returns home
"through the lands of the Bohemians" (Annals of
The Synod of Mainz discusses Christianisation in Moravia
by Frankish clergy.
Rastislav seeks alliance with the Bulgars.
Rastislav supports the rebellious border Count Ratbod and
Louis son of Carloman.
"Karlmann, son of Louis King of Germany, made an
alliance with Rastislav, petty king of the Wends...With
Rastislav's help he usurped a considerable part of his
father's realm, as far as the river Inn" (Annals of
St Bertin). Rastislav sends to Rome asking that a teacher
be sent to educate local (rather than German) clergy,
intending to reduce German influence. The request is
ignored. Greek-educated Dalmatian clerics may have
suggested approaching the Byzantine Emperor Michael III
instead. Elsewhere, Gozil (Kocel) succeeds his father
Pribina as Prince of Balaton.
Svatopluk (Sventopulk) I, Rastislav's nephew, becomes
prince of Nitra.
Arrival of the Mission of SS Constantine/Cyril &
Dowin (Devín) in Slovakia mentioned in Frankish
"Young Louis also roused Rastiz [i.e.
Rastislav] the Wend to come plundering right up to
Bavaria" (Annals of St Bertin).
Prince Gozil (Kocel) of Pannonia
invites the brothers to teach the Slavonic script in his
territories. In the autumn, Pope Nicholas I - seeking to
keep Moravia in the Western sphere
- summons Constantine & Methodius to Rome. The
brothers depart from Moravia, taking their disciples for
ordination. (Their decision perhaps influenced by the
fact that in September their supporter in the East, the
Patriarch Photius, had been replaced by his rival
They are welcomed to Rome by the new Pope, Adrian II, who
praises their liturgy.
February: Constantine dies in Rome, taking the religious
name Cyril on his deathbed. At Gozil's (Kocel's) request,
Methodius is named archbishop of the Pannonian-Moravian
diocese, with his seat at Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica).
Methodius is captured and imprisoned by the Bavarians
before taking up his new post. Louis the German launches
a huge campaign against Rastislav and his Slavic allies
in Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and the Saale valley. The
Bohemians and Svatopluk, ruler of the Nitra principality,
sign separate peaces. Rastislav attempts to have
Svatopluk killed, but is himself captured, blinded and
sent to Louis.
Rastislav dies, still a prisoner of Louis the German.
Carloman occupies Moravia, joining it to his possessions
under the rule of the Counts Wilhelm and Engelschalk.
Svatopluk, still at Louis' court, is imprisoned. The
Moravians rise up, declare Svatopluk dead, and proclaim
Slavomir their Prince. Svatopluk is sent with an army to
reclaim his legitimate throne, but defects to the
Moravian side and is acknowledged Prince.
Svatopluk builds up professional armoured cavalry units.
To support these, he reorganises Moravian society,
establishing a model that would later be followed in
Pope John VIII secures Methodius' release.
Methodius, as Archbishop of Pannonia, is noted
in Moravia (in unclear circumstances), perhaps to
establish new churches.
Svatopluk occupies the Vistula basin. The Peace of
Forcheim is negotiated between the Moravians and the East
Franks, through the diplomacy of the priest John of
Svatopluk gives his realm as a fief to St Peter (the
Papacy), thereby rejecting domination by the Empire.
Methodius - having been summoned to Rome by Pope John
VIII to explain his actions, becomes Bishop of Moravia,
while the Swabian Wiching is ordained Bishop of Nitra
Pope John VIII issues the bull "Industriae
tuae", confirming Methodius' position and Papal
support for his mission, as well as asserting the divine
right of the papacy to confer title to territories.
Svatopluk extends his domains eastwards to the Tisza
valley and north to Krakow/Wislania (Life of St
Svatopluk annexes Bohemia by force. The Prince of Krakow
and the Premyslid Prince Bořivoj
[Bor'ivoj] of Bohemia are
baptised in Moravia by Methodius, and henceforth are
viceroys of Moravian power. Bishop Wiching of Nitra
undertakes missions in the Tisza valley.
Bohemians rebel, naming Strojmír their Prince. Bořivoj
[Bor'ivoj] reinstated with Moravian aid - to underline
his position, his new stronghold is built on what had
been the Parliament Field of the Bohemian congress - the
foundation of Prague Castle. Svatopluk attacks Pannonia.
Svatopluk signs a peace with Charles III the Fat (although who was actually in
possession of Pannonia is unclear). Around this time, Bořivoj [Bor'ivoj] establishes the Church of
the Virgin, creating the sacred precinct at Prague
Methodius dies, April 6th. On the instructions of Pope
Stephen V, Svatopluk expels all priests who do not reject
the Slavonic liturgy - some move to Prague Castle, others
head eastwards and southeastwards as missionaries. The
simultaneous injunction against Slavonic literature is
Territories of the Lusatian Sorbs acknowledge
Svatopluk's suzerainty. (cf Thietmar's Chronicle,VI.99)
Svatopluk's possesion of Bohemia confirmed by a peace
signed with King Arnulf of Bavaria.
Bishop Wiching becomes King Arnulf's Chancellor.
Svatopluk dies. Mojmir II becomes Moravian Prince, and
his younger brother Svatopluk II becomes Prince of Nitra.
Perhaps at Mojmir's request, Pope Formosus sends a
mission to Moravia to reorganise an independent church
under the direct control of Rome.
Bohemian princes secede. The Assembly at Regensburg is
attended by "all the duces of the
Bohemians, whom the dux Zwentibald [i.e.
Svatopluk] had long kept by force from the alliance and
control of the Bavarian people" (Annals of Fulda).
Prague comes under the authority of the Regensburg
Diocese; an arch-presbytery is created by Bishop Tuto,
occupied mainly by monks from the monastery of St
Magyars appear in the Tisza valley, and are engaged as
allies against Arnulf by Mojmir II. Perhaps as a result
of the turmoil, the main east-west trade route shifts
from the Danube to Bohemia and Lesser Poland at around
this time, forming a basis for Bohemia's future
According to the Annals of Fulda "...the Bohemian
people came to Emperor Arnulf...offering him royal gifts
and begging for his help and that of his men against
their enemies, that is the
Moravians, by whom they had often been terribly oppressed. The
Bohemian appelants are named as Vitislav (?Vratislav) and the Prince's son,
Spytihněv [Spytihne'v]. Perhaps as a result, Mojmir II
fails to recapture Bohemia. Allegiance of Sorbian
territories lost, as the Saxon Liudolphines attack along
the Saale and the Havel.
Arnulf persuades Magyars to move into Italy against his
enemy Berengar. Bavarian raids into Moravia. Despite
disputes with his brother, whom he has imprisoned, Mojmir
II has consolidated his position well enough to petition
Pope John IX for the reconstitution of the Moravian
archbishopric with four suffragan bishops.
Further Bavarian raids. Death of Arnulf. Magyars occupy
Pannonia, joined by their whole people (hitherto still
beyond the Carpathians)
"The Bavarians proceeded through Bohemia and, taking
the Bohemians with them, invaded the kingdom of the
Moravians" (Annals of Fulda)
Louis IV the Younger and Mojmir II sign a peace.
customs tariff refers to a central "market of the
was probably at Mikulčice [Mikulc'ice].
906/7 - THE FALL OF
Great Moravia fragments under the
impact of the Magyar onslaught and Frankish raids.
Many Moravian priests flee
into Bohemia. Although
centralised authority seems to have collapsed, some
individual centres remain active - e.g. the Christian
cemetery at Břeclav [Br'eclav]-Pohansko in south-east
Moravia is used until
around the mid-10th century.
Frankish sources mention a battle between Frankish and
Magyar units near Presalauspurc (Bratislava) on July 4th
- without the participation of the Moravians, who must
thus be regarded as a spent force.
Tas becomes first Hungarian Prince of Nitra
O. Halecki, 1952, Borderlands of Civilization, a
history of East Central Europe, New York, Ronald Press
J. Sláma, 2000, "Strongholds, castles and
embattled towns in Bohemia" in: Catalogue to the Europas
Mitte um 1000 Exhibition, Mannheim, Mannheim
2000, "The Czechs", in: Catalogue to the Europas
Mitte um 1000 Exhibition, Mannheim, Mannheim
2000, "The onset of the creation of a Slavic
empire - the Great Moravian example", in: Catalogue
to the Europas Mitte um 1000 Exhibition,
Mannheim, Mannheim University
"Missions to Moravia: Between the Latin West and
Byzantium", in: Catalogue to the Europas
Mitte um 1000 Exhibition, Mannheim, Mannheim
R. Zaroff, 1997, various notes on the Mediev-L
mailing list, archived at the University of Kansas | <urn:uuid:d6046e5a-676b-498e-8b1c-7ad69732b430> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://scholar76.tripod.com/greatmoravia_ckp.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00104-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.902363 | 3,443 | 2.96875 | 3 |
JIC Researchers Reveal Gene for Blood Oranges
Blood orange juice has been known to reduce oxidative stress in diabetic patients, protect DNA against oxidative damage, and reduce cardiovascular risk factors, just like other high-anthocyanin foods. However, the development of red pigmentation in oranges requires a period of cold prior to ripening. Thus, scientists at John Innes Centre isolated the gene responsible for blood orange pigmentation and named it Ruby. The team also discovered how the expression of Ruby can be controlled so blood oranges can grow even in sunny areas.
