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Imaginative, lively, and brimming with ideas, children’s author Beatrix Potter reflected the longings, sorrows, and dreams of an entire age. She was raised in London, affording her a close, contemporary view of English politics, but she frequently holidayed in Scotland and the Lake District of Cumbria, giving her writings and illustrations that northern Scottish feel that was so fashionable during the Victorian years. Eventually, she moved to the Lake District, wrote her fairy tales, and raised sheep. Her search for order, stability, natural beauty, and Englishness represents a larger Victorian struggle to hang on to truth in a spinning world. Yet, she remained largely undecorated, shunning publicity, and admired the humble and quiet life. This is why her stories are so original and timeless. They speak of preservation, morality, and beauty. To understand Beatrix Potter is to discover Victorianism through the genre of fairy tale.
On July 28, 1866, Helen Beatrix Potter was born in South Kensington, London at 2 Bolton Gardens. Her parents Rupert and Helen Potter called her Beatrix or “B” so as to avoid confusing Beatrix with her mother. The Potter family was a higher-middle class family, having inherited Lancaster cotton fortunes. Being on the higher end of the Victorian middle class, Beatrix was low enough to understand the rising middle class, but high enough to live a life of ease and discovery. The most invigorating time of the Potter calendar was the summer holidays in Scotland and the Cumbrian Lake District. However back in London, Beatrix was left to the guardianship of a nursemaid, and her parents hardly nurtured her with much needed attention. Instead, Beatrix became withdrawn, lonely, and shy. Her secluded life allowed her to improve private hobbies such as drawing and listening to the Celtic fairy stories of her Scottish Highland nurse Miss McKenzie. These stories inspired her imagination, and she admitted in her dairy on November 17, 1896, “I remember I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child” (Potter, “The Journal,” 435).
Her brother Bertram was the closest and only friend of her youth, and their relationship was complementary. Bertram, who later himself became an artist, encouraged Beatrix to pursue what he saw as her visual talents, and under the eye of her governess Miss Hammond, Beatrix experimented with art. She also enjoyed reading. Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly Novels, recounting the adventures of the Scottish Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, became enduring favorites. Beatrix and Bertram shared a love for natural history, and spent countless hours dissecting animals and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. During the summer holidays Beatrix would draw animals, flowers, and fungi. Fungi stirred her imagination, “I think one of my pleasantest memories of Esthwaite is sitting on Oatmeal Crag on a Sunday afternoon, where there is a sort of table of rock with a dip, with the lane and fields and oak copse like in a trough below my feet, and all the little tiny fungus people singing and bobbing and dancing in the grass and under the leaves all down below, like the whistling that some people cannot hear of stray mice and bats, and I sitting up above and knowing something about them” (435). Indeed, her love for fungi eventually became a ten year scientific endeavor of meticulously painting images of fungi for botanic study.
Potter’s parents finally caught on to her talents, and hired Miss Cameron to hone Potter’s skills. Miss Cameron trained Potter for five years in perspective, freehand, model, and some water-color flower painting. In Potter’s opinion, taking twelve lessons in oil painting from Lady Eastlake stifled her artistry in water-color and her more individual experimentation. However, her father was a photographer for the famous Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir John Millais, who encouraged her to draw. The Pre-Raphaelite influence on Potter was invaluable, and one painting she spends time in her journals describing is Millais’s An Idyll of 1745, for which her father took background photographs to help Millais establish the scene.
From 1881-1897, Potter kept an encrypted journal to stop her mother from reading it. In it, she not only recounts her artistic aspirations, but also her keen suspicions of London politicians. Potter was by no means just a dreamy artist under the spell of Romanticism. Her artistry and life was guarded by the moral and stable foundations of Victorian Christian culture. As such, she looked at the world through an ethical lens, and viewed much of politics as an unsteadying of English life. On the negative, her humor, especially in her early years, was almost cynically sarcastic, and bordered on the petty. Prime Minister Gladstone in particular became an outlet for her unbalanced criticism. She disliked him because he rocked the boat, and lacked firmness when dealing with the Irish riots. Far from being just unrestrained and revolutionary, Gladstone’s reforms are largely considered some of the greatest in English political history. However, Potter gets at the heart of politics when she points out the dangers of any one man’s influence on the people of England. More than his actual policies, Potter’s difficulty with Gladstone was his sense of exulted status that became detrimental to the people. She wrote in her journal in 1885, “In future day people will not be able to realize how completely England has been under the thumb of that shifting, incapable old man. May it never again be so completely in any one man’s power for good or ill” (162)! Gladstone was certainly not “incapable,” but he was only popular because of his power to change things. This power Potter pointed out in 1884 is dangerous,
“It strikes me that that august body, and indeed the House of Commons itself, is regarded with very little respect by the country at large. Gladstone has got hold of power, and I suppose will stick to it till he dies, unless the opposition unite better. A certain class who owe everything to Mr. Gladstone, or who hope to get something from him, stick to him.
The commoners take that side because they hope from his promises to obtain more power. If you offer a thing, commonly considered pleasant and desirable, to any person, he will be likely to take it, though he might not have asked for it. Changes are to be treated with the greatest caution, and only granted when really desired and needed.
It is nonsense to say the country longs unconsciously for the Radical reforms that are turning up now. They are simply baits. I say nothing about their merits or de-merits, but simply that there is no feeling in the country like that which animated sober, quiet men at the time of the Reform Bill or repeal of the Corn Laws. Doubtless times have changed, but Englishmen are still Englishmen, and if they want a thing they will ask for it” (97).
Wow, this almost sounds like Edmond Burke! Imagine writing in 1884 that policy is bait to extend power. Change is a frightful thing which ought to be handled with absolute delicacy. Her love for a stable England is very similar to Burke’s understanding of liberty. She knew that politics was about compromise; “Radicals furious because old Gladstone is trying to make terms with the Tories. There is no doubt what has driven him into his senses, it is the Egyptian difficulty. He is going to get the Franchise Bill through as best he can, retire to the House of Lords, and leave the Tories to make the best of twenty millions deficit” (119). Although Potter’s ideas about individual policies may have been contradictory in some places, her love for order and skepticism for political change was constant. As such, she admired government that took a hard line against socialism and the Irish riots and explosions of the 1880s:
“A new and most wicked warfare has been attempted by the American Socialists. They sent some barrels to Germany full of potatoes infected by the Colorado beetle. It is feared some packages may have got in unnoticed.
They fear there is great risk of a terrible riot in Newry quarry. What on earth is come over our Government? They permit Parnell’s people to meet to denounce them and snub the loyal Orange men. It is a most serious business. If there is bloodshed tomorrow, and orangemen are arrested, the Conservatives will stand by them. The Grand Old Man [Gladstone] will of course do the opposite, will the Liberals follow him? Will things ever come to a head in this Irish question, which involves the Land question, socialism, law and order?
The times are as stirring as those which Lord Macaulay described in the Siege of Londonderry, as interesting events are going on in Ireland, but we have on mind clear and wide enough to take it in. In the same way there is as much strange and wild, though times and manners have changed. As wonderful a book as Rob Roy might be written if there was a Scott. There are plenty of odd originals, and dark intrigues, but there is no great colourist to paint them…
Rioting at Newry was not serious, for which merciful fact small thanks were due to Gladstone whose timid policy was justly derided by the Nationalists” (91).
Very much like Locke, Potter saw the English Government lax in its duty to protect order and private property (she mentioned land particularly). Her view of private land was explicate, “The government does nothing. Reports of riots in Leicester and Nottingham. Rioters at Birmingham are going to Chamberlain. I wish he would openly take the part of Hyndman and Co and be involved in their condemnation. He is with them in spirit. Land is as much personal property as plate or carriages” (182). However, she was well rounded enough to notice the flaws of the Conservatives,
“I don’t know what will come to this country soon, it is going at a tremendous speed. I think and hope that this extension of the Franchise may not be as bad as the Conservatives fear. No doubt if the labourers get power they will be greedy at first, but I think the sentiments of the lower-classes in the country are rather conservative on the whole, very loyal and tenacious of England’s honour. Still, landed property is not a particularly secure possession at present. It is middlemen who have pushed up, that are such mischievous radicals, like Chamberlain” (90).
Even though the Conservatives and Tories had faults, Potter respected their attention to order and disliked the demagogical method of the Radicals:
“The nominations begin today. I believe the Tories will get in. I hope so, though I am a Whig, anything is better that the Radicals. I think even if the Liberals win, it will be by so small a majority that the present Government will not be disturbed. Lord Salisbury is advancing in public opinion.
Mr. Gladstone has certainly made less impression in Midlothian than on the last occasion. There is a theory that he will retire in a few weeks, because he will be so mortified at having lost his hold on the people. It certainly does seem as if the Liberal tyranny was being shaken when one hears it said of one of the Manchester candidates, ‘so and so would have no chance if he was not a Tory” (161-162).
Potter’s personal ties with the Whigs did not interrupt her panoramic view of English politics. She grants Gladstone leeway only when he takes on a more humble disposition, “Gladstone: first great speech, showed great falling off in his power of voice, part was spoken in a conversational tone, and part was read” (199). However, Potter’s unabated scrutiny of the world and her wit that always pointed out the hypocritical in others took her pen boldly to even controversial topics of the day:
“I never have believed in those MacClarens and their radicalism, and young Mrs. MacClaren, I have always looked upon with the greatest contempt. She divided her time between women’s rights and the fashions. She is a most extravagant person, and yet they say it is a sin to be rich. Old Duncan MacClaren and Poachin are both completely self-made. The former a canny, exceedingly close old Scotchman came into Edinburgh from the Western Highlands as a shepherd boy, barefoot. His wife Priscilla, violent women’s rights, is sister to Mr. Bright, who has rather fallen off from them owing to the said women’s rights question, as also with the Cobden girls” (100).
Potter’s dislike for socialism, Irish violence, and political hypocrisy can be summed up with a statement from her journal in 1885. She was looking for stability on the eve of the modern world, “In the evening the state of things was this. The Borough elections were virtually over. As a matter of figures, the Parties were even, but morally the Conservatives had a great victory. Whatever may be the verdict of the Counties, the educated classes have declared firmly for sense and order” (164). Politics was by no means a fringe issue for Potter, it reflected a larger battle to conserve that which was good. The sense of personal insecurity in the face of civil unrest provoked her to unite her political views with the literary fascinations of her youth; “Cluny McPherson is just dead at the age of eighty. He is the grandson of the Chief who was out in the ’45 [the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion]. I should have thought it was longer ago, not that we have moved on so far in some things since then. I can’t help thinking that the state of society, as regards personal safety, has rather gone back lately” (125).
A woman with many facets, Potter’s cynical nature did not dim her sense of sympathy. If politics was a war to preserve, then life was the experience of preservation. Indeed, when she lost a father figure Mr. Gaskell she decried the sense of change and lamented the event as a symbol of her lost youth:
“Oh how plainly I see it again. He is sitting comfortably in the warm sunshine on the doorstep at Dalquise, in his grey coat and old felt hat. The newspaper lies on his knees, suddenly he looks up with his gentle smile. There are sounds of pounding footsteps. The blue-bottles whizz off the path. A little girl in a print frock and striped stockings bounds to his side and offers him a bunch of meadowsweet. He just says, ‘thank you, dear’, and puts his arm round her.
The bees hum round the flowers, the air is laden with the smell of roses, Sandy lies in his accustomed place against the doorstep. Now and then a party of swallows cross the lawn and over the house, screaming shrilly, and the deep low of the cattle comes answering one another across the valley, borne on the summer breeze which sweeps down through the woods from the heathery moors.
Shall I really never see him again? But he is gone with almost every other, home is gone for me, the little girl does not bound about now, and live in fairyland, and occasionally wonder in a curious, carefree manner, as of something not concerning her nature, what life means, and whether she shall ever feel sorrow. It is all gone, and he is resting quietly with our fathers. I have begun the dark journey of life. Will it go on as darkly as it has begun? Oh that I might go through life as blamelessly as he” (93-94)!
With Mr. Gaskell’s passing came the responsibility to honor him by living in his footsteps. Potter’s maturity at the age of eighteen is truly marvelous. Regarding the balance between adulthood and childhood she later wrote at the age of thirty, “retain the spirit-world of childhood, tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense,… fear no longer the terror that flieth by night, yet… feel truly and understand a little, a very little, of the story of life” (435). She was destined to become a children’s author.
At the urging of her brother, Potter sent some of her drawings to the greeting card company Hildesheimer and Faulkner, which requested that she send more. Her old friend from Wray Church in the Cumbrian Lake District, Rev. Rawnsley also cheered her publishing on. While twenty seven, Potter began writing stories into letters with illustrations, and sent them to children of one of her old governesses when they were ill with scarlet fever. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, and The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle were some of her letters. Eventually, Potter asked to borrow these letters back in order to make them into books. She sent them to Frederick Warne and Company, and Norman Warne helped her publish them. Norman began courting Potter in his own right, and the two became engaged in 1905 against the wishes of Potter’s parents. However, Norman died just a few months after the engagement.
Now was Potter’s time to retreat from a life of pain, excitement, and action. Finally finding a quiet life, she purchased Hill Top farm with her book money in her old fantastical summer holiday location of the Cumbrian Lake District near the village of Near Sawrey. Here, she began breeding sheep in the quiet of the English countryside. Consequently, this life provoked her sense of scenery, and she continued writing stories for Frederick Warne and Company, with scenic illustrations inspired by the magnificence of her humble country living. Her “little books” are about what she had earlier called “the story of life.” They speak of the preservation of what is good, and reflect timeless Victorian truths.
Everyone knows this one. The main theme here is obedience to parents. It is particularly striking that Potter would write about obeying parents when she herself suffered from a lack of parental attention. Parental authority intrinsically necessitates the duty of respect and obedience. When one forgets one’s duty, ill comes of it.
This story is about decorum and, like Peter Rabbit, respect for authority. Squirrel Nutkin’s unrestrained cheek and ill-mannered riddles in the face of the prestigious owl Old Brown with no motive other than to resist and break away from restraint only gets him into trouble. Nutkin ends up barely keeping his life and losing his tail, which he had always boasted in. With the absence of a happy ending, this story was probably meant to be startling to children. In fact, one of Potter’s young readers C.S. Lewis claimed Squirrel Nutkin had inspired him as a child. This inspiration would carry on into what is presently perhaps the most popular children’s series in the world, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Tailor tells the story of a poor tailor who falls ill with a fever while making a coat for the mayor of Gloucester’s Christmas wedding. Mice finish the coat for him, and the tailor is able to work with the mice to rise above his poverty. Perhaps Potter’s most fanciful opening for any of her stories is the opening of Tailor. I remember being entranced as a young child with these lines; “In a time of swords and periwigs and full-skirted coats with flowered lappets – when gentlemen wore ruffles, and gold-laced waistcoats of paduasoy and taffeta – there lived a tailor in Gloucester” (Potter, “The Complete Tales” 39). It was as if a spell of silver rain laced my imagination. I’ll never forget the feeling of these words. Tailor was Potter’s personal favorite of all her writings. It is perhaps Potter’s only great fairy tale, and embodies all of what the Victorians would see as both fanciful and practical. In Tailor, Romanticism and Realism are complements, and mesh harmoniously. Here, Potter looks back in typical Romantic fashion to the 18th century as an inspiration for ethereal finery and chivalric manners. Potter’s perception of decorum takes on an elegance in Tailor that far surpasses Nutkin. However, like a Realist and similar to a Dickens novel, Potter’s main character is a poor Tailor who has only his wares to remind him of the unreached life of civility. He is selfless, knows nothing of self pity, and enjoys his humble life with a gentle and grateful spirit. Potter’s love for the quiet life shines through the tailor’s humility and endearing nature. Fancy and practicality meet in the celebration of Christmas. Dickens had inadvertently bridged the gap between Romanticism and Realism for Victorians with A Christmas Carol, which once again revived in England the fascination as well as the service of Christmas. Potter takes the Victorian concept of Christmas to a whole new level by embedding it in a fairy tale. Her lightness of theme springs ahead of the heaviness of rhetoric in Dickens. By conforming to the genres of her day, Potter transformed them to an unprecedented height of beauty and grace. She was imparting morality to children without a hint of being overbearing. The moral of service and duty to one another becomes precious when placed within a delicate fairy story. Tailor deserves a place among the greatest fairy tales of all time. It demonstrates Potter’s mastery for placing the truths of Victorianism into a tale.
Tiggy-Winkle is my personal favorite of all Potter’s books. I admire its unadorned sense of beauty and friendship. Whereas, Tailor is ethereal in its delivery, Tiggy-Winkle is softer, more sublime, and closer to the mortal heart. It’s a story about a farm girl Lucie who is befriended by a washerwoman named Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle invites Lucie to tea, takes her along to deliver the clean laundry, and finally disappears into the hillside. Generosity and industriousness are the virtues of this story. Potter makes these points so gently that the reader also walks away with a sense of longing intrigue. Tiggy-Winkle certainly has a feel for the northern countryside.
The story that romanticizes the English countryside more that any of Potter’s other stories is Pigling Bland. Pigling Bland, while going to market, only wishes that he “could have a little garden and grow potatoes” (291). He befriends a lady and escapes to the county line from Cumbria into Westmorland, where he can retire to a life of gardening. Defining English Victorian life for children, Potter created a myth of freedom and quietness in Pigling Bland. Potter defines freedom as escaping every force to coerce one into an unstable life and finding a place of peace. Whether inspired by Potter or not, Tolkien later situates this English virtue of quietness into his Hobbiton. Pigling Bland is not only Potter’s life story, but also the story of English rural life as a whole.
Certainly Potter was imparting wisdom in her novels, but she was doing so with the bloom of her rosy pen. She proved that Romantic ideals could and should work alongside stable ethics. Her stories aren’t just entertainment, they embody what she wrote in her journal in 1896; “retain the spirit-world of childhood, tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense,… fear no longer the terror that flieth by night, yet… feel truly and understand a little, a very little, of the story of life” (Potter, “The Journal” 435). This statement can essentially sum up Victorianism.
