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Okay, let's back up and restate. In this walkthrough, we've told you four main things.
One: How to get the MySQL source.
Two: What's in each directory in the source.
Three: The main sequence, as one walks through the server code.
Four: What physical structures look like.
We worked hard to make a description of the MySQL source that is simple, without distorting. If you were able to follow all that we've said, then that's wonderful, congratulations. If you ended up thinking that MySQL is really simple, well that is not what we wanted to convey, but we think you'll be disabused of that notion when you have a look at the code yourself.
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A northern arm of the much larger Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea is sandwiched between the eastern shores of mainland Greece and the western shores of Turkey. Within its reach of 83,000 square miles it hosts thousands of islands and islets, less than 100 of which have more than 100 inhabitants. But within those islands they hold thousands of years of history, culture and spectacular natural beauty.
Part of the Mediterranean climate, the islands in the Aegean Sea reach temperatures in the dry summer in the high 80’s to 90’s, cooling down to the 40’s and 50’s in the wet winter. The surface temperature of the Aegean in the summer ranges from 70 degrees in the north to 80 degrees in the south, making it comfortable for summertime swimming.
As for those thousands of islands, what differentiates them? The vast majority of the Aegean islands belong to Greece while a small number belong to Turkey. They range in size from the largest, Crete, at over 3,000 sq. mi. down through Delos at only 1.5 sq. mi. to even tinier islets, mostly uninhabited. Below, and in the referenced lists, are snippets about each of the larger and more frequently visited islands in the Aegean.
The two largest islands in the Aegean Sea are the Greek islands of Crete and Euboea. The other Aegean islands are generally divided into 5 geographic areas as described below.
Crete – 3,224 sq. mi.; population 624,000
Forming the southern border of the Aegean Sea, Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek Islands. Filled with ancient ruins and historical sites, Crete also offers excellent hiking opportunities, especially in the Samaria Gorge, as well as stunning beaches and coves.
Euboea (or Evia) – 1,411 sq. mi.; population 220,000
A long, narrow island separated by the Euripus Strait from the eastern shore of mainland Greece, Euboea is often thought of as part of the mainland itself. From a tourism perspective, it is best known for the thermal hot springs at Edipsos, for the beachside resort at the modern town of Eretria on the site of the ancient city of the same name, still being excavated, and as a weekend seaside getaway for Athenians.
A tight group of islands off the north coast of Euboea, the Sporades incorporate about 30 islands including the main islands of Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros, and Alonnisus.
Located in the Saronic Gulf just off the southeastern coast of mainland Greece near Athens, the Saronic Islands include 31 islands, of which 7 are inhabited – Aegina, Hydra, Poros, Spetses, Angistri, Salamina, and Dokos.
North Aegean Islands
Off the western coast of Turkey at the central to northern end of the Aegean, the North Aegean Islands are a loose group of islands including the Turkish islands of Imbros and Tenedos and the Greek islands of Chios, Icaria, Samos and many more.
Roughly in the center of the Aegean, north of the Sea of Crete, the Cyclades incorporate over 200 islands, some of the best known of which are Santorini, Mykonos, Delos and Naxos.
Along the southeastern edge of the Aegean, bordering Turkey, the Dodecanese Islands incorporate 164 islands of which 26 are inhabited, the most well-known of which are Rhodes and Patmos.
Note: no promotional consideration was provided or paid for this article.
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Descend into the crater of Sneffels Yokul,
Over which the shadow of Scartaris falls
Before the kalend of July, bold traveler,
And you will reach the center of the earth.
I have done this. Arne Saknussemm.
'But what is Sneffels?'
'Follow my finger along the west coast of
'A sort of peninsula that looks like a bone with a huge knee-cap at the end of it.'
'Quite a good comparison, my boy. Now can you see anything on that knee-cap?'
'Yes, a mountain which looks as if it has grown out of the sea.'
'Good. Well, that is Sneffels,'
'Yes, that. It's a mountain five thousand feet high, one of the most remarkable on the island, and undoubtedly destined to be the most famous in the world if its crater leads to the center of the globe.'
…bent over the map,
'You can see that there are volcanoes all over the island,' said the
Professor, 'and you will notice that they all bear the name Yokul, That word means 'glacier' in Icelandic, and at that high latitude
most eruptions take place through layers of ice. Hence the term Yokul
which is applied to all the volcanic mountains in
'…Sneffels has several craters, and it was therefore necessary to indicate the one which leads to the center of the earth. What did the learned Icelander do? He observed that at the approach of the calends of July, in other words towards the end of June, one of he peaks of the mountain a peak called Sartaris, cast is shadow as far as the mouth of the crater in question, and he recorded the fact in his document. Nothing could be more precise, and when we reach the summit of Sneffels we shall have no hesitation as to which way to go.'
'The legendary stories tell us that the crater leads to the center of the earth.'
-Jules Verne (1864)
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Where Do Cashews Come From?
Filed under Picking & Preparing Fruit by Frederic Patenaude
In this new video, I show you the amazing cashew fruit! This is how people eat cashews in the tropics: eat the juicy fruit, and throw away the cashew!
Not everybody loves cashew fruit, but to me it’s one of my favorite treats which I eat fresh, in season (March until summer), about once a week at the farmer’s market in Costa Rica when I’m there for the winter.
Cashew fruit juice is also popular in Brazil everywhere.
In Malaysia, young cashew leaves are sometimes eaten in salads.
Also, in case you missed this video, here’s a 10-minute excerpt from a seminar I gave last September in Calgary, entitled “High Fruit or High Fat?”. The full presentation can be found at: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html, including the complete slides used in the one-hour presentation.
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TAMPA, Fla. (CBS Tampa) – Russia is planning to colonize the moon with humans by 2030, according to a media report.
The draft of a three-step government program plan outlining how the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Roscosmos federal space agency, Moscow State University and various other space research institutes planning to colonize the moon was accessed by newspaper Izvestia, The Moscow Times reported.
The plan also outlined how the country is looking to dispatch the first robotic rovers to explore the lunar surface within the next two years and Russia would be ready to send manned missions to orbit the Earth’s satellite, Izvestia explained.
The report stated that humans would be sent to the moon to set up the infrastructure for an initial colony using local resources and that the program would also like to build a space — and Earth — monitoring observatory on the moon.
“The Russian document underlined the need for speedy lunar exploration, saying “leading space powers will expand and establish their rights to convenient lunar footholds to ensure future opportunities for practical use,” in the next 20 to 30 years, Izvestia cited the document as saying,” The Moscow Times reported.
The first stage of the program is expected to cost around $816 million, but the overall cost of the mission is uncertain. The report cited that Russia is hoping to have private investors help fund the project.
Russia’s report for the space program stressed that the “independence of the national lunar program must be ensured regardless of the conditions and the extent of the participation in it by foreign partners,” according to The Moscow Times.
According to NASA, resources from the moon may present a “treasure-trove” of rare and valuable minerals of substantial strategic importance, but the concentration and distribution remain uncertain.
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A percent employs a percent sign (%) followed by a number. It looks like this: 23%. A percent represents a fraction in which the number to the left of the % sign is the numerator and 100 is the denominator. "Percent" means "parts per hundred," or "out of 100." 23% is equivalent to 23 hundredths, or 23/100, or 0.23.
100% is equal to 100 out of 100, or 1. Percents greater than 100% are fractions (or decimals) greater than 1, while percents less than 100% are fractions (or decimals) less than 1.
To convert a percent into a decimal, move the decimal point 2 places to the left and drop the percent sign. 36% becomes 0.36, and 145% becomes 1.45. If the number in front of the percent has fewer than two places in front of the decimal, add zeros to the left of the number, and then move the decimal place. For example, 5% = 05% = 0.05 and 1.78% = 01.78% = 0.0178 .
To convert a decimal into a percent, move the decimal point two places to the right and add the % sign. If there are fewer than two places to the right of the decimal, add zeros at the end of the number after the decimal point. For example, 0.986 = 98.6% and 1.8 = 1.80 = 180% .
As stated earlier, a percent is a fraction in which the number preceding the % sign is the numerator and 100 is the denominator. Therefore, the first step in writing a percent as a fraction in lowest terms is writing it as a fraction with denominator 100. For example, we write 82% as 82/100 and 50% as 50/100.
The next step is to reduce the fraction--see Fractions. 82/100 reduces to 41/50 and 50/100 reduces to 1/2. Thus, 82% = 41/50 and 50% = 1/2 .
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Wikijunior:How Things Work/Nuclear Bomb
- 1 Who invented it?
- 2 What idea(s) and/or inventions had to be developed before it could be created?
- 3 How does it work?
- 4 How dangerous is it?
- 5 What does it do?
- 6 How has it changed the world?
- 7 Who has "The bomb"?
- 8 References
Who invented it?
When Enrico Fermi and colleagues studied the results of bombarding uranium with neutrons in 1934, people started to realize that nuclear energy could be used to create a bomb — any fast energy release can be turned into a bomb. It took the Second World War to push scientists into actively pursuing the idea into reality. The Germans, under the rule of Hitler made several initial investigations into the field and were on the right path but never seemed to reach the ability to create a bomb. The allies knew about the Germans' efforts, and actively sabotaged and undermined them. This also prompted the United States of America, together with Britain and Canada and deliberately without the then Soviet Union ally, to create the Manhattan Project, under the leadership of Robert Oppenheimer, to specifically design and build the first nuclear bomb.
These independent efforts lead by the US were spied on by the Soviets almost from the start, it could be stated that this was the initial step for the future cold war, as the bomb would shift the geopolitical power balance. Of notice is that the Soviets had from the start been making large contributions to this specific field of physics and to a large degree managed to develop their own bomb, using only the spied data from the Manhattan Project as a verification and simplification tool to archive their goal.
What idea(s) and/or inventions had to be developed before it could be created?
A tentative listing would certainly include Fire, Tool Use, Science, Mechanics, Metallurgy, Mineralogy, Chemistry, Explosives, Mathematics (Geometry and Algebra), Physics, Radiology, Engineering, Economics, Politics and the Nation State, "Modern" Warfare (Post-Industrial Age).
The binding energy, which is how much energy is stored in the heavy nuclei such as uranium and plutonium, had to be discovered. The process of creating material capable of reaching critical mass is very difficult and represents a significant engineering challenge.
How does it work?
There are two types of nuclear bombs, fission bombs and fusion bombs. Fission means to break apart and fusion to merge.
The fission bomb works on the principle that it takes energy to put together a nucleus with many protons and neutrons. Sort of like rolling a heavy cart up a hill. Splitting the nucleus up again then releases some of that energy. Some atoms have unstable nuclei which means that they tend to break apart with little or no nudging.
You may have heard of uranium and plutonium and that they are radioactive elements. These two have such unstable nuclei which causes their radioactivity. When a nucleus breaks into two smaller nuclei, a couple of neutrons shoot out. This is the radiation. Naturally occurring uranium and plutonium have atoms constantly undergoing radioactive decay. These are spaced sufficiently far apart so that the neutrons rarely bump into other unstable nuclei.
When a neutron, however, does hit an unstable nucleus, just like someone bumping into a cart at the top of a hill, it causes that nucleus to break apart and send out another couple of neutrons. By increasing the concentration of these unstable atoms, the probability that a neutron from one decay causes another one increases. The concentration where the reaction sustains itself is called critical mass and the reaction then called a chain reaction.
With each step of the reaction, energy is released and another step or two is started, and so an avalanche of reactions and energy release continues until the fissile (unstable) material is spent.
Actually, any nuclei heavier than that of iron (Fe56 which has 56 nucleons, to be precise) will release energy when broken apart. Lighter nuclei on the other hand usually release energy when they merge, or fuse. The most energy is released when two hydrogen nuclei fuse into a helium nucleus. Unlike the radioactive elements, getting the two helium nuclei to merge already takes a good deal of energy. Sticking with the analogy of the cart, it is like it's sitting in a hole at the top of the hill and needs a considerable push before rolling down.
The fusion bomb initial energy is created by heating the hydrogen up to a tremendous temperature with a fission bomb as the first stage. In the split second between the initiating fission going off and the hydrogen being blown apart, the temperature causes it to fuse into helium, releasing many times more energy.
The special case of a dirty "nuclear" bomb
A dirty bomb can also be loosely defined as a nuclear bomb but does not require weapons graded fissionable material, it has more in common with chemical weapons. It uses a conventional explosive system to spread radioactive contaminants across an area. No bomb of this type has so far been used. Its effects would be similar to what occurs in large atmospheric nuclear disasters, like the one of Chernobyl.
How dangerous is it?
The bomb in its stored state isn't very dangerous, as it takes some effort to set it off. Once detonated, the explosion is extremely dangerous. Even those that survive the blast and the fires will be subject to varying levels of radiation (mostly depending on how close they were to the bomb) that can cause death, cancer, leukemia, or harm to reproductive organs resulting in a higher level of birth defects, or even complete sterility.
Only two nuclear bombs have been used in warfare. Toward the end of World War II, the United States dropped bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The death-toll from these bombings was in the hundreds of thousands.
In Hiroshima, the immediate effects of the blast killed about 70,000 people. In the aftermath, between 90,000 to 140,000 more people died from burns, radiation, and related disease.
Nuclear myths and folklore
The Doomsday Clock
What does it do?
The nuclear bomb explosion, like any explosion, releases an enormous amount of energy in the form of heat and kinetic energy (force), that accounts also for the sound, heat and light. The size of an explosion is dependent on the yield (strength) of the bomb, and that depends on its makeup. It can vary from a fairly small explosion from a "battlefield" nuclear weapon to an explosion big enough to destroy a very large city. The energy release capability of nuclear devices is so great that it is one of the strongest explosions mankind is capable of setting off.
The energy released from a nuclear weapon exploded in the air is split four ways:
- Blast—40-50% of total energy
- Thermal radiation—30-50% of total energy
- Ionizing radiation—5% of total energy
- Residual radiation—5-10% of total energy
Depending on the bomb's yield and on the environment of the blast. It can generate ground shock waves that are even stronger than the strongest naturally occurring earthquake, that energy and the sound waves alone can reach considerable distances and alone flatten buildings and kill people. The explosion is so strong that a vacuum is created in its center; so that after the energy expansion dissipates the air is pulled back into the detonation point.
The huge force generates not only a light that may be several times stronger than that of the sun (due to the high energy collision of matter) but will push away the air around, forcing it to expand, this acceleration creates a shock-wave so strong that is able to level entire cities by itself. The kinetic energy will also be turned into heat, creating a massive fireball. The heat alone will burn people to death and cause fires miles away from the point of explosion. But the major devastation and impact is the radiation that unleashes terrible suffering not only on those nearby that may miraculously survive but also those living at range of the ensuing radioactive contamination, poisoning and causing genetic defects for several generations (lifetimes).
Unlike any other type of bomb that have simply a tactical destructive purpose of life or installations, the nuclear arsenal has so far been solely been under the control of nation states and primarily served as a deterrent and political tool to avoid prolonged and open conflict. Note that special attention is given to the delivery system of the devices. From a "crude" bomb that was intended to be dropped from a plane it evolved into technologically advanced payload for intercontinental missiles, since the first shot will be strategically the deciding factor of who suffers less form the outcome of a nuclear conflict, where there are no victors.
How has it changed the world?
The nuclear bomb is one of the most destructive weapons ever created. But it was not its development that changed the world but the realization that nations would consider using such weapons. Toward the end of the second world war, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was done mainly to make Japan surrender sooner, so the US would not have to invade Japan itself and the USSR would not start to invade the Japanese territories. The reckless destruction and immediate and long-term effects of the bombings have created a strong sentiment against the use of nuclear weapons.
After its use against Japan, there was a major shift in world political power towards the US, that permitted the US to block, even dismiss, previous understandings with Stalin — the head of the USSR government, who had been allies during WWII — about territory and areas of influence. This new unbalance was the start for the nuclear arms race and greatly increasing nuclear tests with drastic effects on the environment.
Soon after the end of WWII, the US, with support of the previous major power and principal ally, the United Kingdom — and of its pre-war Empire that was then ending — took steps to block the advance of the Soviets (USSR) expansion into Europe. This led, for decades, to a gridlocked power struggle known as the Cold War. Both sides had enough nuclear bombs to completely destroy each other, which would also do terrible damage to the entire world population. This gave everyone a very strong reason to avoid starting a war, creating a strategy called mutually assured destruction (MAD), which influenced world politics during the Cold War and defined the balance between Super-powers.
Nuclear Proliferation and Smuggling (covert proliferation)
The principal goal of nuclear de-escalation is intended to preserve a balance of power between all opposing poles of the geopolitical nuclear table, like the United States versus Russia or Pakistan versus India and to a lesser degree China or even in a near future Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia. This is also the central point of the continual ransom game North Korea plays with the US, South Korea and Japan.
While treaties alone saves those nations resources in a continual power struggle for world or regional influence where economic and technology might then takes prominence over the capability of mass production of nuclear weapons. At the same time this mutually agreed strategy has its flaws or is clearly skewed to favour one side, for example with the ban on nuclear tests the nation that has a better technological capability to advance nuclear armament through simulations and related technologies like delivery systems (distance, stealth and miniaturization) and improved detonation systems gains an advantage, this and the creation of abilities to intercept and disable intercontinental delivery vehicles puts pressure in having not only more weapons but develop capabilities to influence (social-economically) the opposition and be able to detect and monitor nuclear weapons stockpiles and movements.
Who has "The bomb"?
The United States, United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, North-Korea, and China all admit that they have a nuclear arsenal. Israel does not admit it but is believed to also have nuclear weapons; this is also supported by an unclaimed test done near South-Africa/Antarctica (the Vela Incident), and Israel having bought elements for nuclear weapons.
The South African government dismantled all of its nuclear weapons in 1990, the first nation in the world to voluntarily give up all nuclear arms it had developed itself.
There are many other states that may have nuclear weapons created in secret or maintained by some sort of accord with a nuclear nation. For example, by November 2009, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey were still hosting US nuclear weapons as part of NATO.
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Posted at: 12/13/2013 9:16 AM
By: Erika Edwards, NBC News
Photo: NBC News
(NBC News) -- New research suggests doctors should add a pill to the list of options for women to lower their risk for breast cancer.
Researchers say women who have a strong family history of breast cancer may benefit from a drug called Anastrozole.
"There are millions of women who could benefit from a drug such as Anastrozole in reducing the risk of ever developing breast cancer," said Dr. Therese Bevers of the Anderson Cancer Center.
In a study of nearly 4,000 high-risk, post-menopausal women, those who took the pill for 5 years were half as likely to develop breast cancer then women on a placebo.
While this included invasive tumors, there was no difference in overall mortality rates.
Experts say this is an important addition to medications women already have for preventing cancer and may be more effective than Tamoxifen, with fewer side effects.
"Some of the side effects that were seen with Anastrozole in this trial were largely musculoskeletal problems and hot flashes, however these were really quite rare," explained Bevers.
In the study, which was partially paid for by drug makers, Anastrozole cut the incidence of breast cancers from 4- to 2-percent over 5 years.
It works by preventing the body from making estrogen, the fuel for many breast cancers.
Breast cancer is one of the biggest cancer killers of women in the U.S, second only to lung cancer.
The drug is available in generic form, which may make it cheaper. It's been used for years to treat some women already diagnosed with the disease in the U.S.
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Boudicca is a legendary figure of British history, famous as an archetypal warrior woman who supposedly embodies the spirit of Britannia with her motto, ‘Britons never, never shall be slaves!’. In 60–61 CE she led her tribe the Iceni and other Celtic allies in a bloody revolt against the occupying Roman forces, but was defeated in a final battle and met her end. Her final resting place has never been discovered, but its location has triggered various speculation. Boudicca (also spelled Boudicca), formerly known as Boadicea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" (d. AD 60 or 61) was a queen of the Brittonic Iceni tribe of what is now known as East Anglia in England, who led an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire. Her name derives from the Celtic word bouda, meaning ‘victory’, and was hence was an Iron Age equivalent of Victoria – a fact made much of by the Victorians, who popularised her legend.
The better-known version of her name, Boadicea, is probably the result of a mistranscription of Tacitus, the Roman historian who is the primary source for her story. (The other source is Dio Cassius, a slightly later Greco-Roman writer who probably based his version mainly on Tacitus, although he added some extra details.) After the Romans’ conquest of Britain in 43 CE they had occupied most of South East England, but left client kings in charge of some peripheral areas. This was common practice. What usually followed was that the king in question would will his kingdom to the Romans on his death, ensuring an orderly transition of power.
In the Iceni area, King Prasutagus had been left in charge as a client king; Boudicca was his wife. In return for subjecting to Roman overlordship and making the Roman emperor co-heir to his kingdom, he was allowed to rule and was even lent considerable sums of money with which to enjoy himself. When he died, however, he left his people in a parlous state. Roman law did not recognise inheritance by females, and Prasutagus had only daughters (although the Romans probably would have annexed his kingdom anyway). On top of this, the Iceni were faced with the debts he had run up. Accordingly the Romans took over, and the Iceni suddenly found that their jealously guarded freedoms had disappeared. Their lands were now considered Roman property and they were treated like slaves.
They were ruthlessly taxed and, according to Tacitus, Boudicca and her daughters were flogged and raped. In 60 CE, while the Roman governor Suetonius Paulinus was away in Northern Wales campaigning against the Druids on Anglesey, the Iceni and their neighbours the Trinovantes rose up in revolt. Leading them was the charismatic and forceful Boudicca, whom Dio Cassius describes as cutting a striking figure: Boudicca was tall, terrible to look on and gifted with a powerful voice. A flood of bright red hair ran down to her knees; she wore a golden necklet made up of ornate pieces, a multi-coloured robe and over it a thick cloak held together by a brooch. She took up a long spear to cause dread in all who set eyes on her.
First the British horde fell on the Roman settlement of Camulodunum (modern-day Colchester), razing it to the ground and massacring most of the inhabitants. They defeated a Roman legion sent to deal with them, and in 61 CE moved towards the recently founded Roman trading post and administrative centre of Londinium (modern-day London). Hearing the news of the revolt, Suetonius had called off his campaign and marched from Wales to Londinium at speed, travelling the entire length of the Roman road known as Watling Street, arriving there just before the British host.
Realising that he did not have enough men to defend the city, he retreated, evacuating as many as possible. The Britons burned Londinium to the ground and again massacred everyone they found, before moving along Watling Street to Verulamium (modern-day St Albans) where they did the same. In all, Boudicca’s forces are said to have killed around 70–80,000 people.
Suetonius retreated back up Watling Street, gathering what forces he could, eventually mustering 10,000 men. Boudicca’s horde was said to be 230,000 strong. The Roman governor knew that if he took on the Britons in open country they would surround him and cut his force to pieces, but he also knew that if deployed on the right ground, superior Roman military tactics would nullify the imbalance of forces. Tacitus records that Suetonius ‘prepared to break off delay and fight a battle. He chose a position approached by a narrow defile, closed in at the rear by a forest, having first ascertained that there was not a soldier of the enemy except in front of him, where an open plain extended …’ This is the only description of the site of what is commonly called the Battle of Watling Street, on the basis that since Suetonius was retreating up this Roman road he would probably have picked a site not far from it.
The pursuing British horde, confident of victory, drew up the wagons carrying their women, children and old folk in a huge ring around the battlefield so that they could view the fight. Unable to cope with Roman tactics, discipline and armour, the British horde was defeated and tried to flee, but were impeded by their own wagons. The Romans slaughtered 80,000 of them in one of the worst single days of carnage ever recorded on British soil.
The location of Boudica's defeat is unknown. Most historians favour a site in the West Midlands, somewhere along the Roman road now known as Watling Street. Kevin K. Carroll suggests a site close to High Cross in Leicestershire, on the junction of Watling Street and the Fosse Way, which would have allowed the Legio II Augusta, based at Exeter, to rendezvous with the rest of Suetonius's forces, had they not failed to do so. Manduessedum (Mancetter), near the modern town of Atherstone in Warwickshire, has also been suggested, as has 'The Rampart' near Messing in Essex, according to legend. More recently, a discovery of Roman artifacts in Kings Norton close to Metchley Camp has suggested another possibility.
Tacitus records that Boudicca survived the carnage but committed suicide with poison (according to tradition, her daughters committed suicide alongside her). Dio Cassius reports that she fell sick and died, presumably of despair at the great defeat. Tantalisingly, he also records that she was buried with great ceremony and riches, raising the questions: where does Boudicca’s body lie, and might the rich hoard of grave goods still be recovered?
Perhaps the most prevalent bit of folklore regarding Boudicca’s grave is the tradition that she is buried beneath one of the platforms in King’s Cross station, one of the main railway stations in London, from where trains head north along the busiest rail route in the country. (It is also now famous internationally for being where Harry Potter catches the train to Hogwarts in the popular books and films.) Absurd though it sounds, this legend is remarkably widespread, although the actual platform number that is given varies considerably. Usually it is Platform 10. A former place name for King’s Cross is Battle Bridge, which is given as a possible location for the Battle of Watling Street – perhaps this is the basis of the legend.
Alternatively, the original source of the legend may be Lewis Spence’s 1937 book Boadicea – Warrior queen of the Britons. Spence was a folklorist and writer on occult and pseudohistorical topics such as Atlantis and fairy traditions, and is not now noted for his academic rigour. The story received an added impetus in 1988 when an article in British newspaper The Daily Telegraph claimed that contractors working on Platform 10 at King’s Cross station had unearthed the skeleton of the warrior queen. This has since been quoted widely, usually with the date of the discovery given as 22 February.
Archaeological discoveries can be more convincing than local folklore because of the presence of material evidence. However, unless archaeologists are fortunate enough to find inscriptions or other definite information at the same time, attributing identities to tombs or bodies is a matter of pure speculation. A good example is the Lady of Birdlip, a skeleton dug up near Birdlip in Gloucestershire in the late 19th century. Along with the bones were found a variety of grave goods, and the grave itself was flanked by two other graves. The grave seems to date to the 1st century CE, which is the correct time, and the grave goods – which included a mirror, brooches, a necklace and bowls – led to the identification of the skeleton as a woman. Perhaps inevitably it was suggested that the Lady of Birdlip was none other than Boudicca, buried with her two daughters alongside her.
The region had been the home of the Dobunni in late Iron Age times – perhaps these were Boudicca’s original people, to whom she had fled after the disastrous defeat somewhere nearby? Intriguingly, anomalous amounts of Dobunnic currency have been found in East Anglia, suggesting some sort of link between the Dobunni and the Iceni. The problem with this identification, apart from the total lack of any actual evidence, is that on viewing the Birdlip skull most experts assume it is male. Only when the context is known – ie the apparently ‘feminine’ grave goods – do attributions change. Antiquarian Malcolm Watkins argues that the Lady of Birdlip might have been a shaman/priest, rather than a warrior queen.
The final resting place of Queen Boudicca is likely to remain a mystery unless it is found that the ancient Britons helpfully buried her with some written identification. In practice, Boudicca herself is a historical problem. She is known only from the two Roman sources given and is not recorded or attested from any other sources. Indeed, until the work of Tacitus was rediscovered in medieval Europe during the Renaissance, British historians and chroniclers such as Bede or Geoffrey of Monmouth seemed to be unaware that she had ever existed. Given such a slim historical profile, it is hardly surprising that Boudicca should be so difficult to locate. Her final fate remains surrounded by unknowns. Perhaps she was cremated, dumped in a mass grave or simply fell somewhere in the wilderness.
Lost Histories : “Exploring the World’s Most Famous Mysteries” by Joel Levy;
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How Much Does Solar Power Cost: Solar Power Guide
What you need to know concerning Solar PowerSolar power is all over as it arrives from the sun. Solar power might be utilized to power electricity, pump water, to heat your home or office and power vehicles. With all that we are able to do with solar power you need to ponder why we don't do enough to preserve the solar power. We could make use of it for nearly anything and it would cost a small proportion of that which we are paying now. You'll be able to make a difference by doing your part is making solar power something you can use.In order to power energy with solar power you are required to know the essentials of solar power and precisely how it works. It takes a while for warmth from the sunlight to get to the earth. Unless it is concentrated into a particular region the warmth from the sun shall be distributed uniformly over the world's surface where the sun is shining. When you wish to use the natural sun light to power your electricity, heat or water you are required to understand the procedure to it.You need to direct the daylight to a targeted area in order to have adequate energy to power your source. Some of the biggest solar power towers are set up around the world. Solar power is not something that a few individuals are attempting but solar power is about the long run, everybody's future. When you use a light in your home you may not recognize the process that brings that energy to that switch so once you flip it on you will have lights. The energy that it takes to run power to our homes are not a natural way of energy. Conserving the energy that arrives from the sun is the most natural method to equip our homes with energy, heat and more. When we utilize natural resources we save in many methods; by preserving the world, cutting down on monthly and over all costs, and no inconvenient power outages. Preserving the world assists when you use natural resources that don't hurt the earths atmosphere and everything in it. If we continue to use the power that we use today we might pollute the atmosphere so much that the right amount of sun will not be able to make it down to the planet's surface at future times. Then we will haven't any other choice nevertheless to depend on our man created skills to produce something that will cost us more than just what it already does now. Pollutants will additionally harm life on earth as it starts to close in and begin to damage us. Cutting down on monthly and over all charges might save you a great deal of money down the line.In the beginning you might pay a minimal quantity to be solar power efficient by buying a solar source. You can purchase indoor and outdoor lighting, solar power windows and insulated doors to be able to create your home more solar efficient. Following that start-up expense you do not have the costs of paying a month to month bill to maintain your service on. This also promotes other people to utilize solar power to be more efficient. When a storm blows through we are occasionally left without power for a minimum of a day but sometimes more. When this happens we are so use to our conveniences that we even have a hard time adapting to going back to the essentials when we are use to switching on a light switch, employing the microwave, having a shower or tub assuming that the water might be pumped and heated the same as it continually is. Loading the dishwasher or showering the dishes, washing and drying clothes. All of those services need the power to be on and when it's off is when you miss the services. When you employ solar power you are less likely to experience these particular down times because your power is produced by natural energy. How Much Does Solar Power Cost: Solar Power Guide
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Follow the StarsPlace Stars throughout your school and have your children follow them to a prize. Then talk to them about how the wise men followed a star to find Jesus.
Put Jesus In the Manger
Submitted by NancyA Christmas spin to pin the tail on the donkey. Cut out a baby shape out of paper. Then make a manger shape and let your children place Jesus in the manger.
Christmas Role Play
Submitted by CindyPut a manger and babydoll in the classroom. Let your children pretend to be wise men, Mary and Joseph and act out Christmas Day
Jesus Loves Us No Mater What
Submitted by JaneFill a plastic or glass jar of water about two-thirds full of water. Talk to your children about how when they were born they had not sinned and that they had pure clean hearts (like this water), but then as we all get older we do things that aren't pleasing to Jesus, teacher, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc. and when this happens or hearts aren't clean anymore (add a couple of drops of food coloring to the water and stir)
Then tell them that their is good news. Jesus tells us that if we come to him and repent he will forgive us (add bleach to the water) This is a great story an example to the children about how Jesus Loves us no matter what
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Contents - Previous - Next
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Assessment of the impact of a hygiene on environmental sanitation, childhood diarrhoea, and the growth of children in rural Bangladesh
Nasar U. Ahmed, Marian F. Zeitlin, Alexa S. Beiser, Charles M. Super, Stanley N. Gershoff, and Manira A. Ahmed
A community-based hygiene intervention was developed and implemented in five villages of lowland Bangladesh with the active participation of members of the target group, with the objective of reducing childhood diarrhoea by altering ground sanitation and personal and food hygiene practices such as the washing of hands with ash before handling food and after defecation-related activities, cutting fingernails, removing faeces from the child's body and from the yard, using tube-well water for preparing baby food, and reducing supplementary feeding contamination by proper cleaning of bottles or avoiding bottle-feeding.
The project area, typical of Bangladesh, was selected because of its pour hygiene and sanitation conditions and its high rates of diarrhoea and malnutrition. Households with children 0-18 months old in five contiguous villages were targeted for the intervention. Households with children in the same age range in a comparison (control) site selected for observational study without intervention were exposed to about the same amount of contact with the researchers.
Baseline surveys of the subset of households with children 9-18 months old were conducted at the control site in July 1985 and at the intervention site in September. The intervention activities were carried out from January to July 1986. A final survey was conducted at both sites in August 1986, using the same questionnaire as for the baseline survey and the children who were then in the same age range, 9-18 months.
Both sites had higher cleanliness scores, lower diarrhoeal morbidity, and better growth status at the end of the study period, but the improvement was greater at the intervention site. The effect at the control site may be attributed to the intensive observation exposures, mothers' education, and socio-economic conditions of the households, whereas the intervention site effects were most likely due to the intervention activities.
For evaluation of the effect of interventions, the repeat cross-sectional survey may be adequate for measuring relatively stable outcomes such as knowledge and practices, as well as cumulative growth status, but inadequate for fluctuating morbidity.
One of the deadliest childhood diseases in the world is diarrhoea . Scrimshaw and others established that it has a synergistic relationship with malnutrition. This vicious cycle results in an adverse effect on growth [3-6]. In Bangladesh, 90% of preschool children suffer from some degree of malnutrition , and, as in many other countries, diarrhoea is one of the most important causes of malnutrition and child mortality Poor hygiene and sanitation are major contributors to the diarrhoea .
Many hygiene interventions that attempted to reduce childhood diarrhoea failed to demonstrate any effect, mainly because they were culturally unsuitable and often developed without understanding the problem in the target community [11-13]. In this project, a positive-deviance research approach was used to develop a community-based intervention. The researchers sought to identify local adaptive behaviours that could be modified by a trial process and implemented as culturally acceptable and low-cost interventions in five villages in rural Bangladesh. Five similar villages were used as a control site for evaluating the intervention.
The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of this intervention on mothers' knowledge and behaviour, and on the diarrhoeal morbidity and nutrition status of children 918 months old as measured by rapid cross-sectional surveys carried out before and after the intervention. A six-month longitudinal study was conducted, and its analyses are presented in a separate report . The repeat cross-sectional evaluation permitted an investigation as to whether this relatively inexpensive technique measured the impact of interventions adequately, compared with more costly longitudinal methods.
The project was carried out at two rural sites, each consisting of five contiguous villages in Harirampur subdistrict, Manikgonj district, about 100 km northwest of Dhaka on the northern bank of the Padma River. This area, typical of rural Bangladesh [ 17]. was chosen because of its poor sanitary conditions and high diarrhoeal and malnutrition rates .
A census was conducted in five villages in October 1985 to recruit all available households with children under 19 months of age for an intervention, and 185 households (98%) were targeted. In the same month, a similar census targeted 200 households (97%) for structured observational studies at the control site. The intervention site was five kilometres away from the control site and was accessible by a two-hour boat ride most of the year, and by foot over a narrow path in about one and a half hours during the driest winter months.
More than half the households in these villages did not own cultivable land, since much farm land had been submerged by the river. Household heads (almost exclusively men) were primarily engaged in farming, small-scale trading, salaried jobs, fishing, and day labour. Most of the farmers had small landholdings, growing mainly deep-water rice, jute, and seasonal vegetables. The traders sold grocery items and agricultural produce such as rice, wheat, vegetables, fruits, and date-palm molasses. Mothers spent their days processing food, cooking, cleaning, and caring for children.
The traditional homestead consisted of one or more thatch, jute straw, or tin houses surrounding an earthen courtyard. Huts made of thatch or straw generally served as living quarters but sometimes also as kitchens, animal sheds, or grain-storage areas. The more desirable and expensive tin-roofed and tin-walled houses were mainly owned by the richest households.
Children were cared for in and around the courtyard by the mother, grandmother, and siblings. The earth surfaces of the house and yard were used for domestic work, for raising chickens, ducks, goats, and cattle, and for child care, including child toileting. Ground sanitation' personal cleanliness, and food hygiene were difficult year-round, with the additional problems of insufficient water in the hot dry season (April-May) and too much water in the flood season (July-September).
A community-based trial model, described in detail elsewhere was used to develop interventions. Briefly, specific hygiene practices and sanitary conditions associated with diarrhoea were identified through baseline surveys, field observations, in-home problem diagnosis, and focus-group discussions and other methods recommended by Scrimshaw and Hurtado . These assessments showed that villagers believed supplementary feeding of infants, teething, evil eye, bad air, and spirits caused diarrhoea . Only 4% of the mothers at the intervention site had heard about germs. The connection between faecal contamination and diarrhoea was not recognized by most of the villagers. To develop an understanding of the occurrence of diarrhoea, the germ of theory of disease was taught to the participants.
One Tufts University doctoral candidate and two master's-level field supervisors worked with local project workers and the community to develop and test informational messages and teaching aids. A core of ten project workers were chosen from the community on the basis of at least ten years of education, ability, willingness to work in the field, and trustworthiness in the community.
Hygiene practices were proposed during working-group sessions and tested and revised through trial and practice at three levels, the first of which was in the homes of the ten project workers.
For the next level, the community was divided into five geographical blocks, each supervised by a project worker. From each block, five volunteers, who were themselves mothers targeted for the intervention, were selected using the following criteria: ability to articulate messages, willingness and family support for volunteering, and a friendly relationship with neighbours; it was prestigious to be a volunteer. Five workers taught the practices and supervised the trials at the second level in the homes of these 25 community volunteers.