"Blood oranges contain naturally-occurring pigments associated with improved cardiovascular health, controlling diabetes and reducing obesity," said Professor Cathie Martin from the JIC. "Our improved understanding of this trait could offer relatively straightforward solutions to growing blood oranges reliably in warmer climates through genetic engineering."
Read the complete story at http://news.jic.ac.uk/2012/03/blood-oranges/.
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA) | <urn:uuid:445d7c22-32bb-4576-b341-49c41e954877> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=9282 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00137-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911268 | 256 | 3.234375 | 3 |
The indentured labour scheme was directly responsible for the establishment of a permanent Indian community in Grenada during the late nineteenth century. From that period to the present, Indians have become completely incorporated into Grenada’s society. In every aspect of Grenadian life, Indians have identified with it, participated in it and contributed to it. This degree of identification and participation results from the cultural integration of Indians, which in turn, has led to their acceptance by the wider society. Also, the nature of race relations between Indians and the dominant Afro-Grenadian population was and continues to be peaceful. The Indian community did not pose an economic threat to the African population and therefore created a situation of very limited racial tension. In addition, the process of cultural integration between both groups facilitated a new interactive platform for communication on terms which did not previously exist. This common cultural platform, which intensified during the twentieth century, brought both races closer. The above discussion clearly demonstrates that the Indian community have progressed from the status of immigrants or transient migrants to permanent citizens of Grenada. | <urn:uuid:5b6e5238-745d-4395-bed0-0490883835ce> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.caribbeanmuslims.com/authors/517/Ron-Sookram | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400572.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00052-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968696 | 214 | 3.71875 | 4 |
LAMENT: Heb "qinah". A dirge was a lament that was sung
at the funeral of a friend, relative, or prominent person (eg, 2Sa 1:17-27;
3:33,34; 2Ch 35:25). The prophets used the dirge to prophesy the death of a
city, people, or nation (Jer 7:29; 9:10,11,17-22; all of Lam; Eze 19; 26:17,18;
27:2,32; 28:12; 32:2). Amos announced Israel's death at the height of its
prosperity under Jeroboam II.
FALLEN IS VIRGIN ISRAEL, NEVER TO RISE AGAIN: The human
phase of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is now to be irrevocably
Fallen" in funeral songs usually means "fallen in battle" (2Sa
1:19,25,27; 3:34; Lam 2:21).
NO ONE TO LIFT HER UP: No one came to her aid, even
Yahweh (Jdg 6:13; 2Ki 21:14; Isa 2:6).
SEEK ME AND LIVE: Yahweh invited the Israelites to seek
Him so they might live. Even though national judgment and death were inevitable,
individuals could still live. Announcements of impending judgment almost always
allow for the possibility of individual repentance (Jer 18:1-10).
BETHEL WILL BE REDUCED TO NOTHING: Or "to Aven"
(nought, vanity, nothingness). A play on words: ref to Beth Aven (the other name
for Bethel, given derisively: cp Hos 4:15; 10:5). "Aven" (nothing) often
referred to the powerless (ie non-existent) idols of the Gentile nations (cf Isa
YOU WHO TURN JUSTICE INTO BITTERNESS AND CAST RIGHTEOUSNESS
TO THE GROUND: A total contempt for what was right (cp Pro 1:3; 2:9; 8:20;
21:3; Isa 1:21; 5:7; 28:17). Right conduct was the proper action, and justice
was the result, but the Israelites had despised both in their courts.
HE WHO MADE THE PLEIADES AND ORION, WHO TURNS BLACKNESS
INTO DAWN AND DARKENS DAY INTO NIGHT: Since Yahweh made the Pleiades and
Orion, constellations of stars, He could bring His will to pass on earth too.
The rising of the Pleiades before daybreak heralded the arrival of spring and
the rising of Orion after sunset signaled the onset of winter. Since Yahweh
brings light out of darkness in the morning and darkens the day at night, He
could easily change the fate of Israel from prosperity to adversity.
"The prophet first draws the attention of Israel to the living
God who stands behind nature, determining all its movements. The atheist is
rebuked by this view of things. The thought of the prophet is full of God;
nature does not deny God -- it demonstrates Him. God is. Those who identify God
with nature until they confound the personal God with the laws and forces of the
world, are also rebuked by the text. Nature is not God. 'He maketh the seven
stars and Orion.' And the view that nature is independent of God is equally
repudiated. On the contrary, the teaching of Amos is that God acts through
nature. The people of Israel are summoned to look up and to behold the supreme,
self-existent God, standing before and above the world, acting upon it, acting
through it, with sovereign sway. He maketh the seven stars and Orion, and all
the rest. But the argument of Amos goes farther than this; he argues that God
rules in the midst of the nations just as He rules in the midst of nature, and
we must see His hand in human affairs as we see it in the rising and setting of
stars, in the ebbing and flowing of seas. He setteth up kings and captains, and
casteth them down; He smites the splendour of nations into desolation; and again
He restores their greatness and joy. The argument of the prophet proceeds on the
assumption that a Divine purpose, a vast design, runs through all the evolutions
of nature and all the movements of history' (BI).
IN COURT: Lit, "in the gate" (AV) -- the ANE scene of
judgment and public witness: cp Deu 16:18; 17:5; 21:19; 25:7; Rth 4:1,10; Job
YOU TRAMPLE ON THE POOR AND FORCE HIM TO GIVE YOU
GRAIN: Thru various "legal" devices, the rich got the better of the poor
financially, until they were forced to "lease" their land to the rich. Then they
imposed high rents and taxes of grain on the poor to keep them tenants on the
land (cp, generally, Exo 23:2,6).
THEREFORE THE PRUDENT MAN KEEPS QUIET IN SUCH TIMES, FOR
THE TIMES ARE EVIL: Life had become so corrupt that keeping quiet about
these abuses of power had become the only prudent thing to do. If a person spoke
out against them, he could count on feeling the wrath of the powerful.
SEEK GOOD, NOT EVIL, THAT YOU MAY LIVE: Cp vv
THEN THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY WILL BE WITH YOU, JUST AS YOU
SAY HE IS: Cp Num 23:21; Deut 20:4; 31:8; Jdg 6:12; Isa 8:10; Zeph
HATE EVIL, LOVE GOOD: In the permissive and tolerant
society in which we live, it is quite hard to hate evil in the way that we
clearly should do in order to please God: Psa 34:14; 36:4; 37:27; 97:10;
119:104; 139:21,22; Rom 7:15,16,22; 8:7; 12:9; 1Th 5:21,22; 3Jo 1:11.
THE COURTS: Lit, "the gates", as in v 10.
"FOR I WILL PASS THROUGH YOUR MIDST," SAYS THE LORD:
Earlier God had passed through Egypt with similar devastating results (cf Exo
Vv 18,19: Two hunters came across a bear so big that they
dropped their rifles and ran for cover. One man climbed a tree while the other
hid in a nearby cave. The bear was in no hurry to eat, so he sat down between
the tree and the cave to reflect upon his good fortune. Suddenly, and for no
apparent reason, the hunter in the cave came rushing out, almost ran into the
waiting bear, hesitated, and then dashed back in again. The same thing happened
a second time. When he emerged for the third time, his companion in the tree
frantically called out, "Woody, are you crazy? Stay in the cave till he leaves!"
"Can't," panted Woody, "There's another bear in there."
A similar kind of dilemma will someday come upon the godless.
They will find trouble in the very place they run for safety (Amo 5:18).
According to the prophet Amos, these people may be religious, and even long for
the coming of the Lord, without realizing that His arrival will present for them
the greatest problem of all -- judgment of their wrongdoing.
THAT DAY WILL BE DARKNESS, NOT LIGHT: As the pillar of
cloud was darkness to Egypt, but light to Israel (Exo 14:20). God would judge
His people before He blessed them: see Jer 46:10; Joel 3:1-17; Zeph 3:8; Zech
14:1-3. Cp idea, 1Th 5:3.