Living, writing, and raising sheep in her retreat, Potter shunned publicity and in 1912 married a local solicitor, William Heelis, who shared her love for the country. In 1909 she bought another farm named Castle Farm. By the time of her death on December 22, 1943, she had acquired four thousand acres. Tragically, she gave all of it to the National Trust when she passed on. This last move was somewhat contradictory to her ideas, given her thoughts on private property; “Land is as much personal property as plate or carriages” (182). Perhaps her fear for the devastation of the English countryside in the context of “progress” took her to a hypocritical extreme. However, her works still stand as a light into the Victorian era for generations of readers.
Potter, Beatrix. The Journal of Beatrix Potter 1881-1897. Trans. Leslie Linder. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., Frederick Warne & Co., 1989. Print.
Potter, Beatrix. The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., Frederick Warne & Co., 1989. Print.
Image of Beatrix Potter1 from Wikipedia
Image of Tale of peter rabbit 12 from Wikipedia
Image of Squirrel Nutkin Mr Brown from Wikipedia
Image of Tailor of gloucester mice from Wikipedia
Image of Mrs Tiggy Winkle and Lucie from Wikipedia
Image of Pigling Bland pg 31 from Wikipedia
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- matter, material, articles, or activities of a specified or indeterminate kind that are being referred to, indicated, or implied: a pickup truck picked the stuff up | a girl who’s good at the technical stuff.
- a person’s belongings, equipment, or baggage: he took his stuff and went.
- Brit. informal, dated worthless or foolish ideas, speech, or writing; rubbish: [ as exclamation ] : stuff and nonsense!
- informal drink or drugs.
- (one’s stuff) things in which one is knowledgeable and experienced; one’s area of expertise: he knows his stuff and can really write.
- the basic constituents or characteristics of something or someone: Healey was made of sterner stuff | such a trip was the stuff of his dreams.
- Brit. dated woolen fabric, especially as distinct from silk, cotton, and linen: [ as modifier ] : her dark stuff gown.
- N. Amer. (in sports) spin given to a ball to make it vary its course.
- Baseball a pitcher’s ability to produce spin on a ball or control the speed of delivery of a pitch.
verb [ with obj. ]
- fill (a receptacle or space) tightly with something: an old teapot stuffed full of cash | figurative : his head has been stuffed with myths and taboos.
- informal force or cram (something) tightly into a receptacle or space: he stuffed a thick wad of cash into his jacket pocket.
- informal hastily or clumsily push (something) into a space: Sadie took the coin and stuffed it in her coat pocket.
- fill (the cavity of an item of food) with a savory or sweet mixture, especially before cooking: chicken stuffed with mushrooms and breadcrumbs.
- informal fill (oneself) with large amounts of food: he stuffed himself with potato chips.
- (be stuffed up) (of a person) have one’s nose blocked up with mucus as a result of a cold.
- fill out the skin of (a dead animal) with material to restore the original shape and appearance: he took the bird to a taxidermist to be stuffed | (as adj. stuffed) : a stuffed parrot.
- informal fill (envelopes) with identical copies of printed matter: they spent the whole time in a back room stuffing envelopes.
- N. Amer. place bogus votes in (a ballot box).
- Brit. vulgar slang (of a man) have sexual intercourse with (someone).
- Brit. informal defeat heavily in sport: Town got stuffed every week.
- [ usu. in imperative ] Brit. informal used to express indifference toward or rejection of (something): stuff the diet!
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NASA is using 3D printing to build engine parts for its next-generation Space Launch System. Shown here is the first test piece produced on the M2 Cusing Machine at the Marshall Space Flight Center. (Source: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center/Andy Hardin)
Jack, as mentioned below, these are very different app and technology areas. Here's a manufacturing publication article (plus comments) about industrial AM increasing the use of metals and how different these uses, and technology, are from the maker movement level of machines and materials: http://www.manufacturing-executive.com/thread/2532 And here's a DN article about industrial 3D printing with non-plastic materials: http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=252293 There are others listed at the bottom of this current article.
Greg, I agree. Using 3D printers to make rocket components is quite intriguing. I know the testing of these components are probably more stringent than with conventional manufactured parts. I know the Maker community would love to have access to one of these machines in their Makerspace!
Lou, thanks for weighing in on this one: I was curious to see what you'd say. Cabe, the stuff you've seen is probably on the consumer and prototype level 3D materials and processes, which mostly use metal, not plastic. Both materials and processes are, of course, quite different for industrial and aerospace uses, and for high-end automotive. I've heard of several stories like yours of unacceptable parts coming from vendors in the non-industrial network. It's important to know where the wall is between the two app areas.
Having NASA involved will probably speed the maturing of the 3-D printing process, since they always demand the very most reliable parts, and usually there is much less urgency about reducing costs. That is a vital difference between the space program and much of the junk produced for the "consumer" market, which has the primary target of minimum production cost. When lowest price is the prime directive and sole target, quality and reliability usually suffer. So the NASA use of 3-D printing will help gain understanding of how to produce better quality.
I am impressed with the fact that some of the process is good enough to put it inconsideration. Of course the space program is a very logical area, since the production quantities are fairly small, which makes the creation of tooling for each part much less economical.
It will be interesting to see what benefits are delivered by the NASA involvement now.
I think you are bringing up a non-issue. The whole point of the article was that NASA was evaluating the process. Having worked this industry I can assure you that the custom built machine, not the ones you may have used, will be thoroughly tested as will the process. If it can't be made to work it will be dropped. But given the payback if it can be made to work it will probably be pursued.
I have printed structural plastic parts that are still around today. Like any process for producing parts the engineer has to work with the process and not expect it to perform/behave like some other process.
I feel confident that this additive manufacturing process will evolve further just as it has over the last several years. Who knows what process development will be incorporated into parts like these to make them a viable alternative in the harsh environments of rocket propulsion systems. Nice to see the innovation that this technology is fostering.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
It has often been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. This spring, the state's wind power is setting energy generation records and solar energy generation is expected to rise sharply during the second half of 2013.
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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The word panchakarma is composed of two words, ‘pancha’ and ‘karma’. Pancha means five and karma means ‘action’. In this context karma represents therapeutic procedure or treatment given by a physician. Thus, Panchakarma means the five kinds of therapeutic procedures or treatments. This includes therapeutic emesis (vamana), therapeutic purgation (virechana), therapeutic enema (basti) with decoction (niruha), enema with unctuous substances (anuvasana) and trans-nasal drug administration (nasya). These procedures are intended to maintain equilibrium in body by expelling the excessively aggravated dosha outside through nearest external route. [Chakrapani on Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 2/15] [Su.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 33/3]. These are indicated as seasonal regimen for preservation of health and prevention of diseases. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 7/45-50]
|Section/Chapter/topic||Chikitsa / Panchakarma|
|Authors||Aneesh E.G., Deole Y.S.|
|Reviewed by||Basisht G.|
|Affiliations||Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.P.G.T.& R.A., Jamnagar|
|Publisher||Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, India|
|Date of first publication:||June 25, 2020|
- Shodhana: It literally means purification. It is the procedure by which excessively aggravated dosha are expelled out from the body. [A.H.Sutra Sthana 14/5]
- Virechana: It literally means specifically dragging outside. At some places, this term is applied to denote evacuation of dosha through upward (mouth) and downward (anus) directions. [Cha.Sa.[[Kalpa Sthana 1/4]. Mostly this term is used to denote therapeutic purgation only.
- Therapeutic emesis (Vamana)
- Therapeutic purgation (Virechana)
- Trans nasal drug administration(Nasya)
- Therapeutic enema with decoction (Niruha basti)
- Therapeutic enema with unctuous substances (Anuvasana basti)
- Bloodletting (Raktamoksha)
Inclusion of bloodletting (raktamokshana) in panchakarma
There are differences in opinions about inclusion of bloodletting (raktamokshana) in five purification procedures. The total number remains five only as they combine two types of enema (unctuous and non-unctuous) in single procedure. [A.H.Sutra Sthana 14/5] However, this inclusion is not supported by Charak as it does not fulfill the inclusion criteria with fundamental principles of purification. The reasons are as below:
- Panchakarma are intended to expel out dosha only. Blood (rakta) is a body component under category of dhatu, not dosha.
- The principles of purification state to take aggravated dosha from periphery (shakha) to gut (koshtha) by preparatory procedures. Then the dosha is removed through nearest external opening of body. In case of bloodletting, the dosha in periphery are removed through artificial opening created by using some instrument.
- Panchakarma procedures are intended towards generalized purification of whole body with additional benefits on mind and senses. However, raktamokshan mostly shows limited local benefits on purification of rakta dhatu.
Principles of panchakarma
The following principles are applied in panchakarma procedures:
- The procedure is intended to correct imbalance in body physiology. It shall remove excessively aggravated dosha and bring them to normal state.
- The procedure is performed only in a state of excess aggravation (bahu dosha) and natural tendency to get removed (utklesha) through nearest natural orifice.
- If the dosha are in dormant state (leena dosha), then procedure is performed after bringing them to gut (koshtha) from periphery (shakha). The following factors lead to movement of dosha from periphery to gut. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 28/33]
- Aggravation of dosha (vriddhi)
- Liquefaction of dosha (vishyandana)
- Suppuration of dosha (paka)
- Clearing the body channels (srotoshodhana)
- Pacification of vata (vayunigraha)
General protocol for conducting panchakarma
For safe and effective administration, each procedure is conducted in the following three steps:
- Preparation of patient (Purvakarma)
- Main procedure (Pradhanakarma)
- Post therapy regimen (Pashchatkarma)
Preparation of patient(Purvakarma)
This includes the therapies prior to a panchakarma procedure. These are mainly intended for bringing dosha in gut. The general therapies are as below:
- Deepana: This is initiation and stimulation of process of digestion and metabolism
- Pachana: This is enhancing process of digestion specially the undigested and poorly metabolized substances (ama)
- Snehana: This is oleation therapy or lubrication in the form of internal administration and external application of unctuous substances
- Swedana: This is sudation or fomentation
These procedures are done to detach dosha from their sites of vitiation, expedite their movement and bring them to gut to get expelled out. Through these procedures, the doshas are liquefied and moved towards gut. This helps in removing obstruction in the body channels and pacifying vatadosha for its normal movements. The medicines and time span for these preparatory procedures varies according to type of procedure and biological condition of patient or individual undergoing treatment.
Main procedure (Pradhana karma)
The main procedure is performed based upon the disease conditions, site of dosha vitiation and nearest route to expel it. If a healthy person is following these procedures for preservation of health, then the general sequence includes therapeutic emesis, followed by purgation, unctuous enema, enema with decoction, trans-nasal drug administration. For management of disease, one or more procedures are performed till dosha equilibrium is achieved. Specific parameters based on end-results of dosha state (antiki), number of episodes (vegiki) and clinical features observed (laingiki) are observed during each procedure to assess efficacy of therapy.
Post therapy regimen(Pashchat karma)
Specific regimen (samsarjana krama) is indicated after completion of the main procedure. The strength is weakened due to expulsion of dosha outside. Therefore, in order to regain the strength of body and correct digestion, certain guidelines in diet and lifestyle must be followed.
Mainly two factors are considered before implementing panchakarma.
- State of dosha
- Suitability and strength of person/patient. This includes co-morbidities too.
State of dosha
- Dosha should be in excessive aggravated state. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 16/13-16]
- Excessive vitiation of either kapha, pitta,rakta and wastes (mala).
- Affliction and obstruction of Vatadosha. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 22/19]
The state of excess aggravation of dosha is observed by following clinical features:
Indigestion, anorexia, corpulence, anemia, heaviness, exhaustion, eruption of pimples and wheals (bumps or itchy sores), pruritis, sluggishness, indolence, weakness, foul smell of the body, lassitude, precipitation (utklesha) of kapha and pitta, sleeplessness or excessive drowsiness, impotency, impediment to intelligence, inauspicious dreams, and loss of strength and complexion inspite of taking nourishing diet and correct therapy. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 16/13-15]
The person should have good strength in order to withstand the purificatory procedures. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 22/19]
- If the dosha are not in aggravated state or are in dormant state
- If dosha are deep-seated inside the body channels (srotas) or tissues (dhatu)
- If the strength of the person is less
- If the seasonal condition is not favorable (unless in emergency)
- If the patient suffers from diseases of thigh (urustambha)
- If the patient is not willing to undergo treatment
Importance of Panchakarma
- Panchakarma are indicated for purification of body, mind and senses. It helps to maintain equilibrium of body components. It is an important part in seasonal regimen for preservation of health. It eradicates diseases from their roots. Therefore, prevention of disease occurrence and recurrence is possible through panchakarma. These are preferred over pacification therapies (shamana) where recurrence is possible. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 16/20]
- Purification results in improvement in functioning of agni (factors responsible for digestion and metabolism), clarity of sense organs, mind, intellect, strength and virility [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 16/17-19]
- Panchakarma are pre-requisite for rejuvenation ([[rasayana]) therapy. In order to get the complete benefit of rejuvenation, purification is essential. [Su.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 27/3]
Importance in preservation of health and prevention of disease
The dosha have a natural tendency to get aggravated in specific seasons due to environmental conditions. If the aggravated dosha are removed properly by following seasonal regimen, then diseases can be prevented and equilibrium of health can be maintained. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 7/46] For example, vata dosha is aggravated in early rainy season. If it is managed through administration of therapeutic enema (basti) in that season, then diseases due to vata dosha can be prevented. It is the best treatment to normalize vata. [Cha.Sa.Siddhi Sthana 1/40]
Suitable seasons for purification therapy in healthy individuals
Following panchakarma procedures are indicated in seasonal regimen to preserve health. [Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana]7/46] [Cha.Sa.Siddhi Sthana 6/5-6]
|Season||Month in Indian subcontinent||Naturally aggravated dosha||Prescribed therapy for purification|
|Early rains (Pravrit)||Mid June to Mid August||Vata||Therapeutic enema (basti)|
|Autumn (Sharad)||Mid October to Mid December||Pitta||Therapeutic purgation (virechana)|
|Spring (Vasant)||Mid February to Mid April||Kapha||Therapeutic emesis (vamana)|
Trans-nasal administration in low dose (pratimarsha nasya) is advised as a part of daily regimen to preserve health. It has preventive and protective effect against the diseases of head and neck region. [Su.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 40/52] The time of trans-nasal administration varies according to season.
Importance in management of disease
Panchakarma are indicated in management of all diseases in which the dosha are excessively aggravated and need to be removed from body. [Cha.Sa.Vimana Sthana 3/44] Panchakarma are administered in acute exacerbated conditions of diseases like skin diseases (kushtha) [Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 7], erysipelas(visarpa)[Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 21], diseases of three vital organs -heart, brain and kidney (tri marma)[Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 26]. These therapies are effective in management of chronic diseases by removing toxins like ama. Panchakarma therapies like unctuous enema (anuvasana) are utilized for restoration of health. Panchakarma is helpful in the prevention of diseases, preservation and promotion of health.
Cautions in administration of panchakarma
The only contra-indication for panchakarma is urustambha (diseases of thigh). [Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 27/20-22] In this condition, only drying therapies (rukshana) are indicated. Improper administration of panchakarma procedures can lead to diseases like skin disorders [Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 7/6], diseases of digestion (grahani) [Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 15/43], disease due to vata vitiation [Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 28/15]. Excessive or inadequate administration of panchakarma also leads to complications. [Cha.Sa.Siddhi Sthana Therefore, the panchakarma shall be administered cautiously after considering all suitable factors. Otherwise it may fail to give expected results and cause complications. [Cha.Sa.Siddhi Sthana 1/59]
Panchakarma are popularly known as detoxification therapies, cleansing therapies, purification therapies or elimination therapies in healthcare society today. Various modifications of these procedures are in vogue.
Some scholars classify panchakarma in two categories. 1. Classical and 2. Traditional
1. Classical panchakarma therapies are followed as described in classics.
2. Traditional panchakarma therapies are modified and sophisticated external oleation and sudation therapies based on classics. These are widely publicized as Keraliya panchakarma. Some practitioners consider pouring medicated liquid on head (shiraseka), whole body (kaya seka), application of processed rice in bolus (shashtikashalipindasweda), as paste on body (anna lepa), application of herbal paste on head (shirolepa) as keraliya panchakarma. These therapies gained global recognition due to their efficacy and practices in resorts and spas. However, the fundamental principles of panchakarma therapies shall always be followed to achieve maximum benefit.
Research studies show efficacy of panchakarma therapies in management of diseases.
- Research has shown that it reduces risk factors for heart disease and decreases blood levels of fat-soluble toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyls and agrochemicals by about 50%.
- External and internal purification therapy is found to be effective in reducing the symptoms of blistering skin disease (visphotakushtha) within a short duration with a long lasting effect.
- Panchakarma followed by internal medications showed amelioration of motor, sensory and sphincter deficits in case of Guillain Barre syndrome.
- Panchakarma along with internal medications showed improvement in growth and development and also reduces spasticity in spastic cerebral palsy.
- The quality of life of patients can be improved through panchakarma procedures especially in case of skin disorders.
- In neurodegenerative conditions like supranuclear palsy Ayurvedic treatment modalities including panchakarma is found effective in causing symptomatic improvements.
List of theses done
There are total 121 research works done on various procedures of panchakarma in last 17 years since 2001 to 2018 at Institute for post graduate teaching and research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar.
The following table shows number of research works done on each procedure:
|Serial NO.||Name of procedure||Number of research works|
Following list shows theses works done with emphasis on general aspects of panchakarma.