After the volunteers' trials, the messages were modified again, and the volunteers taught the rest of the community. The teaching was interactive, by demonstration, emphasizing question-and-answer and discussion sessions. Volunteer training and community-level teaching were done at least twice a week in groups of up to five. For the sessions, the mothers chose their less busy hours, late morning and late afternoon.
For the third level, the working-group members visited five of the poorest households in each block to assess their ability to use the messages. The final messages were established on the basis of this assessment.
The three trial levels thus addressed the needs and understanding of the different groups in the community, including the poorest. Successful behavioural advice was composed into simple, feasible, direct, and motivating verbal messages created to resemble locally popular proverbs, poems, and folk songs. The intervention themes and messages, after final testing and revisions during the education campaign in the community as a whole, were as follows, presented in the order in which they were developed and integrated into community practice.
» Ground sanitation themekeeping babies from touching and eating disease-causing matter on the dirt surface of the compound:
» Personal hygiene themereducing the transmission of germs from defecation and other related activities:
» Food hygiene themereducing the transmission of germs during bottle-feeding and supplementary feeding:
Evaluation of the intervention
While the intervention targeted all available households with children 0-18 months old, the age range 9-18 months was chosen for the repeat cross-sectional evaluation. The crawling and toddler stages of development were considered crucial in terms of hygiene and sanitation practices, diarrhoeal morbidity, and malnutrition; and, at the crawling stage, infants' exploratory behaviours lead them to touch and taste faecal matter on contaminated surfaces
The same 9-18-month age range was used in bath the baseline survey in July and September 1985 and the final survey in August 1986. The 11 to 13 months between the two therefore meant that the children in the first sample were excluded from the final sample; four completely independent groups were thus obtained. The mothers of almost all the children in this age range participated in the surveys. There were 111 households at the intervention site in the 1985 survey and 90 in the 1986 survey; at the control site the sample sizes were 96 in 1985 and 78 in 1986.
The field workers who took part in the longitudinal research or intervention at the two sites switched locations to administer the final survey. In addition, personnel who had implemented the intervention were not involved in monitoring the outcomes of the intervention.
The same questionnaire was used for both surveys. Information was recorded on the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the households as well as on basic practices and beliefs with regard to hygiene, sanitation, and infant feeding. The interviewers asked each mother to indicate the two locations where she most commonly placed the infant on the ground to play while she worked. The interviewers inspected the sanitary conditions of these areas and recorded the presence of faecal matter, spoiled food, garbage, other dirty things, dust, and wetness.
Information was also collected on diarrhoea among the children on the day of the interview and over the preceding two weeks. The children were weighed by trained anthropometry workers, using a beam-balance scale, and the weights recorded to the nearest 0.1 kg. The measurements were standardized by the Zerfas method .
The socio-economic scale used in the analyses was adapted from a previous scale developed by researchers at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Dhaka . The scores for the components of the scale were as follows: housing materials and structuresall tin = 8, four-sided tin roof and bamboo walls = 6, two-sided tin roof and bamboo walls = 4, one-sided tin roof and bamboo walls = 2, all thatch-straw=1; radio ownership=3; tube-well ownership = 8; and mother's meals per daythree meals = 5, less than three meals = 0.
The sum of the mother's and father's years of schooling was used to measure education. The amount of land owned by the family was used as a measure of economic conditions.
Each mother was asked whether or not the following might cause disease if eaten by a baby: animal faeces, garbage, flies, baby faeces, adult faeces, spoiled food, and fresh food fallen onto the ground. The mother's knowledge of hygiene and sanitation was measured by the sum of her responses (incorrect = 0, correct = 1).
Hygiene practices and sanitary conditions
A sanitation scale was formed from the sum of the responses and observations of the following variables, with response categories ranked from low to high on the basis of their likelihood of preventing faecal contamination:
Two other variables to address hygiene and sanitary conditions were the baby's contact with faeces within the previous two weeks, based on the mother's recall (no contact = 0, physical contact = 1, physical and oral contact = 2), and the dryness of the play area as observed on the day of survey (all mud = 0, moist earth and some mud = 1, some moist earth and some mud=2, all moist earth = 3, some dry and some moist earth = 4, all dry earth = 5).
The dryness of the baby's play areas was one of the indicators of the ground-sanitation condition of a household because muddy areas trap contaminants and are not easily swept clean. Micro-organisms thrive in a moist environment, and moist or muddy soil is likely to adhere to crawling infants. Accumulated faeces, urine, and moist kitchen garbage also can make an area wet and muddy. The baseline survey results showed a negative association between the dryness of play areas and the prevalence of diarrhoea in the children. In the intervention campaign, the cleanliness and dryness of the play area were emphasized.
The point prevalence of diarrhoea and its prevalence over the preceding two weeks were measured by the mother's recall, as recommended in the WHO rapid assessment manual. A composite variable representing the diarrhoeal history of the child was also constructed by summing the responses to the following questions, to which mothers responded according to their own interpretation and recall:
A respiratory-infection variable consisted of the sum of the responses to the following queries:
Cold/cough and fever conditions were sought separately in the questionnaire. Analysis showed fever had a strong association with cold/cough but no significant association with diarrhoea. We created a composite variable including cold/cough and fever to reflect acute respiratory infection.
Weight-for-age Z scores (WAZ), used as a dependent variable in the regression analyses, were calculated using the WHO and US National Center for Health Statistics 2 standard for each age and sex.
Internal consistency of the scales
The internal consistencies of the composite variables/ scales were confirmed using the SPSS reliability program with Cronbach's alpha, yielding the following alpha values: socio-economic scale .60, mother's knowledge .74, sanitation scale .66, diarrhoea scale .61, and respiratory scale .52.
The objective of the analyses was to investigate the comparability of the intervention and control sites at the baseline (1985) and the difference between them at the end of the project (1986), and to assess the changes within each site between the two surveys. The analyses were performed using the SPSS-X package . Possible confounding variables, such as the baby's age and sex, the parents' education, the amount of land owned by the family, and the family's socio-economic status, were taken into account in the analysis.
All categorical variables were cross-tabulated to contrast the four samples. Pearson chi-square and Fisher's exact test were again performed to contrast the 1985 intervention and control samples (the baseline difference), the 1986 intervention and control samples (the final difference), and the difference between 1985 and 1986 at each site. As in multiple pairwise comparisons, it is necessary to control for type I error to reduce the chance of falsely finding significant difference in any pair. We used the Bonferroni adjustment for significance level to address this problem in comparisons for several proportions.
All the socio-economic characteristics measured as interval or ratio variables were compared by ANOVA using a multiple comparison test, the Student-Newman-Keuls procedure , to identify significant differences in mean values among the four independent samples.
A series of multiple regression analyses explored and identified the contributions of different independent variables to the outcome variables. Both 1985 samples were combined to represent the condition of the population before the intervention, and the 1986 samples were introduced as dummy variables to distinguish placebo effects from intervention effects in the following models:
Contents - Previous - Next
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Architect Nick Holmes III climbed a spiral staircase, ducked through a passageway, then climbed another flight of stairs, making his way into Barton Academy’s famed dome.
“The dome is basically sound,” he said as he pointed to the interior walls, noting that there aren’t any cracks.
“It lists. But it listed in 1970. It may have listed in the 1800s,” he said.
Holmes likened it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. Architects would never try to straighten it. Instead, they keep it stable at its present angle.
In the 1970s, workers installed steel beams within the walls of the Barton dome to support the wooden trusses, and added fiberglass to reinforce the large white columns that provide structure to the dome.
The copper roof is fine, for the most part.
Still, some of the wooden lanterns — decorative columns at the very top of the dome — have rotted and fallen off.
“The message we want to get across,” said Elizabeth Sanders, with the Downtown M
obile Alliance, “is that the dome is not tilting. The building is not falling down.”
She and Holmes serve on the Barton Academy Historic Preservation and Restoration Committee, which formed a couple of years ago to try to save and find a use for Barton, Alabama’s first public school, built in the 1830s.
The committee, which includes Mobile County schools Superintendent Roy Nichols, hopes to create an international magnet school there for sixth through 12th grades.
Taking in students from Mobile and Baldwin counties, it would emphasize international affairs, foreign language and history, offering advanced classes and opportunities to study abroad, according to school system officials.
But first, millions of dollars are needed to get Barton in shape.
Despite its striking Greek revival architecture and its status as a downtown landmark, Barton has sat empty on Government Street since 2007, when the school system moved its central offices westward. The building has been placed on rosters of Alabama’s most endangered historical places.
There have been no major renovations since the 1970s, when Holmes worked on Barton as a carpenter’s assistant.
Holmes has completed a study revealing that it would take about $3 million to bring Barton’s exterior into first-class condition.
It’s needed to paint Barton, the Yerby building behind it and the auditorium in between, and to seal cracks, particularly on Barton’s east side, which Holmes suspects got their start when Hurricane Frederic roared through in 1979. Moisture entered, rust took over like a cancer, he said, and the tiny hairline cracks grew and grew.
The money would also replace the windows on the Yerby building and fix severe leaks in the free-standing auditorium.
Barton is one of the most important buildings, architecturally, in the state, Holmes said. But he fears for its future if it goes untouched much longer.
“It’s like anything else if you leave it out in the weather, unprotected,” he said.
Holmes, Sanders and others don’t want that to happen.
Members of the preservation committee seek to raise the $3 million, plus another $12 million to $17 million to get the inside ready for students. That would allow crews to rebuild walls, convert Barton from office space to classrooms, rewire it for the modern era and modernize the climate control system.
They could also restore or replace floors covered in a hodgepodge of blue, green, yellow and orange carpet, some held together at the seams with gray tape.
On the inside, Barton looks much as it did when central office workers departed, although most of the work cubicles are gone.
Employees left up various plaques, including the wall-sized Freedom Shrine, a feature at many schools that includes replicas of the Constitution and other historical documents. There are even job listings from 2007 posted on a bulletin board.
In the former school board meeting room, six deep dents in the carpet show the position where the large board table sat.
The school system will soon undertake a study to determine whether the community would support the international magnet and whether as many as 400 students would enroll there every year.
Nichols said he aims to start a major fundraising effort for Barton before he retires at the end of this year.
“This is a piece of important real estate that the school board owns,” Sanders said. “It’s significant in size. It’s significant in its importance to the state. It’s significant in its history. ... The prudent thing to do is to find a use.”
The international magnet, Sanders said, would be “great for downtown, great for the students. It would be a magnificent place to go to school.”
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To get more nutritional bang for your buck, buy beans, potatoes, peas and corn.
A recent study from the University of Washington compared 98 vegetables in terms of value and nutrition. While dark green vegetables, such as broccoli, scored highest in nutrient density, the study found that beans and starchy vegetables offer the best nutritional value for the money.
Nutrient density was based on fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamins A, C and K. Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables were found to provide comparable nutritional value.
Affordable nutrition is especially important for the national school lunch program, according to the study, which appeared in the online journal PLOS ONE.
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On January 9 the world of political economy and the community of libertarian academics lost one of the 20th century’s most important thinkers with the death of James Buchanan at age 93. Although he was not as well known as Mises and Hayek, or even Milton Friedman or perhaps Robert Nozick, his work belongs with theirs in any discussion of the central contributions to libertarian thought in the last 100 years. Buchanan’s work, much of which was published with a variety of co-authors in the Public Choice school of economics, is somewhat less accessible to the average reader than the others named above, which may explain why he is not the household name among libertarians that the others are. However, in terms of the importance and impact of his work, his contributions are essential.
In much of the coverage of his death, his work was summarized in two ways: politicians are self-interested, and constitutions are necessary to constrain governments. Put that simply, both seem rather obvious, leaving some to wonder why he was so important and why he deserved the Nobel Prize in economics (which he won in 1986).
Underneath those two aphorisms was a much more complex set of arguments that need to be understood in the context of how economists thought about the economic role of government in the first half of the 20th century. Buchanan’s work was responsible for dismantling a form of argument that took the imperfections of the market as an ipso facto case for government intervention. He did so by showing that government intervention was susceptible to imperfections just as the market was, imperfections that were arguably greater. Once the imperfections of intervention were clear, the case for it became much weaker. From there, Buchanan and his colleagues could argue the case for constitutional restraints on government. To see how their argument works, we need to explore the historical context into which Buchanan stepped.
By the middle of the 20th century, mainstream economics had adopted the so-called perfect competition model as its preferred description of how an ideal free market would operate. Given its highly restrictive assumptions of perfect knowledge and a large number of small competitors all selling identical products at the same market price they cannot influence, the model showed that such markets would produce the “perfectly efficient” result. It is no surprise that real-world markets almost always failed to live up to that ideal. Their imperfections were termed “market failures,” and the remedy was to bring the state in to adjust costs and benefits in such ways as to remove or reduce the imperfections.
The term “market failure” is problematic, as Austrian economists pointed out at the time and have ever since. Features of real-world markets, such as differentiated products or a small number of large firms, could be understood only as “failures” or “imperfections” in comparison to the unachievable ideal of perfect competition. As Hayek argued in the 1970s, the correct comparison is between real-world markets and what we could achieve if markets were absent.
While the Austrians argued that the language of market failure was mistaken, the contribution of Buchanan and his colleagues was to go after the idea that the state could remedy such failures that exist. Economists who argued for state solutions came up with clever and sophisticated models for how political actors could adopt corrective policies. For example, pollution was seen as a “market failure” caused by polluters imposing costs on third parties, rather than bearing them directly, which implied that they produced more pollution than was optimal. To correct that, governments would tax the offenders an amount that matched the social cost of the pollution, thereby discouraging their behavior and providing the revenue needed to compensate those harmed. On the blackboard, that solution would bring about the efficient result the market could not achieve.
On the macroeconomic side, economists made a similar argument about recessions and budget deficits. Recessions were seen as a kind of systemwide market failure, or “unemployment equilibrium,” as Keynesians termed it. The solution was for governments to engage in deficit spending to make up the supposed lack of private-sector aggregate demand. If governments could borrow and deficit-spend in bad times, and run offsetting surpluses in good times, the budget would remain balanced over the business cycle and the economy would run smoothly.
Buchanan made two claims about the nature of political activity that suggested governments would be unable to improve on the market. The problem with the scenarios above is that they entail what Buchanan called “behavioral asymmetry.” In the perfect-competition model, people were assumed to be motivated by self-interest. By contrast, people in the political world did not think about self-interest but simply acted in the “public interest” the way the blackboard models said they would. No one ever asked whether doing so was in the interest of political actors. To be precise, Buchanan’s contribution was not to say that “politicians are self-interested,” but to simply demand that we treat economic and political actors symmetrically. That is, doing political economy responsibly means making the same assumptions about the motivations of people in both the political and economic realms. That is what Buchanan meant when he called for a “politics without romance.”
The extension of that observation is the realization that politics, like the market, could be analyzed as a forum for exchange among broadly self-interested actors trying to improve their well-being. For Buchanan, markets and politics were alternative processes by which individual persons could make themselves better off. The difference between the two was whether the unintended consequences of that exchange behavior made society better off or not. Market exchange was mutually beneficial and socially beneficial; political exchange often had socially destructive consequences. Buchanan and his colleagues modeled elected politicians as vote-seekers, the public as seekers of net benefits from government, and bureaucrats as seekers of power and money to spend. In the middle of everything were the various private actors seeking government benefits, that is, engaging in what came to be called “rent-seeking.”
By viewing politics as exchange, Buchanan was able to explain why the government solutions to market imperfections so consistently failed to work the way they do on the blackboard. Take the running of deficits during recessions and surpluses during good times. If politics is about exchange, then politicians who spend more and refuse to raise taxes would get more votes, while those who raised taxes and cut spending, as required during good times, would lose votes and not get reelected. With institutional incentives always favoring deficits over surpluses, no matter how good budget-balancing over the business cycle looked on the blackboard, we would almost always have deficits. The history of the last 75 years confirms that argument.
If people were to be regarded the same in both the economic and political realm, it followed that those affected by new taxes or transfers might lobby legislators, promising them votes in exchange for favorable policies that deviated from the blackboard ideal. For example, if a pollution tax were proposed, firms subject to the tax would be willing to spend a great deal of money to prevent its passage. People in the private sector might also ask the government for special treatment even in the absence of any “market failure.” Once we understand politics as exchange among broadly self-interested actors, we see that government policies will never align with the blackboard models.
Buchanan referred to the systematic inability of the political process to produce the ideal generated by economic models as “government failure,” in parallel with the “market failure” discussed earlier. No longer could economists do what they had been doing for decades: assume that imperfections of markets were a sufficient cause for government intervention. Once Public Choice theory introduced the possibility that institutional incentives would generate perverse political outcomes, the question of state intervention became comparative. Both market exchange and political exchange were incapable of perfect efficiency, so which one was better?
Buchanan and his co-authors generally argued for the superiority of market exchange, and their arguments can be found in a variety of his writings. With a few exceptions, such as his brilliant short letter to the editor “Order Defined in the Process of its Emergence,” most of Buchanan’s work on why markets are good was pretty conventional, and the exceptions were often very much influenced by the Austrian school.
The rules of the game
With government failure a serious possibility and the imperfections of the political process most likely to be much greater than those of the market, the next question was how to limit the state’s ability to make mischief. Buchanan’s answer was to focus on “the rules of the game.” Like Hayek, he viewed the market process as a kind of game structured by rules. The rules, in the form of institutions such as property rights and contract law, create incentives that make it more likely that people will behave in some ways rather than others. Strong protections for property rights, for example, will make people more likely to invest, trade, and think about the long-run implications of their choices.
The same is true of politics. The institutions of the political process create incentives for certain types of behavior. If we wish to discourage continual deficits, we need to change the rules of the game that encourage deficit spending. If we wish to reduce rent-seeking by private interests, we need to understand what rules encourage it and how they might be changed.
His emphasis on rules led Buchanan to his work in constitutional political economy. What a good constitution could do is create rules that prevented the self-interest of politicians from generating undesirable unintended consequences. Like Ulysses lashing himself to the mast, binding ourselves to constitutional constraints is a way to avoid the Sirens’ song of political self-interest and the destruction it can cause. Constitutionally requiring a balanced budget changes the rules and takes the ability to act on self-interest away from political actors. Other constitutional rules, such as requiring a super-majority for tax increases, can similarly prevent self-interest from being the cause of government failure. As James Madison, Buchanan’s favorite of the Founders, put it, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” For Buchanan, constitutional rules recognize that we are risen apes, not fallen angels.
One of the fascinating questions that Buchanan’s work raises is whether constitutional rules (in the sense of basic rules of the game, including the economic game) must, as he believed, be imposed from outside. Buchanan did not believe that market processes could generate all their own rules. Rules that prevented destructive self-interest or channeled it into productive uses had to be the product of political deliberation. A younger generation of scholars is challenging that view. Although they accept all of Buchanan’s analysis of the problems of politics, they are exploring whether markets and other nonpolitical processes can endogenously generate rules and norms that lead to effective self-governance in the absence of the state. In this work, the word “constitutional” refers not to a literal constitution, but to the ability to generate self-enforcing norms of that sort. Buchanan himself was skeptical of the possibility of a stateless society, but his work, like Hayek’s, might point in a more radical direction.
Buchanan’s work fundamentally challenged long-standing presumptions of economists about the benefits of government intervention and provided a way to think about the need for constitutional constraints on government. His work guides much libertarian political economy and has opened new avenues of research that point in directions more radical that Buchanan’s own ideas. He was one of the 20th century’s champions of liberty.
This article was originally published in the April 2013 edition of Future of Freedom.
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Gardening Articles: Health :: Garden Crafts
by Charlie Nardozzi
In the dead of winter, it's hard to imagine the stage is already set for flowering trees and shrubs to burst into bloom. In fact, after six to eight weeks of 32° to 45° F outdoor temperatures (by January in most areas), trees and shrubs have met their dormancy requirements, and if the weather warms up, they'll start to grow and bloom. Depending on where you live though, you'll likely have to wait at least a month or two for real spring to arrive.
But if you're an impatient gardener who needs a fix of flowers to offset the drab colors of winter, you don't need to go to the florist -- just step outside. By pruning branches from many common deciduous trees and shrubs, you can create beautiful indoor bouquets to serve as harbingers of spring.
Most northern gardeners know about forcing branches of apple, cherry, forsythia, and plum trees and shrubs indoors, but numerous other kinds of branches can also be forced not only for their beautiful flowers but for their interesting young leaves. Japanese and red maples have colorful, delicate young leaves. Poplars and birch produce chenille-like catkins (scaly, often pendulous flowers) that make for unusual arrangements. To scent your room, you can even try forcing fragrant flowers such as lilacs or honeysuckle.
However, forcing is not as simple as wandering out in January and pruning every shrub or tree in sight. Most trees and shrubs force best when pruned about six weeks before their natural bloom time. This time may be shorter in warm-winter areas, in microclimates, or for individual trees.
Swelling of the buds is also an indicator for when to cut branches; check buds weekly starting in early January. In cold-winter areas such as USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 6, you can cut early-blooming shrubs such as cornelian cherry, forsythia, and vernal witch hazel starting in mid-January. Cut later-flowering trees and shrubs such as apple, dogwood, and magnolia between February and early March. In warm-winter areas, such as zones 7 and 8, forcing branches is not as popular because winters are short and many trees and shrubs naturally bloom early. However, to get a few weeks' jump on the season, in late January and early February you can cut branches of redbud and other trees that normally bloom in late February and March.
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2016 Time Zones - Siem Reap
The graph above shows that there is no clock change in Siem Reap during 2016.
Time Changes in Siem Reap Over the Years
Daylight Saving Time (DST) changes do not necessarily occur on the same date every year.
|Year||Date & Time||Abbreviation||Time Change||Offset After|
|2010 — 2019||No changes, UTC +7 hours all of the period|
|* All times are local Siem Reap time.|
Data for the years before 1970 is not available for Siem Reap, however, we have earlier time zone history for Phnom Penh available.
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LAB 7 Image analysis Tim Slivka 02 November 2009
Answers to Questions:
1. Spatial subsetting is the act of creating an image that is only one region of a larger image (the new image covers a smaller area than the original, and is therefore a subset of the original). Spectral subsetting deals not with the physical area that an image covers, but with the spectral components of the image. The image may contain several bands (ranges of frequency of radiation – e.g., blue) of spectral data – spectral subsetting is the creation of a new image which is composed of only a subset of the original set of spectral bands. For example, if the original image was composed of the R,G,B, and IR bands, a spectral subset might be R, IR.
2. Georeferencing is the process by which an image or map of unknown location in physical space is located by reference to an image or map of know location in terms of map projection or coordinate system. In practice, this is usually done by assigning coordinates to locations in the un-located image that correspond to the same location in the image of know geographic location. The more locations, or points, that are linked in this way between the two images, the better georeferenced the first image becomes.
3. In hand-in 7, when we compare the images, we see the highest levels of the vegetation index (IR – R) occur in areas that appear to be fields of vegetation. This is consistent with our knowledge that vegetation has a high IR reflectance relative to its reflectance of the R band. I.e., the values IR – R, or vegetative index, will be high in areas covered by vegetation.
4. My second choice of vegetation index was the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index: (IR – R)/(IR + R) ). The NDVI is the vegetation index divided by the sum of IR and R. Whereas the value of IR – R may be any value, the value of the normalized expression NDVI is limited to the values between -1 and +1. Areas with a high (or low) vegetative index will be the same areas with high (or low) NDVI – and this is what we observe in comparing the two output images.
5. Five categories, preliminary identification:
4. shrub vegetation
5. sand/bare earth
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Significance and Use
Plastics are viscoelastic and therefore are likely to be sensitive to changes in velocity of the mass falling on their surfaces. However, the velocity of a free-falling object is a function of the square root of the drop height. A change of a factor of two in the drop height will cause a change of only 1.4 in velocity. Hagan et al (2) found that the mean-failure energy of sheeting was constant at drop heights between 0.30 and 1.4 m. This suggests that a constant mass-variable height method will give the same results as the constant height-variable mass technique. On the other hand, different materials respond differently to changes in the velocity of impact. Equivalence of these methods should not be taken for granted. While both constant-mass and constant-height techniques are permitted by these methods, the constant-height method should be used for those materials that are found to be rate-sensitive in the range of velocities encountered in falling-weight types of impact tests.
The test geometry FA causes a moderate level of stress concentration and can be used for most plastics.
Geometry FB causes a greater stress concentration and results in failure of tough or thick specimens that do not fail with Geometry FA (3). This approach can produce a punch shear failure on thick sheet. If that type of failure is undesirable, Geometry FC should be used. Geometry FB is suitable for research and development because of the smaller test area required.
The conical configuration of the 12.7-mm diameter tup used in Geometry FB minimizes problems with tup penetration and sticking in failed specimens of some ductile materials.
The test conditions of Geometry FC are the same as those of Test Method A of Test Method D1709. They have been used in specifications for extruded sheeting. A limitation of this geometry is that considerable material is required.
The test conditions of Geometry FD are the same as for Test Method D3763.
The test conditions of Geometry FE are the same as for ISO 6603-1.
Because of the nature of impact testing, the selection of a test method and tup must be somewhat arbitrary. Although a choice of tup geometries is available, knowledge of the final or intended end-use application shall be considered.
Clamping of the test specimen will improve the precision of the data. Therefore, clamping is recommended. However, with rigid specimens, valid determinations can be made without clamping. Unclamped specimens tend to exhibit greater impact resistance.
Before proceeding with this test method, reference should be made to the specification of the material being tested. Table 1 of Classification System D4000 lists the ASTM materials standards that currently exist. Any test specimens preparation, conditioning, dimensions, or testing parameters or combination thereof covered in the relevant ASTM materials specification shall take precedence over those mentioned in this test method. If there are no relevant ASTM material specifications, then the default conditions apply.
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the threshold value of impact-failure energy required to crack or break flat, rigid plastic specimens under various specified conditions of impact of a free-falling dart (tup), based on testing many specimens.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values in parentheses are for information only.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific hazard statements are given in Section 8. Note 1—This test method and ISO 6603-1 are technically equivalent only when the test conditions and specimen geometry required for Geometry FE and the Bruceton Staircase method of calculation are used.
Note 1—This test method and ISO 6603-1 are technically equivalent only when the test conditions and specimen geometry required for Geometry FE and the Bruceton Staircase method of calculation are used.
2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.
ISO StandardsISO 6603-1 Plastics--Determination of Multiaxial Impact Behavior of Rigid Plastics--Part 1: Falling Dart Method
D618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics for Testing
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
D1600 Terminology for Abbreviated Terms Relating to Plastics
D1709 Test Methods for Impact Resistance of Plastic Film by the Free-Falling Dart Method
D2444 Test Method for Determination of the Impact Resistance of Thermoplastic Pipe and Fittings by Means of a Tup (Falling Weight)
D3763 Test Method for High Speed Puncture Properties of Plastics Using Load and Displacement Sensors
D4000 Classification System for Specifying Plastic Materials
D5947 Test Methods for Physical Dimensions of Solid Plastics Specimens
D6779 Classification System for and Basis of Specification for Polyamide Molding and Extrusion Materials (PA)
E691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method
ICS Number Code 83.140.10 (Films and sheets)
UNSPSC Code 13100000(Rubber and elastomers)
|Link to Active (This link will always route to the current Active version of the standard.)|
ASTM D5628-10, Standard Test Method for Impact Resistance of Flat, Rigid Plastic Specimens by Means of a Falling Dart (Tup or Falling Mass), ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2010, www.astm.orgBack to Top
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Spammers and hackers are constantly trying to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers (also known as my parents) online. According to a three-month study by antivirus developer PandaLabs, these cyber-criminals are creating around 57,000 new fake websites every week. That's close to 3 million per year. And all of it is being done to exploit major brands.
These counterfeit sites are aimed at tricking users into providing personal information. So their biggest targets are banks and transaction companies such as Visa, Amazon, and PayPal. Together, these sites make up about 65% of the fakes. Clearly, hackers are cutting right to the chase: bank accounts and social security numbers.
And of the 375 high-profile brand most often imitated, two companies are mimicked 44% of the time: eBay and Western Union, companies that do a huge bundle of business transactions every day.
"Although search engines are making an effort to mitigate the situation by changing indexing algorithms, they have so far been unable to offset the avalanche of new websites being created by hackers every day," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs, in an interview with Security Week.
It should come as no surprise with this "avalanche" of fakes then that close to 75% of U.S. Internet users have fallen victim to some kind of cyber attack. We'd better make sure our parents are prepared.
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I remember participating in fundraisers when I was younger and how much of an effort it was to talk people into buying the odd containers of cheese and crackers or yet another roll of holiday wrapping paper. Does anyone really want those anyway?
I'm guessing a lot of uneaten cheese and elf-covered paper goes to waste every year as family and neighbors try to do their best at helping to raise money for new uniforms or a class trip. And in the end, what do the children learn? Pretty much just how to sell something, which is okay, but is there really a life lesson?
What would really be great is if more schools, organizations and groups ran fundraisers that not only benefited themselves, but helped show how much of a difference everyday choices can make in the lives of others. Add to that supporting sustainable farming methods and loving our planet and they would need to look no further than to working with Equal Exchange's Fair Trade Fundraiser Program.
Based in Massachusetts, Equal Exchange is a worker-owned co-op that was founded with the idea of food being traded in a way that is honest and fair and empowers both farmers and consumers. Offering products such as organic and sustainably grown coffees, teas, chocolates, cocoas, nuts, berries and more from around the world, Equal Exchange only partners with small farmer organizations that are owned and governed by the farmers themselves.
As well as keeping those rural communities healthy and strong, Equal Exchange is able to then share only the best products that come from their partners' harvests. And boy, oh boy, are they tasty.
So how can we help? The next time another fundraiser discussion rolls around, Equal Exchange has a program that works on multiple levels. Schools and community groups make a profit selling the amazing organic and fairly traded foods and handmade tree-free gift wrap from Equal Exchange and beautiful gifts for the home from Ten Thousand Villages. At the same time, small organic farmers and artisans from around the globe are being supported and the students participating in the sales learn about the values of social and environmental responsibility and global citizenship.
Equal Exchange even offers a multi-unit full curriculum of classroom activities (for grades 4 - 9) to help teach children and raise their awareness of the core issues surrounding food production and trade. I've spent a lot of time in the classroom (my education degree certifies me to teach grades 1 - 9) and I think the idea of teachers being able to incorporate Equal Exchange's free educational materials in with the fundraiser would be a wonderful opportunity to tie in the connection of sustainability and the importance of Equal Exchange's efforts and not just the selling and profit aspects of the fundraiser.
However, when it comes to the actual selling, I have to admit that it might be difficult to not purchase too many of these amazing products to keep once you have tried them for yourself. We sampled Equal Exchange's Organic and Fairly Traded Hot Cocoa Mix and mmmmm, it is tasty. The rich chocolatey flavor is smooth and delicious and it goes perfectly with a bite or two of dark chocolate.
Normally a milk chocolate fan, I was surprised at how much I loved the dark chocolates from Equal Exchange. The Organic Very Dark Chocolate bar is 71% Cacao, so you definitely just need a small amount but I still found it delectable and satisfying. The Dark Chocolate Minis, on the other hand, are melt-in-your mouth sweet, creamy and amazing. If a student shows up at your door selling these as part of a fundraiser, you have definitely got to try them.
To find out more about Equal Exchange's fundraising program, you can easily request a free informational packet including pricing and profit margin, a sample catalog and steps for getting started. Instead of trying to talk people into another popcorn tin or frozen pizza, suggest Equal Exchange to your child's school or group and help make a difference in lives at home and all over the world. Also, thanks to their generosity, Equal Exchange wants to let one person experience their incredible chocolates as well, so...
One lucky person will win a case of Equal Exchange Organic & Fairly Traded Dark Chocolate Minis! ARV $35!
To enter to win: Visit Equal Exchange's Fair Trade Fundraiser Program and tell me something that you learned about the program or which of their products you would like to try.
Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).
1 Extra Entry (per method) if you sign up for the Equal Exchange e-newsletter, follow them on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook. And 1 more Extra Entry if you leave the following message on their wall: I just found out about the great Equal Exchange Fundraiser Program on Thanks, Mail Carrier and entered to win a case of dark chocolate minis! Yum! http://bit.ly/c06dOs
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!
Mmmm, CHOCOLATE! I want to WIN a case of delicious organic chocolate minis ($35) from @thxmailcarrier! http://bit.ly/c06dOs #win #giveaway
2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or Like me on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and Equal Exchange's Fair Trade Fundraiser Program. Please leave an address where it can be found.
Giveaway will end on June 24th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
A big thank you to Equal Exchange for providing chocolates and hot cocoa for me to review as well as a case of dark chocolate minis for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.
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Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was a violinist and created a vast body of work for his instrument, but was clearly fascinated by the possibilities presented by other instruments. His Concerto in F for two horns conjures up the outdoors and hunting calls associated with the horn, but the solo parts are too virtuosic to sound trite. The horns lay out during the D-minor slow movement, which is typical in Vivaldi concertos for brass instruments. Natural horns don’t navigate minor keys as well as major keys, and in any case few if any composers before Mozart seem to have thought it a good idea to have horns singing in a slow movement. Then again, Vivaldi may have just wanted to let the players rest their lips.
- Howard Posner
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Our bones are some of the most important parts of the human body with the ability to mend and heal itself when injury occurs. It is in the same way that skin and muscles in the body can repair itself once there is a wound or break in their tissues. With bone fractures, the bone will undergo different processes of healing until a solid union of bones is completed. However, sometimes the formation of calcium to heal fractured bones is altered because scar tissues tend to fill the gap where the fractured bone was expected to join. Therefore, instead of the scar growing on the surface of the fractured bone to join two bones, the scar grows at the tip of the bones which can lengthen the duration of healing. This is why experts on bone fractures have devised bone healing system that would promote healthy bone growth and repair during the times normal bone growth is altered.
Phases of Fracture Healing
Healing of fractures undergoes different phases or stages. The length of each phase depends on the extent of the damage to the bone but the usual margin for healing is two to three weeks for the upper bodily fractures and more than four weeks for lower bodily injury. The following are the three reparatory phases of bone fractures:
1. Reactive phase. This is the phase wherein the fracture began its inflammatory phase. Bone cells will accumulate into the fractured site and cluster together. This is also called the granulation tissue formation.
2. Reparative phase. There will be callus formation on the fractured region followed by lamellar or calcium bone deposition.
3. Remodeling phase. After the bone is completely healed of its fracture, bone contouring follows.
This phase can last many years until the original forms of the bones is achieved.
Methods of Treatment
So far, the FDA has already approved beneficial bone healing systems which are proven safe and effective methods since 1978 and some of the latest innovations are as follows:
• Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF)
This bone healing system is composed of a treatment coil that is included into the cast when the cast is being molded. The coil can also be placed directly on the skin over the area of the fractured part. The device can be programmed according to the patient’s needs for electrical current. This current will travel to the treatment coil and will produce pulsating electromagnetic field around the fractured area.
• Capacitive Coupling (CC)
This technology uses capacitive coupling technology and very beneficial for appendicular non-unions and spinal unions. The device has a miniature stimulator unit with protruding low profile electrodes and it is very light weight.
• Direct Current (DC)
As the name indicates, DC technology deals with the use of direct current on the bone. The device is a bone growth stimulator that is implanted on the bone itself during surgery. The small generator will be placed near the broken bone, this generator will be activated by one or two cathodes which are placed above the area of the injury, and the current is pumped through the generator stimulating the bone to grow new cells.
How these Healing Treatments Work:
• PEMF produces electromagnetic field or small electrical current the same as the electrical current our bodies produce during the initial stage of bone healing. The patient will not even be aware of the presence of a small gadget that is inside the cast so this bone healing system is now widely adopted and proven successful without any possible risk. Unlike other gadgets that require placement inside the skin, this device is non-invasive and has no side effects at all. Another good thing about this device is that it can be used on any fractured part of the body and very appropriate for bones that are hard to unite.
• The Capacitive Coupling is more adaptable for long bones that were broken because of trauma and have problems of non-union. It can be applied externally directly over the fusion site and there are models that are made specifically for primary lumbar bone fusion. It offers 24 hours treatment and the battery must be changed after that for the device to be effective. This small device can also be applied on all areas of the body that have fractures and because of its action- mechanism of releasing low voltage alternating current, the bone tend to produce flow of calcium ions into the osteoblasts (newly formed cells that form on the fractured site during bone healing).
• Direct Current has two direct current options. The first one is an implantable bone growth stimulator that can best suit long bone non-unions. The second model is an implantable device that is implanted during spinal fusions as an add-on for helping the spine to heal faster. When its function is completed, this can be removed through local surgery.
Bone healing with the use electrical stimulator is already an old technique in healing bones but it was only recently that scientists have invented the devices which they can incorporate with the patient’s fractured parts. If you have any question regarding bone growth stimulators, better ask a professional bone surgeon. Every now and then new technologies in the treatment of bone fractures occur. You can find this information on the internet too. Nevertheless, as an advice, if you have a bone fracture, always consult the doctor about the device before buying them.