IT WILL BE AS THOUGH A MAN FLED FROM A LION ON TO MEET A
BEAR, AS THOUGH HE ENTERED HIS HOUSE AND RESTED HIS HAND ON THE WALL ONLY TO
HAVE A SNAKE BITE HIM: The coming day of the Lord would mean inescapable
tragedy for Israel. The Israelites may have thought they had escaped one enemy,
but they would have to face another. They might think they were secure and safe
in their homeland, but deadly judgment would overtake them in that secure
environment. There would be no safe haven from God's coming judgment.
WILL NOT THE DAY OF THE LORD BE DARKNESS, NOT LIGHT --
PITCH-DARK, WITHOUT A RAY OF BRIGHTNESS?: A brighter day of the Lord was
also coming (Amo 9:11-15; Jer 30:8-11; Hos 2:16-23; Mic 4:6,7; Zeph 3:11-20),
but first a dark one would appear. The Israelites wanted to hasten the good day
of the Lord, but they wanted to forget about the bad one. This prophecy found
fulfillment when the Assyrians overran Israel and took most of the people into
exile in 722 BC. Likewise, the later tribulation period for Israel, which will
precede her millennial day of blessing, will be similar to what Amos predicted
I HATE, I DESPISE YOUR RELIGIOUS FEASTS; I CANNOT STAND
YOUR ASSEMBLIES: The Israelites enjoyed participating in the religious
festivals and assemblies in which they professed to worship Yahweh. But He hated
their worship assemblies, because the people were not worshipping Him from their
hearts. They were only going through the motions of worship. And what good is
such "worship" without at least the commitment to personal purity and
In vv 23,24 the singular pronoun "your" appears indicating
that the call is for individuals to repent.
LET JUSTICE ROLL ON LIKE A RIVER, RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE A
NEVER-FAILING STREAM!: "Instead of a constant stream of blood flowing from
sacrifices, and an endless stream of verbal and ritual praise from His people,
He wanted these ethical qualities to flow without ceasing from them. The
Israelites were inundating Him with rivers of religiosity, but He wanted rivers
of righteousness. This is the key verse in the book since it expresses so
clearly what God wanted from His people. It is a clear statement of the
importance of moral and ethical righteousness over mere ritual worship. 'With
Hos 6:6 and Mic 6:8 this text stands as one of the great themes in prophetic
literature with regard to the nature of sacrifices and true religion. God is not
pleased by acts of pomp and grandeur but by wholehearted devotion and complete
loyalty' (Smith)" (Const).
DID YOU BRING ME SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS FORTY YEARS IN
THE DESERT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?: No, they did not! -- as becomes plain in v
YOU HAVE LIFTED UP THE SHRINE OF YOUR KING, THE PEDESTAL OF
YOUR IDOLS, THE STAR OF YOUR GOD -- WHICH YOU MADE FOR YOURSELVES: "During
the wilderness wanderings the Israelites had also carried shrines of their king.
This may refer to unauthorized shrines honoring Yahweh or, more probably,
shrines honoring other deities (cf Acts 7:42,43). 'Sikkuth, your king' probably
refers to Sakkut, the Assyrian war god also known as Adar. 'Kiyyun, your images'
probably refers to the Assyrian astral deity also known as Kaiwan or Saturn.
Amos evidently ridiculed these gods by substituting the vowels of the Hebrew
word for 'abomination' (shiqqus) in their names (Anderson and Freeman). 'The
star of your gods [or god]' probably refers to the planet Saturn that
represented Kiyyun (Mays; Stephen's quotation of v 26 in Acts 7:42,43 was from
the LXX, which interpreted these names as references to pagan idols.) They may
have carried pedestals for their images of various idols including astral
deities. Many scholars believe the Israelites conceived of the golden calf as a
representation of that on which Yahweh rode, a visible support for their
invisible God (another view is that the golden calf represented Yahweh Himself).
The bull in Egyptian iconography was a symbol of strength and power. Jeroboam I
had erected bulls at Dan and Bethel in Israel and had revived this idolatrous
form of worship. Amos pointed out that Israel had always mixed idolatry with the
worship of Yahweh, so Israel's worship of Him had been hypocritical throughout
her history. (Certainly at times the Israelites worshipped God exclusively and
wholeheartedly, but throughout their history there had been these instances of
syncretistic hypocrisy)" (Const).
YOUR GOD: LXX has "Rephan". Poss related to "Raphion" =
the "giant", the constellation of Orion (v 8).
BEYOND DAMASCUS: They did go into exile in Assyria, to
the northeast of Damascus, after 722 BC. (cp Amo 4:3).
This becomes "beyond Babylon" in Acts 7:43. Implying a second
captivity -- one for Israel (here), and one for Judah (in Acts 7). | <urn:uuid:618defaa-b1c3-4ce7-9577-c06e5a5b9e66> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/30_amos/amos06.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00178-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.923912 | 2,965 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Simple calculator might predict obesity risk
Published Thursday, November 29, 2012 3:11PM EST
Last Updated Friday, November 30, 2012 7:04AM EST
A simple formula can predict -- much more accurately than complicated genetic tests -- whether a baby is likely to become obese in childhood, a new study claims.
The formula, which is available as an online calculator (http://files-good.ibl.fr/childhood-obesity), estimates the child's obesity risk based on a handful a of key risk factors:
- birth weight
- body mass index of the parents
- number of people in the household
- the mother's professional status
- the mother’s smoking status during pregnancy
The researchers behind the study, who have published their findings in the online journal PLOS ONE, hope their calculator can be used to spot infants at high risk and help their families prevent their children from putting on too much weight.
The researchers came up with their calculator during a study that followed 4,000 children born in Finland.
The team had planned to look at whether obesity risk could be estimated by looking at the genetic profiles of the children to test for common genetic variations. But the test they developed failed to make accurate predictions.
Instead, they looked at information readily available at the time of birth, and found that those factors were more accurate at predicting obesity risk. The formula worked not just in Finnish kids, but in further tests using data from studies in Italy and the U.S.
The study’s lead author, Prof. Philippe Froguel, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, notes that all the points they looked for were well-known risk factors for childhood obesity.
“But this is the first time they have been used together to predict from the time of birth the likelihood of a child becoming obese,” Froguel said in a statement
He says the beauty of the study is its simplicity. "This test takes very little time, it doesn't require any lab tests and it doesn't cost anything."
The researchers suggest that dieticians and physicians could use the test results to better target help children at high risk of obesity.
"Once a young child becomes obese, it's difficult for them to lose weight, so prevention is the best strategy, and it has to begin as early as possible," Froguel noted.
Not all children who have the risk factors are destined to become obese, the research team notes.
By the same token, they also say about one in 10 cases of obesity are caused by rare genetic mutations that seriously affect appetite regulation. | <urn:uuid:13f7798f-ded7-465a-b8d3-e7be158835b7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/simple-calculator-might-predict-obesity-risk-1.1059339 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00149-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97071 | 534 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Washington: Eating foods that contain vitamin C may reduce your risk of the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke, says a study.
Vitamin C is found in fruits and vegetables such as oranges, papaya, peppers, broccoli and strawberries.
Hemorrhagic stroke is less common than ischemic stroke, but is more often deadly.
The study involved 65 people who had experienced an intra-cerebral hemorrhagic stroke, or a blood vessel rupture inside the brain. They were compared to 65 healthy people.
Participants were tested for the levels of vitamin C in their blood. Forty-one percent of cases had normal levels of vitamin C, 45 percent showed depleted levels of vitamin C and 14 percent were considered deficient of the vitamin.
On average, the people who had a stroke had depleted levels of vitamin C, while those who had not had a stroke had normal levels of the vitamin.
"Our results show that vitamin C deficiency should be considered a risk factor for this severe type of stroke, as were high blood pressure, drinking alcohol and being overweight in our study," said study author Stéphane Vannier with Pontchaillou University Hospital in Rennes, France.
Vannier added that vitamin C appeared to have other benefits like creating collagen, a protein found in bones, skin and tissues.
Vitamin C deficiency has also been linked to heart disease.
The study is scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia April 26. | <urn:uuid:bbe145f9-3702-411b-ad55-2df60eec66da> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mid-day.com/articles/an-orange-a-day-may-ward-off-stroke-risk/15100090 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00133-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976557 | 310 | 3.140625 | 3 |
This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.