- Chaturvedi GN (1959): A study of panchakarma therapy vis-a-vis its physio-pathological basis.Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Vasant Sohanlal (1960): Panchakarma shastram. Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Parashar BN (1965): Sodhanam dosha nirghatanam. Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Selote SB (1962): Elimination therapy.Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Ramu MG (1966): Diseases of raktavaha srotasa and shodhana therapy.Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Arunachalam S (1969): Sanshodhana sanshamana chikitsa in agnimandya. Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Pilapitiya U (1969): Sanshodhana and sanshamanachikitsa in amlapitta.Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Vidya Shekar MS (1971): Shodhanaupakrama for tridosha.Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Misha SK (1988): A clinical study on the role of shodhana in the management of vicharchika.Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Moradia Ghanshyam (1990): A comparative study on the role of shodhana and shaman therapies of gridhrasi (sciatica).Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- ManoranjanSahu (2002): A critical study on aetiopathogenesis of Gridhrasi and its management with Rasna Guggulu along with shodhana therapy.Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
- Nakum Sudha K (2003): Comparative study of the role of Shamana (Rasayana) and Shodhana therapy in Vicharchika. Department of Kayachikitsa, I.P.G.T. & R.A. Jamnagar
Apamarga Tanduliya Adhyaya, Snehadhyaya, Swedadhyaya, Upakalpaniya Adhyaya, Chikitsaprabhritiya Adhyaya, Kalpana Siddhi, Panchakarmiya Siddhi, Bastisutriyam Siddhi, Snehavyapat Siddhi, Netrabastivyapat Siddhi, Vamana Virechana Vyapat Siddhi, Bastivyapat Siddhi, Prasrita Yogiyam Siddhi, Trimarmiya Siddhi, Basti Siddhi, Phalamatra Siddhi, Uttar Basti Siddhi
Vamana Virechana Basti Nasya Raktamoksha Snehana Swedana
List of references
The list of references for Panchakarma in Charak Samhita can be seen here
Send us your suggestions and feedback on this page.
- ↑ Monier-Williams, Monier-Williams Sanskrit- English Dictionary, 1st edition; Oxford University Press, Karman, Page 258
- ↑ Sharma H., Chandola H.M., Singh G., Basisht G. Utilization of Ayurveda in health care: an approach for prevention, health promotion, and treatment of disease. Part 1 – Ayurveda in primary health care. J Altern Complement Med. 2007;13(9):1011–1019.
- ↑ Patil Vasant. Principles and Practice of Panchakarma.Ilkal, India: Atreya Ayurveda publications,2011.pg.7.
- ↑ Sharma HM, Nidich SI, Sands D, Smith DE. Improvement in cardiovascular risk factors through Panchakarma purification procedures. J Res Educ Indian Med 1993;12:2–13.
- ↑ Herron RE, Fagan JB. Lipophil-mediated reduction of toxicants in humans: An evaluation of an Ayurvedic detoxification procedure. Altern Ther Health Med 2002;8:40–51.
- ↑ Aiswarya IV, Parameswaran Namboothiri K, Anandaraman PV. Effect of multi-modality Ayurvedic treatment in a case of Visphota kushta. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2019 Jul - Sep;10(3):207-213. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2018.06.005.
- ↑ Basavaraj R Tubaki, Shruti Tarapure. Ayurveda management of Gullian Barre syndrome: A case report. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2020 Jan - Mar;11(1):73-77. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2018.08.004. Epub 2019 Jan 18
- ↑ Sagar M Bhinde, Kalpana S Patel et al. Management of Spactic cerebral palsy through multiple Ayurveda treatment modalities. Ayu. 2014 Oct-Dec; 35(4): 462–466. doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.159044
- ↑ Harish Deshpande, Shivkumar et al. Assessment of quality of life in patients with skin disorders undergoing Ayurvedic Panchakarma (biopurification) as management. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2016 Jul;21(3):215-20. doi: 10.1177/2156587215615026. Epub 2015 Nov 12.
- ↑ Nitin Jindal, Manoj K et al. Efficacy of Ayurvedic treatment using Panchakarma combined with balance exercises for disability and balance in progressive supranuclear palsy. Anc Sci Life. 2012 Jul;32(1):54-8. doi: 10.4103/0257-7941.113793.
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The ingredient of 714-X claimed by supporters to have anticancer activity is camphor that has been chemically modified by the addition of an extra nitrogen atom.
Pharmacological and Biological Treatment
Learn about other non-traditional therapies sometimes touted to treat cancer, including shark cartilage, laetrile, and homeopathy.
Antineoplaston therapy is a complementary/alternative cancer treatment that involves using a group of synthetic chemicals called antineoplastons intended to protect the body from disease.
Apitherapy refers to the use of various products of the common honeybee in alternative remedies.
Bovine cartilage is promoted as a dietary supplement for the treatment of cancer, osteoporosis, and other conditions. The cartilage is extracted from various parts of a cow, but usually comes from the trachea (windpipe).
A dark liquid, the exact makeup of Cancell® is unknown and may have changed over time and varied between manufacturers.
In cell therapy, processed tissue from the organs, embryos, or fetuses of animals such as sheep or cows is injected into patients.
Chelation therapy most often involves the injection of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), a chemical that binds, or chelates, heavy metals, including iron, lead, mercury, cadmium, and zinc.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is part of an enzyme complex that affects certain chemical reactions in the body.
Use of Coley toxins is an early form of immunotherapy, a method of treatment in which a person receives substances designed to boost the immune system and help the body fight off diseases such as cancer.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland.
It is a mixture of the drugs somatostatin and bromocriptine, as well as vitamins, melatonin, and sometimes low doses of chemotherapy drugs or other substances combined in varying amounts.
Dichloracetic acid and sodium dichloroacetate are man-made chemicals that have not been found in nature.
Dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO, is an industrial solvent that is a by-product of making paper.
Enzyme therapy involves taking enzyme supplements as an alternative form of cancer treatment. Enzymes are natural proteins that stimulate and accelerate many biological reactions in the body.
Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) is an omega-6 unsaturated fatty acid made in the human body from other essential fatty acids.
The Greek Cancer Cure consists of a blood test reportedly used to diagnose cancer and intravenous therapy designed to cure the disease.
Homeopathic remedies are water-based or alcohol-based solutions containing tiny amounts of naturally occurring plants, minerals, animal products, or chemicals.
Hydrazine sulfate is a chemical commonly used in industrial processes, such as rare metal refining and the making of rocket fuel, rust-prevention products, and insecticides.
Immuno-augmentative therapy (IAT) consists of daily injections of a protein mixture made from human blood with the goal of helping the patient's immune system to attack the cancer.
Inosine pranobex is a drug that may mimic the actions of immune-stimulating hormones made in the thymus gland.
Insulin potentiation therapy (IPT) refers to the use of insulin along with lower doses of chemotherapy to treat cancer.
An analysis by several federal agencies found Krebiozen to contain mineral oil and a form of creatine. Creatine is a substance that occurs naturally in the human body and is sold as a dietary supplement.
Laetrile is a chemically modified form of amygdalin, a naturally-occurring substance found mainly in the kernels of apricots, peaches, and almonds.
Lipoic acid is an antioxidant found in certain foods, including red meat, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, yams, carrots, beets, and yeast. It is also made in small amounts in the human body.
Liver flushes are recommended by alternative medicine practitioners to detoxify or drive "harmful chemicals and germs" out of the liver and gallbladder.
Livingston-Wheeler therapy was an alternative cancer method that included vaccines, antibiotics, vitamin and mineral supplements, digestive enzymes, cleansing enemas, support group therapy, and a vegetarian diet.
Mangosteen is a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia that is touted for its antioxidants, especially xanthones, a type of chemical in certain plants.
Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the pineal gland-- a pea-sized gland located just beneath the center of the brain-- in response to darkness.
Oxygen therapy introduces substances into the body that are supposed to release oxygen. The extra oxygen is believed to increase the body's ability to destroy disease-causing cells.
Poly-MVA is a liquid dietary supplement that contains various minerals, B complex vitamins, palladium, and amino acids and lipoic acid (see Lipoic Acid, and B Vitamins). The "MVA" stands for minerals, vitamins, and amino acids.
Pregnenolone is a steroid the body makes as a precursor to other steroid hormones.
Some practitioners of alternative medicine who treat cancer using unproven and unapproved therapies -- especially those who market their treatment as a "cure" -- have moved across the Mexican border, where they are still able to attract US patients.
It is a chemical therapy that varies for every patient but can include a chemical formula made of varying amounts of lipid alcohols, caffeine, zinc, lithium, and iron or a formula that contains fatty acids, selenium, magnesium, and sulfur.
Sea cucumbers are marine animals that have a soft body with the shape and texture of a cucumber.
Shark cartilage is extracted from the heads and fins of sharks.
Shark liver oil is taken from the liver of cold-water sharks.
Urotherapy is an alternative method that involves the use of a patient's own urine to treat cancer.
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Kairouan, also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan, is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was founded by the Arabs around 670. In the period of Caliph Mu'awiya, it became an important centre for Islamic and Quranic learning, and thus attracting a large number of Muslims from various parts of the world, next only to Mecca and Medina. The holy Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city. In 2003, the city had about 150,000 inhabitants.
The numerical value of kairouan in Chaldean Numerology is: 7
The numerical value of kairouan in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Images & Illustrations of kairouan
Find a translation for the kairouan definition in other languages:
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You can inspire creative thinking....writing...drama... and improve oracy skills as you discuss the illustrations.
Trent College, Nottingham
A faun's tale
Salvias, the unkempt and hairy faun, was lost. After being banished from faun-land, for tricking the king and embarrassing him in front of the kingdom of centaurs, he decided to take refuge in the enchanted forest. The forest was well known for its dark magic. The few that ventured inside had never returned.
When dusk settled, Salvias decided to sleep. He searched for a clearing in the forest, and just when he thought that he would never find an emptly clearing, he came across a beautiful-looking glade. It seemed to sparkle in the moon-light. Its magical beauty gave the sleepy faun no choice but to rest his head. Although the faun was aware that the place was full of dark magic, he was too tired to care about it, and slept.
He slept, lost in his wildest dreams, for what seemed to be an eternity. He couldn't, however, tell if the noise was a dream. This mysterious noise had always been there like the birds in their nests. It was an ever present voice, speaking to him. He never listened close enough to hear what the voice said, but, it sounded as if the persion, or creature, was wise. Maybe it was a voice telling him how to escape his dreams? When he tried to listen to its low rumble, his dreams were also calling for him, louder and clearer. Sometimes he forgot he was dreaming.
The voice spoke louder than ever before. It spoke with meaning, as if, for the first time it was agitated with Salvias. Now it really wanted him to get out of this dream world. Suddenly the dream world had erupted into chaos. His minds very creations being destroyed before his eyes. The earth trembled, the sea roared and mountains became fiery pits of magma......
Written by a group of 12 and 13 year old children
'The students (year 7) and I have had such fun with Gazoonkas
in our English lessons. Clearly, working with Gazoonkas stimulates extraordinary
opportunities to develop refreshing narrative characters that have helped my students formulate the most intriguing plots. I would recommend highly the use of Gazoonkas in English lessons. The
possibilities for creativity in writing, drama, art, poetry, language skill lessons are endless. It is so easy to adapt lessons, within the national curriculum, using these fascinating
Mr Liam Webster, Assistant Head, Trent College, Nottinghamshire, UK
Crazies Hill School, Berkshire.
"Our day with Fran Webster was a magical experience. The children wee fascinated with Fran's story of how the Gazoonkas came into existence through her doodling, and thought her artwork truly amazing. The children were inspired to draw some fabulous Gazoonkas of their own and to write stories full of excitement and imagination. This has been a wonderful way to promote creative writing and ilustration across the whole school."
Eileen Holmes, Headteacher.
'Imagination is more important than knowledge'. Albert Einstein
'Creativity is intelligence having fun.'
'Disneyland will never be completed.
It will continue to grow as long as
there is imagination left in th world'
PAREIDOLIA, in a nutshell, is the ability to see faces, or other things, where there isn't one.
In his notebooks, Leonardo da Vinci wrote of pareidolia as a device for painters, writing "if you look at any walls spotted with various stains.... if you are about to invent some scene you will be able to see in it a resemblance to various different landscapes adorned with mountains, rivers, rocks, trees, plains, wide valleys and various groups of hills. You will also be able to see divers, combats and figures in quick movement, and strange expressions of faces, and outlandish costumes, and an infinite number of things which you can then reduce into separate and well conceived forms."
These imaginings, or seeings, with the aid of drawing, become my Gazoonkas
Fran Webster's Art
More of my work can be viewed on Redbubble.
and on my face book art page
and frantuckster on Instagram
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TIPS ON BECOMING A WELCOMING CONGREGATION
Treat each person and all people as unique individuals, as Christ in your midst, with gifts to bring the community, making each of us and the community richer, not as a person narrowly defined by any one characteristic.
TIPS ON LANGUAGE
About 10% of the population identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender... don't assume that just because they haven't told you, they aren't there. Even in a non-threatening environment, some may choose to keep this information private. However, you may increase their comfort level by showing your support in your use of language when you write and speak:
- Words like "significant other" or "partner" are more inclusive than "husband" "wife" or "spouse." Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people, just like heterosexual people, use a variety of terms to define themselves and to refer to their "other half" ... if you are unsure how to refer to someone's partner, ask!
- Instead of asking if a newcomer is married, ask if they are "in a relationship.”
- Families are great, but please don't make single people feel like second-class citizens.
- Avoid assumptions based on appearance... stereotyping is just that: attributing characteristics to a group simplistically and uncritically, often with the assumption that those characteristics are rooted in biological differences. Real people should not be stereotyped, not everybody fits commonly-held stereotypes, and not everybody who fits a stereotype description is "carrying the card."
- Don't make homophobic comments or jokes, and don’t laugh at, ignore or condone them. And make it clear to your staff, vestry, etc., that they are inappropriate.
- Avoid or reduce the use of pronouns and gender-specific language that limits... instead begin using "inclusive” or “expansive" language to describe God and the Trinity, as well as loving relationships on earth. God need not just be He or She, Father or Lord. God can also be named, as God or as Nurturer, Creator, Parent, Yahweh, Great Spirit, etc. or as Father and Mother.
- Talk about LGBT welcome and safety as justice issues and how they are affecting the church. Keep your congregation informed about what your congregation, diocese and The Episcopal Church are doing.
TIPS ON IMAGES
The spoken word is one thing, but a LGBT person may make a decision about your church before ever reaching or entering the door. Sadly, past experience has taught us that the potential for an un-welcoming and traumatic experience is great. LGBT people tend to do a lot more "shopping around" for a safe and welcoming congregation than a heterosexual person might. If I researched your church, what assumptions might I make based on what I saw or found?
- If I come to your church, will I see people who look like me? Web sites, publications and visual presentations at the church should reflect people and relationships of all kinds. Look around: is everyone in a "traditional family" or do you have "families by choice," single people, same-sex partners, single parent families, and families of mixed ethnicity? Make sure your marketing reflects the full spectrum of who makes up your congregation, and maybe those who are missing!
- Some corporations have adopted a "safe space" program to let LGBT people know in a subtle way that they are in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. The "Safe Space" symbol is an inverted pink triangle (an international symbol of positive gay identity) inside a green circle, which symbolizes acceptance. You could use something similar, or a rainbow flag sticker, to express your welcoming intention.
- Consider becoming a Believe Out Loud Episcopal Congregation. The OASIS is working with other groups both inside and outside the Episcopal Church to promote Believe Out Loud, a campaign of welcome for congregations. Learn more here.
- Both THE OASIS and INTEGRITY have letter-sized certificates available for supportive congregations. Displaying these in your narthex is a wonderful way to let LGBT people know they are welcome. Another option is for your web site and/or bulletin to display The OASIS or INTEGRITY logo, just as you would incorporate a wheelchair as an indication of disability accessibility.
- June is Pride Month in the United States. Some congregations have shown their support of their LGBT members and the broader LGBT community by displaying the rainbow flag during Pride Month if they don’t fly it at other times.
TIPS ON PREPARATION
If you are going to say you are welcoming, be prepared to prove it. If a LGBT person came to you in crisis or just needing to talk, would you know what to say or do?
- Things can be tough for lesbian and gay people, but bisexual, transgender and intersex people are sometimes even more misunderstood. Take some time to learn about issues and get past assumptions. The OASIS has links to numerous resources that can help you learn.
- Have resources available. Look up and bookmark on your computer local community groups that could help a person make friends or obtain services.
Know what you are up against. Laws in most states are discriminatory against LGBT relationships. If a person's partner is hospitalized, they may encounter difficulty or resistance to their making decisions for or even seeing their loved one (in New Jersey this is illegal). Could they count on you as an advocate?
- There are counselors, lawyers and other professionals who have specific experience in the LGBT community. Learn who they are in case you encounter a situation that is more than you're ready to handle. Intentionally develop relationships with LGBT people and/or agencies, such as THE OASIS, who can serve as helpful resources for you.
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Here at Ignite Nutrition, many of our patients describe feeling held back by their digestive symptoms. Some of the most frustrating symptoms for our patients are urgency and diarrhea, as they feel they can’t leave the house or participate in social events due to unpredictable bowel habits.
Nutrition for Bile Acid Diarrhea
Chronic diarrhea can occur for a variety of reasons, one being something called bile acid diarrhea (often called bile acid malabsorption) or ‘BAD’ for short. Although you may not have heard of this before, BAD is a common cause of diarrhea. However, with symptoms so similar to conditions like IBS or IBD, it can often be tricky to diagnose.
Today we will be reviewing the details of bile acid diarrhea – what it is, how it’s diagnosed, and what you should know about managing this condition long-term. Let’s get started!
What is Bile Acid Diarrhea?
BAD is diarrhea that results from poor absorption of bile acids, which are important molecules that help to digest and absorb fat and nutrients from our food.
Every human body is designed to release bile acids when we eat. These bile acids aid in absorbing fat and fat soluble vitamins like vitamins A, E, D, & K (to name a few). This process occurs in the small intestine, which is the primary site of digestion and absorption.
From there, about 97% of the bile acids we produce get reabsorbed in the terminal ileum (the very end of the small intestine). The body recycles these bile acids so that they can be used again and again. Isn’t the human body SO efficient? Bile acid diarrhea occurs when bile acids do not get reabsorbed at the terminal ileum and instead continue on to the colon, causing irritation and excess water secretions that lead to loose stool. This can happen for a variety of reasons.
Primary Bile Acid Diarrhea
For some patients with BAD, they actually produce too much bile for their body to absorb all at once, meaning excess bile acids slip through to the colon, causing BAD.
Secondary Bile Acid Diarrhea
For others, absorption of bile at the terminal ileum is not efficient. This is often secondary to another condition that has caused previous damage to the small intestine such as inflammatory bowel disease, previous bowel surgeries, celiac disease, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). However, for certain patients, BAD can also occur without a known cause – this is called ‘idiopathic bile acid diarrhea’.