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Talk about clever traveling. An endangered African frog from Cote d’Ivoire hitched a ride aboard a banana and ended up traveling 3,000 miles from home, and landed in Cambridge. It wasn’t until the box of bananas was unpacked at a grocery store that the frog was discovered.
The store called in a local veterinary service to come in and identify the frog. There was concern that the frog was poisonous and thus, questions about what that would mean for the other bananas in the bunch.
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Bell pepper plants naturally take up quite a bit of room in the garden. Grown in the soil, these plants must be positioned with 4 to 5 feet of space on center between plants. But many factors that influence the size of these plants, and plants that have been stunted may be much shorter and less spread out.
Bell pepper plants may be as short as 6 inches, or as tall as 3 feet tall. The spread of these plants may be anywhere from 1 to 3 feet. Grown in upper U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 8 through 11, bell pepper plants may be overwintered outdoors, where they become full and bush-like. However, injury from cold temperatures may occur when temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Plants left outdoors in winter should survive, but may need to be covered to avoid injury. If you are growing your pepper plant in a pot, bringing the plant closer to shelter or placing it indoors for the evening will prevent this type of damage.
You may need to stake large plants with a heavy fruit load. This will prevent the stems from breaking and will prevent fruit sun scald. Use either wood or metal stakes for bell peppers. Avoid injuring your plant by inserting the stake when you plant the pepper and the roots are still tightly contained in a ball. You'll need tomato twine or nylon rope to tie the delicate stems to the stake. This will prevent stem injury from rubbing during high winds.
Factors Influencing Height
Bell peppers need heat, full sun and well-draining soil to grow and thrive. Growth may be stunted if any of these conditions are not met. In addition, bell peppers grown in containers may be naturally smaller than those grown in the ground.
Maximizing Growth and Production in the Ground
Amend clayey soils with organic matter to improve drainage, which can prevent growth stunting and root damage. In addition, the best place in the garden for your bell pepper plant is a spot in full sun. Areas near the southern exposure of a garden wall are a good choice for peppers, as garden walls retain and radiate heat into the evening. Fertilizers are useful for growing peppers, but nitrogen-rich fertilizers will promote vegetative growth at the expense of fruits. You can avoid this problem by amending the soil with a 5-10-10 fertilizer before planting. This type of fertilizer will contribute to the healthy growth of the roots.
Maximizing Growth and Production in Containers
Using growing medium formulated for container gardening is crucial if you grow your pepper plant in a container. This soilless medium will drain more easily and freely than garden soil. Due to this efficient drainage, the soil may dry out more quickly. A layer of mulch spread over the top of the growing medium will keep the soil moist for longer. Self-watering containers will help keep the soil moist. These specialized containers feature a water reservoir in the bottom of the pot. Water is absorbed into the soil through tubes in the container that lead to the growing medium. These special pots will contribute to the health and growth of the plant.
- Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
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"Activation of the lymphotoxin β receptor in the host cell promotes
certain proteins and supports their function in such a way that they
chemically modulate and degrade viral cccDNA."
Scientists in Munich, Germany, have discovered how the viral DNA of
the hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be degraded in the cell nucleus of
liver cells, consequently allowing the virus to be eliminated. Viruses
such as HBV can persist by depositing their genetic information (DNA)
in the cell nucleus, where the DNA is normally not degraded. This
prevents antiviral drugs from eliminating these viruses. But the newly
discovered mechanism could make this possible without damaging the
infected cell in the liver. In the current issue of the prestigious
journal "Science", the scientists from the Technische Universitaet
Muenchen and the Helmholtz Zentrum München report that now new
therapeutic possibilities are opening up as a consequence.
Although preventive vaccination is possible, the World Health
Organization (WHO) reports that more than 240 million people around the
world are currently suffering from a chronic hepatitis B infection.
They face a high risk of developing liver cirrhosis or even liver
cancer. In Germany alone, more than half a million people are affected.
Although available antiviral medicines can control the hepatitis B
virus, they cannot completely eliminate it. As a result, the HBV in the
patient's liver is reactivated as soon as the treatment is
Labels: Research and Discoveries
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RIVERVIEW — Scientists say there's not enough water flowing through the Alafia River part of the year.
To protect fish and wildlife that depend on the water flow, the Southwest Florida Water Management District has proposed a minimum flow rate for the river. If it dips below that level, businesses would have to stop drawing water.
For the Mosaic Co., a phosphate company, that would mean shutting down its processing plant in Riverview when it can't pull water from Lithia and Buckhorn springs, which flow into the Alafia, officials told the water district. The company is currently permitted to draw about 6-million gallons a day from the springs.
The minimum-flow proposal was reviewed by an independent group of scientists. But before it can become official, the district must work with the businesses that would be affected by the change. The Alafia suffers from low water flow for nearly one-fifth of the year, scientists say.
The minimum flow would help protect fish and wildlife in the river, as well as the bay, where they end up, said Sid Flannery, a senior environmental scientist with the district.
"We determine how much water can come out for water supply without damaging the environment," Flannery said. "Only that quantity that can be removed without causing significant harm is available."
The lower Alafia River should be flowing at 120 cubic feet per second, scientists say. But before the minimum can be approved and enforced by water managers, major water users must create a plan.
Mosaic and Tampa Bay Water both pull millions of gallons from the lower Alafia River. Tampa Bay Water's permit will go through minor revisions because it's similar to the proposed standards.
Mosaic Fertilizer's permit is further off; partly its permit to draw water from Lithia and Buckhorn springs was established decades ago, before minimum flows were a big concern.
Mosaic officials told the water district they would be forced to shut down some of their operations if they can't draw water when the river is flowing below the minimum level. That happens about 18 percent of the year, Flannery said.
To comply with the upcoming standards, Mosaic is proposing to pull water from two wells near the southern part of the Alafia River. That water would be poured into the river and flow past the point where Mosaic draws water from Lithia and Buckhorn springs.
"It would definitely add to the flow level of the river, which would help the aquatic life there," Mosaic spokeswoman Christine Smith said.
The wells are already built and sit on the company's Fort Lonesome property in southeastern Hillsborough County. It hasn't used them in years. Mosaic is asking for a permit of about 6-million gallons a day, which is the same amount it's allowed to take from the Alafia River.
Some opponents to this idea say Mosaic shouldn't be pulling out any more precious groundwater.
But Robin Felix, spokeswoman for the Water Management District, said Mosaic is seeking to reduce the amount of groundwater it's permitted to use as part of its effort to consolidate water-use permits across five counties in Central Florida.
It would reduce its permits from about 100-million gallons a day to about 77-million gallons. Felix said the district is trying to help it find ways to reduce that even further.
Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at email@example.com or (813) 661-2443.
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- Prayer and Worship
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- Issues and Action
- Catholic Giving
- About USCCB
The Apocalypse, or Revelation to John, the last book of the Bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which this book is an outstanding example. Such literature enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles from ca. 200 B.C. to A.D. 200.
This book contains an account of visions in symbolic and allegorical language borrowed extensively from the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel. Whether or not these visions were real experiences of the author or simply literary conventions employed by him is an open question.
This much, however, is certain: symbolic descriptions are not to be taken as literal descriptions, nor is the symbolism meant to be pictured realistically. One would find it difficult and repulsive to visualize a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes; yet Jesus Christ is described in precisely such words (Rev 5:6). The author used these images to suggest Christ’s universal (seven) power (horns) and knowledge (eyes). A significant feature of apocalyptic writing is the use of symbolic colors, metals, garments (Rev 1:13–16; 3:18; 4:4; 6:1–8; 17:4; 19:8), and numbers (four signifies the world, six imperfection, seven totality or perfection, twelve Israel’s tribes or the apostles, one thousand immensity). Finally the vindictive language in the book (Rev 6:9–10; 18:1–19:4) is also to be understood symbolically and not literally. The cries for vengeance on the lips of Christian martyrs that sound so harsh are in fact literary devices the author employed to evoke in the reader and hearer a feeling of horror for apostasy and rebellion that will be severely punished by God.
The lurid descriptions of the punishment of Jezebel (Rev 2:22) and of the destruction of the great harlot, Babylon (Rev 16:9–19:2), are likewise literary devices. The metaphor of Babylon as harlot would be wrongly construed if interpreted literally. On the other hand, the stylized figure of the woman clothed with the sun (Rev 12:1–6), depicting the New Israel, may seem to be a negative stereotype. It is necessary to look beyond the literal meaning to see that these images mean to convey a sense of God’s wrath at sin in the former case and trust in God’s providential care over the church in the latter.
The Book of Revelation cannot be adequately understood except against the historical background that occasioned its writing. Like Daniel and other apocalypses, it was composed as resistance literature to meet a crisis. The book itself suggests that the crisis was ruthless persecution of the early church by the Roman authorities; the harlot Babylon symbolizes pagan Rome, the city on seven hills (Rev 17:9). The book is, then, an exhortation and admonition to Christians of the first century to stand firm in the faith and to avoid compromise with paganism, despite the threat of adversity and martyrdom; they are to await patiently the fulfillment of God’s mighty promises. The triumph of God in the world of men and women remains a mystery, to be accepted in faith and longed for in hope. It is a triumph that unfolded in the history of Jesus of Nazareth and continues to unfold in the history of the individual Christian who follows the way of the cross, even, if necessary, to a martyr’s death.
Though the perspective is eschatological—ultimate salvation and victory are said to take place at the end of the present age when Christ will come in glory at the parousia—the book presents the decisive struggle of Christ and his followers against Satan and his cohorts as already over. Christ’s overwhelming defeat of the kingdom of Satan ushered in the everlasting reign of God (Rev 11:15; 12:10). Even the forces of evil unwittingly carry out the divine plan (Rev 17:17), for God is the sovereign Lord of history.
The Book of Revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for Christians of all time. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all Christians are called to trust in Jesus’ promise, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). Those who remain steadfast in their faith and confidence in the risen Lord need have no fear. Suffering, persecution, even death by martyrdom, though remaining impenetrable mysteries of evil, do not comprise an absurd dead end. No matter what adversity or sacrifice Christians may endure, they will in the end triumph over Satan and his forces because of their fidelity to Christ the victor. This is the enduring message of the book; it is a message of hope and consolation and challenge for all who dare to believe.
The author of the book calls himself John (Rev 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8), who because of his Christian faith has been exiled to the rocky island of Patmos, a Roman penal colony. Although he never claims to be John the apostle, whose name is attached to the fourth gospel, he was so identified by several of the early church Fathers, including Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Hippolytus. This identification, however, was denied by other Fathers, including Denis of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom. Indeed, vocabulary, grammar, and style make it doubtful that the book could have been put into its present form by the same person(s) responsible for the fourth gospel. Nevertheless, there are definite linguistic and theological affinities between the two books. The tone of the letters to the seven churches (Rev 1:4–3:22) is indicative of the great authority the author enjoyed over the Christian communities in Asia. It is possible, therefore, that he was a disciple of John the apostle, who is traditionally associated with that part of the world. The date of the book in its present form is probably near the end of the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81–96), a fierce persecutor of the Christians.
The principal divisions of the Book of Revelation are the following:
By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This link is provided
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nor does it necessarily endorse, the website, its content, or
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Peace is the state of being free form any kind of human conflict and violence. All the activities of the country run smoothly in the situation of peace. Peace is the sign of development and prosperity. Human rights are not violated. People can walk freely from one place to another without having any fear in their mind. They can do their business without any obstruction. People respect each other rights. They are also committed to fulfil their duty toward their society. Rule and order is respect by all. People can raise their living standard by working hard. Peace brings happiness among people. They are involved in development activities. Peace helps to promotes human rights, democratic norms and value. Peace helps to create the feeling of love, trust, tolerance, and brotherhood among people. Development process can’t go ahead without peace and harmony.
Peace is the mother of civilization and war is the demon of destruction. Civilization and development cannot progress if there is no peace in the country. Literature flourishes only in the time of peace. It is also the case with philosophy, science, industry and art. In our daily lives also we find interest and pleasure in doing work in times of peace. In times of war its energy and resource are all employed and defend.
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Home | About Us | Maps | Animal Facts
Species Code: ENES
Metadata (Data about data or how the map was made)
Distribution and Habitat Requirements
Ensatina is most commonly associated with woody debris, downed logs, and bark piles at the base of snags and is sometimes in wood piles in peoples' yards west of the Cascades (Leonard et al., 1993). It is rarely found in perennially wet areas.
This species occurs in conifer forest and is found in riparian floodplains dominated by hardwoods if there is a good quantity of wood debris on the ground. If residual downed logs from a former conifer stand are present, it is possible that this species may also live in stands of alder trees. It has been found on Ozette Island.
The ecoregions west of the Cascades, plus areas into the East Central Cascades were selected. West of the Cascades crest, all zones up to and including Western Hemlock were core. In the Southwest Cascades, the Silver Fir zone was also core and Mountain Hemlock was marginal.
Good habitats were open and closed-canopy, mid- to late-seral hardwood, hardwood/conifer, and conifer forests. Young forests were not considered adequate to maintain a population over a period of time. Although individuals occasionally occur in residential areas, there is no evidence that a population persists in such areas, so we excluded all developed habitats.
Translated from the Washington Gap Analysis Amphibians and Reptiles Volume by Karen Dvornich
Webpage designed by Dave Lester
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Let us trace back the history of the All Saints' Day (a.k.a. All Hallows' Day) on NOV-1. Actually, the holiday was first celebrated on MAY-13 when Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to the Virgin Mary. The date was later changed to NOV-1 by Pope Gregory III who dedicated a chapel in honor of All Saints in the Vatican Basilica. Pope Gregory IV later extended the feast to the whole church.
The Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate All Saints Day in the springtime -- the Sunday after Pentecost.
All Souls' Day (a.k.a. the Day of the Dead) which is normally celebrated on NOV-2. When NOV-2 is a Sunday, the celebration is held on the following Monday. This is a day for prayer and almsgiving in memory of ancestors who have died. Believers pray for the souls of the dead, in an effort to hasten their transition from Purgatory to Heaven. It is primarily celebrated by Roman Catholics.
So thats it, until now we are still celebrating it.
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Society and Class Quotes in The Help
How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
"You cannot give these tribal people money […]. There is no Jitney 14 Grocery in the Ogaden Desert. And how would we even know if they're even feeding their kids with it? They're likely to go to the local voodoo tent and get a satanic tattoo with our money." (13.99)
Hilly has as many misconceptions about African life and tradition as she does about the lives and traditions of the black people in her hometown.
"Say she'd pay her back her back some every week, but Miss Hilly say no. That a true Christian don't give in charity to those who is well and able. Say it's kinder to let them learn to work things out themselves." (19.163)
Hilly's argument is used to justify unkind treatment of her maid, Yule May, who wants to borrow some money to send her sons to college. Hilly is totally ignoring the fact that her society simply doesn't offer Yule May good work opportunities.
"The churches got together though. They gone send both those boys to college." (19.165)
In the society shown in the novel, black and white children do not have equal opportunities to attend college. It takes cooperation and generosity within the community to make Yule May's dreams for her twin sons come true after Hilly has her jailed.
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Series of videos exploring the practices and tools of animation.
Added over 7 years ago | 00:03:13 | 11326 views
What is unique about animation as a media form? Featuring Luis Blackaller and Frank Espinosa.
Added over 7 years ago | 00:02:28 | 17244 views
Luis Blackaller, Gina Kamentsky, and Frank Espinosa discuss the special role that sound plays in animation.
Added over 7 years ago | 00:04:22 | 14955 views
History of Animation
Added over 7 years ago | 00:03:42 | 13366 views
Animator Gina Kamentsky shares her creative process by describing the development of an animated promo for a tv series called "Fast Women".
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Jess and I have begun to utilize the activities that we found in a study conducted by Secada, Fusion, and Hall. Since we have already identified which of our students chose counting-on in order to solve addition problems, we have moved on to see if they possess the subskills that Secada, Fusion, and Hall identified in their research. The first subskill is knowing that the first addend does not need to be counted again because the problem already states its quantity. For example, if the problem was 5+6 we would see if the student would start counting at one, or if they would start at five and count up (6,7,8,9,10,11). In order to determine which of our students possess this subskill, we presented the students with several addition problems. First, we would create addition problems using numbers that had been written on note cards. Initially we didn’t give the students any manipulatives that would aid them in solving the problem and we also chose addends that had a sum larger than ten so that they couldn’t add the numbers just by placing an addend on each hand. After the students completed a couple of these problems, we started placing two-colored counters under the note cards. When the students were solving these problems we asked them to tell us how many manipulatives there were without counting. A majority of the students looks at the note card that was placed above the card and started to correspond the manipulatives with the note card above it. The goal of this was to introduce students to the fact that they don’t need to start at the beginning of the counting sequence; they can just start by counting-up from the first addend. Almost all of the students from Jess’ group were able to count-up after we accompanied the note cards with the manipulatives, but several of mine still struggled and reverted back to a counting-all strategy. Since they have not mastered this subskill, we will continue to work with those students until they can consistently demonstrate it. Something that we found interesting, was that some of the students chose to count-up from the second addend. When asked why they replied, “Cause that numbers bigger, it takes less time.” Upon hearing this, the two people in the group started to count-on as well, but from the larger of the two addends.
Our work this week has been focused on the subskills that our research linked to counting on. Jackie and I chose to take our students out together, three at a time, so that one of us could work with the students while the other videotaped and we would both get to witness what the students were doing.
In the groups we worked with we identified students who used the strategy of counting on and those who did not yet employ the use of this strategy. When we first took the students out, we presented them with an addition problem and asked them to solve it. We did not provide any manipulatives, and all of the problems had sums greater than 10 so the students could not hold both addends up on their fingers at the same time. After the students gave an answer, we asked them to share how they solved their problem and asked them what number they started with and how many more they added on. Our goal in having students solve this initial problem was to see who was already using the counting-on strategy. Since some students demonstrated use of this strategy, we continued on to test the subskills to see if the students would also demonstrate these because our research claimed that they were linked to counting on. We also continued on with the subskills for those who did not demonstrate the strategy already in order to see if work with the subskills would lead them to discovering the strategy of counting on.
The first subskill our research linked to counting on was the ability to identify the first addend does not need to be counted out because its quantity is stated in the problem. To test this, we placed a number of counters out in a line in front of the student, then placed a card above the counters telling how many were there. We then pointed at the last counter in the line and asked what count it would receive if we had counted all of the counters. All of the students who demonstrated an ability to count-on were also able to identify that the count given to the last counter was the same as the number on the card placed above them. Although students sometimes needed to be reminded that they did not need to count the counters to give the count of the last counter, all of the students we worked with were able to demonstrate this skill.
The other subskill we worked on with the students was the ability to identify that the first count when adding a second addend is the count given to the first addend plus one more. To test this, we placed a plus sign down next to the first counters and addend and then placed more counters out along with another card above them. We then pointed to the first counter in the second addend and asked what count the students would give it if we were adding. This question often took prompting in terms of asking “what is x and one more?” but this also may have just been due to initial confusion of students not being sure what was being asked of them, because many of them wanted to think of the second group of counters as a separate entity at first and give the first counter a count of 1. We observed all students eventually demonstrating this skill, as well. For these students who were already counting on and demonstrated knowledge of the subskills, the next step may be to have students discover that counting-on from the larger number is a more efficient use of time when adding. We witnessed a small handful of students who could count on already doing this when given the addition problem alone, but using the counters and practicing the subskills only encourages counting on from the first addend. For students who demonstrated the subskills but did not yet count-on, we hope to continue work on the subskills to see if this will lead to counting on in the future.
The past few weeks in the kindergarten classroom have been crazy due to altered schedules for different classrooms. The past few times that I have worked with my group of students we have worked on taking questions from their standardized assessment that a majority of the students missed to see if presented in a different ‘form’ the students could be successful and demonstrate their understanding that was not shown in the results of the test. Many of the students were able to show me that they knew their shapes and the names for them verbally, but had a hard time identifying the written words. All of my students were able to draw the shapes I asked on a white board and then have a conversation with me about what makes the shapes different from each other. Another big question on the assessment that seemed to cause students problems was a question about flowers. The question showed eight flowers and said something along the lines of ‘Joe has eight flowers, how many would he have if he planted one more flower.’ The majority of the students counted the drawn flowers on the paper and said the answer was eight. The idea of having the answer not be what was shown in front of them caused confusion. While working with students individually, I tried to recreate this question is a more hands on method. I used manipulatives that looked like colorful game pieces and in the shape of a person. I would set up a given amount of the manipulatives in front of the student and then have them count the manipulatives. Then I posed the question of ‘how many students would be in my class if one student moved away?’ the students then continued to move one ‘person’ from the line and recount. Then next question that I asked was “how many students would I have in my class if two new students moved in?” The students wanted to place two more people in the line, but without having the correct number of manipulatives, they would count the given number then touch the place where the second new student should be. Some students even explained to me that they counted the number they had and just went one number higher in their head. By having students talk and explain their thinking to me, I was able to gain a better understanding of what they were doing and what the demonstrated.
This week we had the opportunity to work with the students in Mrs. Carmack’s class. My goal for these one-on-one sessions with the students was to determine which of the students in my group demonstrated the counting-on strategy. Out of the five students that I worked with, only one of them utilized counting-on to solve an addition problem. This particular student used the strategy without being prompted by me or by being shown the strategy on the Number Line App. Also, her use of the strategy was consistent, and she employed the strategy to solve all of the addition problems I gave her. When I asked her how she learned the strategy, she told me that it was the fastest way to add and that’s why she did it that way. From all of the problems that I gave her, she always started with the first addend and counted-on starting with that number. She may not have been introduced to the idea of working with the bigger of the two addends. In future work with her, I will be sure to ask her why she always starts with the first addend, and if she thinks it would be easier to do it another way.
This week we worked with Mrs. Carmack’s class on both days this week. During my time with the students I individually pulled students out and asked them to all complete the same task. I asked each student to draw three shapes on the white boards. After they drew the shapes and we talked about the differences between each of the three shapes, I wrote the three words that corresponded to the shapes on the white board and asked each student to point to the word as i said it. I was surprised that all of the students were able to correctly draw the shapes that i requested as well as explain the differences and characteristics of those shapes to me verbally. When it came time to students selecting the words of the shapes that they just drew, only two students from the other math groups were able to be successful in this task and correctly point to each of the words. I decided to have students recreate this problem that was asked on the standardized assessment that they needed to complete for their quarterly grades. When I gave the standardized assessment I thought that some of the students did not know their shapes due to their answers to this questions, but when I started to asked what worked they were looking for on the answer key I realized they did know the answer, they just couldn’t find the correct option. With my research on Learning Notes, I realized that the student would benefit from implementing something similar when completing standardized assessments to show a more accurate picture of what the students actually understand. I am excited to see where my research continues to take me and the kindergarteners understandings!
This week I had the opportunity to work with the students in Mrs. Carmack’s room and gather data related to counting on. The schedule this week was adjusted a bit, and I was not able to work with all of the students in my group, but of the students I was able to work with I saw the students fitting into groups similar to the ones I had seen in Mrs. Peterson’s class.
One of the goals of finding out if students can count on, is seeing if different situations seem to encourage counting on. In Mrs. Carmack’s class this week one student, E, demonstrated the strategy of counting on in multiple situations where the first addend was 10. For all of the problems, the sum was greater than 10 to discourage the use of counting all on fingers, but when the addend was anything other than 10, E did not use counting on.
One other student I observed, T, attempted to utilize counting on after it had been modeled on the Number Line app. When she did so, however, she would place her finger on the first addend on the number line, but then would count up the number of the first addend instead of the second. I wonder if reinforcing the fact that we start at the first addend because we already know that we have that many without needing to count, will help T to understand the strategy of counting on.
All of these findings will be interesting to take a closer look at now that I have started to identify students who are counting on.
We are finally back into the swing of things after what felts like months without working with the kindergarten students. This week was my first chance to start focusing on my research topic and see what i can find out. My topic is focused on examining multiple forms of assessments and trying to conclude a sound method for assessing kindergarteners rather than standardized tests. On tuesday we did not have the chance to work with many students one on one due to Mrs. Carmack being absent. I was able to talk to the new student in the class during math when I saw something interesting on her paper. The students were working on counting cartoon bugs and then graphing how many there were of each. I saw that in the new student’s tally section she had drawn four vertical tallies, then the fifth was horizontal across the four. I asked her why she did her tallies that way, and she told me ‘because there are five and its easy to see’. I was IMPRESSED! Connecting this to my research, on the standardized assessments, there would not be an opportunity to ask why the student completed the question in such a manner, but only make judgements. On Thursday I was able to work one on one with the students from Mrs. Peterson’s class. To start to gain information linked to my research topic i asked the students to complete multiple different types of questions that overlapped content. Then I specially took a question similar to one of the Acuity questions to recreate and observe what was happening. For this question I asked students to draw me three shapes on a dry erase board, a square, triangle, and circle. One student was unable to draw a square, so I asked her to draw a rectangle for her third shape. After each student drew the three given shapes, I erased the board, wrote the words of the three shapes they drew, and then asked them to pick the word as I called them out. There was only a few (3-4) that were able to get one right. Many of the students told me they couldn’t read the words, or went in the order they were written. I was not surprised to see this happen, but I was glad to see that the students did know their shapes just not their names. This evidence was different than what would have be given from the standardized assessment. I am excited to what the next weeks bring in both my research findings and the student’s number sense understandings:)
Our work with the kindergarteners has resumed and I’m extremely excited to start diving into our research topics! Jess and I have chosen to focus on counting-on, and more specifically we would like to identify what subskills are needed in order to count-on and what strategies teachers can utilize to reinforce the addition strategy. The first step to begin our investigation was to identify which of the students in our groups were able to count-on. Once we establish this, we can begin to teach the students who were unable to count-on using the strategies that we found during our research, and we can ask the students who know how to count-on how they learned it.
After what felt like forever, we finally got back in the kindergarten classroom! Over the students’ Spring Break we have been working on writing literature reviews over the research we’ve done to try to answer the questions we are investigating while working with the kids. Jackie and I have chosen to research the same topic, which is the development of counting-on as a strategy for addition. Our research is focusing on the general background numeracy skills that are necessary before counting-on can be addressed, the specific subskills that are directly related to counting-on, and different methods for teaching students to count on.
This week, I focused on identifying students who were already demonstrating the strategy of counting on when given an addition problem. This week we only pulled students out of the room in one class, because the other class had a substitute teacher. So, after one session this week, I have identified three groups of students based on the skills they were demonstrating. One group is comprised of the students who utilized counting on. Only one student demonstrated counting on in the first addition problem he was presented. This student had been using the Number Line app, and was first presented the problem 8+7. After solving the problem I asked him to show me what he did first, and he told me he started at 8, then 9 is 1, 10 is 2, etc. I then asked him to show me the next addition problem using his fingers instead of the number line. To demonstrate a problem where the first addend was 10, the student held 10 fingers up at once, stated that he had 10, then held up the second addend and counted on from 10 one finger at a time. This leads me to conclude that he understands that he has “10,” but does not need to count out 10 in order to determine this. In coming weeks, I plan to see if students who fall into this group demonstrate all the subskills that our research has stated are directly related to counting on.
The second group of students I identified were those who sporadically utilized the strategy of counting on and needed modeling of the strategy before doing so. The Number Line app has an option which underlines the first addend for the students and then shows an arrow counting-on the amount of the second addend. After this modeling, a handful of students began to count on. One item of confusion that arose was when one student had the problem 6+7 and started at 6 but then only counted up to 7 instead of counting 7 more. One other student demonstrated counting on in some situations, and knew that 2+6 was 8 because “6 and 2 more was 8.” With this group in the coming weeks, I plan on working together on the different subskills related to counting on and seeing if the students then utilize counting on without seeing it modeled first.
The final group of students that I identified were those who I felt needed continued work on numeracy skills before counting-on could be addressed. If students could not identify and set up an addition problem without prompting on which two numbers to add together and how to count both parts in order to find the whole, I did not model counting-on. Counting-all is a strategy that should be in place before counting-on can be introduced or conceptualized.
This week was our first week back from our own Spring break, and also the last week the students would be in school before their Spring break began. Coming off end of the quarter testing and having gone weeks without seeing us, the students were all excited to be taken out of the classroom and eager to tell us all about what they plan on doing over break. On Tuesday in Mrs. Peterson’s room, I used Dominos to work on addition and subtraction with my students. For students who had demonstrated that they could formulate and solve addition problems without scaffolding, I started with subtraction, and for students who still occasionally needed scaffolding while performing addition, we worked solely on addition. Across the board, the students all expressed excitement when they saw the Domino box. This interest really helped keep the students on task and many wanted to keep practicing addition and subtraction until all the Dominos in the box had been drawn. When the students drew the Domino, they either had to add or subtract the dots on both ends. All of the students working on addition chose to count each dot one-by-one in order to determine the total. Since my research focus is on the acquisition of the counting on strategy for addition, I gave the students who were working on subtraction one Domino to add. I had the students identify the number of dots on each end before adding them together, and in this particular instance one of the two students in the group demonstrated the counting on strategy.
In Mrs. Carmack’s class on Thursday, I worked on the addition and subtraction story problem app with the students. All of the students were able to add or subtract based on what the problems asked for, some requiring scaffolding and others determining if they needed to add or subtract without assistance. With students who were repeatedly solving the problems without consistent scaffolding, I had them start identifying whether the problem was an addition or a subtraction problem before they began solving. It helped to discuss key words such as “take away” or demonstrate the action that was being described in the problem using our fingers in order to determine the type of problem. In future weeks, I am excited to start work with counting on and looking at the strategy from a new perspective based on the readings I have done.
That’s all for now though!
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Image Ownership: Public Domain
The Newark Riot
of 1967 which took place in Newark, New Jersey
from July 12 through July 17, 1967, was sparked by a display of police brutality. John Smith, an African American cab driver for the Safety Cab Company, was arrested on Wednesday July 12 when he drove his taxi around a police car and double-parked on 15th Avenue. According to a police report later released to the press, the police claimed that Smith was charged with “tailgating” and driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street. Smith was also charged with using offensive language and physical assault.
A witness who had seen Smith’s arrest called members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
, the United Freedom Party, and the Newark Community Union Project. These civil rights
leaders were given permission to see Smith in his 4th Precinct holding cell. After noticing his injuries inflicted by the police, they demanded that he be transported to a hospital. Their demands were granted and Smith was moved to Beth Israel Hospital in Newark.
Around 8:00 p.m. black Newark cab drivers began to circulate the report of Smith’s arrest on their radios. Word spread down 17th Avenue, west of the precinct police station where Smith had been held. Residents in this predominantly black city recalled a long history of similar events with the Newark Police. Many of them angrily gathered on the streets facing the 4th Precinct.
At 11:00 p.m. one of the civil rights leaders informed the police that a peaceful protest would be organized across the street from the precinct. A police officer handed the leader a bullhorn to address the crowd. Bob Curvin, a member of CORE, was joined by Timothy Still, the president of a poverty program, and Oliver Lofton, who was the administrator of the Newark Legal Services Project. Although the three speakers urged a nonviolent protest march, an unidentified local resident took the bullhorn and urged violence. Young men from the neighborhood began to pick up bricks and bottles and searched for gasoline. Shortly afterwards, objects were thrown at the precinct windows.
Shortly after midnight, two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the precinct. Then a group of 25 people on 17th Avenue began to loot stores. The looting drew larger crowds and Newark was now engulfed in rioting.
Despite the violence, on Thursday morning Newark Mayor Hugh Addonizio announced that Wednesday night’s activities were isolated incidents and were not of riot proportions. At 6:00 p.m. Thursday night, a large group of young kids gathered on the street where traffic had been blocked. Word spread along 17th Avenue that people would again demonstrate against the precinct. Human Rights Commission Director James Threatt arrived and told the crowds to disperse. They refused and rioting commenced for a second night.
After midnight Thursday, looting spread throughout the major commercial district of the ghetto in Newark. Groups of young adults smashed windows while chanting “Black Power
.” At the same time the looting spread, the police were given clearance to use firearms to defend themselves. At 2:20 a.m. Mayor Addonizio asked New Jersey Governor Richard J. Hughes to send in the National Guard to help in restoring order.
At around 4:00 a.m. a looter was shot while trying to flee from two police officers. By early Friday morning five people had been killed and 425 people were jailed. Hundreds were wounded. More than 3,000 National Guardsmen arrived later in the day along with five hundred state troopers. By mid-afternoon, the Guardsmen and the troopers arrived, formed convoys, and were moving throughout the city.
Despite the presence of National Guardsmen and state troopers rioting continued for three more days. As the riot approached its final hours, 26 people, mostly African Americans, were reported killed, another 750 were injured and over 1,000 were jailed. Property damage exceeded $10 million. The riot, the worst civil disorder in New Jersey history, ended on July 17, 1967.
Tom Hayden, Rebellion in Newark (New York: Random House, 1967); Donald
L. Horowitz, “Racial Violence in the United States,” Bulletin of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences 37:3 (Dec. 1983)
University of Washington, Seattle
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- Special Sections
- Public Notices
New Mexico’s economy could have been $3.1 billion richer if all the state’s students who started high school in 2003 had graduated last spring, according to a report by an education advocacy group.
The Alliance for Excellent Education, in a report titled, “The High Cost of High School Dropouts: What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools,” estimated what students who did not graduate could have earned over their lifetimes with more education.Even if we didn’t have these numbers, it is clear that the cost of students dropping out is great – in both money and social ills.The U.S. Census Bureau says the average annual income for a high school dropout in 2005 was nearly $10,000 less than that of a high school graduate.Census figures show dropouts made an average of $17,299 in 2005, while high school graduates made $26,933, people with an associate’s degree made $36,645 and college graduates averaged $52,671.The study determined the number of dropouts using ninth-grade enrollment figures for 2003-2004 and the 2007 high school graduation rate, which was then multiplied by the $260,000 estimated lifetime earnings difference between a dropout and a high school graduate.The alliance argues in the report that dropouts drain the economy by lowering tax revenues and increasing the cost of social programs. High school graduates, it said, make higher wages, are healthier, are less likely to become parents as teenagers, commit crimes or rely on government health care.This is hard to argue with. But the problem is, what is the solution? How to stop the bleeding is not an easy step to take – or even know.
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It’s no secret that in today's multicultural society, knowing more than one language has positive career implications, but other effects for learning are now being illuminated. Adding to the mix of opportunities in learning a foreign language through exchange programs, international travel and online degree programs, bilingualism is hardly uncommon, though still not fully appreciated for all its facets. Educators once believed that, though bilingualism was beneficial for professional reasons, it created conflict in the brain that hindered intellectual development. Recent studies have shown, however, that bilingual people can actually benefit from this internal conflict.
The Function of the Bilingual Brain
When you know more than one language, each of the learned languages remains active in your brain at all times. When you're speaking, listening or reading in one language, your knowledge of the other languages may interfere with your thought processes. When these conflicts arise, your brain must work to resolve them.
Benefits of Becoming Bilingual
- Bilingualism gives the brain a constant workout. As your brain analyzes and resolves conflicts between languages, your cognitive skills can be strengthened.
- You perform better on mentally demanding tasks. Because of the constant cognitive workout, you could be more capable of solving problems that include complex or misleading information.
- You develop a deeper understanding of your native language. As you study a foreign language, you can develop a more sophisticated understanding of linguistic patterns, grammar and sentence structure in general.
- Becoming bilingual improves the brain's executive function. Learning a second language can improve your ability to focus on specific tasks while ignoring distractions. You could also become more proficient at multitasking and remembering complex information.
- Fluency in more than one language reduces risks of dementia. Recent studies suggest that learning a second language may reduce the chance of dementia and related cognitive problems that come with age.
Studying Foreign Language Later in Life
Though it may be easier to learn a foreign language at a young age, it's never too late to get started. Whether you are working toward an online bachelor's degree or a more advanced online degree, learning a second language will be advantageous. You can improve your credentials with a second language, and studies have shown that many of the cognitive benefits available to younger learners who study foreign language are also available to those who begin their studies later in life.
In light of recent research outcomes, fluency in more than one language can no longer be considered a hindrance to cognitive development. In fact, including a second language in your online degree program may improve your ability to reason, solve complex problems, multitask and ignore distractions or irrelevant information. Furthermore, becoming bilingual may prevent the development of cognitive impairments as you age. When combined with the professional advantages of bilingualism, these cognitive benefits can only serve to enhance the appeal of becoming bilingual.
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GEORGIA TECH (US) — A new sensor device coverts pressure—from handwriting or fingerprints—into light signals that can be processed optically.
Researchers say the device could provide an artificial sense of touch, offering sensitivity comparable to that of the human skin.
Beyond collecting signatures and fingerprints, the technique could also be used in biological imaging and micro-electromechanical (MEMS) systems. Ultimately, it could provide a new approach for human-machine interfaces.
“You can write with your pen and the sensor will optically detect what you write at high resolution and with a very fast response rate,” says Zhong Lin Wang, a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “This is a new principle for imaging force that uses parallel detection and avoids many of the complications of existing pressure sensors.”
“The response time is fast, and you can read a million pixels in a microsecond,” says Zhong Lin Wang (above). “When the light emission is created, it can be detected immediately with the optical fiber.” (Credit: Gary Meek/Georgia Tech)
Individual zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires that are part of the device operate as tiny light emitting diodes (LEDs) when placed under strain from the mechanical pressure, allowing the device to provide detailed information about the amount of pressure being applied.