"Respect all Earth's creatures and cherish the land, recycle, reuse and reduce your demands. So ~ if you know a Dragon (and most of us do) ask it if it thinks that this story is true. For if we can't see that our stories are linked then sadly, like Dragon, we'll soon be extinct." - The Trouble With Dragons by Debi Gliori
Smoke-spewing, thoughtless dragons can cause a world of trouble, and Debi Gliori, in her picture book The Trouble With Dragons, shows exactly how. The selfish (but otherwise nonthreatening) dragons over-populate their world, use up all the resources and find themselves in a pretty dire situation. The wildlife, forgotten in the shadows, worriedly watch as the Dragon's actions cause global warming and bring ruin to their natural habitat. Even Santa Claus' reindeer get caught up in the mess and leave Santa knee deep in the melted polar ice caps, his presents scattered in the water. What will it take for those Dragons to take notice and change their destructive ways?
The pages of friendly, fire-breathing dragons cleverly show children in a non-frightening way that irresponsible actions harm the environment while providing suggestions on how to live sustainably. Older children will realize that the "dragons" in the story are not fantasy but slyly represent humans and our own treatment of the Earth. The rhyming text playfully relates an important message in terms children can understand. Gliori's visually interesting and detailed illustrations should spark some animated discussions, especially with older children. The large power plants, litter, destruction of forests - it's all here in this book. Gliori's brilliant decision to dramatically illustrate the wildlife as black shadows shows that the dragons aren't paying enough attention to wildlife. Only after the dragons listen to the animals' advice do the wildlife finally regain their colors and the world becomes a brighter and better place.
The Trouble With Dragons not only contains a green message but is also printed with the environment in mind, using vegetable inks on FSC certified paper.
The Trouble With Dragons by Debi Gliori. Bloomsbury Publishing (July 2009); 32 pages; ISBN 9780747595410; Paperback [Hardcover originally published October 2008]
Book Source: Review copy provided for free by publisher (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)
Environmental awareness is something that author Debi Gliori takes very seriously. In an interview published by Booksfromscotland.com she states, "If we can rally our children round the recycle, re-use and reduce ethos, then we might have a hope of turning a potentially lethal global threat into something we can live with and hopefully overcome. Maybe, just maybe, our children will force us to behave correctly with regard to our custodianship of the Earth."
For our own children's sakes, we cannot continue to live without regard to the environment. Only through committed efforts can we hope to create a culture of environmental responsibility. Reading picture books is one easy way to introduce children to environmental issues at a young age and encourage a lifelong respect for the Earth and its wildlife.
Any other suggestions of children’s picture books about environmentalism or children's books printed using green practices? I'd love to hear about them! | <urn:uuid:0139c4bd-efbf-4cb0-9438-24600b9d9ed6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com/2009/11/green-books-campaign-trouble-with.html?showComment=1257887789794 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00088-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92976 | 795 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Waterwheels come in four basic varieties, of varying efficiency.
Which type you can build is governed largely by the local geography...
Overshot waterwheel at Y-Felin
If you can build you mill on the side of a hill, and have a water supply from above, then you will typically build an overshot wheel or a pitchback wheel. You'll need a drop of at least 15 feet to do this. In both of these types, the water is admitted to the wheel very near the top. This gives the greatest possible distance for the weight of the water to do its work which makes these wheels very efficient. Ratings of 80% to 90% are possible. You can do quite a lot of milling with comparatively little water. The main difference between them is that with a pitchback wheel, the exhaust water flows away in the direction of the rotating wheel, whereas it flows away against the rotation of an overshot wheel. The pitchback also needs a slightly more complex water supply arrangement directly above the wheel, known as a penstock, to build up a small head of perhaps 2 ft. With the overshot wheel the water can simply be led from the millpond down a wooden trough (or launder) and straight onto the wheel - the speed of the water giving added impetus.
Breastshot waterwheel at Chalgrove
If you can only provide a head of water of some 6ft to 8ft your best bet is to build a Breastshot wheel. Here water is admitted to the wheel about half way up and it flows out with the rotation of the wheel. Breastshot wheels could be made very wide to increase their power output and, more than any other type, tended to be iron built wherever possible. The whole of the early industrial revolution was powered by enormous breastshot waterwheels. The wheel installed at Quarry Bank Mill at Styal in Cheshire (another National Trust property) is an absolute monster at 22 feet wide and 25 feet in diameter and weighing in at 20 tons.
Undershot waterwheel at Mapledurham
In areas with no slope of any kind to speak of, such as we find at Whitemill, the only choice is the undershot waterwheel. Compared with the other types this is horribly inefficient. Here the wheel relies on huge quantities of water, moving at considerable speed, to drive the mill. Such mills are usually built on substantial rivers - streams just don't have enough water. Typically, a percentage of the water in the river is diverted along a leat to the mill. Undershot wheels are normally quite narrow and have to fit very accurately within their channel to prevent the water from escaping round the sides.
As you look at the various types of waterwheel, you will also see that they tend to have characterisic bucket shapes. The overshot wheel normally having straight buckets set tangentially to the wheel, the breastshot wheel having heavily curved buckets, and the undershot wheel simply having straight paddles sticking out from the rim. | <urn:uuid:359c31e2-4400-41bf-8acb-48162c71c3ea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.whitemill.org/z0028.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396222.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00035-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962506 | 618 | 2.8125 | 3 |
German chronicler, professor, and statesman, b. 12 August, 1385, at Haselbach, in Upper Austria ; d. at Vienna, 8 Jan., 1464. He made his higher studies at the University of Vienna , where in 1412 he received the degree of Master of Arts. Until 1427 he was attached to the Faculty of Arts and lectured on Aristotle and Latin grammar. After 1419 he was also admitted to the theological faculty as cursor biblicus . In 1427 he was made licentiate and in 1428 master of theology ; soon after he became dean of the theological faculty, in which body he was a professor until his death. Three several times, 1423, 1429, and 1445 he was rector of the University of Vienna ; he was also canon of St. Stephen's, and engaged in the apostolic ministry as preacher and as pastor of Perchtoldsdorf and of Falkenstein near Vienna. He ranks high among the professors of the University of Vienna in the fifteenth century. In the struggles which it had to sustain he championed the rights and interests of the university with zeal and energy. He represented the university at the Council of Basle (1432-34), took an active part in all its discussions, and was one of the delegates sent by the council to Prague to confer with the Hussites. From 1440 to 1444 he was sent to various cities as ambassador of Emperor Frederick III. He disapproved of the attitude of the Council of Basle towards both pope and emperor, and eventually withdrew from it. His advocacy of the rights of the Vienna University, coupled with the attacks of his opponents lost him the favour of the emperor, who saw in him a secret enemy. In 1451 and 1452 he was in Italy and went to Rome where he obtained from the pope a confirmation of the privileges of the University of Vienna. In the war between Frederick III and Albert of Brandenburg he tried to act as mediator but only fell into greater disfavour with Frederick. His last years were clouded by the disturbances of the years 1461-1463 during which Austria had much to suffer from the Bohemian king, George of Podiebrad, and from internal conflicts.
Ebendorfer is one of the most prominent chroniclers of the fifteenth century. His "Chronicon Austriae" is a dull but frank and very detailed history of Austria to 1463. From 1400 on it is an indispensable source of Austrian history (ed. Pez in "Scriptores rerum Austriacarum", II, Leipzig, 1725, 689-986; in this edition all of Book I and part of Book II were omitted). His account of the Council of Basle appears in the "Diarium gestorum concilii Basileensis pro reductione Bohemorum" (ed. Birk in Monumenta concilii Basileensis, Scriptores, I, Vienna, 1875, 701-783). He wrote also a history of the Roman emperors, "Chronica regum Romanorum"; Books VI and VII, which are of independent value as sources, were edited by Pribram in the "Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung", third supplementary volume (Innsbruck, 1890-94), 38-222. Many of his writings are as yet unedited, among them commentaries on Biblical books, sermons, "Liber de schismatibus", "Liber Pontificum Romanorum" (see Levinson, "Thomas Ebendorfers Liber Pontificum" in "Mitteilungen des Instituts fur osterreichische Geschichtsforschung", XX, 1899, 69-99).
The Catholic Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive resource on Catholic teaching, history, and information ever gathered in all of human history. This easy-to-search online version was originally printed between 1907 and 1912 in fifteen hard copy volumes.
Designed to present its readers with the full body of Catholic teaching, the Encyclopedia contains not only precise statements of what the Church has defined, but also an impartial record of different views of acknowledged authority on all disputed questions, national, political or factional. In the determination of the truth the most recent and acknowledged scientific methods are employed, and the results of the latest research in theology, philosophy, history, apologetics, archaeology, and other sciences are given careful consideration.