Symptoms of Bile Acid Diarrhea
Unsurprisingly, the most common symptom of bile acid diarrhea is well, diarrhea. It IS right there in the title. However, there is generally more to it than that.
Key characteristics of BAD include:
- Watery, loose diarrhea – often stool is pale in colour, greasy, malodorous and/or difficult to flush
- Bowel urgency & frequent bowel movements
- Fecal incontinence
- Excess gas
- Abdominal pain (typically in the lower abdomen)
Bile Acid Diarrhea vs. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Both BAD and diarrhea-dominant IBS (IBS-D) have very similar and overlapping symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose the cause of diarrhea in many patients. It is also thought that many IBS-D patients may actually have both diagnoses. In fact, some studies report up to half of individuals with IBS-D or functional diarrhea have bile acid diarrhea!
At Ignite Nutrition, we work with a lot of patients who have been diagnosed with IBS-D. In doing so, we sometimes see patients who also show signs of BAD that may have been overlooked during the diagnostic process. There is no doubt that these two conditions can be VERY difficult to separate during screening – so how is BAD diagnosed?
Diagnosing Bile Acid Diarrhea
When an individual presents with chronic diarrhea and urgency, their family doctor will refer them to a gastroenterologist who will perform a series of tests to rule out specific gut disorders. If there are risk factors and as appropriate, a gastroenterologist will conduct a colonoscopy to identify whether that person has inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, or colon cancer – however, many times conditions can be ruled out with blood work and assessment.
If the results of your test come back clear, but you’re experiencing diarrhea and abdominal pain, the most common diagnosis is irritable bowel syndrome – which makes sense given the symptoms, and can be managed with nutrition intervention. But what happens when nutrition interventions, like the low FODMAP diet, don’t work?
We often see patients diagnosed with IBS-D that work with us on nutrition management of IBS, and STILL have significant diarrhea, even despite being disciplined with the low FODMAP diet and managing their stress. As we work through their food and symptom journals, we can see a correlative pattern with high fat foods, and worsening of diarrhea. This is a common sign that there may be more going on!
To scientifically diagnose bile acid diarrhea, a fecal sample can be taken and analyzed to measure the amount of bile acids in a person’s stool. However, this procedure often isn’t available outside of research facilities. Instead, BAD is most often therapeutically diagnosed by administering a bile acid sequestrant drug and monitoring how an individual responds to the therapy. If a patient’s symptoms improve with the pharmacological therapy, we can observationally say that they have bile acid diarrhea.
Management of Bile Acid Diarrhea
As mentioned above, the most reliable therapy for BAD is a type of medication called bile acid sequestrant drugs. The most common of these in Canada is called cholestyramine, which is a powder medication that binds to unabsorbed bile acids in the colon. By doing so, it makes them osmotically inactive, meaning they can no longer pull excess water into the bowels and cause diarrhea. As a plus, cholestyramine may also help to lower cholesterol in the blood through the same mechanisms – binding fat and cholesterol molecules that usually get re-absorbed and recycled!
It is important to work closely with your medical team to determine the proper dose of cholestyramine for you, as the amount needed can vary depending on the person, the severity of your symptoms, and even what you eat.
Can Diet Impact Bile Acid Diarrhea?
Bile acid sequestrant drugs are the main treatment for BAD, but diet and lifestyle changes can also greatly reduce incidence of bile acid diarrhea. At the end of the day, the best management strategies for BAD include a combination of BOTH medical therapy and nutrition therapy!
Dietary considerations for managing BAD include:
Consuming high soluble fibre foods and/or soluble fibre supplements such as psyllium husk – Fibre supplements act as a natural bile acid binder, helping to reduce the amount of water being pulled into the bowel.
Consuming a diet low in poorly absorbed and highly fermentable carbohydrates – Many of our patients do have IBS-D overlapping with their BAD, and see great success following a low FODMAP or modified low FODMAP diet to reduce excess gas and fluid in the gut. This likely has to do with some FODMAP’s speeding up digestion, giving bile acids less of a chance to absorb, leading to worsening symptoms.
Reducing fat in the diet – When we consume less fat, we don’t release as many bile acids to absorb and breakdown that fat. In turn, the result is fewer symptoms associated with poor bile acid reabsorption.
Eating small, frequent meals as opposed to large meals – Smaller portions also require fewer bile acids and therefore cause less episodes of diarrhea.
If you have recurrent diarrhea and urgency, discuss it with your family physician and ensure you get properly screened for gut disorders that may be contributing to your symptoms. If you have not worked with a gastroenterologist, consider talking with your family doctor about being referred.
Additionally, talk to a dietitian about how you can start to improve your chronic diarrhea through dietary strategies. A trained gut health dietitian can also help to identify signs of bile acid diarrhea if you feel this could be part of your story. Work with one of our Calgary-based registered dietitians today.
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Boost The Chance Of Having A Baby - 3rd April 2016
For those who dream of being parents, pregnancy problems can be tremendously frustrating and disappointing. In recent decades, scientists have developed a wide range of approaches to help struggling couples have healthy babies. And NIH-funded studies are continuing to search for even better ways to overcome the challenges of infertility.
Infertility is a fairly common condition. It affects about 1 in 10 couples who are trying to have a baby. Infertility can be traced to the man in about a third of these cases and to the woman in another third. The rest of the time, the difficulties lie with both partners or no cause can be found.
“Although there are many known causes of infertility, there are still some cases of fertility impairments that we don’t understand,” says NIH’s Dr. Louis V. DePaolo, an expert in fertility research. “We’re constantly discovering new molecules that are vital to the fertility-regulating process.” By learning more about these molecules and other factors, scientists hope to find new and improved ways to prevent or treat infertility.
Knowing the underlying causes of infertility is important because it can help couples choose the best therapy. “Since there are many causes, a treatment that works for one person might not be the best choice for another,” DePaolo says. The most common treatments today are surgery or medication.
Fertility troubles can arise in any of the steps needed for a successful pregnancy. To get pregnant, a woman’s body must first release an egg from one of her ovaries, a process called ovulation. The man’s sperm then has to join with, or “fertilize,” the egg. The egg must then travel through a passageway known as the fallopian tube and head toward the woman’s uterus (womb). The fertilized egg must then attach to the inside of the uterus (implantation).
Infertility can be related to a man if there are problems with the number, shape, or movement of sperm. These glitches can make it hard for the sperm to fertilize the egg. About 1 in 5 infertile men have sperm troubles because of a hormone imbalance, which can sometimes be corrected with medication.
“Another common identifiable cause of male infertility occurs when a man has large veins around the testicle, which makes the whole scrotum warmer than it should be. The heat decreases the production and quality of sperm,” says Dr. Peter N. Schlegel, who specializes in treating male infertility at Cornell University. This condition, called varicoceles, is usually harmless, but it can be corrected with surgery if it’s causing infertility. Surgery can also help to remove blockages that prevent sperm release.
“There are also genetic causes of low sperm production, which are probably more common than we can identify, because we don’t yet understand all the causes of male infertility,” Schlegel says.
For women, the most common cause of infertility has to do with ovulation problems, which affect about 40% of women who have pregnancy trouble. “Ovulatory problems occur when a woman ovulates irregularly or not at all,” says Dr. Linda Giudice, a reproductive health expert at the University of California, San Francisco. “Causes can include stress-related lack of or irregular periods, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), advanced maternal age, and a variety of other possible factors, like hormone issues that can interrupt normal ovulation.”
Other common causes of female infertility include blocked fallopian tubes or conditions that affect the health of the egg or its implantation after fertilization.
In the United States, older maternal age is a growing contributor to fertility problems. About 1 in 5 women nationwide now have their first child after age 35. Once a woman reaches this age, fertility complications arise in about 1 of every 3 couples trying to have a baby. Studies suggest that after age 30, a woman’s chances of getting pregnant decrease every year, especially after age 37.
“One of the biggest challenges in infertility treatment is related to advanced maternal age, when the egg quality and egg numbers decrease,” Giudice says. “For older women, treatment can usually help to achieve ovulation, but the problem usually lies in not having good-quality eggs.”
Aging not only reduces the likelihood of having a baby. It also raises the chances of miscarriage or having a child with certain health problems. High-risk pregnancies are also more likely as women get older.
In some cases, infertility can be corrected through lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or stopping tobacco use. If this doesn’t work, doctors may recommend medication, surgery, artificial insemination (in which a woman is injected with specially prepared sperm), or assisted reproductive technology, which is usually the most expensive and complex option. Assisted reproductive technology includes different methods for fertilizing eggs, usually outside of the body.
Giudice and her colleagues are among many NIH-supported scientists studying the pregnancy process. “We’re examining what happens during certain stages of egg development, what happens when women are of advanced maternal age or when they have a condition called endometriosis, which affects egg quality and the lining of the uterus and its receptiveness to implantation,” Giudice says.
Schlegel and his coworkers are among those focusing on the underlying causes of male infertility. “We’re looking at factors called micro-RNAs, which are small bits of genetic material that are made by the body to help regulate how a wide variety of body parts work, including the areas of the testicle involved in sperm production,” Schlegel says. “We’re also looking at other genetic causes of infertility and ways to improve or create sperm for men who can’t make them.”
For couples who have tried to have a baby without success, experts recommend seeking medical help after at least a year of trying if the woman is younger than 35, or after 6 months if the women is age 35 or older. It’s also a good idea for couples to talk with a health care provider before even trying to get pregnant.
“If you’re planning to start a family, your health before you begin trying is very important,” DePaolo says. “By being healthy, you have a better chance of being able to conceive within a normal amount of time, and you’re more likely to have healthy offspring as well.”
Source: NIH News In Health?
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THIS DAY IN VIRGINIA HISTORY
Click image for larger view.
September 05, 1956
Lester Banks Testified Before the General Assembly on School Segregation
In this radio broadcast, William Lester Banks (1911–1986), executive secretary for the Virginia State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), testified at a General Assembly hearing on public school integration. Banks stated that the Virginia NAACP opposed all plans that obstructed desegregation. In 1956 Senator Harry Flood Byrd (1887–1966) promoted a policy of Massive Resistance to prevent public school desegregation after the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown
v. Board of Education
decision. That September the General Assembly passed legislation severely impeding the NAACP's legal maneuvering for integration. The NAACP filed lawsuits in response, and Virginia's Massive Resistance laws were eventually declared unconstitutional.
09-05-1956_Lester_Banks-clip.mp3Listen to Lester Banks Testified Before the General Assembly on School Segregation (Transcription)
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Rural -land owner resources
Rural areas, like small acreages and crop fields, make up a little over half of the landscape in Polk County. These rural areas are an important part of our local communities and they often have a close relationship with creeks, drainage, and rainfall. To assist rural areas, Polk County relies on several key partners including the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Polk Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).
Both NRCS and Polk SWCD provide a series of resources including programs to assist landowners and farmers with the construction of conservation practices such as ponds, grassed waterways, and terraces along with management practices such as no-till, cover crops, and nutrient management.
Rural acreage owners will also find programs to assist with prairie establishments, windbreaks, and woodland management.
Polk SWCD and the NRCS resources and staff are available by stopping into the USDA Service Center located at 1513 N Ankeny Blvd. Ste. 3, Ankeny, IA 50023 or by phone at 515-964-1883 ext. 3
Additional information can also be found by following the links below:
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One Million COVID-19 Survivors Worldwide: More than 1 million people around the world have recovered from COVID-19, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
Around 154,000 people in the United States have recovered from the deadly virus.
Although people who recover from a viral infection often build up an immunity to later contracting the same disease, it remains unclear whether this is the case for COVID-19. The World Health Organization said last week that one-time infection of the coronavirus has not yet been proven to result in immunity.
RELATED: Persons With Blood Type-O Are More Resistant To COVID-19
The U.S. currently has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases of any nation, with more than 1 million. It was just less than a month ago when the disease crossed the 1 million case threshold worldwide.
Globally, there are more than 3.27 million confirmed cases. Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have each reported more than 160,000 COVID-19 cases.
Deaths caused by the coronavirus total around 235,000 globally. In the U.S., more than 60,000 people have died because of the coronavirus.
New York City and surrounding areas have been hard-hit by COVID-19: More than 18,000 people have died in the country’s largest city. Other hot spots range from Cook County, Illinois, to Wayne County, Michigan.
The U.S. hit a milestone in testing this week, surpassing 6 million tests administered.
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Cystinuria was originally classified according to urinary excretion of cystine and dibasic amino acids in obligate carriers. In this classification, parents of affected children were assessed as having either normal (type I), moderate (type III), or significant (type II) increases in cystine excretion.
A newer classification is based on genotype: Type A patients have homozygous mutations in the gene SLC3A1 and type B patients have homozygous mutations in SLC7A9. These genes encode proteins that together form a heterodimer responsible for cystine and dibasic amino acid transport in the proximal tubule.
Cystinuria should not be confused with cystinosis ( see Hereditary Fanconi syndrome Hereditary Fanconi syndrome Fanconi syndrome consists of multiple defects in renal proximal tubular reabsorption, causing glucosuria, phosphaturia, generalized aminoaciduria, and bicarbonate wasting. It may be hereditary... read more ).
Pathophysiology of Cystinuria
The primary defect results in diminished renal proximal tubular reabsorption of cystine and increased urinary cystine concentration. Cystine is poorly soluble in acidic urine, so when its urinary concentration exceeds its solubility, crystals precipitate and cystine kidney stones Urinary Calculi Urinary calculi are solid particles in the urinary system. They may cause pain, nausea, vomiting, hematuria, and, possibly, chills and fever due to secondary infection. Diagnosis is based on... read more form. Males are generally affected more than females.
Resorption of other dibasic amino acids (lysine, ornithine, arginine) is also impaired but causes no problems because these amino acids have an alternative transport system separate from that shared with cystine. Furthermore, they are more soluble than cystine in urine, and their increased excretion does not result in crystal or stone formation. Their absorption (and that of cystine) is also decreased in the small bowel.
Symptoms and Signs of Cystinuria
Symptoms of cystinuria, most commonly renal colic, may occur in infants but usually appear between ages 10 and 30.
Urinary tract infection and chronic kidney disease due to urinary tract obstruction Obstructive Uropathy Obstructive uropathy is structural or functional hindrance of normal urine flow, sometimes leading to renal dysfunction (obstructive nephropathy). Symptoms, less likely in chronic obstruction... read more may develop.
Diagnosis of Cystinuria
Analysis of collected kidney stones
Microscopic examination of urinary sediment
Measurement of urinary cystine excretion
Radiopaque cystine stones form in the renal pelvis or bladder. Staghorn stones are common.
Cystine may appear in the urine as yellow-brown hexagonal crystals, which are diagnostic.
Excessive cystine in the urine may be detected with the nitroprusside cyanide test. Quantitative cystine excretion is typically > 400 mg/day in cystinuria (normal is < 30 mg/day).
Treatment of Cystinuria
High fluid intake
Alkalinization of the urine
Dietary sodium restriction
Dietary animal protein restriction (when possible)
End-stage renal disease Chronic Kidney Disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is long-standing, progressive deterioration of renal function. Symptoms develop slowly and in advanced stages include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, dysgeusia... read more may develop. Decreasing urinary cystine concentration below about 250 to 300 mg/L (1 to 1.25 mmol/L) decreases renal toxicity and can allow clearance of cystine in solution. This decrease is accomplished by increasing urine volume with fluid intake sufficient to provide a urine flow rate of 1.5 to 2 L/m2/day, which could require fluid intake as high as 2 to 4 L/day (1 Treatment references Cystinuria is an inherited defect of the renal tubules in which reabsorption of cystine (the homodimer of the amino acid cysteine) is impaired, urinary excretion is increased, and cystine stones... read more ). Hydration is particularly important at night when urinary volume and pH drop.
Alkalinization of the urine to pH > 7.0 with potassium citrate or potassium bicarbonate 1 mEq/kg orally 3 to 4 times a day and in some cases acetazolamide 5 mg/kg (up to 250 mg) orally at bedtime increases the solubility of cystine significantly.
Mild restrictions of dietary sodium (100 mEq/day) and animal protein (0.8 to 1.0 g/kg/day) may help reduce cystine excretion.
When high fluid intake and alkalinization do not reduce stone formation, other oral drugs may be tried. Penicillamine (7.5 mg/kg 4 times a day in young children and 125 mg to 0.5 g 4 times a day in older children) improves cystine solubility, but toxicity limits its usefulness. About half of all patients develop some toxic manifestation, such as fever, rash, arthralgias, or, less commonly, nephrotic syndrome Overview of Nephrotic Syndrome Nephrotic syndrome is urinary excretion of > 3 g of protein/day due to a glomerular disorder plus edema and hypoalbuminemia. It is more common among children and has both primary and secondary... read more , pancytopenia, or a lupus-like reaction. Pyridoxine supplements (50 mg once/day) should be given with penicillamine. Tiopronin (100 to 300 mg 4 times a day) can be used instead of penicillamine to treat some children because it has a lower frequency of adverse effects. Captopril (0.3 mg/kg 3 times a day) is not as effective as penicillamine but is less toxic. Close monitoring of response to therapy is very important.
Animal models (eg, gene knockout mice) are currently being used toward the development of novel therapies for cystinosis (2 Treatment references Cystinuria is an inherited defect of the renal tubules in which reabsorption of cystine (the homodimer of the amino acid cysteine) is impaired, urinary excretion is increased, and cystine stones... read more ). Clinical trials are currently being done to explore the efficacy of several interventions, including bucillamine, tolvaptan, and alpha-lipoic acid.
1. Claes DJ, Jackson E: Cystinuria: Mechanisms and management. Pediatr Nephrol 27(11):2031–2038, 2012. doi: 10.1007/s00467-011-2092-6
2. Sahota A, Tischfield JA, Goldfarb DS, et al: Cystinuria: Genetic aspects, mouse models, and a new approach to therapy. Urolithiasis 47(1):57–66, 2019. doi: 10.1007/s00240-018-1101-7
Defective urinary resorption of cystine increases urinary cystine levels, leading to cystine kidney stones and sometimes chronic kidney disease.