Known as piezo-phototronics, the technology—first described by Wang in 2009—provides a new way to capture information about pressure applied at very high resolution: up to 6,300 dots per inch.
Piezoelectric materials generate a charge polarization when they are placed under strain. The piezo-phototronic devices rely on that physical principle to tune and control the charge transport and recombination by the polarization charges present at the ends of individual nanowires.
Grown atop a gallium nitride (GaN) film, the nanowires create pixeled light emitters whose output varies with the pressure, creating an electroluminescent signal that can be integrated with on-chip photonics for data transmission, processing, and recording.
“When you have a zinc oxide nanowire under strain, you create a piezoelectric charge at both ends which forms a piezoelectric potential,” Wang explains. “The presence of the potential distorts the band structure in the wire, causing electrons to remain in the p-n junction longer and enhancing the efficiency of the LED.”
The efficiency increase in the LED is proportional to the strain created. Differences in the amount of strain applied translate to differences in light emitted from the root where the nanowires contact the gallium nitride film.
To fabricate the devices, a low-temperature chemical growth technique is used to create a patterned array of zinc oxide nanowires on a gallium nitride thin film substrate with the c-axis pointing upward.
The interfaces between the nanowires and the gallium nitride film form the bottom surfaces of the nanowires. After infiltrating the space between nanowires with a PMMA thermoplastic, oxygen plasma is used to etch away the PMMA enough to expose the tops of the zinc oxide nanowires.
A nickel-gold electrode is then used to form ohmic contact with the bottom gallium-nitride film, and a transparent indium-tin oxide (ITO) film is deposited on the top of the array to serve as a common electrode.
When pressure is applied to the device through handwriting or other source of pressure, nanowires are compressed along their axial directions, creating a negative piezo-potential, while uncompressed nanowires have no potential.
A million pixels in a microsecond
The researchers have pressed letters into the top of the device, which produces a corresponding light output from the bottom of the device. This output—which can all be read at the same time—can be processed and transmitted.
The ability to see all of the emitters simultaneously allows the device to provide a quick response.
“The response time is fast, and you can read a million pixels in a microsecond,” says Wang. “When the light emission is created, it can be detected immediately with the optical fiber.”
The nanowires stop emitting light when the pressure is relieved. Switching from one mode to the other takes 90 milliseconds or less, Wang adds.
The researchers studied the stability and reproducibility of the sensor array by examining the light emitting intensity of the individual pixels under strain for 25 repetitive on-off cycles. They found that the output fluctuation was approximately five percent, much smaller than the overall level of the signal. The robustness of more than 20,000 pixels was studied.
The research was reported in the journal Nature Photonics.
A spatial resolution of 2.7 microns was recorded from the device samples tested so far. Wang believes the resolution could be improved by reducing the diameter of the nanowires—allowing more nanowires to be grown in a given space—and by using a high-temperature fabrication process.
Researchers from Georgia Tech and the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems in the Chinese Academy of Sciences collaborated on the project, which was funded by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Source: Georgia Tech
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Ohio State Study Shows Potential for Urban Agriculture
|Picture by Unity Gardens|
According to a new study just released by Ohio State University, “Can Cities Become Self-Reliant in Food?,” Cleveland and other major cities in the US could produce up to 100 percent of their food needs through urban agriculture. Doing this would save up to $155 million each year, boost employment, and reduce obesity. According to the study, Cleveland has more than 20,000 vacant lots which total about 3,000 acres, as well as 2,900 flat rooftops which could also be used to grow fruits and vegetables. Cleveland is very progressive in terms of urban farming, and Cleveland city planners have made an effort to promote urban gardening in the past five to 10 years.
What potential is there for feeding city residents through urban farms? The Ohio State study analyzed three scenarios for intensive use of currently unused city space for gardening, showing that much of Cleveland’s food needs could be met by reclaiming abandoned city lots and repurposing commercial buildings to grow food. For example, one scenario suggests that 80 percent of all vacant lots could be used for vegetable production, raising chickens, and beekeeping. The study reported that this scenario would meet one-fourth to one-half of the city’s produce needs and one-fourth of the city’s needs for eggs and poultry. A second scenario projected for the city of Cleveland would use all the vacant land from the first scenario, plus 10 percent of residential backyards. With just a bit more land brought under cultivation in this scenario, the study reported that Cleveland residents’ produce demands would be met up to nearly 70 percent of the time, and nearly all poultry and egg needs would be satisfied. One last scenario was explored. This would use all the area of the first and second situations (80 percent of vacant city lots and 10 percent of residential backyards), but would also use repurposed commercial and industrial buildings to grow fruits and vegetables. Here, the Ohio State study reported that at least one-half–and perhaps as much as 100 percent–of Cleveland’s produce needs would be met.
Along with providing the extensive quantities of food necessary to feed Cleveland, there are other benefits projected from expanding urban agriculture in Cleveland. About 10 percent of Cleveland residents have been diagnosed with diabetes, and more than a third are obese. But more people growing fruits and vegetables in the city could change this. Research has shown that urban gardening can improve nutrition, increase property values, and reduce crime. Also, according to Parwinder Grewal, professor of entomology, director of the Center for Urban Environment and Economic Development at Ohio State University and the author of this study, Clevelanders could retain more money in the local economy if more people start new urban gardens in the city. “Cleveland annually spends some $115 million in fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry, eggs, and honey, most of which comes from somewhere else – California, Mexico, South America, even as far away as China and Thailand,” Grewal said. “Our study indicates that the city can prevent economic leakage anywhere from $27 million to $115 million annually by increasing its production of fresh produce, poultry and honey. This could boost the city’s economy and lead to increased job creation.”
I interviewed Mitch Yaciw, co-founder of Unity Gardens, a community garden movement in South Bend, Indiana, about urban gardening and its benefits. He provided further perspective, mentioning that one of the biggest benefits urban gardens offer is a sense of community. Urban gardens “bring neighbors together to work together,” he said. Also, urban gardening helps reduce crime. It can teach young people to pay attention to where their food comes from, since many people have no idea where their food was grown or how it traveled to the stores where it was purchased.
Mitch added that an important step in developing more urban gardens is locating gardens appropriately. For example, Mitch said that Unity Gardens tests the soil for lead before starting a new garden–an important consideration, especially in urban areas. According to Mitch, “you have to add value to the neighborhood” if you’re going to build a garden in a new location, and taking the time to build support for the garden among neighbors is particularly important.
To build on the results of the Ohio State report, I also asked Mitch about some ways to promote the growth of urban farming in cities across the country. Based on his experience organizing a network of urban gardens, he remarked that a city-wide farming project involves laying a lot of groundwork, and building relationships with diverse groups of people to introduce the idea of urban gardening to them. These on-the-ground thoughts shared by Mitch reinforce the results of the Ohio State study and the idea that urban farming has great potential to contribute to the life of our cities.
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REDUCTION IN NUMBER AND SEVERITY OF CRASHES
Several features of the modern roundabout promote safety. The safety benefits alone should be enough to convince roundabouts are a great idea. According to a study by the Institute for Highway Safety of locations where stop signs or traffic lights were replaced by roundabouts, all crashes were reduced by 37 percent and serious crashes fell by 75 percent, including a 90 percent reduction in fatalities. This means not only fewer crashes, but also most will be able to walk away from them.
At traditional intersections, some of the most common types of crashes are right-angle, left-turn, and head-on collisions. These types of collisions can be severe because vehicles may be traveling through the intersection at high speeds to "beat the red light." With roundabouts, these types of potentially serious crashes essentially are eliminated because vehicles travel in the same direction.
ACCIDENT RISK AND SEVERITY
Installing roundabouts in place of traffic signals can also reduce the likelihood of rear-end crashes by reducing abrupt stops at red lights. The vehicle-to-vehicle conflicts that occur at roundabouts generally involve a vehicle merging into the circular roadway, with both vehicles traveling at low speeds – generally less than 25 mph in urban areas.
|A traditional intersection has 32 potential conflict points
||A roundabout has only 8 potential conflict points
SINGLE LANE ROUNDABOUTS
The most common type of roundabout in Lincoln is a single-lane roundabout. As you approach a roundabout there will be a YIELD sign and there may be a dashed yield line. Slow down, watch for pedestrians and bicyclists, and be prepared to stop if necessary. If another car is waiting ahead of you, do not stop in the crosswalk. When you enter, yield to circulating traffic on the left, but do not stop if it is clear.
A conventional roundabout will have ONE-WAY signs or directional arrows mounted in the center island. They help guide traffic and indicate that you must drive to the right of the center island. Upon passing the street prior to your exit, turn on your right turn signal and watch for pedestrians and bicyclists as you exit. Left turns and U-turns are completed by traveling around the center island.
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So Cook et al1 confirms that there really is a consensus in climate science: 97% of the peer-reviewed literature over the last 20 years supports the fact that humans are responsible for the warming. It’s a solid result, confirming the earlier work of Oreskes and others, but its importance lies in the fact that public perceptions of that consensus lag behind reality. As John puts it:
Quite possibly the most important thing to communicate about climate change is that there is a 97% consensus amongst the scientific experts and scientific research that humans are causing global warming. Let’s spread the word and close the consensus gap.
Indeed. Count this as my small contribution. Meanwhile, another recent paper very nicely demonstrates that the existence of a consensus on the basic facts of warming does not mean that scientists have to agree about everything.
A letter by Otto et al in Nature Geoscience discussing estimates of transient climate sensitivity2 has been hailed as suggesting that near-term warming might be slightly less than expected. Unsurprisingly, this has been seized upon by the usual suspects as evidence we don’t need to do anything, but the paper really contains little to gladden a sceptics heart. Here’s Myles Allen (one of the authors of the paper) in the Guardian:
…at face value, our new findings mean that the changes we had previously expected between now and 2050 might take until 2065 to materialise instead. Then again, they might not: 1.8C is within our range of uncertainty; and natural variability will affect what happens in the 2050s anyway.
There’s plenty of room for debate within the climate science community about the new paper’s findings and methodology3, at the same time as there’s an overwhelming consensus about the bigger picture. That’s science in action. But transient climate sensitivity is a highly technical metric, and as Allen points out, not really very relevant to working out what to do about climate change. We have a a very good idea about the planetary carbon budget, and we know we have to cut emissions — the sooner the better.
The bigger picture — one that’s missed in technical debate, and in the communication of a fairly conservative consensus — is that our experiment in planetary geoengineering is already running out of control. The rapid loss of Arctic sea ice shows no signs of slowing down, and is well ahead of even the most aggressive model predictions. We can already detect significant impacts on northern hemisphere weather patterns.
Long before we reach CO2 doubling, the Arctic will be ice free all summer and the northern hemisphere climate will have changed beyond anything experienced in the history of humanity. Now that really is policy relevant, and it needs to be communicated with considerable force…
- Yes, that Cook — the one from Skeptical Science and The Climate Show. Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature, John Cook et al 2013 Environ. Res. Lett. 8 024024
- The response of the climate system to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 over pre-industrial levels, at the time of doubling — that is, before most of the climate system has a chance to catch up. [↩]
- And to judge from my emails, there’s a lot of that going on at the moment. [↩]
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|In Chinese astrology, the years are named for animals and each animal sign recurs every 12 years. According to one legend, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth. Only 12 animals came to bid him farewell. As a reward he named a year after each other one in the order that they arrived. First came the Rat, then the Ox, the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Thus we have 12 signs today.
There are five different elements in the Chinese cosmology, such that, as the animal signs recur every 12 years, they have a different element associated with the sign. The five elements are fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. This means you might be a metal Rat, like me, or a fire Horse, like my brother. You also might be a water Rat, or an earth Horse. It all depends on the year of your birth.
The animal ruling year in which you were born exercises a profound influence on your life. As the Chinese say, "This is the animal that hides in your heart". The Chinese horoscope calculator, below, will tell you what animal rules the year of your birth. Put the year of your birth in the box below and find out what Chinese animal you are!
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Java 7 Will Evolve to Fine-grained Parallelism
Java's development team understands the multicore revolution and is working hard in offering a new concurrency framework taking into account the new possibilities offered by the new microprocessors. Hence, JDK 7 (Java Development Kit 7) will offer the fork-join framework in order to help Java developers to tackle the multicore revolution using this popular programming language.I'm going to borrow some words from Charles Darwin's "The Origin of the Species" and his theory of evolution: "In a very real sense, nature selected the best adapted varieties to survive and to reproduce. This process has come to be known as natural selection."
I'm pretty sure that developers will select the best adapted programming languages to survive in the parallelism age. This process is also known as natural selection. Programming languages that do not evolve to support multicore programming won't have chances to survive in this new era. Luckily, JDK 7 will offer many improvements that will seduce multicore programmers.
Java supports multithreading since its first version. However, multicore microprocessors were not available when Java was born. This old threading model was useful to create more responsive applications using only one processing core, but it wasn't prepared for high concurrency levels. This model is not suitable for multicore programming that requires many concurrent tasks taking full advantage of all the available cores.
JDK 5 added support for coarse-grained concurrency. However, this model is suitable for multiprocessor systems (MP systems). Therefore, JDK 7 adds support for fine-grained parallelism, offering the developers the possibility to exploit multicore microprocessors using the new fork-join framework.
Definitely, Java is evolving to survive the multicore revolution. This new framework offers the possibility of working with tasks, instead of using more expensive threads. For example, the new package java.util.concurrent.forkjoin, proposed for JDK 7 release offers the following useful base classes:
* RecursiveAction: To represent divide-and-conquer solutions. * RecursiveTask: To represent result-bearing tasks. * AsyncAction: To work with tasks that require asynchronous completion. * CyclicAction: To work with parallel iterative tasks.
The new fork-join tasks are designed to minimize the overhead and to improve the performance offered by compute-intensive tasks. Besides, the code is easier to understand than the old threaded version and the developers require less synchronization.
This new framework is very useful for compute-intensive tasks running on multicore CPUs.
There are many other features that will be available in JDK 7, like the new ParallelArray. However, I wanted to keep the focus on a short and simple introduction to the new fork-join framework.
Java is evolving. Thus, Java developers must also evolve to take advantage of these forthcoming features.
For more details, go here and watch the excellent slides of "Let's Resync. Concurrency Features in JDK 7", by Brian Goetz, Sr. Staff Engineer, Sun Microsystems.
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Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 — March 11, 1820) was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence.
He was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, in a house that is now on the campus of Swarthmore College, as the tenth child of an innkeeper. The family later moved to Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, where his father was the proprietor of the Square Tavern, still standing in that town. West told John Galt, with whom, late in his life, he collaborated on a memoir, The Life and Studies of Benjamin West (1816, 1820) that, when he was a child, Native Americans showed him how to make paint by mixing some clay from the river bank with bear grease in a pot. Benjamin West was an autodidact; while excelling at the arts, “he had little [formal] education and, even when president of the Royal Academy, could scarcely spell” (Hughes, 70). From 1746 to 1759, West worked in Pennsylvania, mostly painting portraits. While in Lancaster, PA, in 1756, West’s patron, a gunsmith named William Henry, encouraged him to design a “Death of Socrates” based on an engraving in Charles Rollin’s Ancient History; the resulting composition, which significantly differs from West’s source, has been called “the most ambitious and interesting painting produced in colonial America.” Dr William Smith, then the provost of the College of Philadelphia, saw the painting in Henry’s house and decided to patronize West, offering him education and, more important, connections with wealthy and politically-connected Pennsylvanians. During this time West met John Wollaston, a famous painter who immigrated from London. West learned Wollaston’s techniques for painting the shimmer of silk and satin, and also adopted some of “his mannerisms, the most prominent of which was to give all his subjects large almond-shaped eyes, which clients thought very chic”(Hughes, 71). In 1760, sponsored by Smith and William Allen, reputed to be the wealthiest man in Philadelphia, West traveled to Italy where he expanded his repertoire by copying the works of Italian painters such as Titian and Raphael.
West was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin, whose portrait he painted. Franklin was also the godfather of West’s second son, Benjamin.
In 1763, West moved to England, where he was commissioned by King George III to create portraits of members of the royal family. The king himself was twice painted by him. He painted his most famous and possibly most influential painting, The Death of General Wolfe, in 1770, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1771. Although originally snubbed by Reynolds and others as over ambitious, the painting became one of the most frequently reproduced images of the period.
In 1772, King George appointed him historical painter to the court at an annual fee of £1,000. West became friends with the English portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds and founded the Royal Academy of Arts with Reynolds in 1768. He was the second president of the Royal Academy from 1792 to 1805. He was re-elected in 1806 and was president until his death in 1820. He was Surveyor of the King’s Pictures from 1791 until his death.
West is known for his large scale history paintings, which use expressive figures, colors and compositional schemes to help the spectator to identify with the scene represented. West called this “epic representation”.
Works by West, Reynolds, Gainsborough executed in oil were engraved by leading engravers of the day (many were members of the Royal Academy) commissioned by the artist to have these published as Engravings were very profitable for the artist and help to make the artists works better known for the collecting public. These were appreciated as a genuine art form in the 17 and 18 Centuries UNLIKE the poor quality of Engravings produced in the following Century.
Here we have a Rare Engraving Benjamin West “William 1st Receiving the Crown of England” Engraving. Published of the work of Benjamin West. Engraved by Georges Noble (noted London Engraver) Published in Jan 1797 by R. Bowyer, Pall Mall, London. Engraved work measure 12.50 by 8.50 inches approximate.
This is in good condition, with narrow margins on antique wove paper.
Art (paintings, prints, frames)
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What parallels might be drawn between the present-day United States and the Roman Republic before Julius Caesar took over? It's a fascinating question, and one that seems to be an inspiration to Tom Holland, as he mentions it in the introduction to Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic. Or, maybe it wasn't one, since this is the last time he mentions it. The reader is left to his/her own conclusions on this issue, but unfortunately the back cover draws attention to this aspect making you think that's what the book is going to be about.
Instead, he gives us a history of the fall of the Republic, from the late second century BC to the death of Caesar in 44 BC. Holland covers all the wars, civil unrest and the decline of senatorial power as he shows us the events leading to dictatorship. The history is dotted with colorful characters (from Caesar to Spartacus to Cleopatra and beyond) and Holland brings them all to life, often in their own words. In doing so, Holland has produced a very readable account, meticulously researched, that will make anybody with even a mild interest in this time period clamor for more.
Holland begins by talking about the amount of information from this time period that we have access to, as it's one of the most recorded periods in ancient history. Yet even so, it's impossible to take everything written as fact, immune to different interpretations. Instead, it's a minefield where historians have to tread carefully.
"In short, the reader should take it as a rule of thumb that many statements of fact in this book could plausibly be contradicted by an opposite interpretation." Pg xx (introduction)
This is all well and good, and I'm glad that he warned us. While all history is subject to interpretation (or even outright lies, depending on what the sources are and how biased they are), the farther back you go the worse it gets. However, one thing I wish Holland would have done is to acknowledge this within the text as well. It would have been interesting to see him discuss a couple of interpretations of conflicting events as he told us about them, something like:
"XX happened, according to Plutarch, but other accounts say YY happened. It seems logical to assume, given the equipment involved, that a combination of XX and YY is what truly happened."
Instead, we get one narrative with a warning at the beginning that, we have to remember, this may not be the right one.
Holland uses a wealth of primary sources as well as sources written within one to two hundred years after the fall of the Republic. This brings the issues sharply into focus as we get a closer look at what these people had to deal with. However, part of this goes back to the issue of bias and interpretation. Some the sources (Cicero is the primary example, but there are others) are heavily involved with these events, thus making their stories slightly suspect (or at least biased). Yes, we have to keep in mind Holland's warning in the introduction, but it's easy to lose track of this as you read the narrative.
That being said, the narrative Holland gives us is wonderful. He is very detailed, giving us somewhat of a history of each character as he introduces him/her. While this is not a history of Roman culture, but of government, he gives us enough information to get an idea of why these events were so monumental. We see the value Romans put in to their Republic and the fact that the people were able to vote on things (though of course it wasn't like our modern-day voting, where anybody can do it). With each step toward the abyss, we see the inevitability of what happened. The benefits of hindsight are wonderful, and perhaps that's where Holland's reference to current events should be placed. As we read about Marius and Sulla and other Romans who tried to enhance their own power at the expense of the Senate, are there any "characters" hanging around right now who are doing similar things?
Another place Holland excels is in keeping the various names of Roman characters straight (Gaius This and Gaius That). I've always found confusing who's who in the Roman Empire, but Holland helps this immensely. Even so, at times I had to stop and think who he was talking about, but the clearness of the narrative makes it a lot easier to keep organized in my brain. This also applies to the sometimes confusing events. Barbarians to the North, uppity kings to the East, slave revolts and other major events all combine to bring down the once mighty empire and allow one man to rise to the top to save it (dispensing with that pesky "the people decide" aspect, however). Holland is a radio personality in Britain, and I think this gives him the ability to break down the events in ways that are easier to understand. The author's description mentions he has a Ph.D., but it doesn't say in what, so I have no idea if it's in history or not. Even so, he seems to have done his research and presented it in an easily readable, and more importantly, fascinating narrative.
For an introduction into the Roman Republic (and especially for those of you who thought Roman history *began* with Julius Caesar), this is a great book. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.
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Funeral Directors are Environmentally Good Citizens
An update on NFDA's environmental accomplishments
In the past several years, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
has taken a leadership role in safety, health and environmental issues affecting
the funeral service profession. We want NFDA members to know what NFDA recently
has accomplished in this area and the expertise that NFDA has developed. We hope
this information will enhance your efforts and will help you further your
commitment to continued compliance in this important area.
There are three environmental areas in which NFDA has been active, each
involving wastewater discharges from the embalming process: 1) discharges to
publicly owned treatment works; 2) discharges to septic systems; and 3) the
biologic impact of the wastewater discharge.
Discharges to Publicly Owned Treatment Works: Most funeral directors
discharge wastewater from the embalming process to publicly owned treatment
works (POTWs) in their communities. 1 In 1995, NFDA completed the Funeral Home
Wastestream Audit Report (the Audit), which analyzed the volume and chemical
composition of embalming wastewater and the impact of the discharge on POTWs.
The purpose of the Audit is to fill a void in information about the origin,
nature, quantity and fate of funeral home wastewater.
Generally, embalming wastewater contains the residue of preservative
chemicals–primarily formaldehyde, phenol, and methanol–used in embalming,
and water, blood and bodily fluids. A typical embalming produces an average of
120 gallons of wastewater, as compared to a total average of 632 gallons of
wastewater from embalming and from other water-producing activities in the home,
such as sinks, toilets, laundry, and showers. The Audit determined that there
was little impact on local wastewater treatment systems resulting from the
discharge of wastewater from funeral homes because funeral home wastewater
primarily contains low levels of biodegradable preservative chemicals, but
ordinarily would not be expected to contain persistent toxic chemicals. The
Audit also concluded that the low concentrations of preservative chemicals found
in funeral home wastewater permitted the efficient biological treatment of
funeral home wastewater discharged to treatment systems. In fact, embalming
wastewater is not unlike sanitary flows.
Also included in the Audit are NFDA's Work Practices: recommendations for the
use and disposal of preservative solutions when embalming in performed. These
work practices are designed to help NFDA members meet the high standards of the
funeral service profession.
Since its completion, the Audit has been widely circulated and has become a
valuable tool. NFDA has provided it to scores of regulators, both federal and
state, and of course, to funeral directors. The Audit has helped allay concerns
about what is in funeral home wastewater and its impact on POTWs. It has also
been used by many funeral directors in examining their wastewater systems and
ensuring compliance with the environmental laws. The data about funeral home
wastewater in the audit has provided a foundation for the study of septic
discharges and the biologic impact of wastewater discharges.
Funeral directors that discharge to POTWs are required to apply for and have
either permits or contracts with their local municipalities in
order to be allowed to discharge their wastewater to POTWs. Some permits and
contracts set numerical limits. Some include monitoring requirements, obligating
funeral directors to periodically sample their wastewater and provide the
analyses to their regulators. In addition, municipalities are required to obtain
information from their industrial dischargers, including funeral homes, so they
know the quality and quantity of wastewater received, and to ensure that the
POTW is capable of treating the wastewater.
Using the Audit, NFDA has assisted many funeral directors nationwide respond
to requests for information from local regulators and demonstrate that funeral
home wastewater is appropriate for discharge to the POTW. NFDA also has
responded to the questions of many members regarding permitting, compliance and
best-management practices for handling funeral home discharges to POTWs.
Discharges to Septic Systems: Some funeral homes, primarily those
located in rural communities, employ an on-site septic system for wastewater
treatment and disposal. NFDA has retained experts to assist in confirming the
propriety of on-site septic systems for funeral home wastewater and then help
educate EPA and state regulators. NFDA's experts 2 have
concluded that well-designed septic systems, when properly operated and properly
maintained, including regular septic-tank cleanout, are capable of handling
funeral home wastewater.
NFDA's position may soon be put to the test as EPA has issued a proposed rule
imposing limitations upon septic system dischargers, including meeting specific
health-based limits before the wastewater enters the septic tank. 3
Under EPA's proposal, those dischargers unable to meet EPA's final requirements
will have to cease discharging the non-sanitary wastewater into the septic
system. NFDA has taken the position that funeral homes should be outside EPA's
proposed rule because funeral homes are low risk. 4 Funeral
homes are small businesses that produce small volumes of readily biodegradable
wastewater and should be treated differently than other septic system
dischargers, such as motor-vehicle waste-disposal wells, large-capacity
cesspools, and other industrial-waste disposal wells. EPA has no data that
indicates funeral home septic systems cause groundwater contamination.
On March 18, 1998, NFDA submitted a report by its experts documenting these
conclusions. Throughout the spring of 1998, NFDA participated in an EPA
small-business forum intended to elicit the concerns of small businesses that
would be subject to EPA rules prior to the rule's proposal. In September 1998,
NFDA submitted its written comments on EPA's proposed rule, objecting to the
rule as it applied to funeral homes. In December 1998, NFDA At-Large
Representative Dwayne R. Spence was named by EPA to serve on the agency's
National Drinking Water Advisory Council, one of a handful of industry
representatives providing their views on EPA-proposed regulations and other
drinking water issues under consideration by EPA. NFDA and its consultants have
served as “staff” to Spence in the council's meetings held in Denver in
January 1999 and in Washington, D.C., in March 1999.
NFDA has used its septic-system expertise to seek to influence the views of
others, including state regulators. Over the summer of 1998, NFDA worked with
the National Small Flows Clearinghouse, an organization established and funded
by EPA, that distributes information about small-community wastewater systems,
to ensure that conclusions in a Small Flows article about funeral home septic
systems were based on sound science and consistent with NFDA findings.
NFDA also is working with the states of Michigan and Oklahoma, as they
establish new policies regulating discharges to septic systems, to ensure that
their policies reflect the data NFDA has and the conclusions NFDA has drawn.
In late 1998, the State of Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM)
relied on NFDA's Audit and other data, including its sampling of five Alabama
funeral homes. ADEM issued a report concluding that septic systems can treat
the residual amounts of preservative solutions and can provide effective removal
of bacteria and viruses that may be found in embalming wastewater. ADEM
plans to investigate further a concentration of volatile organics found in one
groundwater monitoring well at one of the five funeral homes sampled. However,
there is no indication of the source of the solvent, whether it might have come
from historic rather than current practices, or whether it was a component of a
household rather than an embalming product. NFDA expects to monitor closely
ADEM's activities. NFDA also has provided guidance, both technical and legal, to
a number of funeral directors around the United States seeking to install new
The Biologic Impact of Wastewater Discharges: Legislation proposed in
New Jersey several years ago seeks to ban the discharge of embalming wastewater
to POTWs, requiring instead that it be boxed, stored, hauled away and
incinerated. Although the legislation is quite controversial, not
environmentally sound and has never been voted out of Senate committee, it
continues to survive.
One of the issues that the legislation has spawned is the potential impact on
sewer workers of bloodborne pathogens and viruses, particularly HIV, which may
potentially be found in embalming wastewater. Work done by the New Jersey
Funeral Directors Association, Inc. (NJFDA) 5 in conjunction
with NFDA has laid this issue to rest. Concerns of wastewater workers appear to
be unfounded because: 1) infectious HIV does not appear to survive in
wastewater for more than a few minutes; 2) dilution immediately would lower the
HIV below a dosage likely to infect; and 3) there are no reported cases of
bloodborne disease from occupational exposure to sewage.
Despite NFDA's accomplishments, there is work yet to be done. Funeral
directors still find themselves subject to enforcement actions. In January 1999,
a North Georgia funeral director discharging to a septic system pled guilty and
in March of 1999 was sentenced for a felony violation of the federal Clean Water
Act. We think there were problems with the federal government's prosecution in
this case. There was no environmental harm and no proof that the sewage from the
septic system was likely to reach U.S. waters, a critical element of the
government's case. The funeral director was not a bad actor. Nevertheless, the
funeral director probably relied too heavily on his county health department
inspector for advice and waited too long to correct a problem later discovered
by a zealous government agent.
NFDA has taken a leadership role and developed expertise in the environmental
area. The responsibility now rests with NFDA members to ensure compliance with
the environmental laws and to demonstrate their commitment to good environmental
citizenry. NFDA will keep you informed of developments in this important area.
You can expect soon to see concise summaries of the critical data responding to
the issues in the environmental area. Be sure to check NFDA's web site at
www.nfda.org for developments. If you need help, contacting John Fitch, NFDA's
government relations director, in Washington, D.C. at 202-547-0441 or your state
executive director is a good place to start.
Carol Lynn Green, Esq. is the founder of Green Environmental Strategies,
which designs innovative environmental strategies for businesses and trade
associations, using the environmental laws as tools. For the past seven years,
Green has represented NFDA on environmental issues. She also works closely with
Jill M. Zucker, Esq., Counsel, Bryan Cave LLP, on environmental issues.
1 Some funeral directors discharge their wastewater
directly to the Nation's waterways. Under the Clean Water Act, such direct
dischargers are required to apply for and to have a permit , issued either by
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state environmental
agency. The permit will set conditions on the concentration of various
pollutants that may be discharged and ordinarily will impose requirements for
2 NFDA has retained Roberts/Schornick &
Associates, Inc. (RSA), a full-service environmental consulting firm
headquartered in Norman, Oklahoma for this project. A particular capability of
RSA is the evaluation, design and development of specifications for wastewater
treatment for funeral homes.
3 Some states and county health departments already
have requirements for both installation and operation permits for septic system
4 EPA plans to issue its final rule in July 1999.
Compliance with the terms of the final rule likely could be required as early as
60 days after the rule is issued.
5 Wilson Beebe, Executive Director of the NJFDA, with
a team of experts, has lead this project.
This article appears in the May 1999 issue of The Director.
Reprinted with the permission of the National Funeral Directors Association, The Director, NFDA Services, Inc., May 2008.
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Aiken - Feb 28, 2002
New evidence from two Peruvian archeological sites excavated by researchers from the University of Maine (UMaine) and analyzed by University of Georgia (UGA) scientists supports the theory that a climate shift about 5,000 years ago led to modern weather patterns that include El Nino. The details are presented in an article in this week's edition of the journal Science.
The lead author is C. Fred T. Andrus, a postdoctoral associate at UGA. Co-authors include Douglas E. Crowe, Elizabeth J. Reitz and Christopher S. Romanek of UGA and Daniel H. Sandweiss of UMaine. Romanek also works at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Aiken, S. C. The paper presents the results of chemical analyses of fish bones known as otoliths from a species of sea catfish (Galeichthys peruvianus) living along the Peruvian coast.
"Our data strengthen the argument that El Nino, as we know it, began relatively recently - since 5000 years ago," said Andrus. (El Nino is, in large part, warming of the ocean waters off Peru at irregular intervals.)
"This is more evidence that climate change is the norm, and climate stability is the exception in the earth's history, even in relatively recent times. Given the enormous global impact of El Nino, it's important to understand that climate is a naturally variable system, and that just six thousand years ago El Nino was less frequent."
Andrus said that otoliths from sea catfish are a good candidate for such analysis because the fish do not migrate. They tend to stay near shore in relatively small areas away from river mouths where fresh water can complicate the oxygen results.
"Otoliths act like miniature temperature recording devices," said Crowe. "Throughout the life of a fish, they grow concentrically larger, and the ratio of oxygen isotopes in each individual growth band allows us to determine the temperature of the water at that time. By looking at the entire otolith, we can reconstruct the water temperature history throughout the life of the fish, from season to season and year to year.
In 1996, Sandweiss, Reitz and three other scientists co-authored a paper in Science presenting new evidence that conditions indicating the onset of El Nino about 5,000 years ago. Their conclusions were based on the identification of mollusk and fish remains from archeological sites.
Some critics of that paper suggested that the mollusks might have lived in warm water embayments that would not accurately reflect temperatures in the open ocean.
"The evidence in this paper, based on fish that live off shore, strongly supports the conclusions that we reached in 1996," says Sandweiss.
The current paper in Science is allied to two other papers by Andrus and Crowe, now in press at the Journal of Archaeological Sciences and the journal Paleoceanography.
The JAS paper showed that that cooking and subsequent burial for 5,000 to 8,000 years didn't alter the oxygen isotope signatures. The research to be published soon in Paleoceanography establishes the use of otoliths as proxies for temperature-using modern fish to show the technique works. The new Science paper in a sense brings the research together.
Andrus has participated in archeological activities led by Sandweiss in Peru. He performed analyses of oxygen isotopes on otoliths from modern fish as well as seven sea catfish otoliths collected from the Ostra site in 1991 and five from the Siches site in 1995. Siches is located in far northern Peru near the border with Ecuador, whereas Ostra is located about midway between Siches and Lima, the Peruvian capital.
The results at Ostra showed that, although winter water temperatures were similar to those of today, summer temperatures prior to 5,000 years ago were much warmer than they are today. Thus, the average annual temperature was about three degrees Celsius warmer than present. At Siches, although there was little seasonal variation, temperatures were also about three to four degrees warmer than they are today.
"A change in El Nino frequency and the related increase in upwelling about 5000 years ago may be related to changes in fishing resources and increased cultural complexity," said Reitz.
These results are also consistent with a theory posed by Sandweiss and his colleagues in a paper in Geology in 2001. That paper suggested that cultural changes such as the construction of cities and large monuments may have been related to the onset of El Nino 5000 years ago and later to changes in its frequency and intensity.
"Our research shows that the current El Nino cycle is significantly different from what it was five to eight thousand years ago," said Andrus. "Our hope is that our data can be used to build accurate predictive models of future El Nino events.
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Forecasters' Confidence Increases That El Nino Will Develop
Washington - Feb 10, 2002
NOAA scientists are observing a steady evolution toward El Nino conditions and predict a localized warming of sea surface temperatures off the coasts of Ecuador and Peru over the next few weeks.
El Nino Link To Southern Ocean Currents
Sydney - June 26, 2001
Scientists have found that El Nino is primarily responsible for determining the strength of the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave. The Antarctic Circumpolar Wave occurs in the Circumpolar Current around Antarctica. The Current takes eight years to complete a full rotation of the earth, and influences Australia's weather.
|The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.|
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Now begin to lash a variety of green tree boughs onto the maypole, using the string. Cover the maypole on both sides, all the way to within about 3 or 4 feet from the bottom. The bottom will be stuck into a hole dug with a post-hole digger.
The man wrapping the string is holding the whole ball of string in his hand.
Pick some flowers to decorate the maypole.
This woman made bouquets with the flowers, wrapping them with the string.
The bouquets were bound onto the maypole.
Then she made two flower wreaths to decorate the arms of the maypole, again using string. You can use this same technique to make a lavish flower crown.
Here is a finished flower wreath with a length of string for attaching it to the maypole.
After tying on the flower wreaths, the villagers placed the maypole into the hole and raised it.
They shoved wedge-shaped pieces of lumber into the hole to keep the maypole erect.
In some villages, a permanent maypole is kept up all year, and taken down to decorate it for Midsummer holiday.
An accordion-player began to play traditional maypole dancing songs....
And soon people of all ages were dancing around the pole and singing.
Next May, I will show you how to make the kind of maypole we danced around during May Day celebrations at my school here in the United States.
Varma Midsommar Hälsningar!
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A great lakes ore freighter has a mass of 86000 tons. It is designed to safely carry 76000 tons of iron ore, when it is in Lake Erie. How much ore could it carry safely on the ocean? Assume that safety depends only on maintaining the water line at the same position. The density of ocean water is 1025 kg/m3. Express your answer in tons.
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Companies, schools and government agencies couldn't keep up with transactions and payments without bookkeepers. Also called bookkeeping or accounting clerks, they record checks, credit card and cash transactions in computers, and produce reports -- such as income statements and balance sheets -- for managers and executives. If you are detail-oriented and conscientious about accuracy -- as shown by the way you balance the checkbook at home -- you already have some skills of a bookkeeper. The next step is taking some related courses and getting training.
Most bookkeepers are required to have high school diplomas. Some employers prefer that you have some postsecondary education, especially with coursework in accounting, finance and business -- with a general understanding of recordkeeping. Twenty-five percent of bookkeepers had at least an associate's degree as of 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bookkeepers usually get their training on the job with employers. You may train under a supervisor or experienced bookkeeper and learn the basics of double-entry bookkeeping. Double-entry bookkeeping involves keeping track of all debits, or costs, and credits, or income. Two entries are made for each transaction to make sure all accounts are balanced. Along with on-the-job training, you might be required to attend classroom training to learn your company's or agency's computer software. Training for bookkeepers usually takes about six months, according to the BLS.