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Copyright © Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company New York, NY. Volume 1: 1907; Volume 2: 1907; Volume 3: 1908; Volume 4: 1908; Volume 5: 1909; Volume 6: 1909; Volume 7: 1910; Volume 8: 1910; Volume 9: 1910; Volume 10: 1911; Volume 11: - 1911; Volume 12: - 1911; Volume 13: - 1912; Volume 14: 1912; Volume 15: 1912
Catholic Online Catholic Encyclopedia Digital version Compiled and Copyright © Catholic Online | <urn:uuid:e4f84b3c-6cf2-4447-8705-3cd4d3d45328> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=4124 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00060-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960163 | 1,159 | 2.875 | 3 |
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) occurs just prior to menstruation and is characterized by significant:
PMDD is much more severe and less common than premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
The exact cause is not known.
Factors that may increase your chance of PMDD include:
- Hormonal changes
- Family history of PMDD
- Extra stress or a traumatic life event
- Depression or another mental health condition
Microscopic View of Hormone Receptor
PMDD may cause:
- Extreme sadness
- Frequent crying
- Unusually strong cravings for certain foods
- Difficulty concentrating or paying attention
- Panic attacks
- Mood swings
- Fatigue or lack of energy
- Physical symptoms, such as sore breasts, headaches, joint or muscle pain, swelling, or bloating
Symptoms typically begin 10-14 days prior to the start of menstruation.
PMDD will be diagnosed based on your symptoms. You may be asked to keep a record of when your symptoms occur and how severe they are.
Your doctor may also order:
- Blood tests
- Tests to check hormone levels
Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. Treatment options include:
These steps can help manage symptoms of PMDD:
- Exercise throughout the week.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine.
- Learn stress management techniques.
- Improve your sleep habits.
To help reduce your chance of PMDD, take these steps:
- Get plenty of exercise and rest
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Manage stress
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Office on Women's Health
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
PMS and PMDD. MGH Center for Women's Health website. Available at: http://womensmentalhealth.org/specialty-clinics/pms-and-pmdd. Accessed October 8, 2015.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). American Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor website. Available at: http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder.html. Updated April 2014. Accessed October 8, 2015.
Premenstrual syndrome. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated January 9, 2015. Accessed October 8, 2015.
Last reviewed September 2015 by Andrea Chisholm, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. | <urn:uuid:dc49864d-5da5-49f5-972a-d0eff6f4fac7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mountsinai.org/patient-care/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00169-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.879373 | 663 | 2.875 | 3 |
November 16, 2011 — (BRONX, NY) — Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that cancer cells tap into a natural recycling system to obtain the energy they need to keep dividing. In a study with potential implications for cancer treatments, Einstein researchers used genetic manipulation to turn off this recycling system within the walls of cells and stop both tumor growth and metastasis (cancer spread). The findings were published in today’s online edition of Science Translational Medicine.
Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D.Scientists have known that cancer cells require a large amount of energy in the form of glucose (sugar) to support their abnormally rapid growth. But it wasn’t clear how cancer cells met those energy needs. The study shows that cancer cells fuel their growth by revving up autophagy, a recycling process that occurs in cell compartments called lysosomes.
During autophagy, which literally means “self-eating,” Pac-Man-like lysosomes digest worn-out proteins and other damaged cellular components. “But lysosomes are not merely trash containers,” said Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., the paper’s senior author and professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology and of medicine. “They are more like little recycling plants in which cellular debris is transformed into energy. Cancer cells seem to have learned how to optimize this system to obtain the energy they need.”
Dr. Cuervo and her colleagues detected unusually high levels of chaperone-mediated autophagy, one of the types of autophagy, in cells from more than 40 types of human tumors – but not in healthy tissue surrounding the tumors. (In chaperone-mediated autophagy, small proteins guide debris to the lysosomes for digestion.)
Images of metastasis (tumor spread) in lungs of two mice: untreated tumor (left) and a tumor in which autophagy has been blocked (right). Metastatic areas are dark pink (arrows). A tumor’s ability to metastasize decreases dramatically when autophagy is halted.“When we used genetic manipulation to block the activity of this recycling process, the cancer cells stopped dividing and most of them died,” Dr. Cuervo said. “We also applied this procedure to tumors in mice, resulting in dramatic tumor shrinkage and almost complete blockage of metastasis.”
The researchers believe that selectively blocking this type of autophagy in cancer cells could be a useful strategy for shrinking tumors and halting metastasis. “In future research, we hope to develop drugs that can mimic what we have done using genetic manipulation,” said Dr. Cuervo. “We are also exploring using genetic manipulation itself for treating different types of lung cancer.”
The paper is titled “Chaperone-mediated autophagy is required for tumor growth.” Maria Kon, an M.D./Ph.D. student at Einstein, is the first author. Other contributors include Roberta Kiffin, Ph.D., Hiroshi Koga, Ph.D., Javier Chapochnick, M.D., and Fernando Macian-Juan, M.D., Ph.D., all of Einstein, and Lyuba Varticovski, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.This research was supported with grants from the National Institute on Aging and the National Cancer Institute, both parts of the National Institutes of Health. | <urn:uuid:590c7d5c-535b-4591-b2c8-f441c1b4b91b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://James.Goodrich@einstein.yu.edu/news/releases/741/cancers-sweet-tooth-may-be-its-weak-link/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00155-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926665 | 755 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Cellphone Stirs Brain Cells, Study Finds
A new federal study finds that holding a cell phone to your ear for a sustained period of time does cause temporary changes to your brain, though it's unclear whether the impact is good, bad or neutral.
The National Institutes of Health research, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, does not shed any light on possible connections between cell phone use and increased risk of brain cancer – a hotly debated topic in scientific circles.
This latest study – "Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism" -- involved 47 healthy volunteers affixing cell phones on their ears for 50 minutes and found via PET scans that the part of the brain closest to the phone antenna showed a 7% increase in sugar (glucose) metabolism.
[MORE RESEARCH: Follow our Alpha Doggs network research blog]
"This finding is of unknown clinical significance," according to the study.
"It's not a dramatic increase," study author Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told the Boston Globe. "It's more in the range of the brain activation that occurs in, say, the language center when you're speaking."
Still, she tells the Globe the findings were enough to encourage her to now use her cell phone either on speaker or via a wired earpiece.
As to whether cell phone radiation contributes to brain cancer risk, the jury is out.
San Francisco last year began requiring cellular handset retailers to post information how much energy their products put out, leading the wireless trade group CTIA to move its annual event out of town.
And numerous studies have come down on either side of the argument, with the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom earlier this month publishing results of a study that found radio frequency exposure from mobile phone use does not appear to increase the risk of developing brain cancers by any significant amount.
Follow Bob on Twitter from a safe distance
Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section. | <urn:uuid:bf92f506-95a0-40a2-8e69-d4071045af1d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pcworld.com/article/220412/Cellphone_Stirs_Brain_Cells_Study_Finds.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00149-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925605 | 422 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Philips GoSafe: The latest PERS offering from Philips Lifeline. Like every other commercially available PERS offering, it does not claim to prevent falls.
According to the CDC, falls are the number one cause of injury death among older adults and the number one reason for hospital admissions for trauma. Falls are a serious problem for older people living at home, and a burden on our healthcare system as well: the CDC estimates the total medical cost of falls in 2010 was $30 billion.
Falls are also an area where a lot of mobile health innovators are focusing their attention, including the remote monitoring and telemedicine markets. Sensors, pendants, and panic buttons on phones are a great comfort and can improve outcomes, since they allow victims of a fall to get help right away, rather than being trapped for a long time. But the real game changer in mobile health would be technology that actually prevents falls.
Remote monitoring can also be preventative because falls don't happen out of the blue. They're often a result of a slow decline in balance that older people might not even notice. Technology that can detect subtle changes in an older person's gait can alert a doctor or caregiver of the increased likelihood of a fall before it happens.
Here's a roundup of technologies that are tackling the tricky science of fall prevention.
Sensors in Shoes
When MobiHealthNews looked at this space back in 2009, two of the most promising new developments were sensor-embedded shoes. AT&T was working on a prototype of "smart slippers" using technology from startup 24Eight. These shoes would be equipped with sensors that could detect slight changes from a patient's ordinary foot movement and transmit a warning to a doctor or caregiver.
Around the same time, then-MIT student, now Harvard fellow Erez Leiberman developed a sensor-laden iShoe which garnered a lot of press attention, and was, last we heard, being pilot tested by healthcare system Ohio Health and due out in 2010.
For some reason, neither of these products has emerged in the market. In fact, Laurie Orlov, who blogs about aging in place technology, pointed to the iShoe in a 2011 post lamenting how technology makes big news at universities and then disappears. A spokesman from AT&T declined to comment on the status of their product, but suggested there might be more information available soon. | <urn:uuid:980b6f16-11c9-44e3-8f4f-58ba81ac7d39> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mobihealthnews.com/20351/slide-show-7-technologies-working-to-prevent-falls/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00068-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948517 | 494 | 2.578125 | 3 |
How Many Names Do You Know for Groundhogs?