Yellow-brown hexagonal crystals in the urine are pathognomonic; quantitative cystine excretion is typically > 400 mg/day.
Treat with increased fluid intake to give urine output of 1.5 to 2 L/m2/day, and alkalinize urine with potassium citrate or potassium bicarbonate.
Restrict dietary sodium and animal protein.
Drugs such as penicillamine, tiopronin, or captopril may be necessary, but adverse effects are a concern.
Drugs Mentioned In This Article
|Drug Name||Select Trade|
|Arginine, Nutricia SHS L-Arginine, R-Gene|
|NIPRIDE RTU , Nitropress|
|Citrolith , Urocit-K|
|Effer-K, K Plus Care ET , Klor-Con EF, Klorvess, K-Lyte, K-Lyte DS, K-Vescent|
|Diamox, Diamox Sequels|
|Cuprimine, Depen, D-PENAMINE|
|Thiola, Thiola EC|
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What Are Blockchain DApps, And Do They Have A Future In 2023?
Most have overlooked this new technology’s most intriguing feature: the blockchain. The underlying technology of cryptocurrencies is blockchain. However, its capabilities go far beyond digital currency and include all technologies.
Dapps are blockchain-based applications that execute code for a specific function or purpose. As with any desktop or mobile application, they have a front-end interface that enables users to click, scroll, enter text into text fields, and submit data or content for a specific purpose. From the user’s perspective, decentralized applications (dapps) are identical to traditional applications such as Instagram, except that they use blockchain technology to record data associated with users’ cryptocurrency wallets.
There are dapps for every purpose, including financial applications such as DeFi protocols that allow users to exchange one currency for another and creative applications such as marketplaces for non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Using smart contracts, Dapps automate the planning, execution, and settlement of transactions. However, developers of decentralized applications (dapps) continue to present user agreements and policies.
What is a dApp?
On a decentralized network, “dApps” are developed using a frontend user interface and backend code (smart contracts) (e.g. a website). A frontend user interface is quite common, despite not being required for decentralized applications.
A Blockchain dApp Development may appear to the average user as just another web-based software application, but it fully leverages the benefits of the blockchain protocol. Even though dApps can be developed using a variety of blockchain protocols, such as IPFS and peer-to-peer networks, Ethereum is by far the most popular platform for hosting dApps.
How are dapps hosted?
A Dapp is composed of smart contracts. We have converted the smart contract into a bytecode to transmit to the blockchains. This bytecode is added to the block like a transaction, after which this transaction is added to the league, and miners mine this block. Then, blockchain-based decentralized applications will be accessible. This decentralized application now has a physical address as a result. Similar to a wallet’s address. People can also communicate with this decentralized application via this address. To host this application, multiple nodes are employed. I am referring to any node that serves as both a miner and a validator. We can communicate with the specific bytes in this blockchain address using a full node.
Getting Started With dApps on Ethereum
dApps are a new way of thinking about creating Internet applications. Whether users develop dApps or interact with them, they must conduct sufficient research before beginning. To access any application on a blockchain network, users will be required to use both a public and private key. This “digital key” often replaces a conventional username and password. Users of dApps must download a digital wallet (e.g., Metamask) and acquire ETH (the currency used to pay transaction fees on Ethereum). A wallet will enable users to connect to the network, and ETH will allow them to pay any transaction fees incurred when using various dApps.
The capabilities of decentralized networks are being tested by many decentralized applications (dApps), which are still in the early stages of development. But many dApps have already significantly penetrated the market, especially in the infrastructure, gaming, and financial industries.
The services provided by the financial industry have significantly improved since the blockchain technology was introduced. By introducing more people to cryptocurrencies, dApps, which use cryptocurrencies as the native medium of exchange, could dramatically increase the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies. Given the buzz surrounding the DeFi (decentralized finance) industry, DeFi applications—specifically decentralized exchanges, or DEXs—are among the first interactions people have with dApps.
What are the ideal applications for dapps?
Finance is the best application for decentralized applications. Decentralized finance, or “DeFi”, is currently all the rage in the Ethereum community. In essence, people use a decentralized approach to implement financial applications. For example, MakerDAO utilises stable coins in a decentralized manner. Token lending and borrowing are not governed by a single entity that can freeze accounts, halt sound coin transactions, or otherwise interfere with decentralized financial applications such as Compound Finance. Since this is decentralized, it is possible to borrow tokens from other users without their consent. It is possible to add tickets to the smart contract. Other users may borrow this token from us, but they must provide collateral. Numerous developers are shifting financial applications from centralised to decentralized systems. They are developing programmable insurance and investments. Many individuals are currently submitting applications for collateral loans. Therefore, it depends on reputation. It is a very exciting time. Financial applications are the best use case for blockchain. There are, of course, additional use cases, such as supply chains and decentralized identity. The best use case is financial applications.
How is a decentralized application designed and constructed?
Naturally, a smart contract is needed when creating decentralized applications. The smart contract must be made, and adequate security must be guaranteed. As a result, people employ an outside auditor to review the smart contract. We can develop a user interface or decentralized application to communicate with the smart contract once it is safe enough to be deployed. A web application is typically the most popular user interface for interacting with smart contacts. People who already own a browser can use a plugin to communicate with smart contracts. The MetaMask plugins will show up when we launch the web applications to inform the user that these are decentralized applications. Once logged in, you can communicate normally. You can confirm your intent to spend ethers with the seller if you want to buy a digital collectable.
How do you develop your Twitter-like decentralized applications?
In my books, I develop Twitter-like blockchain applications. A tweet is unquestionably a brief message. This short message can be stored directly in the blockchain, so we don’t need to keep it on IPFS. Because I use Python to build decentralized applications, this is comparable to a desktop application. This desktop application communicates with the Viper-written smart contract on the blockchain. When we tweet, that tweet becomes part of the transaction, which becomes part of the block, which is mined in the blockchain and is permanently stored there, as opposed to a tweet that has been posted on Twitter, which may be censored or blocked for several reasons. As a result, this censorship-resistant Twitter blockchain application is very intriguing.
What skills must a blockchain developer possess to create dapps?
Numerous organisations offer the top Defi development services. You may choose your entrance. We have provided all of their specifics. Enhanced Defi dApp development places you atop the cryptocurrency industry. However, there is no need for concern, allowing an affordable dApp to be carved.
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Benefits of Resistance Training
• Increases strength and lean body mass.
• Increases basal metabolic rate (BMR).
• Decreases total and LDL cholesterol levels.
• Decreases resting heart rate and blood pressure.
• Reduces coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. Resistance training is an effective way to help the body maintain muscle tissue during weight loss. The more muscle tissue you have on your body, the higher your BMR will be — which means you’ll burn more calories throughout the day, even when you’re resting. Weight training is also a great way to control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes or at risk for diabetes.
• Helps maintain bone density. Resistance training can help prevent or delay age-related muscle and strength loss, a significant risk factor for osteoporosis. In addition to being weight-bearing exercise, resistance training helps enhance the muscles’ ability to absorb calcium. And when you have more muscle tissue, your body uses calcium more effectively to support that extra tissue.
• Improves balance and coordination in older adults. It becomes harder to stay balanced while standing on one leg as we get older, a key measure of physical fitness. However, researchers from the University of Illinois found that low-intensity resistance training twice a week for eight weeks improved older adults’ balance by nearly 20 percent compared with people who didn’t teach.
• Decreases symptoms of depression and anxiety. A review of 12 studies found that resistance training was more effective than aerobic exercise or no exercise at all in treating symptoms of depression and anxiety. One possible explanation: Studies show it leads to an increase in norepinephrine, a powerful brain chemical that acts as both a neurotransmitter and hormone which may improve mood.
Resistance training can also help combat symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome by improving mitochondrial function. In one study, only four days of strength training twice per week significantly reduced symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, and difficulty concentrating.
• Helps fight osteoporosis. This is especially important for people with low bone density stemming from autoimmune diseases such as arthritis since it helps strengthen bones and muscles.
• Improves sleep quality. Resistance training lowers the stress hormone cortisol and reduces muscle tension, which can help you fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality.
• Enhances metabolism. When combined with a healthy diet that includes whole foods, resistance training can teach your body to burn more fat for energy instead of storing it.
Disadvantages of resistance training:
1. Increased risk of injuries:
when you lift weights, your muscles contract and stretch more than usual, so small tears begin to form in the muscle tissue during the process. The muscle tissue then begins to heal, causing a noticeable increase in size. However, suppose you do not use these muscles regularly.
In that case, they will become weaker, which creates a higher risk of injury if you were to repeat the activity (this is why athletes require extensive conditioning and training before participating in sports and games).
2. Muscle fatigue:
Muscles need energy for contraction, which comes from either aerobic or anaerobic pathways. With resistance training, repeated efforts at high intensity eventually lead to muscle fatigue because it takes more time for the body to replenish these energy substrates.
3. Weight gain:
while resistance training can lead to fat loss, some people use it intending to gain weight (usually muscle). This is difficult for most people because you need to eat more than burn off to gain weight, but this does not mean that you should be eating junk food all day long. Instead, a healthy balanced diet rich in complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and good fats will go a long way in helping you achieve your fitness goals.
4. Resistance training may increase blood pressure:
although this is relative, resistance training increases blood pressure. Therefore, you should consult your physician before beginning an exercise program involving resistance training if you have high blood pressure. On the other hand, studies show that resistance training has a beneficial effect on blood pressure, so even people with high blood pressure can benefit.
5. Muscles need recovery time:
the adage “use it or lose it” also applies to muscle tissue. Your muscles need about 48 hours to recover following a workout fully. Still, suppose you continue to train every day.
In that case, your muscles will not have enough time to repair themselves, and this leads to overtraining, which can lead to severe consequences including fatigue, loss of strength, loss of coordination, increased risk of injury, particularly in the joints and bones, decreased flexibility, feeling depressed about exercise (“I don’t want to exercise”), etc.…
6. Resistance training may be boring!:
there’s no question that excessive endurance training is boring too, but it seems that most people find resistance training boring. However, there are many ways to make resistance training more enjoyable: mixing up the exercises you perform, challenging yourself with heavier weights or more repetitions, changing things up at regular intervals, etc.…
7. Resistance Training can be potentially dangerous:
this is true for any physical activity, but it’s important to remember that injury happens when you are least prepared for it. This means that if you are not using good form while performing an exercise, mainly compound exercises such as the bench press or squat, these injuries can become a reality. Also, if your physician has advised against certain types of physical activity due to health reasons, then it might not be a good idea to do them.
8. Resistance training does not improve flexibility:
for the most part, resistance training only improves strength and muscle metabolism but not flexibility. Flexibility can be enhanced via other types of physical activity such as stretching or aerobic conditioning exercises. However, resistance training has been shown to increase range of motion which is why it’s handy for people with arthritis who are usually less flexible than their healthy counterparts.
9. Resistance Training may make you feel tired:
this may sound counterintuitive because exercise, in general, increases your energy levels. Still, it’s important to remember that although resistance training doesn’t have adverse effects on your cardiovascular system, it will likely leave you feeling exhausted because the muscles need time to recover after a workout, just like any other body part, including the heart!
10. Resistance Training can increase bone mineral density:
although it’s important to stress that resistance training alone will not prevent osteoporosis, it has been shown that resistance training increases bone mineral density and helps prevent osteoporosis.
11. Resistance Training may decrease performance:
during certain types of endurance training, studies have shown that resistance training reduces VO2max, indicating aerobic fitness. Still, this reduction in performance is slight if done for less than six weeks, so don’t worry about your maximum strength decreasing after a few sessions.
This slight reduction in aerobic capacity can be beneficial if you are trying to improve body composition. It allows you to perform at higher levels during the final sprints when losing body fat!
12. Resistance Training is best when combined with endurance training:
there is no doubt that combining the two types of exercise can be highly effective for inducing overall fitness improvements in previously sedentary individuals. Although they should not be performed on back-to-back days, it’s perfectly OK to complete resistance training on Mondays and an endurance workout on Tuesdays, for example!
13. Resistance Training will make you big and bulky:
you will NOT turn into a massive bodybuilder by lifting weights unless you take steroids or something similar. It’s simply not possible because men already have much more testosterone than women. Hence, it’s almost impossible to achieve the same effects of using artificial testosterone, which causes men to become large even if they are relatively non-weight-bearing activities such as swimming!
14. Resistance and endurance training cannot be combined during the same workout:
this is entirely false. Although you should not lift weighty weights during aerobic conditioning or sprint workouts, there is no reason why you can’t do a circuit combining, say squats, pull-ups, and pushups, for example!
15. Resistance Training will make women bulky:
as I mentioned before, this is NOT possible even if you train like a man because men have much more testosterone than women, which allows them to bulk up faster than women by lifting small amounts. Of weight!
The only exception to this is when women take steroids, but these are extremely dangerous unless medically prescribed, so remember that resistance training will only improve your body composition muscle to fat ratio) with no risk of building bulky muscles unless you take the steroids mentioned above.
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3 March 2015
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 3 March – the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – as World Wildlife Day. On this second observance of the Day, the UN system, its Member States and a wide range of partners from around the world are highlighting the simple yet firm message that “It’s time to get serious about wildlife crime”.
Illegal trade in wildlife has become a sophisticated transnational form of crime, comparable to other pernicious examples, such as trafficking of drugs, humans, counterfeit items and oil. It is driven by rising demand, and is often facilitated by corruption and weak governance. There is strong evidence of the increased involvement of organized crime networks and non-State armed groups.
Illegal wildlife trade undermines the rule of law and threatens national security; it degrades ecosystems and is a major obstacle to the efforts of rural communities and indigenous peoples striving to sustainably manage their natural resources. Combatting this crime is not only essential for conservation efforts and sustainable development, it will contribute to achieving peace and security in troubled regions where conflicts are fuelled by these illegal activities.
Getting serious about wildlife crime means enrolling the support of all sections of society involved in the production and consumption of wildlife products, which are widely used as medicines, food, building materials, furniture, cosmetics, clothing and accessories. Law enforcement efforts must be supported by the wider community. Businesses and the general public in all countries can play a major role by, for example, refusing to buy or auction illegal ivory and rhinoceros horn, and insisting that products from the world’s oceans and tropical forests have been legally obtained and sustainably sourced.
On this World Wildlife Day, I urge all consumers, suppliers and governments to treat crimes against wildlife as a threat to our sustainable future. It’s time to get serious about wildlife crime.
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Let’s admit! Owning a dog is not an easy task at all. It’s true that they make our lives better, however, in certain moments you can start feeling helpless by knowing that your pooch suffers from a condition called Hyperkeratosis.
It’s certainly not so thrilling to see a dog’s nose or paws covered with crusts or excessive hair. Besides, it presents an aesthetic condition, hyperkeratosis might develop a number of other health problems.
Hyperkeratosis in dogs presents a disease that affects nose and paws. It occurs when a body produces too much keratin. Keratin is a structural protein of everyone’s body and is meritorious for hair production. Hyperkeratosis is followed by ugly-looking crusts on a dog’s nose and hair on its paw pads. As we all know, dog paw pads are hairless and present the only place where they can sweat.
A healthy dog’s paw pads should have a smooth and shiny texture. However, when they become rugged and start to develop crusts and short hair, it’s time to react!
Other symptoms are a dog’s inability to walk straight, accumulated scar tissue, excessive dryness, and infection of the nails.
Dogs’ noses are their main tools for exploring the world. The nose skin should stay wet and smooth so a pooch could pick up the smelled scents. When the nose becomes affected by hyperkeratosis, it becomes dry, cracked and develops crusts and blisters.
The exact reason for this type of condition is still undetermined. However, there are dog breeds that are more prone to developing because it has been inherited through genes. Some of the breeds that have a higher tendency to suffer from this condition are bully breeds, Labrador Retriever, and Golden Retriever.
Another reason for the occurrence of hyperkeratosis may be the parasite called Leishmaniasis. This parasite is usually transmitted by sandflies. One sandfly can infect 9 of 10 dogs.
This kind of disease is the trigger for a dog’s hyperkeratosis. It’s the type of Morbili virus that affects unvaccinated puppies. Unfortunately, canine distemper can’t be treated. It’s equal to measles in people however, in dog’s case, it’s followed by hyperkeratosis as well.
When the cells of a dog’s immune system attack its own cells, the skin becomes thin and develop blisters. This kind of blisters are very painful, so that’s why is advisable to perform a biopsy to determine the root of the problem.
Zinc is one of the most important chemical elements of everyone’s body. It’s worthy not only for human’s but also for a dog’s skin. Therefore, it’s very important to feed your furry friend with food rich in Zinc. Zinc strengthens the skin and keeps it healthy and young.
It’s highly advisable to take your dog to the vet from the first spotted symptoms of hyperkeratosis. Although it might sound easy to solve, crusts may grow into a problem and develop an infection. A cracked skin where a crust has just fallen off presents the perfect place for bacterial growth. Therefore, your vet should take a detailed examination in order to determine the reason for its occurrence.
Another solution is always preferable since it’s all natural and can’t have any side effects. The good news is that this illness can be prevented by regular soothing your dog’s paw pads and nose skin. Using natural ingredients such as marigold that presents a natural healer, and chamomile, that is famous for its calming effects, will never go wrong.
Flora4Pet Natural Dog Dry Nose & Skin healing oil can be used daily and will help the hyperkeratosis ‘spikes’ to fall off to reveal a healthy and moist nose underneath.
For treating a dog’s paws affected by hyperkeratosis in a natural way, we recommend you using Flora4Pet Skin & Cracked dog paw healing balm. It will help in removing crusts, dry and flaky skin and in healing cuts and wounds as well.
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Mold can worsen asthma and trigger allergies and is a health risk for people with weakened immune systems. However, it can be removed safely by following some guidelines.
What You Should Know
- Remove mold as soon as possible. It grows on wet sheetrock, ceiling tiles, paint, wallpaper, carpeting, wood, clothing, furniture and other materials.
- Although there are many types of mold, the process to remove it is the same for all.
- When removing mold or dust from your home, it is very important that you wear an N95 dust mask, for sale at supply, home improvement and hardware stores. Learn more about wearing the N95 mask [En Español] Русский].
What You Should Do
- Inspect your home thoroughly for mold.