Some employers require that bookkeepers be certified, and certification can increase your employment opportunities. You may earn the designation of certified bookkeeper, or CB, through the American Institute of Professional Bookkeeping when you complete the certification process. You must have two years of experience in bookkeeping to qualify for certification and pass a four-part exam. Another option is to take the Uniform Bookkeeper Certification Exam through the national Bookkeepers Association, according to the BLS. You must score at least 80 percent on a 50-question multiple-choice exam to attain this certification.
Bookkeepers must be highly detailed-oriented to ensure accuracy with all book entries they make. They must check their work periodically, learn to recognize errors and correct them immediately. As a bookkeeper, you must also be proficient in basic math because you will be using it daily on your job. Computer skills are also required to manipulate spreadsheets and use bookkeeping software.
- SW Productions/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
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Aaron Margolin, professor of microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and director of UNH’s Virus and Waterborne Disease Laboratory, is available to discuss the science and// public health implications of norovirus.
Noroviruses, also known as Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses, are estimated to cause 23 million cases of acute gastroenteritis in the United States each year. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and sometimes fever. This winter has seen what some say is a high incidence of norovirus, with recent outbreaks on the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship, the Hilton Washington Dulles Airport Hotel, and in several New Hampshire nursing facilities.
One possible explanation for the uptick in incidences is better detection, says Margolin. “In the past 10 years, there’s been a boom in molecular virology that has led to much easier testing,” he says, noting that tests that could once be conducted only at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta can now be run at his UNH lab or at the New Hampshire state laboratory.
Better detection and identification notwithstanding, Margolin says, the fast-spreading virus is greatly affected by sanitation. “It all boils down to the fecal-oral route. People will inadvertently consume the fecal material of another individual,” he says. Lax hand-washing, among anyone from food-preparers to caregivers to hand-shakers, is a primary route for the virus to spread; studies have shown that 75 percent of men and 50 percent of women do not wash their hands after using the restroom. Margolin assigns his students to be public restroom sleuths, and their data confirms those statistics.
The viruses’ impact is further heightened by an aging population. “We baby boomers are no longer in the prime of our immune system. We’re not only losing the ability to fight the virus off, but if we do get the virus, we suffer greater consequences,” Margolin says, explaining the prevalence of outb
reaks in elderly facilities.
Finally, Margolin says, our ability to stop the spread of disease, whether norovirus or the common cold, is hampered by our attitudes about sickness. “If we were a society that really was interested in preventive health, when you had a cold, you’d be expected to isolate yourself,” he says. “There’s no great research that has to be done. We know how viruses are spread from person to person. But we are not a society that allows for people to say, ‘I’m sick and I’m not going to do anything today.’”
SRM Related medicine news :1
. Indian Government To Promote Better Sanitation2
. Delhis Sanitation in a Pathetic State: UNDP3
. Poor Sanitation Causes 3.1 Million Child Deaths In Asia4
. Sanitation Emerges as the Winner5
. Developing Countries may Fail MDG Sanitation Targets6
. Solutions Possible for Providing Water and Sanitation in Poor Urban Settlements, Says WaterAid7
. A Village in Madhya Pradesh Achieves Total Sanitation8
. Science of swooning9
. The Science of Solar Eclipse 10
. The Unpredictable Face Of Science11
. Science backs the importance of vegetables in diet
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The enigmatic image is perhaps the most reproduced in art history, but it's never before been painted on such a small canvas.
Using a novel nanotechnique, researchers have made a miniature Mona Lisa that stretches 30 microns across, just a third of the width of a human hair.
A team from Georgia Tech created the molecular masterpiece using an atomic force microscope and a process dubbed ThermoChemical NanoLithography, or TCNL for short.
Each 125-nanometer pixel of the "Mini Lisa" represents a confined set of chemical reactions. The technique allowed the researchers to control the amount of heat applied over each pixel to vary the number of new molecules created in each spot. More heat resulted in more molecules and lighter shades of gray. In this way, the team made the tiny copy of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous work, pixel by pixel.
The microscopic art is essentially a demonstration of TCNL's ability to make variations in molecular concentrations on this extremely small scale, and the researchers think this technique could have applications for nanoscale manufacturing.
"We envision TCNL will be capable of patterning gradients of other physical or chemical properties, such as conductivity of graphene," study researcher Jennifer Curtis said in a statement. "This technique should enable a wide range of previously inaccessible experiments and applications in fields as diverse as nanoelectronics, optoelectronics and bioengineering."
The process is described online in the journal Langmuir, and it isn't the first time the iconic image has been used to demonstrate a feat of science. NASA researchers recently beamed the Mona Lisa to the moon with a powerful, well-timed laser.
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What A Drag It Isn’t Growing Old
Good news, Mick Jagger! (And just in the nick of time, as we head into the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary year!) According to a study by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, individual carbon footprints diminish with age. So if you're an aging enviro, there's no need to stress out and go running for the shelter of your mother's little helper.
Writes the New York Times Green blog: “On the whole, emissions steadily increase from age 10 to around 60 and then abruptly begin to decline. In other words, most Americans hit their carbon-producing peak — about 14.9 metric tons per person — just before retirement. By the time they hit 80, however, their emissions have dropped to about 13.1 metric tons.”
The news is more than “Did you know?” cocktail-party fodder: It turns out that most climate projections take into account population growth but not age distribution. “Given shifts in longevity in the United States and across the globe, age could be a critical factor in such predictions,” adds the Times. “The average life expectancy in the United States is expected to increase from 78.3 years today to 83.1 in 2050, for example, and the worldwide population of those 65 and over is expected to rise from 8 percent now to 13 percent by 2030.”
Rockin' elders are still trumped by hipsters, though. Your average 25-year-old generates just below 10 metric tons of carbon emissions.
-- Reed McManus
Image: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock (MPIDR), Emilio Zagheni
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USGS and Hawai‘i Researchers Collaborate to Better Understand Changing Coral Reef Ecosystems Along West Maui, Hawai‘i
Over the past decade, there has been a notable change in seafloor-bottom type along west Maui, Hawai‘i. Nearshore areas, once dominated by corals, are now mostly overgrown by algae, suggesting a local nutrient imbalance that warrants further investigation. Previous studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State of Hawai‘i, and University of Hawai‘i have documented the magnitude of change along this section of the coast and have investigated the causes driving these changes.
In 2009, the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources (HI-DAR) established the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area (KHFMA), designated to improve the health of the coral reef ecosystem by increasing the number of herbivores (plant eaters) to help reduce the turf algae and macroalgae that have overgrown the corals at the site.
In early 2011, the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) Watershed Partnership Initiative selected the Kā‘anapali area of west Maui as the second of three national priority study areas on which to focus its research and restoration efforts. Driven by this national support, the Hawai‘i Coral Reef Strategy identified the coral reef ecosystem of west Maui as a priority management area. Likewise, the West Maui Ridge to Reef (R2R) Initiative published the Wahikuli-Honokāwai Watershed Management Plan, which provides a framework for reducing the generation and transport of land-based pollutants (generally sediment, but also nutrients, such as nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers) to improve water quality and the health of west Maui’s coral reef ecosystems.
In cooperation with HI-DAR, the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program initiated a multidisciplinary effort in 2012 to provide scientific information in support of both USCRTF and HI-DAR priorities in west Maui. This effort includes the following:
Susan Cochran and Ann Gibbs (USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center [PCMSC], Santa Cruz, California) worked with Darla White (HI-DAR) in winter 2012–2013 to begin constructing high-resolution maps of the underwater environment along the west coast of Maui (see map above). They used existing satellite imagery, bathymetric data from airborne lidar (light detection and ranging), sidescan-sonar data, and georeferenced underwater video. Maps of dominant structure (such as mud, sand, reef) and major biological cover (such as coral, macroalgae, coralline algae) were created using methodology and a classification scheme used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) but at much finer spatial resolution. (The NOAA methodology is described in NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 19 (PDF, 2 MB).
A minimum mapping unit (MMU) of 100 square meters was used (as opposed to the NOAA MMU of 1 acre [4,047 square meters]), and smaller features were mapped if they carried habitat significance (for example, an individual coral colony 2 meters in diameter located in an otherwise uncolonized area). During a multifaceted interagency effort in July 2013, the USGS Pacific Coral Reefs Project, along with HI-DAR personnel, collected seafloor photographs and video for the ground-truth survey.
Also in July 2013, Nancy Prouty, Josh Logan, Tom Reiss, Pete Dal Ferro, and Curt Storlazzi (USGS-PCMSC) collected several cores along the west Maui coast. Given the length of the cores, it may be possible to document environmental conditions as far back as pre-European times. Prouty and Storlazzi instrumented the coral head from which one of these cores was collected with temperature, salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll sensors in October 2012. Comparing the measurements from these sensors with the chemistry of recently formed layers of the coral skeleton will help scientists quantify relationships between coral chemistry and seawater chemistry. This calibration will enable them to use ancient coral layers to learn about the chemistry of the seawater in which those layers formed.
Processes related to the sustained discharge of coastal groundwater at a site off west Maui were studied by Peter Swarzenski, Pamela Campbell, Cordell Johnson, Randy Russell, and Storlazzi (USGS-PCMSC); Kevin Kroeger (USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center [WHCMSC], Woods Hole, Massachusetts); and Joe Fackrell and Meghan Dailer (University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu). Their diverse list of analyses included time-series measurements of two radioactive isotopes that occur naturally in groundwater and so serve as groundwater “tracers”: radon (222Rn, half-life = 3.8 days) and thoron (220Rn, half-life = 55.6 sec). These measurements were complemented with data from strategically placed thermistor arrays (for measuring temperature), wave- and pressure-sensors, and an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP, for measuring current velocities at different heights above the seafloor). The scientists also deployed an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) capable of accurately measuring wave-induced pumping of focused coastal groundwater discharge.
A suite of water samples were collected from both nearby and distant groundwater wells, surface and bottom water, and sites of submarine groundwater discharge to better understand the geochemical character and composition of the discharging groundwater. Additionally, a thermal-infrared (TIR) camera installed in a building near the beach collected time-series images to record variations in submarine groundwater discharge as revealed by temperature contrasts between the discharging groundwater plume and ambient surface water. Essential logistical support was most ably provided by White of HI-DAR and Sulinn Aipa and Ryan Nobriga of the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort (in which the TIR camera was installed).
Lastly, Storlazzi, Logan, Reiss, Cochran, and Russell partnered with HI-DAR staff to deploy a series of satellite-tracked, near-surface current drifters during the nighttime spawning of the reef-building coral Montipora capitata. (Read about a similar study in “Tracking Coral Larvae to Understand Hawai‘i Reef Health,” Sound Waves, August/September 2010.) The drifters were released on two nights during the July 2013 spawning event, from one reef off south-central Moloka‘i and three reefs off west Maui, two of which are also State of Hawai‘i marine managed areas (Honolua-Mokule‘ia Bay Marine Life Conservation District and Āhihi Kīna‘u Natural Area Reserve). These drifters were tracked for six days and elucidated the interconnected nature of the coral reefs in the main Hawaiian Islands, as drifters from Maui reached the reefs of O‘ahu and Kaho‘olawe during the time frame when the developing larvae were still in their positively buoyant, planktonic stage.
In order to better communicate the recent findings and goals of our ongoing studies to Federal, State, and local partners, Storlazzi briefed the USCRTF, HI-DAR, and the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council one evening after field operations, and both he and Prouty gave invited lectures at the University of Hawai‘i Maui College at the end of field operations. All in all, a wide range of multidisciplinary data was acquired, and interaction with partners occurred in support of National, State, and local needs.
Learn more about USGS coral reef studies in the Pacific.
Learn more about USGS coastal groundwater studies in the Pacific.
in this issue:
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The Battle of Caer Caradoc - Caractacus' last stand
The Battle of Caer Caradoc, the scene of Caractacus last stand against the Roman legions, took place in 50 AD, following the Roman invasion of Britain under the Emperor Claudius. Following the Roman victories of the Medway and the Thames and the death of his brother Togodumnus, the Celtic war leader Caractacus, King of the Catuvellauni had fled to the mountains of northern Wales to enlist the aid of his fellow Celts, the Silures tribe, the most tenacious of foes, and the fierce Ordovice tribe, against the Roman invaders.
The site of the battle is not known with certainty. The Iron Age hill fort of Caer Caradoc in Shropshire's hill country has been connected with the battle due to its name which translates as the fortress of Caractacus. Legend states that the battle was fought at a Celtic Camp in the Malvern Hills.
The River Severn, though visible from the latter location, is much too distant to fit the description of the battle site as it was described by Tacitus, and the Severn is not visible from Caer Caradoc. A position just west of Caersws on the River Severn, in Powys, where the remains of Iron Age earthworks can still be seen has also been suggested as a possible site of the battle as has a location near Chapel Lawn, in Shropshire.
Our information on the Battle of Caer Caradoc, including a description of the terrain, are derived from the Roman historian Tacitus, The Annals of Tacitus record the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until at least the last two years of Nero's reign.
With Roman troops moving in against him, Caratacus chose a position on the high ground in hilly terrain. The Celtic forces were probably mostly composed of warriors from the Ordovices tribe though there may also have been some Silures as well. This well chosen position made both advance and retreat difficult for the Romans. According to Tacitus, prior to the battle Caractacus is said to have exhorted his countrymen that it would either " win back their freedom or enslave them for ever"
The Roman commander, Publius Ostorius Scapula, was at first reluctant to launch an assault on the British lines. The Romans crossed the river without difficulty. They then faced a constant volley of missiles, but employed the testudo formation formation of locked shields to protect themselves, they then dismantled the stone ramparts. Once the Romans were inside the Celtic defences, the two forces locked in deadly combat and fierce fighting ensued.
Fighting off the Roman attack on three sides, with inferior weapons and with inadequate or no protection in the form of body armour, the Britons were forced to withdraw to the hilltops, with the Romans in pursuit. Their lines broke, and they were caught between the heavily armed legionaries and the lightly armed auxiliaries.
Caratacus's wife, son, and daughter were captured, possibly in or around Caer Caradoc Hill Fort and his brother surrendered, but Caractacus himself escaped, to be later treacherously handed over to the Romans in chains by his fellow Celt, Cartmandua, Queen of the Brigantes, from whom he had sought refuge. Caractacus and his family were then taken as prisoners to Rome. Ostorius Scapula, the victor of the battle, died shortly after Caractacus was taken to Rome.
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Take a sneak peek at the new NIST.gov and let us know what you think!
(Please note: some content may not be complete on the beta site.).
SBIR Success Story: Artium Technologies
150 West Iowa Avenue, Unit 202
Project Title: High Sensitivity Laser-Induced Incandescence Instrument
NIST Award(s): SB1341-06-C-0042
Technology Developed: Laser-induced incandescence (LII) is an advanced electro-optical method for detecting soot concentration and primary particle size by nanosecond heating of the soot, measuring the incandescence, and relating to the soot particulate characteristics. Laser-induced incandescence techniques have been developed into a high sensitivity instrument for measuring soot particulate emissions from diesels, gas turbine engines, and other combustion sources. The method has the advantages of measuring only the soot particulate and can be used in direct exhaust measurements without dilution.
Key Words: soot, incandescence, laser-induced, LII, black carbon, elemental carbon, sizing, particulate emission
Uses of Technology/Products/Service: Laser-Induced Incandescence (LII) is used to monitor soot from combustion sources. New regulations on diesel particulate matter (PM) emissions mandating the use of advanced instrumentation for monitoring the PM in exhausts by engine developers and for determining compliance of in-use engines. Because of the new stringent requirements on engine PM emissions, gravimetric methods are no longer practical for this purpose because they require lengthy sampling times and cannot provide information on transient emissions during startup and acceleration. Furthermore, the gravimetric methods are labor intensive and lack sensitivity at low emissions levels. LII has the capability of sampling soot concentrations down to environmental levels. We have incorporated several patented features including self-compensation for changes in the laser fluence, low fluence operation to which eliminates the risk of losing a part of the sample that is being measured, and a novel NIST Traceable calibration method. The instrument may also be used for online monitoring of the soot primary particle size in the production of carbon black. This research and development contract follows the work started by NASA and EPA SBIR Phase I and II contracts and significantly advanced the instrument performance and sensitivity making it more suitable for the applications to 2007 PM emissions regulatory requirements.
Benefit to Company: Availability of instrumentation for monitoring combustion generated particulate matter (PM) is an important requirement needed as stricter environmental standards and controls on PM emissions are imposed. Engine manufacturers need these tools to advance their combustion system development and to test PM control systems such as diesel particulate filters to meet the evolving emissions standards. Thus, the market for a high sensitivity, reliable, accurate and easy to use instrumentation is potentially very large. The support provided under this SBIR Phase II program has allowed us to address this market and to significantly improve the sensitivity of the LII instrument and advance its performance. We have been able to work with engine manufacturers to learn what is needed and to develop a better understanding of where and how the instrument will be used. We have also obtained information on what other parameters need to be measured and are working to incorporate these features into our instruments. By significantly increasing the PM sensitivity, we expect to be able to address more general environmental PM monitoring requirements. A goal for our LII technology is to address the need for roadside monitoring and vehicle PM emission requirements. As diesel engines become more prominent in the US, PM testing will undoubtedly be added to the standard "smog tests" currently mandated. We also see a growing market for PM monitoring in Europe where diesels are more common than gasoline engines. This SBIR program is providing the resources to advance the instrumentation to meet the sensitivity, reliability and accuracy requirements for these applications.
Impact on Company Growth: Tactical, Strategic
How Product Was Commercialized: The LII instrument was developed into an advanced prototype and units were tested in the field with our partners, Sandia National Laboratory, Combustion Research Facility and the National Research Council, Canada to evaluate the method and make the necessary improvements before reaching full commercialization. Feedback received from these tests was critical in advancing the method to the next level prototype. We then worked in cooperation with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to test the instrument using heavy duty trucks on dynamometers and on-road studies. Finally, we contacted industrial engine manufacturers and conducted tests in their engine tests cells. These studies allowed us to better understand the market requirements and to build an instrument that fulfilled the needs of our target markets. We have also worked in cooperation with researchers in the carbon black industry and continue to develop our LII instrument to meet their online monitoring requirements.
Past R&D and/or Sales from this Project: $1M
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Change Daily Reaching to Get Ab Exercise and Stop Back and Shoulder Pain
When you lift your arms, do you lean back and increase the arch of your lower back? It is unhealthy body mechanics if you do - photo at right.
Arching your back to raise your arms reduces the stretch and exercise on the shoulder, and increases loading on the lower spine joints and soft tissue.
Do you arch your back to raise your arms? Try this to tell:
- Stand and reach as high as you can overhead.
- Notice if you lift your ribs and lean your upper body backward.
- Check if you stick your backside out in back, or do the opposite and push your hips forward. Both increase the lower back arch which increases load on the joints and soft tissue. You may feel a familiar pressure in the lower back.
Increasing lower back arching may occur automatically, and may seem "natural," but it is not healthy. Wetting your pants is natural too, but you have to learn to control it. To reduce the unhealthy overarching:
- While standing arched, bring ribs back down to level, and tuck your "tailbone" under you to straighten your hip.
- The motion is like doing an abdominal crunch standing up. Don't bend your upper body to the front, just "crunch" (or flex) the lower spine to reduce the overarching.
- Your lower back moves backward, and your "tailbone" tucks straight under you so it is not tilted out in back.
Now reach up overhead again holding the new straighter position. Feel how the reach needs to come from your shoulder instead of your lower back. Keep shoulders relaxed downward, and don't crane or tense your neck.
It is common for people to push their hip forward, thinking that is what is meant by "tuck the hip." That makes arching worse. Don't push your entire hip forward, just roll the bottom under. This motion is also called a "pelvic tilt." See the tilt in the photo in post Throw a Stronger Punch (or Push a Car or Stroller) Using This Back Pain Reduction Technique.
Watch other people when they reach overhead for exercise and daily life, and notice fitness magazines picturing overhead moves. See how often they increase the arch of their lower back. It is important to be able to tell when positioning is unhealthy, not just follow a bunch of strange rules about how to stand and exercise.
The next time you are in the shower washing your head, notice if you are leaning backward, and remember this article and concept. Reduce the overly large lower back arch back to normal/neutral, using the tucking/tilting move described above. Feel how the pinching pressure is reduced in your lower back. The muscles that work to flex your lower spine forward enough to reduce over-arching are your abdominal muscles. By preventing unhealthy over-arching each time you reach up, you will get built-in abdominal exercise and better shoulder stretch, and stop the source of much "mystery" lower back pain.
See more helpful info in:
- Fixing the Commonest Source of Mystery Lower Back Pain
- What Abdominal Muscles Don't Do - The Missing Link.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal feedback. Top students may apply for certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. Learn more in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
Recent Blog Posts
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Mar 01, 2010
Lactic Acid Myths
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January 2008 Core Java Tech Tips Quiz
By dananourie on Jan 08, 2008
We've made it through another year, and it's time for another tech tips quiz. The last two -- June 2006 and September 2005 -- were popular refreshers of past tips and tricks. Here are another five questions for you. Don't look too far ahead, as the answers are at the end of this entry.
1. Given two objects
BigDecimal type, how do you multiply the two factors to calculate a product in object
BigDecimal three = one \* two;
BigDecimal three = one.\*(two);
BigDecimal three = one.times(two);
BigDecimal three = one.multiply(two);
2. In order to write the line
System.out.println("Pi = " + PI), what must the import statement be so that the compiler will locate
PI in the
import static java.lang.Math.PI;
import final java.lang.Math.PI;
3. When using an enhanced
for loop (also known as a
foreach statement), what interface must the element following the colon (:) implement in order for the construct to compile and execute appropriately?
4. When two Swing components overlap in their display area, how do you control which component is drawn on top?
a. The component added to the container first is drawn on top.
b. The component added to the container last is drawn on top.
c. You call the
setComponentZOrder() method of the container.
d. You call the
setComponentZOrder() method for each component.
5. What is the best way to monitor the progress of image reading when using the Java Image I/O API?
a. Create a
FilteredReader subclass to count the bytes.
b. Attach a
ProgressMonitorListener to the
ImageReader to report progress.
c. Attach an
IIOReadProgressListener to the
ImageReader for progress reporting.
d. Register a
Runnable with the
ImageReader and tell it how frequently to execute.
Check your answers here.
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Keeping and Breeding Melanophryniscus stelzneri in Captivity
Bumble Bee Toads are amazing little black and yellow toads with red feet and rumps. Bumble bee toads are known for their bright coloration and their ambling gait, as opposed to the traditional hopping or jumping of most frogs or toads. Traditionally imported from Paraguay in huge numbers, Bumble Bee Toads are exceptionally susceptible to a ‘boom and bust’ cycle in the pet trade, where they are commonly available when they are coming in, then suddenly rare after imports stop. Due mainly to the low price of wild caught animals and difficulties in captive breeding and rearing of young (they’re tiny!), Bumble Bee Toads have virtually disappeared from the US pet trade several times. In fact, imports just stopped again after several years of importing. This, along with a need to reduce the demand on wild populations, are the primary reasons Josh’s Frogs has dedicated considerable time and effort developing a breeding program.
Bumble Bee Toad Taxonomy
Bumble Bee Toads have several common names, including Bumble Bee Walking Toads, Paraguay Walking Toads, Yellow and Black Walking Toads, and Redbelly Toads (which appears to be the common name most used by field researchers). In fact, we’re not 100% sure of the species in the US pet trade. Traditionally labeled as Melanophryniscus stelzneri (first described by Weyenbergh in 1875), Bumble Bee Toads may very well be Melanophryniscus klappenbachi (described by Prigioni and Langone in 2000). Melanophryniscus klappenbachi is reportedly limited to Argentina, while the bumble bee toads in the American hobby originate in Paraguay. Based on information currently available, I personally feel we most likely have Melanophryniscus stelzneri in the United States. The taxonomic history of bumble bee toads in the scientific literature is as follows:
Natural Habitat of Bumble Bee Toads
The Bumble Bee Toads currently in the hobby all originate from Paraguay, although the species occurs additionally in Brazil, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. Habitat description in Paraguay is lacking, but some report bumble bee toads inhabit the Pampas, a hilly grassland that stretches from southern Brazil to northern Argentina. The Pampas grasslands are drier and cooler than rainforest, and experience both temperature and precipitation differences in different seasons. Summer temperatures range from 75-90F, while winter temps range from 40F-60F. Come spring, bumble bee toads travel to small, possibly temporary bodies of water (aka vernal ponds) to reproduce. The resulting sudden population explosion is taken advantage of by collectors – most wild caught bumble bee toads are collected as they cross roads, and are typically not quite sexually mature. It is believed that wild bumble bee toads take 1-2 years to reach sexual maturity. Reportedly, bumble bee toads live in the hills at 500 to 1000 meters above sea level, and may take advantage of humid microclimates that are created under tufts of pampas grass. Termites are often cited as the primary food source of bumble bee toads in the wild.
Adult Size of Bumble Bee Toads
Adult bumble bee toads are not very large, and there is a drastic size different between males and females. An adult male may reach about 1 inch, but most will be closer to 3/4 of an inch. A large female will be much larger and bulkier than a male, and may measure up to 1.5”.
Natural Lifespan of Bumble Bee Toads
There is not any good data surrounding the average lifespan of bumble bee toads, but wild caught animals have lived in captivity for 10 or more years.
Status in the Wild of Bumble Bee Toads
In the wild, bumble bee toad population are stable, and considered a species of least concern due to their widespread habitat and strong population numbers. Bumble bee toads are very adaptable in their breeding habits, and has adapted well to human encroachment on it’s habitat in the wild. Bumble bee toads are explosive breeders, producing hundreds of eggs in a single clutch. In many places, bumble bee toads frequently breed in rice paddies or roadside ditches.
History of Bumble Bee Toads in the Hobby
Bumble bee toads have an unfortunately dismal track record in the US pet trade. Several times, typically many years apart, bumble bee toads are available as wild caught imports cheaply and in huge numbers. Thus, they were often viewed and sold as curiosities to keepers unfamiliar with their care needs, and viewed as disposable pets. Similar in appearance to dart frogs, bumble bee toads are often kept like dart frogs. Even though they do have many similar characteristics, such as a microphagus eating habit (they require small foods) and aposematic (warning) coloration), bumble bee toads kept at the same high humidity as dart frogs are doomed. As a result, availability of bumble bee toads declined drastically as soon as imports stopped. Within a year or so after importation ended in the early 2000s, prices skyrocketed from about $10ea to well over $200.
When bumble bee toads are cheaply and wildly available as wild caught imports, few if any people attempt to breed them in captivity. These frogs, while not impossible to breed, are certainly not easy. An understanding of their natural history, as well as mastery of culturing small prey items, are required to be successful. Fortunately, the staff at Josh’s Frogs has long ago mastered the culturing of microfoods, such as springtails and fruit flies. A strong scientific background has also allowed us to sufficiently research the genus Melanophryniscus to an extent not formerly replicated in the pet trade, allowing Josh’s Frogs to successfully raise bumble bee toads through their entire life cycle, and in large numbers.
Captive Husbandry of Bumble Bee Toads
Bumble bee toads offer a bit of a paradox. Often considered easy captives, bumble bee toads seem virtually indestructible at first, only to then experience a sudden decline. Truth be told, bumble bee toads are easily kept in captivity, as long as several guidelines are met.
Captive Bred vs Wild Caught Bumble Bee Toads
Whenever possible, a responsible animal keeper should always pursue captive bred animals. Not only is the collection of these animals not threatening wild populations, but captive bred animals generally are already adapted to captivity. Additionally, captive bred animals are much less likely to have problems associated with parasites and disease than their wild caught analogs. Better yet, acquire animals directly from the breeder when possible. Not only will the animals be less stressed in the long run (the animals are going straight from the breeder to you, instead of going through several different sets of hands and being shipped multiple times), but doing so will provide you the opportunity of asking any questions you may have about your new pets. At Josh’s Frogs, we strive to breed all of the animals we sell.
Housing your pet Bumble Bee Toads
Housing bumble bee toads can be very simple. These anurans do not require much space, as they really will not utilize it. Something the size of a large critter keeper can house 1-2 adults, while a 10 gallon could house 4-6 bumble bee toads. Bumble bee toads seem to be completely passive towards each other, and do great in groups. Ventilation is a must, as these toads will not tolerate high humidity for very long. A screen top will help provide this.
Substrate recommendations vary considerably, but ground coconut fiber works well for Josh’s Frogs. Alternatively, you can set up a vivarium using Josh’s Frogs naturalistic vivarium substrates, similar to keeping dart frogs. Provide items for your bumble bee toads to hide under, such as a cork bark flat or leaf litter. The bumble bee toads will spend much of the time hiding under such objects. A shallow water bowl should be provided, as well. Bumble bee toads are not known for their climbing abilities, but they will appreciate a small bit of vivarium wood or live terrarium plants to climb on.
Lighting is for any live plants provided, and not required by bumble bee toads. There is no evidence that bumble bee toads benefit from UVB lighting, but a low level UV bulb, such as a 2.0 UVB bulb, may be beneficial.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements of Bumble Bee Toads
Due to the environment form which they inhabit in Paraguay, bumble bee toads can tolerate a wide temperature and humidity range. The secret to keeping your bumble bee toads happy and healthy is to avoid the extremes. Bumble bee toads can tolerate temperatures from 40F to over 90F, but ideally are kept at about room temperature, in the low 70s. In the wild, precipitation and humidity fluctuates widely based on season. Bumble bee toads can handle a wide range of humidity levels, but cannot tolerate a humidity level over 70% or so indefinitely – this has done many a bumble bee toad in. Aim for a humidity level of 50-60%. Routine spraying and a full screen top will aid in providing proper humidity levels. It is important to check the temperature and humidity often, with use of a thermometer and/or hygrometer.
Feeding your Bumble Bee Toads
Bumble bee toads are microphagus, meaning that they consume small food items. Reportedly, a large portion of the diet of a wild bumble bee toad is termites. Fortunately, bumble bee toads do quite well on other, more easily procured prey items in captivity. At Josh’s Frogs, we feed our adult bumble bee toads primarily hydei fruit flies, as well as springtails, isopods, extra small phoenix worms, and 1/8 inch crickets. Young bumble bee toads start life feeding on baby springtails. At the size Josh’s Frogs sells captive bred bumble bee toads, they are eating melanogaster fruit flies. All prey items should be dusted with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement.
Captive Breeding of Bumble Bee Toads
Captive breeding of bumble bee toads has been largely unsuccessful until recently. True, there have been several instances of bumble bee toads breeding, but it has largely resulted in very few offspring being produced. Most of the time, I think this was due to a small number of older animals being utilized in a breeding program, as breeding was not attempted much until after the toads ceased being imported, and adult bumble bee toads were difficult to find.
Unfortunately, many wild caught bumble bee toads were sold as captive bred animals the last time they came in. There is an easy way to tell if a bumble bee toad is captive bred or wild caught. All wold caught bumble bee toads will have red blotches on their rear and the bottoms of their feet. In captive bred animals, these red blotches are yellow. This is most likely due to their diet as tadpoles, and is something we at Josh’s Frogs are attempting to address via supplementation of carotenoids in the tadpole’s diet.
Sexing Adult Bumble Bee Toads
Sexing adult bumble bee toads is quite easy. Once the toads are about 10-12 months old, they display obvious sexual dimorphism. Females are about 1/5-2 times larger then males, and much more rotund. Males are smaller, more slender, and typically call when kept in a wet or more humid environment. A bumble bee toad’s call resembles that of a canary, and is very melodious.
Cycling Bumble Bee Toads
Cycling refers to mimicking the seasonal temperature and humidity differences an animal or plant is exposed to in the wild. Often, this is necessary for the organism to reproduce in captivity. While cycling bumble bee toads is not absolutely necessary to breed them in captivity, cycling them definitely increases the chances of successful egg laying.
To cycle bumble bee toads, we cut feeding in half for a couple weeks, then drop the temperature down to about 55F-60F as well as stopping all misting. As long as the toads have access to water in a shallow dish, they will be fine. After 2-3 weeks of this, we start misting again, double or triple feeding, and keep the toads at normal room temperature (about 70-75F). After a week or two, any mature females will quickly bloat with eggs. Gravid females will look like they are about to pop! At this point, all of the bumble bee toads that were cycled are put in a rain chamber.
Using a Rain Chamber with your Bumble Bee Toads
Rain chambers allow us to mimic the heavy seasonal rains that tell many amphibians in the wild it’s time to breed. For bumble bee toads, which breed primarily in vernal ponds, we use a 40 gallon breeder tank measuring 36”x18”x16”. About 2” of gravel is placed in the bottom of the tank. Several sponge filters, run off of an aquarium air pump, are used to keep the water oxygenated and maintain healthy levels of beneficial bacteria. A submersible aquarium heater is used to keep the water at about 74F.
Floating cork bark pieces, covered with java moss, are used to provide the adult bumble bee toads a place to hang out in the rain chamber. Plastic plants, attached to the glass with a suction cup, and placed in the corners of the rain chamber to provide a place for the bumble bee toads to climb out, and to help prevent drowning. Bumble bee toads are clumsy, and can easily drown if not provided with an easy way out of the water.
Water is maintained at a depth of about 10”, and a pH of about 6.5, and is a mix of R/O water, tadpole tea (peat extract), and enough Instant Ocean Salt Mix (for saltwater aquariums) to acquire a specific gravity of 1.001. Josh’s Frogs strongly recommends setting up the rain chamber several weeks before introducing your cycled bumble bee toads, as this will give plenty of time for beneficial bacteria to grow.
Bumble Bee Toad Egg Care
If properly cycled bumble bee toads are placed in the rain chamber, expect calling almost immediately, and amplexus within this first 24 hours. If all goes well, within 1-3 days long strands of gray colored eggs should be found hanging off of the java moss and plastic plants a few inches below the surface. Any eggs found not attached to plants should be quickly removed, as these eggs will typically go bad and grow a fungus, which can quickly cause healthy eggs to spoil. Eggs will develop a small ridge within 12 hours if fertile, and resemble tadpoles within 2 days. Eggs can hatch in 3-5 days, depending on temperatures.
Bumble Bee Toad Tadpole Care
Once the eggs hatch, the tadpoles (very small, approximately 3-4mm) will drop to the gravel and remain stationary for a few days, while they absorb the rest of their yolk. After they begin to swim around, it’s time to start feeding and preform regular water changes. At Josh’s Frogs, we feed the tadpoles Repashy Savory Stew. Small portions are made up and poured into half of a petri dish, where the gel is allowed to set, then placed in the fridge. Every day, an entire petri dish of food is placed in the rain chamber. A partial water change (about 50%) is performed daily to keep water quality as pristine as possible. After 5-6 weeks, the tadpoles will develop back legs, followed by front legs 5-7 days later. At this point, the toadlets, typically solid black and about the size of a fruit fly, will climb on the cork pieces.
Caring for Young Bumble Bee Toads
After the toadlets have emerged from the water, it’s time to remove them from the rain chamber and place them in rearing containers. At Josh’s Frogs, we use sterilite bins that measure approximately 24”x15”x6”. A piece of glass provides a sealed top, especially useful to maintain the high humidity newly morphed bumble bee toads require to thrive. A shallow later of moist ground coconut fiber is used as a substrate, with a few handfuls of long fiber sphagnum moss is provided for the bumble bee toads to take shelter in, as well as a few plant clippings. Young bumble bee toads are fed springtails daily that have been dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement. Dusting springtails can be tricky – we use a straw to blow springtails out of their culture into a larger bin, then into a 32oz cup, where they are dusted with Repashy Calcium Plus. Repashy Calcium Plus is finer than many other supplements available, and seems to stick better to the springtails.
Bumble bee toadlets grow quickly, and eat more than you would believe. The most common way to fail with the toadlets is to not feed enough. After 8-10 weeks of eating springtails, most bumble bee toads will be able to eat melanogaster fruit flies. At this point, the young bumble bee toads are ready for their new home.
At this point, we house the bumble bee toads on coconut fiber that is just dry enough to not stick together when squeezed. Provide a small pile of damp sphagnum moss as a humid hide. We use Exo Terra Breeder Boxes and mist once in the evening. The humidity is maintained at 60-65%, and the room temperature is in the mid 70s.
With recent breakthroughs in captive breeding of bumble bee toads, their future looks bright in the hobby. With their stumbling gait, bright colors, and ease of care, bumble bee toads are sure to attract a lot of attention among frog fanciers. At Josh’s Frogs, we’ll continue to produce healthy, captive bred bumble bee toads in the hope of fulfilling the demand for this wonderful little gem, in the hope that someday we’ll be able to eliminate the demand for wild caught bumble bee toads.