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Groundhogs have been in the spotlight lately, thanks to Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck. What these furry creatures are called actually depends on what part of the country you are from. I have informally analyzed them below (please note that I not a linguist!):
- Gopher: Who can forget Caddy Shack? Anyway, the origin is unknown and could be named after gopher tortoises. It’s been around since 1791, according to Merriam-Webster’s.
- Groundhog: May have been a translation from the Dutch aardvarken, meaning “earth pig.” It’s probably northeastern U.S. in origin due to the Dutch settlers.
- Ground squirrel: A more scientific classification, since they are related to squirrels.
- Land beaver: Due to the fact that they resemble a beaver, and beavers live in all of North America except warmer states, the nickname could have started anywhere.
- Marmot: Related to the Latin name for the groundhog, Marmota monax. They are usually associated with mountainous and alpine regions.
- Monk: This is a name I had never heard before, but since male groundhogs are very solitary, you could say they live a monk-like existence.
- Pasture pig: Since Southerners love their bacon, I would think that is where this started. But, like groundhog, it could be translated from the Dutch aardvarken, meaning “earth pig.”
- Prairie dog: Probably Midwest in origin due to the prairie lands out there.
- Varmint: Anywhere they are a nuisance! According to Dictionary.com, this word is chiefly used in Southern and South Midland US.
- Woodchuck: Thought to come from a Colonial corruption of the Cree Indian name “otcheck.”
- Whistling pig: Related to the noise yellow-bellied marmots emit. The live in southwestern Canada throughout the western United States including the Rockies, Sierra Nevada and intermountain west. Origin is anyone’s guess in these areas.
I affectionately called the rotund groundhog that lived under our porch Tubby. I liked him until he ate my spinach even though there was a fence around it. But I felt a bit sorry for Tubby, who seemed to live alone, but I found out that is perfectly normal for males, even ones who are daddies.
We contemplated removing him humanely from our yard after he kept digging up flowers (a rag soaked in ammonia by his home entrance was said to do the trick). However, we never had to force Tubby out. Nature got him first. We noticed the stench coming from under our porch one day. We never actually checked, but we assume Tubby died peacefully in his sleep one night. We certainly hope that he did not get the skunk poison that our neighbors left out across the street!
That poor little gopher ground hog ground squirrel land beaver marmot monk pasture pig prairie dog varmint wood chuck whistle pigged animal!
Veronica MacDonald Ditko is originally from the Jersey Shore, but married and settled in northern New Jersey. Her journalism career started a decade ago after studying Psychology and Anthropology in Massachusetts. She has written for several newspapers and magazines including The Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Springfield Union News and Sunday Republican, Happi, Chemical Week, The Hawthorne Press, The Jewish Standard, Suite101.com and more.
Article originally published February 1, 2011 | <urn:uuid:58939b1e-3e22-4b9a-98fe-28bfc86c4f11> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://theoaklandjournal.com/features/how-many-names-do-you-know-for-groundhogs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00110-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965229 | 771 | 2.96875 | 3 |
behavior in evolution
burnett.33 at postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu
Thu May 8 11:30:48 EST 1997
In article <MPG.ddb71f53d1d0a9f989682 at news.prostar.com> cesium at prostar.com ( Dennis Mitton) writes:
>From: cesium at prostar.com ( Dennis Mitton)
>Subject: Re: behavior in evolution
>Date: Thu, 8 May 1997 06:16:05 -0700
>Message-ID: <MPG.ddb71f53d1d0a9f989682 at news.prostar.com>
>References: <863082947.28820 at dejanews.com>
>Organization: Pacific Luthern University
>X-Newsreader: Anawave Gravity v1.10
>Xref: magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu talk.origins:352468 bionet.molbio.evolution:6037
>In article <863082947.28820 at dejanews.com>, hefeng at cz3.nus.sg says...
>> I read the article "Introduction to Evolutionary Biology" by Chris Colby
>> It mentioned how certain species of bat share food among a group so that
>> the whole group will benefit and survive better.
>> But does this kind of behavior have anything to do with the genes? If all
>> of the sudden the bats realise that if they help one another during
>> shortage of food they will all have a better chance of survival, is this
>> also considered evolution?
>> This is more like some kind of knowledge.
>Though many rodents are undeniably intellegent (my pet rats, for example)
>I think that it's highly unlikely that bats sharing food is a thought out
>behaviour undertaken to save the group, and themselves, during food
>shortages. Then again, how related are bat groups? Sounds like kin
>selection as a possible explanation - not thinking.
>Pacific Luthern University
>mittondr at plu.edu
>cesium at prostar.com
Just a minor correction, and forgive me if I sound a trifle irritated, but...
bats are *NOT* rodents!
As for this type of food sharing, the only example I can think of off hand
is the sharing of blood done by vampire bats. In this case, I believe that
it is thought to be a case of reciprocal altruism, i.e. a particular bat will
share food with its roostmate and that the favor will be returned in the
future if necessary...I have at least a couple of refs on this, but I don't
have them right at hand...let me know if you'd like to read them.
More information about the Mol-evol | <urn:uuid:335fa127-79d2-4cc3-90f7-b3cc7cd33311> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/mol-evol/1997-May/005635.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397744.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00028-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.823661 | 629 | 2.640625 | 3 |
|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
This letter was written by Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter on October 12 or 19 1996. The letter was delivered by Ginny Weasley, and contained the date of the next private lesson between Harry and Dumbledore, which was to take place on the next Monday (which would be 14 or 21 of October).
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter Lexicon: Calendar - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 9 (Silver and Opals) | <urn:uuid:fc6c06e1-4045-48d3-9a8b-f423ed8b2766> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Albus_Dumbledore's_letter_to_Harry_Potter_(1996)_III | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396887.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00170-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936455 | 165 | 2.515625 | 3 |
I had to do a report on Operation Overlord, or D-day, for school and here's a rough summary:
The Big Three, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt met to discuss military stargegy and post-WWII plans. Against, Chruchill's better judgement, the three agreed to take France back from German occupants. After setbacks, Eisenhower decided to set the invasion some time in early June. The night before the water-borne invasion, 882 Allied planes dropped bombs on the Nazi defenders and placed thousands of paratroopers behind the German lines. French resistance forces caught wind of the invasion and aided the troops in behind-the-line sabotage and combat. The United States First Army moved supplies inland. On the day of the invasion, there were at least 3,000 landing craft, 2,500 other ships and 500 naval escort and bombardment ships. The 882 Allied planes the night before were only a fraction of the 13,000 planes that would support D-day. The troop number was somewhere around 176,000. Hitler was taken by surprise, the main German force was expecting the Allies to attack at the Straight of Dover, mainly at Calais. It, the invasion, was commanded by Dwight D. Eisenhower, a four-star general. The Americans were at Utah and Omaha, Canadians were at Juno, and the British were at Sword and Gold.
That's all that I can remember off the top of my head. Please, fill in the gaps. and, I'm not too sure of the numbers.
They say that dreamers are an extinct breed. I say they're wrong. | <urn:uuid:85a9f0f2-5844-4d29-aa94-d75d27cdcc33> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bobafettfanclub.com/boards/post/10397/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00160-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974681 | 330 | 2.5625 | 3 |
THE texts contained in the present volume represent two different collections. The first nineteen myths were collected by me in the summer of 1909, under the auspices of the Bureau of American Ethnology. My sole informant was Jim Buchanan, a Coos Indian, living in Acme, Lane County, Oregon. He is at the present time the only member of the Coos tribe who still remembers and can relate coherently some of the: myths and traditions of the by-gone generations. The texts numbered 20-32 were collected by Mr. Harry Hull St. Clair, 2d, in the summer of 1903. His informants, I understand, were Jim Buchanan and Tom Hollis, the latter of whom lives at present on the Siletz Reservation, in the State of Oregon.
Owing to the fact that a few texts obtained from Jim Buchanan were not as vivid in his memory as some of the other traditions, they will be found lacking in continuity of narration and in clearness of description. Some of these texts are abundant in obscure passages. We are in certain cases especially in doubt as to the performer of an action or to the identity of the speaker. While it might have been comparatively easy to restore to these passages their original definiteness, I thought it advisable (mainly from linguistic considerations) to let them stand as they were narrated, leaving the interpretation of the intended meaning to the good judgment of the reader.