- Protect yourself by wearing the right gear, including an N95 dust mask [En Español] Русский], when disturbing mold or dust.
- Isolate wet, moldy areas, and repair work from living areas with plastic sheeting or other barriers.
- Remove any standing water and ventilate the work area.
- Remove wet, moldy materials.
- Reduce dust by wetting down dried surfaces and material before removing and disposing.
- Scrub off mold from metal, glass, solid wood, concrete and other hard surfaces with soapy water.
- Disinfect surfaces with a dilute bleach solution: one cup of bleach per two gallons of water. Never mix bleach with ammonia or detergents that contain ammonia. The mixture produces dangerous gas.
- Dry out your home completely before replacing walls and flooring . Use dehumidifiers and heating to remove moisture. Open windows and use fans to help dry and ventilate spaces.
- Consider hiring a contractor for help if mold growth and damage is extensive. See Tips for Hiring a Contractor.
Note: Asbestos may be found in insulation materials around old pipes and boilers. If you are not sure if the damaged insulation or other building materials contain asbestos, do not remove it yourself. Contact a licensed asbestos contractor.
Detailed Tips on Removing Mold
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Antibodies bind specifically to unique antigens, but they can still have interactions not involving the antigen-binding domain that produce background signal. These off-target interactions include the Fc region of the antibody binding to Fc receptors or other cellular components, as well as interactions of the antibody’s conjugate (such as a fluorophore) with proteins and molecules in the cell or sample. Isotype control antibodies match the host species and class of the test antibody but are generated against irrelevant antigens not present in cells or samples of interest, and are therefore useful for characterizing background signal caused by off-target binding. The diagram below summarizes important features to consider when choosing the right isotype control. Use the following table to browse isotypes by host species and antibody class.
The isotype must have the same conjugate as the test antibody. Additionally, the protein concentration and fluorophore:protein ratio (if the conjugate is a fluorophore) must match.
The isotype and test antibody must be from the same host species and of the same class (i.e. mouse IgG2b), which impacts how it interacts with Fc receptors or other cell components.
The only difference between the isotype and test antibody should be antigen specificty: isotype controls do not specifically bind to any antigens present in cells/samples of interest.
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This genre was developed by Serkan Yürekli.
Colour some cells to create a single contiguous shape. The shape can't have any 2 by 2 coloured areas. The clues in the grid tell you how many consecutive cells around it have to be coloured. If there's more than one digit in a cell, the groups of cells have to be seperated by at least one empty cell. Cells with clues remain empty.
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These publications are received in a variety of formats including electronic, print, and microfiche. Many government documents can be found in the LAPL Catalog and are searchable by author, title, or keyword. Once located in the catalog, the subject department where the actual document can be viewed is indicated. You'll find that most government documents can be found in the following subject departments: Business & Economics; Social Science, Philosophy & Religion; Science, Technology & Patents; and History & Genealogy.
Additionally, selected documents are available from LAPL Databases and the LAPL Web Pages lists. Databases are available at LAPL’s Central Library and Branches, and in some cases from personal computers with an LAPL library card. Web Pages are available from any computer with Internet access.
The Federal government is dedicated to moving its publications to electronic format. As a result, many documents are available on the Internet. Use the gateways to locate your information.
- Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
- The Federal government’s own catalog to its publications both in print and online.
- Migration of information from GPO Access to Fdsys (Federal Digital System) should be complete in 2010, and will manage government information from all three branches, and ensure public access even as technology changes..
- GPO Bookstore
- The Government Printing Office has an online store where you can purchase many of its items.
- Library of Congress
- U.S. Government library of resources useful to the Congress and the American people
- A service of the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, the federated search engine searches (over 53 initial Federal Government databases to date) to retrieve reports, articles, and citations.
- NARA - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
- Archive of documents created by the U.S. Government important for legal or historical reasons to be kept forever.
- This is Firstgov for science and is a gateway to science and technical topics.
- Ben’s Guide
- The Federal Government’s website to finding information for students and teachers from K-12.
- The Federal Government's official portal to web sites.
THREE BRANCHES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- Legislative information provided by the Library of Congress.
- U.S. Courts
- Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, District Courts, Bankruptcy Courts information provided by the Office of the United States Courts.
- White House
- Executive branch information provided by the Executive Office of the President.
SELECTED FEDERAL WEBSITES BY TOPIC
If you need further assistance in finding what you are looking for, call the Library's infoNow reference service at (213) 228‑7272 or ask a librarian at the reference desk in any Central Library subject department.
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The bridge-opening celebration began on May 27, 1937 and lasted for one week. The day before vehicle traffic was allowed, 200,000 people crossed either on foot or on roller skates.On opening day, Mayor Angelo Rossi and other officials rode the ferry to Marin, then crossed the bridge in a motorcade past three ceremonial “barriers”, the last a blockade of beauty queens who required Joseph Strauss to present the bridge to the Highway District before allowing him to pass. An official song, “There’s a Silver Moon on the Golden Gate”, was chosen to commemorate the event. Strauss wrote a poem that is now on the Golden Gate Bridge entitled “The Mighty Task is Done.” The next day, President Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, D.C. signaling the official start of vehicle traffic over the Bridge at noon. As the celebration got out of hand there was a small riot in the uptown Polk Gulch area. Weeks of civil and cultural activities called “the Fiesta” followed. A statue of Strauss was moved in 1955 to a site near the bridge.
In May 1987, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration, the Golden Gate Bridge district again closed the bridge to automobile traffic and allowed pedestrians to cross the bridge. However, this celebration attracted 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, and ineffective crowd control meant the bridge became congested with roughly 300,000 people, causing the center span of the bridge to flatten out under the weight.Although the bridge is designed to flex in that way under heavy loads, and was estimated not to have exceeded 40% of the yielding stress of the suspension cables,bridge officials stated that uncontrolled pedestrian access was not being considered as part of the 75th anniversary on Sunday, May 27, 2012,because of the additional law enforcement costs required “since 9/11”.
Until 1964, the Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 4,200 feet (1,300 m). Since 1964 its main span length has been surpassed by ten bridges; it now has the second-longest main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. The total length of the Golden Gate Bridge from abutment to abutment is 8,981 feet (2,737 m).
The Golden Gate Bridge’s clearance above high water averages 220 feet (67 m) while its towers, at 746 feet (227 m) above the water, were the world’s tallest on a suspension bridge until 1998 when bridges in Denmark and Japan were completed.
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Acupuncture Related Research- Key Issues and Concerns
In this scientific era tested results, proof that something is effective, is often valued over the first-hand experience. Western research relies upon standardized protocol and isolating variables, so as to obtain reliable results. This is a legitimate and understandable approach when desiring concrete and repeatable outcomes. However, when utilizing this method to test the validity of acupuncture, this approach can create erroneous and misleading results. One of the strengths of acupuncture lies in its ability to individualize treatments. Asian medicine views the person as a whole and does not isolate symptoms when treating. Since every person with a specific syndrome will have a different pattern diagnostic, it is inappropriate to give the same treatment. Why? because the internal cause of a disease is unique to the individual. We aren’t all the same.
It gives misleading results when acupuncture related research standardizes treatments for specific ailments. This approach essentially turns acupuncture protocols into a Western medicine approach to treatment; in which, just like a prescription medicine that would be given for a specific ailment, a certain acupuncture protocol is given. Although research done in this way has shown some positive results for acupuncture treatments, it is still an incorrect way to approach acupuncture treatment protocols. An aspect of what makes acupuncture and Asian medicine such a powerful tool is because of its ability to custom fit treatments to the individual’s needs. Since the individualized treatment is not measurable or repeatable amongst a group, it is hard to fit traditional acupuncture into the Western scientific approach. It is kind of like trying to fit a circular peg into a square hole.
When standardized regiments are given, there is the possibility that the treatments will be inappropriate to the specific individuals in a study. This is especially true if an individual is very weak. If an aggressive treatment protocol is utilized on a weak patient, it can further aggravate their syndrome. Therefore, standardized protocols should be used with discretion. Since there is an ethical concern in mistreating a patient, research done with set protocols should be examined closely before implemented.
When acupuncture treatments are standardized, significant diagnostic tools, such as tongue and pulse diagnosis are not utilized. These tools are viewed by most practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine as an essential aspect of providing a correct treatment that is tailored to fit the individual. Also, some acupuncture research has tested for therapeutic results utilizing incorrect procedures and/or lengths of treatment. There have been a number of studies that have tested a single point only, rather than a group of points as is traditionally done. Also, many studies have administered acupuncture treatments for 15 minutes or less and/or only given one treatment rather than a group of treatments. This length of time and amount of treatments may not be enough to elicit a true therapeutic result. These are significant issues that need to be addressed within the acupuncture related research that is currently being done because an incorrect treatment has the potential to give false and misleading results.
I have recently heard about some research that has allowed the acupuncturists to do a differential diagnosis and individualized treatment for each patient within the research project. This approach offers a more adequate representation of the effectiveness of acupuncture and though it has a weakness in repeatability and isolating variables amongst a group, it can offer greater reliability of results as to the efficacy of acupuncture. It is my hope that, in the years to come, acupuncture related research will make it a standard practice to allow for differential diagnosis and correct treatment protocols.
Yasmin Spencer LAc, DAOM, Dipl. OM
427 F Street, Eureka, CA 95501
- Five Branches University education
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Although many people used to eating meat, poultry and dairy products, it is becoming common to exclude animal products from one’s diet. People often mention health benefits, sympathy for the animals or sometimes even weight loss as their primary reasons for going vegetarian/vegan. However, as more and more natural disasters occur, it has become clear there are more pressing reasons for considering the lifestyle change:
1. According to the Worldwatch Institute, more than half of all global greenhouse gas emissions result from animal agriculture.
2. Raising animals for food is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global,” says a representative from the United Nations.
3. According to a study conducted by the University of Chicago, going vegan has an insanely positive effect on carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, For comparison, switching from a normal car to a Prius reduces said emissions by circa one ton, while going vegan prevents 1.5 tons from entering the atmosphere.
4. A study done in 2008 in Germany found a carnivore is responsible for seven times more greenhouse gas emissions than an herbivore.
5. Military “Meatless Mondays” – an entire army already pledged last year to eat vegetarian one day per week. Norway, belonging to the highly globally aware Scandinavia, is making serious efforts in reducing its carbon footprint. If an entire military can withhold from eating animal products for the sake of the environment – even for just one day – then everyone else should be able to, also.
6. As a bonus, one’s health improves together with the world’s. Numerous studies exist that show the long-term benefits of omitting animal products from one’s diet, including more energy, better skin and an overall stronger body.
Just a few decades ago, making the change would be considered a fuss: not enough resources were available to fully complement an animal-free diet. Today, numerous supplements and alternatives are sold worldwide, easily accessible and with a pleasant taste. Perhaps going vegan right away could be a bit difficult, but at least sampling vegetarianism might be a good start for those concerned with the health of the planet.
– Natalia Isaeva
Sources: PETA, Earth Save, Daily Caller
Photo: Vegan Soapbox
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Authored by Andre van Heerden
In the early 13th century, France, Paris and the lands under the direct rule of the king were in a bad way. The powerful position of Provost of Paris was always given to the highest bidder, and this had led to blatant corruption, a breakdown in the criminal justice system, social anarchy, and an exodus of unhappy peasants and middle-class citizens. The economic consequences were disastrous. Then Louis IX came to the throne.
He stopped the sale of the provost’s position and made sure that men of ability and character were appointed to all official posts. Justice was made accessible to rich and poor alike, and those who broke the law were punished regardless of social status.
Unreasonable taxes were removed, and the vibrancy of economic life was restored. Within a short time, people started returning to Paris and it grew rapidly to become the foremost city in France.
That simple example reveals the inextricable link between integrity and leadership. Time and again, history shows that each is the measure and condition of the other.
The Definition of Integrity
Integrity is a word widely used but narrowly understood. Most people think of it as honesty, being as good as your word. Certainly, truthfulness is an aspect of integrity, but it only arises as a consequence of what integrity actually is.
To integrate is to assimilate or to make something a fully functional part of the whole, while disintegrate means to break up, collapse, or fall apart. So integrity is unity, wholeness, completeness, harmony, being everything someone or something is meant to be. It means having no inconsistencies or contradictions.
READ ALSO: WHAT PRICE INTEGRITY
Consider the humble banjo – each part, the body, the vellum, the neck, the tuning pegs, the strings, must function properly for the instrument to do what it is supposed to do. Any malfunction detracts from its integrity. And the same is true of the banjo player – being tone-deaf, injured, unpracticed, drunk, or simply uncooperative, would compromise his integrity in that role, and the integrity of any group he was part of would be similarly undermined.
So integrity is ultimately the fulfillment of the promise implicit in the name we give to things. If I was a lawyer, I would have to fulfill the promise implicit in that term by having the necessary qualifications, the on-going personal development, the high professional standards, the utmost respect for the law and the community I serve, and so on. Any corruption or distortion of those qualifications would undermine my integrity as a lawyer.
The Moral Dimension of Integrity
The moral dimension of integrity emerges naturally from this understanding. Human beings, as Aristotle said, are rational animals. The purpose of rational minds is to know the truth, and we know the truth and the goodness of things by knowing their meaning and purpose.
our integrity demands that we seek harmony rather than discord among fellow human beings
We know, for example, that it is not good for a banjo to be used as a baseball bat. And we know, in the case of human beings, that it is not good for a person to be used as a slave or to be destroyed by drugs. We are the only animals that can be held morally accountable for what we do, because through intellect we know truth and goodness, and freedom lets us choose between true and false, and good and evil.
Moreover, we are social animals who only find fulfillment in relationships with other people – so our integrity demands that we seek harmony rather than discord among fellow human beings.
READ ALSO: WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP
Philosopher Alasdair McIntyre emphasizes that we are “dependent, rational animals” who develop self-knowledge only through relationships. This makes honesty indispensable in ensuring we avoid self-deception and the many psychological deformities that flow from it.
Leadership, Honesty & Integrity
Of course, the lie is at the heart of human misery and is inextricably bound up with the violence endemic in society. That is why honesty is so important an aspect of integrity.
Sadly, the lack of integrity, both personal and corporate, in the contemporary world is a clear sign of an absence of leadership. But, again, we need to define our terms, and the definition of leadership is also problematic.
Many academics suggest that there is no clear definition of leadership, but how on earth can they then discuss it, or issue proclamations on how to practice it? We all recognize leadership when we see it, and we define the reality, not some convenient personal fancy.
Leadership arose with the need for justice, which itself means much more than the narrow legal concept the word evokes in most people’s minds. And for all the well-meaning efforts of modern thinkers like John Rawls, the definition of justice provided by Plato remains the most cogent. Justice is giving each person what is due to him or her.
Now despite the cacophony of cant from ideologues, what is due to each person is less controversial than many suppose. Classical philosophy and modern science agree that human fulfillment requires:
- freedom to be the best one can be,
- education in the sense of a constantly expanding knowledge of the world and the growth of virtuous character,
- security of person and possessions, and
- the support of benevolent relationships and community.
Justice in this sense would promote a society in which all people were inspired and enabled to achieve their full potential, working in harmony to achieve the best for the whole community. And isn’t this precisely what leaders should strive for in, say, a football team, an orchestra, or the workplace? Any stifling of potential, in an individual, amounts to degrading the potential of the group, the company, or the nation.
Integrity and Justice
This recalls the ancient and enduring conundrum of the One and the Many. Which takes precedence – the individual or the group? Integrity and justice emphasize the natural symbiosis. The flourishing of the one is dependent on the flourishing of the many, just as the flourishing of the many depends on the flourishing of the one.
Interestingly, our understanding of justice aligns with our definition of integrity. And together, integrity and justice make plain what leadership is – inspiring people to be the best they can be in working together for the good of all.
Managers and politicians who reject this, preferring the Machiavellian expedients of intimidation, deceit, and exploitation are not leaders, but misleaders, people of the lie, the enemies of integrity and justice.
Inspiring people to be the best they can be in working together for the good of all demands, by definition, vision, and virtue in a leader.
Vision looks to a better future in which the good of all is achieved, while virtue – practical wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, faith, hope, and love – equips the leader for the challenge.
In the final analysis, integrity and leadership are indeed inseparable; in fact, leadership is integrity in action, upholding justice, inspiring harmony, seeking fulfillment – for all people, because each and every one of us is potential in search of fulfillment.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This term Captain General (actually "General Captain") started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in Chief of an army (or fleet) in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings. A popular term in the 16th and 17th centuries, but with various meanings depending on the country, it became less and less used in the 18th century, usually substituted by full Generals or Field Marshals; and after the end of the Napoleonic Wars it had but disappeared in most European countries, except Spain and former colonies.
Republic of Venice
There it meant the commander in chief of the fleet in war times. It is at least documented since 1370 and was used up to the end of the republic (late 18th century)
From 30 June 1513 – 22 October 1513, Catherine of Aragon held the titles Governor of the Realm and Captain General of the King's Forces as Queen Regent of England. First attested in the 1520s as the title for the permanent Commander in Chief of the Armies. Though commonly used in the 17th century, in the 18th century, the office was held by Duke of Marlborough (1702 to 1711, and again 1714 to 1717), and the Duke of Ormonde, 1711 to 1714. The Hanoverian dynasty allowed the title to lapse, only reviving the position for the Duke of York, 1799 to 1809, after which it was abolished in Hanover. The rank remains in Scottish use of the Royal Company of Archers.
The title appeared, as in some other countries, linked to the head of state in his military capacity. The last were the King of England up to the mid 19th century, and his prior replacement the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.
New South Wales
From 1787, the Governor of New South Wales has been also granted the title of Captain-General.
In Rhode Island, the Governor holds two different military titles. According to Article IX, section 3 of the Rhode Island Constitution, the Governor holds the titles of "captain-general" and "Commander-in-Chief"
Maurice of Nassau received the title of "Captain General of the Union" and "Admiral General" in 1587, which became hereditary - like the Stadtholder title, to the Orange-Nassau family, until taken away by the States General in 1786.
By the late 15th century, the title, besides the usual meaning of Commander In Chief in the Field, was also linked to the highest commander of specialized military branches (artillery, royal guards, ...), usually signaling the independence of that particular corps.