At the time this blog was written, not many people were working with bumble bee toads. Consider adding some of them to your collection, and even breeding them. They’ve nearly disappeared from the pet trade in the past – it’s up to all of us, as responsible pet keepers, to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Zach is the Curator of Fauna, he leads the entire animal operation here at Josh’s Frogs. He also answers all customer questions about animals. You may see him on the road at one of our trade shows. When Zach goes home he maintains over 40 vivaria of his own, and he's been caring for reptiles for over 25 years! Zach has his Bachelor's of Science in Biology from MSU.
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November kicks off the holiday season with high expectations for a cozy and festive time of year. However, for many this time of year is tinged with sadness, anxiety, or depression. Certainly, major depression or a severe anxiety disorder benefits most from professional help. But what about those who just feel lost or overwhelmed or down at this time of year? Research (and common sense) suggests that one aspect of the Thanksgiving season can actually lift the spirits, and it's built right into the holiday — expressing gratitude.
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. They can apply it to the past (retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings), the present (not taking good fortune for granted as it comes), and the future (maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude). Regardless of the inherent or current level of someone's gratitude, it's a quality that individuals can successfully cultivate further.
Research on gratitude
Two psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, have done much of the research on gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics.
One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.
Another leading researcher in this field, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, tested the impact of various positive psychology interventions on 411 people, each compared with a control assignment of writing about early memories. When their week's assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores. This impact was greater than that from any other intervention, with benefits lasting for a month.
Of course, studies such as this one cannot prove cause and effect. But most of the studies published on this topic support an association between gratitude and an individual's well-being.
Other studies have looked at how gratitude can improve relationships. For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.
Managers who remember to say "thank you" to people who work for them may find that those employees feel motivated to work harder. Researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania randomly divided university fund-raisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group — assigned to work on a different day — received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not.
There are some notable exceptions to the generally positive results in research on gratitude. One study found that middle-aged divorced women who kept gratitude journals were no more satisfied with their lives than those who did not. Another study found that children and adolescents who wrote and delivered a thank-you letter to someone who made a difference in their lives may have made the other person happier — but did not improve their own well-being. This finding suggests that gratitude is an attainment associated with emotional maturity.
Ways to cultivate gratitude
Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can't feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.
Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person's impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you've received each day.
Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.
Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.
Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as "peace"), it is also possible to focus on what you're grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).
Get your copy of Alcohol Use and Abuse
Nationwide, nearly one in 13 people over the age of 12 has a drinking problem. Millions more engage in risky drinking behaviors that jeopardize their health, relationships, productivity, and general well-being. This report explores the many factors to consider when deciding how much (if any) alcohol is safe for you. It also details the dangers of alcohol misuse, from drunk driving to chronic, life-threatening health conditions.
Is beer really responsible for my "beer belly"?
Q. I am a healthy, active 39-year-old guy. I enjoy a beer with dinner most nights, and a six-pack most weekends. Over the past year or two, I've had to let my belt out, and now I'm letting out my pants. So here's my question: is beer really responsible for my "beer belly"?
A. Whether it's called a beer belly, a spare tire, the apple shape, or the middle-age spread, abdominal obesity is the shape of risk. Abdominal obesity is a health hazard, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, and other woes. Risk begins to mount at a waist size above 37 inches for men, and a measurement above 40 inches would put you in the danger zone. For women, the corresponding waist sizes are 31½ and 35 inches, respectively.
Despite the name, beer is not specifically responsible for the beer belly. Research from the beer-loving Czech Republic tells the tale. In a study of nearly 2,000 adults, beer consumption was not related to girth.
If it's not beer, what is to blame? The culprit is calories; if you take in more calories with food and drink than you burn up with exercise, you'll store the excess energy in fat cells. And unfortunately for men, their abdominal fat cells seem to enlarge more readily than the abdominal fat cells in women.
But although beer is not a special problem, it can add to abdominal obesity by contributing calories. In round numbers, a standard 12-ounce beer contains about 150 calories; a light beer, about 110 calories. For comparison, a 5½-ounce glass of wine or a 1½-ounce shot of hard liquor provides about 100 calories. Since all these beverages contain approximately the same amount of alcohol, you can see that regular beer does have extra calories — unless you count the mixers and olives.
— Harvey B. Simon, M.D.
Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
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VOL. 24, NO. 3
IN THIS ISSUE:
FLORIDA CROP LOSSES
INTERCEPTIONS IN NORTH DAKOTA
TCM MID-YEAR MEET
The ACP/CG website that many of us have labored over for longer than we would care to remember is up at last, having gone online on February 15. While still a work in progress, you can access the site at http://texascitrusgreening.org to find information on the psyllid and the citrus greening disease as they pertain to Texas, as well as links to various other websites that have information about the vector or the disease.
Because of some confusion about so many leaf chlorosis patterns in citrus, we have tried to depict as many of the chlorosis patterns that have causes other than citrus greening, as well as those that are unique to the disease. The one thing that all growers should know is that the single most common symptom—and usually among the first to appear—of citrus greening, regardless of type, variety or age of tree, is the leaf blotchy mottle pattern.
By definition, “mottle” is an irregular pattern of patches or spots of different colors, while “blotch” refers to irregularly shaped patches or discolored areas. For our purposes, then, “blotchy mottle” refers to an irregular pattern of irregular blotches, with the colors being some degree of yellow and green. Another thing to remember is that the yellowed blotches can and do cross lateral veins in the leaf (though they may not) but they do not cross the leaf midrib.
Florida Crop Losses
The Florida and National Agricultural Statistic Services have released data on the reduction in the Florida citrus crop estimates as the result of the early January period of freezing temperatures that hung on for over a week there. Essentially, the early and mid-season orange estimate was lowered 4.0 percent to 66 million boxes due to smaller fruit size and increased droppage. Valencias were lowered 5.0 percent to 63 million boxes, primarily because Valencia sizes have trended smaller than anticipated this season.
The Florida grapefruit estimate was reduced 4.0 percent to 18.8 million boxes, mainly due to slower overall fruit growth rates than expected.
Texas crop estimates are unchanged from the January updates. The question remains as to just how much loss Texas fruit may have suffered, and there is no easy answer. Trying to compare eliminations to juice since January 13 may provide a clue, but even that is not certain.
For example, weekly eliminations of early/mids to juice over all of the last five seasons was about the same as that since January 13 of this year, but eliminations since January 13 this season are double that of the period before January 13. In other words, eliminations of this crop before January 13 were only about half that of the 5-year average (more fruit went into the box or bag than in prior years), but returned to average after January 13. The upsurge in weekly eliminations since January 13 suggests that increased fruit drop due to cold damage was occurring, so harvesters were moving greater volumes to juice to avert greater losses.
On the other hand, grapefruit does not appear to have been impacted. Eliminations have increased by 1.8 times that of pre-January 13 levels, but that is the same increase as for the 5-year average. Moreover, this season’s weekly eliminations both before and after January 13 are roughly 75 percent of that for the historical period. In other words, the increase in eliminations since January 13 parallels that of prior seasons, indicating a normal increase in eliminations as opposed to an increase due to other factors (i.e, freeze damage).
On another note, sky-exposed Valencia oranges—those that were freeze damaged (drying out) in the upper quarter inch of the fruit—do not show much drying now, suggesting that Valencias are recovering. This “healing” should continue.
Interceptions in North Dakota
In December and January, Customs and Border Protection at Pembina, ND, (near Grand Forks) intercepted and confiscated mandarins that travelers from Canada were carrying enroute to winter vacations in the Sun Belt. Citrus black spot (fungal) and arrowhead scale were identified on the confiscated fruit. While the exact destinations were not given, one can speculate that crossings in North Dakota are bound for Texas.
The amount of rain since Thanksgiving has surpassed any winter in my memory of the last 30 years—toting up about 10 inches where I have gauges. Accompanying weather has been somewhat cool (I don’t have the departure from average for the period—it just seems to have been cooler than normal to me, though maybe I’m getting more sensitive to temperature as I mature). In any case, here it is March first and even navels have not hit full bloom yet—they have been trying, but they just aren’t progressing with the rapidity of past seasons when they were usually peaked out by now.
The flush is so strung out this season that if the next two weeks bring warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine, we may see a near-overlap in the bloom of navels, other oranges and grapefruit. In other words, we may have a very concentrated period of flowering this month.
As grove conditions have allowed, growers have been busy the last couple of months with fertilization, herbicide applications, Temik applications, psyllid control sprays, hedging/topping, and harvesting. About the only thing not being necessary is irrigation—at least in most groves.
Texas Citrus Mutual Mid-Year Meet
I don’t have the details of the program at this time, but TCM’s annual mid-year meeting is scheduled for March 25 at the TAMU-K Citrus Center, so mark your calendar for that date. Details of the program will be announced in the on-line newsletter from the TPA.
JULIAN W. SAULS, Ph.D.
Professor & Extension Horticulturist
2401 East Highway 83
Weslaco TX 78596
THE INFORMATION GIVEN HEREIN IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
ONLY. REFERENCE TO COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OR TRADE NAMES IS MADE WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT NO DISCRIMINATION IS INTENDED AND NO ENDORSEMENT BY
THE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE IS IMPLIED.
| Valley Citrus Notes
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The below information is from the World Health Organization’s guidelines on the disease.
1. What is Ebola virus disease?
Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90%. The illness affects humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).
Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in a village near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the other in a remote area of Sudan.
The origin of the virus is unknown but fruit bats (Pteropodidae) are considered the likely host of the Ebola virus, based on available evidence.
2. How do people become infected with the virus?
In the current outbreak in West Africa, the majority of cases in humans have occurred as a result of human‐to‐human transmission.
Infection occurs from direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes with the blood, or other bodily fluids or secretions (stool, urine, saliva, semen) of infected people. Infection can also occur if broken skin or mucous membranes of a healthy person come into contact with
environments that have become contaminated with an Ebola patient’s infectious fluids such as soiled clothing, bed linen, or used needles.
More than 100 health‐care workers have been exposed to the virus while caring for Ebola patients. This happens because they may not have been wearing personal protection equipment or were not properly applying infection prevention and control measures when caring for the patients. Health‐care providers at all levels of the health system – hospitals, clinics, and health posts – should be briefed on the nature of the disease and how it is transmitted, and strictly follow recommended infection control precautions. WHO does not advise families or communities to care for individuals who may present with symptoms of Ebola virus disease in their homes. Rather, seek treatment in a hospital or treatment centre staffed by doctors and nurses qualified and equipped to treat Ebola virus victims. If you do choose to care for your loved one at home, WHO strongly advises you to notify your local public health authority and receive appropriate training, equipment (gloves and personal protective equipment [PPE]) for treatment, instructions on proper removal and disposal of PPE, and information on how to prevent further infection and transmission of the disease to yourself, other family members, or the community.
Additional transmission has occurred in communities during funerals and burial rituals. Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person have played a role in the transmission of Ebola. Persons who have died of Ebola must be handled using
strong protective clothing and gloves and must be buried immediately. WHO advises that the deceased be handled and buried by trained case management professionals, who are equipped to properly bury the dead.
People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. For this reason, infected patients receive close monitoring from medical professionals and receive laboratory tests to ensure the virus is no longer circulating in their systems before they return home. When the medical professionals determine it is okay for the patient to return home, they are no longer infectious and cannot infect anyone else in their communities. Men who have recovered from the illness can still spread the virus to their partner through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery. For this reason, it is important for men to avoid sexual intercourse for at least 7 weeks after recovery or to wear condoms if having sexual intercourse during 7 weeks after recovery. Generally, a person must come into contact with an animal that has Ebola and it can then spread within the community from human to human.
3. Who is most at risk?
During an outbreak, those at higher risk of infection are:
- health workers;
- family members or others in close contact with infected people; and
- mourners who have direct contact with the bodies of the deceased as part of burial ceremonies.
More research is needed to understand if some groups, such as immuno‐compromised people or those with other underlying health conditions, are more susceptible than others to contracting the virus.
Exposure to the virus can be controlled through the use of protective measures in clinics and hospitals, at community gatherings, or at home.
4. What are typical signs and symptoms of infection?
Sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat are typical signs and symptoms. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts, and elevated liver enzymes. The incubation period, or the time interval from infection to onset of symptoms, is from 2 to 21 days. The patient becomes contagious once they begin to show symptoms. They are not contagious during the incubation period.
Ebola virus disease infections can only be confirmed through laboratory testing.
5. When should someone seek medical care?
If a person has been in an area known to have Ebola virus disease or in contact with a person known or suspected to have Ebola and they begin to have symptoms, they should seek medical care immediately.
Any cases of persons who are suspected to have the disease should be reported to the nearest health unit without delay. Prompt medical care is essential to improving the rate of survival from the disease. It is also important to control spread of the disease and infection control procedures need to be started immediately.
6. What is the treatment?
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. They are frequently dehydrated and need intravenous fluids or oral rehydration with solutions that contain electrolytes. There is currently no specific treatment to cure the disease.
Some patients will recover with the appropriate medical care.
To help control further spread of the virus, people that are suspected or confirmed to have the disease should be isolated from other patients and treated by health workers using strict infection control precautions.
7. What can I do? Can it be prevented? Is there a vaccine?
Currently, there is no licensed medicine or vaccine for Ebola virus disease, but several products are under development.
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Definitions of finance
n. - The income of a ruler or of a state; revennue; public money; sometimes, the income of an individual; often used in the plural for funds; available money; resources. 2
n. - The science of raising and expending the public revenue. 2
v. t. & i. - To conduct the finances of; to provide for, and manage, the capital for; to financier. 2
The word "finance" uses 7 letters: A C E F I N N.
No direct anagrams for finance found in this word list.
Shorter words found within finance:
ace acne ae ai ain an ane ani cafe cain can cane canine cannie cine ef en encina fa face fain fan fane fen fiance fice fie fin fine ice if in inane inn na nae naif nan nance ne neif nice nine
List shorter words within finance, sorted by length
All words formed from finance by changing one letter
Browse words starting with finance by next letter
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A research team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has used a recently developed technology they call TSUNAMI to create the first animal model of the adult-onset version of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a devastating motor-neuron illness.
The same team, led by CSHL Professor Adrian R. Krainer, Ph.D., and including scientists from California-based Isis Pharmaceuticals, as well as the University of Southern California and Stony Brook University, succeeded a year ago in using TSUNAMI to make a mouse model of the disease as it is manifest in children. In its most severe form, called Type I SMA, the disease is the leading genetic cause of childhood mortality. Half of infants with Type I SMA die before their second birthday.
Many SMA patients do reach adulthood, however, and on occasion people develop symptoms of the illness only after they have become adults. Hence the importance of the team’s success, reported online today in EMBO Molecular Medicine.
All patients with SMA, regardless of their age, have a non-functional version of a gene called SMN1, or are missing it entirely. The acronym “SMN” stands for “survival of motor neuron” and suggests why SMA is so serious. The SMN1 gene encodes a protein, called SMN, that motor neurons need in order to function. Humans have a backup copy of the gene, called SMN2, which produces the same protein, but in much lower amounts.
The body’s manufacture of the SMN protein from the SMN2 gene can limit the impact of SMA. How much a patient is helped depends on the number of copies of the SMN2 gene they possess. People who have 2-3 copies (Type II SMA) make more protein and survive longer, but can never walk. Those with 3-4 copies (Type III SMA) usually have a normal lifespan and can walk early in life but accumulate various limiting disabilities over time. Type IV SMA patients have 4 or more copies of the SMN2 gene and don’t experience effects of the disease until adulthood. Yet they often end up in wheelchairs.
Scientists understand why SMN2 does not efficiently yield functional protein: much of its RNA “message” is edited incorrectly, in a process called pre-mRNA splicing. The flaw in the protein’s production is understood. “What we don’t understand is how insufficient levels of the SMN protein in the period following development – i.e., adulthood -- causes pathology in different parts of the body,” Krainer explains. “That’s why we set out to create a model in the adult mouse.”
The Krainer lab’s TSUNAMI technology actually intensifies SMA’s pathological processes in mice bred to mimic the less intense forms of the illness. Thus, it can be used to recapitulate the process by which pathology manifests in different places in the body over the model animal’s lifespan.
“Our efforts to model the adult form of SMA were successful,” says Kentaro Sahashi, M.D., Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher and neurologist who is first author of the team’s new paper. “We observed delayed onset of motor neuron dysfunction; we noted also that SMN2 mis-splicing increases during the late stages of SMA, likely accelerating its progression in the body. We noted, importantly, marked liver and heart pathologies that were related to SMA’s progression in adults.”
Drs. Sahashi and Krainer added: “Perhaps most encouraging, our mouse model suggests that only moderate levels of SMN protein are needed in the adult nervous system for normal function. This means that there may be a broad time window in adult Type IV SMA patients in which to intervene therapeutically.”
Dr. Krainer and colleagues, together with Isis Pharmaceuticals, have identified and characterized an antisense oligonucleotide drug that is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials.
The research described in this release was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the SMA Foundation, and the St. Giles Foundation.
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Used to convey the impossibility of knowing what has happened or will happen: there’s no telling how she will react
More example sentences
- He is safe and unharmed physically, but when you see people jump from buildings and been part of such a terrible ordeal, there is no telling what he may have suffered psychologically.
- With bricks going through the windows, there is no telling what injuries could have been caused.
- And he couldn't draw up a plan for his sculptures for one simple reason: The river supplies his materials, and there is no telling what the river will bring.
Definition of there is no telling in:
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Sep 08 2008
A new study published in PLOS One shows no association between the MMR vaccine and autism or the presence of measles virus in the gut of children with autism and GI symptoms. This is yet more evidence against the claim that the MMR vaccine is responsible for some autism cases. Of course, no one study can clearly settle a complex medical question. The entire literature must be taken as a whole, and when we do this it becomes clear that the evidence is strongly against any association between MMR and autism. This new study is an important addition, and strengthens this conclusion.
This study has some interesting features. The lead author is Mady Hornig – who (until this study) was one of the research darlings of the anti-vaccine crowd. It will be difficult for the anti-vaccinationists to dismiss this study as coming from a vested interest or someone with an agenda, as they have previously be extolling the virtues of this particular researcher. Further, in the press release we learn:
(John Snow Professor of Epidemiology and director of the Mailman School’s Center for Infection and Immunity) adds, “The study design process was a critical piece for us, as there is still so much public concern over the safety of the MMR vaccine. For this reason, we involved the autism parent/advocacy community as we designed the study to ensure that all issues were being addressed. We are hopeful that this process of community engagement will build important partnerships among members of the autism community, physicians, public health agencies, and clinical researchers; serve as a paradigm for the conduct of future studies to understand the causes of this disorder; and facilitate the rapid communication of clinically relevant scientific findings to the broader community.”
I would love for this to be true. I applaud the approach – the scientific community reaching out to public groups, involving them in research design so that everyone can agree upon the results. This is what happens within the scientific community – both sides of a controversy come together and design a study that everyone can agree on. These are often referred to as consensus trials as they are meant to build consensus out of controversy. I have seen this work within my own field. Unfortunately, the anti-vaccinationists are ideologues not interested in the objective findings of science.
The study itself was a deliberate attempt to replicate the original study by Andrew Wakefield that sparked the entire MMR-autism scare in the first place. That Wakefield study has subsequently been refuted, specifically the lab he used to look for measles virus RNA in the guts of children with autism and GI symptoms was shown to be fatally flawed. The lab Wakefield used was run by professor O’Leary, and the process he used at the time by testimony left out key steps and therefore the results were worthless. Interestingly Hornig used O’Leary’s lab again, along with two other labs for confirmation.
The results showed that (from the abstract):
The objective of this case-control study was to determine whether children with GI disturbances and autism are more likely than children with GI disturbances alone to have MV RNA and/or inflammation in bowel tissues and if autism and/or GI episode onset relate temporally to receipt of MMR. The sample was an age-matched group of US children undergoing clinically-indicated ileocolonoscopy. Ileal and cecal tissues from 25 children with autism and GI disturbances and 13 children with GI disturbances alone (controls) were evaluated by real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR for presence of MV RNA in three laboratories blinded to diagnosis, including one wherein the original findings suggesting a link between MV and ASD were reported. The temporal order of onset of GI episodes and autism relative to timing of MMR administration was examined. We found no differences between case and control groups in the presence of MV RNA in ileum and cecum. Results were consistent across the three laboratory sites. GI symptom and autism onset were unrelated to MMR timing. Eighty-eight percent of ASD cases had behavioral regression.
So, there was no more incidence of having measles virus in the gut for children with and without autism, and there was no correlation in the timing of the MMR vaccine and the onset of GI symptoms or autism. As Hornig herself says, this removes the last bit of evidence put forth for an association between MMR and autism, by replicating the original Wakefield study and finding negative results. Therefore Wakefield’s claims have failed a critical component to the process of science – replication. And no one can reasonably claim bias in this case.
Sounds like a slam dunk against the MMR-autism link claim. Maybe the antivaccinationists will move on. Keep in mind that MMR has never had thimerosal in it and so this is a distinct claim from the one that thimerosal is linked to autism. When the MMR-autism link was going down in flames (even before this study) the anti-vaccine crowd moved onto thimerosal. Now that the thimerosal claim is scientifically dead they are moving on to “other toxins” in vaccines. This gets back to Dr. Snow’s wishful thinking above – the anti-vaccinationists will not be moved by this study. I still think such consensus trials are important, because it does further marginalize such fringe groups and the anti-vaccine movement, even though it does not touch the core of such movements.
Orac predicted a few days ago that the anti-vaccinationists would try to spin this study as support for the MMR hypothesis. He hinted at inside information, which has now been born out. Over at Age of Autism this is the spin:
However the study inadvertently gives credence to Wakefield and O’Leary’s previous work on measles virus and validates their earlier findings. It also substantiates the link between autistic regression and gastrointestinal disorder reported by Wakefield in his 1998 Lancet article.
The assumption is that because O’Leary’s results in this study were validated by two other labs, than his work 6 years ago must also have been legitimate. This ignores the possibility that O’Leary cleaned up his lab’s act in response to the prior specific criticisms about procedure. I doubt Hornig would have used his lab if those deficiencies had not been corrected. AOA’s argument, therefore, is simply ludicrous.
The new study does suggest, however, that there may be an association between regressive autism and GI disorders (although not with the MMR or the measles virus). This requires further study and a common causality may be found.
The MMR-autism hypothesis was dead before this study was published, but this is yet more evidence against this notion. Yet the fears have been stoked, and the anti-vaccine ideologues continue their campaign to spread vaccine-preventable diseases.
The bigger picture here is the difference between how the scientific community behaves and how an ideological group behaves. Scientists are moved by the evidence, and will carefully examine questions just to be thorough – even beyond the practical need. They also (sometimes naively) live in a world where people are compelled by logic and evidence. The anti-vaccinationists are not compelled by science or reason. They are starting with their conclusion and will embrace any evidence that supports it, no matter how dubious, and will dismiss any evidence that opposes it, no matter how solid.
Skeptics encounter this situation often. In this case, the anti-vaccinationists are causing direct demonstrable harm.
26 Responses to “Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism”
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15 February 2012
Prejudice against people from other racial groups is never a good thing. The unreasoned debate around “boat people” arriving in Australia is a classic example of this. While this type of unexamined prejudice may be unedifying it might be inevitable to some degree since it may be hard-wired into us as a result of evolutionary processes. Interestingly a new report has suggested that while we all have inherited tendencies toward prejudice, the type and nature of prejudice that you may feel is heavily dependent on your sex.
To arrive at their conclusions researchers from Michigan State University surveyed current academic literature on war and conflict and found that standard anthropological theory does not explain the differences between sexes when it comes to aggressive discriminatory behaviour. What these researchers have come up with is a new understanding of what drives prejudice, interpreting it in the light of how the sexes have evolved.
They base their ideas around the “male warrior hypothesis” and make the point that historically, and prehistorically, men were more likely than women to start wars and defend their own group from other groups. Sometimes to do this they would behave in very risky and self-sacrificial ways. These risks were worthwhile in evolutionary terms though, because attacking others offered the opportunity of mates, territory, resources, and raised social status.
So for men, prejudice is aggression based. For women it is different.
Throughout history women have lived under threat of sexual coercion from aggressors and are likely to display a “tend and befriend” response toward members of their own group as a means of protection, but maintain a fear of strangers as a means of protecting themselves and their children.
So in women the basis of prejudice in evolutionary terms is fear.
The real point of this is that while these aggressive and fearful roots of prejudice have some reasonable basis in primordial evolution, they have no value in modern society. The value of this research is in allowing us to perhaps understand where some otherwise irrational prejudice comes from. It does not however, excuse that prejudice. Millions of years of evolution have allowed human beings to transcend their biological roots; not be a prisoner to them.Home sales, clothing deals and discounts on general electronics are in the best form at Target Catalogue with similarities in Kmart Catalogue and Big W Catalogue.
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Studies have long shown that tall people earn more and are treated with more reverence. The last American president with below average height was William McKinley, at 5'7'', and that was over a century ago. It's a pecking order that precedes humanity, in fact, "an evolution from the days of primates," as one CEO told USA Today.
A new study puts a twist on this established fact, though: Height not only makes one likely to acquire power; as Jack Goncalo of Cornell University and Michelle Duguid of Washington University write in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, "the powerful may actually feel taller than they are."
Goncalo and Duguid performed three experiments with 266 men and women. "Using different manipulations of power and measures of perceived height, we found that people literally perceived themselves as taller when they occupied a more powerful position," they write in their paper. One metric they used, for instance, was to have people assign height to a video game avatar; another was to have people estimate their height relative to a pole. Feelings of power were evoked by asking participants to remember situations where they had wielded power over another.
The new findings add to already rich and decades-old literature surrounding the relationship between height and power. In 1968, an Australian psychologist brought the same man into a room, presenting him to five different groups of students. With each different group, he altered the supposed status of the man, presenting him as student, lecturer, or professor. Later he had each group estimate the man's height. As Jonathan Rauch wrote in his 1995 article "Short Guys Finish Last": "Not only was the 'professor' thought to be more than two inches taller than the 'student'; the height estimates rose in proportion to his perceived status."
What are the implications of such findings for business? For one thing, if a mere sense of height is so closely correlated with feelings of power, perhaps it would possible to leverage the findings to help empower the meek. Goncalo wonders if it would be possible, even, for a short person to gain an ego boost by occupying a top-floor office.
More importantly, though, the findings might be used to help the powerful mitigate the consequences of their height-related hubris. Goncolo and Duguid, in their paper, point to one famous instance. In the wake of the BP's disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the company's Chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, gave a press conference in which he insisted, "We care about the small people." Though BP begged off the matter as a question of translation (Svanberg is Swedish), the new paper suggests that in a way, Svanberg may have just been giving a glimpse into the psychology of the too-powerful.
In the end, the business lessons of the new study, and of all height-and-power studies, is simply to bear this strong and seemingly hard-wired relationship in mind. If you want to succeed in business, it probably doesn't hurt to stand a little straighter. And if you're fortunate enough to wield so much power that it sometimes gets you into trouble, try slouching a little, to share the perspective of "the small people."
Just don't ever call them that.
Follow Fast Company on Twitter.
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One of my favourite summer activities is picking wild blueberries with my family at our cabin in northern B.C. The waning weeks of summer are the best time to be out in the bush, as the berries are ripe and flavourful, in contrast to the sometimes bland-tasting commercial varieties from the grocery store.
Wild-berry harvesting is a Canadian tradition that rural and northern people from Newfoundland to the Yukon share in late August. Wild blueberries have been an important part of the traditional diet of First Nations and Métis for generations, especially in the boreal forest where several varieties, including the lowbush and velvet leaf blueberry, grow well in the acidic and nutrient-poor soils.
According to University of Victoria ethnobotanist Nancy Turner, berry gathering has always been a social activity in aboriginal communities. Family members and friends often set up berry-picking camps, where they will stay for days or even weeks to take advantage of nature's bounty. Berries are great fresh, but they're also tasty in jams, jellies, fruit leathers, and pies. They can also be sold commercially, which provides important seasonal income in rural and northern communities.
Our approach to managing the wild lands where these berries grow, such as the boreal forest, leaves something to be desired, though. According to prevailing economic thought, the only value in these areas is in the money we can make from harvesting or extracting resources — most often lucrative timber, oil and gas, or minerals. And so when a natural forest is cleared, we replant it with a single or a few economically desirable tree species of the same age and genetic stock, and then we try to maximize the growth of these species by using toxic chemicals to kill any insects or "competing" plants that would slow them down.
It's time we started to recognize the significant economic importance of wild blueberries and other native plants — what rural economists call "non-timber forest products". For example, economists estimate that the Canadian boreal forest is worth between $261.4 million and $575.1 million a year to aboriginal people for subsistence food alone.
And these foods are increasingly becoming a delicacy for non-northerners. A pint of wild blueberries from Northern Ontario sells for close to eight bucks in the trendy health-food stores of Toronto, where many consumers are motivated not only by the fantastic taste but also by increasing scientific evidence about the health benefits of the fruit.
Harvesting, processing, and selling wild blueberries brings pleasure and profit to many rural and northern communities. It's distressing that industrial activities such as herbicide spraying by logging companies can kill wild blueberry plants and other vegetation, which are considered competitors for resources needed by the trees, such as light, nutrients, and water.
In Canada, the most popular herbicide for this purpose is Vision, produced by agri-chemical giant Monsanto. This column's co-author, David Suzuki Foundation science director Faisal Moola, has studied the impacts of Vision herbicide on wild blueberry plants, and has published research showing that chemical spraying harms the plants, reducing the amount of berries available for people and wildlife like bears and birds.
Logging companies typically spray the herbicide in mid to late summer, which is when the berries are ripe. Because of this, wildlife and berry-pickers may also be accidentally exposed to chemical residues when they eat contaminated fruit (even though warnings must be posted when areas are sprayed).
Scientific debate over whether Vision poses a serious risk to human and wildlife health is ongoing. Still, some indigenous and local people have expressed concerns that chemical spraying could make the berries less healthy and are therefore reluctant to eat them.
This indirect consequence of spraying herbicides in our managed forestlands concerns us. Wild berries are a free, healthy, and traditional source of nutrition for northern communities. If fears about toxicity, real or perceived, keep people from eating berries or the animals that graze on them, the consequences will be serious for people who are already ravaged by a western diet of too much sugar, salt, and fat.
We should do everything we can to encourage people to eat safe and nutritious "traditional country foods", such as wild blueberries and other plants and resources of the forest (including wild fish and game). We must protect the traditional foods of First Nations and others who live off the land from the damage that industrial activities can cause.
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While numerous factors determine the frequency, severity and cost of wildfires, scientific research indicates that human-induced climate change increases fire risks in parts of the Western U.S. by promoting warmer and drier conditions. Seven of nine fire experts contacted by Media Matters agreed journalists should explain the relationship between climate change and wildfires. But an analysis of recent coverage suggests mainstream media outlets are not up to the task — only 3 percent of news reports on wildfires in the West mentioned climate change.
News Outlets Avoid Topic Of Climate Change In Wildfire Stories
Only 3 Percent Of Wildfire Coverage Mentioned Long-Term Climate Change Or Global Warming. The major television and print outlets largely ignored climate change in their coverage of wildfires in Colorado, New Mexico and other Western states. All together, only 3 percent of the reports mentioned climate change, including 1.6 percent of television segments and 6 percent of text articles.
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verbo[with object] (usually be betrothed) dated
- In fact, if I hadn't been in love and practically betrothed to Joshua, I could have considered marrying the prince, as scary as that sounds.
- Jame, until now seemingly betrothed to his work, is unexpectedly hurt and later heartbroken at losing Vin.
- Part of Cate wanted anyone but Genevieve to become betrothed to the Prince - she would hate to see anyone stuck with a vain, selfish person for the rest of their life.
plight from Old English:
In the traditional marriage ceremony the bride and groom each say ‘I plight thee my troth’, meaning ‘I pledge my word’. Plight means ‘to promise solemnly’, and pledge (Middle English) is probably a distant relative. Troth is an old variant of truth, meaning ‘giving your word’ and still preserved in betroth (Middle English). The other meaning of plight, ‘a predicament’, is from Old French plit ‘fold’, suggesting the idea of a difficult or complicated situation. Other words from plit include Middle English pliant (Late Middle English) literally ‘foldable’; and pliable (Late Middle English); pliers (mid 16th century) tools for bending things; and ply (Late Middle English) in the sense of ‘thickness’ as in plywood (early 20th century). (The other ply as in ply with drink, is simply a shortening of apply, see appliance). Pleat and plait (Middle English) are further relatives. Compliant (mid 17th century) looks as if it should be a relative, but its immediate source, to comply (early 17th century), originally came from Latin complere ‘to fulfil, accomplish’, although compliant later developed senses influenced by its similarity to pliant.
Palabras que riman con betrothclothe, loathe
For editors and proofreaders
División en sílabas: be·troth
Definición de betroth en:
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If a cone is cut by a plane parallel to its base, the portion of a solid between this plane and the base is known as frustum of a cone.
The volume denoted by in figure is a frustum of the cone .
Volume of Frustum of a Cone:
Since, we know that cone is a limit of a pyramid therefore; frustum of a cone will be the limit of frustum of a pyramid. But volume of a pyramid is
A cone 12cm high is cut 8cm from the vertex to form a frustum with a volume of 190cu.cm. Find the radius of the cone.
Height of cone
Height of frustum
Volume of frustum
Now volume of frustum cone
Hence required radius of cone
Curved Surface Area of a Frustum of a Cone:
Since, a cone is the limiting case of a pyramid, therefore the lateral surface of frustum of a cone can be deduced from the slant surface of frustum of a pyramid, i.e., curved (lateral) surface of frustum of cone.
, being the slant height of frustum, and being two radius of bases.
(1) Total surface area of frustum of a cone
(2) To find the slant height of the cone, use Pythagorean theorem.
A material handling bucket is in the shape of the frustum of a right circular cone as shown in figure. Find the volume and the total surface area of the bucket.
Lateral surface area
Total surface area
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Popcorn seeds (kernels) refuse to pop? Do you have a large number of unpopped "old maids" left at the bottom of your popper? The problem lies in the amount of water in your popcorn. Dried out popcorn will not pop because the water inside the seed expands as you heat the kernels in a popper. When the water inside the popcorn seed expands enough, the kernel pops, but without this water, you get "old maids." Revive those unpopped popcorn seeds by soaking them in water before re-popping them. Never waste another kernel again. Use this soaking technique with fresh popcorn to ensure your popcorn seeds pop completely the first time.
Place the popcorn seeds into the resealable container.
Add 1 tbsp. of water into the container and seal.
Shake the container to evenly distribute the water throughout the kernels.
Let the container sit overnight for up to three days to allow the seeds to absorb the water. Pop using any method desired.
Alternatively, cover the popcorn kernels with water in the jar and let it sit overnight. Drain off the water and pop using your preferred method.
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- Download PDF
7 Answers | Add Yours
Enlarging the conversation is a term that applies to a concept meaning, essentially, understanding and listening and speaking or responding from a perspective that is larger than your own. It is surprisingly difficult to realize that other people literally understand things in a way that is different from your understanding of the same things and that this difference in understanding has the potential to completely block any possibility of mutual comprehension, clarity, agreement or accord.
Therefore the conversation must be enlarged to encompass the other's vision and understanding. The formula for enlarging the conversation, according to Liberty University, includes needs recognition and intention comprehension:
- Identified Needs + Intentional Resourcing = Enlarging the Conversation.
Fulfilling this formula involves asking understanding questions that are broadening and also examining equally broadening responses and external resources (e.g. books, articles): the aim is broaden your perceptions to include other perceptions than your own. Knowing the behavioral blend of both or all participants in a conversation (i.e., yourself and the others in conversation with you) facilitates knowing what kinds of perception broadening questions to ask and what kind of broadening resources to examine in order to reach mutually shared vision, comprehension, agreement or accord.
"Behavioral blend" is a term associated with DISC personality assessment based on divisions of normal behavior related to life pace (speed or slowness of life task orientation) and personality style. The variations of individual characteristics in these categories can have a high or a low orientation, meaning they can be dominating factors or secondary factors in your overall personality and in the blend of all parts of your personality.
The blended function of these various characteristics, with their varying qualities of high to low impact, is what DISC calls behavioral personality, or style, blend. Behavioral personality blend is significant to enlarging the conversation because of the potential for discord between personalities (personality conflict) as individuals attempt to understand the differing worldviews of those in conversation.
Liberty University Enlarging the Conversation PowerPoint
A person's behavioral blend is the sum of what an individual brings to his or her experience in life. One's behavior is based on a wide variety of factors, including race, socioeconomic level, family upbringing, and intrinsic personality. When people understand their behavioral blend (or at least acknowledge and consider it), the conversation changes. People are more apt to accept ideas which come from outside their own experience and look at the bigger picture in life situations. Even something as simple as knowing one's own personality type can help them relate to others in a more effective way. As an example, an introverted person gathers energy from being alone, whereas an extroverted person gathers energy from being around other people. When people understand not only their own behavioral blend, but also contemplate other people's behaviors, communication becomes more effective and productive.
Enlarging the conversation refers to embracing a broader perspective than one's own through such activities as interaction, observation, contemplation, communication, discussion, debate, research of relevant resources and other processes that foster learning and progress for the individual and his or her groups in the realms of knowledge.
Understanding one's behavioral blend involves attaining a degree of self-awareness in which one appreciates the various aspects of one's personality--the diverse styles of one's behavior that define one at a season or time of life. These two concepts--enlarging the conversation and behavioral blend--are highly interconnected.