As might have been expected, Mr. St. Clair's system of writing down the Indian texts is quite different from
the one adopted by me. I did not, however, on the whole, encounter any difficulties in transcribing his phonetic system in accordance with my own. Only in a few cases were the discrepancies so great as to necessitate a distinct treatment. These cases either cover words and phrases not familiar to me through my own texts, or they represent expressions which, in my judgment, may have been misheard, and consequently mis-spelled, by Mr. St. Clair. All such passages are printed in this work in Italics, and are accompanied in most cases by footnotes, in which I endeavor to show the original expression that may have been intended by the narrator. Section numbers referred to in the footnotes are those in my grammar of the Coos language, in "Handbook of American Indian Languages" (Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 40, Part 2). | <urn:uuid:78c1558f-e906-435c-988b-9d77ae716a78> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/nw/coos/ct02.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00079-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97309 | 492 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Think about the type of animal that would make an ideal host for a virus. It would gather in large dense groups, making it easier for the virus to jump into fresh hosts. It should have a relatively long lifespan, so any single individual has many chances of becoming infected. It would certainly travel over long distances to spread the infection far and wide. Humans certainly fit the bill. So do bats.
At least one in every five mammal species is a bat. These diverse fliers—all 1,200 species of them—are reservoirs for an equally diverse group of viruses, including many deadly celebrities that can jump into humans. Bats carry rabies. They harbour SARS and other coronaviruses. They’ve got Nipah virus and Hendra virus, mumps, Marburg, and possibly Ebola.
Click "source" to read more. | <urn:uuid:c91f689b-629f-454f-a6bb-364f437429fa> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.microbeworld.org/component/jlibrary/?view=article&id=10453 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00092-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953094 | 176 | 3.125 | 3 |
A group called the Hawaiian Patriotic League recently produced and is showing a video “We Are Who We Were” which claims that the annexation of Hawaii which was agreed to by the governments of the Republic of Hawaii and the United States in 1898 “never happened” and was an “illusion” because it was done, on the part of the United States, by joint resolution rather than treaty.
The annexation of Hawaii in 1898 was opposed by the U.S. cane sugar growers from Louisiana, beet sugar growers from California and other states; organized labor who feared contract labor practices then used in Hawaii; anti-expansionists who thought it was imperialistic and by those who thought Hawaii’s mixed population was unsuitable for U.S. citizenship. Some of them raised the same constitutional argument (that annexation could be accomplished only by treaty and not by joint resolution). “Empire Can Wait”, Osborne p. 112.
This argument was also raised when Texas was annexed by authority of a joint resolution rather than by treaty about 50 years earlier. “Brief Digest of Various Annexations of Foreign Territory by the United States”, Castle, 996.9 c278 Mission Houses Library.
The argument did not persuade other members of Congress in 1846 or 1898 and its proponents apparently did not consider it worth taking to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Newlands Resolution passed the House June 15, 1898 209 to 91 and the Senate July 6, 1898 42 to 21 (26 abstaining) and the measure was signed by President McKinley the next day. “Empire Can Wait”, page 121. Note: Treaties require ratification by 2/3rds of the Senate only. Article II, Sec 2, U.S. Constitution. The Newlands Resolution, annexing Hawaii, was approved by 2/3rds or more of those voting in both the Senate and House.
So far as we are able to determine, there is no legal authority for the argument that annexation of a foreign nation, agreed to by the government of the foreign nation, cannot be accomplished on the part of the United States by the President acting under authority of both houses of Congress.
In a 1903 criminal case, Territory of Hawaii v. Mankichi, 190 U.S. 197 (1903) the U.S. Supreme Court noted that “the status of the islands and the powers of their provisional government were measured by the Newlands resolution[.]” That point was made even more forcefully in a separate opinion in the case filed by by Justice Harlan. Justice Harlan disagreed with the court on a different issue which concerned Hawaiian law as to jury trials, but on the issue of the validity of the Newlands resolution, he agreed fully with the majority, stating, “By the resolution, the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands became complete, and the object of the proposed treaty, that ‘those islands should be incorporated into the United States as an integral part thereof, and under its sovereignty’ was accomplished.”
The Hawaiian Patriotic League also argues that the annexation was illegal because the indigenous Hawaiian people never consented through a plebiscite or referendum. Petitions filed with the U.S. Congress at the time do show significant opposition on the part of the citizens of Hawaiian ancestry (who in 1898 made up about 30% of the inhabitants of Hawaii) and it is true that no plebiscite or referendum was taken.
However, plebiscites were not taken in the annexations of Louisiana, Texas, California or any of the territories which now make up the United States. Nor does history show that Kamehameha took a plebiscite or obtained the consent of the residents of Oahu before he annexed that island in 1795 or when his forces reinvaded it in 1804. Likewise there is no indication from oral histories or legends that Kahekili, the paramount chief from Maui, sought the consent or took anything like a plebiscite of the residents when he annexed Oahu in 1782 or 1783 or during the 12 or 13 years he held it until Kamehameha’s invasion. Nor apparently did the immigrants from Tahiti, who arrived in about the year 1,000 bringing the alii, take a plebiscite from the then residents, descendants of the earlier settlers from the Marquesas. Nor apparently did the immigrants from the Marquesas islands, who arrived in about 300 to 500 ask the consent of or take a plebiscite from the menehunes who, according to legend, were the original settlers of the Hawaiian islands.
The only plebiscite relating to joning the United States was the one taken in 1959 when Hawaii’s people voted overwhelmingly in favor of Statehood.
Did Hawaiians benefit from annexation?
Judging by population, they benefitted considerably. The Hawaiian population (including full and part Hawaiian) declined throughout the period of the monarchy but then began to increase during the Territorial period after Hawaii became part of the United States and has steadily increased since then. For years 1778-1896 see: Native Hawaiian Data Book 1998, Table 1.1. For years 1900 through 1940 see: Table 1.d. For years 1950 through 1990 see: Table 1.e. OHA says that “Native Hawaiians with less than 100% blood quantum are the fastest growing racial group in the state.” Table1.14
Similarly, the political and economic power of Hawaiians increased dramatically once Hawaii became a Territory. University of Hawaii Political Science Professor Robert Stauffer writes:
It was a marvelous time to be Hawaiian. They flexed their muscle in the first territorial elections in 1900, electing their own third-party candidates over the haole Democrats and Republicans…The governor-controlled bureaucracy also opened up to Hawaiians once they began to vote Republican.
By the ’20s and ’30s, Hawaiians had gained a position of political power, office and influence never before–nor since–held by a native people in the United States.
Hawaiians were local judges, attorneys, board and commission members, and nearly all of the civil service. With 70 percent of the electorate–but denied the vote under federal law–the Japanese found themselves utterly shut out. Even by the late 1930s, they comprised only just over 1 percent of the civil service.
This was “democracy” in a classic sense: the spoils going to the electoral victors.
Higher-paying professions were often barred to the disenfranchised Asian Americans. Haoles or Hawaiians got these. The lower ethnic classes (Chinese, Japanese and later the Filipinos) dominated the lower-paying professions.
But even here an ethnic-wage system prevailed. Doing the same work, a Hawaiian got paid more per hour than a Portuguese, a Chinese, a Japanese or a Filipino–and each of them, in turn, got paid more than the ethnic group below them.
Robert Stauffer, “Real Politics”, Honolulu Weekly, October 19, 1994 at page 4.
The “decline” in the standard of living of Native Hawaiians can only be tracked to the early 1950s, when the Democratic Party began its political dominance of government as a result of the “Democratic Revolution of 1954”. Hawaiians, being overwhelmingly Republican, found themselves displaced from such well-paying jobs as the civil service and Department of Education which they had previously controlled. | <urn:uuid:b7711678-6a42-4d2a-8850-9c5acb6fc2be> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://aloha4all.org/wordpress/basic-issues/essentials/was-annexation-legal/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392159.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00184-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971826 | 1,550 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Researchers from the Utah museum, the national monument and California’s Raymond M. Alf Museum of Palaeontology unearthed fossils of this ancient plant-eater from the rocks of the Kaiparowits Formation. Researchers announced the name of the creature – Gryposaurus monumentensis. (Gryposaurus means “hook-beaked lizard” and monumentensis honors the monument where the fossils were found.) The first description of the duck-billed dinosaur – which dates to the Late Cretaceous period 75 million years ago - appears in the Oct. 3 issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Gates explained that this creature could have eaten just about any vegetation it stumbled across. “With its robust jaws, no plant stood a chance against G. monumentensis,” he said. Scott Sampson, another palaeontologist with the Utah museum who was involved with the project, emphasized the massively-built skull and skeleton, referring to the animal as the “Arnold Schwarzenegger of duck-billed dinosaurs.”