No later than the fall of Granada (1492) the title was conferred also to officers with full jurisdiction of every person subject to fuero militar in a certain territorial circumscription. Those officers usually also acted as commanders for the troops and military establishments in their area, and as time passed, those duties (and the title) were mostly united in the highest civilian authority of the area. The military post of Captain General as highest territorial commander lasted in Spain till the early 1980s.
In the late 17th or very early 18th century, a personal rank of Captain General was created in the Spanish Army (and Navy) as the highest rank in the hierarchy, not unlike the Marechal de France. When wearing uniform, the Kings used captain general insignia. Perhaps the best-known holder of the rank for Americans was Valeriano Weyler, Governor General of Cuba in 1896-97 during the period preceding the Spanish-American War. Briefly abolished by the Second Spanish Republic, it was restored by/for Francisco Franco in 1938. In 1999, the rank was reserved to the reigning monarch.
Since its restoration in 1938, only Franco, Juan Carlos I (1975), Agustín Muñoz Grandes (1956) and Camilo Alonso Vega (1972) were promoted while on active duty, being the rest of the (scarce) promotions either posthumous or to retired officers.
The evolution of the title in the Spanish Navy is parallel to that of the army.
During the 16th and 17th century the two main naval captain general posts were Capitán-General de la Armada de la Mar Oceana and Capitán-General de Galeras, roughly CIC for the Atlantic and the Mediterranean respectively.
A peculiar usage of the term Captain General arose in the Spanish Navy of the 16th century. A Capitán-General (General Captain) was appointed by the king as the leader of a fleet (although the term 'squadron' is more appropriate, as most galleon fleets rarely consisted of more than a dozen vessels, not counting escorted merchantmen), with full jurisdictional powers. The fleet second-in-command was the 'almirante' (admiral), an officer appointed by the capitan-general and responsible for the seaworthiness of the squadron. One Captain-General that sailed under the Spanish flag that is now well known was Ferdinand Magellan, leader of the first fleet to sail around the world.
Given, in 1508, to the commander-in-chief of the Ordenanças - the Territorial Army of the Crown.
During the Portuguese Restoration War, after 1640, the "Captain-General of the Arms of the Kingdom", become the commander-in-chief of the Portuguese Army, under the direct authority of the War Council and the King. In 1762 the captain-general was substituted by the marechal-general - fieldmarshall-general.
Like in the Army, the Capitão-General da Armada Real (Captain-General of the Royal Navy) was the commander-in-chief of the Portuguese Navy in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The title has been only sporadically used in France. During the 17th century, and for a short while, a rank between Lieutenant General and Marshal of France of this denomination was created. The king of France was the Captain General of the Army, but was represented in the field by Lieutenant Generals who commanded in his absence.
Kingdom of Bavaria
Current usage as a military rank and dignity
In the modern British Army, and the armies of various Commonwealth nations, the term Captain General is used generally when describing the ceremonial head of the artillery corps. As such, HM The Queen is the Captain General of the Honourable Artillery Company, Royal Regiment of Artillery, Royal Canadian Artillery, Royal Australian Artillery and Royal New Zealand Artillery. The Queen is also Captain General of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps.
In Bolivia, the head of state for the duration of his tenure has the rank and dignity of Captain General as head of the Armed forces, even if he is a civilian
If the Commander in Chief of the Army and the Head of State are reunited in the same person, he is promoted to the permanent military rank of Capitan General. It has only happened three times in Chile's history (Bernardo O'Higgins, Ramon Freire and Augusto Pinochet Ugarte). Current electoral provisions (as of 2008) forbid the Commander in Chief becoming President.
Spanish Armed Forces
In Spain, the title Captain General (capitán general) is the highest military rank, since 1999 reserved for the king. Assimilated to a NATO OF-11 rank (OF-10 till that year).
The term "captain general" can also be used to translate Spanish capitán general or Portuguese capitão-mor, administrative titles used in the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire, especially in the Americas. Each was in charge of a captaincy.
In the Spanish Empire and Latin America
In the Portuguese Empire
Capitão-mor (plural capitães-mores), sometimes also capitão-donatário, was the hereditary title and office given by the Portuguese Crown to noblemen granted the rule of captaincies in the territories of the Portuguese Empire, most importantly in Terra de Santa Cruz (modern Brazil). They held absolute powers in their lands, subject only to the Crown, and were given the task of settling and colonizing their respective domains.
In Brazil, most of these settlements failed, and their nominal dominions were actually haphazardly settled by colonists and Jesuit Reductions, and ultimately the land was incorporated first into the only succeeding capitanias, São Vicente and Pernambuco, which then became the Viceroyalty of Brazil and the Viceroyalty of Grão-Pará. The absolute power of the Capitães-Mor was continued, in Brazil, by the tradition of Coronelism that endures to this day in the northeast of that nation.
In the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, "Captain-General" is the highest rank of the Ever Victorious Army of Seanchan, excepting only the rank of Marshal-General, which may be temporarily assigned to a Captain-General given the command of a war. In addition, Captain-General is also the title of both the leader of the Queen's Guard of Andor and the head of the Green Ajah of the Aes Sedai.
In the BattleTech universe, Captain-General is the title of the military and political leader of the Free Worlds League. Since the 25th century, Captain-Generals have been members of the Marik family.
||Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (July 2010)|
- ^ http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/resources/transcripts/nsw2_doc_1787.pdf
- ^ http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/RiConstitution/C09.html
- ^ "Spanish Galleon: 1530 - 1690" by Angus Konstam, copyright 2004 Osprey Publishing, Ltd.
- ^ London Gazette Issue 39509 published on the 4 April 1952. Page 1 of 4
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ London Gazette Issue 39864 published on the 26 May 1953. Page 1 of 2
- ^ London Gazette Issue 39866 published on the 26 May 1953. Page 1 of 4
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Royal Company of Archers on the Official Website of the British Monarchy
- Captain General of the Church
- Captaincy, an administrative division in the Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires, governed by a captain general.
- General, a description of the various general officer ranks, including the full general which is the successor to captain general.
- List of senior officers of the British Army
- Queen Elizabeth II's honorary military positions
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I. Imperial Manila
IN America, the founding fathers couldn’t decide on a national capital, and the decision threatened to break apart the brand-new republic.
In exasperation, even desperation, the competing sides decided they would have their president, George Washington, make the decision.
Washington decided on a place near his plantation home. The new capital would be created from land donated by the states, and named, much to Washington’s delight, after himself. It would be ruled by Congress and indeed, it still rules the roost. Two years ago on a visit, someone asked me to sign a petition to the US Congress for self-government for DC. But I’m a Filipino, I told the American –and he replied, as a foreigner you have as much rights as a Washingtonian –which means, none, so sign.
And so, Washington, D.C. was born. Since then, a change in government has often meant a change in capital: even the Russians tried replacing Moscow with St. Petersburg; the Meiji restoration moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo; and the end of colonial rule has often inspired dreams of a new capital to reflect new nationhood. The Australians replaced Sydney with Canberra; the Brazilians replaced Rio de Janeiro with Brasilia. In Malaysia, Putrajaya is Mahathir’s version of Quezon City, meant to replace Kuala Lumpur.
In the early years of the Spanish period Cebu was the main colonial base until Legaspi established Manila in June of 1571. Manila was made the capital of the colony a few years later in 1595. In 1639 there was a move to transfer the capital to Cavite because of Manila’s vulnerability to Muslim and Chinese attack and Cavite’s less swampy land and abundance of building materials. But this did not push through.
For the next three centuries or so Manila, or rather Intramuros, remained the political, administrative and social center of the country. This center was spatially defined by the Plaza Mayor (now the Plaza de Roma) and the important buildings around it, like the Cathedral de Manila, the Ayutamiento and other government edifices laid out according to King Philip II’s “Law of the Indies.” This urban code set the pattern to be used in all of Spain’s colonies. This ‘Plaza Complex’ is still evident in countless towns and cities in the Philippines.
When the Americans came they decided that Intramuros was not big enough, nor appropriate for their new colony. They called in the famous architect and planner, Daniel Burnham, to design the new capital. This he did in grand fashion using Washington D.C. as a model. The national civic center was placed outside the old walls in the open field called Bagumbayan. Burnham planned a large capitol building surrounded by supporting government offices in a formal setting that was close to a mirror image of Washington’s. The ‘mall’ is now our Luneta, or Rizal Park. Only the Agriculture and Finance Buildings were built of the original civic group. The National Library was also built in the 1920’s but turned into the Legislative Building in lieu of the Capitol that could not get built because of budgetary cuts.
Burnham gave the matter of the waterfront prime importance saying in his report:
“Manila possesses the greatest resources for recreations and refreshments in its river and its ocean bay. Whatever portions of either have been given up to private use should be reclaimed where possible, and such portions as are still under public control should be developed and forever maintained for the use and enjoyment of the people.”
Burnham proposed a parkway along Manila bay extending from the Luneta southward all the way to Cavite. This was to be a 250’ wide boulevard – “with roadways, tramways, bridle paths, rich plantations, and broad sidewalks and should be made available to all classes of people.” Burnham further recommended – shaded drives along the Pasig all the way to Ft. McKinley, which we now know as Fort Bonifacio, and beyond as part of the park and parkway system.
Burnham ended his report, waxing lyrical “possessing the bay of Naples, the winding river of Paris, and the canals of Venice, Manila has before it an opportunity unique in the history of modern times, the opportunity to create a unified city equal to the greatest of the Western World with the unparalleled and priceless addition of a tropical setting.” He knew how to write a sales pitch.
The implementation of the Burnham plan fell to a succession of American engineers and architects who had to deal with an alternately tight-fisted then generous, legislature. It is to the work of these men, and brilliant Filipino architects like Antonio Toledo and Juan Arellano, that we owe some of the most beautiful public buildings ever erected, anywhere: the pre-war Legislative Building (who’s shoddily reconstructed successor, the National Museum Building, still pleases the eye), the Manila Post Office (marred as it is today with the hideous “Philpost” logo painted on its upper story), and the Agrifina Circle structures.
By 1928 a major revision of the plan was undertaken. A committee led by Manuel Mañosa, Sr. and Juan Arellano produced a Zoning Plan for Manila based on the original Burnham Plan. This was printed and distributed free to the public for feedback. (This predates today’s “stakeholder consultations” by a good sixty years.) The final drawings and documents were recommended for approval in 1933 and eventually became the basis for Manila’s first zoning ordinances.
Burnham’s Manila plan was prepared for a city with a maximum population of 800,000 people. The population of the city of Manila was only 285,000 in 1918, but it grew at 5.6 percent per year to more than 600,000 in 1939. At that rate, Manila would have been filled to capacity.
But then in the 1930’s just as the the Commonwealth government had finally built the Burnham Plan’s seaside drive –named Dewey Boulevard and now known to us as Roxas Boulevard- and finally finished the Post Office Building, the Finance and Agriculture Buildings, it decided to scrap the Burnham Plan and replace it with a new metropolis elsewhere. One of the main reasons given was that the proposed National Capitol to be built in the vicinity of the present-day Quirino Grandstand was too susceptible to naval bombardment. But the main reason was one as old as Washington –a nation was due to restore its independence and it wanted to proclaim independence from imperial Manila.
The failure that’s Quezon City, when we return.
II. Quezon’s City
From the very start the plans to create what was first referred to as Balintawak City, but which was later baptized Quezon City by Narciso Ramos (President Ramos’s father) and Ramon Mitra, Sr., who knew Quezon would be as delighted by the name as Washington was in his time, was bedeviled by controversy, not the least of which was due to skepticism over the fiscal wisdom of the plan. Nevertheless, the project pushed through.
In the summer of 1939 President Quezon contacted William Parsons and asked him to choose a new site for and then to design a new Philippine Capitol. Parsons arrived in June of 1939 and eventually chose Diliman as the new capitol site. He also managed to produce a master plan for the new University of the Philippines. Unfortunately he died in December of that year. Harry Frost, Parsons’ former partner took over and joined Juan Arellano and A. D. Williams in the Planning Commission. A fourth member of the team, landscape architect Louis P. Croft joined them as advisor on planning and park design.
The plan for Quezon City was an expansion of the original City Beautiful pattern set by Daniel Burnham for Manila. The major elements of a grand civic center, parks and parkways and the strong axial/geometric patterns for building groups and opens spaces are evident.
The elliptical circle was the focal point of a grand quadrangle defined by the geographically named avenues and reached by a grand boulevard (also named after Quezon of course) connecting it to the very center of old Manila via the –naturally- Quezon Bridge. The circle was to house the new legislative complex, a magnificent group of buildings with the halls of Senate and the House. On either side of North and East Avenues were to be the executive and judiciary complexes of the national government. All of these complexes were set in landscaped sites and surrounded by public parks and open spaces. The new National Capital City complex was thus defined with the three branches of government connected and framed by the Diliman Qaudrangle.
The foundations for the new legislative building in the circle were being laid when World War II broke out. The new Capital had to wait. In 1945 peace came but the death of Quezon, full independence and new planning concerns caused major changes in the original plan of 1941.
In 1946 newly elected President Manuel Roxas created a Capital Site Committee to look at other possible sites. The old capitol site was not deemed defensible enough from military attack nor the area large enough to accommodate a projected population of several million souls. Sixteen other sites were evaluated (including Tagaytay, Baguio and Iloilo) but the raised elevation of Novaliches was finally chosen. The original Diliman area was thus enlarged to include the Novaliches watershed to the North all the way to Wack Wack in the south.
In the meanwhile the elliptical circle was turned to a memorial to Quezon. The 400 hectares of the Diliman quadrangle was allocated by the commission as the city’s central park. This central park was to contain the national botanic garden, the national zoo, athletic grounds, a grand stadium and even a golf course. The park was to be the main component of a comprehensive city-wide park and parkway system. This system would have included another 80-hectare park in the north, various parks and greenbelts along creeks and rivers, numerous playgrounds and athletic fields. Finally, there was to be a major greenbelt all along the Marikina and San Mateo valley – to contain urban sprawl, preserve the agricultural land and protect the city’s watershed areas. All fantastic plans …but what happened?
In one word (to quote architect and planner Dr. Geronimo Manahan) it was Greed. Land speculation led to the inability of government to consolidate enough land for housing and parks. In the 1950s the original quadrangle area was cut in half. The West and South triangles were sold off to housing developments. Only 200 hectares were left for the central park but lack of funds caused the park to remain unbuilt. In the 1960s the remaining land was cut up even further to accommodate the Philippine Science High School. Finally in the 1970s what remained was parceled off to various government offices and institutions like the mint, the lung and kidney center, the BIR and the NIA. What was left of the original 400 hectares is now just 25 hectares of the Quezon Memorial circle and the Parks and Wildlife Center. The city has lost its only chance for a proper and adequately sized central park (New York, which had less people than Metro Manila today, has close to 500 hectares of Central Park). None of the intended parks and parkway system was ever built. Only a few of the playgrounds were ever constructed.
In essence, the Frost Plan was revived under the National Planning Commission first headed by Croft then later by Harvard-trained Anselmo Alquinto. The plan was revised in 1947, 1949 and finally in 1956.
The civic center under these revisions was to be moved northeast from the elliptical circle to a 158 hectare area called Constitution Hill. The three branches of government and support offices were laid in a formal layout reminiscent of the UP plan. In the middle was to be a 20 hectare Plaza of the Republic. The whole complex was to be connected to Manila by an East-West parkway called Republic Avenue. That plan was submitted and approved by President Quirino in 1949 but it would take close to thirty years before the Batasan Pambansa was completed in 1978. The rest of the complex remains unrealized and is today threatened by continuing parcelization by government offices, encroachment from informal settlers (squatters) and bureaucratic neglect.
There was a very human reason for this bureaucratic neglect. The American government gave money for the rebuilding of the Legislative Building on one condition –it would be located in its old home along P. Burgos Drive in Manila. To their delight, when Congress moved back in, they realized they were conveniently located near night club row, which had developed along Dewey (now Roxas) Boulevard. It would take Martial Law and a dictatorship to pry the legislature away from nightclub row and move them to Quezon City.
But bureaucrats don’t have the options of congressmen, so in the 1950s to Quezon City moved government offices and civil service families built their homes there.
President Marcos was of two minds when he first created Metro Manila and then moved the capital back to Manila in 1976. He seemed torn between a new City of Man, and old Manila.
He had turned to plans for a cultural center dating back to the Magsaysay administration and built the CCP before martial law. The CCP complex and the adjacent reclaimed area became the focus of a proposal in the early 1970s to lay out the area as the NGC with Malacañan Palace transferred to a feng shui-friendlier location. A loop LRT line could connect the entire CCP/NGC complex and the other new districts in the reclamation area with the existing LRT line, the rest of the metropolis and the proposed extension to Cavite. We got the first part of the MRT, but then Mrs. Marcos kept building all over the map: health facilities in Quezon City; finance facilities in Manila; sports facilities in Pasig: was it to be Manila or Metro Manila? The Marcoses never made up their mind. It was too convenient to avoid a center of government, because by dispersing government, it concentrated it in Malacanang.
So today, we have the President and the Supreme Court in Manila, the Senate in Pasay, the House of Representatives in Quezon City, and a national capital that’s a dot in government maps and not much else in reality.
But what’s the alternative? President Ramos suggested Fort Bonifacio. President Arroyo at one time wanted Clark. More on these proposals, with our guest when we return.
With talk of a concerted, if unofficial, move to transform either Subic or Clark into the administrative capital of the Philippines, our officials and the public would do well to look at grand -and failed- attempts at capital-building in the Philippines.
The result is that neither Manila nor Quezon City, the once and present capitals of the country, have ever been properly or thoroughly planned, which leaves our country almost uniquely bereft of a rationally-planned and executed capital city among the countries of the region and even the world. The truth is that both Quezon and Manila Cities, for national capital purposes, are both dead, and that the time may indeed have come for a new plan for a new capital in a new place.
A new national capital is always a great means for spurring economic growth and decongesting an existing metropolis; it is also an act of faith in the future and a way of resolving the past. We’ve been independent for sixty years, but still lack a national capital. This says much about our lingering incapacity to manage our own destiny.