Self-awareness about the balance of styles that manifest in one's personality and behavior is very important in progressing in one's relationship with knowledge, which is critical to navigating through the multiplicity of elements that characterize life and the exceptional dynamism that describes modern times.
Consciousness of one's responsiveness to new information, to new ways of looking at things and to changes in one's gestalt may be deeply influenced by one's dominant personality traits as well as by more latent ones. For example, a person who is aware of being very confident yet very humble may have the grace to use his or her humility to listen to facts and opinions that contradict his or her worldview and to contemplate the value of these insights as a means of feeding his or her confidence and leadership capacities or as a means of enlarging the conversation revolving around the other facts and opinions presented.
Ideally, such awareness can allow one to take full advantage of the various aspects of one's personality to the extent that these traits resonate with received opportunities to benefit from new insights. At the same time, one can use one's behavioral blend to filter new information to enlarge the conversation in those directions that complement one's interests and feed one's passions as well as to complement the others' interests and passions, without which the conversation is not enlarged but rather manipulated. For example, a person who is both extraverted and diplomatic can use his or her outgoing nature to engage others to provide useful information that constitutes new knowledge while using that precious diplomacy to minimize negative elements like gossip and slander and screen out excessive information that threatens to diverge from the conversational topics of concern.
In terms of actually defining the concept of enlarging the conversation, this too may be dependent on one's awareness of one's personality traits. A dominant personality may need to be careful not to perceive achieving groupthink and getting everyone on board with his or her ideas as the definition of a true gestalt shift. Likewise, a more submissive personality may be tempted to define enlarging the conversation as conceding to the others' opinion just because it is the others' opinion. One must be reflexive as one processes new information and works to develop a mindfulness of how one's dominant and latent personality traits affect what one perceives as the zeitgeist. Reflexivity--awareness of the introduction of personal biases due in part to one's personality traits--must be developed to promote objectivity and validity as one draws new conclusions within the enlarged conversation.
Overall, developing an awareness of the interaction, or blend, of one's styles of behavior can allow one to capitalize on these personality style traits as instruments for attracting, screening, filtering, assimilating and refining new knowledge as a means of growing in wisdom within various subjects to facilitate enlarging the conversation. Understanding one's behavioral blend can be a powerful vehicle for gaining deeper and more sophisticated perspectives within various subject areas, disciplines and conversations.
There are times when we come to know about our attitudes and behaviour against some persons and try to improve them.There would be conflict between you and people but by improving your attitude towards others and behaving well with others would help in improving the relation between u and others and your conversation will also improve.Be good to others and be friendly and helpful towards everyone be it be your class teacher,parents,friends,relatives or any elder or younger person ,be a good elder or younger and behave appropriately with everyone and see the change.Changes are meant to happen when a person becomes noble and loyal from inside.Behave well with others and maintain your good,gentle and noble attitude towards others and see the change.change will be standing before you and surely your conversational power will enlarge.Try this.
Every person has a host of different personality traits that influence they way they communicate. Societal norms determine polite versus rude. Cultural background may make one person more sensitive to specific word use than someone else. Behavioral blend is how these influences and personality traits interact to create responses. People tend to see the world through the filter of their own life experiences and personalities. Understanding your own behavioral blend is often the first step in setting it aside for better communication.
Enlarging the conversation, or engaging in meaningful communication, is difficult when people from different backgrounds, social positions, education, cultures, etc., join together in discussion. Good communicators work to set aside what they think they hear, ask questions to clarify understanding, and work toward common goals. By understanding your behavioral blend, you can start to catch your own preconceptions and move conversation past personality pitfalls.
'Enlarging the conversation' is a phrase used to suggest looking beyond the immediate, first responses because they are usually conversation limiters. Thinking past initial responses gets easier once you have an understanding of your 'behavioral blend,' which is a way of saying that knowing yourself will help you see that your reaction to what others say is the reaction of your personality traits. True communication is actually fairly difficult because what we hear someone say, is often not what they are actually saying because our brains are very good at filtering concepts and perceptions through our culture and personalities. The goal is to really listen and ask questions to ensure understanding, without making assumptions. It is a worthwhile exercise to just observe a group conversation; it is easier to spot all the communication misses when you are not participating.
Simply, when you allow yourself to acknowledge someone else's point of view by thinking of yourself in their position you encourage that individual to share his or her ideas, causing the conversation to widen. This sometimes results in the conversation becoming more intellectually engaging and reflective of different backgrounds, traditions and cultural views of participating individuals. But for this to happen one must be aware of their own behavioral blend of personalities so as to welcome or even try to understand the behavioral blend of another person.
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You may have gotten caught up in one of the mysteries of the modern world. While all flappers may appear to the be same in reality such is not the case.
If you will examine the underside of a flapper valve you will see an inverted cup with a hole in the bottom. When the flapper is at rest in the closed postion air enters the hole in the flapper cup from below. When the flapper is lifted that trapped air forms a bubble that holds the flapper in the vertical position until the water level in the bowl is below the opening of the flapper cup. Once the water level is below the flapper the air bubble can no longer support the flapper and the physical weight of the flapper causes it to drop down to the closed position.
Up until the mid 1980's all water closets consumed an average of 4 to 4.5 gallons per flush and with the growing concerns for water conservation the industry begin finding ways to conserve the amount of water consumed by the flushing action.
In the early days of water conservation toilets they simply reduced the overall size of the tanks while keeping all other physical dimensions of the toilet basically the same. In this manner they got the average down to 3.5gpf.
In order for a toilet to flush properly the water stored in the tank needs to discharge into the bowl quickly, which then raises the water level in the bowl above the top of the trap and the water spills out the back of the trap in a large slug that begins a syphon action. This syphon action continues until almost all of the water in the bowl is sucked up through the trap, which finally permits some air to enter the discharge port in the bottom of the bowl, rise up in the trap and break the syphon action. When this occurs a small amount of the water in the trap then backflows back into the bowl, but the level is still too low to insure a good gas tight seal in the trap, so the fill valve has a small plastic by pass line called the "Trap Primer" that allows a portion of the incoming fill water to flow down the standpipe and into the bowl to refill the trap.
The government then gave the industry a target of finding ways to build a toilet that would only consume 1.6 gal/flush. In order to meet the new standard they again reduced the size of the tanks, however it was discovered that the common flapper was leaving far too much water in the bottom of the tank, so the flappers were then redesigned with a smaller hole in the inverted cup. This meant that the bubble would remain in the flapper until the water level in the tank was almost empty thus insuring all the water in the tank was properly discharged to the bowl.
While reducing the tank size and redesigning the flappers had resolved the problem of how to start a flush with 1.6 gallon of water many of the early "Water saver" toilets had problems with incomplete flushes, which often required a second or third flush to completely clear any solids in the bowl.
It was then realized that while they had resolved the problems with how to discharge the water to the bowl they had not considered the size of the traps. Realizing that a water closet must be capable of handling solid waste reducing the diameter of the trap was out of the question, however they could easily reduce the vertical height of the trap profile which would in turn reduce the amount of water required to start the syphon action.
The problem now is that while the toilet manufacturers have done an excellant job of redesigning the system, they have not bothered to properly inform the parts retailers or the general public as to the changes in the design. As a consequence most people determine they need a new flapper and simply go to the neighborhood hardware and grab the same old reliable standard flapper that has been in use since their grandfathers time, not knowing that the new high tech toilets require a flapper matched to the Gallon Per Flush rating of thier toilets, and once the wrong flapper is installed it continues to perpetuate the myth that the new water saver toilets do not work properly.
There is now another condition that causes a lot of confusion to the end user. In order to acheive maximum water conservation many water closets now have a two stage flushing system. If the flush handle is quickly depressed and released the flapper only releases .9 gal of water into the bowl. This is normally sufficient to handle liquid waste (urine) but if a complete flush is required to discharge solid waste you must depress the flush handle and hold it down for about 1 second before releasing it.
In fact, according to a recent Consumer Reports study one the most reliable and hottest selling toilets on the market today is also one of the cheapest in the industry. That being the American Standard "Cadet II" which has an average retail price of $60 complete.
Fluidmaster has now come out with a universal replacement flapper that has the rubber ball attached to a stiff plastic framework. The hole on the underside of the flapper ball is slightly off centered and the flapper can be adjusted to the proper GPF rate by simply rotating the rubber ball on the mount. While the actual cost of this type of flapper is about twice that of a conventional flapper the price is still relatively cheap at about $4 and many service plumbers and handymen are relying upon it as a universal part rather than needing to carry three different types of flappers on the service truck.
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Nearly 50 years ago, Rosa Parks made a simple decision that sparked a revolution.
When a white man demanded she give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus, the then 42-year-old seamstress
said no. At the time, she couldn't have known it would secure her a revered place in American history.
But her one small act of defiance galvanized a generation of activists, including a young Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,
and earned her the title "mother of the civil rights movement."
Advance her vision of peace, justice and equality by supporting the organizations below or finding volunteer opportunities in your community.
Preserving and defending the principles of liberty and equality.
Enforcing civil rights laws.
Advocating Civil Rights of minority groups.
Educating and promoting American History.
Helping students reach their goals through the support of higher education.
Information on Rosa Parks.
Opportunities at social and economic justice organizations.
Milestones in the modern civil rights movement.
Complete audio/video and newspaper archive of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
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Written by students of FC1750.06
at Founders College, York University
Vol.2, no. 3, June-August, 1997
Evidence of "man against himself" is obvious in Yi Chong-jun's story "The Cruel City." It is an allegory symbolic of the Korean people's determination to create an illusion of freedom for themselves. An old man, just released from prison, looks forward to "the privilege of releasing a bird" (p. 9) -- a gesture that signifies the freedom of an ex-convinct and, by extension, the Korean people. But there is an ironic twist to this story, for we soon discover that the shopkeeper has clipped the birds' under- wings. Unable to fly far, they are easily recaptured by the devious seller. He exemplifies the moral degeneration of the people when brothers willingly exploit their kin for selfish profit.
Is it wrong though to be selfish and to survive at the expense of one's heritage? Chon Kwangyong explores this question in his story "Kapitan Lee," in which Dr. Yi is constantly metamorphisizing into the kind of person the ruling party wants him to be. As a result, he assists in the victimization of other Koreans, turning them away from his clinic while accepting Japanese military men instead. But then the Korean people had been forced to change their loyalties time and again to the differing foreign powers that had occupied their country. There are two sides of every coin. Dr. Yi can be called a traitor for building a comfortable home for his family during the Japanese occupation. Yet, he is also a survior. Survival is important if there are to be any Koreans at all. "Man must know how to take the initiative and to adapt himself to circumstances," he says (p. 333). Dr. Yi is a perfect example of a man who chooses survival of the self, sacrificing any nationalistic ideology in the process.
One final reprecussion created by the war of fratricide is the illusion of independence to be gained by conquering the enemy. Although the partition of Korea has victimized the people living on both sides of the division, few of them question whether their feelings of hostility are justified, and fewer still take action against the authority figures who are in control of the situation. Hwang Sunwon's short story "Cranes" portray two boys who have grown up together but suddenly discover that they are enemies. Songsam has the unenviable task of escorting his friend Tokchae to his execution. In wartime, people have to make tough choices. This story relates how human compassion finally overcomes political ideology, with the cranes symbolic of peace and unity, for they see no borders. "This had been the demilitarized zone," Hwang writes. "The cranes were still living here, as before, though the people were all gone" (p. 90).
Finally Songsam releases Tokchae, just as they both set free a captured crane in the past, so that neither would become a "specimen" for the uncaring authorities. Songsam's decision bodes well for a divided country. There is hope that the two governments will put aside their differences one day, and Korea could be peacefully reunited like a pair of Tanjong cranes soaring toward the sky.
Chon, Kwangyong. "Kapitan Lee." In Flowers of Fire: Twentieth-Century Korean Stories. Ed. and trans. Peter Lee. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974, pp. 319- 347.
Hwang, Sunwon. "Cranes." In Flowers of Fire: Twentieth-Century Korean Stories. Ed. and trans. Peter Lee. Revised edition. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986. 86-91.
Yi, Chong-jun. "The Cruel City." Trans. Choe Yong. In The Cruel City and other Stories. Ed. by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. Arch Cape, Oregon: Pace International Research, 1983. 1-40.
Illustration by Julie Shim
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Study forecasts impact on electricity demand and emissions from introduction of EVs in state of São Paulo, Brazil
5 January 2014
A new forecasting study by researchers in Brazil has concluded that every increase of 10% electric vehicles in the São Paulo fleet corresponds to an increase of about 2% of the electricity demand in the state and a corresponding reduction of about 1.3% of the total emissions in the state. São Paulo is the main state in Brazil in terms of economy, energy and environment.
If the government of São Paulo mandated a 100% electric vehicle fleet by 2035, there would be an increase of 40 million MWh of electricity compared to the base scenario.
… in order to reach these goals it is necessary that stricter policies for the transportation sector are adopted by São Paulo, as this sector concentrates the largest emissions of the state. One of them would be the use of vehicles powered by electricity, as presented in this work, which proved effective in the environmental perspective. Other policies related to other consumer sectors would contribute to achieving the goals of reducing the greenhouse gases.—Dias et al.
Marcos Vinícius Xavier Dias, Jamil Haddad, Luiz Horta Nogueira, Edson da Costa Bortoni, Ricardo Alexandre Passos da Cruz, Roberto Akira Yamachita, Jose Luiz Goncalves (2014) “The impact on electricity demand and emissions due to the introduction of electric cars in the São Paulo Power System,” Energy Policy, Volume 65, Pages 298-304, doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.09.052
TrackBack URL for this entry:
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Study forecasts impact on electricity demand and emissions from introduction of EVs in state of São Paulo, Brazil:
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The voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) calculator determines reflection coefficient (GAMMA), VSWR, and return loss (dB) for a mismatched line. In addition, if GAMMA, VSWR, or dB is known, the calculator can convert between the three. If you only need to convert between GAMMA, VSWR, and dB, you can ignore Zo and ZL.
Enter values for Zo, real part of ZL, and imaginary part of ZL. Press Calculate to see the results.
Pick either GAMMA, VSWR, or dB and enter its value. Press Convert to see the results.
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A basic experiment with hydrogen electrolysis can be demonstrated very simply with a glass, salt water, two pencils sharpened on both ends to expose the graphite, a 9 volt battery, two alligator clips.
CAUTION! Do not breathe the fumes or place your face by the water. Don't drink the water either. Just use common sense of observing and taking notes from a distance for your safety!
Pour water into the glass. Place a little salt or baking soda in the water and stir. Place both pencils in the water in a vertical manner. Attach the ends of the alligator clips onto the tops of the pencils. Attach the other ends of the alligator clips onto the 9 volt battery terminals.
This is a basic experiment that you should be able to do safely at home. But, be very careful. If in doubt ask your science teacher or parent if you are not sure about doing this safely. Safety is the utmost importance.
Have fun and write down what you learn!
At the end of the day, Making-Hydrogen.com is about how to create hydrogen from solar power to bacteria! What is the coolest way you have discovered in making hydrogen?
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ALOHAnet, also known as ALOHA, was a pioneering computer networking system developed at the University of Hawaii. It was first deployed in 1970, and while the network itself is no longer used, one of the core concepts in the network is the basis for the widely used Ethernet.
One of the early computer networking designs, the ALOHA network was created at the University of Hawaii in 1970 under the leadership of Norman Abramson and others (including N. Gaarder and N. Weldon). The idea was to use low-cost amateur radio-like systems to create a computer network linking the far-flung campuses of the University. The original version of ALOHA used two distinct frequencies in a hub/star configuration, with the hub machine broadcasting packets to everyone on the "outbound" channel, and the various client machines sending data to the hub on the "inbound" channel. Data received was immediately re-sent, allowing clients to determine whether or not their data had been received properly. Any machine noticing corrupted data would wait a short time and then re-send the packet. This mechanism was also used to detect and correct for "collisions" created when two client machines both attempted to send a packet at the same time.
Like the ARPANET group, ALOHA was important because it used a shared medium for transmission. This revealed the need for more modern medium access control schemes such as CSMA/CD, used by Ethernet. Unlike the ARPANET where each node could only talk to a node on the other end of the wire, in ALOHA all nodes were communicating on the same frequency. This meant that some sort of system was needed to control who could talk at what time. ALOHA's situation was similar to issues faced by Ethernet (non-switched) and Wi-Fi networks.
This shared transmission medium system generated interest by others. ALOHA's scheme was very simple. Because data was sent via a teletype the data rate usually did not go beyond 80 characters per second. When two stations tried to talk at the same time, both transmissions were garbled. Then data had to be manually resent. ALOHA proved that it was possible to have a useful network without solving this problem, and this sparked interest in others, most significantly Bob Metcalfe and other researchers working at Xerox PARC. This team went on to create the Ethernet protocol.
The difference between Aloha and Ethernet on a shared medium is that Ethernet uses CSMA/CD, which broadcasts a jamming signal to notify all computers connected to the channel that a collision occurred, forcing computers on the network to reject their current packet or frame. The use of a jamming signal enables early release of the transmission medium where transmission delays dominate propagation delays, and is appropriate for many Ethernet variants. As Aloha was a wireless system, there were additional problems, such as the hidden node problem, which meant that protocols which work well on a small scale wired LAN would not always work. Even though the extent of the Hawaiian island network is about 400 km in diameter, propagation delays were almost certainly small in comparison with transmission delays, so the protocol used had to be one which was robust enough to cope.
The first version of the protocol (now called "Pure ALOHA") was quite simple:
Note that the first step implies that Pure ALOHA does not check whether the channel is busy before transmitting. The critical aspect is the "later" concept: the quality of the backoff scheme chosen significantly influences the efficiency of the protocol, the ultimate channel capacity, and the predictability of its behavior.
To assess Pure ALOHA, we need to predict its throughput, the rate of (successful) transmission of frames. (This discussion of Pure ALOHA's performance follows Tanenbaum .) First, let's make a few simplifying assumptions:
Let "T" refer to the time needed to transmit one frame on the channel, and let's define "frame-time" as a unit of time equal to T. Let "G" refer to the mean used in the Poisson distribution over transmission-attempt amounts: that is, on average, there are G transmission-attempts per frame-time.
Consider what needs to happen for a frame to be transmitted successfully. Let "t" refer to the time at which we want to send a frame. We want to use the channel for one frame-time beginning at t, and so we need all other stations to refrain from transmitting during this time. Moreover, we need the other stations to refrain from transmitting between t-T and t as well, because a frame sent during this interval would overlap with our frame.
For any frame-time, the probability of there being k transmission-attempts during that frame-time is:
The average amount of transmission-attempts for 2 consecutive frame-times is 2G. Hence, for any pair of consecutive frame-times, the probability of there being k transmission-attempts during those two frame-times is:
Therefore, the probability (Probpure) of there being zero transmission-attempts between t-T and t+T (and thus of a successful transmission for us) is:
Probpure = e − 2G
The throughput can be calculated as the rate of transmission-attempts multiplied by the probability of success, and so we can conclude that the throughput (Spure) is:
Spure = Ge − 2G
The maximum throughput is 0.5/e frames per frame-time (reached when G = 0.5), which is approximately 0.184 frames per frame-time. This means that, in Pure ALOHA, only about 18.4% of the time is used for successful transmissions.
An improvement to the original ALOHA protocol was "Slotted ALOHA", which introduced discrete timeslots and increased the maximum throughput. A station can send only at the beginning of a timeslot, and thus collisions are reduced. In this case, we only need to worry about the transmission-attempts within 1 frame-time and not 2 consecutive frame-times, since collisions can only occur during each timeslot. Thus, the probability of there being zero transmission-attempts in a single timeslot is:
Probslotted = e − G
The throughput is:
Sslotted = Ge − G
The maximum throughput is 1/e frames per frame-time (reached when G = 1), which is approximately 0.368 frames per frame-time, or 36.8%.
It should be noted that Aloha's characteristics are still not much different from those experienced today by Wi-Fi, and similar contention-based systems that have no carrier sense capability. There is a certain amount of inherent inefficiency in these systems. For instance 802.11b sees about a 2-4 Mbit/s real throughput with a few stations talking, versus its theoretical maximum of 11 Mbit/s. It is typical to see these types of networks' throughput break down significantly as the number of users and message burstiness increase. For these reasons, applications which need highly deterministic load behavior often use token-passing schemes (such as token ring) instead of contention systems. For instance ARCNET is very popular in embedded applications. Nonetheless, contention based systems also have significant advantages, including ease of management and speed in initial communication.
Because Listen before send (CSMA - Carrier Sense Multiple Access), as used in the Ethernet, works much better than Aloha for all cases where all the stations can hear each other, Slotted Aloha is used on low bandwidth tactical Satellite communications networks by the US Military, subscriber based Satellite communications networks, and contactless RFID technologies.
Norman Abramson was a professor of engineering at Stanford, but was also an avid surfer. After visiting Hawaii in 1969, he inquired at the University of Hawaii if they were interested in hiring a professor of engineering. He joined the staff in 1970 and started working on a radio-based data communications system to connect the Hawaiian islands together, with funding from Larry Roberts.
By late 1970 the system was already in use, the world's first wireless packet-switched network. Abramson then managed to get an IMP from Roberts and connected ALOHAnet to the ARPANET on the mainland in 1972. It was the first time another network was connected to the ARPAnet, although others would soon follow.
Prior to ALOHAnet, most computer communications tended to share similar features. The data to be sent was turned into an analog signal using a device similar to a modem, which would be sent over a known connection like a telephone line. The connection was point-to-point, and set up (typically) by manual control.
In contrast ALOHAnet was a true network. All of the computers "connected" to ALOHAnet could send data at any time without operator intervention, and any number of computers could be involved. Since the medium was a radio, there were no fixed costs so the channel was "left open" and could be used at any time.
Using a shared signal in this way leads to an important problem: If two systems on the network – known as nodes – send at the same time, both signals will be ruined. Some sort of mechanism needs to be in place to avoid this problem. There are a number of ways to do this.
One would be to use a different radio frequency for every node, a system known as frequency multiplexing. However this would require each node added to able to be "tuned in" by all of the other machines. Soon there would be hundreds of such frequencies, and radios capable of listening to this number of frequencies at the same time are very expensive.
Another solution is to have "time slots" into which each node is allowed to send, known as time division multiplexing. This is easier to implement because the nodes can continue to share a single radio frequency. On the downside if a particular node has nothing to send, their slot goes wasted. This leads to situations where the available time is largely empty and the one node with data to send has to do so very slowly just in case one of the other 100 nodes decides to send something.
ALOHAnet instead utilised a new solution to the problem, one that has since been developed to become the standard, carrier sense multiple access. In the Aloha system nodes which needed to send simply sent out their frames as soon as they were ready.
Normally this would mean that the first node to start using the radio would have it for as long as it wanted, which means the other nodes couldn't "get a word in edgewise". In order to avoid this problem the ALOHAnet made the nodes break down their messages into small packets, and send them one at a time with gaps between them. This allowed other nodes to send out their packets in between, so everyone could share the medium at the same time.
There is one last problem to consider: if two nodes attempt to start their broadcast at the same time, you'll have the same sorts of problems you would with any other system. In this case ALOHAnet invented a very clever solution. After sending any packet the nodes listened to see if their own message was sent back to them by a central hub. If they got their message back, they could move on to their next packet.
If instead they never got their packet back, that would mean that something prevented it from arriving at the hub – like a collision with another node's packet. In this case they simply waited a random time and tried again. Since each node picked a random time to wait, one of them would be the first to re-try, and the other nodes would then see that the channel was in use when they tried. Under most circumstances this would avoid collisions.
This sort of collision avoidance system has the advantage of allowing any one node to use the entire network's capability if no one else is using it. It also requires no "setup"; anyone can be hooked up and start talking without any additional information like the frequency or time slot to use.
On the downside, if the network gets busy the number of collisions can rise dramatically to the point where every packet will collide. For ALOHAnet the maximum channel utilisation was around 18%, and any attempts to drive the network over this would simply increase collisions, and the overall data throughput would actually decrease, a phenomenon known as congestion collapse.
With Slotted Aloha, a centralised clock sent out small clock tick packets to the outlying stations. Outlying stations were only allowed to send their packets immediately after receiving a clock tick. If there is only one station with a packet to send, this guarantees that there will never be a collision for that packet. On the other hand if there are two stations with packets to send, this algorithm guarantees that there will be a collision, and the whole of the slot period up to the next clock tick is wasted. With some mathematics, it is possible to demonstrate that this protocol does improve the overall channel utilisation, by reducing the probability of collisions by a half.
The relatively low utilisation turns out to be a small price to pay given the advantages. A slight modification of this system for wired networks by Bob Metcalfe improved collision avoidance on busy networks, and this became the standard for Ethernet. Today the technique is known as CSMA/CD, carrier sense, multiple access, collision detection.
Collision detection mechanisms are much more difficult to implement in wireless systems when compared to wired/cabled systems, and Aloha did not even attempt to check for collisions. In a wired system, it is possible to abandon the transmission of colliding packets by first detecting the collision, and then notifying the senders. This is not generally a feasible option in wireless systems, and was not attempted in Aloha.
The ALOHAnet itself was run using 9600 baud radio modems across Hawaii. The system uses two 100 kHz "channels" (slices of frequency), one known as the broadcast channel at 413.475 MHz, and the other the random access channel at 407.350 MHz. The network was a star, with a single central computer (a HP 2100) at the university receiving all messages on the random access channel, and then re-broadcasting them to all of the nodes on the broadcast frequency. This setup reduced the number of collisions possible, there could be no collisions at all on the broadcast frequency, for what that was worth. Later upgrades added repeaters that also acted as hubs, greatly increasing the area and total capability of the network.
Send and receive packets were identical. The packet had a 32-bit header with a 16-bit parity check, followed by up to 80 bytes of data and another 16-bit parity check.
Historical details of the original wireless network are now rather difficult to come by. It is not clear whether Aloha used internet packets which were coming into use at the time, and simply framed them for the wireless hops, or whether it used its own frame format and routing to the internet was done by protocol conversion at the Oahu station. Also it is reasonably well documented that acknowledgements for incoming packets were by retransmitting the packets back to the outlying stations, but since the system was not fully symmetrical, were packets originating from Oahu also echoed back (unless they were acknowledgement packets)? Lastly, Metcalfe has commented that although the original Aloha and the later slotted Aloha had limited channel efficiency, it was possible to improve on this considerably once the system was deployed. There are few details of this, but they may have moved to something a bit closer to a reservation protocol.
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A new approach to the long-term reconstruction of the solar irradiance leads to large historical solar forcing⋆
Physikalisch-Meteorologishes Observatorium Davos, World Radiation Center, 7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland
2 Institute for Atmospheric and Climate science ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
3 Institute for Astronomy ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
Received: 19 November 2010
Accepted: 22 February 2011
Context. The variable Sun is the most likely candidate for the natural forcing of past climate changes on time scales of 50 to 1000 years. Evidence for this understanding is that the terrestrial climate correlates positively with the solar activity. During the past 10 000 years, the Sun has experienced the substantial variations in activity and there have been numerous attempts to reconstruct solar irradiance. While there is general agreement on how solar forcing varied during the last several hundred years – all reconstructions are proportional to the solar activity – there is scientific controversy on the magnitude of solar forcing.
Aims. We present a reconstruction of the total and spectral solar irradiance covering 130 nm–10 μm from 1610 to the present with an annual resolution and for the Holocene with a 22-year resolution.
Methods. We assume that the minimum state of the quiet Sun in time corresponds to the observed quietest area on the present Sun. Then we use available long-term proxies of the solar activity, which are 10Be isotope concentrations in ice cores and 22-year smoothed neutron monitor data, to interpolate between the present quiet Sun and the minimum state of the quiet Sun. This determines the long-term trend in the solar variability, which is then superposed with the 11-year activity cycle calculated from the sunspot number. The time-dependent solar spectral irradiance from about 7000 BC to the present is then derived using a state-of-the-art radiation code.
Results. We derive a total and spectral solar irradiance that was substantially lower during the Maunder minimum than the one observed today. The difference is remarkably larger than other estimations published in the recent literature. The magnitude of the solar UV variability, which indirectly affects the climate, is also found to exceed previous estimates.We discuss in detail the assumptions that lead us to this conclusion.
Key words: solar-terrestrial relations / Sun: UV radiation / Sun: atmosphere / radiative transfer / line: formation / Sun: surface magnetism
Appendix is only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org
© ESO, 2011
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Fetal Development Pictures | 16 Weeks
Fetal Development at 16 weeks:
arms & legsArms and LegsElbows and knees are present, and the beginnings of finger and toes appear as small bumps on the pads of the hands and feet.
bonesBonesYour baby's bones are retaining calcium -- a process known as ossifying -- which will help straighten out the body and lend strength to those kicks and rolls.
lanugoLanugoVery fine white hair is starting to grow all over the body. This hair will help to regulate your baby's body temperature until fat accumulates under the skin.
facial musclesFacial MusclesThe small muscles have strengthened enough to make facial expressions.
What's happening this week:
Your baby hasn't grown much in length over the past week, but her hair and fingernails have. The ears have moved into position, the kidneys and stomach are beginning to function and the fetus can move around in the womb.
Your pregnancy week by week: 16 Weeks Pregnant
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Jewish Veterans Buried at Arlington National Cemetery
More than 2,000 Jewish military service members are
interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 -- which saw
brother against brother as well as Jew against Jew -- there were 150,000
Jews in the United States. Three thousand fought on the side of the
Confederacy and 6,700 for the Union. In Section 13, five Jewish soldiers
are buried who fought for the Union Army and died during the Civil War.
One person who fought for the Confederacy was Moses
Ezekiel. At the outbreak of the war, he was a cadet at Virginia Military
Institute. The young cadets formed a battalion and fought in a few battles.
After the war, and upon graduating from VMI, he went to Europe to study
art, and in time he became one of the 19th Century's greater sculptors.
Later in his life, he was knighted by the king of Italy and the kaiser
of Germany. Upon his death in 1917, his remains were returned to Arlington
where they now lay under the sculpture he created to honor his fellow
Confederate soldiers. Section 16.
Notable Jewish Veterans Buried at Arlington Include:
Goldberg: Colonel in the Air Force, was appointed Secretary of
Labor during the Kennedy administration and later was appointed to the
U.S. Supreme Court. He became ambassador to the United Nations and Ambassador
Admiral in the Navy and "Father of the Nuclear Navy."
Resnik: Challenger mission specialist and astronaut.
There are two Rabbis who served as chaplains in the
military: Capt. Joshua Goldberg and Rear Adm. Bertram W. Korn, the highest-ranking
Jewish chaplain ever to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Lieutenant Colonel Rae Landy: Served in World War I
and World War II. In 1913, as a young nurse, Landy went to Jerusalem to help start the Hadassah Hospital.
British Army Maj. Gen. Orde
Charles Wingate: Although not Jewish, is considered
one of the more important people in Israel's history. As a major stationed in Palestine in the 1930s, he took pity
on the new settlers, most of whom were from Eastern Europe and knew
little of farming and nothing about defending themselves from the Arab
bandits. Wingate helped train the early settlers in self-defense. His
unconventional military tactics were adopted by the Israeli
Defense Forces. Gens. Moshe
Dyan and Yigal Allon were two of his prize students. Today in Tel
Aviv, athletes train at the Wingate Institute. In March of 1944,
Wingate was commander of the British commando units in Burma. He and
his staff were aboard a U.S. airplane traveling to attend a meeting.
The plane crashed and burned in the jungles of Burma. Their remains
were found later and returned to Arlington for burial in a common grave.
Sources: Ken Poch, Arlington
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Watch the movie after the book has been read. Bring popcorn and drinks for a total movie night experience. Compare the movie to the book.
Map a route from Memphis, Tennesee to New Orleans, Louisiana. Take lots of back roads and plan your stops for gas and meals carefully.
Select your own mafia name, like the intimidating Barry the Blade from The Client. Explain to the class why you selected that particular name for yourself.
Discuss the stereotypes associated with both the mafia and the FBI.
How do TV and movies affect our culture? What do you watch? How do they affect the choices you make in everyday life? Discuss the changes of TV and movies by decades starting with the 1940s. How does film reflect our culture, or how does our culture reflect on film?
This section contains 704 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page)
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Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis)
Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis) is considered a tea herb, a medicinal herb and a salad herb. As a salad herb, the young leaves, flowers and the nutty seeds are added to salads. As a tea herb, the leaves can be used fresh or dried, and the fresh leaves are used as a vegetable thus classifying Marsh Mallow as a culinary herb. Slice and cook the roots like a potato. It is considered a medicinal herb due to its use in soothing the stomach and being good for ulcers. Althaea officinalis also helps with respiratory problems and is stimulating for the kidneys. It is also used in personal care products to help heal damaged skin.
Climate and Light: Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis) is grown in zones 5 – 8 and prefers to be in full sun.
Soil: Marsh Mallow like light soil with a pH of 6.0 to 8.0.
Water: Althea officinalis prefers continuously moist soil.
Growing Habit: Marsh Mallow is a perennial that grows to a height of about 5 feet. It has soft gray velvity foliage that dies down for a winter rest. Althea officinalis flowers from August to September with pink or white flowers. These are followed by seedpods called “cheeses”.
Propagation: Propagate Marsh Mallow by cuttings from foliage in the fall. Divide rhizomes in the fall or sow seed in spring after the last frost.
Harvesting and Storing: Harvest roots in fall. Harvest the young leaves right before the flowers bloom, and harvest the flowers when in bloom. Use fresh or dry and store in air tight containers.
Companion Plants: none that I am aware of
Remarks: The roots of this Marsh Mallow (althaea officinalis) were used in the original marshmallow candy.
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Q&A: Normal Stars, White Dwarf Stars, and Star Clusters
Centauri is much dimmer than our Sun, about 18,000 times dimmer.
Roughly speaking, if you placed Proxima Centauri at the position of the
Sun, you would just be able to make out the disk of the star. It would
be very dark here on Earth.
If you haven't already, please check out the Chandra webpages on
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How Much Do You Know About Taste & Smell?
Smell and taste problems can have a big impact on our lives. Because these senses contribute substantially to our enjoyment of life, our desire to eat, and be social, smell and taste disorders can be serious.
1. People are able to distinguish four main types of tastes: sour, sweet, salty, and bitter.
2. You are able to recognize a taste through your sense of smell.
3. Taste disorders are more common than smell disorders.
4. All taste and smell disorders are caused by injury or illness.
5. Hormones can affect your taste and smell.
6. Most doctors diagnose smell disorders by using a scratch and sniff test.
7. Losing your sense of smell or taste can be annoying, but it doesn't pose any risks.
8. Losing your sense of smell or taste can be an early warning sign of more serious illness.
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Speed, torque, and horsepower are three inter-related parameters in motor control. The speed of a motor, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm), defines a motor's ability to spin at a rate per unit time. The torque of a motor, measured in foot-pounds (ft-lb), is a rotational characteristic of the motor that is the algebraic product of force multiplied by distance. Electrically, one horsepower is equal to 746 watts. What is interesting about these motor parameters is that if you change one of the three variables, the other two are affected. For example, if you increase horsepower while keeping speed constant, torque increases.
An electric motor is a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. An electrical signal is applied to the input of the motor, and the output of the motor produces a defined amount of torque related to the characteristics of the motor. It's important to understand speed-torque characteristic curves as they show the relationship between speed as a percent of rated speed, versus load torque as a percent of full rating. Motors are available in multi-speed configurations that can provide constant torque variable horsepower, constant horsepower variable torque, and variable torque variable horsepower.
Traditionally, DC motors have been used in precise speed control applications because of their ability to provide acceleration and deceleration from a dead stop position to full speed fairly easily. You control the speed of a DC series motor (the field is in series with the armature) by increasing or decreasing the applied voltage to the circuit. In a DC shunt motor (the field is in parallel with the armature), the speed is controlled by increasing or decreasing the applied voltage to the shunt field or armature by means of a field rheostat or an armature rheostat. Silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs) have replaced rheostats as they can control large blocks of power without the heat dissipation problems of carbon- or wire-wound variable resistors. Additionally, SCRs are much smaller in size than their earlier counterparts and interface well with programmable logic controllers.
The AC squirrel cage induction motor is essentially a constant speed device. The speed of the rotating magnetic field is referred to as synchronous speed. The synchronous speed (S) of a motor is defined as: S = 120(F) ÷ P, where (F) is the incoming line frequency and (P) is the number of poles the machine is constructed of. Here's an example to help illustrate this point.
In the United States, the AC line frequency is 60 Hertz. A 4-pole AC squirrel cage induction motor would therefore have a synchronous speed of 1,800 rpm [(120 × 60) ÷ 4]. In practice, the motor will run at less than 1,800 rpm as load is placed on the rotor. This difference in speed between synchronous speed and full load speed is referred to as slip, usually expressed as a percentage. Note that the only two variables in this equation that define speed are the incoming line frequency and the number of poles in the machine. Because the number of poles in a machine is fixed, the only variable that's left to change is the incoming line frequency — this is the basis for operation of a variable-frequency drive (VFD).