Finding the skull
In 2002, a team from the Alf Museum, were working on a stretch of the Grand Staircase that Utah researchers had not examined. Duncan Everhart, a Pennsylvania furniture maker, is credited with finding the skull. Gates and his research team later received permission from the monument to dig deeper in 2004. It wasn’t until Utah researchers began working on the skull in 2005 that the full significance of the find began to emerge, Gates said. The well-preserved skull was initially missing key pieces from the nose region. Fortunately, the California museum had collected a box full of eroded bones, including bits of the nose bone, which was critical for identifying the creature. “I knew immediately that we had some species of Gryposaurus,” Gates said.
A toothy beast
The creature’s large number of teeth embedded in the thick skull is among the features that made G. monumentensis, as well as other closely related duck-billed dinosaurs, such a successful herbivore. At any given time, the dinosaur had over 300 teeth available to slice up plant material. Inside the jaw bone, there were numerous replacement teeth waiting, meaning that at any moment, this Gryposaur may have carried more than 800 teeth. “It was capable of eating most any plant it wanted to,” Gates said. “Although much more evidence is needed before we can hypothesize on its dietary preferences.”
While the diet is unknown, given the considerable size of the creature, the massive teeth and jaws are thought to have been used to slice up large amounts of tough, fibrous plant material.
G. monumentensis is one of several new dinosaur species found in Grand Staircase, including: a Velociraptor-like carnivore named Hagryphus, a tyrannosaur, and several kinds of horned dinosaurs. In all, more than a dozen kinds of dinosaurs have been recovered from these badlands, and most represent species that are new to science. “This is a brand new and extremely important window into the world of dinosaurs,” said Sampson. “As each new find such as this new Gryposaur is made,” Titus said, ”it is placed into the greater context of an entire ecosystem that has remained lost for eons, and is only now coming under scientific scrutiny.”
Article: "A new species of Gryposaurus (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae) from the Late Campanian Kaiparowits Formation, southern Utah, USA," Terry A. Gates and Scott D. Sampson, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol 151, Iss 2, October 2007 | <urn:uuid:6cb27f8e-5640-40fc-ad61-6788ebcf075a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.science20.com/news_account/new_dinosaur_species_gryposaurus_monumentensis_unearthed_in_utah | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00060-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956283 | 778 | 3.46875 | 3 |
THE GROWTH OF QUEBEC
A quarter of a century had elapsed since the founding of Quebec, and still it could scarcely be regarded as other than a village, while in some parts of New France colonization was absolutely null. Agriculture had received some attention in the vicinity of Quebec, but it was on such a small scale that it should be termed gardening rather than farming.
Charlevoix writes: “The fort of Quebec, surrounded by a few wretched houses and some sheds, two or three cabins on the island of Montreal, as many, perhaps, at Tadousac, and at some other points on the river St. Lawrence, to accommodate fishers and traders, a settlement begun at Three Rivers and the ruins of Port Royal, this was all that constituted New France—the sole fruit of the discoveries of Verrazzani, Jacques Cartier, de Roberval, Champlain, of the great expenses of the Marquis de la Roche and de Monts, and of the industry of many Frenchmen, who might have built up a great colony had they been well directed.”
The various companies, as we have seen, took no interest whatever in settling the country, their chief design being to carry on fur trade with the Indians. Patriotism had no meaning for them, the all-absorbing question was money. This was not the case, however, with the company established by Cardinal Richelieu, whose desire was to christianize the savages, to found a powerful colony, and to secure for his king the possession of New France. The principal associates of this company were pious, patriotic and zealous men, who laboured to extend the power and influence of France throughout the vast continent of America for the honour and glory of God. There were among the associates a certain number of gentlemen and ecclesiastics, who, realizing their incapacity to transact the business of such an important undertaking, preferred to hand over the administration to merchants of Dieppe, Rouen and Paris, together with the advantages to be derived therefrom. A special association was consequently formed, composed of merchants who undertook the financial affairs of the settlement, such as paying the new governor, providing ammunition and provisions, and maintaining the forts; and if there were profits they were to be divided amongst the Hundred Associates. This association was formed before the departure of Champlain for Quebec in 1633. Its agents were a merchant of Rouen named Rosee, and Cheffault, a lawyer of Paris, who had a representative at Quebec.
As it was necessary for the Hundred Associates to appoint a governor of New France, they offered the position to Champlain, as he was universally respected and known to be experienced and disinterested. Moreover he was well acquainted with the country, and on friendly terms with the savages. It is doubtful whether any one could have taken his place with better prospects of success. Champlain, moreover, desired | <urn:uuid:9f2488a0-6862-45a2-9dcb-4ec194bd53d0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/17132/111.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392527.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00087-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984048 | 597 | 3.4375 | 3 |
1. Who makes up the family that lives on the Kansas prairie?
Dorothy, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry all live on the Kansas prairie.
2. Who is Dorothy's constant companion and friend?
Toto, her dog, is her constant companion and friend.
3. What causes the family to retreat to the storm cellar?
A cyclone makes Aunt Em run for the storm cellar, but Dorothy doesn't make it to the door before it closes because Toto runs under the bed.
4. What happens to the house when the cyclone hits?
The house is lifted off its foundation when the cyclone hits.
5. Where does the cyclone drop Dorothy's house?
The cyclone drops the house in the Land of Oz.
6. Who are the miniature people, characterized by their blue dress?
The miniature people are the Munchkins and they are the first people Dorothy and Toto meet in Oz.
This section contains 1,848 words
(approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) | <urn:uuid:28cd0e26-ecc5-4cbc-8d7d-44ebc5e790ee> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/wonderfulwizardoz/shortessaykey.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00168-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930814 | 221 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Social media represents a system of communications unleashed to the entire human network. Howeve the “system” cannot be optimized for maximum performance or outcomes unless all the “parts” are connected. Current usage of social media illustrates attempts to optimize the “parts” without connecting them to the whole. There is a clearly a lack of systemic thinking about social media.
Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. In organizations, systems consist of people, structures, and processes that work together to make an organization healthy or unhealthy and communications creates the difference..
Systems thinking is not one thing but a set of habits or practiceswithin a framework that is based on the belief that the component parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems, rather than in isolation. Attempts to communicate improvement in one area of a system can adversely affect another area of the system.
Today social media applications are living in prisons, under the tyranny of the prevailing style of management and the inability of the system to interaction with people, between departments, and with suppliers and customers. These prisons cannot optimize the use of social media unless and until the “silos” of thinking and subsequent communications are torn down.
What Role Does Social Media Play?
If social media are a new system for communicating one would think that management ought to pay attention, learn, understand and use it to improve management of the system. Instead we see examples after examples of management delegating the use and study of social media to outside resources or internal self-appointed experts. Many still think that all this social stuff is for marketing or advertising. All fail to look at social media systemically.
How can anyone manage a “system” without using communications to listen, learn and understand what their system is saying? Since communications is the fiber of any economy one would think that management would study and improve communications. A system cannot be improved if communications aren’t considered a critical function that directly impacts performance of the entire system not just the parts. Communications can increase or decrease the cost of the parts based on the quality of integration. Results at the end of the system do not tell you which part of the system needs improvement. Communications are critical to improving anything and everything.
In order to truly understand current condition one must look at the numbers behind the numbers and put them into context of systemic performance. Systemic performance is not indicative of measuring results rather measuring processes behind the results.
Measuring results doesn’t tell you what is or isn’t creating the results. Behind every result there are processes, people, markets and related interactions. If you don’t understand the interactions and how well they are performing than you can’t effectively improve the pieces aimed at influencing end results.
Today markets, people, businesses, governments and society at large are influenced most by communications. Media represents a form of communications and media surrounds us, influences us and leads us to conclusions (results). If we are being led to the wrong conclusion (results) then we make poor decisions aimed at creating more results. Poor decision create bad results and the process repeats itself due to a lack of relevant and relative data from which we should be learning to make more informed and educated decisions.
Social media are an influence on markets. The market of conversations can be used to improve an organizations system and its ability to serve a market. That is of course if we understand the “system and all the interrelated parts”.
Most organizations are failing at social media because:
- It is being used in silos
- The current measures are not relevant to systemic improvements
- It is disconnected from the organizations people, processes and systemic improvements
- Use is isolated in marketing and advertising processes
- It is not designed around people’s intents or relational objectives
The advancement and improvement of any organization starts and ends with alignment of people, processes and communications. Not leveraging social technology systemically means the organization will be out of alignment. | <urn:uuid:f484fafb-1ea1-4071-bfd0-f40dece89c70> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.relationship-economy.com/2011/03/systemic-vs-silo-thinking-social-media/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395992.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00144-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947116 | 830 | 2.703125 | 3 |
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