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Posted 14 March 2005. Plant Health Progress.
Walnuts’ Secret Defense Explored
Agricultural Research Service
Washington, D.C. (March 9, 2005) - With their rich taste and pleasing crunchiness, it's no wonder that walnuts are one of America's favorite tree nuts. But walnuts, like several other kinds of crops, are vulnerable to attack by fungi called Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Both species can produce a natural compound called aflatoxin, which is thought to be carcinogenic.
Though inspections ensure that the walnuts that make their way from orchards to the home are free of harmful levels of aflatoxin, Agricultural Research Service scientists in Albany, California, want to do more to combat the fungi. For example, they've compared the A. flavus resistance of nearly a dozen leading kinds of English walnuts -- the kind most widely marketed in the United States -- and two species of black walnuts, which are less widely grown because their thicker shells are harder to open.
These laboratory experiments, led by ARS research chemist Russell J. Molyneux of the agency's Western Regional Research Center at Albany, showed that a popularly grown walnut known as Tulare was remarkably resistant to Aspergillus. Molyneux did the work with chemist Noreen E. Mahoney at the Albany laboratory and with University of California, Davis, collaborator Jim McKenna. Davis researchers Charles A. Leslie and Gale H. McGranahan also participated.
Tulare's secret defense? It's gallic acid, found only in the nutmeat's thin skin, or pellicle, according to Molyneux. Tulare walnuts contained one-and-one-half to two times more gallic acid than, for instance, Chico walnuts, the most Aspergillus-susceptible of the walnuts that the researchers tested.
Earlier, scientists elsewhere had shown that gallic acid has antimicrobial effects. But Molyneux's team is likely the first to show that a crop susceptible to an aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus can actually prevent the Aspergillus from producing aflatoxin.
The work, published in 2003, paved the way for current Albany studies to discover how gallic acid undermines Aspergillus.
Read more about the research in the March issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
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Nutra-Sorb BIO-CARB Soil Food
A HIGH QUALITY CROP BEGINS WITH A BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SOIL FOOD WEB
All the bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, and other organisms that produce crop sustaining nutrients, antibiotics, thatch decomposers, hormones, root growth substances, natural fungicides, and activities that improve the soil are known as “The Soil Food Web”.
ENERGY FOOD FOR THE SOIL FOOD WEB
BioCarb Soil Food is rich in natural minerals, carbon, vitamins, polysaccarides and soluble proteins that are rich energy sources for supporting and increasing the soil food web.
Beneficial microbes increase faster at the expense of pathogenic microbes when there is an abundant energy supply.
RESULTS YOU CAN SEE
Try an application on off-color foliage. Off-color foliage is usually an indication of poor root zones. Treated soil results in a sharp spike of beneficial root-zone microbes that is evidenced by improved foliage color.
APPLICATION OPPORTUNITIES: SEED TREATMENT, IN THE DRILL, POP-UP FERTILIZERS, LIQUID FERTILIZERS, HERBICIDE, INSECTICIDES, FOLIAR NUTRIENTS.
There are many windows of opportunity for the crop to benefit from BioCarb. The more applications to the soil, the richer it will become. Seed treatments will have a safe, fertile area for germination; root zones are enriched when included in the drill or with pop-up fertilizer; acts as a sticker when used with herbicides and insecticides; foliage takes on a darker green when applied with foliar nutrients.
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Subject: English Language Learners
Grade Level(s): K – 12
Measures Growth: No
The Aprenda 3 is a Spanish-language assessment modeled after the Stanford Achievement Test 10th edition. It is designed to measure achievement in ELA, math, science and social studies for Spanish-speaking students. With passages by authors of Spanish-language children's literature in the United States, Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, and Central and South America, the test is intended to be culturally inclusive and of particular relevance for Spanish-speaking students.
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Black history month may be over, but a poster prominently displayed in a McDonald's near my neighborhood tells us we should be observing it every day of the year.
One way of doing so might be to recall that blacks used to make up most of the workers at the fast-food palace. Today, most are Hispanic immigrants.
Nevertheless, there are other ways of observing black history, and one may be arriving at your children's school as soon as next year.
With help from the taxpayers by way of the National Endowment for the Humanities, some 24 "scholars" have concocted a curriculum for American schools that will focus on what is now called in some quarters the "Black Holocaust" and, according to a Cybercast News Service report last month, "on issues like slavery reparations that are typically not addressed by kids' textbooks." The program "may be incorporated into the curriculum of public schools across the nation as early as September 2003."
Of course, there are several good reasons why most textbooks don't deal with "issues like slavery reparations." Among them are
But for some, who think racial propaganda is just the ticket for public school curricula, reparations, white guilt and the supposed "genocide" of blacks by whites are just what most children, black and white, need to have their brains washed in.
The designers of the curriculum are two black teachers from Milwaukee, Dennis Smith and Yolanda Farmer, and their project, as CNS reports, relies "on federal grant money from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support their educational efforts."
Ostensibly, the curriculum is supposed to teach black kids all about their roots in Africa, including from which tribe they are descended. Mr. Smith has already figured out his own "roots" and learned that they go "back to a 'great empire' in Africa that existed more than 400 years ago."
One rather suspects that Mr. Smith will soon discover that his ancestors were the emperors of the "great empire," but in any case, the "roots" stuff is largely a cover for another, hidden agenda.
"Smith said there is a greater lesson for kids, both black and white, in performing such genealogical research," and that purpose is as follows, as Mr. Smith explains it:
"Civilization itself started in Africa and it worked its way to this part of the world, but most African-Americans as well as white Americans don't know that. No matter how much we try to disprove that reality, it always comes back to the fact that civilization did start in Africa and then spread out throughout the rest of the planet."
Mr. Smith acknowledges that "his curriculum would rely on African-American historical resources and artifacts provided by the Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee."
The Black Holocaust Museum, he explains,
"is our history, just like slavery is our history, just like hip-hop, just like the Temptations or Elvis Presley. All of that is part of African-American history. African kids have to know and take ownership of that history, as well as white American kids must know African-American history."
The Black Holocaust Museum itself, according to its own website,
"was founded to educate the general public of the injustices suffered by people of African Heritage in America, and to provide visitors with an opportunity to rethink their assumptions about race and racism."
What Mr. Smith wants to teach, of course, is nothing more than racial brainwashing, complete with bad grammar and intended to drill into the noggins of innocent white children how their own ancestors were genocidal killers, how and why they should spend their lives wallowing in guilt about it, and how and why blacks—the heirs of "great empires" no one else has ever heard of—should reclaim their imperial heritage by manipulating the government, the schools and anyone foolish enough to let them get away with it.
Mr. Smith also appears eager to swipe a bit from white history. Pathetically, Elvis Presley seems to be about the best he can think of to steal.
Courses like the one that Mr. Smith and his colleagues have come up with are hardly new. But now, with the help of the federal government through the NEH and probably the Education Department, they can reasonably expect to impose their phony history and racial power trip throughout the nation's school system.
It ought to tell us something that hardly anyone seems to have known about this gigantic anti-white binge and even fewer—in the Republican House, the Republican Senate or the Republican White House—seem to have raised any objection to it.
COPYRIGHT CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
[Sam Francis [email him] is a nationally syndicated columnist. A selection of his columns, America Extinguished: Mass Immigration And The Disintegration Of American Culture, is now available from Americans For Immigration Control.]
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Holliday structure, the most important intermediate in recombination is also known as Holliday junction or half chiasma. The first molecular model of the genetic exchange that occurs between homologous chromosomes during recombination was proposed by Robert Holliday. This Holliday model involves several steps.
First the homologous chromosomes are both nicked at identical location. Then the strands from one side of the nicks invade the homologous chromosomes, base pairing with no complementary strands. The invading strands are next covalently linked to the original strands at the nick site, forming what is called a Holliday junction. The Holliday junction migrates away from the original nick site, a process called branch migration. As it does so, the DNA strands are swapped between the chromosomes. This creates heteroduplex regions on both chromosomes, where man made or bases sequence differences between homologous chromosomes result in a region of DNA with a low percentage of mismatched base pairs.
The length of branch migration may vary, but some point breaks are made in the DNA that end migration and resolves the entangled DNA strands into two separate chromosomes. There are two ways that breaks can be made; one results in recombinant chromosomes.
If the crossed strands are cleaved by endonucleases, the after ligation within the chromosomes there will be two the chromosomes there will be two non recombinant chromosome with short heteroduplex regions. Alternatively if one rotates on DNA helix 180 0, a process called isomerisation, we can visualise how un crossed strands can be broken. After the uncrossed strands are cleaved by an endonucleases, ligation can produce recombinant chromosomes with short heteroduplex regions
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It is situated in the boundaries of Paleopolis ancient city and the Monastery of Agioi Theodoroi. It’s a Doric order, limestone structure with 8 pillars in the façade and 17 on its sides, characterized as one of the greatest temples of ancient Corfu. The reason is mostly about the pediment which adorned the western side of the temple. It is the oldest surviving stone pediment and has gigantic proportions (11,5m. x 4m.). Today it is exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Paleopolis - Mon Repos Estate.
The pediment depicts the representation of goddess Artemis on a mythical creature, named Gorgon. Gorgon was a Medusa with snakes as hair and wings at her back. She had the ability to turn humans to stone when they looked at her. The scene consists of Gorgon in the center while her face is turned to the spectator being surrounded by her children, Chryssaor and Pegasus, two lion- panthers and two scenes of Titans’ battle.
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Did you know the average American consumes about 57 pounds of added sugar each year? To provide some perspective, that is about 17 teaspoons each day, where the American Heart Association only recommends six teaspoons each day. Since the consumption of added sugar is so far from the recommended amount, it is not hard to see why negative side effects, like heart disease, are being seen increasing at alarming rates across the board. Today we look at the link between sugar and the risk for heart disease. To get more information on treating cardiovascular diseases, contact the experts at Beverly Hills Vein Center today.
The Correlation Between Sugar and an Increased Risk for Heart Disease
We know that Americans who consume too much sugar have an increased risk for heart disease, but what is the correlation between the two? Harvard Health Publishing recently cited a study where those whose caloric intake of added sugar was between 17-21% had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. From these findings, researchers have concluded that there is a direct correlation between the two; the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk is for heart disease.
How Much Sugar Is Safe to Consume?
In short, there is no formal recommended amount because sugar is not a requirement in a healthy diet. However, instead of immediately trying to cut it out altogether, it may be beneficial to start by taking a better look at where your sugar intake is coming from. For example, fruits and vegetables contain natural sugar while also providing your body with fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. Therefore, it is much healthier to curb your sweet tooth by grabbing a handful of strawberries over a bowl of ice cream. There are also healthier sugar alternatives, like honey, coconut sugar, stevia, and maple syrup. Focusing on being mindful of the sugar you are consuming can help reduce your intake without sacrificing the sweeter things in life.
Eliminating Added Sugar
In addition to incorporating healthier substitutes, it helps to eliminate products with lots of added sugar. For many, this includes items like:
- Coffee creamers
- Ice cream
- Fast food
- Sports drinks
While this is an excellent place to start, it can be even more advantageous to first learn about the nutrition labels and what they mean. Especially since marketing can be misleading, and sometimes the salad options have even more sugar than the burger! Keep an eye out for grams of sugar, ingredients like corn syrup, and recommended serving sizes.
Other Preventative Measures of Heart Disease
There is no way around it; sugar is a leading factor in an increased risk of heart disease. Reducing the amount of added sugars in your diet is the best preventative measure. Another recommended approach is to schedule regular visits to a cardiologist. They can ensure that everything is normal and there are no red flags to address. For more information on scheduling a visit to the experts at Beverly Hills Vein Center, visit their website.
The health of your heart is vital, and there is no time like to present to make it a priority. The first step is acknowledging the direct correlation between sugar and an increased risk of heart disease. From there, it is important to take the following steps.
- Look into where the added sugar is coming from in your own diet.
- Choose healthier alternatives.
- Make a conscious effort to read the nutrition labels.
To get more information on maintaining a healthy heart or scheduling a visit with the team at Beverly Hills Vein Center, contact us today.
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Building Better Skull Models For Ancient Carnivores
by AMNH on
“Traditionally, when we looked at a fossilized skull with pointy piercing teeth and sharp slicing blades, we assumed that it was primarily a meat eater, but that simplistic line of thinking doesn’t always hold true,” said John J. Flynn, the Museum’s Frick Curator of Fossil Mammals and a co-author on the new work published today in the journal PLOS ONE. “We’ve found that diet can be linked to a number of factors—skull size, biomechanical attributes, and often, most importantly, the species’ position in the tree of life.”
Dr. Flynn and Z. Jack Tseng, a National Science Foundation and Frick Postdoctoral Fellow in the Museum’s Division of Paleontology, looked at the relationship between skull shape and function of five different modern carnivore species: “hypercarnivores” like wolves and leopards whose diet is more than 70 percent meat and more omnivorous “generalists” such as mongooses, skunks, and raccoons. The initial modeling, which mapped bite force against the stiffness of the animal’s skull, yielded a surprise.
“Animals with the same diets and biomechanical demands, like wolves and leopards—both hypercarnivores—were not linking together,” Dr. Tseng said. “Instead, we saw a strong signal driven mostly by ancestry, where, for example, the leopard and the mongoose bind together because they’re more closely related in an evolutionary context, although they have very different dietary preferences and feeding strategies.”
But once Tseng and Flynn accounted for the strong effects of ancestry and skull size on the models, hypercarnivores and generalists still could be distinguished based on biomechanics, in particular by looking at where along the tooth row the skull is strongest. The skulls of heavy meat eaters tend to be stiff near the front teeth for hunting, and the back teeth for crushing bones and slicing meat. In contrast, generalist skulls get slightly stiffer from the front row of teeth to the back row.
With an improved shape-function computer model in hand, Flynn and Tseng applied the research to a pair of extinct species: Thinocyon velox, a predatory mammal that was part of the now-extinct Creodont group, and Oodectes herpestoides, an early fossil predecessor of modern carnivores. The results suggested that T. velox likely had a unique hypercarnivorous feeding style that emphasized prey capture with its front teeth and powerful slicing and crushing with its back teeth, while O. herpestoides was a generalist.
“Beyond feeding adaptations of extinct species, we also want to decipher how adaptations evolved using reconstructed ancestors of living and fossil forms,” Tseng said. “We are applying similar types of skull shape and biomechanical analyses to reconstructed hypothetical ancestor skulls of Carnivora and their relatives to map out and better understand the long history of feeding adaptation of living top predators.”
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A recumbent bicycle is a bike that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons; the rider’s weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by back and buttocks. Most recumbent models also have an aerodynamic advantage; the reclined, legs-forward position of the rider’s body presents a smaller frontal profile.
Recumbents are available in a wide range of configurations, including: long to short wheelbase; large, small, or a mix of wheel sizes; overseat, underseat, or no-hands steering. Recumbents can be categorized by their wheelbase, wheel sizes, steering system, faired or unfaired, and front-wheel or rear-wheel drive.
Bacchetta Corsa, a short wheelbase high racerLong wheelbase (LWB) models have the pedals located between the front and rear wheels; short wheelbase (SWB) models have the pedals in front of the front wheel; compact long wheelbase (CLWB) models have the pedals either very close to the front wheel or above it. Within these categories are variations, intermediate types, and even convertible designs (LWB to CLWB) – there is no “standard” recumbent.
The rear wheel of a recumbent is usually behind the rider and may be any size, from around 16 inches (410 mm) to the 700c of an upright racing cycle. The front wheel is commonly smaller than the rear, although a number of recumbents feature dual 26-inch (ISO 559), ISO 571 (650c), or ISO 622 (700c) wheels. Notable among these are “highracers”, such as the Bacchetta Corsa and Strada or Volae Team, or the “LWB-style” RANS Stratus XP. Larger wheels generally have lower rolling resistance but a higher profile leading to higher air resistance. Highracer aficionados also claim that they are more stable, and although bicycle stability increases with the height of the center of gravity above the ground, the wide variety of recumbent designs makes such generalizations unreliable. Another advantage of both wheels being the same size is that the bike requires only one size of inner tube.
The pivoting-boom front-wheel drive Flevobike racer with 700c wheels (NL) Cruzbike Silvio (2009) A pivot-boom, front wheel-drive, 700C road bike (with rear rack).The most common arrangement is probably an ISO 559 (26-inch) rear wheel and an ISO 406 (20-inch) front wheel. The small front wheel and large rear wheel combination is used to keep the pedals and front wheel clear of each other, avoiding the problem called “heel strike” (where the rider’s heels catch the wheel in tight turns). A pivoting-boom front-wheel drive (PBFWD) configuration also overcomes heel strike since the pedals and front wheel turn together. PBFWD bikes may have dual 26-inch (660 mm) wheels or larger.
Recumbent Tour Cycling
A superb source of information on recumbent tour cycling is the bikepaths.org website.
Its owner, Charles DiBella has been bicycle touring independently with a Lightning Stealth recumbent for over ten years. On the website he aims to provide in-depth resource on recumbent bikes and tries his best to answer questions, and welcomes open dialog to discuss anything related to recumbent bikes or bicycle touring in general.
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How gift giving relates to tradition and religion, what are its implications to consumer behavior, how the nature of the relationship between the recipient and gift giver becomes reflected in the act of gift-giving, are some of the questions which this panel will address.
While gift-giving practices are among the most universal patterns of reciprocity and exchange in any cultural setting, Japan is among the most quoted examples of a society in which gift practices follow extremely complex etiquettes of exchange and wrapping, as well as of the opening (or not) of the objects donated. Some history and folklore literature trace the development of these practices back to early moments in which people discovered the practice of offering the best parts of their game to supernatural beings or deities. In Japan, humanities literature pictures back the origin in the canonization of the Shinto religion. The human donated to the kami in the hope that he could influence the course of reality. From this to clientelism and political corruption the step is not too long. Today, gift-giving plays a big part in most of the important events of the social life of the individual in Japan. How this relates to tradition and religion, what are the implications of gift-giving practices to consumer behavior and to the business world in general, and how the nature of the relationship between the recipient and gift giver becomes reflected in the act of gift-giving, are some of the most relevant questions which this panel will address.
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