It's important to understand the difference between the AC and DC machine at this point. Earlier, we mentioned a DC machine could have its speed changed by increasing or decreasing the applied voltage. This is not the case for an AC motor. In fact, you can damage an AC squirrel cage induction motor if you vary the incoming supply voltage.
The term VFD is often used interchangeably with AC drive, inverter, or adjustable-frequency drive (AFD). The two most common circuits for adjusting the speed of an AC squirrel cage induction motor are the inverter and the cycloconverter.
Using an inverter, the VFD does two things: First, it takes the incoming AC signal and converts it to a DC signal through a process known as rectification; next, it takes the rectified DC signal and inverts it back to a variable voltage and variable-frequency AC signal. An inverter takes a waveform like a rectified DC signal and generates an equivalent time-varying waveform resembling a sinusoid. A block diagram for an inverter type VFD is shown in the Figure (click here to see figure).
The VFD using a cycloconverter is a device that produces an AC signal of constant or controllable frequency from a variable-frequency AC signal input. The output frequency is usually one-third or less than the input frequency. The cycloconverter type of VFD is normally used with larger motors or groups of motors.
Typical specifications you might encounter with an inverter-type VFD are listed below.
Horsepower: 1 to 10 hp @ 230V
Input frequency: 50/60Hz
Output frequency: 0 to 120Hz standard, 0 to 400Hz jumper selectable
Frequency setting potentiometer: 10k 1/2W
Ambient temperature: 0 to +40°C
Control method: PWM (pulse width modulation)
Transistor type: IGBT (insulated gate BJT)
Analog outputs: assignable
Digital outputs: opto-isolated assignable
Terminal strips present on the VFD allow the device to interface to the outside world with familiar switching devices such as start, stop, forward run, and reverse run. Instead of using a 3-wire control circuit to start and stop a motor with momentary contact devices, the electronics of the drive control all those familiar operations.
Normally, the VFD also has a backlit liquid crystal display that shows a variety of motor operational parameters that are fully programmable by the user. Solid-state devices, such as the silicon-controlled rectifier, triac, and insulated gate bipolar junction transistor, have allowed the VFD to become the method of choice for AC motor speed control.
Vidal is president of Joseph J. Vidal & Sons, Inc., Throop, Pa.
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Image: Flickr - Asthma Helper
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine
in Baltimore have discovered functioning bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) on bronchial smooth muscle. Although identical to receptors on the tongue, the receptors in the bronchi are not clustered in buds and do not send signals to the brain. The lung receptors do, however, respond to substances that have a bitter taste. The team initially thought that the purpose of the lung receptors would be to reinforce the warning provided by those on the tongue against bitter substances, many of which are toxic. When the team tested such compounds on individual airway smooth muscle cells, or human and mouse airways, they found, however, that instead of causing contraction – which would lead to unpleasant feelings of chest tightness and coughing – the compounds had the opposite effect.
In laboratory tests, TAS2R agonists such as chloroquine and denatonium opened the airways more effectively than drugs currently used to treat asthma or COPD, and aerosols containing the bitter substances were also effective in a mouse model of asthma. At a cellular level, the effect of bitter compounds also provided a surprise: although the compounds cause the airway muscles to relax, they lead to an increase in intracellular Ca2+, which would usually be expected to cause muscle contraction.
Although the bitter tasting substances used in the current study may not be suitable for aerosol formulation, the team believe that it should be possible to discover other compounds with similar bronchodilating properties that could be formulated for delivery by an inhaler and used to treat patients with asthma and COPD.
The study is published in Nature Medicine.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is characterised by gradual scarring of the lungs until they become so thickened and damaged that they can no longer exchange oxygen with the blood; patients experience extreme fatigue, weight loss, chronic cough and shortness of breath. The disease affects mainly people over the age of 50 and, although progression varies from individual to individual, there is currently no cure and many people die within 5 years of diagnosis.
Researchers working at the University of Michigan have, however, discovered that the enzyme NOX-4 plays a key role in the development of lung scarring, a finding that could lead to new treatments for pulmonary fibrosis. The NOX family of enzymes are NADPH oxidases which catalyse the reduction of O2 to reactive oxygen species. Although specific roles for the seven known NOX isoforms have not been fully elucidated, roles in host defence against pathogens and the development of atherosclerosis have been proposed, as well as roles in other physiological processes that involve reactive oxygen species. In the present study, which is published in the August 23rd online edition of Nature Medicine, the researchers found that NOX-4 is up-regulated in tissue samples from humans with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and also in the lungs of mice subjected to non-infectious injury. Genetic knockout of NOX-4 or treatment with an inhibitor were shown to prevent the progression of fibrosis in two mouse models of lung injury.
This is the first study that links NOX-4 to the development of pulmonary fibrosis and the team, some of whom are now at the University of Alabama, believe that their findings may lead to the development of treatments for fibrosis in other organs as well as the lung. Although it remains to be seen whether such treatment would reverse existing fibrosis, the researchers hope that it would, at least, prevent progression of the disease.
In a previous post we reported on a study that shows that mice may not be a good model for human diabetes. A new study now provides a mechanistic explanation for the well-documented toxicity invoked by Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) signalling in rodents, which is not observed in humans or non-human primates. Immunostimulatory DNA sequences (ISS) containing CpG (cytosine-phosphate-guanine) motifs which signal through TLR9 are being developed to treat asthma. These are safe and well tolerated in both healthy human volunteers and asthmatics when delivered to the airways, but cause lung inflammation and weight loss in mice at therapeutic doses. Writing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, scientists at Dynavax Technologies Corporation and Astra Zeneca have shown that these differences in toxicity can be explained by differential TLR9 expression patterns in humans and rodents. In humans, TLR9 expression in mononuclear blood cells and lymphoid organs is restricted to B cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells whereas, in mice, TLR9 is additionally expressed on macrophages, myeloid dendritic cells and activated T-cells. An investigation into the cell types and cytokines responsible for ISS-induced toxicity in mice showed that this could largely be attributed to production of TNF-α by monocytes and macrophages, cells that do not express TLR9 in primates.
The authors conclude that this fundamental difference in TLR9 expression patterns accounts for much of the exaggerated toxicity observed in rodents exposed to high doses of ISS in the respiratory tract. The new mechanistic insights into species-specific toxicities should help in the interpretation of toxicology studies of ISS in animals.
The physiological role of aldose reductase (AR) is still incompletely understood, although it has long been associated with the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated diseases such as cataract and neuropathy. In the last twenty years a number of AR inhibitors have entered clinical trials for the potential treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Whilst the compounds have generally been well tolerated, efficacy has not been clearly established (although one compound, Epalrestat, is approved in Japan for treatment of subjective neuropathy symptoms associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy).
The rationale for use of AR inhibitors in diabetic complications is based on the ability of AR to reduce glucose to sorbitol, levels of which are elevated in tissues of diabetic patients. Although glucose does not have high affinity for AR, the pathway is believed to be relevant in hyperglycaemia.
AR is also known to reduce lipid aldehydes and their glutathione conjugates in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS). The products of the AR-catalysed reduction mediate activation of NFκB and the subsequent generation of inflammatory proteins. This observation led researchers at University of Texas Medical Branch and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center to hypothesise that AR inhibitors may be useful in inflammatory diseases such as asthma. In a study published in PLoSone, the scientists stimulated primary human small airway epithelial cells (SAEC) with ragweed pollen extract (RWE). In this in vitro experiment, AR inhibition prevented RWE-induced apoptosis and expression of inflammatory mediators. Further, AR inhibition prevented allergic airway inflammation in mice sensitised with endotoxin-free RWE.
The results encourage exploration of AR inhibitors in inflammatory diseases such as asthma.
Asthma involves an immune response to inhaled allergens and chemical irritants, but the limited efficacy of existing treatments aimed at modifying this response suggest that additional physiological mechanisms may be at work in the disease process. In a report published in the May 19th online Early Edition of PNAS, US researchers have now found that the ion channel, TRPA1, plays a key role in allergic asthma. TRPA1 is a ‘chemosensor’ that is activated by mustard oil as well as by a number of endogenous and exogenous stimuli known to be triggers of asthmatic inflammation. The team found that, compared with wild type mice, animals that did not express TRPA1 showed fewer asthma symptoms, with reduced inflammation, airway mucus and bronchoconstriction. Although the exact role of TRPA1 in asthmatic inflammation is not yet understood, the ion channel is known to be activated by allergens such as cigarette smoke that can trigger asthma attacks. TRPA1 is found in airway nerves and the researchers believe that blocking TRPA1 may prevent infiltration of the lung by the inflammatory cells responsible for asthma symptoms such as wheezing and overproduction of mucus. In further studies, the team went on to show that treatment with the TRPA1 antagonist, HC-030031, reduced the symptoms of allergic asthma in mice. TRPA1 antagonists have previously been shown to reduce chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain. The discovery of a role for TRPA1 as a neuronal mediator of allergic airway inflammation could lead to new treatments for allergic asthma and Hydra Biosciences, whose scientists contributed to the study, hope to start human clinical trials with a novel TRPA1 inhibitor within 12 months.
β2-Adrenergic receptor agonists, which act directly on smooth muscle in the airways causing dilation and increased air flow, are standard therapy for treating bronchospasm in asthmatics. Both short- and long-acting agonists are used in the management of asthma, although there are increasing concerns that chronic use of β2-agonists is associated with loss of disease control and may increase mortality in asthmatics. A study published in the journal PNAS has now shown that β2-adrenergic receptor inverse agonists reduce symptoms in an allergen-driven mouse model of asthma.
Although acute inhibition of β2-adrenergic receptor signalling narrows the airways, long term administration of a β2-inverse agonist caused similar improvements in asthma symptoms to genetic knock-out of the receptor. The researchers also found that chronic administration of alprenolol, a β-blocker without inverse agonist properties, did not reduce the symptoms, suggesting that basal signalling by empty receptors, rather than agonist-induced signalling, causes asthma. Whereas chronic exposure to β2-agonists leads to receptor down-regulation and worsening of asthma control, chronic blockade of the receptors may result in up-regulation and better control. Small scale clinical trials are being carried out to assess the effect of chronic dosing with the non-selective β-blocker, nadolol, in asthmatic patients.
The prevalence of asthma is increasing, with up to one in four urban children now affected. Episodes may be triggered by environmental factors, exertion, emotional stress or infection. A recent study by research workers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, which is available in the Nov 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, suggests that infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may lead to recurrent wheezing, even after the acute symptoms of infection have resolved. The study, which was carried out in mice, showed a striking correlation between the amount of virus detected in the lungs of the mice with the severity of airway hyper-reactivity. The group had previously shown that mice infected with RSV were more likely to develop chronic lung disease than uninfected mice. They also found that treatment of the infected mice with an anti-RSV antibody reduced the amount of virus in the lungs as well as the extent of hyper-reactivity and inflammation in the lungs.
Almost all children have had at least one RSV infection by the age of three, and a study is currently underway to determine whether treating children with an antibody against RSV can prevent wheezing during a one year follow-up period. The findings could lead to the development of treatments for children with recurrent wheezing caused by RSV infection.
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Raise a Child Who Likes Math
Even though it starts out relatively simple, math is an inherently hard subject to grasp. And the sooner a child becomes comfortable in math, the more likely he is to excel in the subject. The goal, says Don Fraser, author of Taking the Numb Out of Numbers, "is to make them as comfortable and confident in dealing with numbers as a lot of kids are with words." You can do your part to help your child make better sense of numbers by following these simple steps:
- Encourage her to do her homework out loud. Whether your child is multiplying numbers or solving a problem, tell her to talk through it. That way she's more likely to spot her own mistakes and correct them.
- Take turns doing the homework. Switch off who answers each question. Deliberately make a mistake on a problem, then have your child check your work. "It adds variety," says Fraser. "There is less of you hanging over the kitchen table as he pounds away on each question," and more partnership in finding the solution. "If you encourage him to mark your work, he's actually doing the question again."
- Break problems into steps. Then reward her for her work. For example, when multiplying two digits by two digits, give her a star for getting the first line correct, a star for getting the second line correct, then another star for the final, third line. "It helps her diagnose where she's making a mistake," says Fraser, and gives her plenty of encouragement along the way.
- Keep repetition to short bursts. Nobody's knocking repetition, but too much can get boring. "It's better to do three similar questions every night than to do 20 questions and move on to a different topic," Fraser says.
- Remember, you can always make a difference. At some point in your child's education, you'll reach a point where you don't feel you can help him anymore, perhaps because you didn't learn the subject, or he's moved beyond you. But it's important to always remember that you need to show him you value his education and that the subject is important.
Recommended Products for Your Child Ages 8-10
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Our mission is to:
Invite you to the table
Illuminate our spiritual journey
Share Christ's love with the world
Click on the video to the right to see what's behind our mission statement. For full screen view, then click on the icon in the lower right corner.
What is an Episcopalian?
An Episcopalian is a person who belongs to the Episcopal Church, a branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is composed of provincial Churches that recognize the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but are otherwise independent in governance. Episcopal refers to government by bishops, and Anglican means of England.
We are governed by bishops who oversee the Church in particular geographic areas known as dioceses, which are a confederation of equals. St. James is a parish in the Diocese of Michigan, which is the south eastern part of the state. Because of this autonomy, there is a great variety of styles of worship among Episcopal Churches, but we are held together by basic beliefs:
- The Bible as a basis of our faith
- The Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, basic statements of Christian belief
- Recognition of the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion
- The historic episcopate, which is what we call the continuation of the line of bishops since the time of Christ
It is important to note, however, that Episcopalians focus less on belief than we do on practice. Within our various churches there are many disagreements and arguments on a number of issues. What holds us together is our common worship; coming together to read scripture, to pray, and to partake in the sacraments.
Everyone is welcome in the Episcopal Church. We encourage you to experience our worship service with us and welcome all questions about our beliefs.
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Dynamic Weather Routes (DWR) is a ground-based automation system that continuously and automatically analyzes in-flight aircraft in en route airspace and proposes simple, high-value route corrections for more time- and fuel-efficient routes around convective weather. You can find more in-depth descriptions of this tool at the following website: http://www.aviationsystems.arc.nasa.gov/research/strategic/dwr.shtml
The webinar describes the trajectory automation concept, the prototype system including the required input data feeds, potential benefits to airspace users, and results from operational testing at American Airlines.
The recording of this webinar is now available:
+ Stream the video via Adobe Connect
+ Watch the video on YouTube
+ Download the slides
From left to right, webinar presenters Hassan Eslami, Dave McNally, Kapil Sheth, and Chester Gong.
+ Back to Top
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Convert volume flow rate from gal per minute to cubic feet per second.
Find the area of the pipe using the following formula:
Here, D is the diameter of the horizontal galvanized iron pipe.
Substitute 0.75 in. for D.
Find the velocity of the water in pipe using the following formula:
Substitute for Q and for A.
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http://www.chegg.com/homework-help/a-brief-introduction-to-fluid-mechanics-4th-edition-chapter-8-problem-34p-solution-9780470039625
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The acceptance of immoral behavior by today’s society makes it necessary to teach morality in sexual attitudes at an early age. Using Biblical terminology and examples, this book offers principles that will guide the young teen in setting dating standards. The author, Dr. Hugh Pyle, discusses the sins of adultery, fornication, and homosexuality as they are presented in the Bible and explains their results. The book details God’s plan concerning dating and marriage and the consequences of disobeying His moral commands in these areas. It can be used as part of the physical education, Bible, health, or science curriculum.
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Alphabet Letter G Goose
Preschool Lesson Plan Printable Activities and Worksheets
Alphabet > Letter G > G is for Goose
Animals > Birds > Farm > Forest > Goose
Holidays and Events >
Jan. > National Bird Day - Jan 5th
May 4th >
May (2nd Saturday)>
Int'l Migratory Birds Day
Here are printable materials and some suggestions to present letter G. The presentation ideally should be part of goose themed activities and/or crafts.
Animals > Birds > Goose
A goose is a water bird that looks like a duck but is usually larger, with longer neck and legs and a more pointed bill. Some geese are raised by farmers, and some are found in the wild. The young is called a gosling, and the male is called a gander.
Alphabet Activity: Letter G is for Goose
Children age 3 and under
Print a letter G coloring page in standard block or D'Nealian font and a goose coloring page from the materials column behind it or on a separate page if using paints to decorate later. Discuss other letter G words found on the activity worksheet.
Trace letter G's in upper and lower case with your finger as you also sound out the letter. Invite the children to do the same on their coloring page.
Children can trace and color the letter G's. After completing coloring the letter, encourage children to color the image. Write the word goose on the finished coloring page.
Children ages 3+
Present and display the color poster. Distribute your choice of worksheet for a first introduction for younger children or extended handwriting practice tracer for advanced Pre-K and higher. Finger and Pencil Tracing:
Using your selection of worksheet, trace letter G's in upper and lower case with your finger as you also sound out the letter. Invite the children to do the same on their coloring page.
Encourage the children to trace the dotted letter with your choice of sharpened crayon, fine tip marker, coloring or regular pencil, and explain the direction of the arrows and numbers (on the upper right corner) that help them trace the letter correctly. During the demonstration, you may want to count out loud as you trace so children become aware of how the number order aids them in the writing process.
Find the letter G's: Have the children find all the letter G's in upper and lower case on the page and encourage them to circle or trace/shade them first. Visit each child to make sure they have identified the letter G's and then discuss the locations with the poster.
Letter G words:
Letter G Activity Worksheet Program and Mini-Book (hard g sound) can be used as part of Letter G program of activities to reinforce letter practice and to identify related A words. Read suggested instructions for using the worksheet and mini-book. Letter G Word Search & Handwriting Practice
The four and eight word search game features the goose and letter G words with pictures and handwriting practice.
Advanced Handwriting Practice:
1. Print your choice of printable lined-paper. Have children draw and color a goose behind the lined paper or select and print a goose coloring page to color after writing practice.
2. Drawing and writing paper: encourage children to draw and color a goose and practice writing letter G g.
Letter G coloring page
Print a goose coloring page behind the
Review this alphabet set
Letter G Worksheet & Mini-Book
Available in D'Nealian and Standard font
Word Search & Writing
Drawing | Writing paper
Goose coloring pages
|To view updates to these activities visit: http://www.first-school.ws/activities/alpha/g/goose.htm|
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Trains of Thought
Computing with locomotives and box cars takes a one-track mind
Guided by an unseen hand, a grimy railroad tank car negotiates a
series of switch points in the tracks, veering right, then right
again, then left. Next comes a lime-green box car, which makes two
lefts. I observe these events from the control tower of a railroad
facility called a hump yard, where freight cars sort themselves into
trains bound for various destinations. It is an eerie scene. The
cars glide silently downhill through the maze of tracks, seeming to
steer themselves, as if each car knows just where it wants to go.
This is an illusion; a computer two floors below me is making all
the decisions, setting the switches a moment before each car
arrives. But I can't shake the impression that the hump yard itself
is a kind of computer—that the railroad cars are executing
some secret algorithm.
It's not such a far-fetched notion. In 1994 Adam Chalcraft and
Michael Greene, who were then at the University of Cambridge, and
later Maurice Margenstern of the University of Metz, designed
railroad layouts that simulate the operation of a computer. The
machine is programmed by setting switch points in a specific initial
pattern; then a locomotive running over the tracks resets some of
the switches as it passes; the result of the computation is read
from the final configuration of the switches.
These constructions are wonderfully ingenious, although admittedly
they have little to do with the day-to-day running of real
railroads. Even at a more practical level, though, brawny steel
rails and brainy silicon chips have surprisingly rich connections.
The work of the hump yard is a case in point. Algorithms for sorting
are a specialty of computer science, but railroads were sorting
freight cars decades before the first electronic computer was built.
Methods invented by rail workers have served as metaphor and
inspiration for the development of algorithms and data structures in
computer science; conversely, the theoretical analysis of algorithms
has suggested ways for railroads to improve their operations.
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One day before the sixth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act, President Bush and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings today discussed this landmark education law at Horace Greeley Elementary School in Chicago. As the 2007 Nation's Report Card shows, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is helping raise achievement for all kinds of children, in all kinds of schools, in every part of the country. Students are achieving record success, with minority students, poor students, and students with disabilities reaching all-time highs in a number of areas. As a result, the achievement gap is beginning to close.
The results achieved by students at Horace Greeley prove that with high expectations and dedication, we can meet the goal of NCLB and help every student reach grade level or above. Horace Greeley was recently named a NCLB-Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, an honor given to schools that are academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Most of the students at Horace Greeley come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and many speak English as a second language. Yet test scores are soaring – from 2003 to 2007, student proficiency in reading increased 25 points to 76 percent, while student proficiency in math rose 26 points to 85 percent.
The Nation's Report Card, released this fall, shows across-the-board improvement in 4th and 8th grade reading and math nationwide.
In reading, scores for 4th graders were the highest on record.
·In math, scores for 4th and 8th graders were the highest on record.
African-American and Hispanic students are making significant progress, posting all-time highs in a number of categories.
In 4th grade reading, the achievement gap between white and African-American students is at an all-time low.
In math, 4th and 8th grade African-American students achieved their highest scores to date.
In 4th grade reading and in 4th and 8th grade math, Hispanic students set new achievement records. In reading, Hispanic 8th graders matched their all-time high.
During The Past Six Years, We Have Seen That No Child Left Behind Is Working, And Now It Is Time To Make This Law Even Stronger
The President has sent Congress several proposals to help strengthen NCLB:
We need to increase flexibility for States and districts to help them turn around struggling schools. The President has proposed to let States and districts tailor interventions to each school and to measure individual students' achievement growth over time.
We need to empower parents with more choices. The President has proposed allowing eligible students to transfer out of low-performing schools to private or out-of-district public schools or receive intensive tutoring.
We need to increase support for struggling students and underperforming schools. The President has proposed helping more students take advantage of NCLB's free tutoring by ensuring that districts notify parents when their children are eligible and by requiring school districts to use the full Federal funds set aside for tutoring and school choice.
We need to reward our best teachers and encourage good instructors to take jobs in underperforming schools. The President has proposed increasing our investment in the Teacher Incentive Fund to reward teachers for success in raising student achievement in low-income schools.
We need to make sure our children graduate prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. The President has proposed increasing accountability in our high schools, expanding access to Advanced Placement courses, and strengthening math and science education. His Adjunct Teacher Corps would allow math and science professionals to bring real-life experience to the classroom as part-time teachers.
Unless Congress moves forward with reauthorization in the coming months, President Bush will ask the Department of Education to begin strengthening No Child Left Behind through administrative steps. Members ofCongress have had nearly a year to consider the Administration's proposals. Secretary Spellings will also continue discussing these important issues with our partners at the State and local levels.
In the meantime, the Administration will do everything it can to help Members of Congress pass bipartisan legislation reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act. In 2001, President Bush worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass NCLB. The reauthorization of this bipartisan law is one of the President's top priorities and an area in which he believes both parties can work together to build on NCLB's success, expand opportunity for Americans of all backgrounds, and provide all our children with the quality education they deserve.
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Levi ben Gershon, or Gersonides as he was known in more latinized circles, or the Ralbag as he is known in more Jewish circles lived in the beginning of the 14th century. He was a great astronomer/astrologer (there's a crater named after him on the Moon), an inventor, a halakhist, Torah commentator, and a philosopher. As a philosopher, he was one in a long line of Jewish Rationalists who met Aristotle's well known teachings and attempted to integrate them into traditional Jewish theology. Maimonides is the most famous of these Jewish Rationalists.
What is interesting about Gersonides, however, is that although he is a godol in Halacha and Torah commentator, his religious views were often highly unorthodox. When rationalism would grind against what the Torah said he would, as opposed to the methodology of Maimonides, find in favor of rationalism.
"The position of Levi ben Gershon in Jewish philosophy is unique. Of all the Jewish Peripatetics he alone dared to vindicate the Aristotelian system in its integrity, regardless of the conflict existing between some of its doctrines and the principal dogmas of Judaism. Possessed of a highly developed critical sense, Levi sometimes disagrees with Aristotle and asserts his own views in opposition to those of his master, Averroes (Islamic Rationalist); but when, after having weighed the pros and cons of adoctrine, he believes it to be sound, he is not afraid to profess it, even when it is directly at variance with an accepted dogma of Jewish theology. "The Law," he says, "can not prevent us from considering to be true that which our reason urges us to believe" (Introduction to the "Milchamot," p. 6)."
I've highlighted a few of his more unorthodox views:
On Omniscience: "In contrast to the theology held by Orthodox Judaism, Gersonides held with those who denied God's omnipotence. "Gersonides, bothered by the old question of how God's foreknowledge is compatible with human freedom, holds that what God knows beforehand is all the choices open to each individual. God does not know, however, which choice the individual, in his freedom, will make." (Louis Jacobs, God, Torah, Israel: Traditionalism without Fundamentalism)"
"The sublime thought of God, he says, embraces all the cosmic laws which regulate the evolutions of nature, the general influences exercised by the celestial bodies on the sublunary world, and the specific essences with which matter is invested; but sublunary events, the multifarious details of the phenomenal world, are hidden from His spirit."
On the soul and immortality: "Gersonides posits that people's souls are composed of two parts: a material, or human, intellect; and an acquired, or agent, intellect.. The material intellect is inherent in every person, and gives people the capacity to understand and learn. This material intellect is mortal, and dies with the body. However, he also posits that the soul also has an acquired intellect. This survives death, and can contain the accumulated knowledge that the person acquired during their lifetime. For Gersonides, Seymour Feldman points out, "Man is immortal insofar as he attains the intellectual perfection that is open to him. This means that man becomes immortal only if and to the extent that he acquires knowledge of what he can in principle know, e.g. mathematics and the natural sciences. This knowledge survives his bodily death and constitutes his immortality." (Gersonides, Trans. Seymour Feldman Wars of the Lord, Book 1, p. 81, JPS, 1984)"
On Creation: "Having thus demonstrated that the world is not eternal "a parte ante" and is eternal "a parte post," Levi gives his own view of creation. He chooses a middle position between the theory of the existence of a primordial cosmic substance and that of a creation "ex nihilo," both of which he criticizes. According to him, there existed from eternity inert undetermined matter, devoid of form and attribute. At a given moment God bestowed upon this matter (which till then had only a potential existence) essence, form, motion, and life; and from it proceeded all sublunary beings and all heavenly substances, with the exception of the separated intelligences, which were direct emanations of the Divinity."
However, given such unusual views, it is to be expected that he would be criticized by the more traditional rabbis:
"Levi's philosophical theories, some of which influenced Spinoza (comp. "Theologico-Politicus," ch. ii., where Spinoza uses Levi's own terms in treating of miracles), met with great opposition among the Jews. While Hasdai Crescas criticized them on philosophical grounds, others attacked them merely because they were not in keeping with the ideas of orthodoxy. Isaac ben Sheshet (Responsa, No. 45), while expressing admiration for Levi's great Talmudical knowledge, censures his philosophical ideas, which he considers to be heresies the mere listening to which is sinful in the eyes of a pious Jew. Abravanel (commentary on Josh. x.) blames Levi in the harshest terms for having been so outspoken in his heretical ideas. Some zealous rabbis went so far as to forbid the study of Levi's Bible commentaries. Among these were Messer Leon Judah and Judah Muscato; the latter, applying to them Num. i. 49, says: "Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither bring his Commentaries among the children of Israel" (Commentary on the "Cuzari," p. 4). Shem-Tob perverted the title "Milchamot Adonai" (= "Wars of God") into "Milchamot 'im Adonai" (= "Wars with God"); and by this corrupted title Levi's work is quoted by Isaac Arama and by Manasseh ben Israel, who attack it in most violent terms."
Despite all of these attacks however, the Ralbag is still found as a commentator in most printed Chumashim that have more than just Rashi and Onkelous. (Maimonides too had his fair share of critics and he too is found right along the great Torah commentators with the Ralbag.) And in modern strains of Orthodoxy, no Rishon can ever be "wrong." If a view was held by a Rishon, then that is an acceptable view in Orthodox Judaism.
What then does it mean to be "Orthodox" when there are so many options to believe? It is certainly apparent that Gersonides' views don't fit well with a number of Maimonides' "essential" thirteen ikkarim.
Sources: Jewish Encyclopedia and Wikipedia
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According to the Health & Safety Executive, lone workers are “those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. They work in a wide range of professions within a number of sectors. Most UK companies will have lone working staff and therefore a duty to ensure their safety. Figures highlighted by the Health & Safety Executive from the 2008/9 British Crime Survey indicate that there were approximately 305,000 threats of violence and 321,000 physical assaults by member of the public on British workers during the 12-months prior to the interviews. This represents a worrying rising trend facing many lone workers.
Employers have responsibilities for the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees and the health and safety of those affected by the work e.g. contractors and self-employed people who companies may engage. These responsibilities cannot be negated or transferred to people who work alone. The Health and Safety Executive says: “It is the employer’s duty to assess risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control risk where necessary.”
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act added another layer of liability for organisations and, importantly, managers. An employer's duty of care is not only a legal requirement but now it must be seen to be demonstrated that a company or organisation is doing everything practicable to protect the health and safety of employees. As a result many more UK businesses are adding ‘lone working’ to their risk register and taking the matter more seriously.
A lone worker should not be at more risk than any other employee and precautions should be put into place to account for normal work and foreseeable emergencies such as illness, accidents and workplace violence.
Employers should identify potential risk such as:
* Does the workplace present a special risk to the lone worker
* Is there risk of violence
* Are women staff especially at risk
* Can the lone worker summon help in the event of an emergency
Lone Workers At Risk From Violence Or Accidents
Those working alone and who face a risk of violence or abuse include community based public sector staff, bus and rail staff and retail workers. Other workers such as security staff, engineers and logistics/warehouse employees may be at risk of robbery related violence or an accident. The provision of any alarming system must take these specific factors into account in order to minimise employee’s risk and business risk. However, any hardware provided needs to incorporate a wider, ongoing assessment of risk.
Lone workers by definition are more vulnerable to accident and aggression than most employees and therefore it is vitally important that their employers develop long-term strategies in order to protect their safety. Risk assessment should help decide the right level of supervision, training and protective equipment that needs to be employed.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSW) require employers to conduct a ‘suitable and sufficient’ assessment of the risks to which employees are subjected to whilst they are at work. Any employer who has either failed to recognise a foreseeable risk or address a significant potential risk is likely to have been negligent in failing to give proper consideration to the potential risks faced by employees.
The MHSW Regulations generally oblige an employer to assess the risks of employees and make arrangements for their health and safety by effective:
The risks covered should, “where appropriate, include the need to protect employees from exposure to reasonably foreseeable violence”. The HSE estimates that it costs £17-19,000, on average, just to investigate a physical assault. It can take a lot less to prevent one.
Changing work patterns and the need for businesses to 'downsize' are resulting in more and more staff becoming classified as lone workers.
Many companies have been issuing lone workers with mobile phones equipped with a speed-dial for staff to raise the alarm if threatened. A mobile phone is a communications tool; it is not necessarily an effective tool to use when faced with an aggressor or if a worker may become ‘man-down’. Arguably, by providing a worker with a mobile phone an employer increases the risks faced by the worker.
BS8484 & When the Police will get involved
One way of protecting lone workers is through a dedicated alarm system. With the increasing number of personal attack alarms now on the market, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has reviewed its position on their use and been instrumental in helping define British Standard BS8484 for Lone Working. BS8484 came into effect on the 30th September. It defines Lone Worker Devices (LWD) and Alarm-Receiving Centre (ARC) compliance as well as calling for sound financial grounding, secure data protection, quality training and full audit capability from the supplier of a lone worker solution. The introduction of the standard sets a benchmark against which LWDs and services can be measured. It has been driven by ACPO and the security industry to promote best practice for lone workers and to reduce the high number of false alarms being received and responded to by the emergency services.
In January, ACPO also published its updated policy document to Police forces detailing when and how the Police will get involved in responding to an alarm. Appendix V details the requirements for lone worker systems and calls for devices to be audited against BS8484 and the ARC to conform to BS5979 Cat II. The Police plan to move towards allocating a URN to a compliant ARC - without a URN it will become increasingly difficult to get a Police response. Because of this, businesses and other organisations need to treat lone worker alarm systems with the same level of importance as they do their building alarms. Ask 100 business leaders if they want to ensure the Police respond to an incident involving a lone worker and 100 will say ‘yes’.
LWDs are now specifically required to possess the functionality to initiate an audio connection to the ARC and to have the capability to automatically retry that connection until an acknowledgement is received. They must also be able to receive a discreet signal from an ARC controller to acknowledge audio connection, have the capacity to be remotely accessed by a controller and contain an automated low battery warning facility.
When considering the supply of LWDs, the standard also states that the device should, like IdenticomÒ, be capable of being discreetly activated so as not to alert an aggressor, and where a man-down sensor is fitted, must have the facility to automatically send an activation message to the ARC. Neither function is common on mobile phones.
ARCs must have the ability to locate the lone worker and obtain their position remotely in the event of an incident. The device must also enable the ARC to dial into the LWD, listen discreetly to what is happening and initiate an appropriate response should a previously raised alarm be dropped unexpectedly.
It is essential you conduct your own research on BS8484. Beware of potential misinformation from suppliers. Some may claim compliance due to the ARC element of their service being audited and approved - but not the complete solution.
Training Is Essential
Lone worker technology can play an integral part in improving the personal safety of staff but only if it is introduced as part of an overall personal safety strategy. It cannot prevent employees from facing violence or aggression, nor can it help them to deal with such situations. Therefore they should never be considered as an alternative to safety procedures or introduced instead of personal safety training.
Lone worker safety training provides comprehensive support in respect of all aspects of lone worker protection, which is not reliant on the implementation of technology alone. Training services provide employers with guidance and training on bespoke risk assessment toolkits, lone worker policy development, conflict management, lone worker safety, managing a mobile workforce and legal duty of care. In addition training and direction must be provided to lone workers to enable them to identify hazards and take appropriate action to avoid them. The training should give employees the knowledge and skills to be able to defuse a potentially volatile situation and even be able to safety extricate themselves when necessary. Services should be tailored to meet the exacting needs of the client organisation, and should only be delivered by experienced professionals.
Choosing The Right Technology
When choosing lone worker technology, make sure you involve employees using it. This enables them to understand that the system is about tracing them if they need help and not about checking up on them.
Ideally, LWDs should be covert so that they do not exasperate potential confrontational situations, enabling the lone worker to discreetly raise an alarm if threatened. They should allow a third party to listen to what is happening and record events whatever the distance. Devices, like IdenticomÒ, include a lanyard attachment that enables it to be worn around the neck as a standard ID and hides a ‘rip alarm’ function, which is triggered if the unit is forcibly removed from the wearer. They should be flexible enough to be configured in a number of ways, thereby allowing an employer to adopt the device without the need to significantly change or alter current working practices.
LWD’s with man-down not only protect lone workers from abuse or attack but also incorporate the capability for a manned monitoring centre to be alerted, either manually or automatically, in the case of injury or incapacity of the user. State-of-the-art signal processing technology analyses tilt, immobility and any sudden impacts, in combination with non-response timed alerts. This, in addition to a rip alarm and discreetly operable manual call button, helps detect an employee in difficulty, and raises an alarm across the GSM phone network, whilst minimising false alarms.
Where companies require additional support in safeguarding vulnerable workers, LWDs with a GPS facility enables them to erect a Geo-fence or “safety zone” around a predetermined area and receiving alerts if their lone worker travels outside the predefined invisible boundary.
Ideal for lone workers in the transport, retail and financial industries to ensure that they safely reach a specific location at a precise time, these LWDs can also be used for audit tracking to protect personnel from accusations that specific tasks have not been carried out in a precise location or to highlight signs of kidnap. In addition to lone worker protection, such LWDs can be used to manage and locate lone workers for reasons of an emergency, job scheduling and planning. It can also be useful to locate vehicular based staff where traditional vehicle based tracking isn’t possible or commercially viable, for example with non-powered or restricted power vehicles.
There are numerous lone worker devices on the market, but many do not meet the guidelines specified by the ACPO. Identicom® has been awarded ACPO Secured by Design (SBD) accreditation. Secured by Design is the UK Police flagship initiative supporting the principles of "designing out crime" through the use of effective crime prevention and security standards for a range of applications.
Litigation For Personal Injuries Claims:
There are very sound business and moral reasons why employers should effectively manage any threat of workplace violence. Even when staff are not physically harmed, repeated occurrences of swearing, threats, racial abuse and other forms of verbal abuse can lead to depression, stress, reduced morale, absenteeism, retention problems and reduced productivity. Employees who had been victims of verbal abuse have stated that they have suffered a range of symptoms including crying spells, feelings of unworthiness, lack of direction and motivation, fatigue, irritability, difficulty in sleeping and eating disorders.
* A County Court action (eg personal injury where the claim is up to £50,000) will cost at least £50,000 and usually takes at least 3 years for the case to be heard.
* A High Court action (eg personal injury where the claim is over £50,000) will cost at least £100,000 and perhaps in excess of £1,000,000, and usually takes at least 5 years for the case to be heard.
* While legal action is in progress, everybody involved is being diverted from the job they were originally recruited to do.
Continuous evaluation and development of best practice strategies and equipment are the most important elements in reducing risks for lone workers. Police crime prevention officers, local authorities and sector/industry bodies should all be able to provide advice.
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